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Shouta sat at his desk reading over the reports that his students had turned in that morning, his red pin flying across the pages as he made corrections; some papers were more notably marked than others. Mainly Kaminari’s and Ashido’s. Kirishima had made huge improvements under the tutelage of Bakugou.Shouta sometimes wonders how some of them even passed the entrance exams. How the hell had Kaminari misspelled his name as Kalimari? Thats not even how you spell that. Maybe he did it on purpose? Shouta prayed he did it on on purpose.It was a sad day when Shouta was praying for his students to be idiots on purpose.He was almost half way through the papers when an alarm in his room sounded, not loud enough to wake Eri, sleeping one room over. The top floor of the dorms had been made into an apartment of sorts, for the teachers to reside in while overseeing the students. The room Eri was in had once been his office, but had been quickly converted into a bedroom when it was decided that he was going to be her guardian.“Eraserhead!” the high pitched voice of one of the many security robots that traversed the school, called over the speaker in his room. “Student on the roof of the dorm! Its passed curfew! Deal with it!” The alarm ended, thankfully, once the robot made its announcement. Sighing and rubbing the back of his neck in agitation, Shouta reached for his phone to check the time. Clicking his phone on, the time revealed it to be 2:00 in the morning! Obviously he wasn’t the only one who should have been asleep in bed.Grabbing his capture weapon from the hook on his door, he quickly left his apartment and made his way to the roof. *I swear if I find Tokoyami and Dark Shadow screaming into the void, I will throw them into the void!* Shouta thought to himself as he pushed open the roof top door. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness outside, and when they did he felt his blood run cold with fear. Sitting on the edge of the roof looking down was none other than his number one problem child, Midoriya Izuku. What alarmed him even more was the soft sniffles and whimpering sounds coming from the boy.Shouta’s thoughts were racing a mile a minute. *Don’t freak, this kid cries all the time. Its nothing new.* Shouta tried to reason. The more grim part of his mind challenged that. *Why would he be sitting on the ledge of the roof then? It’s not very safe. And he’s crying, on the ledge of the roof.* Shouta didn’t want to assume suicide, but to Shouta’s rational mind, that’s what it looked like.*Why would one of the happiest kids I know consider suicide? The kid has a smile that could light up a room.* Logically, he knew that some of the most depressed people out their could smile like nothing was wrong. And being depressed doesn’t mean you cant be happy. Shouta just wondered what could have pushed the kid to this point.Not waiting another moment, Shouta threw out his capture weapon, wrapping it tightly around the boy before yanking it. Midoryia let out a startled yelp as he was roughly launched away from the roofs edge and into Shouta’s arms as he dashed forward to catch his student.Startled, Midoriya thrashed around while trying to activate his quirk in order to escape, the many villain attacks had left the students with fight first ask questions later response. When Midoriya’s quirk didn’t activate, his struggles slowed until they finally stopped, realization as to who possibly had him finally settling in. He quickly glanced up into the determined face of his homeroom teacher, relaxing as he realized that it was ‘indeed’ his teacher who held him and not a villain. Tears long forgotten the boy asked, “Mr. Aizawa? What are you doing? Why are you here? Not that you need a reason to be here, you live here too. But why? Why grab me with the capture weapon?”Shouta slowly unwound his weapon from around the child and settled it back over his shoulders, taking a moment to calm his nerves before he spoke. He turned Midoriya around to face him, and taking a deep breath while keeping a firm hand rested on the boys shoulder, he spoke. “I’ll ask the questions here Midoriya.” Shouta activated his quirk, his hair lifting to float above him as indication that he wan’t in the mood for any bullshit, and dropping it when he was satisfied with Midoriya’s reaction. Midoriya nodded his head in acknowledgment, at break neck speeds, clearly frightened by his teacher.Shouta opened his mouth to begin quizzing the boy but quickly snapped his mouth shut. This was not where he wanted to have this conversation, the roofs edge looming ominously in thebackground. Grabbing Midoriya by the wrist he pulled him back into the dorm. “Come with me” he growled, dragging the problem child by the wrist back to his apartment. The boy stumbled a few times, trying to keep up with Shouta’s long strides. Once inside his home, he ushered the boy into the living room and onto the worn black leather couch, that he has owned since he lived in his first apartment right after graduating UA. He sat himself on the coffee table in front of Midoriya and stared at him.Midoriya sat stiffly on the couch, clearly nervous and unsure how to act in front of the strict teacher. “Umm... Mr. Aizawa, what-” Midoryia began, but was cut off when Shouta help his hand up to silence the teenager. Shouta was leaned forward with his elbow on his knee and his hand covering his eyes. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Shouta gathered his thoughts. *What could have possibly happened to push the school cinnamon roll this far. He is surrounded by friends that adore him. He has good grades. The teachers adore him. All Might adores him! Is it something at home? He’s an only child being raised by a single mother, and from what All Might said she loves him to the moon and back! So why?* Realizing that the only way he will get any answers to his questions is by asking the boy, he sighs and resigns himself to this uncomfortable but necessary conversation.Shouta slowly sits up and looks at the boy in front of him, who was beginning to turn blue! “Breath Midoriya” Shouta commands, rolling his eyes as Midoryia gasps taking in deep breaths. Poor kid was just a bundle of nerves. “You’re not in trouble kid, so stop panicking. Ok?” Shouta waits as the teen nods slowly, doing his best to compose himself. The tears on his face have long since dried but his eyes are still red rimmed. “Now can you tell me why you were going to jump off the roof?” That was clearly the wrong thing to say, as the boy jumps to his feet trembling and stuttering, “I-I wasn’t go-going to jump! I would ne-never!”Shouta jumps to his feet too, roughly placing his hand over Midoriya’s mouth. They stand like that, Midoriya frozen from shock with Shouta’s hand over his mouth, and Shouta listening for any sign that Eri had woken up. Once he’s sure that the little girl is still asleep, he removes his hand and pushes Midoriya back onto the couch. “Please keep your voice down, Eri is asleep.” Midoriya takes a deep breath and nods his head. “If you weren’t planning on jumping, then just what were you doing? Because from my perspective, it seemed like you were strongly considering it.” Shouta hheasitantly reached forward and pats Midoriya on the knee. “I promise I won’t be mad at you if that’s what you were planning, I only want to help.”Midoriya takes in a shuddering breath, soft sobs wrack the boy’s body as he tries to keep himself from being too loud. It takes a few minutes for Midoryia to regain most of his control, the tears and sobs finally subsiding, he still trembles and his voice waivers. “I-I just, I just like to be outside when I’m upset. Looking at the- at the stars calms me down. The best place to see them is from the roof. I must have lost track of the t-time. I wasn’t going to jump, I swear. I could never to that to my mom. It-It would break her heart.” *He won’t jump because it would break his mom’s heart? Is that the only thing stopping him? Or is it the main thing?* “I-I just haven’t had a breakdown that bad in a while.” Midoriya continues. “I thought looking at the stars would help, I-I don’t even remember going over to the edge honestly.” *He doesn’t remember going to the edge? Thats not good? Isn’t that like... dissociation?* “Bu-but I wouldn’t have jumped! I’ve never considered jumping, even when I was told to, I-” Shouta interrupts Midoriya’s mumbling, grabbing both his shoulders squeezing tightly and looking deeply into his eyes.*The fuck did he just say? He was told to... to what?!*“Midoriya” Shouta begins, an edge to his voice. “Did you just say someone told to to commit suicide?” The teen freezes, realizing his slip up. He looks down, away from Shouta and closes his mouth tightly. Determined to remain silent. Realizing he wont get Midoriya to say anything about that right now, Shouta changes topics. “Alright... Alright. Can you at least tell me what upset you tonight. You were fine earlier today. What happened?”Midoriya relaxes at the change of topic, it’s not much, but it’s something. Shouta removes his hands from around the boys shoulders. He makes a last second decision and ruffles the boy’s green curly hair, before scooting back on the coffee table out of the boy’s personal space. He’s still close, but the kid has more breathing room again, although their knees keep bumping into each other.After taking a few deep breaths Midoriya answers him. “Today is my parents anniversary. My dad works overseas, and we might hear from him once a year. My mom bears with it, because she loves my dad... unconditionally, but its hard for her.” Shouta hears a hint of resentment in Midoriya’s voice, but he’s not sure if it’s directed towards his mother or his father... maybe both? “Its especially hard for her on anniversaries and birthdays. This is the first year that she’s had to face it alone. I’ve always been there for her, to help make it easier. She needs me to be there for her, and I can’t. Not will all the villain attacks.” Midoriya takes a deep breath, wringing his hands together. He still hasn’t looked up at Shouta. *Probably thinks I’ll look at him with pity.* Shouta wouldn’t, he’s not the type to let his emotions, other than anger or boredom, show on his face. He also doesn’t show pity when its not wanted or needed. Sure, having an absent parent sucks; Shouta’s own parents were hardly around, and when they were they were assholes. But Midoriya Inko was obviously more than capable of raising her son on her own. She had been for many years. There was no reason to pity the boy, not in Shouta’s mind at least.Midoriya sighed and rubbed at his arms. “I just hate that he never calls her. Its like she doesn’t exist to him, until he happens to remember her. I don’t exist at all.”Shouta winces, not being acknowledged by his father probably hurt the boy a lot. Shouta can sympathize a little, at one point when he was small, he had wanted his father’s attention too. “And I just hate that I’m not able to be with her like I she’s used too, it’s hard for her.” Cue internal confused Scooby-Doo sound. *Hard for her... but not you?* Well, that’s probably normal, teenagers don’t want to spend every waking moment around their parents. They want to be independent and live their own lives.“Maybe if I had been useful when I was a kid, he would have felt the need to be more involved, and could be with her more.” *Kids shouldn’t have to do anything to earn their parents love!* Midoriya lets out a small whine, head hanging lower than before. “I could tell that she had been crying a lot, and I wasn’t there for her.” Shouta had been listening, and he wasn’t pleased, if the pinched lines between his eyebrows was any indication. *So far all I’ve heard is how he’s sad because his mom is sad, because she misses her husband. Kid! What about you? What about how it makes you feel? You have feelings too! It shouldn’t be all about her.* Shouta thinks to himself. Leaning forward he places his index finger under Midoryia’s chin and tilts his head up to meet his own gaze. “Izuku” Midoryia’s eyes widen at the use of his given name. Shouta doesn’t usually call his students by their given names, but given how honest the kid was being with him, he decided to forgo formalities. “It sucks that your mom is sad, but she’s an adult and can deal with her own emotions and take care of herself. You are the child, and its not your responsibility to take care of her emotionally. So far all I’ve heard is how your father’s absence affects her, but what about you? What do you feel?”Removing his hand from Mid-Izuku’s face, Shouta leans back to watch the emotions flicker across the boys face. *Kid sure can move through emotions fast.* “It doesn’t matter” Izuku says. The glare Shouta shoots him has Izuku backtracking fast. “I mean, I was only a couple years old when he left,” Izuku begins. “So I don’t remember him. I’m mad that he’s never come home to us, but I can’t say that I miss him. You can’t miss what you’ve never had. So I’m just mad for my mom’s sake, even if ‘she’ isn’t mad because she ‘loves’ him. But it is my responsibility to look after my mom because ‘he’ isn’t here. I’m all she has, and that makes me the man of the house. So it is my job!” Izuku whispers the last part angrily.Sighing, Shouta rubs the back of his neck. Izuku had a point, he wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t entirely right. “I want you to listen to me Izuku, really listen. It’s good that you feel that you have to look after your mom, there is nothing wrong with that. You are very responsible and mature. But you are only 15 years old. There is only so much you can do, only so much you ‘should’ do. You have to let your mom deal with the absence of her husband on her own, she is the one supposed to be helping ‘you’ deal with your father’s absence. You are putting yourself through too much stress worrying about things you have no control over.”“You said it you don’t even remember going to the edge of the roof. What if that was your subconscious rebelling from the stress and looking for a way to end it?” Both Shouta and Izuku shuddered at the thought. “I don’t know kid. I’m not a psychologist. All I know is, you are a teenager. You are going to a prestigious school that pushes you to your limit. You are training to be a hero, to survive. You have faced more villains than most third years. Had to learn how to control a self destructive quirk, and deal with all the normal drama that comes with being a teenager. You have a habit of getting involved with other people’s problems. That’s a good quality for a hero, but you are not a hero yet. You are adding unnecessary stress on top of all your other stresses. Stop it, and just focus on yourself.” *Don’t you ever stop and think about yourself?* Shouta screeched internally!Shouta knows he’s fixing to hit below the belt, but the safety and well being of his student comes first. “Your mom can take care of herself, that’s what being an adult is about. She’s fine on her own. You are not an adult, and are not responsible for her. You wont always live with her, like right now. You can’t live your life fretting over everything that makes her sad. You’ll drive yourself insane.” Izuku tried to interrupt him. “But you don’t understand-“Shouta cut him off, “Then help me too. Help me to understand why you think you have to take care of your mom. Isn’t she a capable adult?”“Yes.”“Then I don’t see why you have to play grown up?”Izuku rubbed his face in frustration. “I’m not. I just can’t let her fret or get too sad.”“Why? People get sad, that’s life. It’s not like she’s sad all the time. Besides, parents look after the children, not the other way around. You’re gonna kill yourself from stress, and then your mom really will be alone. Does she even know how much this bothers you?” *how could she? I didn’t even know he was upset. He smiles through everything. He. Smiles. Through. Everything!* “Does she know anything about what you feel, or do you just smile her worries away?” By this point Izuku had curled in on himself, his sobs were shaking his body and he was close to hyperventilating. Shouta felt like he was missing something important, he was positive that Izuku wasn’t telling him everything. But Shouta would figure it out, he wasn’t going to let Izuku wiggle his way out of the truth. Whatever it was.*All Might is a bad influence, you can’t just smile everything away!*Shouta moved over to the couch and pulled the boy into his arms, rubbing soothing circles across the boys back like Hizashi had always done for him. Shouta wasn’t really sure how to comfort someone, but he could at least try.Shouta and Izuku sat on the couch together for a long time. Izuku was practically glued to Shouta’s side. Shouta just kept holding him, whispering soothing words every now and then, at least he hoped they were soothing. It was obvious that the boy was exhausted from all of his crying, his eyelids were drooping and shoulders were slumping. Shouta needed to say one last thing before he let the boy sleep. He knows he had been blunt with Izuku, even a bit harsh, but the world could be a cruel place and it was his job to get the boy ready for it. So Shouta wasn’t going to spare him. Already the boy had faced so much during his time at UA, and apparently had some secret demons. Pushing the boy to spill all his dark secrets too soon or too fast might be more damaging than helpful, but Shouta would get him to spill them eventually. So Shouta pulled the boy tight against his chest and rested his chin on Izuku’s head. “Izuku?” He mumbled into the boys hair. It took a moment before the boy replied. “Yea?” His voice was raspy from crying. Shouta sighed before dropping one last bomb. “Our conversation is over for ‘now’. We still have a lot to talk about. Not all at once, but I’m not letting go of the fact that someone told you to kill yourself.” Shouta felt Izuku stiffen in his arms, and hugged the boy tighter. “But I won’t rush you. I want you to feel ready to tell me. To trust me enough to tell me. We will have to talk to your mom about how your father’s absence is affecting you through her. And about being pressured to kill yourself.”Izuku thought for a moment, which was hard because he was very tired, before he answered. “But what if I never feel ready to talk about those things and the others?” *The others? As in there is more than just being told to commit suicide?!* Shouta had to bite his tongue to keep from growling. “To bad” He responded. He was feeling too stressed and emotional to respond nicely at this point. Thankfully Izuku didn’t argue, just snuggled closer to Shouta and closed his eyes.“There’s a lot you don’t know about Mr. Aizawa.” Izuku murmured.Shouta quirked an eyebrow, even though the kid couldn’t see it. “You gonna tell me?” He asked.Izuku yawned, and waited a minute before answering. “I don’t know.”Shouta sighed and patted the greenette’s back. “Just consider it then.” Izuku nodded his head against Shouta’s chest. Eventually Izuku’s breathing evened out, and was soon deeply asleep. Hefting Izuku into his arms bridal style and standing up from the couch, Shouta slowly made his way to his bedroom. *Holy crap! What does this kid eat, bricks?* Izuku was not as light as he looked. Shouta quickly deposited Izuku onto his bed, standing and leaning back enough to crack his back. *I’m getting to old for this.* After tucking the boy into the bed, Shouta grabbed a throw blanket that was folded at the end of his bed and made his way to the couch. Wrapping the blanket around his shoulders, he quickly face-planted onto the couch. His last thought before falling asleep was, *problem child*.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Shouta couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so hard. He remembers collapsing onto the couch, but anything after that was lost to him. Being a light sleeper, he can usually count the number of times he rolls over at night; but not last night. That must be a testament to how stressed the whole situation with Midoriya had left him. Honestly, just thinking about the problem child was reviving the stress from last night, and Shouta would give anything to fall back asleep for a few more hours.There was just one problem. And that problem was the insistent poking of his face. Shouta knew that poking, he has been living with that poking every morning for almost two and a half months now. That poking was from a very little finger, from a very little girl. A very little girl named Eri. Shouta let out a long deep groan and buried his face deeper into the couch, something that would normally cause Eri to giggle and poke Shouta harder. She could be very insistent. This time his morning antics were met with silence.Turning his head in Eri’s direction, Shouta cracked open one eyelid and looked into the concerned face of his foster daughter. Seeing her worried expression, Shouta pushed himself up and into a sitting position, stretching his arms over his head and causing multiple joints to pop and make very audible cracking sounds. *I’m only 30! Am I supposed to make this much noise from moving?!* Shouta thought to himself.Eri had climbed up beside him at some point during his morning stretch, and was sitting quietly. Not uncommon, she could be a very quiet girl at times (years of fear and conditioning had made her that way), but normally she would be dragging poor Shouta into the kitchen by now. Demanding food. She was an early riser, and while she wasn’t an overly cheerful morning person like an excessively loud, man child cockatoo, that he knew; she did demand her breakfast bright and early.Routine was important to victims of trauma, and having a sudden guest sleeping in Shouta’s bed was probably throwing a wrench into that routine. She probably would be more upset if the guest wasn’t Izuku (Deku). She has been glued to the boy since her rescue, and definitely saw him as an older brother. Shouta knew that her silence meant that she was waiting for an explanation from him.Sighing, Shouta stood and picked Eri up, carrying her into the kitchen and depositing her onto one of the four chairs that were placed around a small round table. “We’ll talk while I start breakfast.” Shouta offered, walking over to the refrigerator to get the ingredients he needed to make omurice.While he worked he began talking. “Izuku is-” Shouta stopped, how was he supposed to explain this in a safe, non triggering way for Eri to understand. Izuku wasn’t necessarily suicidal (he hoped), but he was clearly depressed. How do you tell a child who has suffered so much, that one of her hero’s was probably only alive so as not to inconvenience or hurt his mother. Shouta was still trying to wrap his head around that.“Deku is...?” The little girl prompted, unaware of her guardian’s internal struggle. Shouta sighed and decided to take the most simple route of explanation. “Izuku is really sad I think, and he’s been hiding it behind his smiles. So he won’t worry anyone.” Shouta said as he cracked eggs into the frying pan on the stove eye.Shouta waited, letting what he said to Eri sink in. She sat in silence for a few minutes while he finished their breakfast. The rice had already finished cooking in the rice cooker just as he was finishing the three omelets. Shouta had a very large frying pan for cooking in, Hizashi tended to come eat over with them and had insisted that Shouta needed the large pan. He placed two filled plates down on the table, one in front of Eri and one in front of his seat, a third plate was placed in the microwave for Izuku for when he woke up.Eri took a few bites of her omurice before asking Shouta, “Why is Deku sad”. Shouta swallowed the mouthful of his food and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, from what he told me last night, he’s sad because his mom is sad.” Seeing Eri about to ask another question, probably about why his mom was sad, Shouta held up his hand to pause her question. They would get through this faster without having to stop for her to ask why after every question.“Dek-Izuku said that his dad doesn’t live with them anymore, and that makes his mom sad. Now Izuku isn’t living with her anymore either, and it’s making her even more sad. They have always been close, and I think her anxiety is affecting Izuku. (BTW anxiety triggers anxiety. It’s a bitch.) Izuku thinks he has to fix it by taking care of her, but this isn’t something that he can fix. It’s something she has to come to terms with on her own. Do you understand so far?” Shouta inquired.Eri nodded her head and asked, “Why doesn’t Deku’s dad live with them”. Shouta took a few more bites of his food before he replied. “Don’t know. Izuku said his dad works far away, but doesn’t visit or call. His loss. But Izuku needs to learn that he can’t fix everything, and grown ups are allowed to feel sad sometimes and have to deal with their problems themselves.” *Although, I don’t think he’s telling me everything.* (His Dadzawa senses are tingling. Not that he would ever admit that.)Eri nodded her head, “Grown up problems are hard. Kids should be kids. That’s what Mirio says.” *Bless Mirio and his words of wisdom! I’m using that as an argument against problem child as soon as he wakes up.*Shouta nodded his head in agreement. “Izuku also mentioned that someone told him something very mean and hurtful, something no one deserves to be told. Now I’m worried if that was the only thing said to him, because it clearly affected him. Now I’m worried about his safety.” *More than I already am!* Shouta thinks bitterly, shoveling more food into his mouth.Eri sets her fork down sharply and looks at Shouta with wide eyes. Her bottom lip trembles and her eyes get glassy, but she doesn’t cry. She only cries when extremely distressed. “Is Deku in danger?” She whimpers. Shouta reaches across the table and runs his hand soothingly through her long silver hair a couple of times before retreating back across the table. He’s never been great at comforting people, but no one can say he doesn’t try, especially for her.“I won’t let anyone hurt Izuku, I promise.” Shouta makes his voice as reassuring as possible, and Eri visibly relaxes. She trusts Shouta to take care of things. *I have a pretty good idea on who the threat is, but I can’t jump to conclusions. I need Izuku to tell me himself who told him to kill himself, along with whatever else the boy is hiding. But if I’m correct, then Izuku has been hurt by his bully while at UA. If I’m right, and I usually am, I will definitely put the fear into Bakugou Katsuki!* Shouta thinks, clinching his fists under the table. Shouta does not tolerate bullying, and will not let this go unchecked.Eri has finished with her breakfast and looks at Shouta with determination blazing in her eyes. “Deku needs to talk to his mom.” Shouta nodes his head, agreeing with her. “And you need to protect him from the person who hurt him.” Shouta hums in acknowledgment, she wasn’t wrong, and Shouta planned to do just that. “He needs to move in with us.” Eri states, like its the most logical answer there is.Poor Shouta had just taken a sip of his drink when Eri announced the last part, so he understandably spit his drink across the room. Eri looks at him like he had just grown a second head, like she can’t fathom why he would react this way. Coughing, he stands up and grabs the dish towel off of the counter and drops it on his impromptu spit take, mopping it up while trying not to cough a lung up!Once his airway is clear and the mess cleaned up, he turns to Eri. “How did you come to that conclusion?” He asks, voice raspy from coughing. Eri crosses her arms and gives Shouta a look that questions his intelligence. Like she couldn’t fathom how he hadn’t thought of it himself. “Well,” She begins, listing off on her fingers. “You said Deku’s dad isn’t around. Someone is being mean to him. And he needs to learn how to just be a kid sometimes.” Shouta nods, following along so far. “Deku needs a dad to take care of him and teach him. You’re doing that for me, so you can do it for him too!”Shouta’s stunned! And his heart did not do a little flip and flutter at Eri calling him a dad- her dad! No it absolutely did not! “Eri,” Shouta begins, voice cracking. *Curse emotions! Get back under the layers of sarcasm, attitude, indifference and weariness that I buried you under!* “I can’t just take Izuku and claim him as my kid.”*I mean I can, it just might not be legal.*“He has a family, even if they are broken. He also lives right below us.” Shouta adds. “There is no reason to move him. I can protect and teach him just fine under our current living arraignments.” *I am not going to be this kids dad. I did not sign up for that! Although, depending on who the kid outs as his bully, those living arrangements might change.*Eri hopps down from her chair and glares at Shouta. She isn’t even as tall as his hip, but her glare has him shutting his mouth in an instant. She means business. She marches her small self around the table and puts her hands on her hips, raising her chin in defiance. *She spends too much time with Nemuri!* “Izuku lives with us, or I go live with him!” She states, stomping her foot. It’s unreasonable, illogical, and such a child like argument.*Cute.*Shouta stares, because there is no way his quiet little girl who is only just learning some self confidence is throwing a tantrum! A tantrum for Izuku! So he stares, and she stares/glares back. This is too much! He knew how much Eri loved Izuku, but to think she would get this protective over him! To say he was shocked would be an understatement! Standing up against him for the sake of ‘her’ Deku. He knows he won’t win this argument, at least not right now. Shouta lowers his head to the table with a loud thump. Causing the small girl to jump, startled.“We can talk about me kidnapping Izuku after I have talked to him and gathered all the information I need. Deal?” He asks holding out his hand towards Eri. After some hesitation, she nods, grabbing his hand and giving it a firm shake. The determination is still in her eyes. “Good. Now go wake up sleeping beauty.” Shouta grumbles.Eri nods enthusiastically, and rushes out of the kitchen. No doubt to poke Izuku awake like she does Shouta each morning. Cleaning away their dishes from the table, Shouta carries them over to the sink to begin washing and drying them. Shouta smiles to himself, Eri is very clearly planning on being difficult about this whole situation, but he can’t find it in himself to be anything but pleased at how determined she is. He’s obviously wrapped around her finger already! It makes his heart swell with how the broken little girl can still find it in herself to love others. And she clearly loves Izuku.A few minutes later, Izuku stumbles into the kitchen with Eri clutching his hand. Shouta didn’t think it was possible for the boy to look worse than he did last night, but clearly he was wrong. There are tired lines under his eyes, that are slightly blood shot from crying. He looks haggard, and not very awake. Shouta gives him credit for being able to function this early. Shouta was already downing the coffee that his coffee maker had brewed. It has a timer, Shouta’s usually to lazy to make the effort in the morning to go about the process of cooking breakfast ‘and’ make coffee. The coffee burns his throat as he takes a large swallow, finishing the coffee in record time. If there was a ‘how fast can you drink hot coffee’ sport, Shouta would be a pro.As Eri Pulls him over to the table and ushers him to sit down, Shouta grabs the plate out of the microwave, still hot, and puts it in front of Izuku.Izuku eats slowly, clearly in no mood for food this early, but unwilling to worry Eri any more than she already clearly is. She sits next to him, silently watching him. Shouta takes the moment of Izuku being distracted by food to observe him. Distracted is an understatement, the kid is barely responsive. But it is pretty early. His hair is a mess, pajamas rumpled and face pale. The kid obviously had a rough night, and Shouta wants to kick himself for having slept through it.Shouta pushes himself off of the counter that he had been leaned against and makes his way to his bedroom. Eri looks up at him, but stays seated beside Izuku. She’s clearly curious as to what Shouta is doing, but is unwilling to leave Izuku’s side. Good. Izuku is less likely to try and make a break for it with Eri hanging onto him.Shout goes into his room and shuts the door behind him. He walks over to his desk and grabs his phone from where he had left it charging before all the trouble began. Unlocking it, he quickly calls the principal. After a few rings, Nedzu picks up. “Mr. Aizawa?” The mouse-bear-dog thing answers. “What a pleasant surprise. May I ask why you are calling so early in the morning? It is very unlike you.”Shouta sits down at his desk and leans back in his chair. “I’m taking the day off, along with Midoriya Izuku. Some worrying things have been brought to my attention. So I’m taking the day to get to the bottom of them.” Shouta replies, rubbing his neck in frustration. *I need to stop that before I rub my neck raw.* Nedzu is silent for a few moments before he speaks. “How serious are we talking Eraserhead?” “Some, easily handled. Others, very serious and not easily fixed. I’ll inform you more once I have more details. I would appreciate it if you would inform All Might that Izuku is with me and that I would like him to keep his distance while I get to the bottom of things. His presence could just make things worse. The kid hates to disappoint or bother him. Also could you ask Mic to come get Eri and take her to her tutor?” Shouta asked.Nedzu hummed while he thought over what Shouta had said. “Very well. I expect to be informed the moment you have all the information you need. I will inform the other teachers of Izuku’s absence so they can reassure his classmates and make sure they don’t meddle. Call it sick leave.” And with that, the principle hung up the phone.*This is the first time that I will have ever been absent from my teaching duties.* Shouta thought, sighing. *It had to be the problem child.*After checking the time, 5:46 am, Shouta made his way back into the kitchen. No point in changing out of his sleep wear (black sweat pants and gray t-shirt), when he was just going to be sitting around the apartment all day; possibly being cried on. Izuku was still at the table, but was crying softly, his food forgotten. Eri was patting his back, telling him softly that everything would be ok. She was going to be his hero this time.*Be still my beating heart.*That just caused the water works to increase and Izuku pulled Eri onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her and holding her like she was his lifeline. Shouta just stood by and watched, unwilling to interrupt their moment. After a few minutes, Izuku’s crying began to slowly subside, and Shouta made his presence known by clearing his throat.Izuku stiffened and released his hold on Eri. She peered around Izuku’s shoulder to look at Shouta. Shouta jerked his thumb in the direction of Eri’s room. “Go get dressed, Mic will be here shortly to take you to your lessons.” Because she woke up so early, she had early lessons. He could see where Eri wanted to argue, so Shouta activated his quirk and stared down the little girl. “No arguing. I still have things to talk to Izuku about, remember?”Remembering the deal she had made with Shouta about talking to Izuku about staying with them (something Shouta had not agreed to... Not that it mattered to Eri), she got up from Izuku’s lap and dashed to her bedroom to get dressed for the day. Shouta deactivated his quirk once she was out of his sight and walked over to Izuku and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “How about sitting in the living room while I clean up the kitchen?” Shouta asked. Izuku just nodded, and shakily made his way to the living room.Shouta made quick work of cleaning Izuku’s half finished plate, and sat down at the table again; opting to give the boy some space for the moment. A rhythmic knocking at the door drew his attention and he quickly called out for them to come in. Mic for once didn’t enter with his trademark enthusiasm and loud “yea” shouted in English. He meekly walked over to Shouta, his brother in every way but blood.“So... Hows the little listener?” Hizashi whispered, patting Shouta on the shoulder. He could see Izuku in the living room. Nedzu had filled him in on Izuku dealing with some “problems”, so Hizashi was a little worried. He always worries about his students, but when it comes to Midoriya, things tend to be a little extreme.Shouta leaned into the hand on his shoulder for a moment before brushing Hizashi’s hand away and rubbed hands over his face. “Kid is probably in shock this morning, he had a rough night. Eri was able to get a reation out of him, although it was just him crying. How can someone cry so much?” Shouta wasn’t a crier, but that had a lot to do with his personality and the fact that he had dry eye.Hizashi snorted at the last part, but sobered up quickly. “What happened? That dude is all sunshine and rainbows or self sacrificing fierce determination. What’s going on that you felt you had to get involved and take a day off? You never take days off. You came to school like a broken mummy, so what the hell is going on?” Shouta glanced into the living room, Eri was dressed for the day and sitting with Izuku watching the morning news. Shouta doubted that Izuku had cut the tv on, so Eri must have done it to give Izuku something normal to focus on and help him relax. He was immensely proud of how observant and intelligent she was.Deciding that it was safe to speak freely, he motioned for Hizashi to come closer. Hizashi obliged, bending over so that his face was close to Shouta’s. “Zashi, the kid has been letting the fact that his mom is sad over his father’s absence eat him up. His dad hasn’t been around for years, but she must still be having a hard time. Can’t really blame her, All Might says she’s as sensitive as the kid. Being a single mother must be hard too. Brat has been probably trying to hard to make things easier for her.”“I found him sitting on the edge of the roof crying. I thought he was going to jump. He doesn’t even remember going over there because he was so distraught and stressed over being separated from her on her anniversary. To make matters worse he apparently has been told before to jump off a roof,” Hizashi gasped and clinched his fists at his sides, glancing into the living room at Izuku, before refocusing on Shouta. “and the only reason he could give for never going that far is because he couldn’t do that to his mother.”Shouta took in a deep breath and continued. “I’m seriously worried about what this boy has been holding in, what he’s been through. He mentioned there was more than just suicide baiting. I’m almost afraid to find out what else problem child has been hiding.”Hizashi sucked in a sharp breath and looked into the living room, eyes zeroing in on Izuku again. Protectiveness radiating off of him. Who could dare hurt the little green bean?Hell, Midoriya had been on patrol with him a month ago and, Hizashi shits you not, a villain stopped his fight because his ‘couldn’t hit an angel’ because ‘it was blasphemy and he didn’t want to go to hell’. So who the fuck told him to jump off the roof, and where can Hizashi find them?Hizashi nodded his head and whispered back, “He doesn’t leave this apartment until you get all the answers you need. Fuck, call in Tsukauchi if you need undeniable proof that you are getting all the right info. Don’t let Midoriya hold anything back.” Shouta nodded in agreement, that was a rational course of action, but he would only use it as a last resort if he felt Izuku was keeping anything from him. He doubted the boy had it in him to be anything but truthful at the moment. Too stressed to fight Shouta’s inquiries. Shouta stood and walked into the living room, Hizashi staying behind in the kitchen, he probably didn’t want to stress Izuku out anymore than he already was. “Eri, Mic’s here to take you to tutoring. Get going.” Blunt and to the point Aizawa. Thats what he’ll be known for. That, and being kick ass.Eri nodded, hugging Izuku’s arm before she got up and left with Hizashi. Shouta made his way over to Izuku and sat on the coffee table again, just as he had done last night. Grabbing the remote, he shut off the tv and focused his attention on the boy in front of him.Izuku was already crying again. *If this kid doesn’t die from villains or from stress, he’s definitely going to die from dehydration from crying* Shouta thought wryly. “Here’s how this is going to go. I wan’t to know everything. Everything that has been bothering you, every negative thing that has happened, been done or said to you. Everything. And you will answer all of my questions, and you will hold nothing back. If I for one second think you are withholding something, I will not hesitate in calling Detective Tsukauchi and have him grill you.”Izuku was a sobbing mess by the end of Shouta’s speech. Tears pouring down his face, hiccuping and trying to catch his breath to no avail. Shouta waited. He was not going to rush this, and he also needed to be able to understand the boy, and he doubted he would be able to in the state Izuku was in at the moment. So he waited. It took a while for Izuku to cry himself out, and a little while longer before Shouta was convinced he would be able to talk properly. “Alright kid. I know you don’t want this, but it has to be done.” As an afterthought Shouta added, “If Eri could tell us everything that had happened to her, then you should be able to also.”Izuku nodded but didn’t move his gaze away from the floor. Shouta noticed this and relented, “You don’t have to look at me if that helps”. Izuku nodded and after taking a deep breath, he began speaking, knowing it was futile to try and fight Shouta. He was also afraid to try. So he gathered his courage and started.He started from the beginning, about how he noticed the other kids had dads and he didn’t. How at first his dad called every week but eventually stopped to only once or twice a month. How he saw that his mom missed his dad, but was happy to get any calls from the man, no matter how brief.How the doctors declared him quirkless, which was why his dad had stopped calling. When he asked his mother if he could still be a hero, his mother could only cry over him and apologize. She didn’t believe in him. It made him feel as if he had been told that he had a terminal illness with no cure. His mother almost acted if it was. He received no support from his mother when it came to his dream of being a hero, and that she treated him as something fragile. He could understand her need to protect him, but it still hurt, and felt a bit excessive.*Excessive?*How Bakugou “Kacchan” his childhood friend began bullying him, naming him Deku or useless after misinterpreting the kanji in his name. He never gave up on his dream, despite his lack of support, and Bakugou activly trying to crush his dream. Bakugou saw it as Izuku thinking he was better than him, and lashed out, attacking him with not only his word, but also his quirk. ‘Shouta dug his nails into his palms, grounding himself so as not to go hunting down the explosive teen and having him read the entire ‘Quirks Code of Conduct and Laws and regulations’, before beating him over the head with the very large and heavy book.’He described how his teachers turned a blind eye to Izuku’s torment seeing as he was at the bottom of the pecking order or below it, not worth protecting. It’s not like he would ever be anyone important. *Fucking discrimination.*How his classmates ignored him like a pariah, out of general dislike for him or for fear of what Bakugou would do if they tried to befriend him. Others bullied him along side Bakugou. Some worse than others. He admitted to not having a single friend since he was five years old, and only made friends once he entered UA.Izuku then tells how after the teacher unhelpfully mentioned his goal of attending UA one day, Bakugou and two of his followers had cornered him in the classroom after everyone had left. How Bakugou had singed his uniform and tried to destroy his ‘Hero Analyses’ notebook throwing it out the window and into a pond, telling Izuku that there was a way for him to get a quirk. ‘Shouta felt his stomach drop, he knows where this is going.’Pray for a quirk in the next life and take a swan dive off the roof.*Yep, I’m going to kill Bakugou. The hero life was nice while it lasted.* Izuku then breaks Shouta’s heart even more by telling him, that after leaving the school he was attacked by the sludge villain. *How much bad luck can one kid have in a single day!* How All Might had saved him, then told him he couldn’t be a hero without a quirk and left him on a roof. ‘Shota wants to kill All Might. How could he crush a child’s dreams without giving him a chance to prove himself. Without knowing anything about him. Children have fragile hearts, one wrong move could push them in the wrong direction. And he left him on a fucking roof!’‘Sure, Shouta expels kids left and right, but at least he gives them a chance. A chance to prove they are taking things seriously, that they can think outside the box. That they can adapt. That they might not get killed right off the bat once they graduate.’‘All Might had dismissed the kid without a second thought or backwards glance.’ Izuku says it crossed his mind for a moment, that jumping wouldn’t be so bad. But that moment was brief, and he would rather go on living. Even if it was with a broken heart and dream.‘Shouta really wants to throw up. To think he came close, if only for a moment, to losing one of his brightest and most determined students. And he would have never known. Would have never known what he was missing out on. How many of his students would have died if it wasn’t for Izuku being there?’That on his way home, he accidentally made his way to another villain attack, where wouldn’t you know it, the sludge villain had escaped and had Bakugou as a hostage. Trying to kill him and use as a ‘meat suit’, just like he had tried to do to Izuku earlier.‘Shouta knew that Izuku and Bakugou had been involved in a villain attack. He just didn’t know the exact details, or much about the villain. The information wasn’t mentioned in the news, and Shouta had never thought to ask the police for the file on the villain or the attack. He should have. It sounded awful and traumatizing.’Izuku describes how he moved without thinking and ran to his childhood friends aid, only to get rescued again by All Might. Then scolded by the other hero’s, who had stood by and done nothing to save Bakugou because their quirks were unfit for the job. *What is the hero society coming to when pros stand by and do nothing and a child has to try and save the day.*Then on his way home, his quirk appeared after fourteen years, and All Might, who had been looking for him to apologize came to his rescue a third time, and offered to train him due to their similar quirks. ‘Shouta can tell the last part is a lie, but doesn’t call Izuku out on it. It’s none of his business how his quirk appeared. It’s obvious to him that this is a secret between Izuku and All Might, and its not something he plans on getting involved in. Yet.’After a few minutes Shouta realizes that Izuku is finished. He hasn’t looked up once, and Shouta is thankful for that. Over the years Shouta had mastered the art of poker face, but he can only imagine the looks that most definitely crossed his face while Izuku told his story. And he is so glad that he was trusted by Izuku with this story, but he is also extremely horrified! Years of no one supporting or believing in this brilliant boy. And Izuku was obviously brilliant, although a bit stupid and hard headed.To think no one, not even his own mother saw his potential! Quirk or no quirk, this child could have been cultivated to be more of a force to be reckoned with than he already was. Shouta had snuck and read his journal, he was observant! He could gather so much information on a person’s quirk and fighting style by watching them for only a few moments! How had no one seen how talented he was?! Even Nedzu was interested in strengthening his analysis! Also in teaching the boy code, because his journals were dangerous.But what really made his blood boil was the fact that Izuku had been bullied and abused by his childhood friend his entire life and no one stepped in to stop it. Izuku clearly was a master at deceiving his mother, and hiding his suffering from her. Thats the only reason he didn’t march down to Izuku’s old apartment and demand to know why she had let something like that go on. You can’t blame someone who was being kept in the dark. But the teachers had no excuse! The other students who stood by and did nothing to stop it or report it, had no excuse!‘Izuku was fidgeting on the couch, alternating between looking at the floor or anywhere that wasn’t Shouta. His teachers quiet rage was radiating off of him, and Izuku could feel it. He wanted to make a run for it, unsure if his teacher was mad at him for being so weak, or the rest of the world. The only thing that kept him rooted to his seat was the knowledge that his teacher could catch him in an instant.’ Bakugou Katsuki has no excuse! Shouta was not going to let Bakugou’s past crimes go unpunished. And that’s what they were, crimes. The use of a quirk in public against another person, without a license was against the law. Using his quirk to beat another person into submission, and for his own satisfaction was against the law! Minor or not! These laws were taught since elementary school. It’s not like he didn’t know them.Bakugou had clearly changed his ways, and had somewhat made up with Izuku (after a brutal, past curfew fight), and was well on his way to being a hero. He would one day make a great one, attitude and all. But hopefully without as much of the attitude. But his past actions were villainous, and he was going to be held accountable for them! Maybe not tothe full extent of the law, but he wasn’t going to be let off the hook scott free. Shouta needed to address this, to prevent Bakugou’s ego from becoming his downfall, and to make sure he never treated anyone like that again.Shouta felt that there was more that Izuku wasn’t telling him. Years of undercover work with the vigilantes and interrogating villains had left him with a sense for these things. After enough years as a hero, you develop a sort of instinct and gut feeling. It has yet to let him down. Even the law recognizes these instincts. They had to after the millionth time of a hero explaining that the only reason they knew to go to a location, grab a suspicious person, or just suddenly prepare for a fight was because of a gut feeling.It was an accepted reason for many heroes actions. The police couldn’t deny the accuracy. Not every hero had it, but the ones who had been in the business long enough or had fought enough, had it.He wanted to know what Izuku was holding back, but decided not to push for it yet. Izuku had just thrown out a lot of sensitive information, he needed a breather. Not Shouta digging for more information. Nothing screamed at him that the information was life threatening, just very important. So Shouta could hold out for a while longer.So for now, he needed to let the boy in front of him know just how special he was. How much Shouta believed in him. And that according to Eri, was now a part of their family and had a home with them. After everything Izuku had just admitted, he couldn’t help but agree with her. Izuku was a problem child, and was now his problem child! The least he could do was to give Izuku a safe place while everything was delt with. A place where Shouta could keep an eye on him.The days ahead were going to be rough, seeing as Shouta had plans to make that would disturb the little bit of peace that his class had found. Shouta needed to keep Izuku away from that, and take the proper steps into getting Izuku the help that he needed.Shouta brushed his hair out of his face and looked at the boy in front of him, Izuku looked like a frightened bird. Like one wrong move or word wood spook him into flight.The man was a little concerned about Izuku’s mom. He knows that kids can get good at hiding things from their parents. He sure as hell had been. But if Bakugou was actively using his quirk against Izuku, then how had she not noticed? Had she noticed that Izuku had no friends? Had she been bothered by it?Well, even if it did bother her, there wasn’t anything she could do. You can’t make kids be friends with your son. And unfortunately, it was something that just happened to some kids. Some kids just didn’t make friends. Or wan’t them. Shouta has a deep suspicion that it wan’t just his teachers that were dismissive of the boy. If he had been quirkless so long, then there were probably other adults in his life that didn’t treat Izuku well. He would have to look into that. Those teachers at least deserved to have their teaching licenses revoked.Shouta moved to sit beside Izuku on the couch and once again pulled the boy into his arms, squishing the boy into his side. The tears that Izuku had been holding back burst forth, and he was a sobbing mess all over again. Shouta slowly rocked them from side to side, arms wrapped tightly around the boy. Holding him with all the parental strength he could muster. He pressed his face into Izuku’s unruly curls and whispered, “I won’t let anyone hurt you like that ever again. I believe in you, and I won’t leave you like your father did. You’ll get into too much trouble if I did. I get the feeling that your stuck with me, or I’m stuck with you. So you have Eri and me to support you now.” Shouta squeezes Izuku tighter to his chest, and adds sarcastically “Welcome to the Aizawa family.”To his surprise, Izuku giggles, clinging tightly to him and whispers back, “I know, Eri told me what she told you.” *That sneaky little brat!* Shouta thinks fondly, and lets out a laugh of his own. Eri was one determined little girl. She completely bypassed Shouta and went right to Izuku with her plan.
*Clever girl.*Shouta knows that he’ll have to inform Nedzu about all of this, steps will have to be taken, punishments doled out, phone calls made. But for now, for now he lets himself hold his problem child, and will worry about everything later. Possibly after a nap. Yea, he and Izuku deserve a nice long nap.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Shouta and Izuku had eventually fallen back asleep on the worn leather couch, Izuku was practically draped across him, and Shouta was sprawled awkwardly with his legs hanging off the side of the couch. Izuku had his face pressed deeply into the crook of Shouta’s neck and his fists were clenching Shouta’s shirt. He was deeply asleep. *Maybe a good long nap will bring the color back into his face and get rid of those awful eye bags.* Shouta thought to himself. Shouta knew he hadn’t been napping long, but hoped the boy would get another hour or two of sleep. He didn’t mind being a human body pillow (Hizashi had fallen asleep on him more times than he could count), but he seriously needed to pee, and he couldn’t put of his responsibilities any longer. So as carefully as he could, Shouta rolled himself and Izuku onto their sides, reversing their position enough for Shouta to pry Izuku’s hands loose and carefully get up and off the couch.Once he was free Shouta quickly made his way to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Thankfully, long grueling hours of undercover hero work with few restroom breaks had given Shouta great control over his bladder and how long he could hold it, which Shouta was thankful for at the moment, because he was about to burst! After his bladder was empty and he had brushed his teeth (Brush his hair? Hell no. That was a hassle only Hizashi and Nemuri had the patience to deal with.), he ambled to the kitchen, only sparing Izuku a glance to confirm that the boy was still asleep. Sprawled across the couch on his back and drooling slightly. Shouta had only one cup of coffee this morning, an unintentional blasphemy that he intended to correct. Two cups of coffee in the morning was his usual routine, sometimes three. He set the coffee maker to brew his favorite blend of coffee, a brand that was very strong and not recommended to weaker coffee drinkers. Hizashi called it heart attack inducing black poison, after trying a sip of it one time. One fucking sip! Shouta had warned him that it was potent, but Hizashi’s curiosity was unstoppable. So to everyone’s dismay including Hizashi’s, the loud voice hero had been hit with the caffeine full force! He was more hyperactive than usual and had not stopped talking the entire day! His speed talking could rival Izuku’s mumbling. Especially in volume! Everyone was traumatized, and at the end of the day, Nemuri had had enough and used her quirk to put Hizashi to sleep until the caffeine overdose ended. Hizashi never drank Shouta’s coffee again after that. Everyone had looked at Shouta in horror for almost a week afterwards, unable to believe that not only did he drink this coffee that comes with a warning label but that he could actually take a nap while under its influence. Shouta had been drinking it for years, so it’s effect on him had weakened. Not that it had affected him much to begin with. Shouta sat at the kitchen table, coffee in one hand and his cell phone in the other. He had to let Nedzu and the other teachers know what he had discovered. Nedzu was the first and most important person to be informed, so he pulled up his email and sent a detailed list of what he had been told.
To: Nedzu, U.A. Principle
From: Aizawa Shouta
Subject: Midoriya Izuku
Here’s what I found out so far, I have a feeling that the kid is withholding something from me. But i don’t get the feeling that it is life threatening, so I’m going to let it slide for now and see if I can eventually get him to fess up.
-Was quirkless until the age of fourteen.
-No support from mother over desire to be a hero. (we both know he would make a formidable analysis hero)
-Possibly overprotected or coddled by his mother. (Not my preferred style of parenting, but whatever.)
-Father overseas for work. Hasn’t seen his father since he was small. Stopped communicating when Izuku was deemed quirkless.
-Mother is upset over the matter with her husband. Izuku is troubled by her distress. Doesn’t let her know it upsets him from what I gathered. Kid doesn’t seem to like bothering people with HIS problems or feelings. (wouldn’t put it past him to blame himself for his father’s absence and his mother’s unhappiness)
-Was intensely bullied by peers and Bakugou Katsuki all of his life. Teachers did nothing to prevent it, and turned a blind eye. Mother was kept in the dark on his bullying. (I don’t know how she could have missed it. It sounds like Izuku came home with at least some injuries.)
-Was told to commit suicide by Bakugou in middle school in the hopes of gaining a quirk in the next life.
-Gained a quirk at fourteen and was trained by All Might. (this part seems fishy to me, I can tell the kid is lying about something, but you know more about All Might on a personal level than I do.)
I want this to be handled discreetly. While I would prefer to handle this matter myself in my own way, I understand if you feel I am too involved to make appropriate decisions. I don’t think I would be irrational, but I do feel very strongly about this, and we both know how my temper can get. I plan to give the other teachers a less detailed explanation and will omit Bakugou’s name for now. Please reply quickly.
Sincerely, Aizawa
Shouta reread his email, before sending it. He got up and fixed himself a cup of coffee, black as tar, and sat back down at the table. Sipping his coffee slower than he had this morning. He opened up the teacher’s group chat on his phone to give the teachers more of a heads up than what Nedzu had probably told them.
{Teachers of Disasters group chat}
{Aizawa is online}
Aizawa: I have disturbing information regarding Midoriya.
{LoudCockatooYea is online}
LoudCockatooYea: SPILL!!!!!LoudCockatooYea: I mean, I already know most of it. But if ya got new deets then SPILL!
{MidnightMadness is online}
LoudCockatooYea: GREEN BEAN HERO PROTECTION TEAM unite!!!
MidnightMadness: Hizashi? Really?! Is that really ur username? How IS the little green bean Shou??? MidnightMadness: does he need a cuddle?MidnightMadness: does he need a chest to lay his head on? {Snipe, BloodKing, All Might, and 3 others are online} MidnightMadness: bc I have a breastMidnightMadness: CHEST!MidnightMadness: CHEST! I have a chest! Snipe: don’t act like you meant anything other than breast. Snipe: you know you love squishing people between yer hooters. Aizawa: Can you all fucking focus? MidnightMadness: sorry dad! Snipe: sorry pops. Aizawa: Fuck all of you
(All Might is typing)
Aizawa: All Might, just stop.Aizawa: You suck at texting. So just stop.Aizawa: I’ll discuss this with you in more detail later. AFTER school hours. So log off. LoudCockatooYea: (-o-) All Might: Aizawa I wud like 2 b nformd on my stdnt jus like the othrsAll Might: nvrmnd. Ndzu wud like 2 speak 2 me.
{All Might is offline}
MidnightMadness: asdfghjkl BloodKing: Midnight exe. has stopped working MidnightMadness: oh yeaMidnightMadness: Shouta??MidnightMadness: the green bean?
{Aizawa is typing}
Snipe: whats wrong with the lil rascal? LoudCockatooYea: Shouta is it worse than what you told me this morning??!! LoudCockatooYea: Souta!!!LoudCockatooYea: Is it!!!! Snipe: ??? MidnightMadness: Hizashi let the man type! -Shouta sighed, sipping his coffee. Texting these assholes was a pain.- Aizawa: so... Aizawa: Midoriya is stressing over his mom being alone now that he is living in the dorms. She misses her husband. Can’t imagine why. MidnightMadness: Chill Shouta LoudCockatooYea: point SHOUTA! Get. To. It. Aizawa: Hizashi Aizawa: Don’t rush meAizawa: The man hasn’t been in their lives since Izuku was small. Aizawa: Dropped almost all contact when he was 5. Drs thought he was quirkless. Didn’t get one till he was 14. Bullied since 5, no friends till high school. LoudCockatooYea: my poor baby! Snipe: does he like hats?Snipe: gonna get him a cowboy hat. Aizawa: Told to jump off roof in middle school. MidnightMadness: fuckin what!? Snipe: what sumsabitches said that to him!??Snipe: gonna fucking go yeehaw on their asses! MidnightMadness: the fuck is going yeehaw on their asses?? -Shouta could just hear Hizashi’s voice in the distance screaming “what the actual fuck” “what motherfucking piece of shit said that” “I’ll fight their bitch ass”. The dorms were a good distance away from the school (Hizashi was at the school), which meant that Hizashi was cursing while using his quirk... inside the school. Poor kids.- Aizawa: Shut the fuck up before you wake problem child!!!!!!! MidnightMadness: on it BloodKing: ON IT! -After a few seconds, the cursing stopped.- LoudCockatooYea: SORRY!!!! I just couldn’t hold it in! LoudCockatooYea: that like hurt my soul! MidnightMadness: who would treat that angel like that. He is nothing but kind and helpful! LoudCockatooYea: that baby stepped on a ant and APOLOGIZED!LoudCockatooYea: too PURE!!!!!!!!! BloodKing: quirk discrimination at its worst if you ask meBloodKing: only reason I can see why anyone would attack the kid. MidnightMadness: THAT’S NOT A GOOD REASON! THAT SOULDN’T BE A REASON! LoudCockatooYea: word! BloodKing: didn’t say it was a good reason. There is never a good reason for that shit. Aizawa: Going to find out more soon. Hopefully.Aizawa: Hizashi, same. But got to hold it together for the kid. Also maybe you could talk to him after school? You are better when it comes to dealing with feelings. And I’m reaching my limit on how nice I can be. Need a emotional break. MidnightMadness: awww. If you two weren’t practically brothers I would ship you. Snipe: <gagging noises> you know yer dirty mind ships them anyway! BrickByBrick: what is ship? LoudCockatooYea: Ishiyama been lurking!LoudCockatooYea: the elusive Cementoss has come out of hiding.LoudCockatooYea: Shouta! Quick! Use capture. -Shouta rolled his eyes. He was about to respond when he heard Izuku move around some then yawn.- Aizawa: gtg kid is waking up
{Aizawa is offline}
Shouta got up and made his way into the living room at the first sounds that Izuku was beginning to wake up. Izuku was in the process of stretching, still laying on his back on the couch, and had his eyes closed. Sipping the last bit of his coffee, he waited for the boy to become aware of his surroundings. Shouta watched as Izuku slowly blinked his eyes open, like a cat would, propping himself up on his arms. Izuku lazily looked around the room until his eyes landed on Shouta. A blush quickly spread across his face, realizing that he had fallen asleep in his teacher’s arms for a second time in less than twenty four hours. The blush was short lived and his face rapidly began to pale. Shouta watched in alarm as the boy’s face went from bright red, to sickly pale in a matter of seconds. His eyes were wide and his pupils were dilated, he seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack. Before Shouta could move towards him, Izuku shot up off the couch and dashed into the bathroom. Shouta placed his empty coffee cup on the table and rushed after him, only to be met with the sounds of Izuku throwing up his little bit of breakfast into the toilet. *Damn panic attacks!* Shouta bypassed the boy hanging onto the toilet, dry heaving once he had thrown up everything he had eaten along with some stomach acid. He grabbed a washcloth from a drawer under the sink and quickly wet it with cold water, ringing it out before he made his way back to the boy. Shouta crouched down and placed the cold cloth on the back of Izuku’s neck. Having a cold cloth pressed on the neck or face was one of the many ways to slow an anxiety attack, he’s not sure why, just that it works. “Hey, it ok. You’re ok.” Shouta said calmly, holding the washcloth to the boy’s neck with one hand, while rubbing soothing circles between his shoulders with his other hand. “You’re fine. I promise. I know this has been too much too fast. But everything will be fine. Trust me.” Izuku was leaning over the toilet, breathing erratically. Sucking in short sharp breaths, close to hyperventilating. *Cold not working. New plan.* Shouta sat down behind Izuku foregoing rubbing his back in preference to pulling the boy’s back to his chest and circling his arms around him. Holding him tightly. *Holding the kid seems to be becoming a habit.* “Breath with me.” Shouta instructed, taking a deep breath and holding it before slowly releasing it. He did this repeatedly until he felt Izuku shakily trying to mimic him. It took a while before they were both breathing deeply, in sync with each other. This was a mild and short panic attack, and Shouta was great full for that. Sure the kid had thrown up from panic, but at least it was over almost as quickly as it came. He didn’t know if he could deal with a longer one. Shouta sat with Izuku for a while, both males just focusing on breathing. Shouta was still holding Izuku to his chest with one arm, while he ran his hand through the boy’s hair with the other. That seemed to calm the teen even more, and he could feel Izuku relaxing against his chest. *I’ll have to remember that petting his hair calms him down quickly. What is he a kitten?* Once Shouta was sure that Izuku was calmer and on the last legs of his panic attack, he pulled the boy to his feet and walked him out of the bathroom. Deciding that they had one too many fall apart sessions in the living room, Shouta pulled Izuku along to his bedroom. Shouta left Izuku to stand by the bed while he rummaged around in his closet. *I should probably organize this mess.* Finally finding his spare sleeping bag among the mess, he pulled it from the closet. After giving it a few quick shakes to air it out, he tossed it onto the bed next to Izuku. Izuku flinched away from it. Looking at the yellow sleeping bag with wide eyes. *Does he think it has demonic powers or something?* “Get in.” Shouta ordered. The absolutely shocked look on Izuku’s face was hilarious, and Shouta had to keep himself from snorting. Izuku started to protest, but Shouta just crossed his arms and glared the boy into submission. The sleeping bag always brought Shouta a sense of calm, being safely enveloped in it’s warmth cocooned away from the world, he could only hope that Izuku would be able to feel the same security and safety too. It was a hunch, but the way the boy would relax when being held gave Shouta a reason to believe that it would have a similar effect. Izuku slowly and awkwardly climbed into the sleeping bag on the bed and zipped himself up, an embarrassed blush dusting his cheeks. As far as anyone knew, Shouta never shared his sleeping bag. Which was almost true. Until Eri came along, Hizashi had been the only one to ever have the honor of curling up in the yellow monstrosity. It was usually after the blond man had some terrifying encounter with a bug, and Shouta would wrap him up in the bag’s safety while he “eliminated” the vile bug. Eri on the other hand, crawled into the sleeping bag whenever she discovered Shouta in it. Or Shouta would wrap it around her after she had a nightmare."Do you know why you just had a panic attack?" Shouta asked.Izuku nodded his head and whispered hoarsely, "Remembered telling you everything and panicked." Shouta nodded his head and flopped down onto the floor, leaning his back up against the closet door, giving Izuku a few minutes to calm himself. "Just chill over there for a while and relax." Shouta ordered. Panic attacks were stressful and tiring. He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed a hair tie, pulling his hair up into a loose bun before settling back down against the door. While he waited for Izuku to relax more, he felt the soft vibrations from his phone and took it out of his pocket to check it. Nedzu had replied to his email. Looking up he glanced at Izuku, who was watching him, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Probably nervous about what the vibration of his phone meant. “It’s just a report from my agency that I need to read over.” Shouta lied smoothly, it was a logical ruse to keep they boy from having another panic attack. *He doesn’t need to know it’s about him.* “While I’m reading I want you to count backwards from 300, slowly and out loud.” Counting was a good way to calm oneself and was a good distraction. Shouta used this technique a lot when dealing with his hell class. Izuku nodded his head and began to softly count backwards. Satisfied that the boy was distracted with counting and not thinking about the phone, Shouta opened the email and began to read.
To: Aizawa Shouta
From: Nedzu, U.A. Principal
Subject: Midoriya Izuku
Aizawa, thank you for the information. I can only imagine how stressed Midoriya must be at the moment. I am very disappointed in the fact that Bakugou Katsuki acted this way, and rest assured that his actions will not go unpunished.
I will allow you to set the guidelines of how this should be handled, given that you are the homeroom teacher and dorm master for both boys, and you have the most experience with them. You have always been strict but fair, and I have no doubt that you will handle this accordingly.
As for confronting the issue yourself, I believe that it would be best left to All Might to handle. I do not doubt your ability to control yourself despite your temper, and I know that both you and All Might are almost equally invested in the boys.
However I feel that having All Might reprimand Bakugou will have more effect, having been an influence in his life longer than you. Not that I don’t believe Bakugou respects you, I just feel having All Might reprimand him will hurt his pride more.
Having his all time favorite hero punish him will hopefully have that desired effect. I do wish for you to confront Mrs. Midoriya yourself. When I suggested that All Might do so, he seemed to be nervous.
Something about how she had very nearly pulled Izuku for UA’s failures at keeping her son safe, and how he couldn’t stand to face her with another failure. I tried to reason that he wasn’t at fault for something that happened before he met Midoriya, but it fell on deaf ears. So I leave that to you. I would suggest doing so tomorrow, that is when I have planned for Bakugou’s parents to be fought in to address the situation.
Yours sincerely, Nedzu
Shouta read the email quickly, glancing up under his eyelashes every so often to make sure the problem child wasn’t paying him too much attention. He trusted All Might to handle this, the man may be a blundering idiot when it came to teaching, but not when it came to justice and protecting those in need. Especially when it was Izuku in need. A disapointed and angry all might was enough to make any student fall apart, no matter how tough and prideful they were. Bakugou’s ego wouldn’t stand a chance. Shouta quickly typed out his reply so he could return his attention to Izuku who was down to 223.
TO: Nedzu, U.A. Principal
From: Aizawa Shouta
Subject: Punishment
-This will go on Bakugou’s school record, and he will receive a mark on his hero license.
-He will be suspended for two weeks, and on house arrest at home with his family.
-He will have to attend mandatory anger management classes and emotional therapy in order to continue being a UA student. If he doesn’t cooperate he will be expelled. This is required until he graduates.
-He will not be allowed to sit next to Midoriya during classes, and until he has permission from his therapists, he will not directly work in hero training alongside Midoriya. He can still participate, just not with or near Midoriya. I will not have another event like with All Might’s heroes vs villains.
-They will be kept separate until the therapists and I am convinced that he is not a threat to Midoriya, and until the Midoriya gives his consent for Bakugou to be a part of his life again. We both know that Midoriya will accept Bakugou back with open arms.
-I want a hand written apology from Bakugou to Midoriya before his suspension is up.
-I want Tsukauchi to be present during Bakugou’s meeting. I don’t think Bakugou will lie, but better safe than sorry. I don’t wan’t Bakugou trying to warp things to make himself not look like the perpetrator.
-Midoriya and I will not return to classes until Monday to allow for Midoriya to recover emotionally. He seems very sensitive at the moment. Or at least more sensitive than usual.
-Midoriya will also be receiving therapy for mental and physical abuse.
-Midoriya will be moving in with me. So a small house on campus would be greatly appreciated. I don’t believe it will be beneficial for the two boys to be under the same roof. It will also allow Midoriya some privacy once it is revealed to the students the reason behind their classmates absences. Not in full detail, but the gist of it. I don’t want to risk the class turning against Bakugou. And the last thing we need is a class civil war with the Bakusquad against the Dekusquad.
-I am going to ban Midoriya from using his phone for a few days, so please inform his classmates not to try and contact him. I doubt they will listen.
Sincerely Aizawa
Finished with his email, Shouta sent it to the principal and pocketed his phone. Izuku was currently on 185. Shouta cleared his throat to get the boys attention. “You can stop now.” The boy sighed in relief clearly tired of counting. He did look more relaxed than earlier, clearly the sleeping bag was working its magic. Shouta stood up from the floor, leaning backwards a bit to crack his back. When Shouta finished, Izuku’s wide eyed stare was clearly he had heard all the popping sounds Shouta’s back had made. Shouta jutted his jaw forward, cocking one eyebrow and giving Izuku his best haughty look. He grumbled, “Don’t look at me like that, Mr. Breaks His Bones Like It’s His Job. You’ll sound like me one day too, if you don’t already. You also have more scars than me, a thirty one year old, who’s been an underground hero for almost thirteen years. You have been in the hero course student for almost one year and have broken your arms and legs multiple times and have scars littering your body, you have no room to gawk at me. Shouta stalked out of the room after seeing Izuku’s indignant expression. The loud thump from the bedroom was probably Izuku trying to rush after Shouta without removing the sleeping bag first. Shouta snorted, ignoring the fact that he had done that plenty of times himself. Shouta ignored the soft “shit” he heard come from Izuku, followed by the rustling of the sleeping bag being removed and the quick sounds of Izuku running barefoot after him. “You’ll catch a cold walking around barefoot.” Shouta scolded him. He himself had on a pair of dark gray socks that may or may not have pink cat paw prints on the bottoms. Izuku merely hummed in response to this as they made their way into the kitchen. Izuku quickly sat down at the table, not wanting to be underfoot. Shouta set to work making a filling lunch for them both to enjoy, seeing how Izuku had puked up his breakfast. “U-um Mr. Aizawa?” Izuku called softly. Shouta didn’t turn around from his task, but hummed to show that he was listening. “What happens now?” He asked, Shouta could hear just the hint of panic in his voice. Not wanting Izuku to work himself into another panic, Shouta decided to lighten the mood before they delved into the topic. So, stopping what he was doing, Shouta spun around with his widest and wildest grin and answered. “Were going to throw Bakugou into a volcano as an overly angry virgin sacrifice.” Izuku’s horrified expression at seeing Shouta’s grin slowly morphed into one of pure delight as he doubled over and was completely overtaken by a fit of giggles. He had tears in his eyes and could barely catch his breath. *Good to know that the kid doesn’t have any problem trolling the explosive brat. Good. To. Know.* Satisfied, Shouta returned to his task, letting his manic grin turn softer and more fond. *Finally, something good. I’ve been feeling like I just keep stressing the kid out, without any sign of their being a light at the end of the tunnel.* Izuku’s giggling fit ended just as Shouta was finishing up their lunch. It wasn’t anything fancy, rice and leftover miso soup from yesterday’s dinner. He placed Izuku’s bowls in front of him, then gathered his own and sat down on the opposite side of the table facing the boy. They quietly ate for a few minutes, no one ready to disturb the peaceful and somewhat happy bubble Shouta’s joke had created. But all good things must come to an end, so he set his utensils aside and rubbed the back of his neck. “Kid, we’re going to go talk to you’re mother tomorrow about everything. But that’s for the you of tomorrow to worry about. Right now I want you to listen to some things I have to say.” Shouta waited for Izuku to respond. He was glad to notice the boy had almost finished all of his rice and half of his soup. Setting his utensils down too, Izuku nodded his head and whispered his ok. “Bakugou’s not being expelled.” Shouta began. Izuku relaxed as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. *Of course the brat is worried about Bakugou!* Shouta realized, hiding his irritation behind taking a sip of his drink. After he set his glass down, he continued. “All Might and Nedzu will be holding a meeting with him and his parents tomorrow, which is why we will be going to speak with your mother. I’ll call her later to let her know we will be paying her a visit. I’m not going to discuss with you what Bakugou’s meeting will hold. Just know that he is being punished, though not as severely as he could be. With the League having shown an interest in him, his determination and his potential, I’m unwilling to expel him. That doesn’t mean I won’t, if he refuses to acknowledge his mistakes and take the steps to fix them. It is also going to take a lot of effort and time to get back in my good graces.” Izuku nodded his head and fiddled with his fingers, that was more than anything his teachers had ever done. He can’t say he was surprised by Mr. Aizawa’s decision, but he was worried that his teacher might be being a little too harsh. After all Kacchan had so much potential, he just had a hard time expressing his emotions and controlling his anger. That, along with his quirk just made him a bomb with a short fuse, it wasn’t something he could really help. Izuku had learned over the years how best to avoid setting him off or how to avoid him altogether. He had also mellowed out some after entering UA and discovering he was no longer the top dog. No one knew Kacchan like he knew him. He didn’t really mean the insults and threats he said most of the time, it was just his automatic reaction. Kacchan just didn’t have a filter, and rarely thought before he spoke. Maybe he could get his phone a send a text explaining this to All Might and plead for him to be lenient with Kacchan. After all, Kacchan looked up to All Might as much as Izuku did. Maybe he- “Izuku!” Shouta’s shout drew Izuku out of the muttering spell he had fallen into. Shouta sighed. He wanted to go bury himself in his bed and ignore all his responsibilities for a year. “You are not texting All Might.” Shouta said, glaring at the boy in front of him. Said boy let out a huff and looked away glaring at the floor. *Well hello attitude!* Shouta was impressed that Izuku had the nerve to huff at him, but given the fact that Izuku had cried all over him, fallen asleep on him, and thrown up in front of him, a little sass wasn’t too unexpected. The boy was stressed to the max, so a little sass was warranted. He also knew that the boy had a bit of a sassy streak in him. “So, where was I?” Shouta mumbled to himself. “Oh yea. No phone privileges for a while.” Izuku’s eyes snapped back up to Shouta in shock. A teenager, without their phone? It was he ultimate form of torture. Shouta reveled in Izuku’s horror. “It’s just so your friends can’t harass you. And to make sure Bakugou doesn’t try texting you tomorrow.” “You are also going to live with me. I put in a request for a little house to be set up for you, Eri, and me here on campus. I’m not comfortable with you living with Bakugou right now. You are going to be going to therapy. That’s not up for debate. It’s something you need.” Shouta quickly added, seeing Izuku was about to protest. “Your classmates will no doubt try and drown you with love and support. Nothing wrong with that, but you need the freedom to move around and process things without constantly being bombarded by them. I get the feeling that they would try to stick to you like glue.” Shouta concluded. Izuku sat quietly, processing everything Shouta had told him. After a few minutes of organizing his thoughts, Izuku resigned himself to his fate. “Is there anything else I should know about?” Izuku asked, looking over at Shouta. Nodding, Shouta looked to the side, he was uncomfortable but he would do anything to help his problem child. “Yea,” Shouta began. “I asked Present Mic to come over and talk to you, he’s good at giving emotional support and helping people deal with their feelings. He may be a loud mouth, but he’s a great listener and almost always knows the best ways to help someone. He’s helped me a lot.” Shouta admitted. “Why would you need to be helped a lot?” Izuku asked clearly confused. Izuku couldn’t fathom his teacher ever being anything but stoic and capable. Shouta blushed, without his capture weapon to hide behind his blush was very noticeable on his fair skin. Izuku watched Shouta blush in awe. Eraserhead, blushing? It was mind boggling for the teen. Shouta hated talking about himself, but if it could help Izuku deal with his own problems, then he would go through it. A heroes job is to help those in need, however they can. And it was even more detrimental, seeing as he was also a teacher, and was responsible for his students wellbeing.“Well,” Shouta coughed once out of nervousness before he continued. “When Hizashi and I were first years at UA, he found out about my less than desirable home life. He stepped up and made sure I was safe, and helped me through it. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t of been there by my side through it all.” Izuku was shocked and looked like he had a million questions. Before he could ask any, Shouta stood up. “Lets continue this in the living room.” Shouta suggested. If he was going to tell Izuku his story, then it was best that they were comfortable, because it was a long story.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Shouta was four years and three weeks old when he gained his quirk, it was combination of his parent’s quirks. His mother had a weak levitation quirk, it allowed her to levitate anything that she was looking at a few inches off the ground, the quirk canceled out once she blinked. His father’s quirk was the ability to weaken any quirks that were directly next to him. It was a mutation quirk that was always active, his fathers entire eyes were a glowing red.When Shouta first discovered his quirk, he proudly marched up to parents to inform them. Like any small child would, he thought that his family would praise him for having such an interesting quirk. He felt that it was the perfect combination of theirs. He was naive. The discord in his family was fairly new, and his young mind couldn’t see any reason for them not to be happy about his discovery. He was only four after all. He didn’t know better yet. In the living room of their small apartment both of his parents sat, ignoring each other. His father sat on a stained light blue felt couch, watching their small tv and drinking beer. He drank beer a lot lately. His mother sat on a slightly darker blue love seat, to the right of his father. She was reading one of those celebrity magazines from the corner store. His mother was more peaceful than his father, who recently, was almost always angry. She was more likely to just brush him off, to tell Shouta not to bother her and send him away. Shouta missed his mother’s warm hugs. He can’t remember when she stopped being warm. He chose to approach her with the newly acquired information, seeing her as the safer option. Shouta crept around the sofa over to his mother and tugged on her pants leg to get her attention. She sighed, looking away from her magazine, and down at him. “What is it Shouchan?” His mother asked him. Shouta loved it when she called him Shouchan. It made him feel safe. Feel loved. Shouta smiled, the use of his nickname was a sign that she was in a good mood. Shouta smiled up at her shyly (he wasn’t a child prone to smiling often), twisting the hem of his (just a little too big) shirt. “I got my quirk mommy!” Shouta blurted, bursting with joy at having gained his quirk a little earlier than his classmates at preschool. None of them had gotten theirs yet. “Oh?” His mother asked, clearly a little shocked that it had developed so soon after turning four, but pleased that he was an early bloomer. Shouta had always been a fast learner and liked to do things right away (just so he wouldn’t have to learn to do them later them later, why do it tomorrow when you can do it today), so it should be no surprise that his quirk followed that example. “And what is your quirk?” She asked, expecting it to be either her’s or his father’s. Children rarely got mixed versions if the parents quirks were different or didn’t follow some theme. “I can stop someone’s quirk by looking at them!” He announced proudly, looking up at her with bright dark eyes. Just like hers. He had spent the better part of the morning on the landing of their apartment, experimenting with the old lady that lived next door, Mrs. Akashi. Shouta liked to sit on the landing and watch the people on the street below walk past, looking down on them like a hero observing those he had to protect. His neighbor, an old widow who was almost completely deaf, loved to join him. Her apartment was the last one on their floor, so not having to worry about people needing to get around her, she would pull out her rocking chair and would sit knitting while he people watched. He would sit holding the ball of yarn, unrolling it as she needed. He was a helpful boy, and Mrs. Akashi called him her hero. That’s what they had been doing this morning, his parents arguing, while not loud, had woken him up. Not being able to fall back asleep, Shouta had crept out of the apartment, with the help of a step stool his mother had placed by the door for such occasions. Better to be able to get out on his own than to have to draw attention to himself. It was very common to find Shouta sitting or playing by himself on the landing, there weren’t any other children within walking distance, and living in the less than desirable part of town, Shouta wasn’t allowed to wander around on his own.So there they both sat that morning, Mrs. Akashi knitting, and Shouta holding the ball of yarn, when he started to feel strange. His eyes started to burn and itch, and he felt his short hair start to rise. Almost as if his mom had held the blow dryer near him, causing his hair to lift from the air current. But just as quickly as it started, it stopped. His eyes still burned and itched some, but not like before. His hair also resumed it’s natural state, the wavy locks lying against his head again. It was strange.Realizing what was happening he quickly got his neighbors attention and sloppily signed to her, she had been teaching him the basics of JSL because she couldn’t really hear anymore.They had spent a couple of hours experimenting, and had learned that as long as he looked at someone without blinking he could stop their quirk, even if it was only for 10 seconds. Mrs. Akashi’s quirk was the ability to make her hands glow like a very bright night light, and Shouta practiced erasing it, over and over until his eyes burned too much. Much to Mrs. Akashi’s amusement and Shouta’s dismay, his hair floated every time he used his quirk. He had hoped that it was a one time fluke or the wind, because floating hair just seemed impractical and silly. Shouta was also not pleased that his irises turned a glowing red. They reminded him too much of his father’s angry red eyes. Shouta was standing proudly in front of his mother, waiting to be complimented on such a cool quirk. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. His father slammed his beer can onto their wooden coffee table, spilling beer at the impact, he growled out, “What do you mean you can fuckin sstop quirkss? I can’t even do that you basstard braat!” His father slurred his words a bit, clearly in the beginning stages of drunkenness. Shouta spun around and pressed his back into his mother’s legs, intimidated by the man in front of him. His father wasn’t a tall man or even a muscular man, but to a small four year old boy, he might as well have been as big as a bear. He looked at his father with wide fearful eyes, while his father hadn’t ever hit him or his mother, his loud voice and vicious words were scary and hurt. His father had always had a quick temper, but his temper never seemed to leave anymore. Shouta missed the days when his father would ruffle his hair or “fly” him to his room. Holding Shouta in his large hands, zooming Shouta around in the air before depositing him in his bed. His mother placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentile squeeze. She stayed seated, knowing that if she stood up, her husband would take it as a challenge. Keeping her voice soft and calm, she quickly tried to defuse the situation. “Hun, you know this is how quirks tend to work. Kid’s quirks are usually stronger than their parent’s. Your quirk is stronger than your mothers after all.” “Shut up cow!” His father growled at his mother. Shouta knew that his mother hated when she was called that, she was a bit sturdier than most women, not fat by any means, she just wasn’t slender or petite. If she trained, she would have had the body shape perfect for boxing. “I knooow that,” his father continued. “but it ain’t right for the worthless brat to have a quirk better ‘an me. He ain’t gonna fuckin amount to nothin’ anyway.” His mother nodded along, agreeing with his father to placate him. She slowly nudged Shouta towards his bedroom, standing up herself, she slowly walked over to her husband and offered to get him another beer. Shouta quietly made his way to his room, and once inside he closed his door, then threw himself face down on his bed. A soft sob making its way out of his throat. He didn’t like to cry, didn’t see the point in crying, but four year old’s don’t have great control over their emotions. So he cried into his pillow, trying not to make any noise that would draw the attention of those in the living room. His mother disliked crying more than his father did. Things continued like that. His father telling him he would be nothing because his quirk was nothing. His mother agreeing so as not to aggravate his father. His father became angrier and more mentally and physically abusive, and his mother more distant and at times violent towards him too. Not being able to take her anger out on her husband, the one who caused her unhappiness, she slowly began to turn it on her son. If she wasn’t ignoring him, she would pinch him or push him, one time going so far as to even slap him. His only safe haven was the landing and his neighbor. -Time skip- Shouta was fourteen and in middle school, preparing for entrance exams for high school. Shouta was at school, it was few months before the school break, and he sat silently at his desk at the back of the classroom. He was studying the syllabus for the school he hoped to attend, UA.His parents had no idea he was planning on joining the hero school, and for good reason. The last time he had mentioned that he wanted to be a hero, he had been nine, his father had yelled at him that he could never be a hero with his useless quirk. He would only get himself and others killed, his quirk was fuckin worthless, he was fuckin worthless. Pissed, his father had gone on a rampage, baring into Shouta’s room and gathering all his hero merchandise (it wasn’t much) and tossed it in a trash bag. He had forced Shouta to go and throw it in the dumpster himself, threatening Shouta not to even try and keep one thing or else he would punish him. Shouta never mentioned wanting to be a hero ever again, just kept his dream close to his heart. He was older now, capable of taking care of himself, something his parents expected him to do. He had learned early on how to forge their signatures, and thankfully they didn’t care what he did with his life, as long as it wasn’t anything illegal and that he was home by curfew. They did not want him doing anything that would have the police brought to them. They didn’t care what school he went to and he didn’t plan on telling them which one it was either. He knew if his father found out he would force him to choose another school, so he wasn’t going to let that happen. Shouta sat at his desk, drilling all the information he could into his brain so as to be ready for the preliminary exam for UA. Shouta had learned that not only did UA have a entrance exam, but you had to pass a preliminary exam just to be able to take it. Thankfully Shouta had always been smart, and years of being friendless (no one wanted to be friends with the antisocial boy who’s quirk erased quirks and who dressed like a hobo) meant that he had plenty of free time to devote to studying. Also having no friends meant that he didn’t have to try and hide his home life. Being friendless was a blessing and was logical. Thats what Shouta told himself as he watched groups of friends laugh and cut up with each other. He did not need that. He did not want that. He ignored the ache in his chest that said otherwise. Once school was out for the day he quickly made his way home and to his neighbors apartment. This was his routine, leave for school after his parents left for work, grab the bento from next door that Mrs. Akashi made for him everyday. Go to school, leave and hang out at his neighbor’s apartment and eat dinner there. Hang out on the landing until right before curfew, sneak into his room for a change of clothes, sneak to the bathroom for a quick shower, then sneak back to his room for the rest of the night. Shouta had become an expert at stealth, he rarely got caught. When he did, he usually got smacked on the back of the head or tripped up for creeping around.His neighbor knew that things were strained with his family, but being deaf meant that she never heard to what extent. So their was nothing she could do but coddle Shouta as much as she could and give him the love he was lacking in his life. The other neighbors didn’t care and knew to mind their own business, some of them having similar issues as his family. Domestic disputes and violence were common in his neighborhood, and were rarely reported, most people being on the wrong side of the law in one way or another.Shouta had dinner with her like he did every day, she was an amazing cook, but despite her best efforts of teaching him, Shouta could only grasp the basics. They sat chatting together after dinner until time for Shouta to leave. After hanging out on the landing for a while, Shouta crept into his apartment and safely went about his routine and went to bed.The next day was Saturday, and Shouta had plans to go to the library to study. His father usually slept late on the weekends, so he only expected to see his mother when he woke up this morning. He should have been more careful, should have paid closer attention, but he was exited to have the whole day to himself. He usually spent his weekends helping his aging neighbor with chores that were becoming more difficult for her. Shouta seriously thought of Mrs. Akashi as his grandmother, not that he would ever admit it out loud. So seeing his father standing in the kitchen, only a few feet from the front door talking with his mother, it made his legs lock in place. His flight response failing him at the worst possible moment. His father turned to him after noticing him out of the corner of his eye. His face scrunched up in displeasure as he walked over to Shouta. He swung his fist out towards Shouta’s face stopping only a few inches in front of his nose, Shouta automatically flinched.He couldn’t help it, even after so many years of his father doing that, he still flinched every time. He was always on edge, expecting it, but he was never able to stop that damn flinch. He knew it was because it was his father doing it that caused him to flinch. Unsure if his father would actually stop before hitting him. There had been a few times when he didn’t. And it was always somehow Shouta’s fault. Being told, “if you hadn’t of fuckin moved then I wouldn’t have hit ya” or “you was too close”. It was always Shouta’s fault.His father busted out laughing as Shouta slightly curled into himself. “Made ya flinch!” He laughed, doing it once more and laughing when Shouta flinched again. Of course Shouta flinched, it was a conditioned response at this point. His nerves were too shot when it came to his father. This was one of his many intimidation tactics that he used against Shouta, insuring that he was too frightened to even consider fighting back.Not that Shouta would have, hitting back would only result in him getting hit harder, a fact he had learned when he was twelve. He was smaller than his father and untrained, he wouldn’t stand a chance. He also didn’t want to ruin his chances of going to UA by being involved in a domestic dispute. His father had many ways to bully Shouta and the flinching game was one of the nicer ones. His father, whenever he could corner Shouta, would push him into walls, not hard enough to break anything, just to slightly bruise him. Sit on his back where he couldn’t get up and escape, having someone bigger than you sitting on top of you while holding you face down was terrifying and left Shouta feeling vulnerable and powerless. His father was also very heavy and his weight hurt Shouta’s back. His father used to lock Shouta in his room until Shouta had bought a screw driver (Mrs. Akashi gave him an allowance) and started using it to remove his door handle and using a coat hanger to escape, his father has never found where Shouta keeps it hidden. He also had managed to get a lock for the inside of his room, and had put it up one day when both his parents were out. He made sure to lock it at night, not that they ever bothered him, but it was better safe than sorry. He will smack Shouta across the arm hard (never enough to bruise deeply) in passing, telling Shouta to “man up” or “stop being a pussy” if he ever complains or whines. Calls Shouta every vulgar or derogatory word he could think of, saying things to emasculate him. Towering over him and yelling insults in his face. “Pussy!” “Faggot looking prick!” “Weak ass bitch!” “You look like a pansy ass girl?” “Act like a man! You ain’t no damn cock sucker!” Shouta’s heard them all. Which is what his father was doing now, having grown tired of making Shouta flinch. He had reached out and was gripping the collar of Shouta’s baggy shirt tightly. “What the fuck is with your hair?” He screeched in Shouta’s face. “You wanna be a fuckin girl? Suck so bad at bein’ a man you gon’ an’ turned into one of them pussy boys? You like dick now or somethin’?” He shoved Shouta, who stumbled and fell to the floor hard, the strap of his school bag slipping off his shoulder and pooling around his wrist. Shouta’s hair wasn’t too long, it barely reached his shoulders. He had been meaning to get it cut, it annoyed him how his hair floated up when he used his quirk. It was a dead give away that his quirk was active, more than the red color that his eyes changed to. Keeping it short was the logical decision, but long hours of studding over the past few months with barely any free time to stop and get it cut had resulted in it being longer than it had ever been. He had been planing to get it cut after his visit to the library, but now... Now he felt a bit of rebelliousness seep into him. If it bothered his father so much, then he was going to keep it. Just to piss his old man off. He knew in the back of his mind, as he listened to his father go on a homophobic rant about "fags being everywhere now", that keeping his hair long wasn’t the wisest decision. It would only fuel his father’s rage, act as a target for his father and mother to tug harshly. He watched as his mother nodded her head in agreement with his father, acting as a united front. She had learned that agreeing with her husband no matter what, especially if it was against Shouta, pleased her husband and made him less likely to turn on her. She had thrown away motherly instinct years ago in preference for self preservation. His father loved it when she agreed with him, inflating his ego. He was always likely to treat her good for the rest of the day when she did that, making sure to treat her especially well that night. Shouta slept out on the landing on those nights. His father didn’t even bother to keep his voice down, and didn’t move the bed frame so that Shouta wouldn’t have to hear it slamming against the wall repeatedly. His father always laughed the next day, telling Shouta that it was educational for Shouta to hear. Saying it did Shouta good to hear how to “fuck woman good” so he wouldn’t want to “take no dick in the ass”. Shouta always threw up after those nights, even if he had been outside and couldn’t hear anything, he could still remember the times that he had heard. He also would be unable to eat the rest of the days after those nights. His mother, while not as abusive as his father, had her moments where she lashed out at Shouta. Shouta had been slapped across the face by her numerous times now, never hard enough to leave anything other than a light redness to his cheek that faded after a few minutes, but still made his head rock back from the impact. He sat on the floor, trying to keep his face neutral. He didn’t cry, he hadn’t cried in years. He had trained himself out of it, and the constant dryness in his eyes from his quirk only acted to help his resolve. He was keeping his face neutral as to not show the burning hatred that he felt for his parents. What had he done to deserve this kind of treatment from them? *Nothing!* His brain, always logical, supplied for him. He had done nothing to be treated this way. But as far as abuse went, Shouta was positive that his situation was better than others. He was never badly physically hurt, he wasn’t sure a few bruises here and there would count as abuse. He could survive this until he turned eighteen. Its not like they were trying to kill him. Just break him. He knew that trying to stand would only get him pushed back down, and trying to run was out of the question with his father towering over him. His father would only wait by the door to ambush him the moment he returned home, being more aggressive at having been disrespected by Shouta running away. So he sat and waited until the attention shifted off of him, or until his father got bored. His father growing tired of his wife’s constant agreeing, and turned on her. Agreeing with him too much pissed him off because he saw it as her being insincere. He moved into the kitchen to try and tower over Shouta’s mother, which was hard considering they were close to the same height. Shouta was the shortest, barely reaching his father’s chest, he hasn’t had a growth spurt yet. His short stature and slim figure only convinced his father more that Shouta wasn’t a man. “And you!” His father growled at his mother. “You’re the reason he’s like this bitch! Babied him to much as a child!” Ranting at her, throwing insults at her and complaining about Shouta not being a man and never going to be a man, and it not mattering if Shouta had a dick or not because he was just a pussy. Having heard enough, Shouta quickly crawled to the door, dragging his bag behind him and slipped out to the safety of the outside world. Once free of the oppressive apartment, he stood up and dashed down the landing. Going down the steps two at a time and sprinting in the direction of the train station. Shouta had developed a thick skin over the years, an effect of being insulted most of his life, but there was only so much he was able to tolerate of having his sexuality and masculinity questioned before it started to hurt. Not that he had anything against the LGBTQ community, like his father clearly did, he just had never felt any relation to those titles. He has never been interested in any type relationship. He wasn’t interested in girls or boys, though he did admit that he found girls slightly attractive. It was confusing. He wasn’t interested in forming romantic or sexual relationships with them, and had no interest in anything that people his age were definitely interested in. He had heard the other boys in his class talking about girls and guys in sexual ways, and had seen them looking a porn in the restrooms. The thought of sexual relationships actually gave him anxiety. He had tried thinking of girls and boys in a sexual way, but he never got a reaction and ended up feeling nauseous afterwards. There was nothing wrong with his body. Once he hit puberty, his body did have the normal reactions like the other boys. Reactions that the school nurse informed all the boys of his grade that were normal and to be expected, and that could be completely random. He woke up many mornings to these normal reactions, or what his classmates called “morning wood”. And he could get a reaction himself, just like the nurses said all boys could. But he could not react to anyone, male or female. He had glanced at some of the porn his classmates brought, but he never felt anything when seeing the naked men or women. So he decided that he just wasn’t interested in sex. And that was fine with him. He also wasn’t interested in having friends either, he ignored the little voice deep inside that secretly craved a close friend, and the affection and human contact that came along with it. How could he explain to a friend that they couldn’t come over because his parents treated him like shit. He could say that he lived in a bad neighborhood, but what if they persisted? No, being alone was safer. He would just rely on Mrs. Akashi being his only good source of human contact, he didn’t need the company of anyone his own age. They were all irrational anyway. That’s what Shouta thought as he made his way to the library. -Time skip- Shouta was a student at UA, and even better, he was finally in the hero course after having proven himself at the sports festival. He had been moved there from general education! That had been a nightmare to explain when he got home. Being in the gen ed course, he didn’t have to explain away any bruises (not that they would care, Shouta had been beaten up by classmates before), or have any permission slips signed for training. He could always sign them himself. He had gotten away with putting his address down as his neighbor’s. She knew he was keeping being at UA a secret from his family, and didn’t question it. She knew they weren’t supportive. And Shouta was good at hiding how awful they treated him from her. He was a very good liar. So any important letters had been sent to her. But the sports festival was broadcast across all tv stations, so imagine his father’s surprise at being congratulated at work on his son doing so well. He was almost afraid the cops would be called at the yelling match that had ensued. His father yelling at him to quit and his mother glaring at him from behind his father. Shouta, losing his temper for once, had yelled back. Screaming that if they wanted him to quit being a hero, they would have to kill him first. That death would be preferable to living with them. His mother had lunged forward and slapped him across the face, knocking his head back with the force of the impact and knocking him to the floor. His father had pulled his mother back by her hair and shoved her away, he turned back to Shouta with the most hate filled eyes and had told him to go ice his face. They didn’t speak to him about UA again. His father probably worried that he would snitch to the heroes about his home life if they persisted. They still treated him awfully, but they were extra careful after that not to leave any marks on him. His jaw had hurt for days. Anyway, before he had taken the entrance exam, Shouta had done some research and had discovered from the school website, that all of the students who had been placed directly in the hero course had physical mutant type quirks or quirks suited for fighting. Shouta’s quirk was not made of combat, and whatever was in the entrance exam, it was probably something hard to fight. He doubted his quirk would be able to go up against it.So Shouta had resigned himself to the general education course after having read that it was possible to transfer if he did well at the tournament. And he had definitely done well, having come in third. And that’s how he finally found himself in the hero course. He had been in the hero course over a month now, and a very loud blond boy (who he had beaten during the combat portion of the festival), had pestered him the entire time. Doing everything he could think of to force Shouta into conversation with him. Shouta ignored him at first and even tried being rude and telling the boy to leave him alone, which the boy had responded with a very drawn out ‘nope’, popping the ‘p’ at the end. Not used to having someone put so much effort into befriending him, the walls he had built over the years had crumbled and the boy effectively finger gunned his way into Shouta’s life. Shouta couldn’t find it in his heart to mind, he’d never had a friend before. And the boy made it clear that they were going to be the best-est friends ever. Shouta sat at his desk at the back of the classroom and didn’t even flinch when a very loud quirk induced “Aizawa” was yelled in his direction. Shouta didn’t flinch around people who weren’t his parents, he didn’t fear others like he feared his parents, he also knew that his reaction to his parents was conditioned and something he couldn’t help. He was not going to show that same weakness to others, he might not be able to do anything about that weakness at home, but at school he could be strong and was allowed to be strong. So he never flinched, not when fighting and not when an overenthusiastic cockatoo threw himself on Shouta’s desk, preening and demanding attention as if his life depended on it. “Yamada” Shouta sighed in acknowledgment. Yamada could be a bit overwhelming at times, constantly showing and needing attention and affection. He was like one of those Tamagachi pets, you forget to feed it one time and it dies. Shouta was a logical person, and knew that his friend wouldn’t die from lack of attention or not being allowed to drape himself across Shouta (he had plenty of other friends, Kayama who was an upperclassman and Iida for example, he didn’t need Shouta’s constant attention), but the back of his mind told that he shouldn’t risk it. Just in case. It was only logical. “Come over to my house this weekend dude. We’ll study, listen to some rad songs, and eat junk food till’ we barf!” Yamada begged, letting his shades slip down his noes, doing his best at making puppy eyes at Shouta. Shouta nodded his head yes, as he had been over to Yamada’s house once before with Iida. It was a pleasant two story American style house, Yamada’s mother was American (that explains his blond hair and green eyes) and his father was Japanese with brown hair and brown eyes. Yamada’s father had been studying pediatrics in America while his mother had been studying pharmaceutics. They met at school, fell in love, and got married quickly. They waited until after they graduated and had been working independently for a few years before they decided to have a child. Yamada Hizashi was born in the U.S., and lived there until he was three, then his father received an invitation to work at a prestigious children’s hospital in Japan that catered to deaf and blind patients and hired deaf doctors. So they had taken the offer and had moved. Yamada’s mother worked in the pharmacy part of the hospital. They were nice people, and Shouta couldn’t help but wonder what being raised by them must have been like. They were patient with Yamada’s dramatics, and seemed to indulge him constantly. Whatever their son showed an interest in, they worked to cultivate it. Encouraging him to try new things. So by fifteen, their son was an amateur DJ, spoke not only English and Japanese but also French and Italian. Could play the piano, knew JSL and ASL, and was now on his way to being a hero. Yamada really was talented and smart. Both of Yamada’s parents were deaf, Shouta had only found that out and about their lives after he had visited the first time. Apparently their son had been born with his quirk and had damaged his parents hearing, along with the doctor’s and nurses’. Throughout the years of a young Yamada trying to learn control over his quirk, his parents had gone completely deaf. Not even hearing aids could help them. This was something Yamada felt guilty about, but had come to terms with. All three Yamada’s were surprised when Shouta had shown up with Iida the one time that he had visited, and had started signing to them before his friend could even announce that his parents were deaf. Yamada being the scatter brain that he is, had forgot to mention it, and Iida had felt that it wasn’t his place to tell Shouta. When he and Iida had shown up at the Yamada’s (Iida had offered to show him the way and met him at a location they both were familiar with), the Yamada’s were all waiting at the threshold to greet Shouta and Iida. He had noticed right away the way that they carefully watched everyone’s mouth, and the way their voices switched tones at odd places (something that people who can’t hear what they are saying do). So without hesitation, Shouta had introduced himself using sign language. The look on their faces had been priceless. Shouta sat at his desk, agreeing to weekend study session. It was a good excuse to be away from home. The teacher entered the classroom soon after and ordered Yamada to get his ‘overly social butt’ in his seat. The class had snickered at that while Yamada pouted. So, Saturday eventually rolled around, and Shouta found himself in Yamada’s bright neon green room with equally bright neon yellow boarders. It was a very bright room. Yamada was practically hanging upside down off his bed, reading ‘Heroes Weekly’, a stupid gossip magazine about heroes that Shouta refused to read. Shouta himself, was seated cross legged on the floor, actually studying. Yamada soon got bored of the magazine, letting it fall to the floor with a thud, rolling over to look at Shouta. Shouta only spared him a quick glance before returning to his notes. He new Yamada couldn’t stay quiet for long, and once he was ready to talk he would. “So when can I visit your house?” Yamada asked. He had asked a few times to visit, and Shouta had shot down each one, giving excuses such as: Its not the safest neighborhood to travel around in if you aren’t familiar, or his parents didn’t like to have company because they were tired after working all day. And its small and he would rather hang out somewhere else than be cooped up there. He didn’t lie, just omitted the fact that his parents were awful bastards. While he knew they wouldn’t do or say anything while a guest was around, but once the guest left they would take out their frustrations on him. He also didn’t want them to know he had friends, didn’t want them to ever meet his friends; because once they did, Shouta would have to hear all the insults that are usually directed at him aimed at his friends. He didn’t want that, didn’t know if he could keep himself from lashing out if they did. Didn’t want to know what they would do if he did lash out. He had considered bringing Yamada to his neighbors apartment, but decided against it. It was just too dangerous to have Yamada that close to his parents. He also knew that Yamada and Mrs. Akashi would get along like two peas in a pod, and that they would talk about him. Not that he had a problem with that, he just knew that Yamada was smart, and that hearing about his life (Mrs. Akashi wouldn’t couldn’t anything too risky about his life because she didn’t know) he would figure out that Shouta spent most of his time with his neighbor. He would fix out that Shouta never had any friends, and that she was practically raising him. Feeding him, and mending his clothes. It wouldn’t take long before he put two and two together. Shouta sighed, putting his notes aside, and gave Yamada his best deadpan look. “You know why, Yamada.” His friend sat up with a pout, crossing his arms before leveling Shouta with his most determined look. “Yea,” he whined. “But I like to know everything about my friends! Where they live, so we can hang out or I can send holiday cards. Their number, so I can call and text them-” Shouta interrupted his friend quickly. “You talk to me enough already Yamada. You’ve talked to me enough to last three lifetimes. You also know I don’t have a phone because I can’t afford one.” Shouta said, setting aside his notebook and watching his friend grow more frustrated. Yamada threw his hands up in the air and let out long quirk induced whine. “I know! I’m just saaayinnnng!” Yamada complained. “Look, the only things I know about you are you’re favorite color, food, holiday, season, music, book, how tall you are, and that you like cats and sleeping.” His friend declared. Shouta couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Isn’t that enough?” He asked, leaning back on his hands. “No!” Yamada shouted, using his quirk. Shouta activated his own quirk, threatening Yamada with it. His friend was still learning how to control his quirk when stressed or excited. Shouta’s quirk seemed to distract his friend for the moment, and when he deactivated his it and his hair fell down to just brush his shoulders. Yamada did a complete one eighty, and began a rant about his hair. “Dude! Your hair is soooo long! Is your hair thick! It looks like it is, is it soft? Ooooh lemme braid it!” Yamada gleefully screeched, dashing out of the room and down the hall to his parents room before Shouta could even respond. Seconds later, Yamada dashed back into the bedroom with multiple small hairbands and sat expectantly on the side of his bed. Shouta stared at his friend for a moment before giving in and going over to Yamada and settling back between his legs. Shouta enjoyed the way his long hair seemed to piss his father off to no end. And now that his father knew he was going to the top hero school, seemed reluctant to do anything more than insult Shouta about his hair. Which was fine with him, the less he had to worry about the better. Having his hair brushed and braided was oddly relaxing, and Shouta found himself falling asleep sitting up. A small tug on his hair snapped him awake in an instant and he jolted slightly. “Sorry dude, didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just if you fall asleep and face plant the floor, I won’t be able to finish your hair.” Yamada muttered. Shouta hummed in reply and made sure to keep himself awake. He knew Yamada didn’t mean to startle him, and had no way of knowing that his parents had pulled him around by his hair more than once, or that his father pulled it when passing while calling him a pussy boy or other unsavory things. He would have to remove the braid before he got home, just to be safe. Once Yamada was done, he launched to his feet pulling Shouta up too, and practically dragging Shouta to the bathroom to show him his hard work. Shouta was impressed, Yamada had done a good job with the french braid. It wasn’t long, ending half way down his neck, but his hair only reached his shoulders, so that was understandable. Shouta nodded his approval, before making his way back to the bedroom to finish his studying, the braid would do a good job at keeping his hair out of his face. Maybe he should let Yamada do this before training at school, it would keep his hair out of his eyes, and would also mean that when he activated his quirk, no one would be able to tell. Shouta had requisitioned goggles with his hero costume to prevent people from telling who he was looking at, and so they couldn’t see the red of his eyes when his quirk was active. Yamada seemed happy that Shouta approved of his handy work. It probably wouldn’t be so bad to let Yamada fix his hair every now and then. When he told him this, a wicked smile crept onto his face, and Shouta had the distinct feeling of being a mouse about to be eaten by vicious cat. “Dude! Kayama and I are gonna do your hair every day! She knows way more styles than I do! You’re so screwed!” Yamada laughed wickedly. Yamada sobered up quickly, Shouta was amazed at how quickly his friends mood could change. “You’re not giving me the cold shoulder on visiting you because you find me too annoying? Are you?” His friend asked quietly. Yamada was sitting on the floor in front of his bed now, looking down at his lap. Shouta sighed, this line of thought he could deal with, though he was surprised that his friend felt such insecurity. He practically oozed confidence, but maybe that was just a facade. “You are annoying.” Shouta admitted, grinning widely at the boy in front of him to show he was teasing. Shouta rarely smiled, and found that he really sucked at it. But it made his friends laugh, so kept doing it. And it worked it’s magic now, causing Yamada to burst into a loud giggling fit. One of the perks it seemed to having deaf parents was that Yamada didn’t have to watch his volume. And could be almost as loud as he wanted, though he did have to consider the neighbors. After he was finished laughing and could talk normally, he was back to being serious. “You sure I can’t come over?” He asked, watching Shouta intently. “I’m sure.” Shouta told him again. Yamada nodded, and they went back to studying, with Yamada occasionally stopping to show Shouta something on his phone. Shouta stayed a few more hours before leaving to head home. He made sure to undo the braid before he reached his apartment. It had been four weeks since Shouta had visited Yamada at home, and true to his word, he and Kayama braided Shouta’s hair almost every other day. It would have been every day, but a teacher wisely pointed out that pulling his hair back so much would make him go bald prematurely, so they had agreed to braid his hair every few days. They didn’t braid his hair every time they had hero training because Shouta decided he needed to learn how to fight with it down. They were doing combat training, and Shouta had his hair pulled back in a french braid, the only braid Yamada knew. He was facing one of the students from class 1B, she had a mutant type quirk. Her skin was as thick and tough as an elephants skin, without the wrinkles, and brilliant brown with just a tinge of red to it. Shouta felt it was nice color and suited her perfectly, and it was matched by bright curly red hair and eyes as black as night. She was also very tall, around six feet. She reminded Shouta of an amazon warrior princess, and he was absolutely intimidated by her. Their fight was short lived, Shouta tried his best to use his speed and short height to make up for the fact that she was way stronger than him, but she had been training longer than he had. She kept landing punch after punch despite his best efforts at avoiding her blows. But one round house kick to his head, knocked him out of the fight and out in general. The medical robots had to cart his unconscious body to the infirmary, where one kiss later, Shouta was healed. He slept the rest of the class away, thankfully it was the last of the day and when he finally woke up Recovery Girl sent him home. His friends, Yamada, Kayama and Iida, were waiting for him by the entrance gate. They offered to walk home with him, or at least half way there, but Shouta waved them away. He could make it home on his own just fine. As long as he didn’t fall asleep while walking. Once home he sleepily made his way to his room, a side affect of Recovery Girls healing was that he was absolutely exhausted. He was almost to his room when he heard his father roar. “What the fuck is that on your head!” Shouta spun around to face his father who was storming over to him from the living room where he had been seated with his mother, she who looked visibly pale and was staring at him with wide eyes. Shouta lifted his hand to his head and felt the braid still in place. *Shit!* He had forgotten to undo it, too tired and sore to give it much thought, despite it becoming a habit to do before he reached home. Shouta didn’t even have time to run or curse himself for his stupidity before his father had reached him, ripping the hair bands out along with some of his hair. Shouta cried out as his father dug his fingers into Shouta’s hair getting a firm grip and started to drag Shouta to the bathroom. Shouta tried to get free, but the hold on his hair was too strong and his father was walking too fast. He tried hitting him, but his fist barley grazed his father, the man's reach being longer than his own made it easier to hold Shouta at a distance. Shouta slipped and fell, but his father kept going, dragging him the rest of the way to the bathroom by his hair. He hauled Shouta up onto his feet by his hair, all while Shouta clawed at him and yelled to be let go. He tried ramming his elbow into his fathers side, his fight instinct taking over after all the months of training at school. His father grunted in pain, but didn’t stop. He rammed Shouta forward into the sink, his stomach colliding painfully with the hard tile and the top of his head knocking the faucet. Two head injuries in one day! It hurt, the tile pressed into his stomach and his head throbbed. His fathers firm grip in his hair hurt, his mother standing in the doorway doing nothing hurt. It all hurt. “Fucking let go of me!” Shouta screamed. He didn’t care if the neighbors heard, he knew they wouldn’t do anything to help. His father harshly pressed his face deeper into the bowl of the sink before cutting on the faucet. Shouta sputtered as water poured over his mouth and nose, effectively shutting him up. Shouta thought he would drown, but once all his hair was soaked, his father cut the water off. Shouta gasped in a deep breath. He had feared for a moment that his father was actually trying to drown him. His father yanked one of the drawers under the sink open, pulling out a pair of scissors that he used to trim his hair. Shouta began to struggle harder, even though he knew it was pointless. He wasn’t in a good position to fight back anymore. His face was practically pressed to the bottom of the sink, leaned so far over that his feet were no longer touching the floor. He tried to kick out a few times, but his father only moved so that one of his legs was pinned between both of Shouta’s. Ensuring any more kicking attempts would be futile. He held the scissors as close to Shouta’s scalp as he could with him struggling and began to cut. With every cut, Shouta sobbed. Strands falling in pools around his face, sticking to his tears and getting in his mouth, almost choking him. His father insulted him. With. Every. Single. Cut. Calling him a faggot. Threatening to cut off his penis if he wanted to be a girl so badly. When his hair kept getting shorter, his father moved his hand from Shouta’s hair to his neck. Using his neck to keep holding him down in the sink. Nearly an hour later, his hair was thick after all, the cutting finally stopped. Shouta’s sobs had stopped halfway through the brutal cutting of his hair and had just laid across the sink limply. He just didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. His father stepped back satisfied with his work, and Shouta sunk to the cold tile floor and curled up on himself. His father pushed past his mother and wandered off somewhere in the apartment. Shouta didn’t care where, he was just glad his father was away from him. His mother looked at him a moment before sighing too, leaving him to wallow on the floor after telling him to clean the mess up. Shouta stayed on the floor for a few minutes before deciding to stand up and assess the damage. He looked in the mirror and wanted to throw up. His hair, which had been just past his shoulders, was now cropped nearly an inch from his scalp. A sob ripped its way out of his throat. What would he tell his friends?! His friends! They couldn’t braid his hair anymore! Would they be angry with him? He knew they wouldn’t. But what would he tell them? What would they believe? What would Yamada believe? He was too smart to believe any of the excuses Shouta was running through his head. And with how poorly the cut was, he was going to have to take the clippers and buzz the rest of the hair off. The tears started to run down his face again. He complained that his long hair was a disadvantage while fighting for many reasons, but he had really liked his long hair and how his friends had enjoyed playing with it. He enjoyed the contact and didn’t mind some of the silly things they had put his hair through. They were having fun, and that made him happy. And now it was all over. He sunk back to the ground and buried his face in his arms. He really should have been worried about what his father had been doing, but he was too tired, and too distraught. So he was unaware of his father walking quietly behind him with a belt held tightly in his hand, while Shouta sat on the bathroom floor thinking that his punishment was over. Shouta was pushed roughly face first onto the bathroom floor, a knee pressed between his shoulder blades to hold him down. “I’m gonna beat that pussy boy attitude right out of you. No son of mine is going to be a fagg!” His father growled. Drawing his arm up over his head, in one quick and fluid motion his father brought the belt down across his backside. And he repeated the motion. Again. And again. And again. Shouta was loosing count on how many times his father hit him. He had never been whipped before, never had been punished so harshly. He could do nothing more that cry out, his voice was rough from his previous crying and it was slowly losing volume. Every time he struggled the belt was brought down harder, so Shouta laid there and waited for it to end. He could see black spots dancing across his vision, and worried briefly if he was going to pass out. With the only neighbor who would help him being unable to hear his cries, and the others not caring or not wanting to get involved for whatever reasons, Shouta knew that no one was going to be coming to rescue him. No one would call the police for him. No hero was going to swoop in and save the day. He was on his own. *There was also no way I’m going to be able to sit down any time soon after this.* Finally with one last whip, his father got up and left him alone for good. His mother never came back to check on him, he didn’t know if she watched like she had done with his hair, but he knew she wasn’t there for him now. She wasn’t there to help him off the floor and to his room, and he shouldn’t have expected her to be. He was on his own. She hadn’t tried to protect him from his father in years, opting to keep herself safe. Honestly she had become just as bad at doing things to make Shouta’s life miserable. He was just missing the memory of how she used to be. Shouta picked himself up, it took a few tries as his legs kept giving out on him, and he would wind up back on the floor on his hands and knees. But once he was standing and was sure he wouldn’t collapse, he made his way out of the bathroom. His father and mother were no where to be seen, probably asleep in their room. Which was good, he needed some privacy right now. He made his way to his room, glancing in the living room he noticed all the beer bottles that littered the coffee table that weren’t there that morning. *Well, that explains that.* He thought to himself. In his room, he grabbed a change of clothes and walked back out. He picked his school bag up off the floor by his bedroom door, where he had dropped it when the whole nightmare began, and stuffed his clothes in it. Slinging it over his shoulder, he walked to the doorway and slipped his shoes back on before quietly walking out the apartment. It was a long and painful journey to the Yamada house, Shouta had to take the train to get their home, and he hadn’t sat down the whole time. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get back up if he did, so he spent the entire thirty five minute ride standing. Shouta thought he would throw up a few times from the pain. At least he didn’t feel like he was going to pass out again. He had finally made it to Yamada’s home, and he was sure it was close to the middle of the night by now, and that his friend was probably asleep. Shouta needed his friend though, he needed someone to turn to, someone his parents didn’t know and couldn’t find. So with the little strength he had left, he pounded his fist against the door repeatedly. He knew from Yamada, that the doorbell triggered the lights in the house to flash, and Shouta wanted to avoid his friends parents for as long as he could. Shouta heard his friends quirk induced voice yell from inside the house, announcing that he heard him. Threatening that if this wasn’t important, then whoever was outside was fixing to get their eardrums ‘bust wide open’! The door was thrown open to reveal a very bedraggled Yamada with his hair down and sticking out in some places. Hizashi was wearing a faded band shirt and plaid pajama bottoms, his glasses sat crookedly on his nose. His friend stared at him for a minute before screeching in horror, “Shoutaaa!” Shouta would have been shocked at Yamada using his given name for the first time, but he was too tired and emotionally drained. Before he could say anything his friend grabbed him and pulled him inside, slamming the door behind them. He pulled Shouta carefully along to the living room to a long gray sectional and ordered him to sit down. Shouta shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck, wincing at the loss of hair that usually covered his neck. “I-I don’t think I can sit down Yamada, um, Hizashi.” It felt weird saying his friend’s given name, but it felt rude not to after his had been used. He saw a look of utter horror cross Yama-Hizashi’s face. Remembering that Hizashi had recently come out as bi sexual, he realized that his friend was jumping to the worst conclusion. That Shouta had been raped. Shouta hurried to ease his friend’s fear, at least as much as he could. “No! Fuck! Hizashi no! I was whipped earlier, so I think it will hurt too bad to sit down. That’s all.” Hizashi still stared at him in horror, his face paling at what Shouta had told him. Hizashi swallowed, he had tears pouring down his face and he was trembling. “That’s all! THAT’S ALL! You were fucking WHIPPED! Wha-what where you whipped with? WHY? Why the fucking hell were YOU WHIPPED?! Why would ANYONE even whip you?! I’m-I’m fucking scared Shouta! Whats going ON?” Hizashi cried, quirk activating at random. Shouta flinched at the loudness and looked down at his feet, unwilling to meet Hizashi’s gaze. “A belt.” Shouta mumbled. “My father beat me with a belt after he cut off all my hair.” Shouta choked out. “All because I had my hair in a fucking braid. I usually undo it before I get home. My long hair made him mad enough already. But today I was just so tired that I forgot. He had been drinking, and when he saw my hair, and he just snapped.” Hizashi pulled Shouta into a hug, wrapping his arms around him and cried into Shouta’s shoulder. Shouta cried too, burying his face in his friends chest and holding on to his shirt. Hizashi had hit a growth spurt and was taller than him now. They stayed like that before Hizashi let go. “You need to lie down, and I’ll go wake my parents. My dad will need to check your injuries, and... and you know we have to call the police right? But that can wait until he checks you over and you tell them what happened. What’s been happening. Don’t lie and say it’s the first time they've hurt you. I can fucking tell when your lying.” Shouta nodded his head, he knew this would happen when he came here. But he was surprised that Hizashi could tell when he was lying. That’s probably why he constantly tried to find out why he wasn’t allowed over to Shouta’s. Seeing through Shouta’s half truths, and worrying for his friend. Hizashi helped him lay down on his stomach on the couch. Frown worsening with ever wince Shouta made. Once he was sure Shouta was as comfortable as he could get, he dashed out of the living room and up the stairs. Shouta tilted his head to the side to watch the stairs. It wasn’t long before Shouta heard multiple feet pounding down the stairs, and Mr. Yamada came sliding into view (the couch faced the wall that the stairs was hidden behind). Mr. Yamada quite literally slid into the living room, his socked feet having little traction on the hardwood floor. He came to a stop once he saw Shouta, looking relieved that he didn’t have a dying boy on his couch.
*What did Hizashi tell them?!*
The boy in question plowed into his father moments after he had stopped, followed by Mrs. Yamada, who plowed into her son. Shouta snorted at the three Yamada pile up. That seemed to snap Mr. Yamada out of his daze, who quickly but carefully made his way over to Shouta. He crouched down in front of Shouta and tentatively brushed his fingers over what was left of his hair. Shouta had to repress a sob. Mr. Yamada scooted away some so that Shouta could see his hands and began to sign. ‘Shouta, I need you to tell me what happened to you. All Hizashi could tell us was that your father was a bastard and that you’re lucky to be alive.’ *Ah... Thats why Mr. Yamada had been so freaked out.* Shouta glanced over at Hizashi, he had his face buried in his mother’s shoulder and was sobbing as quietly as somebody with a voice quirk could. Shouta didn’t feel like talking, his throat hurt and he was just too tired to actually talk. So he rolled over onto his side so that he could put his hands in front of himself for Mr. Yamada to see. He tried his best not no wince or make too many pained sounds, but by the look on the man’s face he had failed. Signing, Shouta responded. ‘My parents can be very verbally abusive and sometimes physically. Never anything bad enough to leave a lasting mark. My father is very homophobic, and me having long hair has always made him mad. He calls me a pussy boy, among other things. Today when I came home from school I was tired from getting knocked out in a fight, and forgot to undo the braid my hair had been put in.’ Mr. Yamada motions for him to continue when Shouta had paused. ‘My father had been drinking heavily, and when he saw my hair he snapped. He ripped my hair out of the braid and dragged me to the bathroom, I had fallen and he just kept dragging me. Forced me to hang over the sink, knocking my head against the faucet hard, then he cut all my hair off. I tried to fight back to get free, but I wasn’t in any position to do so and too weak from having a concussion healed. I’ve never tried fighting back before, too scared of what he would do, and the one time I try I fail.’ Shouta was crying again but continued anyway. ‘After he cut my hair he left me in the bathroom. My mom had watched, but didn’t stop him. Shouldn’t be surprised. She had almost as physically violent as him. I was too busy crying, wasn’t paying attention, I didn’t hear him come back. He forced me to the floor and held me down with his knee while he whipped me with a belt. I thought I was going to pass out. Once he finished he left me alone for good. I think they both went to bed after that. I came here, because I didn’t want to put my deaf elderly neighbor in danger and because they don’t know I have friends now.’ Once Shouta had finished he pulled his hands to his chest and closed his eyes. He wasn’t crying anymore, it hurt too much to cry. He was tired of crying, it didn’t solve anything. His eyes shot open as his head was lifted and placed in a warm lap. Looking up, he saw Mrs. Yamada, she was openly crying and started to gently rub her thumb across his cheek. Mr. Yamada had gotten up and had left the room. Hizashi was standing by the stares, he looked angry and determined. All the Yamada’s were horrified at what they had been told. Were horrified that Shouta had made his own way all the way to their home in the dead of night. While in so much pain! Shouta was glad Hizashi didn’t know where he lived, he was worried his friend would march to his house and scream at his parents until they lost their minds or died. It wasn’t long before Mr. Yamada returned, carrying a first aid kit. He faced Yamada and mouthed something to Hizashi, who left and returned upstairs. Shouta didn’t want his friend to leave, but assumed Mr. Yamada had a good reason for sending him away. He walked over to Shouta and stood in front of him, handing Mrs. Yamada the first aid kit. Once his hands were free, he signed to Shouta. ‘I need to check your injuries, and my wife will act as a witness. I know it’s awkward, but you’re going to have to remove your clothes.’ Shouta was extremely embarrassed. Undressing in front of Mr. Yamada was be one thing, he was a man, but Mrs. Yamada? He knew he had to do this, it was the logical course of action. Mr. Yamada was a doctor afer all, even if it was just for kids. But if this got him out of having to actually go to a hospital, then he would do it. *This is why he sent Hizashi away!* They didn’t want Hizashi to see any injuries that Shouta might have. Did the fact that it was logical to get checked over to see if he needed to be rushed to the hospital make it less embarrassing, nope. Was Shouta going to do it anyway, yep. With the help of Mr. Yamada, Shouta stripped his school uniform and underwear off. It was humiliating to be standing in the Yamada’s living room, naked as the day he was born, with almost the same amount of hair as then. Mrs. Yamada politely looked away, just filling the role that a nurse usually fulfills while a doctor examines a patient. She’s just there as an observer who doesn’t actually have to observe, just a presence supposed to keep the doctor and patient at ease. Mr. Yamada takes note of the bruise on Shouta’s stomach, poking to access the swelling, seemingly satisfied that Shouta probably doesn’t have any internal injuries, just bruising. He pressed the top of Shouta’s head, where his head had hit the faucet. Shouta winced at the pain and Mr. Yamada looked at him with sympathy. He left Shouta’s head alone and signed, ‘There is some swelling. You’ll have a nice knot on your head. But I don’t think you have another concussion.’ He slowly spun Shouta around so that his back is facing him, and takes in a sharp breath. Shouta can’t see for himself, but he’s sure it’s not a pretty picture. Which is a shame, because Shouta had been told by Kayama that he had a perfectly round butt. He knew his father was beating him with as much force as he could, but he didn’t think it would actually cause much damage through his clothes other than bruising. Mr. Yamada must have signed something to his wife, because she starts rummaging around in the first aid kit. Finding what she needs, she passes them over to her husband. Shouta is just starting to wonder what he’s doing, when he feels the first sting. Shouta curses loudly “fuck”, glad that the Yamada’s that are present are deaf and not looking at his mouth. *Ok, that hurt! I must have a cut or two.* Shouta winces again as the cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol is pressed to another cut.Finally the torture is over and Mr. Yamada stands up, he had been crouched down while tending to Shouta’s backside, a fact that mortified Shouta. He paused Mr. Yamada’s signing to his wife to get the man’s attention, informing him that he had grabbed a change of clothes before he came over. Mr. Yamada nodded, and left to fetch his clothes from the front door where he had left his bag. Mrs. Yamada had wandered over to the stairs and was signing. Hizashi must have been sitting on the stairs the whole time. She slowly signed to her son, ‘He’ll be all right sweety. Your dad made sure to check over him well, although he’ll still have to make a trip to the hospital later for an official check up.’ Shouta frowned at that. He really didn’t want more people looking at him naked. ‘He has lots of bruises, and some minor cuts on his bottom.’ She continued. *Bottom? Really?* ‘He’s just mainly very sore and probably very tired. But he’ll recover quickly, although it might take a few days before he can sit down.’ Mr. Yamada had returned with his clothes and helped Shouta get dressed in a loose shirt and sweat pants. Seeing that he was dressed, Mrs. Yamada motioned for her son that he could come down. Mr. Yamada helped Shouta lay back down on the couch on his stomach, and Hizashi dashed across the room to his side. Hizashi knelt in front of the couch and sobbed in Shouta’s face. “Shouta!” He wailed. “You should have told me!” Mrs. Yamada returned to her position as Shouta’s personal pillow, rubbing his head with her hand. Shouta sighed, trying his best to stay awake. “I thought I could handle it until I turned eighteen. It’s never been that bad before.” Hizashi’s father had walked back upstairs, but returned to see Shouta say that. He frowned, taping Hizashi on the Shoulder and handing him a silver flip phone. Looking at Shouta he signed, ‘Even if it wasn’t that bad before, you shouldn’t have had to go through that. You should have told someone, but I can understand that having gone through that your whole life, you probably didn’t think to tell anyone because its something that has always been done. Children get conditioned to stay quiet, and clearly you were conditioned. You probably don’t really see yourself as an abuse victim, seeing your situation as mild?’ Mr. Yamada asked. Shouta nodded his head and Mr. Yamada sighed. He looked like he wanted to say more but changed his mind. Getting Hizashi’s attention he signed for him to call the police, seeing as he was the only one aside from Shouta who could hear. And Shouta clearly needed a break. Hizashi nodded, and dialed the police. He was clearly nervous about the responsibility, but dutifully informed the police of the situation. Shouta had fallen asleep before Hizashi had gotten off the phone with the police, and it felt all too soon before he was being nudged awake by Mrs. Yamada. An officer with a cat for a head and a plain looking man in a trench coat and hat stood in front of him. The officer in the trench coat addressed him. “Hello, Aizawa. I’m officer Tsukauchi, and this is officer Sansa. We have a few questions for you, and would appreciate your cooperation.” Shouta nodded, but made no move to sit up. He was tired and he could talk to them laying down just as well as he could sitting up, and he didn’t think he was going to be able to sit up anytime soon. Tsukauchi gave him a small smile before continuing, clearly not bothered by Shouta staying lying down. Hizashi was siting by his feet, and gave his ankle a comforting squeeze. He could sense Mr. Yamada’s presence behind the couch.Officer Tsukauchi asked him all manner of questions. Where he lived, his parents names, what had happened when he returned home from school, about his father calling him a pussy boy (apparently Tsukauchi took discrimination about sexuality very seriously and only nodded in understanding when Shouta admitted that he didn’t feel any desires or need for romantic relationships). He had Shouta recount as much of the insults and abuse as he could remember. The Yamada’s were clearly horrified by what Shouta admitted to being called, it was something they all feared Hizashi would have to face one day. Hizashi was crying his eyes out and he could understand why, Hizashi was an emotional person, but Mr and Mrs. Yamada’s tears confused him. He had only met them twice before and couldn’t understand why they were crying for him, but he guesses it didn’t really matter. If they wanted to cry for him, that was fine. Shouta was done crying and hoped he never cried again. Finished with their questions, the officers had the Yamada’s drive Shouta to the hospital while they followed along. He needed an official check up, and pictures of the damage needed to be taken, to Shouta’s horror. He didn’t protest or fight it, just went along with it, ready for the whole ordeal to be over with so that he could go back to sleep. It was 3:34 in the morning when they made it back to the Yamada’s. Everyone was visibly tired and ready to sleep the pain away. Tsukauchi had sent a pair of officers to his home while they were still at the hospital and informed Shouta that they were going to be brought in where he could question them. Before they had parted ways, Tsukauchi had leaned over to Shouta and whispered, “And just so you know, my quirk is lie detector, your parents are screwed.” He had left a madly grinning Shouta with two very confused Yamada’s and one that knew his the smile ment something good. Or at least Shouta’s version of good. Back at the Yamada house, Hizashi nearly carried him upstairs to his room and to his own bed. Hizashi was still feeling anxious and didn’t want Shouta to be left alone in the guest bedroom. They both promptly fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Things happened quickly after that. His parents were arrested and charged with multiple instances of child abuse. His father received twenty five years in prison while his mother got fifteen. Hizashi really wanted Shouta to live with him and be his brother, but when Shouta told him that his neighbor, the one who had practically raised him, wanted Shouta to live with her Hizashi relented. But promised to visit him every weekend, and that Shouta had to visit him at least three times during the week. Shouta would still see Hizashi every day at school, but the boy had become possessive of him, and declared himself, Kayama and Iida as the Shouta protection squad. He supported and encouraged Shouta’s therapy, going with him and sitting in the waiting room, even if it was for hours some days. All his friends bought him beanie hats to wear until his hair grew out to a length he was happy with. Hizashi would patiently prod Shouta to talk about how he felt, not wanting him to suppress his emotions. Always willing to listen, never interrupting or telling him his feelings were wrong, or telling him he was a victim (Shouta didn’t want to be called a victim), or expecting him to have a breakdown. Shouta was very good at holding himself together and rarely fell apart. Sometimes Hizashi was more helpful than his actual therapist. He never got angry when Shouta told him that he only felt anger about his situation, he didn’t feel sad for himself. He was just pissed. He didn’t judge Shouta when he said that he had mainly cried that night because he had lost his hair. He had cried from the pain and shock of being whipped. Fom feeling weak, and because Hizashi had cried. Hizashi never gave his opinion on anything (except for his opinion on Shouta’s parents), he was just there for Shouta when he needed him. His abuse had been something that had gone on for so long it had become just a part of his life that he had accepted, and now that it was over, it was just over. Shouta had always prided himself over his ability to adapt, and this was just something he had to adapt to. He did have moments where at school when they were training and he found himself pinned down, he would panic a little, but he was always quick to cool his panic and think logically. He worked twice as hard until none of his classmates could pin him. Unfortunately and to Shouta’s shock, he couldn’t stomach having his hair in a braid anymore. It made him feel physically sick. So his friends settled for elaborate buns, or buying cat hairbands to pull his hair into pony tails. He still enjoyed the feeling of their hands in his hair though. He knew they wouldn’t hurt him. Hizashi was a constant in his life throughout high school, a brother in every way but blood. Filling Shouta’s silence with his never ending chatter, and remaining silent when Shouta did have something to say. He endlessly teased Shouta and pulled him to every social gathering their friends had. Shouta had eventually become Hizashi’s voice of reason, because as Nemuri put it, Hizashi has ‘no chill’. Hizashi eventually became Zashi, and Shouta became Shou. Sometimes people forgot that Shouta wasn’t the Yamada’s emo son, and that he wasn’t even related to them. Shouta kept his sir name. He would not let his name be a symbol of fear for him. He would make the name Aizawa something meaningful. It wouldn’t be a name full of nothing but hate and abuse. Shouta would make it something strong and caring. Four years after graduation, Hizashi stood by Shouta’s side at Mrs. Akashi Minima’s funeral. Hezashi and his parents had held Shouta afterwards on the couch of their home while he cried for the first time in years. He had patched up Shouta after many patrols where Shouta hadn’t been fast enough to evade injury, and Shouta did the same for Hizashi, even though those times were less frequent. They had applied to teaching positions at UA at the same time. Shouta dragging Hizashi into the career after Kayama had put in a recommendation for Shouta. Hizashi laughed every time Shouta expelled the majority of his students. Calling him a grumpy hobo caterpillar (Hizashi and Nemuri had bought his sleeping bag as a joke after finding him asleep on the uncomfortable couch in the teachers lounge, teaching and night patrols where exhausting and he never needed a real reason to nap; they had not expected him to actually use the monstrosity. They clearly had underestimated him and his willingness to go along with nearly anything). Hizashi listened to him complain about his reckless students. Was there to carry him to safety after the USJ, took care of him as he healed, and lectured him about returning to work too soon after. Made him help announce at the sports festival. Was there for him after the attack on the training camp. Watched with him as the number one hero lost his power and retired. Listened to his complainants about dorm life. Cried to Shouta when Sir Nighteye died, didn’t judge him when he didn’t cry. Understood when he finally cried over his student loosing his power and possibly his promising future as a hero. Supported him in fostering Eri, helping to ease her into a normal lifestyle, and absolutely spoiling her. And now he would help him with the mess that is Midoriya Izuku. And he would absolutely be there to listen to Izuku, just like he always is for Shouta.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
By the time Shouta was done telling Izuku his past the boy was crying hard. He had curled himself under Shouta’s arm and had a death grip around Shouta’s waist, clinging to Shouta as if he could squeeze the pain and suffering of Shouta’s past out of him. Shouta was letting him try as he pat Izuku’s back awkwardly. Izuku’s position at his side was making it difficult to do, but Shouta didn’t give up. His story had taken less than an hour to tell, but to Shouta it felt like a lifetime. Years of hurtful words and hurtful hands, from the people who were supposed to love and protect him. Shouta’s past wasn’t something he told just anybody. Not even Nemuri or Tensei knew the extent of his abuse. Just the Yamada’s. His past was something he tried to avoid thinking about. But he felt that Izuku needed to know that he wasn’t weak for being abused by his childhood friend for years. Having someone who was supposed to be on your side turn against you, didn’t make you weak, it made them weak. Shouta was far from weak, had learned that his abuse didn’t make him weak, and he would make sure Izuku knew he wasn’t either. Izuku was strong, and he would not let the boy think otherwise. Shouta had seen Izuku second guess himself many times in class at the beginning of the year, had been hesitant to raise his hand or speak up. His friends had brought him out of his shell and lifted his confidence in himself. They encouraged him and trusted his judgment, and that had done wonders for his self esteem. He began raising his hand more often in class, speaking with confidence, and not being daunted when he got something wrong. Shaking it off, and trying better next time. Shouta would deny that he had felt a fondness in his heart at the positive growth Izuku had made. Shouta had a soft spot for shy and awkward students, sue him. It’s not like he was going to play favorites. He was harsh with everyone. But to know his lack of self confidence came from the actions of a fellow classmate angered Shouta. It also pissed him off how he had missed the signs, missed the signs that it was anything more than just the two boys butting heads. He had seen Bakugou’s aggression towards Izuku, had seen Izuku’s bright personality dim around the boy. had watched him flinch at Bakugou’s explosions and explosive attitude. But Izuku had flinched at everyone. Anytime another student got close to him or spoke to him, he became nervous. Flinching as if he expected to be hit. He knew the boy had to have been bullied to react that way, and even being nervous around the teachers. As if he didn’t trust them. He could understand being nervous around Shouta himself, Shouta’s personality and appearance didn’t exactly scream friendly. But Shouta had seen Izuku flinch when Present Mic had tried to throw his arm around the boy’s shoulder one day while conversing with him while walking down the hall. Mic, not being as dense as everyone thinks, pulled his arm away casually without breaking conversation. He had whined to Shouta about how bad it made him feel that he had made the green bean uncomfortable, and had made it his goal to get Izuku to trust him. So that’s why Shouta wasn’t entirely sure if it was just Bakugou personally that made him that way, or if he responded like that to everyone and just freaked out more toward Bakugou because of the blonds volatile nature. He just wasn’t sure. He was going to keep observing Izuku to try and find out more, but then the greenette became more confident. Grew a backbone and started standing up for himself. He was more self assured, didn’t flinch as often. So Shouta put it to the back of his mind, where it was forgotten in favor of more pressing matters. He should have looked into their pasts anyway. Izuku had been failed by those around him and Shouta couldn’t help but add himself to that list. After hearing Izuku’s story, Shouta was shocked that the kid had the ability to trust anyone after being let down so many times by those around him. Shouta wanted Izuku to trust him, to feel safe in telling Shouta his secrets, safe enough to reveal what he was holding back. That why he told Izuku his story, and to put them both on even ground. A story for a story. They both had been hurt by people they cared about. Let down and forced to fight for themselves and their dreams. They could relate to each other. Izuku mumbled something against his side, startling Shouta from his thoughts. “Speak up problem child, I don’t speak mumble.” Shouta laughed, ruffling Izuku’s soft curls. Izuku lifted his face from Shouta’s side, Shouta was starting to feel like a mother monkey with her baby on her back as much as Izuku had been clinging to him. “I said”, Izuku repeated between hiccups. “H-Have you seen your p-parents since then?” “Why do you want to know?” Shouta asked. He could have just given Izuku a straight answer, but he didn’t feel like doing that. Something in him told him to press for a reason. “W-Well, when I first got into UA, I had h-hoped that I wouldn’t be in a class with Kacchan. I-I don’t mind anymore, but if I hadn’t been forced to be around him, I probably would have avoided him as much as possible. S-so I was just curious if you had confronted your parents.” Izuku admitted. It felt like Izuku was telling him the truth, or at least partial truth. Damn, maybe he should call Tsukauchi after all. It’s annoying having Izuku dance around, dangling whatever secret he’s hiding just out of Shouta’s reach. Shouta sighed and rubbed his hand that wasn’t resting on Izuku’s head across his face. No point in not answering the boy, and maybe the more Izuku starts to trust him, the closer he will get to the unfiltered truth. “No. I haven’t seen them. I never saw the point in confronting them because that would mean that I held some sort of expectations. Be it wanting them to apologize and see their errors, or try and mend our relationship, I just didn’t think it was necessary. I didn’t wan’t or need to fix things between us. I was better off without them. I didn’t want to risk them trying to hurt or control me again.” He felt Izuku tense at his side for a moment, it was brief and Shouta had no idea what triggered it. He replayed what he had just said in his mind, and anything he said could have bothered the boy. Izuku sniffled and mumbled, “I didn’t confront Kacchan either, not really.” Shouta hummed and moved his hand from Izuku’s head as the boy sat up. He twisted his hands together in his lap for a minute before he continued. “We hashed some things out in our fight. But we never addressed the root of our problems. We both just seemed to want to forget it all, even though it keeps me up at nights sometimes.” Izuku said. “I know we will have to talk about it one day, I-I just don’t want to hear him say he doesn’t regret it, even though I know he does to some extent.” Shouta knew what Izuku meant. There was a time, a few years after his parents’ incarcerations, that he had been afraid of ever seeing them again. Not because of what they could do to him, he had vowed to himself to never let them lay a hand on him again. No, he was afraid that they would show no remorse in making his life miserable. He didn’t want to have them confirm that he had meant so little to them. That is why he still has never sought them out, why he doesn’t even want an apology from them. Fearing it would all be pointless or meaningless. Fifteen years later, he doesn’t need an apology anymore or their love, but still hates the thought that they might not be sorry. It would hurt if they weren’t, but he had long since stopped loving his parents. He wasn’t a masochist, he didn’t want to face them and potential hurt, so the logical conclusion was to cut them out of his life and never look back. Fifteen years later, huh? His mother is probably getting out of prison soon. Izuku was far more emotional than Shouta ever was or ever will be. He obviously cared about Bakugou, and if Bakugou told Izuku that he didn’t regret the things he had done, Izuku would be devastated. Shouta doubted Bakugou would say that, but it worried Izuku. “Don’t worry Izuku.” Shouta said, patting the kid on the back. “He regrets it.” *And if he doesn’t, he will soon.* Shouta thought to himself. Shouta slowly got up and made his way to his bedroom to grab his sleeping bag and lazily made his way back into the living room. He dropped his sleeping bag in front of the coffee table and turned to the tv after picking up the remote. He logged onto Netflix and set a movie marathon of classic Disney movies to play. He figured that he had made Izuku suffer enough today from having the kid spill his tragic past then by telling the green bean his own tragic back story. *Time for a well deserved break for both of us. Hizashi can shower the kid in love and affection when he gets here.* He stepped into his sleeping bag, pulling it all the way on before he turned to Izuku. “So, I’m completely emotionally drained and I’m sure you are too. I don’t want to talk about myself anymore, you probably don’t want to talk about yourself either.” Izuku nodded his head in agreement at that. “So, movies and naps until Mic gets here after school.” Izuku nodded his head again. “Good.” Shouta said, then he let his legs fall from under him and flopped backwards loudly to the floor. As soon as he hit the ground he heard a loud “Holy Shit” from Izuku, who jumped up to peer over the table to see if his teacher had knocked himself unconscious. It wouldn’t be the first time that Shouta had miscalculated a flop and hurt himself... or the first time he had knocked himself out to avoid dealing with something. Shouta snorted. “Kid, I got this sleeping bag custom made to be thick enough just so I can drop to the ground without braking anything.” Shouta chuckled, when after Izuku had retreated back to the couch, he heard a softer “Holy shit”. Shouta slept on and off while Izuku watched the marathon, sometimes softly singing along to the songs. He had hoped the boy would sleep too, but Izuku apparently didn’t share his ability to sleep anywhere at any given time with zero fucks given. Maybe Izuku would get a decent nights sleep tonight after Hizashi left. They only had a few hours until school let out, and Shouta knew his friend would rush through all of his paperwork or put it off altogether, just to be here for Izuku. Just a few more hours and Hizashi could work his magic.
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Sometime during the second movie (something about a baby deer) Shouta had texted Nemuri, asking her to pick up Eri from tutoring and watch her for the remainder of the day. Shouta wanted Hizashi to be able to talk with Izuku, help him relax and find a since of security; and wile Eri was a comfort to Izuku, she was about as helpful as a six year old could be in this situation... which wasn’t much.He also texted Hizashi and let him know that Bakugou was involved in the whole mess, and to not let that bit of info slip. Shouta didn’t want Hizashi walking into this blind or going after the volatile blond.Things had been going well, but Shouta doubted they would continue like that for long. He knew the universe hated him, and had no doubt that it would try to screw him over. Shouta also knew that the only reason Izuku had been so open with him was because of how intimidating Shouta was and his no nonsense attitude. That and mental exhaustion made people lose lipped.Izuku had found himself on the wrong end of Shouta’s capture weapon more than once, he knew he didn’t stand a chance against Shouta, knew better than to hide things or fumble his way through lying. Being emotionally stressed worked wonderfully in Shouta’s favor, when it came to questioning the boy. Shouta just wishes Izuku hadn’t kept everything bottled up, hadn’t dealt with his problems all on his own until he burst with emotion.He has friends who would listen and not judge him, but years of isolation and abuse had taught him to keep his feelings hidden. A unhealthy safeguard against ridicule. Shouta wonders what would have happened if another teacher had found him. Would he have respected them or been intimidated enough to be truthful? Would he have been able to reassure them and redirect their worries and kept his pain hidden? Why hadn’t he gone to his mother for help? Sure the woman seemed to be more of a anxious person than her son, but she was still his mother. She could have done something. Well, he hoped she could have done something. Being a single mother probably didn’t make things easy. What if Izuku had told her, would it have made a difference? Shouta shakes the thought from his mind. “What if’s” were pointless. No point in dwelling on those thoughts, or his concern on what kind of woman Mrs. Midoriya was. Izuku spoke lovingly of her, even if he danced around topics involving her.What mattered now was that he had gotten the truth out of Izuku, and wether the boy knew it or not, it would be a weight off his shoulders. Maybe not right away, but eventually, when everything was calm again and Izuku wasn’t feeling the stress of his honesty.Shouta had slept for a movie and a half and was feeling stiff from being still so long, so he unzipped his sleeping bag and got to his feet and stretched. Izuku was momentarily distracted from the movie and looked up at Shouta, clearly surprised to see the man moving so soon. Shouta ignored him in favor of continuing his stretching. Lifting his arms over his head and bending backwards slowly and carefully, muscles popping in satisfaction. His shirt rose up slightly in the front, revealing his midriff and bellybutton. The cool air of the apartment hitting his skin and made Shouta to shiver.Straitening and pulling his shirt down Shouta turned to address Izuku, who was looking away, a slight blush to his face. Shouta quirked an eyebrow and huffed. “What?” He asked, crossing his arms and turning to face Izuku completely.Izuku mumbled something incoherent, not making eye contact with Shouta.*Ugh, shyness is so illogical.*“You’ll have to speak up and clearly if you want me to be able to understand.” Shouta said exasperatedly.“You’re hairy.” Izuku said awkwardly. His blush was even darker.*Why does the world hate meeeee!*Shouta blushed too and looked away. “Well... I’m a man, so it’s only logical that I would be... hairy.” “Right.” Izuku said, and started to mumble quietly to himself. Shouta couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he had taught himself to read lips and could make out some sentences like “will I be that hairy” or “when will I start to get hairy”.And reality hit Shouta like a bag of bricks, hard. This kid has had no male role model in his life. Sure, he knew that before, knew he has been raised by his mother. An awkward, emotional and sweet woman from what he’s been told. But a woman nonetheless. And in this moment it really hit him that Izuku has never had a man around to teach him the things that little boys need to be taught. Shouta had seen his poor excuse for a tie, but chose not to intervene, believing that Izuku would eventually learn on his own or Iida would show him.How behind is Izuku compared to the other boys in his class. What doesn’t he know that he “needs” to know. Does he know about- *Nope!* Shouta’s mind doges “that” line of thought like a bullet. There’s a class for that. Shouta mentally can’t handle “that”!*I am not giving him the sex talk!*But he can at least address Izuku’s rambling musings. Hair is a safer topic by a long shot.“You’ll grow hair too. I would assume either dark green or black. And it doesn’t just grow on your stomach, it goes... all the way down.” Shouta cleared his throat and Izuku blushed even darker. “Might be in a few months, might be a few years. Puberty is weird like that. I grew facial hair before Hizashi. I was sixteen, he was eighteen. Tensei can barely grow facial hair at all. It’s different for everyone, so don’t worry about it.” Shouta finished, scratching the back of his neck. Izuku nodded his head quickly in acknowledgment, and Shouta worried briefly about whiplash.“So,” Shouta continued. “I’m going to take a bath. I plan on patrolling tonight. Just chill out in here and watch movies or you can go take a bath in the student bath’s. Whatever you want, just come back here when you’re done.”“I think I’ll go take a bath.” Izuku said, jumping up from the couch and making a beeline for the front door. Poor kid was probably embarrassed out of his mind, and Shouta wasn’t too far behind. Shouta called out for Izuku to leave his phone alone, startling a ”yes sir” from him.*Hizashi would have handled that better.* Shouta thought as Izuku left the apartment. Hizashi probably would have even offered to take a bath together, since he had absolutely no shame. Shouta stopped before reaching the bathroom. *Note to self, don’t let Hizashi drag Izuku into a bath with him...or explain puberty!* Shouta shuddered at the thought. Hizashi could be too extreme at times, and Izuku was way too shy do deal with that.Shouta was almost tempted to indulge in a long bath, but decided against it and made quick work of washing himself. Once finished and with a towel wrapped securely around his waist, Shouta made a mad dash for his bedroom. He almost slipped on the floor in his haste. *Let’s not die bare ass naked for your student to find.* He hadn’t heard Izuku come back, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be caught naked out in the open. No more awkward looks and conversations. He was done being dad for the day.Once in his room, Shouta went about putting his hero outfit on. Normally, being dad to a student wouldn’t bother him... when he was less stressed and more prepared. But everything had happened so suddenly. One moment he had a student (a very problematic student), capable and strong; then he had a broken child, hurting and apparently needing a father figure. It didn’t help maters when it was almost instinctual for Shouta to step in and fill that spot.He had done it before, though no where near as much or as strongly as he has for his current students. No where near as much as he was willing to do for Izuku. He just needed time to process everything. Then he would be able to go on handling things. He just needed a break.Shouta made his way out of his room and to the kitchen. He was just starting a pot of coffee when Izuku came back, hesitantly opening the door as if his welcome had been revoked in the short time he had been gone.*If Hizashi hasn’t been kicked out yet, then I’m not going to do it to you kid.*“Come in and shut the door.” Shouta grouched. His niceness was waning, he really needed to get out and bust some villains’ heads. *Just a few minutes until school lets out.*Izuku came the rest of the way inside and shut the door behind him. He had changed the pajamas he had been in to a fresher pair. He was wearing a Plus Ultra neon yellow shirt with a pair of All Might themed pajama pants (to Shouta’s horror), and he was finally wearing a pair of socks. He had a small rucksack with him, and when Shouta looked at it he mumbled something about it being a change of clothes for in the morning.Izuku made his way back to the living room to continue watching movies while Shouta fixed himself a cup of coffee. He thought about joining Izuku in the living room, but decided to give the kid some space. Teens don’t usually like adults hanging around them. Sitting down at the kitchen table, Shouta pulled out his phone and started flipping through the hero news. Mount lady had apparently used Kamui Woods like a human wooden sword to fight a villain earlier that morning. It wasn’t long before Shouta could faintly hear the sounds of his students moving around the dorms. He knew they were probably wondering where Izuku was and what was wrong, he would make sure to assure them that Izuku was safe before he left for patrol. Somebody should have told them that Izuku was feeling “sick” and that Shouta was taking care of them, but it didn’t hurt to ease their worries. Even if he was going to be lying. Maybe he’d just avoid them and let someone else deal with it.Shortly after most of the sounds from downstairs had settled some, there was the sound of racing feet down the hall followed by Hizashi’s obnoxious rapping on the door.*I swear, if he’s freaked out my kid-STUDENTS by running I’ll cut all his hair off, braid it into a rope, then strangle him with his own hair!*Shouta got up from his seat at the kitchen table and marched towards his door, throwing it open and pulling his friend by the collar of his shirt into the apartment. Hizashi let out loud shriek as he was unceremoniously dragged past the kitchen and into the living room.Izuku sat at the couch, wide eyed at seeing his homeroom teacher manhandle his English teacher. Shouta shoved Hizashi onto the love seat and walked back to the front door. “I’m going on patrol. Eri is going to be back before her bedtime at eight, I’ll be back around eleven or twelve.” And with that Shouta left the apartment, closing the door loudly behind him. ~ *Dramatic bitch!* Hizashi thought fondly.Hizashi and Izuku started at each other for a few minutes before Hizashi decided to break the silence. “So how’s Dadzawa been treating ya?”Not expecting to hear his homeroom teacher he called Dadzawa, Izuku burst into giggles. A huge grin spread across Hizashi’s face at being able to make the ‘lil green bean’ laugh. He quickly undid his directional speaker from around his neck and set it on the floor beside his seat.“Yea! Listen to this!” Hizashi started. He was going to troll his friend so hard if it meant making Izuku forget his worries for a moment. “Sho makes a habit of ‘adopting’ kids. That’s why I dubbed him Dadzawa! And I may or may not have let the nickname slip to some third years, so don’t be surprised if you hear it being whispered around school.” Although Eri was the closest he had ever come to actually adopting a kid, and probably would once the foster trial was over. And Izuku might find himself second in line too.Once Izuku could breath he asked, “Aren’t you afraid he’ll be mad at you when he finds out you let that slip?”Hizashi laughed and shot Izuku his signature finger guns. “Nah! Shouta doesn’t scare me little listener! We’ve been friends for too long, I’m practically immune to his gruffness and glares. Besides, I don’t like to think before I speak. I like to be just as surprised as everyone else about what comes out of my mouth.”Izuku gaped at Hizashi like he was speaking in tongues. Someone not affected by Mr. Aizawa’s glares! Even the blind had to be affected by his teacher’s glares! They were that strong!“I can see you don’t believe me!” Hizashi gasped, grabbing his chest over his heart like he had been physically stabbed. “But I’ve been immune since senior year. I convinced Tensei to wear one of those T-Rex costumes with rollerblades, while I sat on his shoulders dressed as a princesses with Barby Girl playing from my directional speaker and holding a banner that said happy birthday Shouta. Tensei used his quirk and we zipped around the school like madmen for everyone to see until one of the teachers tackled us and suspended us for a week. Nemuri recorded the whole thing and Shouta’s expression. I’ve been immune to Shouta’s glares since, because none of them come close to the glare he gave me that day.”Izuku started at Hizashi with wonder and horror. Wonder at how such an amazing and daring person could be sitting in the living room in front of him. And horror at how this person was even still alive. How Mr. Aizawa had even let him live! Hizashi wondered that sometimes himself. Maybe Lady Luck was on Hizashi’s side.“You’re insane, but you might also be brilliant!” Izuku gasped. Hizashi preened at the half compliment. Izuku giggles, he definitely understood why his teacher called Present Mic a cockatoo. Izuku had so many more questions to ask the hero about his and Aizawa’s teenage years and the shenanigans they got up to, but he was interrupted before he could ask.“So lil dude, wanna talk about how you’re feeling?” Hizashi asked. Izuku hesitated a moment, “Do I have to?” Hizashi shook his head no. “You don’t have to, but let me tell ya, putting it off isn’t going to make things easier. You’ll have to talk about everything that’s been going on with you sooner or later. Might be easier using me as a crash course now, that way it won’t be as hard when you have to talk to an actual therapist. Plus the more you talk about it, the easier it gets to keep talking about it.”“I don’t really like talking about myself, at least not about important things.” Izuku admitted.Hizashi nodded his head in understanding, Shouta was the same way. “Easier to not get judged or mocked if you don’t reveal anything.” Hizashi suggested.“Yea.” Izuku whispered. He had pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Hizashi recognized it as shielding. Hizashi remembered Shouta’s therapist mentioning it.She stated that some of the forms of shielding involved pulling legs up in front, crossing arms, holding things in front of themselves, or clinging to a person. She had been surprised that Shouta only crossed his arms, and it was mainly out of agitation. She had thought Shouta might be using Hizashi as a shield when he had said that Hizashi would attend the sessions whenever Hizashi wanted. But she was quick to realize that Hizashi was the one who wanted to attend, and that Shouta was just humoring him, although Shouta admitted that he took comfort in having someone constant and trustworthy with him while he was being “forced” to be vulnerable.Izuku shielding meant he didn’t entirely feel safe. At least subconsciously. Even though Hizashi would never hurt him and Izuku knows that. It just proved that Izuku didn’t completely trust adults, even ones who had earned his trust.Hizashi tucked his feet up under him (he had left his boots at the front of the dorm and had put on a pair of slippers, that he had lost somewhere in the kitchen when Shouta had dragged him in the apartment), and leaned on the armrest and propped his face up on his hand. He was intentionally making himself look smaller, less intimidating and more comfortable looking.Hizashi was tall, not Yagi or All Might tall, but he was a decent height. So when he curled up his long legs like this, he looked a little silly. A grown man trying to be smaller than he is, Shouta said he looked ridiculous, but it never failed to get Shouta to loosen up some.Hizashi rambling also helped Shouta relax. “So... Empedocles jumped into a volcano to prove he was immortal. He wasn’t.” *I can see Bakugou being conceited enough for that.* “Ummmm... you would have to kill around 359 people to be able to make a sword out of the blood of your enemies. Marmosets teach their offspring not to interrupt in conversations.” *Tenya might need to learn from them, sorry Tensei!*“Apparently Victoria Secret’s Bombshell perfume repels mosquitoes better than any repellents on the market. So I wear that during the summer. The media thinks that I got me a lover who likes to wear it. Um, um, oh! A pineapple can eat you! It contains protein that degrades meat!”Izuku snorted and seemed to relax like Hizashi hoped he would. His grip around his legs released and he put his arms around his midsection, he leaned his back against the couch but he kept his legs in front of himself. A little progress was still progress in Hizashi’s opinion.“How about this, why don’t you tell me what you’re comfortable with me knowing?” Hizashi suggested. He left out the fact that he knew basically everything, he just wanted Izuku to warm up to talking to him. Having multiple mellow willing to listen to you helped with self esteem and eased burdens.“W-well,” Izuku began. “My dad lives overseas, for work.”Hizashi nodded to show that he was listening and waited for Izuku to continue.“I haven’t seen him since I was small. I don’t really remember him.”“Do you miss him?” Hizashi asked. He knew from the group chat that Shouta didn’t think much of Izuku’s absent father. But what was important was what Izuku thought of him.Izuku shook his head no. “I don’t know him, so I can’t miss him. I guess I miss the idea of him. Of having a dad. I just don’t miss him personally.” Izuku admitted.“Why?” Hizashi asked, copying the question Eri liked to ask the most.Izuku thought about it for a minute, never let it be said that Izuku answered a question without giving it though, unlike Hizashi. Hizashi’s big mouth was going to be the death of him one day. “Because I only know the person I hear over the phone, and it didn’t take long for me to decide that I didn’t like that person.”“Why?” Hizashi was starting to feel like a redundant toddler.“Because... because when I didn’t get a quirk when I was supposed to I could tell he wrote me off. He didn’t want to talk to me as much as he had or at all really, and he stopped asking my mom about me so I quit trying to getting on the phone to talk to him. I know he quit asking, because I never heard her talk about me. She would always gush about me when asked, so when she stopped, I knew it was because he stopped. Then he started calling less and less.”“And I saw how it hurt her. So I didn’t ask about him, because I didn’t want to remind her. But I knew she thought about him, I saw how she would wilt when she saw couples, complete families. How holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays she would wait for a call. How exited she would get when he did, and how she would sneak off to cry when she didn’t.”Izuku was leaning forward now, his feet firmly on the ground and fists clenched at his sides. It seemed he didn’t have a problem venting about his father like he did about being bullied. “It’s been so hard for her, I know me being quirkless for so long pushed her past her limits. Stressed her so much. And I saw how frustrated she would get when she wasn’t able to do something, something he should have been there to do. So I tried to take care of the things he would have done around the house if she’s let me, and that would make her happy, but she would say how proud Hisashi would be of me at the little man I was becoming.”Hizashi was a little stunned that his name was so similar to Izuku’s father’s. He hoped it didn’t bother the little listener. HIzashi remained silent, he didn’t want to say anything and stop Izuku’s rant. The boy clearly had been holding in a raging inferno of anger, and he needed to let it out. Let it all out. Then maybe addressing his other problems wouldn’t be so hard.“She would compare me to him and I hated it. Hated him! But I couldn’t tell her, because she loved him. He could do no wrong and she loved him. Loved him even though he abandoned us, and I couldn’t break her heart with my feelings. Not more than he already had.”“He stopped caring about me, all because I didn’t develop a quirk when I was supposed to. What kind of father does that! I heard him tell her something must be wrong with me, that he couldn’t have a quirkless son. That was the only time they ever argued. Well, it wasn’t much of an argument. She mainly just told him he didn’t mean what he was saying, and apologized for upsetting him. But her stress was because of me. He might call once a year now, and she lives for those moments. And I can’t be happy for her because I wish he would stop altogether, so she could move on.”“She deserves better! And I hate how for years I would look at other kids with their dads and want that. Want him to come home so I could have that! But he never came home, I never got that. And I hate him for it. And I hate that I hate him.”Izuku had curled in on himself, shaking, and had covered his face with his hands. Hizashi was in shock. To hear and see how much anger the boy, who had been secretly dubbed U.A.’s sunshine boy, felt was a slap in the face. How good at hiding emotions was this kid, that no one had even the slightest idea that he was in this much pain. And why the fuck did his mom put up with that shit? Let Izuku be exposed to that?Hizashi wanted to find this kids dad, scream using his quirk, and tell the man how much he had screwed up! How could he turn his back on his family! Over a quirk not showing up?! Hizashi doesn’t think he could live overseas away from a wife and child for years! He couldn’t live down the road from a family even for a few minutes! Hell, he was constantly pestering his own parents and friends constantly. Hizashi just NEEDED to be around them.He can’t blame Izuku for his feelings, doesn’t blame him. This kid clearly needed a dad growing up, maybe that would have helped with Izuku’s bullying problem. It’s clear that Hisashi is no dad, heck, he probably would have bullied Izuku too. How had Mrs. Midoriya not given up and moved on for the sake of her son? Why wait-Hizashi stopped himself, he wasn’t going to start judging Izuku’s mom. He was feeling worked up, and it was causing him to want to put blame on her. She was closer, she was around, and it was easy to push blame on her because of that. Hizashi had met her, he doesn’t know a kinder more soft hearted person. Maybe a little overly anxious and protective. But she was a sweetheart.Whoever Hisashi had been, before he became a absent sucky dad, it was clearly good enough to gain Midoriya Inko’s love and loyalty. He couldn’t fault her for being in love. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Hizashi got up and went to sit beside Izuku. He gently patted Izuku’s green curls, comforting Izuku without overwhelming him. If Izuku wanted more, he would give it, but he didn’t want to push his affection and comfort onto the boy.Izuku leaned into Hizashi’s touch, clearly enjoying the attention. It reminded Hizashi of a cat. They sat like that for a while, Hizashi petting Izuku’s head, and Izuku with his face in his hands.“You’re disappointed in me, aren’t you?” Izuku mumbled from between his fingers.“Nope.” Hizashi said immediately.Izuku’s head snapped up, knocking Hizashi’s hand away. “You’re not?” He asked incredulously.Hizashi, ever the over affectionate person that he is, pulled Izuku into a headlock and ruffled Izuku’s hair. Once he let go, Izuku’s curls were in more disarray than before. Izuku reaches up to try and tame his hair into a more presentable appearance. Hizashi laughed.“You’re allowed to feel anger and hate little dude!” Hizashi told him. “You’re so damn forgiving, it actually a relief that you can hold a grudge. You’re human, you’re allowed to be bitter over the way your dad treated you and your mom. It’s fucked up and pisses me off, and I don’t even know the man. Sure, holding onto hate can be hurtful to yourself, but nobody can expect you to just get rid of it all of a sudden. It’s not like you can just throw it away. It takes time.”Izuku was shocked at hearing his teacher curse so openly. The rest of the school was not surprised that the voice hero had a sailor mouth, at least after today they didn’t. Izuku had clearly missed his quirk induced cussing that Vlad had ended up putting a stop to before Nemuri could. Hizashi was still sore from being tackled. “So it’s ok to feel this way?” Izuku asked tentatively.Hizashi leaned back into the couch and patted Izuku’s back. “Yep. But you should definitely tell your mom how you feel. She loves you and deserves to know just how much you are hurt by your father’s actions.”Izuku leaned back too, he looked exhausted. But being emotionally open and revealing secrets tended to do that. Shouta usually napped after he had to do either. “I guess it’s only fair. I just think it will do much good.” Hizashi nodded, though Izuku couldn’t see because he was looking away. “Your mom loves you, if she knew you were hurting this bad she would do anything to fix it.” Hizashi didn’t miss Izuku’s small frown, but figured he was worried about stressing his mom out. “Want to talk about the rest or nah?” Hizashi asked.Izuku sighed resigned, he was probably overly tired of talking about himself and his past. “Not much to tell.” He slouched down deeper into the couch, making himself comfortable. Hizashi copied him, but propped his feet up on the coffee table. Having long legs had its perks, and Shouta would probably cut his long legs off if he saw Hizashi with his feet on the table. Which was stupid because how was it fair that Shouta could sit his big butt on the table, but Hizashi couldn’t put his pretty feet on it!?“When I was little I was thought to be quirkless. So I was bullied because of it. Mainly by Kacchan.” *Kacchan was what Izuku calls Bakugou. So that’s how the blond was involved.* Hizashi thought. “He would use his quirk to blow up my things. Action figures, note books, things like that. He would sometimes use it to singe my clothes, not often because that was hard to explain away. And sometimes my skin, never enough to leave lasting damage, and never anywhere noticeable.”Hizashi was appalled, to use your quirk against someone like that was a crime! And to have the mind to not leave lasting damage, that meant Bakugou knew what he was doing was wrong. Hizashi wanted to scream.“I didn’t have any friends until I started school here. Everyone was either on Bakugou’s side, or they were too afraid to draw attention to themselves. The teachers either turned a blind eye or egged them on.”Hizashi had to stop himself from making fists. He didn’t want to spook Izuku by showing how angry he was.“Our last year of middle school, Kacchan told me to take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in my next life. That same day I was attacked by a villain and rescued by All Might, who then told me I couldn’t be a hero because I was quirkless. Ironically it was on a roof that he told me, like life was trying to push me to do what Kacchan had suggested. Then I ended up helping save Kacchan from that same villain the same day because it had escaped. Then miraculously I got my quirk on the way home and All Might even offered to train me.”To go through so much in a span of less than twenty four hours, that definitely had to have been hard to deal with. Just hearing about it made Hizashi feel like he was on a roller coaster, ready to puke.“So that day was the worst and best day of my life. Well it was the worst, until everything with the league and the Yakuza happened. But Kacchan’s doing better now. We aren’t friends, but we aren’t enemies anymore. We’re rivals, our relationship isn’t healthy, but it’s better than it was. Way better.”Izuku closed his eyes, he looked defeated and ready to sleep for a few years. Hizashi didn’t blame him. He could feel tears desperately trying to free themselves from between his eyelashes, but he fought them back. He could cry for Izuku later, when he was alone and wouldn’t startle the poor boy.For now, he just settled on pulling Izuku close to his side and tell him about his own experiences with bullying. Hizashi carded his fingers through Izuku’s mop of hair. “When I was a kid i got bullied too. I was the scrawny kid that was always too loud. Everyone knew that I had damaged my parents’ eardrums when I was born, and that over the years of growing up and learning how to use my quirk, had caused them to go permanently deaf.”Izuku nodded his head, having already heard about that from Mr. Aizawa. He snuggled closer to Hizashi, providing comfort for the both of them.“Kids would tease me all the time. They called me a loud mouthed villain, because only a villain would make his parents lose their hearing. They didn’t care that it was something that I had no control over. Doctors had wanted my parents to keep a quirk suppression collar on me, but they refused. How would I control my quirk when I was older, if I didn’t learn how to grow with it and learn control.”Izuku gasped. “If you had worn that, then when you did finally remove it, your quirk would have been out of control and you would have hurt others and yourself.”Hizashi nodded. “Yep. Luckily, my dad is a pediatrician, so he knew that. He was really pissed at my doctor for wanting a quick fix, even if it wouldn’t actually fix anything. I was homeschooled throughout elementary school as I learned how to control my quirk. When they thought I had enough control not to hurt anyone, they let me go to middle school. And, well... the kids saw me as something new to pick on. Going so far as to say that I had the eyes of a villain. That I looked crazy.”“They teased me about my shades. Said I was trying to hide my villainous eyes. They were just a part of my style, and they were prescription. I had my glasses broken more than once by mean kids. Although they stopped when my mom told the school that the next kid to break them, their parents or the school would have to pay for replacements.”Izuku laughed. “Your mom sounds cool.”Hizashi beamed and hugged Izuku tightly. “She totally is. She told the school that if they didn’t crack down on the bullies and get them to leave me alone at school, that her layers would crack down on them. Nobody touched me after that and I was finally able to make friends.” They fell silent after that, and Hizashi started to quietly hum to fill the silence. Hizashi was never able to stay quiet for long. Eventually he felt Izuku go lax beside him and his breathing evened out. Asleep. Hizashi wondered how many times he had fallen asleep today from mental exhaustion. Looking at the time on the tv (the tv had cut to sleep mode after inactivity) he saw that it was just after seven. Nemuri would be bringing Eri back soon.Hizashi got up from beside Izuku and pulled the kid into his arms and lifted, and almost dropped him because hot damn this kid weighed a ton! Hizashi wasn’t as strong as Shouta, but he was no pushover. So as quickly as he could, Hizashi carried Izuku to Shouta’s bed and tried to put him on the bed as gently as he could. Hizashi seriously just wanted to dump the kid with the way his arms were protesting.Once Izuku was tucked in, Hizashi made his way to the couch and sat down with a thump. Of all the sweet, loving, overly forgiving (when it came to Bakugou at least) people to have been treated that way, it just had to be that green bean. Any other person would have used that as their tragic backstory and become a villain, or at least killed Bakugou. But Izuku had persevered and it had paid off.Hizashi was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Nemuri slip into the apartment with a half asleep Eri. It wasn’t until Nemuri stood in front of him and kicked him in the ankle that he registered her presence.He looked up dully at her, she must have asked him something, but he had missed it. “I said,” Nemuri grumbled, “where is Midoriya?”Hizashi pointed to Shouta’s bedroom. Nemuri nodded and turned around, carrying Eri (who was already in princess pajamas) to Shouta’s bedroom. Hizashi flopped over on the couch on his back, pulling the blanket that had been bunched up at the end of the couch over himself.When Nemuri came back she walked over and took Hizashi’s shades off his face and put them on the table. “At least take your jacket and shades off.” She chastised.“Don’t wanna.” Hizashi grumbled. “That bad?” She asked.“That bad.” He replied.She nodded her head and patted him on the forehead before turning and quietly leaving the apartment. Hizashi closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep thinking about buying Izuku a ‘Put Your Hands Up’ radio pajama set. ~ It was 12:30 am when Shouta made his way back into the apartment. The only light in the house was a soft glow from the tv in the living room. Kicking his shoes off at the door, Shouta meandered into the living room.Hizashi was on the couch, snoring lightly. Despite what most people would think, the voice hero was actually quiet when he was sleeping, his quirk wouldn’t activate when he was asleep. It’s only when he was awake that he was loud.Leaving the living room, Shouta made his way to his bedroom. Inside, on his bed, were Izuku and Eri sleeping soundly. Izuku was asleep on his back with his arms tucked under the pillow behind his head. Eri was sleeping on her stomach with one arm wrapped around Izuku’s neck, it looked like she had him in a choke hold. Izuku didn’t look uncomfortable, so Shouta didn’t move her.If Izuku could sleep through Eri’s MMA sleep style, then all the power to him.He left the room and closed the door partially behind him. He made his way back over to Hizashi and nudged him awake. Hizashi was a light sleeper, years of being a hero and always on alert tended to make you that way. It only took a couple of nudges to wake him up.He jerked awake and his unfocused eye’s blearily looked up at Shouta. He looked like he was glaring, and he might be, or it could be because he didn’t have his glasses on and couldn’t see for shit. Hizashi’s eyes were red rimmed and looked like he might have been crying at some point. Shouta couldn’t understand how he had managed to surround himself with so many criers.“I’m home.” He whispered to Hizashi. “Take off your jacket and go back to sleep.” Picking up his sleeping bag from in front of the coffee table where he had left it earlier that evening, he made his way to Eri’s room, not waiting for a response. She had a small twin size bed, that was just big enough for him to sleep comfortably on.Once he was wrapped in his sleeping bag he collapsed onto her bed. Today had been tiring, but he knew tomorrow would be a lot harder. Not just for Shouta and Izuku. Bakugou was in for a hard day too. But with the beginnings of sleep taking over, Shouta found it hard for him to care.Tomorrow was for the Shouta of tomorrow to worry about.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Eri’s bed was heaven to Shouta after a successful patrol. Shouta had captured a small time villain wanted for attacking two hero apprentices. The villain’s quirk was the ability to trigger pain receptors inside the body, and he had been evading capture for two weeks. Shouta was pleased to be the one to catch that villain, the apprentices had only been seventeen and had been brutally beaten. Shouta may or may not have used unnecessary force in the capture.He had also caught three petty criminals, one had fought him with a tire iron. That one got a roundhouse kick in the head for that.Being able to curl up in his sleeping bag on Eri’s bed was nice, even if he would have preferred his bed, but Shouta didn’t have the heart to move the peacefully sleeping children that had claimed it. Sure, he could have put Eri in her bed, but that left nowhere to put Izuku. Hizashi was currently claiming the couch, so Izuku had no place to sleep other than Shouta’s bed. And Shouta wasn’t going to share a bed with him. So it was illogical to move them. Shouta also had no intention of sleeping on the couch again, Hizashi could have it.Shouta would have gladly slept and slept, the stress of the previous day exhausting him more than he realized, except there was something poking his face repeatedly. *Is this the only way people think they can wake me up?* Shouta thought exasperatedly and ignored the rough finger poking him. When the poking didn’t get him to budge, the loud obnoxious voice calling his name did.*So fucking loud!*He pulled his arm out of his sleeping bag quickly and smacked Hizashi in the chest to get him to stop poking. Hizashi yelped in surprise, Shouta hadn’t hit him hard enough to hurt, although he was sorely tempted to. He rolled over on to his side grumbling and trying to go back to sleep, he knew for a fact that he hadn’t been asleep for longer than a few hours, and he did not feel like waking up any time soon. Suddenly he was being violently shaken by his shoulders.*Bitch.*Shouta’s eyes snapped open and he reached forward, grabbing Hizashi by his shirt collar (he had removed his jacket sometime during the night) and pulled him so they were face to face and Hizashi could look into his glowing red eyes. Nobody interrupts his sleep. Nobody! He could just make out Hizashi’s face in the soft glow of Eri’s nightlight, Hizashi hadn’t bothered in cutting the light on. He was worrying his bottom lip, and his bright green eyes were wide and pleading. “What?” Shouta growled, glaring at his friend so he would understand just how much danger he was in. Hizashi’s puppy eyes be damned, Shouta liked cats more anyway.“Shooouuuttaaa,” Hizashi whined. “We gotta talk before the lil green bean and Eri wake up.”Shouta sighed, he knew that Hizashi wouldn’t have woken him up if it wasn’t important, and if his friend had been able to get Izuku to confide in him something that he hadn’t told Shouta, then the least he could do was be awake enough to hear him out. He released his hold on his friend’s shirt, and Hizashi leaned back gratefully, smoothing out the wrinkles Shouta’s grip on his shirt had made.Unzipping his sleeping bag fully, Shouta sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Reaching into one of the pouches on his utility belt (he had not made the effort to change into appropriate sleep clothes), he grabbed his eye drops and placed a drop in each eye. He blinked a few times as the liquid settled then returned his attention to Hizashi.“Well? I’m waiting?” Shouta grumbled. Just because he knew the reason for Hizashi waking him up, didn’t make him any less grumpy about it.Hizashi nodded his head and got up from his crouched position to sit on the edge of the bed and face Shouta slightly, one leg tucked under him. “Izuku is holding some major anger and resentment against his dad.” Hizashi whispered to him.Shouta rolled his eyes, he had already guessed that much. “I figured that.” Shouta told him. If this is what he was woken up for, he might just have to punch Hizashi in the morning for bothering him.Hizashi began to shake his head back and forth rapidly, his hair (which had come undone from its crazy updo) whipping back and forth. It would have slapped Shouta’s face if he hadn’t moved back in time. “No Shouta! He hates his dad! Hates him!” Hizashi whisper yelled.Shouta didn’t know it was that bad, he knew Izuku was angry (mostly for his mother), but to actually hate him... hate was a very strong feeling. And Izuku tended to feel things stronger than most people. If Shouta didn’t know better, he would think that Izuku was some sort of empath. So if Izuku said he hated his father, then he really must hate him.Hizashi gave Shouta a quick rundown of their conversation, waiting patiently for Shouta to process the new information. Most of it, Izuku had already hinted at, Shouta just hadn’t been privi to just how hurt Izuku was by his father’s actions.Some of the information was also new. He hadn’t been told by Izuku that his quirklessness had caused an argument between his parents. Not surprising, but for a parent to think there was something wrong with their child because of it... Well, that was just illogical. For Hisashi to say he couldn’t have a quirkless son was just wrong. Like he was saying Izuku was a faulty item that needed to be returned. It pissed Shouta off. And it didn’t really sound like his mother tried to hard to defend her son. Only saying Hisashi didn’t mean what he was saying. Apologizing for upsetting “him”, like it mattered more that he was upset than the hurtful things he had said. How she could easily brush that aside and forgive the man was beyond Shouta’s ability to understand.Being quirkless wasn’t common, but it wasn’t unheard of. And it wasn’t anything to be ashamed of. There were plenty of quirks that were absolutely useless and not much better than if they didn’t have one at all. The whole bias against quirkless people was illogical to Shouta. They were just as capable, if not more so. Because they didn’t/couldn’t overly rely on quirks.Shouta has seen many quirks in his life. Some being the ability to change the users eye color, being able to speak backwards fluently, and one person who had a mutation quirk that made them look snake like who was able to unhinge their jaw but had no other snake like abilities. Not all quirks were useful. And with the law stating that quirks couldn’t be used in public by unlicensed people and could only be used for work in certain circumstances with proper permits, having or not having a quirk was irrelevant.But people were bigoted, have always been bigoted, and Midoriya Hisashi was one of them. Not even bothering to ask about the welfare of your own child because of his quirklessness was cruel. A parent’s love should be unconditional. At least Mrs. Midoriya loved her son, even if she was foolish for continuing to love Hisashi.Shouta hated how people let love blind them. No, not blind, they chose to look the other way. They let themselves be deceived under the lie, the ruse, that love made it where they couldn’t see the other’s faults. No, they were not blind, they just chose not to see.It wasn’t a surprise that Izuku hated being compared to his absent father, Shouta hated to see his own father in himself so he understood Izuku’s anger. Shouta fought every day not to do anything that he thought his father would do. So whenever Shouta lost his temper, or raised his voice, he felt sick to his stomach. Seeing it as something his father would do, and trying his best to not be like that, and feeling broken when he failed. So Shouta completely understood Izuku’s feelings.It didn’t matter if Hisashi would be proud of the man Izuku was growing up to be, he had lost that right when he cut Izuku out of his life. Shouta wondered if the boy held any anger for his mother, he obviously adored and loved her, but she was inadvertently hurting Izuku with her careless words and by letting her husband string her along.So did Izuku have any resentment towards her? If he did, he kept it buried deep under all his other feelings, although some of the things that Izuku had said about her had him wondering... Izuku would probably feel guilty about feeling anything negative towards the only person who had loved him without falter. Shouta wondered if Izuku’s ability to forgive Bakugou was derived from his mother’s ability to forgive her husband. And what if the reason he didn’t show any animosity towards his mother was because of the same reason. Shouta sighed, and rubbed at his neck. There was no use speculating, it would only serve to drive him up the wall. This would require more observation.Hizashi sat patiently on the side of the bed, tracing patterns in the comforter as Shouta thought. Hizashi was never one to rush someone’s thought process, and was more than capable of keeping himself entertained by humming random songs to himself.Shouta knew that quirkless people tended to be treated like pariahs or disabled. He wondered if Mrs. Midoriya had treated Izuku like he had a disability, like he couldn’t take care of himself because of his quirklessness. He wondered what she thought about his quirk and did she treat him differently now that he had one.Shouta would find out when he spoke to Mrs. Midoriya. If there was one thing he was good at, it was observing people and taking bits and pieces and putting them together to form the bigger picture. He’d find out. Love is important, and she loved her son. But there were many forms of toxic love. He’d find out if her love for her son was good or toxic. But for now, he’d give her the benefit of the doubt. Shouta sighed again and flopped back down on the bed. “What time is it?” He asked Hizashi.Hizashi stopped humming and fished his phone out of his front pocket. How he fit anything in his pockets, with how tight those leather pants were, Shouta would never know. With practiced ease, Hizashi was able to get his phone out and clicked the screen on to check the time. “Three twenty.” Hizashi said yawning.Shouta shut his eyes and groaned. He had barley been asleep for two and a half hours. Barely. Shouta rolled over and buried his face in the pillows, determined to go back to sleep and get another hour or so in before Eri woke him up at the ass crack of dawn or five o’clock as most people knew it.Hizashi knew when he was being dismissed, and got up from the edge of the bed after patting Shouta on the back, and went back to the couch to resume sleeping.Shouta sighed and felt sleep beginning to take him when he remembered an important bit of information, and he deeply wishes he hadn’t remembered. He had sent a text to Mrs. Midoriya while on patrol telling her to expect him and Izuku in the morning for a impromptu casual meeting about her son. It wasn’t an outright lie, just a logical ruse. It would be somewhat casual, he wasn’t going to wear his hero suit or formal clothes. And it was a meeting. So he wasn’t really lying, and there was no need to have her fretting all night. His ruse seemed to pay off. She said she was looking forward to getting to see Izuku and was exited to talk to one of Izuku’s teachers about how he was doing. Shouta did feel a little guilty that she was so exited, knowing that once they arrived, that excitement would vanish. He told her they would be there no later than six a.m.. He had planned to get Izuku up at four, so Izuku would have time to get ready and they could make the drive to Mrs. Midoriya’s. He was not getting up that early to avoid Eri, who would demand to go too. No. He was doing this to avoid the students and the Bakugou’s. That was the reason.Mrs. Midoriya had promised breakfast for the both of them. Maybe a breakfast made my his mother would ease Izuku’s nerves.But all of that meant that Shouta needed to get up now. Like right now. That way he could shower and be ready before he woke Izuku up. Shouta sighed and cursed his rotten luck. Maybe the universe would have mercy on him and he would be able to take a long nap after the meeting with Mrs. Midoriya. He could only hope.With one final sigh, Shouta pushed himself up and off the bed. He swayed for a moment, but eventually was able to fight his drowsiness off and leave the bedroom. He had run on less hours of sleep than this, and those naps he had taken yesterday would serve to get him through the day. If he could fight villains with less than four hours of sleep, then he could face the Midoriya tears with three hours of sleep and numerous naps. He was a pro after all. And if he decided to take NyQuil tonight to knock his ass out, then nobody needed to know.Shouta quietly made his way to his bedroom and gathered some clothes to wear for the day, and crept into the bathroom to shower. Fighting villains was dirty work, and he really should have showered before he went to bed last night. But sleep had seemed like a first priority at the time.Shouta regretted it now. Peeling his hero costume from his body from where it clung to him from dried sweat sucked. He could feel where the uniform had started to chafe him, and the smell of sweat wasn’t pleasant. He had a few bruises, mainly from the criminal with the tire iron. He had been just a bit quicker than Shouta, who couldn’t use his capture gear because it was being used to keep his partner tied up.Shouta should have washed last night and rubbed the muscle soothing cream that Ectoplasm had gotten him for his birthday on his bruises and sore muscles. That way he would have been less sore by morning. Now he would just have to apply it and hope it kicked in before they got to Izuku’s home.He was careful while he showered, being gentle around the bruises and raw areas. The place around his waist where his utility belt was the worst of the chafes. He defiantly regretted sleeping in his belt as he carefully washed the indentations from where it had dug into him during the night. After he had showered and applied the cream to his bruises and brushed his teeth, Shouta got dressed. Shouta donned a dark pair of jeans and a black long sleeved v-neck shirt. Yes, Shouta was aware that he had collar bones and a jaw line that could kill. He wasn’t showing off, he just liked to feel good about himself every now and then when he wasn’t dressing for absolute comfort. There was also the fact that Hizashi and Nemuri bought most of his clothes for him, so he didn’t have much choice but to look nice. And well, it didn’t hurt to look repectful, Shouta thought as he tied his hair into a slightly messy bun. While he didn’t mind looking nice (when he felt like it), he would still gladly wear pajamas everywhere if people would let him. Why should he wear socially acceptable clothes when he wasn’t working or doing anything important? The one time when he was eighteen and living with Hizashi after graduation, he had tried to go to the grocery store in pajamas. Hizashi almost had a stroke. He had dragged Shouta back into their shared apartment and had lectured Shouta for an hour. It would have been longer but Shouta had sworn that he would never wear pajamas in public again.Honestly, Hizashi was the most adventurous and crazy out of all their friends, but pajamas in public was like the most taboo thing ever for the loud mouth. Hizashi had a certain fashion sense it was true, but the man’s determination to wear leather any time of year was proof that he shouldn’t talk about what clothing was acceptable to wear and when. A full leather outfit in 80 degree weather was insane. Unfortunately when Hizashi rants, quirk active or not, its better to just agree with him. The man could talk for years without stop, so agreeing was the fastest way to end it. Shouta’s philosophy was, “Agree, then do what you what you were going to do anyway.” So Shouta may or may not have bought a pair of pink sweat pants to wear, just to spite Hizashi. They were very comfortable, Shouta does like to be comfortable. They may or may or have “Juicy” written in English in glittery gold cursive on the butt of them. Nemuri may or may not have bought her and Tensei matching ones too. And they may or may not text each other so they can collaborate and wear them at the same time.Shouta left the bathroom after checking his reflection one last time. *Good enough, I don’t look like a hobo.* Shouta thought. He knows he’s attractive, he just rarely takes the initiative to show it. It’s not like he’s trying to impress anyone or snag a lover. If he chooses to look good, it entirely for himself...or because he’s being made to.It was 3:35 am now. Shouta walked into the living room and over to where Hizashi was sleeping on the couch and poked the man in the face. Revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge.Hizashi moaned and swatted his hand away before covering his eyes with his arm, “What?” His friend wined pathetically. *Sucks doesn’t it?*“I’m getting Izuku up at four to get ready to go to his mother’s. The Bakugou’s will be coming to the school around the time that it opens to speak with Nedzu and All Might. I plan to have Izuku at his mother’s and away from here by that time.” Shouta whispered to the blond.A large shit eating grin spread across Hizashi’s face. “What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall for that. Serves the brat right.” Hizashi said, giggling darkly.Shouta poked his friend harshly in the ribs making him wince. “We are not going to hold a grudge against a child for something he did in his past. Everyone makes mistakes.” Sure, it was a very big and bad mistake, but Izuku hadn’t followed through and that was Bakugou’s saving grace. Hizashi lowered his arm from his face and glared at Shouta. “The little bastard knew what he was doing Shouta. That’s not a mistake, that’s malice.” Hizashi whispered angrily.Shouta didn’t want to argue and couldn’t really, but Bakugou was still going to be attending U.A. (while being on probation set by the school). Having teachers treat him differently or with aggression wouldn’t be helpful. It could only cause setbacks. And they didn’t need any more setbacks.Sure, everyone was allowed to feel whatever they want, and if they wanted to be angry, then they could. But Shouta would not let anyone’s feelings hamper his angry student’s progress in becoming a better person and hero. Not even his best friend.“You will control yourself Hizashi.” Shouta growled softly. “Bakugou is an angry problem child, but he is my angry problem child. I wont let anyone hurt him emotionally or physically just because they found out that he has done awful things in his past.” Actively using his quirk to hurt someone in ways that would go unnoticed, that was awful. Saying the things he said, were just as bad. “We cant change his past, but we can shape his future. And even though I could strangle the boy, I know it wouldn’t be helpful to him. Or to Izuku. If Izuku can forgive him, even though I don’t know why or how he can do it, then so can you.”Hizashi stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. “You know damn well I would never act hurtfully against a student, no matter how I felt. But I don’t know if I can forgive him Shouta. So you’ll have to excuse me if I take some pleasure in his suffering.” Hizashi mumbled and looked at Shouta with eyes filled with sadness but determination.There was a chance that Hizashi actually would never forgive Bakugou for the things he had done to Izuku. Neither he nor Hizashi had forgiven Shouta’s parents after all. Shouta wasn’t entirely sure he was going to forgive Bakugou either, but he would try. He had said once that the villains were fools for thinking he could ever be a villain with the passion he held for heroics. Even in light of the things he had done, Shouta still believed that (if Endeavor can be a hero then so could Bakugou, though Shouta would make sure to try and make Bakugou turn out differently than the flaming hero). Bakugou’s ego had been built up too much growing up, and maybe that along with his violent attitude had caused the boy to go astray. UA would fix that. He would fix that. Maybe along the way Shouta would be able to forgive him. He hoped so, grudges don’t do anyone any good.“I know you wouldn’t Hizashi, but I had to make sure. For better or worse I’m that boy’s teacher. He’s my responsibility. I can’t let my friendship with you, or my feelings towards him interfere with helping him. That’s not how being a hero works.” Shouta said patting Hizashi on the top of his head.Hizashi stuck hi tongue out and rolled over to face the back of the couch, burying his face in the cushions. “Good luck with that.” Hizashi grumbled, and settled back down to sleep.*Such a child.*“Watch Eri for me today?” Shouta asked. Hizashi nodded his head before seemingly drifting off to sleep. Today was thankfully Saturday, so he didn’t have to worry about classes, although he needed to let Shinsou know he wasn’t going to be able to help him in his training today. Even though he had been moved to Shouta’s class, he was still slightly behind. Shouta shot him a quick text and went to sit in the kitchen. He set the coffee maker to brew and sat tiredly in one of the chairs.A ping from his phone drew his attention before he had completely settled in his seat. It was a response from Shinsou, the thumbs up emoji. *Of course he’s awake. Does that kid ever sleep?* As if the boy knew his thoughts his phone pinged again with another text. This one saying that Shinsou had gotten up to pee. *Well, that explains that.* Shouta thought.When Shouta’s coffee was done he got up to pour it into a cup and set the timer to brew another cup at six, a blend Hizashi had brought over just for himself. Shouta’s coffee was too dangerous after all.Right at four o’clock Shouta got up and made his way to his bedroom to wake Izuku up. He hadn’t paid much attention when he was in there earlier, so Shouta nearly laughed at what he saw when he made his way over to the bed. Izuku was asleep face down on the bed, and Eri had wiggled until she was cross ways on the bed with her legs propped up on the back of Izuku’s head and neck.He pulled out his phone and snapped a quick picture. One thing he had learned from being friends with Nemuri was that blackmail was important. Even against friends.Izuku was apparently a deep sleeper and not bothered by Eri’s MMA sleeping style in the least. The teen would be a valuable babysitter for Eri at night while he patrolled, although he would have to let Izuku know that he preferred Eri sleeping i her own bed. Eri slept better with someone next to her, but Shouta tended to make her sleep in her own bed at night, only sharing his with her if she had a nightmare. He didn’t want her to become to dependent on him.Normally he wouldn’t have a problem with the six year old sleeping in his bed continuously; lots of parents let their kids share their beds with them until they were eight or nine and those books that said it was unhealthy and stunted their mental growth were bs, Hizashi had shared a bed with both of his parents until he was seven. And Hizashi was a genius. Letting your kid share your bed just strengthened your bond with them. It was only unhealthy if the child became too dependent on the parents for sleep, and couldn’t sleep in a bed on their own.But being traumatized the way she was by being held captive by villains, she had the potential to become overly dependent on him. He wanted to raise her to be independent and sure of herself. He didn’t want her to become too dependent and rely on him for everything. So no sleeping in his room permanently. But there shouldn’t be a problem letting her sleep next to Izuku every now and then, as long as she was sleeping in her bed on her own most nights.Shouta picked her up and carried her to her room. She didn’t so much as stir in her sleep. Like most kids, she was prone to falling asleep wherever she was when she was tired, and Shouta had become an expert and moving her to her bed without waking her. He gently laid her on the bed and pulled the sheets over her. It wasn’t cool enough to cover her with the blanket, and she would only kick it off anyways.Shouta left her room and returned to his to wake Izuku up. He gently shook the boy’s shoulder until he cracked open an eye to peer up at Shouta. “Mr. Zawa?” Izuku mumbled, not awake enough to say his name properly. Shouta didn’t find it adorable, not at all.“Time to get up kid.” Shouta whispered.Izuku rolled over and stretched, arching his back and bringing his arms over his head. He looked like he didn’t want wake up, but he forced himself awake anyways. Shouta had seen Izuku go on enough early morning runs to know that waking up early before he was ready was probably a habit he had gotten himself into.Once he was sitting up and looked a little more awake he asked Shouta what time it was. When Shouta told him it was four o’clock, he looked like he was considering if he could get away with ignoring Shouta and going back to sleep. With a resigned sigh, Izuku got out of bed and grabbed his rucksack and made his way to the bathroom.Going back into the kitchen, Shouta resumed his seat and waited for Izuku. Shouta didnt have to wait long, having taken a bath the other evening, all Izuku had to do was change clothes and brush his teeth. Once Izuku wandered into the kitchen Shout got up and made his way to the front door. Izuku trailed behind him silently.Izuku had on a pair of black athletic shorts and a white t-shirt that said uniform on the front. Hizashi would be appalled at the child’s lack of fashion sense, Shouta secretly enjoyed it.They left the apartment and made their way to the elevators and rode silently to the ground floor. They hastily made there way to the front entrance of the dorms and Izuku set about to putting his shoes on.“Midoriya?”The voice of Iida startled both Shouta and Izuku. Shouta had wanted to get Izuku off school grounds without any of his classmates catching him or being the wiser. He had not calculated Iida being up so early on a school day.*Damn.* Shouta groaned internally.Izuku finished putting his shoes on and turned to his classmate, and flashed him a bright smile. “Hey Iida.” Izuku said cheerfully. “Why are you up so early?”*Wow. Talk about a one eighty.*“I’m leaving at five o’clock to go intern with Gang Orca for the day. Vlad King approved it yesterday.” Iida announced proudly. He hadn’t gone on any more internships since the incident with Stain, so Shouta was glad that the boy had finally gotten the nerve to try again. He knew that Iida had been considering it, he just wishes he had been the one to approve it. He also wishes he had time to lecture Iida about following orders and staying safe, but he trusted that Sekijiro had done that for him. Izuku was truly happy for his friend, so it wasn’t too hard to fake enthusiasm. “Oh my gosh! That’s so cool. Gang Orca is so cool! You’ll definitely learn a lot from him!”“Thank you Midoriya, I appreciate your support.” Iida said, smiling fondly at his friend before he frowned. “How are you feeling? Mr. Aizawa and the others said that you were feeling unwell. That you were staying with Mr. Aizawa and were not allowed visitors until you recovered.” Iida said, glancing at Shouta quickly before returning his attention back to Izuku.“I’m fine, really. You should be focusing on your day ahead. Todoroki says Gang Orca is a tough teacher, you should be preparing yourself so you’ll be at the top of your game.” Izuku said, redirecting the conversation back towards Iida.Shouta was impressed, this had to be first class acting if he ever saw it. He knew Izuku probably wasn’t up for socializing, was probably nervous about what the day held in store for him. But you would never have been able to tell from his easy banter with Iida. If his facade was this strong, then it’s no wonder nobody had found out about his problems sooner. If this boy truly wanted to hide something, it would be hidden. Shouta got lucky in catching Izuku with his walls down.He knew Izuku didn’t use this facade all the time, he rarely hid his emotions, he just tried to deflect uncomfortable topics when he could. Izuku was very good a deflecting from himself when he was on his game, but was a terrible liar though. And was normally a very open person, maybe just not as open as Shouta has originally thought. Shouta hoped this kid never learned how to properly lie.“We should get going.” Shouta said to Izuku, who nodded and turned to leave with Shouta.“Wait!” Iida called out. “May I ask why you were feeling unwell? We have all been worried, and as class president it is my responsibility to inform everyone on your wellbeing.”“W-Well,” Izuku stuttered. Shouta could see Izuku’s panic as he tried to come up with something convincing to say.Not wanting Izuku to fail at lying and alert Iida, Shouta swooped in to save him. “Midoriya was overworking himself. I intervened before he could collapse from exhaustion, and have had him on bed rest at my place. So he could stay rested, calm and stress free. I’m taking him to Recovery Girl right now to get checked over to determine if he’s rested enough to resume a normal schedule, so if you’ll excuse us.” Shouta said, lying smoothly and turning towards the front doors to leave.He heard Iida apologizing for holding them up and telling Izuku to be more careful in the future. Izuku was hot on Shouta’s heels, calling out to his stern classmate that he would be more careful as they exited the dorms. They walked in silence once again to the teacher’s parking lot, that was located in a very discrete parking garage to the left of the school. Not many people were aware that Shouta had his drivers license, preferring to take the train or have Hizashi chauffeur him around. He rarely drove himself anywhere, it was just too much of a hassle.They made their way to a older dark grey Mazda that was the school’s car. Shouta had swiped the keys before his patrol last night, leaving a sticky note in it’s place with just his name on it. Izuku looked momentarily shocked at seeing Shouta climb into the driver side seat, but recovered and quickly got into the passenger side.They pulled out of the garage and were soon leaving the front gates of U.A. and speeding along the highway. They rode in silence, Izuku fidgeting every now and then but remaining quiet. Shouta knew the kid was probably a bundle of nerves, but if he didn’t want to talk then he didn’t have to talk. Izuku had done more than enough talking the day before ‘and’ the night before that, and unfortunately he would have to do even more talking once they reached Izuku’s old apartment. So Shouta could indulge him in a little silence.Also it was too fucking early to hold a conversation.Shouta turned the radio on, some American country music was playing (something about a drinking bone); Snipe must have been the last one to drive the car. Shouta kept the volume low, letting it be light background noise in an attempt to offer Izuku a little distraction. Shouta didn’t care much for music, but was willing to suffer through it if it meant Izuku was able to relax slightly.Shouta drove one handed, while his other arm payed across the center console. It was early enough that there weren’t many commuters on the road. Izuku just stared out his window, fidgeting every now and then.After a while of driving, Shouta recognized where they were from when he and All Might had been chauffeured around, and knew they were almost halfway to Izuku’s mother’s apartment. Izuku realized this too and reached forward to cut the music off. Shouta glanced at him from the corner of his eye, the boy was visibly distressed, twisting his hands together nervously.
Shouta didn’t say anything, not wanting to push the kid any more than he had been already. If Izuku wanted to talk to him, and he looked like he did, then he would have to do it on his own without any prompting from Shouta. Let it be his decision to break the silence. Izuku needed to
have at least a little control today.After a moments hesitation, Izuku decided to speak. “Mr. Aizawa?” “Yea kid.”Izuku hesitated again, but seeing as they were drawing nearer his home he blurted out quickly, “Do you think when we get to my place you could talk to my mom first. I know she has to be told, but I don’t think I’ll be able to go through with it. We are both criers, and if I start so will she. And it’s really hard to talk when crying, and if were both crying we’ll only stress each other out and cry more. And it will be just a complete incoherent mess, so it might go better if you tell her everything first. It’s probably for the best. I’ve always had a hard time telling her things, and she might listen more if she hears it from you.”Izuku was breathing rapidly after the word vomit he had just thrown at Shouta. It took a few seconds for him to process everything Izuku had just said, the kid really can talk a mile a minute. But he got the gist of it. Izuku wanted Shouta to be the one to rip the bandaid off and spill all of Izuku’s secrets to Mrs. Midoriya. Because one crier plus another crier equals a crying mess. Also, if Shouta was hearing correctly and his conclusion was right, Izuku had a hard time talking to his mother because she didn’t always listen. Shouta knew parents didn’t always listen to their kids. Taking what they said with a grain of salt. A child’s problems to an adult seemed insignificant. But you can’t compare a child’s problems to an adults. What’s important to a child, isn’t always important to an adult. But adults tend to forget that, forget how it felt to be ignored as a child. Shouta wishes he could avoid this like the plague and leave it all up to Izuku. But he can’t.He’s a responsible adult.Responsible for Izuku.Izuku the crier.Just like his mother.Shouta almost wishes a meteor would strike him down right now. That or another nomu. Might be less painful than having to deal with all the feelings that he’ll have to deal with. Most of them not his own.Shouta sighed, a very long, drawn out, done with life sigh. “Fine. I’ll do it.” Izuku seemed to relax slightly.“But” Shouta said.Izuku stiffened again.“After I tell her, and the crying ensues, I’m leaving you to deal with it. Both of you can cry it out all you want. I will be hiding away from it all. Probably taking a nap. When you both are calm, then you can get me and we will continue the conversation.”Izuku nodded his head, and they finished the rest of the drive in silence.No meteor or nomu struck him down and they made it to the Midoriya residence without incident. *Damn.* At precisely six o’clock on the dot. Yay Shouta and his impeccable timing.
After parking the car in front of the apartment complex, both Shouta and Izuku made their way to the apartment. Once at the door, Shouta knocked three times and waited. It was only a minute before the door was flung open and Izuku was dragged into a tight hug by his mother.“Oh Izuku! I’m glad to have you home!” The plump woman said, squeezing Izuku tighter. “Mom!” Izuku whined. Probably embarrassed by his mother hugging the life out of him in front of his teacher. Shouta chuckled, startling Mrs. Midoriya who had clearly forgotten Shouta in her excitement. Blushing she released her son and apologized while she ushered them inside.It was a small but comfortable looking place Shouta noted as they made their way down the hall. They passed what was clearly Izuku’s room, the All Might name plate with Izuku’s name on it made it obvious. Shouta wanted to roll his eyes.They made their way to a dining room where breakfast had been set up. It wasn’t anything fancy, a simple Japanese breakfast of tamago kake gohan and tamagoyaki. Simple but filling. There was also coffee! All tree sat down to eat, Shouta on one side and Izuku and his mother on the other. After a quick “Thanks for the meal” from Izuku and a “Let’s eat” from his mother, they began to eat. Shouta had never seen the point in the formality’s people used before or after eating. But Shouta didn’t see the point in a lot of things that he didn’t consider absolutely necessary. Neither of the two Midoriya’s said anything about his slight, so he continued eating. Mrs. Midoriya seemed keen on letting him eat in mostly silence and Shouta was thankful for that. She asked Izuku how his friends were, and Izuku swallowed his mouthfull of food to answer her. Shouta wanted to reprimand him and tell him to take smaller bites and to chew his food properly, but his mother didn’t seem worried so he let it slide. It was probably something he did often. As long as he didn’t choke, then it was fine.Izuku and his mother chatted as they ate. Mrs. Midoriya commenting on how much Izuku had grown since the last time she had seen him, saying she wishes that he could had just stayed her small sweet little baby. He finished before Izuku and his mother did, so he pulled out his phone and pretended to be reading something on it. He was actually stealing covert glances at the other two from underneath his bangs. They got along easily, bantering with each other fondly. It was obvious Izuku was nervous and not putting up his normal front, and Mrs. Midoriya seemed to see it too, although she didn’t say anything.Mrs. Midoriya seemed to have a hard time sitting still. Nervously fluttering her hands around Izuku. Pushing his bangs out of his face, wiping food from around his mouth (Izuku nudged her away more than once, indignantly saying he could wipe his own mouth), or straightening his shirt around his shoulders. Izuku patently, for the most part, put up with it. Shouta could tell he was starting to get a little annoyed though, and he couldn’t blame him. Shouta had to bite his tongue to keep from telling her to just let Izuku be. Shouta knew that she had missed her son a lot, but this was irritating to watch.Izuku looked away and rolled his eyes as his mother tried for the second time to flatten his hair out some. It didn’t work. Shouta knew that for a fact, that about a month ago, Best Jeanist/Hakamada Tsunagu had tried and failed to tame Izuku’s mop of hair. Hakamada had been devastated, and Bakugou (who’s hair had been forcefully stiled) laughed maniacally at Hakamada’s heartbroken look and had even praised Izuku’s rebellious curls. Once both Midoriya’s were finished eating, Shouta put his phone away and turned his attention completely towards Mrs. Midoriya. She smiled up at him, the way she smiled was very similar to Izuku’s (not his All Might smile), and Shouta hated that he was about to be the reason (inadvertently) for that smile to vanish.Izuku realizing what was about to happen, hopped up and grabbed for the dishes on the table. “I’ll wash the dishes for you mom!” Izuku said, flashing her with his blindingly bright and reassuring smile. It worked on her like a charm Shouta noted.As Izuku was gathering the dishes his mother smiled at him and said, “Such a gentleman, your dad would be proud.” Izuku was facing away from his mother, towards Shouta, so she didn’t see the brief flash of anger cross his face. But Shouta did. Izuku finished gathering the dishes and hurried out the room.Shouta sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Mrs. Midoriya, I brought Izuku here today so we could discuss some things.” Shouta began.Mrs. Midoriya gave him her full attention. “Yes, you called it an impromptu casual meeting.” She seemed a bit confused and slightly amused on his choice of wording, but didn’t seem to think it was anything other than Shouta wanting to talk about Izuku’s progress. Shouta hated to bust her bubble. He really did.“No.” Shouta said. “That was a logical ruse to keep you from worrying. Well... it’s not completely a ruse. The meeting was impromptu, but it’s not necessarily casual.”Mrs. Midoriya frowned. She was confused as to why a teacher of U.A. would lie to her (Shouta lied to everyone, even to his students when necessary), and what did he mean by “cause her to worry”, she always worries about her son.Shouta decided his best bet would be to start with Izuku’s father, the easier part of the problem to discuss. “Mrs. Midoriya, I’m aware that your husband does not live with you, but are “you” aware of the affect it has had on your son?”Mrs. Midoriya blanched at Shouta’s bluntness. “I don’t know what you mean.” She said. “I know he’s upset that his dad is so far away and doesn’t call much, but I thought he was doing fine. He never said otherwise.”*Sometimes people don’t or can’t say what they feel.*Shouta resisted the urge to rub the back of his neck again, instead choosing to cross his arms. Him fidgeting would only stress the woman out more than necessary. Nervousness only bore more nervousness. The news that this wasn’t a friendly visit and the slight lie Shouta had told her had clearly upset her. He could see it on her face and the way she wrung her hands together. He would try not add toner unease by fidgeting or seeming agitated. He had a poker face and was proud of it.“To put it bluntly.” Shouta said, he rarely sugar coated things. Not even for his students, who were the only ones he showed any softness to. He wasn’t going to baby this grown woman. She needed the unfiltered truth, Izuku had protected her from reality enough. It was time to be blunt. If it was a slap in the face, then so be it. It wasn’t Shouta’s job to spare feelings. “Your son hates his father.” He put emphasis on the word “father” not “dad”. Midoriya Hisashi was no dad. Nothing more than a donor in Shouta’s opinion.Mrs. Midoriya gasped and started to shake her head from side to side. “No. That can’t be true.” Denial. “Izuku doesn’t hate his dad. Izuku doesn’t hate anyone. I know he’s upset about his dad’s absence, boys need their dads after all. But hate is such a strong word. I’m sure its just a misunderstanding. You must be misunderstanding. Izuku!”Mrs. Midoriya called out to her son, she must want him to deny Shouta’s accusations and prove him wrong. Izuku didn’t come to her call. The woman was clearly shocked and worried when Izuku didn’t come to her and started to rise from her seat.“Mrs. Midoriya, please sit back down. I have more to discuss with you.” Shouta said, voice stern. Shouta didn’t have anything against Mrs. Midoriya, she was nothing like his mother had been. She clearly loved her son and wanted to protect him. He had no doubt Mrs. Midoriya would stand between Izuku and the League of Villains if she could. But because of her weakness for her husband, Izuku had been emotionally hurt by the man she loved.It was more of a weakness than it was love. Love didn’t mean letting your husband abandon your family. Love didn’t mean holding on to a man who clearly didn’t love you enough to come home. Who did NOT love his only son. No matter what songs say, love was not blind did not blind you to the other’s faults. Sure you could love someone despite their faults. But letting yourself get hurt repeatedly in the name of love wasn’t love. It was weakness.That’s why Shouta was being stern with her. She needed to see her mistakes and how she, along with her husband were hurting Izuku. Though ‘she’ didn’t mean to. Shouta believed her husband meant to. She looked on the verge of tears, but was determined to stay dry eyed. “But Izuku.” The woman whimpered. “He didn’t come when I called. I should go check on him. See if he’s okay.”Shouta shook his head at her. “Izuku is fine.” Mrs. Midoriya startled when Shouta called her son by his given name, clearly not expecting him to be on such close terms with him. Shouta ignored her shock and continued. “He didn’t come because he didn’t want to. He’ll come when he’s ready.” *Or when I finish and throw him to his mother.* Shouta thought.“And I’m not mistaken. He told my colleague that he hated his father. Now I have a lot to tell you, and it will go by quicker if you don’t deny everything I say. What I tell you is to be taken as fact, not as Izuku being confused or overreacting. If you have something to add that isn’t a denial, then feel free to interject. I have no problem hearing you out. But what I tell you comes from ‘Izuku’ himself. And. Is. Fact.” Shouta finished and waited to see what Mrs. Midoriya had to say.She seemed to have steeled herself for whatever Shouta had to tell her, he didn’t know if she was ready to accept what he had to say or if she was just waiting to get it over with. She was still visibly upset, but was determined to listen. Shouta told her everything that Izuku himself had said, and that seemed to settle any doubts that Shouta was jumping to conclusions. Shouta told her of what Izuku had revealed to him and Present Mic about his father. She flinched when he told her how when she compared him to his father or said how he would make his father proud, it hurt Izuku. She clearly didn’t mean to hurt him. He said that Izuku didn’t see the man as his father. Wanted nothing to do with him. That Izuku had hear their fight all those years ago, and had heard what Hisashi had said. That Izuku didn’t think he could go to her with his feelings, because of how she felt for her husband. Once he finished the woman was silently sobbing to herself, hands covering her mouth to stifle the sounds of her crying. Her shoulders shook and she curled into herself.“Mrs. Midoriya, you couldn’t have known how he felt. He’s very good at hiding his feelings when he wants to.” Shouta hesitated before continuing. “It’s not my place to tell you how to live your life, but I do think you could have handled things better. I don’t think hiding your sadness would have been helpful, hiding things from children never pays off. But I don’t think you should have allowed yourself to be treated this way. And definitely shouldn’t have let Izuku be treated this way. From what I’ve heard, your husband doesn’t care for your son. Doesn’t love him.”Mrs. Midoriya gasped and wiped her eyes, giving Shouta a hard look. A look Shouta’s has seen countless women show when they felt their job as a mother or wives were being questioned. A look that says ‘how dare you question how I handle things’ ‘how would you know our feelings’. People get angry when their life’s decisions are questioned.Shouta’s dealt with many women like that in his career as a hero. When he’s watched women jerk children too roughly by the arm, smacked them just a tad too hard, or spoken to harshly. Or let their man mistreat their children. Every time he’s stepped i and suggested more patience, more gentleness, or suggested that they shouldn’t let a man treat their children that way; he always gets that look.That look pisses him off. Mrs. Midoriya cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to be disrespectful Mr. Aizawa,” *Yes you do.* “but you are right, it isn’t your place. You don’t know my husband, so you have no right to judge him. Hisashi can be distant, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love us. He’s a very busy man, with a stressful job, ‘and’ he’s never been very in touch with his feelings.”*Excuse you. I am the definition of “not in touch with feelings”.*Shouta could have said that Present Mic had traveled overseas to America for a year, and to France for half a year to gain experience working as a hero in different countries. That he had called his parents five times a week and his friends three times a week despite the time difference, the ‘entire’ time he was away. That Present Mic worked ‘three’ jobs, two of them very stressful (especially this year) and that he never takes his stress out on anyone. That he visits his parents at least three times a month, and still had time to go drinking with his friends at least once a month. Even. Though. He. Has. A. Busy. Schedule.But he could tell that it would do no good, she clearly thought her husband was doing his best and could do no wrong. Izuku had told them as much. So he moved on. Fighting a losing battle didn’t work. He could attack that problem again some other time. “If you say so.” Shouta said. “There is more I need to talk to you about. This concerns Izuku being bullied when he was younger.”Mrs. Midoriya’s mood did a complete one eighty. She went from being offended and upset to concerned and distressed. “Oh no. I had no idea.” She said worriedly. “He would come home sometimes a little roughed up, but I assumed it was just boys being boys.” Shouta hated that phrase. “Izuku always said everything was fine, that it was an accident, and I knew the other boys didn’t meant to hurt him. They all came from nice families and had strong quirks. Izuku has always been accident prone anyway. And the other children didn’t know that they had to be careful with Izuku. Izuku hadn’t developed his quirk at the time. The doctor had said that it was impossible, but he was clearly wrong. But the other boys all had quirks and they didn’t know that they needed to go easier on him when rough housing the way boys do.” *Needed to be careful with him?!* Shouta wanted to scream! Being quirkless didn’t make you weak! And having a quirk didn’t suddenly make you rougher, didn’t mean they had to play rougher. They shouldn’t have been fooling around with their quirks unsupervised to begin with. Thats just asking for an accident.“I thought Katsuki was looking after him, they have been friends since they were small. He can be a little rough, he has such a explosive personality. Izuku is such a gentle and sweet boy, but Izuku never seemed bothered by Katsuki’s gruffness, saying the other boy didn’t mean it.” *I wonder where Izuku gets that from.* Shouta thought sarcastically. “So it was no surprise when Katsuki got an equally explosive quirk to fit his temper. I thought because Katsuki was so strong, he would be able to look out for Izuku.” Excusing bad behavior because of a strong quirk was stupid. “He never brought any friends home, but Izuku has always been so studious and I just thought he would rather study on weekends. I just assumed he played with the others at school. And I preferred him staying home anyway.” *How oblivious was this woman? And why did she prefer him to stay at home? Helicopter parent much?*“He has always been interested in villain fights, watching the heroes from the sidelines.” *Okay, that can be a little dangerous.* “So it gave me peace of mind having him home where I could look after him.” *If he’s old enough to travel around on his own, then he doesn’t need ‘looking after’!* “I’ve never approved of his hero watching, its too dangerous for someone quirkless.” *Its dangerous for anyone! Not just quirkless people! STOP FOCUSING ON THAT ASPECT OF HIM!* “But then he got his quirk, and it was so powerful. I told him when he was pronounced quirkless that I was sorry, there was no way he could be a hero like he dreamed.” *You said WHAT! Why? As long as he put in the effort and got the proper weapons and support items he could do it!* Shouta renders people quirkless all the time and they still can put up a fight. And Shouta himself was as good as quirkless against mutant type quirks! And he could still kick ass!“But now he can finally chaise his dream, even if it worries me. He can play with others his age now without getting hurt. I don’t have to take so much care of him now. He-“Shouta cut her off, holding up his hand to silence her. She seemed shocked and a little offended at his rudeness, but she stayed quiet. There was so much he wanted to say right now. None of them nice. This woman had been so unsupportive and had been hurting her son! He felt his rage boiling within him. He knew this woman meant no harm intentionally, but she had caused it none the less. If he spoke now, he would probably end up yelling. Shouta rarely yelled. Spoke loudly, yea. Yelled, no. He wanted to yell. He settled for pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut. Glaring would only frighten the woman. This all explained so much now.He wanted to call her out on her treatment of Izuku, but there was nothing he could do about the past. At least she seemed willing to let him live his life now. He wasn’t going to overlook her naivety, but it was something that could be dealt with later. It’s not a crime to be naïve. Although he was a little worried about how she viewed quirkless people. Helicopter parenting could be dangerous after all.After hearing Izuku talk about Bakugou’s abuse he thought, “now I know why Izuku had been so nervous around others”. He had wondered why Izuku still tried to befriend the boy. Probably because he had learned to accept being treated cruelty, and had unknowingly taken after his mother in clinging to someone who didn’t need to be clung to. Also, Bakugou had never outright abandoned him, even sought him out to torment. Izuku probably has abandonment issues. Shouta had figured his nervousness around teachers was due to the fact that they had never helped him and looked down on him despite his brilliance. And now he KNEW why he didn’t believe in himself at first, and why he was always surprised when someone believed in him and thought of him as capable. NOW HE KNEW! And it pissed him off.No one had ever believed in him. And the one person who was supposed to, DIDN’T. His mother saw him as weak and fragile, and needing constant protection until he got his quirk. He had heard from All Might that she seemed over protective. Wanting to pull him from UA at one point. Not that he could actually blame her for that. A few parents had pulled their children and sent them to other hero schools. But her overprotective side seemed too much. She spoke as if he had been like a toddler while quirkless, someone who couldn’t be left alone for longer than a minute. She said “quirkless” the way people say “autism”. Something to be whispered discreetly. Something that limited you (you cant do this, you cant do that because you are autisitc/have no quirk). News flash, you can do lots of things with autism or without a quirk. Many people who have children with autism, talk about how it stole their normal baby. How their healthy normal baby changed because they developed autism. There was a reason that autistic children were called changelings, and it wasn’t nice. He got that same vibe from Mrs. Midoriya when she talked about Izuku being quirkless. Like that diagnoses had stolen her normal son away, and left her with a fragile child in his place. Autistic children and quirkless children have always been what they are, the only thing that changes is that they are diagnosed and that the people around them treat them differently. And they are just as normal as anyone else. And everyone’s normal is different anyway. Shouta took a moment to calm himself. He would deal with this some other time. How Izuku’s mother viewed him in the past was not his top priority at the moment. Unfortunately. Shouta’s surprised the woman let him do anything while quirkless. Heaven forbid he try to wipe his ass on his own while quirkless, he might break a nail! Loving someone unconditionally and knowing how smart they were was important, but treating them like they were an infant and overly breakable when they were very capable and full of potential kind of made the love bittersweet. He would deal with this later. He would deal with her later. This was about Izuku being abused by his friend and abandoned by his father, not his mother being overly protective and looking down on her him (whether she realized she was doing it or not).Once he was composed, Shouta resumed. “Mrs. Midoriya. Those children were not being just a little rough. I would like to point out that being quirkless doesn’t mean your made of glass. Izuku could rough house just as much as the other boys his age, kids get banged up quirkless or not.” Shouta threw the quirkless isn’t weakness part in out of pettiness. He was the king of petty. “But those boys were not being playfully rough, they were bullying your son because he was quirkless. Using their quirks to hurt, not play. And they should not have been playing with their quirks unsupervised to begin with. Also Bakugou Katsuki was their leader.”Mrs. Midoriya covered her mouth with her hands again. Fresh tears started to stream down her face. She didn’t seem to notice Shouta’s agitation. “How can that be. Izuku and Katsuki have been friends since they were babies. Mitsuki and I are friends, and she never hinted that our sons were having trouble. Izuku never said they used their quirks to hurt him. He just said they were a little mean, but I thought that was because they played to rough and he couldn’t keep up.” Her voice quivered.*He fucking said they were mean and you didn’t try to figure out why? Just assumed shit again?* Shouta was definitely losing all faith in this woman’s capabilities of raising a child. Thankfully, Izuku was living at the dorms. And he could take his time getting more info out of Izuku regarding his mother, and possibly start a case against her for at least neglect in protecting her son. If not that, then he could work on limiting their interactions until Izuku graduated and no longer needed to rely on her as an authority figure. But he had time for that, he didn’t need to rush. Shouta shrugged his shoulders, hiding his irritation with nonchalance. “When Izuku didn’t develop a quirk, Bakugou turned on him like a rabid dog. He was Izuku’s number one bully, the others following his lead or avoiding Izuku altogether. I doubt Bakugou would let his mother find out about his bullying tendencies. I feel she would have put a quick and fierce stop to it.” Shouta leaned forward, fisting his hands in his lap under the table. *Here comes the bad part.*“Bakugou activly used his quirk on your son and his belongings.” *I don’t even want to know if you missed that, or hear any of you excuses as to why that didn’t cause you alarm.* “And their last year of middle school, he told Izuku to take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in his next life.” Shouta finished grimly.A sob ripped its way out of the woman in front of her and she doubled over, shaking. Despite how angry he was with her, he hated to have to be the bearer of bad news and cause her to cry like this. Even if he was questioning her ability as a mother, he didnt want to make her cry like this. She cries just as strongly as Izuku does. Shouta wasn’t a cruel person, though he could be a bit vindictive, he never enjoyed causing someone pain. And she was in pain for her son. Even if she was blind to the pain she caused him. Shouta was fixing to get up and hunt down Izuku so he could comfort his mother while he escaped for a nap, when she spoke again and it made him freeze.“Please tell me my baby doesn’t have a quirk now because he jumped.” She pleaded. And shit, that had never crossed Shouta’s mind. Some quirks could be activated in certain situations. There were very few quirks recorded throughout history where the person had learned that they couldn’t die because they were placed in a situation where they should have died. Those were the very few immortal quirk users. Very few. One had even requested a quirk suppressant cuff so that they could be allowed to finally die. Shouta had hated reading over that report.He recovered quickly and spoke to reassure her. “No. He didn’t jump. I know that for a fact.” Izuku had said he would never jump, because it would hurt his mother too much. Izuku being the terrible liar that he is, made Shouta believe him. It had been a painfully sincere truth. “He developed his quirk after the Sludge villain incident, on his way home.” Shouta knew that was a lie, but she didn’t need to know that. At least not until he found out why it was a lie. AND WHAT ALL MIGHT HAD TO DO WITH IT! She nodded her head even as she continued to sob. Shouta stood up and made to leave the room and find Izuku, but the boy came into the room before he could leave. His face was streaked with tears. *He must have been right outside the door, listening the whole time.*Izuku made his way to his mother, sitting beside her and pulling her into his arms. They were both sobbing into each other’s shoulders, Shouta left the room quickly. Leaving them to cry together, and hopefully work through some of their problems. Maybe Izuku would let her know that her treatment of him had hurt him too. Probably not. The kid thought she was the best person ever. The way small children thought their parents were amazing, even when they weren’t. Izuku still had a bit of that childlike innocence. Izuku seemed to have not outgrown that belief that his mom was the ultimate superheroe, or he was too afraid that thinking negatively of her would make her leave him too.Children can become complacent with the way they are treated, especially when it’s been going on most of their lives. Izuku might not even realize how poorly he’s been treated. Granted, his mother isn’t the worst person out there. But Shouta hadn’t thought his own abuse was anything to fuss over. He hadn’t realized that abuse was abuse no matter how severe. And a little abuse, even non physical, was still abuse. And helicopter parenting can sometimes be considered abuse. Discrimination, no mater how mild, was also abuse.Shouta made his way back down the hall to where Izuku’s room was. It was mostly bare, all his belongings and furniture was in his room at the dorms. But there was a very comfortable looking rug in the room, and Shouta has slept on worse things than a shag rug.So he carefully settled on the rug, laying out on his back with his arms behind his head. He could faintly hear the Midoriya’’s voices, crying and trying to comfort the other. So closing his eyes, Shouta prepared to drift off into a nice nap. He could wait to plan on how to protect Izuku from his mother, and get her help in learning how to properly treat her son, once he was back home. Hizashi could help him plan too.Maybe if he was lucky he wouldn’t be bothered for a hour or so and could catch up on some sleep.Shouta doesn’t believe in luck. He believes in his abilities. And does his best avoids awkward and uncomfortable situations as much as possible. There is another reason Shouta doesn’t believe in luck. Especially in these situations.And that’s because Shouta has never been lucky.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Curse Shouta’s luck. Curse it!Shouta hadn’t been asleep on the floor for longer than thirty minutes before he began to hear raised voices coming from the dining room. That was definitely not comforting. Sobbing, sure. He could still hear them crying. But the raised voices were definitely arguing.If Izuku was arguing with his mom (who he seemed to believe hung the stars in the sky), then the world very well might be ending.Izuku doesn’t ARGUE with his mom, just like cats don’t fly.Shouta would have just let them argue amongst themselves, he felt they needed to let all their demons out, and send them back to Hell where they belonged. He would have left them to themselves, even though every fiber of his being was screaming at him (louder than Hizashi on a rollercoaster) that he needed to be by Izuku’s side. To protect him. He had to remind himself that Izuku wasn’t “his” son, that he was merely the boys teacher. Just his teacher.Something deep inside him protested that. It was like how women get “baby fever” after being around an infant, and they take a step back and say to themselves “shut up ovaries, we don’t need a baby”. That was the feeling deep inside him that screamed that Izuku was his. Shouta wondered what he needed to tell to shut up to get those feelings to stop. He did not need Izuku to be his kid.He has Eri now, that’s more than enough.He has almost twenty one teenagers, even if it’s only temporarily.He doesn’t need to make any of them permanent. He doesn’t.That logic flew right out the window when he heard Izuku’s voice get relatively louder, almost a screech. That wasn’t a sign that things were going well. Instincts kicked in and Shouta was up and out the bedroom door before his brain could register what he was doing. *I’m just being cautious.* Shouta thought as he barreled down the hallway. *I said they needed to let their demons out, but Izuku has super powered demons. Best if I’m close by to keep things under control.* Shouta lied to himself.He really just wanted to be within arms reach of the boy so he could whisk him away at a moments notice. Steal him away like a thief in the night, back to the dorms to the safety of his apartment. Where he would never let him go.Shouta ignored how creepy that sounded. Instead, thinking of all the reasons Izuku needed to be bubble wrapped and kept safe.Shouta burst back into the dining room and glanced around. Both Midoriya’s were standing now, facing each other with a good distance between them. Izuku’s was closest to him, his back facing Shouta. The tension in his shoulders was tight, tighter than a bow string, and he was quivering. Whether with sadness or with anger, Shouta couldn’t tell.Mrs. Midoriya was upset too, but their was a look of determination in her face. She held a small flip phone in her hand, and Shouta could tell the boy was glaring daggers at it. Shouta stepped forward and placed his hand on Izuku’s shoulder, no longer able to fight the urge to have the boy in his grasp where he could keep him safe. He felt some of the tension in Izuku drain away under his touch.He felt his heart give a little squeeze at the knowledge that just his presence was enough to ease the boy’s stress. Even just slightly. He was glad Izuku trusted him.“What’s going on here.” Shouta demanded in his usual flat and uninterested voice (no need to let his emotions show). He looked down at Izuku for an answer. He worried if he looked at Mrs. Midoriya for too long he would shoot her a death glare. That wouldn’t help anyone right now, though he could always save it for later. He waited expectantly for Izuku to answer, but Izuku’s jaw was clenched shut tightly, and his face was red with anger. He was still crying, but those were no longer tears of sadness, they were tears of anger.Izuku was actually angry at his mom! Oh Shit!Shouta had wondered if Izuku had any deep buried resentment for his mom. Looks like he might of been right. She must have done or said something to push him over the edge. An edge Shouta had been trying to keep him from.Izuku’s jaw was clenched so tightly Shouta briefly worried about the bones in his jaw and teeth, worried they might crack under the pressure. “Too angry to talk?” Shouta ventured. Shouta could see Mrs. Midoriya fidgeting with her phone, running her thumb over the small screen on the front. She looked like she wanted to speak, but didn’t because Shouta was addressing Izuku, not her. Izuku nodded his head once. Shouta gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. Shouta keept his face turned towards Izuku (he couldn’t risk facing Mrs. Midoriya, his poker face was probably cracking), but glanced at his mother out of the corner of his eye. Something she took notice of. “Care to explain?” He directed at her, motioning with his hand between her and Izuku.She clutched the phone to her chest and hastily wiped her tears away. She took a shuddering breath before addressing Shouta question. “W-well. We were discussing how we should go forward from here. I-Izuku didn’t really want to talk about Katsuki. So I didnt wan’t to push that, he said that the school was going to confront him... s-so I though we would talk about his dad.”Shouta nodded his head in understanding, keeping his gaze on Izuku. The boy’s eyes had darkened at the mention of his father and he had clenched his fists. Shouta rubbed circles on Izuku’s shoulder with his thumb. He knew that the two would need to talk about Midoriya Hisashi and his role in their lives. He had seen how stubborn the woman was regarding her husband, he just didn’t think things would escalate to a fight between mother and son. He thought their bond might be stronger than that. Or that they were both too softhearted to fight each other.“I’m following so far. But I don’t see how that would cause a yelling match.” Shouta said. They were soft spoken Midoriya’s, not the loud aggressive Bakugou’s. Shouta didn’t doubt that Mrs. Midoriya’s stubbornness was the cause.She nodded her head and continued. “I-I wanted us to call Hisashi and talk about this. Have Izuku talk to him. I-I’m sure this can be easily resolved. It’s not g-good for Izuku to hate his dad. His dad loves him.” Shouta really did roll his eyes at that. The only one who believed that was Mrs. Midoriya. He had heard what Izuku said the man said about having a quirkless son, that wasn’t love. You don’t just stop loving someone because of something they can’t control. If they do, then it was never love in the first place.Shouta was about to give his opinion on that but Izuku interrupted him. “I don’t want to talk to that man.” Izuku hissed. “You can’t make me.”“Izuku sweetie.” Mrs. Midoriya sighed exasperatedly. “You just need to talk to him, so he can reassure you that you are loved and important to him. Hisashi isn’t as emotional as we are. He can be a bit distant. But he does love you.” There was a desperate note to her voice, like she needed Izuku to believe this. Or maybe she was still trying to convince herself.Izuku was shaking his head back and forth. Shouta stepped closer to him so that they were side by side. Mrs. Midoriya saw how close they were and how protective Shouta seemed of her son. She bit her lip but she didn’t say anything about it, she turned her attention back to Izuku. Shouta looked at her suspiciously for a moment, it seemed like she didn’t like how close he was to Izuku. Odd, what could she possibly have against him trying to comfort her son? “This isn’t up for discussion.” She stated harshly. Shouta stiffened. You can’t force a child to talk to someone when they clearly didn’t want to (even therapists let patients talk when they were “ready”, and worked to earn their patients trust first). Hisashi had not earned Izuku’s trust, he had broken it. Mrs. Midoriya was willing to take away Izuku’s free will (not out of malice but misplaced loyalty) just to make herself feel better. This wasn’t something she was doing for Izuku, it was all for her. Everyone knew not to push things like this, it only made the person being pushed fight back harder. She clearly didn’t want to face reality and clung to the fantasy of the kind of person she thought her husband was. That she had a good marriage. That Hizashi was a good father.She needed therapy more than Izuku it seemed. How had people missed how misguided she was? Missed the unhealthy way she treated her son and worshiped her husband.“This isn’t something I’ll let you fight me on Izuku.” She continued, standing up straighter and smoothing her cardigan. “You’re upset with him. I know you’re sad that he’s not here. We both are. But he really does love you. He’s just very busy and absent minded. You take after your dad when it comes to being absent minded.” Shouta felt Izuku stiffen next to him. Shouta rested his hand on Izuku’s shoulder again, giving a comforting squeeze while trying to keep them both grounded. “And people who are emotionally closed off don’t always realize they are hurting others. Your dad doesn’t realize he’s upset you. He-““He’s not my fucking dad!” Izuku screeched. Both Shouta and Mrs. Midoriya jumped a little. Izuku cursing was very unexpected. Hell, Shouta didn’t think he had it in him to use profanity. “Mr. Aizawa doesn’t show much emotions either, but I’ve never doubted that he cared about me. He’s just my teacher, but he’s been more caring and concerned about me than Hisashi has ever been! And Mr. Aizawa has only known me for a year and he’s done more for me than Hisashi ever has.” Izuku raged.Shouta was proud that Izuku was standing up for himself. He had been worried that Izuku would let his mother decide everything for him, too much of a mama’s boy to go against her. Not that Shouta would have let her walk all over Izuku, not while he was around. All Might had said that when she had wanted to pull him from school, Izuku hadn’t protested. Saying he could go to another hero school, but used a note from the Pussycat’s nephew to change her mind. It had been a close call.Mrs. Midoriya looked upset that her son had swore at her, clearly surprised he was putting up a fight at all. “Midoriya Izuku.” She snapped harshly. “That is enough out of you young man. This is not like you at all.” She cut her eyes at Shouta, like he was to blame. Shouta had to disagree with her. Maybe in the past Izuku hadn’t stuck up for himself, having long given up on support from those around him. Probably given up on her too. But he was stronger now. “I don’t think I like what UA is turning you into.” There was a steely resolve in her voice, and it worried Shouta.She didn’t like what the top hero school was doing for her son. She didn’t like that he was making friends? Gaining confidence? Becoming independent and growing? Becoming stronger? What did she think the scoop was supposed to do? Stick Izuku in a padded classroom, put a bib on him and baby him? They were teaching him to become a capable hero. Is it so wrong that her son was growing up? That he didn’t need her like he once did?Izuku grabbed onto Shouta’s side, griping his shirt tightly and clinging to him like a lifeline. Shouta looked away from Mrs. Midoriya and looked down at his student who was peering up at him. His face was no longer angry, hopelessness and a touch of fear had replaced it. Shouta hated that look. “I don’t want to talk to Hisashi, he’ll just say what she wants to hear. I don’t want her to take me out of school. That’s what she has in mind. You can’t let her take me away. I’ll never become a hero then. Mr. Aizawa please.” Izuku whispered, his voice breaking as he begged for Shouta to intervene.Shouta’s heart broke. He had never heard his student sound so hopeless and helpless. Not when facing the League of Villains or the Eight Precepts of Death. He had stood tall, even when it looked like all hope was lost. Now... now he looked like someone drowning and only held a glimmer of hope of being saved.Izuku had realized that even though his mother deeply loved him, she was unwilling to listen to reason. Unwilling to listen to him. She was desperate to hold onto a marriage, to a husband who had left her and her son. She held so tightly to the “dream” of a loving husband, Shouta doubted that even All Might back in his prime could pry it from her. She held to it that tightly. She was hiding in her delusions and away from reality. How long had she been like this? Had it been immediate after her husband left; or did it happen after a few weeks, months, years when the pain became too much? How long has Izuku had to suffer in silence, unable to turn to the one person who was supposed to be there for him above all others.Shouta wouldn’t let Izuku be drowned in her delusions. Not any longer. If she wanted to drown, then she could drown alone.Shouta moved his hand to the back of Izuku’s neck and pulled the boy to his chest. He wrapped his arms around the teenager in front of him, holding on to him tightly. His arms were over Izuku’s shoulders, wrapped around his head blocking his view of his mother. It wasn’t necessary, the moment he pulled Izuku towards him the boy had buried his face in Shouta’s chest. Sobbing. Shouta ran his fingers through Izuku’s curls and glared at the woman in front of him.Yes, glared. He saw no reason to hide his anger and distaste for the woman. Not anymore.Let her see his anger. Let her see what a real father looks like. How real fatherly love looks like. Shouta might not have any biological children of his own. But family isn’t always determined by blood. He didn’t need to be blood related to be Eri’s dad. And he didn’t need it to be Izuku’s either.She looked shocked at the display of affection. Uncertain. She glanced between them with her face pinched in confusion. She probably couldn’t understand why Shouta was taking Izuku’s side. “This is what’s for the best.” Mrs. Midoriya said, looking at Shouta pleadingly. “He’s too young to understand, to make these kinds of decisions for himself.”Shouta ignored her. She was trying to plead to him as one adult to another. Wanting him to take her side, to see Izuku as nothing more than a misguided child that couldn’t make his own decisions. Hell would freeze over before he took her side.“Go wait in the car.” Shouta murmured to Izuku, running his fingers through his hair one last time before stepping away from the boy and nudging him towards the dinning room door. Izuku nodded his head and turned to leave, giving his mother one last hurt look before he left. Shouta listened to the sounds of Izuku leaving, only turning to face Mrs. Midoriya when he heard the front door shut.“Mr. Aizawa-“ Mrs. Midoriya started but Shouta interrupted her. He was done letting her speak.“No. I’ll speak and you’ll listen without interjecting.” Shouta started. Mrs. Midoriya flinched at his cold tone. Shouta was done with being polite, or as polite as he could ever be. He didn’t raise his voice, he was in no mood to get into a shouting match with her. Not that he was impressed with her ability to shout to begin with, she clearly wasn’t used to having to do it. So he knew he would win that match. But it was unnecessary, he was going to get this over with and go to Izuku.He wasn’t going to argue with her delusions. You can’t argue with insanity. And her views on her husband were insane and illogical. She was looking at him with a mixture of hurt and disbelief, twisting the phone in her hand around over and aver and nervously shifting from foot to foot.“Here’s what’s going to happen.” He said tiredly. This day was taking it’s tole on him. He needed to get this over with as professionally and calmly as he could. He could feel the control on his anger fading. “When you agreed to let Izuku stay in the dorms on UA’s premises, you agreed to let the teachers have temporary guardianship over him, which gives us the right to make decisions for him in your place.” Shouta told her, letting that information sink in before he continued. “That means that I, as his homeroom teacher, have temporary guardianship over him. Also when you filled out all the paperwork for Izuku to attend UA it clearly states in the fine print that if we the teachers and staff at UA, feel that a student isn’t safe at home, are inadequately being cared for or if we question the parent’s ability to look after their child, we can intervene however we see fit. I am doing that now.”Mrs. Midoriya gasped and fresh tears started to pour down her face. Shouta powered on, leaving no room for argument. “As a hero, I have Serrano rights. Rights to act in situations as I see fit in that moment. It’s called “Hero’s judgment”. I don’t have to call the police and child services to have Izuku removed from you, I’m allowed to do that immediately, and inform them after the fact.”Mrs. Midoriya clutched at her chest, and sobbed. “Please, no. He’s my baby. You can’t take him away from me. I’m his mother.”Shouta crossed his arms over his chest. “You may be his mother, but I don’t think it’s safe for him to stay with you any longer.”“I’ve never hurt him.” She defended, wiping her face with her sleeve. It did little good as tears kept pouring down her cheeks.“Maybe not physically, but you’ve hurt him emotionally.” Shouta corrected.She shook her head at him. “No, I would never hurt him in any way. Your wrong. You don’t understand. Being a hero has hardened your heart, made you see villains where there aren’t any.”Shouta sighed, he wasn’t getting through to her and he didn’t want to waste any more time trying to make her see reason. A therapist could do that. It was time to get this over with. “I, Aizawa Shouta underground hero Eraserhead and teacher of UA, feel that it is in Midoriya Izuku’s best interest to be placed under permanent guardianship of myself until further notice. I deem you mentally unfit to continue looking after Izuku, and by right as a hero, I temporarily relieve you of your custody of Izuku and all rights you have towards him. You have the right to refute this in a court of law. You will “not” be allowed to see or communicate with Izuku in the mean time, and information on him will be limited to you.”“Custody may be granted to you again if you meet the demands of UA and follow the appropriate steps that we will set for you.” Shouta turned and left the sobbing woman in the dinning room, she had sunk to the floor and had her arms wrapped around herself. She was too shocked to argue. Things had spiraled out of control too quickly. It was best to put a stop to it fast and leave before things got worse.Shouta refused to feel much pity for her, she had brought this on herself. Had let herself be deluded by fantasy. Her relationship with her husband was unhealthy and was affecting her son’s mental health. Her treatment of him was affecting his mental health. The fact that she wouldn’t acknowledge it and was even trying to bring Izuku into her delusions was clear that the woman needed help. But his first priority was Izuku. Someone else could help her. His focus was on the boy who needed him now more than ever.Shouta made his way to the front door, slipping on his shoes and exited the apartment. Once outside he paused to lean against the door and ripped his hair out of it’s bun. He could feel the beginnings of a headache. He took a deep breath to calm himself and thought over everything that had happened. Maybe the way he had acted wasn’t the most rational, but damnit she was screwing Izuku up. She wanted her husband to convince Izuku that everything was okay.Maybe he could have just informed child services and had them come and asses the situation. Given that Shouta was his teacher and he was already a foster parent, he didn’t doubt that Izuku would be placed in his custody. But that would have involved waiting. Waiting for police to arrive with a child protective services agent. During that time, she could have forced Izuku back inside and kicked Shouta out. He could ignore that, but it would probably have made things worse.No. Getting Izuku out and away from her control quickly was the logical thing to do. Shouta didn’t doubt that if she called her husband, Hisashi would lie to her and make false promises in order to continue stringing her along. Telling her he loved her and her son to keep her complacent. If Hisashi hadn’t divorced her yet, then he wasn’t going to. Probably holding on to her as a security net if he ever had to move back to Japan.And the way she viewed Izuku, as someone helpless who couldn’t think or do for themselves, it wasn’t healthy for the boy. All because he had been quirkless. She apparently still saw Izuku as incapable, even after all the times he has proved that he was very capable. The kid was on his way to being the next All Might!Maybe Shouta could convince Hizashi to do a segment on his radio show about quirkless people, and them being just as capable as those with quirks. People listened to Present Mic. The man had a huge fan base, and not all of it was because he was a pro, some people just liked him for his personality.Sighing, Shouta pushed himself off the door and made his way down the staircase from the car. He would need to find out exactly how Izuku’s mother treated him. The police would need to know, even if Shouta didn’t press charges against her. He needed them to have all the information they needed to make sure she couldn’t get custody back. At least not until Shouta saw her fit enough to resume responsibility. Although he wasn’t going to push Izuku for information right away. He could spare the boy a day or two to calm down. Mrs. Midoriya wouldn’t be able to do anything right away. It took time to overrule a hero’s decision, and it was no easy feat.He reached to his font pocket and pulled a small black clip, no bigger than his index finger, off of his pocket where it had been hooked, barely peeking out from under his shirt. To most, it looked like a short rectangular pen, but it was actually a recording device. Shouta pressed a little button on the side, turning it off before he placed it inside his pocket.Shouta pretty much knew what to expect in the car, and he wasn’t looking forward to it. He was also not looking forward to telling the kid that he had taken custody of him away from his mother. He hoped Izuku would understand, he might not like it, but hopefully he would understand.Shouta continued down the staircase. Today had turned to shit and it wasn’t even eight o’clock in the morning yet. He could only hope things were going better on Nedzu’s end. Hope the creature was luckier than him. ~ Katsuki sat in the teacher’s lounge waiting on his parents to arrive. He wasn’t sure why they were coming. Ectoplasm had come to the dorms around five o’clock that morning and told him to get dressed and come with him. Bakugou had grumbled and slammed his bedroom door in the teacher’s face. Getting dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and black shirt with a red skull on the front.Once finished he opened his bedroom and was led down to the common room. Some of his annoying classmates had been awake and hanging out on the couch, still half asleep. Sero had called out to him, asking where he was off to so bright and early. Katsuki had kindly told him to mind his own damn business. It’s not like Katsuki knew either, although he wasn’t about to let duct tape know that.Once out of the dorms, he looked to his teacher and had demanded to know what was going on and where the hell they were going. The stoic teacher had simply replied with the teacher’s lounge and something about a parent/student meeting with Nedzu.Now, Katsuki was sitting on the couch in the lounge, waiting on his parents and wracking his brain for a reason for the sudden meeting. He hadn’t gotten into any trouble recently, the last thing he had gotten in trouble for had been that fight with Deku after curfew. So he couldn’t be in trouble. Maybe Nedzu was impressed with him.That had to be it, Katsuki though smugly, settling more comfortably on the couch. Katsuki was steadily improving in class, had many special moves and finally had his hero provisional license. The rat was probably impressed with how well he was doing and wanted to discuss his future. Might even want to bump him up a grade.Katsuki smirked to himself. He was such a badass.Katsuki’s head whipped forward as something smacked into the back of it. He jumped to his feet and spun around to face the idiot that dared hit him, palms crackling with his quirk. His mom stood behind the couch, glaring at him. He stopped popping sparks in his hands and shoved them into his jean’s pockets and glared back at the woman.She was dressed in a pair of off white slacks, a red blouse with a cream lose fitting cardigan open over it. She had her hands on her hips and was trying to tower over him. Hard to do when they were almost the same height now.“The hell was that for?” Katsuki growled.His mom leaned forward and growled back, “For whatever the hell you did that they felt the need to have your father and I come here for.”“I ain’t done shit!” Katsuki screeched, nostrils flaring in indignation. He wasn’t one to get in trouble a fucking school. He had a clean record, except for the little blight on it from his fight with Deku.His mom looked disbelieving. Katsuki’s dad, who had been standing by the door, walked forward and placed a gentle hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Mitsuki,” He said softly. “I’m sure everything is fine. The principle never said Katsuki was in trouble when he called. Just that he would like to sit down with us to discuss our son.” He smiled softly at Katsuki, trying to bring peace between mother and son.His mom relaxed a bit at his dad’s words, or at least as much as the hag could ever relax. She turned back to Katsuki and grinned at him. “So they see how awesome my son is, huh?”“Not hard to see.” Katsuki said pompously, smirking at his mom.His mom laughed, leaning into her husbands side and grinning ruthlessly at Katsuki. “Yea, well maybe they can work on your shitty personality while we’re there.”“Who’s personality is shitty, hag?!” Katsuki growled at her, making her laugh. His dad didn’t even bat an eye at their antics, just smiled softly with his hand on his wife’s lower back. He had been dealing with his wife and son arguing since Katsuki had first learned to speak.The door to the teacher’s lounge opened and Ectoplasm ushered them out and to principal Nedzu’s office. He opened the door for them, and once they had all entered he quietly shut the door behind them.Katsuki, who was sandwiched between both his parents, looked around in surprise. It wasn’t the room that surprised him. The room was simple, but nicely furnished. A large mahogany desk sat to the back of the room in front of two large and wide windows that overlooked the front grounds of the school. There were three matching mahogany chairs with plush blue upholstery lined up in front of the desk. Bookcases brimming with thick leather bound books covered one wall, while the other had a simple kitchenette with a cabinet over the top, filled with a variety of tea cups.No, what surprised him was to see All Might in his weakened form, standing next to the rodent principle, who was seated in a high rise leather swivel chair. There was another man beside him, but Katsuki didn’t recognize him. He was a plain looking man with dark brown hair, dark eyes, and a light brown trench coat.What was All Might doing here? Was he in on this? Was he the one who had been impressed by Katsuki? Katsuki was about to start demanding answers when the principal spoke.“Mrs. And Mr. Bakugou, welcome. Please have a seat everyone. I’m sure you’re all anxious to begin.” Nedzu said in his squeaky voice. Katsuki remembered seeing the principal before, right before the exams against the teachers. He had a mischievous glint in his eye’s as he crawled out of Aizawa’s scarf to address the students. That glint was was gone now, replaced with a cool intensity. Katsuki shivered. Whatever they wanted to talk about must be serious. Maybe they wanted him to have private lessons, more hero training to show off his potential.The three Bakugou’s made their way to the chairs and Katsuki found himself in the middle once again. Once seated the principal smiled, and continued.“Splendid. Now for introductions. Am I a bear, a mouse, a dog? I am Nedzu, the principle of this school. I’m sure you are all aware of who this is.” Nedzu said, gesturing to All Might. “This is Yagi Toshinori, better known as All Might.” Katsuki glanced up at All Might, who was looking at Nedzu. He had a scowl on his face. Had the rat/bear creature pissed him off before they came? Probably wasn’t hard, the thing seemed to be a bit sadistic from what Kaminari and Ashido had said.Continuing, Nedzu turned and gestured to the man on his other side. “This fine sir is Naomasa Tsukauchi. Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi.”Katsuki turned to look at the other man. *Why’s a detective here?* Katsuki thought. He has no interest in detectives or detective work, snooping around for bits of information. He was training to become a hero, so he could beat the shit out of villains.*Maybe they think my quirk will be helpful on a case or against a specific villain.* Katsuki hadn’t had the opportunity to intern with any agencies since he had gotten his license. Maybe he was going to be working with the detective under All Might’s agencey.Even Deku hadn’t worked under All Might’s agency. Take that stupid Deku! Katsuki was gonna win this rivalry hands tied.His mom spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “That’s good and everything, but why are they here?” Good question, Katsuki wanted to know too.Nedzu smiled darkly, revealing some of his sharpened teeth. Katsuki shivered again, the damn animal freaked him out. “I’m glad you asked.” The principal said sweetly. “Detective Naomasa here has a lie detection quirk, and I thought it would be fitting for him to be here for this meeting.”Katsuki was confused, and the stern expressions of All Might’s and the detective’s faces, along with the menacing smile on Nedzu’s gave Katsuki a bad feeling. He didn’t know what was happening, but he no longer felt confident that this was about his progress. How could it be, when they were preparing against lies. and why would Katsuki or his parents need to lie if this was about how awesome he was? “Why the hell do you think his presence is necessary?” She growled at the principal. She looked at Katsuki briefly, searching his face for any traces of guilt, turning away when she found only confusion.His dad placed his hand on Katsuki’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Katsuki brushed his hand away. He wasn’t scared of some shitty detective. He hadn’t done anything wrong, he had nothing to hide. They were probably doing this with all the students, looking for whoever the traitor was.Rumors had started to leak that the teacher’s were worried about a traitor, that that was why someone had easily infiltrated the school and had found out about the training camp. They probably suspected one of the students and were working to catch them. Katsuki’s shoulders relaxed some. They’d find out quick enough that it wasn’t him.Nedzu glanced at Katsuki before turning his attention to his mom. “It has been brought to our attention, that your son was responsible for severe bullying of Midoriya Izuku from around the age of five all the way up to their last year of middle school. I have no doubt he would have continued if it weren’t for the fact of UA strict no bullying policy and for his even stricter homeroom teacher. Given the fact that he tried to attack Midoriya on the first day of school, and even violently attacked him with a dangerous support weapon during battle simulations after being told to desist.”*Oh shit!*Katsuki saw his dad beside him stiffen, while his mom threw herself out of her seat. She whirled around to face Katsuki. “What the fuck does he mean you bullied Izuku?! He’s been your childhood friend since forever! And what the fuck does he mean you violently attacked him?!”“I don’t fuckin know hag! I just roughed him up every now and then. The little shit needed to toughen up! And I told the nerd to dodge, ain’t my fault he took the blast head on so he could try and win the exercise.” Deku had always talked about being a hero even though it was impossible. He was such a scrawny weakling, Katsuki had been doing a favor by being rough with him. Deku needed to face reality, if he couldn’t handle Katsuki roughing him up a little then he definitely couldn’t handle a villain.Before his mom could yell at him the detective cleared his throat, drawing everyone in the rooms attention.Naomasa looked hard at Katsuki. “Saying you don’t know what Nedzu means by you bulling Izuku, that was a lie. You knew you were bullying him.”*Shit.*“Explain yourself!” His mom shrieked, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides.Katsuki crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t have anything to say.” Katsuki growled, looking at everyone in the room. All Might looked angry, but also disappointed. Katsuki looked away from him quickly, he didn’t want to see that look directed at him. What do they know? They weren’t there? They can’t judge him for keeping the ass wipe in his place.Just because they knew Katsuki had bullied Deku didn’t mean shit. He was fine, the twerp would never squeal about how much Katsuki had done. They had put the past behind them. Deku wouldn’t betray him. He was too fucking local to Katsuki. He might not follow Katsuki around like a lost puppy anymore, but he still had his back.Nedzu smiled at him. Katsuki really hated that smile and wanted to wipe it off his face. “How about I shed some light on things?” Nedzu offered sweetly. “Mrs. Bakugou, please resume your seat.”His mom sat down in a huff, shooting him one last glare before turning her attention back to Nedzu. His dad glanced over to his mom worriedly before focusing back on the principal. “Now, before I begin, I would like to mention that this is your only opportunity Katsuki to be open and reveal everything on your own free will.” Nedzu said calmly.Katsuki didn’t say anything and glared at the floor. He had no clue how much they knew, so he’d be damned if he spilled anything himself. Not like they could do anything anyways. With no physical evidence to go by and the fact that it had been almost a year ago since the last time he had bullied Deku, the law couldn’t touch him. He had ask been fourteen at the time, a minor. They only had the word of whoever had ratted him out. Words without proof wouldn’t do much good.Deku better not have been the one to squeal or Katsuki would beat his ass into oblivion.Nedzu sighed before continuing. “The night before last the sensors went off at the dorms, alerting Mr. Aizawa that a student was on the roof after curfew.” Katsuki stiffened. No. FUCKING NO! “When Aizawa went to investigate he found a very distraught Midoriya sitting on the edge of the roof.” Nedzu paused to let this sink in, looking pointedly at Katsuki. The tension in the room was suffocating.Katsuki didn’t see the rat looking at him, he was staring down at the floor with wide eyes. Both of his Barney’s were stiff as boards, looking at Nedzu in horror. *Deku wouldn’t jump. Everything was fine now with them. The nerd had a quirk now. Fucking All Might’s quirk!* And Katsuki new he hadn’t jumped. Four eyes had gone around telling everyone bright and early that Izuku had just been suffering from exhaustion and that Aizawa was taking him to recovery girl. Apparently that had been a lie from the teacher, but four eyes had seen Deku. Deku was fine. Deku. Was. Fine! Deku wasn’t up there to jump. Was he?His mom let out a sob, clearly having jumped to conclusions. His dad was shaking, clearly thinking the same thing. That Deku had jumped. Katsuki scowled, let the rat finish before you write the nerd off as dead.“Don’t worry.” Nedzu reassured them. “Midoriya is quiet all right. Fearing the worst, Aizawa acted quickly and used his capture weapon to lasso Midoriya and drag him away from the edge.”Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relieve. Even Katsuki though he knew the nerd was fine. It was reassuring to know that his teacher had acted fast, wether the nerd was going to jump or not. “Once Aizawa safely had him inside,” Nedzu resumed. “Midoriya had a bit of a breakdown. He was very visibly upset over a matter that has nothing to do with your son.” Nedzu said, pointing out that Izuku’s stress at that moment had had nothing to do with Katsuki.Katsuki clicked his tongue, speaking without thinking. “Nerd was probably stressed about being away from home on his parents anniversary. Aunty always gets upset around times like that. And her stress stresses him out.”All eyes in the room to turned to look at Katsuki who resumed glaring at the floor, blushing a little at his slip up. Katsuki remembered that info from when they were younger and were still close. Izuku had always gotten sad around certain times of the year, and when Katsuki had demanded to know why, Izuku had told him about his dad. How his mom missed his dad desperately on and special event. That he knew his dad didn’t like him, and that he was probably why his dad never came home.Katsuki thought that was fucked up, even if he personally bought Deku was useless, his dad shouldn’t have. Parents were supposed to think their kids were great, even when they weren’t.Katsuki had told him with all the bravado that a seven year old had, that Izuku’s dad was a bastard and he shouldn’t care about someone that didn’t care about them. And being the genius that Katsuki is, it hadn’t taken him long to figure out the days of the year that the Midoriya’s struggled with, and made sure to leave Deku alone on those days. He wasn’t completely a jackass after all.Nedzu nodded his head, a look of surprise in his eyes. “Yes, Midoriya informed Aizawa that was the case and explained that he had been on the roof to merely unwind and stargaze.” Katsuki nodded his head, relieved. Stargazing. He could deal with that. Damn nerd was causing so much trouble and had Katsuki’s nerves on edge. He crossed his ankles and snuck glances at his parents. His mom looked upset knowing that the nerd and his mom were hurting. Aunty never complained to much about her husband being gone. Sure she said she missed him, but she always told his mom how proud she was of him. Working hard to support his family. Aunty thought the world of Hisashi, so his mom thought he was a good guy too. She thought Katsuki’s dislike of him was just childishness, not understanding the man’s need to work and take care of his family.His dad was upset too. Although Katsuki knew that Masaru didn’t think much of Hisashi either, but chose to keep his opinions to himself and away from his wife. He actually listened when Katsuki had told him that Deku was angry with his dad. Seeing it as justified. He knew Hisashi never came home to visit, and didn’t condone it. Workaholic or not, not coming home once to see your family was something that Masaru couldn’t agree on. “As I was saying before, Midoriya had a bit of a breakdown in Aizawa’s apartment, and Aizawa didn’t have much trouble in getting some information out of him. He discovered some rather shocking information. Care to wager a guess at what it was?” Nedzu asked him, his polite tone dripping with hidden venom.Katsuki kept his mouth shut. With that detective around, Katsuki had to be careful with what he said and how he said it. He didn’t want to get himself into more hot water than he was already in. Better to just stay quiet.“He informed Aizawa, and later Present Mic, about your bullying of him and what you told him to do.” Nedzu revealed. Katsuki felt his blood run cold. Deku had snitched. The little shit had SNITCHED! Katsuki ignored the fact that Deku had been stressed out and in the midst of a break down. And ignored the fact that it was “Aizawa” doing the interrogation. No one in his class would be able to hold out against him. The only thing he could think was DEKU HAD SNITCHED!“Young Bakugou.” That was All Might. Katsuki would know that voice anywhere. That voice was angry. Katsuki felt royally fucked. He looked up at the man who had been silent the entire time. The man he idolized.Katsuki wishes he hadn’t looked up. All Might was glaring at him, it was almost as bad as the glare he had given the League. An All Might glare was no joking matter.“Are you aware my boy, that using your quirk against others unsolicited and without a license is against the law?” All Might asked him.Katsuki stayed silent.“Answer the question my boy.” All Might ordered.Katsuki looked at the floor and whispered “yes”.Naomasa nodded his head.All Might continued. “Are you aware that bullying others for their quirk or lack of one is discrimination? And that you can be fined for it?”“No.” Katsuki mumbled. He hadn’t thought much about his bullying Deku for being quirkless, other than making sure his teachers didn’t catch him. He hadn’t wanted to get suspended or expelled. Not that they would have done anything. He knew discrimination towards quirks was bad, but he didn’t think the law included quirkless. They weren’t really taken into account in the laws, being deemed harmless. Useless. “Young Bakugou, I would appreciate it if you would look up at me when I’m speaking to you. You may hang your head in shame once I am done.” All Might said sternly.Katsuki ground his teeth and looked up at All Might definitely. He wasn’t about to let All Might cow him. All Might looked ready to Texas Smash him out the window. Katsuki fought the urge to shrink back in his seat. He was Bakugou fucking Katsuki, no one was allowed to intimidate him.“Bakugou my boy-“Katsuki cut him off. “Stop fucking calling me “my boy”!” Katsuki screeched. “Save that shit for Deku! I don’t need it!” Katsuki hated it. Hated hearing All Might call him that with such an angry tone. On a good day that phrase pissed him off. He’d heard all Might call Deku that one too many times for it to want to hear it addressed to him.“Katsuki.” His dad said sternly. Katsuki froze. His dad was never stern. He was endlessly patient, and used soft words and tones with Katsuki and his mom. His mom was the stern one. Looking back at his dad, he could see the disappointment and betrayal in him. Katsuki whipped back around to face All Might, blinking quickly to keep the tears away. He would not cry damnit.He would get through this and deal with whatever half assed punishment they gave him. They couldn’t expel him. He hadn’t bullied anyone since coming to UA. Sure they had high standards and didn’t allow people with a record of bullying to attend, but Katsuki didn’t had a record. All the teachers had turned a blind eye to his insults and explosions. Katsuki was going to be a hero, they didn’t want to interfere with that. And if Katsuki ever decided to get physical, he made sure to do it away from their prying eyes. And it’s not like the other kids were going to say anything or stop him. Most of them were guilty too. Not that Katsuki was guilty. He was doing it for Deku’s own good. UA couldn’t do shit. They had already accepted him. Expelling him now for their slight would only bring more bad attention towards them. Not that Katsuki would attack the school. They had enough shit to deal with. And he had to stay here anyway. He, along with the rest of his classmates, were targets for the villains. He glared at All Might, he should be with Deku, not harassing Katsuki.All Might continued. “Did you know that suicide baiting is against the law?”“Yea.” Katsuki grumbled. No point in lying with detective lie detector around. Not that he would lie to begin with. He slumped in his seat slightly. Couldn’t they hurry up and get this over with.All Might crossed the room towards him, hands fisted at his sides. Katsuki flinched. All Might wouldn’t hit him, would he? The room was quiet except for All Might. “Did. You. Do. All. Of. The. Things. Mentioned. Bakugou Katsuki?” All Might spat each word at him. The raw anger flowing off of him made Katsuki want to run. To run back to his room and act like this day never happened. Like his favorite hero didn’t hate his guts.Katsuki wished the floor would open up and swallow him, being in hell had to be better than bing in this room. He was sure everyone present, maybe except his dad, wanted to kill him. Well, if he was going to hell, then he was going to take others with him. “Yea, I did! I didn’t fucking mean it! Deku knew that! I wasn’t the only one bullying the nerd either. The whole class fuckin was, hell the whole school was! Even the teachers got in on it! Or they pretended they didn’t see it. A teacher even told Deku one day that if Auntie had any sense she would have sent him away. Out of sight out of mind. That maybe with him not around her husband would come back to her. Deku was ten at the time. He spent the rest of the day hiding in the restrooms. None of the teachers even bothered to go find him.”Everyone gasped when he said that. Katsuki continued. “Deku always knew when I meant something I said or not. Freak could read me like a book.” Katsuki didn’t mention that he could read Deku just as well. “He was so obsessed with quirks, he freakin went looking for hero fights so he could take notes. Like a stalker. He thought he could be a hero. He needed the sense beat into him! He was gonna get himself killed! I HAD to teach him his place! He was a useless weakling. A Deku! If he died trying to be a hero then Auntie would be all alone.” “I thought he was looking down on me, that he thought he was better than me. That I needed saving, like I was weak. He was the weak one. He was always rushing in to help people, only to get his ass beat every time. He was a liability, I couldn’t let him tag along with me anymore, he couldn’t keep up. But he wouldn’t stop, so I couldn’t stop beating him back down! At least I taught him how to properly run away, not that he would when it mattered.”Katsuki was breathing hard, and everyone was looking at him silently. His mom recovered first, and slapped him across his face. His head reared back from the impact. He could taste blood in his mouth and a few tears slipped down his face, that he was quick to brush away. His mom never slapped him. Hit him upside the head, sure, but she had never slapped him before. All Might grabbed her before she could do it again. She was crying.“You fucking idiot!” She screamed! “That’s not how you protect someone! What gave you the right to decide his life! What made you so damned important that you thought you had to put him in his place!”Katsuki screamed back. “I fucking know that now! But this shit is all in the past! Deku and I put it behind us!”All Might handed his mom over to his dad, who had gotten up from his seat to go to his wife. They stood off to the side, his mom was holding on to his dad with her face buried in his shoulder.All Might loomed over him, and Katsuki shrunk down in his seat. “Bakugou.” Uh oh. He didn’t say young Bakugou. “You are in very serious trouble. Do you have any idea the the affect that “your” bullying personally has had on young Midoriya?”Katsuki challenged, “The nerd is fine! What can you do about something I did in the past. UA can’t do anything! I haven’t broken any rules while here! You can’t punish me for something I did a year ago at another school! And I wasn’t the only one!”“You were the main culprit! And the only one that goes to this school!” All Might roared. Katsuki flinched and the others gasped, All Might rarely yelled at villains much less a student! He dealt with things with a smile. Katsuki wanted to throw up. *Does All Might see me as worse than a villain?*“People rallied to you because of your strength and followed “your” lead.” All Might continued. “And as for if the school has the right or not, well, do you not remember at the beginning of the year how Aizawa had threatened to expel anyone who came in last place. UA prides itself in its freeform teaching, and the fact that the teachers may do whatever they see fit. That means expelling students for any reason necessary. whenever necessary. Aizawa has never needed much of a reason to expel a student. And you have given him many.”Bakugou felt his stomach drop to his feet and felt a sob escape him. They can’t expel him! They can’t! “You can’t expel me! I wont go! All I’ve ever wanted was to be a hero! And the villains have come after me once, if they find out I’ve been expelled they might do it again.” Katsuki tried to jump up, but All Might pushed him back to his seat. *Shit!* Katsuki blinked away the tears in his eyes. *NO CRYING!* “And why should Aizawa not expel you? Having such a bully who has no remorse would only disgrace the school’s name. We are not training villains! And you could always be placed in protective custody at another school.” All Might challenged.Katsuki grabbed at his hair and tugged. This couldn’t be happening! “Because I have potential! And I’m not a villain!” He yelled at them. “And I do feel fuckin remorse.” Katsuki whispered the last part.But All Might had heard him. “Care to elaborate?”Katsuki let go of his hair and shoved his hands into his pockets, he really wanted to let loose an explosion. “After I told the nerd to jump of the roof, I fuckin freaked whenever he actually was on one. I’ve fucking had nightmares about the nerd actually going through with it.” Katsuki was starting to feel exhausted. He was tired of talking, couldn’t they just lay it all on him at once so he could fight it and be done!Naomasa had been quiet for a while, but he spoke to Katsuki now. “Have you ever apologized to him?”“I don’t apologize for shit.” Katsuki said. “Besides, an apology wouldn’t make it better so why bother. Sorries don’t fix shit. And the damn nerd’s always forgiven me for everything I do anyway. I don’t wanna frickin hear him say “It’s ok Kacchan, I forgive you” with that damn bright smile. I don’t need his forgiveness. Nerd needs to learn to get pissed off more.”“I see...” Naomasa said. Really. Do you really Mr. The Lie Detector Test Has Determined That That Was A Lie. Bet the bitch ass detective’s life was like a freakin Maury show.“So what are y’all gonna do, huh? I’m getting the feeling that it’s not important to you that I never bullied anyone while here. Or that Deku and I are on better terms. So I’m guessing you all are just gonna freeform this shit and punish me anyway? Hit me with it, I hate drawing shit out.” Katsuki grumbled.“You don’t make the rules Bakugou Katsuki.” Nedzu pointed out. Katsuki had almost forgotten that he was there. Nedzu was as quiet as a mouse...“If I have to fuckin have All Might yell at me any longer then I’m going to explode in more ways than one!” Katsuki yelled, a few tears slipping down his face again. It wasn’t fair! Of all the times he had imagined and hoped of having All Might’s undivided attention on him, he never though it would be like this! It hurt! He didn’t want it. All he ever wanted was for the man to look at him with half the pride he showed Deku! All Might looked at Deku like he was the moon. A light in the darkness, something amazing and wonderful.And sure, All Might looked at Katsuki too, but like he was the sun. Squinting his eyes at him in annoyance with a frown on his face, to bright to look at directly. Complaining about him more than complimenting him. Katsuki like being a star sure, but the moon always got more attention. No one ever complained about the moon! Were always more fascinated with it, wanted to reach it. No one could get near the sun! They complained that it was too hot, too bright. Took it for granted, forgot that without it there would never be any light. That the moon couldn’t shine without it.It hurt, and he knew it was his own fault. He just didn’t know how to change it. There were more tears slipping from his eyes now. Katsuki refused to look at anyone. They could all just piss off.Nedzu nodded his head to All Might to continue. “Luckily for you, Aizawa does not intend to expel you.” All Might said. Katsuki’s head shot up at that. All Might was looking at him, he still looked angry, but his face had softened some. Katsuki didn’t know how it made him feel. What was worse, All might’s anger or his pity? Katsuki looked back down. This whole experience felt soul crushing.All Might continued. “Aizawa sees your potential, and young Midoriya pleaded your case.” He heard his mom murmur to his father that “her damn brat doesn’t deserve that sweet little cabbage”. “You will remain a student of UA, but there will be some expectations of you. Things you will have to do to get back in our good graces. Failure to follow through with any of them will result in your expulsion. You will be on a probationary period, and there “will” be punishments.”Katsuki nodded his head, but kept his eyes trained on the floor. He was so tired.All Might proceeded. “You will have a mark on your school record, marking you as a bully. You will receive a mark on your hero license. You will not be allowed to preform hero duty until it is updated. Have no fear, Endeavor has many marks on his license and is till an active hero.”That made Katsuki feel worse. Endeavor was a bastard, and he did not want to be compared to him. Not after what he had heard Todoroki say about him.“You will be suspended for two weeks.” Shiiiit! “And during that time you will be on house arrest at home with your parents.” All Might said. *Kill me now!* The hag would send him back to school in a body bag! He could feel her eyes boring into his back. Hopefully his dad still held enough love for him that he would keep his wife from completely killing him. *Masaru deal with your wife! Does she have freakin laser vision!* Katsuki felt like his back was on fire from his mother’s glare.“You will have mandatory anger management classes and will attend emotional therapy. That you are required to take until you graduate. These will be provided by the school.” You’re killing me All Might! Katsuki doesn’t do feelings! Anger yea, but now he’s gonna have to talk about how he feels? Talking about feelings! Maybe he could piss Present Mic off enough for him to burst Katsuki’s eardrums.(Across campus at Aizawa’s apartment Hizashi felt a moment of dark euphoria that he couldn’t explain.)All Might continued, oblivious to Katsuki’s internal crisis. “You will be moved to a different seat in class, away from young Midoriya. Your interactions with him will be stopped until it is deemed by a therapist that you can safely interact with him, and Midoriya personally allows you back into his life.”Katsuki could deal with that. He didn’t see the point though. They had been getting along fine since their fight. They could even have decent conversations. But whatever.“Your hero training will be put on pause while you get acclimated to your therapists, and you will not be allowed to work with Midoriya in hero training until a therapists says it is safe for you to do so.”Katsuki pulled his hands from his pockets and slammed his fists down onto the armrests of the chair. “What the Hell! I cant skip out on-“All Might brought his own fist down on Nedzu’s desk, shaking the sturdy thing. The rodent didn’t even flinch, everyone else did. “You have no choice!” All Might boomed. “You are being handed a gift! And you should take it without complaint. It is the only thing standing between you and expulsion! Be grateful! Not many people feel you deserve it!”Katsuki shut his mouth.“And finally.” All Might concluded. “Aizawa demands a hand written apology to young Midoriya.”Katsuki nodded his head and slumped back in his chair. He could do that, didn’t want to, but he could do it. He really was getting off lightly, even if everything still pissed him off.Nedzu clapped his hands together. “Very good. Now your suspension begins immediately. I had one of the teachers go and pack your bags, they are in the teacher’s lounge waiting for you.” He said to Katsuki. Turning to his parents, Nedzu adressed them. “I am terribly sorry for not informing you on our plans for your son. But being as this was all very sudden, we felt the need to act quickly. I felt that it was too chancy to let any outside parties know of the circumstances, being as both boys live in the same dorm.”Katsuki’s dad spoke up. “We understand.” At his wife’s grumble, he changed paces. “I understand. But I am curious, you want to limit my son’s interaction with Izuku. How will you do that when they live in the same dorm?”Katsuki wanted to know that too, were they kicking him out of the dorms?Nedzu smiled and nodded his head in understanding. “Yes. Aizawa felt that having them under the same roof while they were both dealing with the fall out of all this would be asking for trouble. He was also worried Midoriya’s classmates would overwhelm him. So he requested a small home be made for himself, where Midoriya and Aizawa’s foster daughter can live with him. Cementtoss and Power Loader have just finished construction of the house.”Katsuki’s mom took a step forward. “What does Inko have to say about that? About all of this?”Katsuki knew that whenever something happened with Deku or him, the women would call each other to check in. It was a old habit from when Katsuki and Deku were small and still good friends. If Aunty hadn’t called yet, that meant she didn’t know, or was just finding out like them.Nedzu shook his head, smile still in place. “I don’t know. Aizawa and Midoriya should be with Mrs. Midoriya now, having left fairly early this morning.” His mom nodded her head, she was probably going to call Aunty as soon as she could. “Well then, thank you for your time.” Nedzu said, dismissing them.As they were leaving, All Might caught him by the shoulder. Looking up he stared into his hero’s face. “Do not do this again my boy.” Katsuki flinched. “I can’t and wont forgive this a second time.”Katsuki nodded and followed behind his parents. Does that mean All Might had forgiven him.Katsuki could only hope.This was going to be a shitty two weeks. Hopefully he’d survive.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Izuku was sitting in the car, waiting, sobbing. He was a sobbing mess. Mr. Aizawa had pulled him close and held him as Izuku sobbed into the mans shirt. He faintly remembers the feeling of a strong hand running through his mop of green curls. Izuku can’t remember the last time he felt so safe, felt like he was able to just let everything out, to show his pain without it being dismissed in one way or another. He could never cry like this around his mom. She wouldn’t understand because she refused to see. Mr. Aizawa saw, and he understood. Mr. Aizawa had told him to go wait in the car. Izuku had went without question. His nerves were too shot to protest. Not that he had wanted to. His mother had been insistent that calling his father would make everything better. That his father could fix everything. How could he fix something when he was the problem. Izuku didn’t really want to admit that his mom was a part of the problem too. He didn’t want her to leave him like Hisashi had. How could she not see that Hisashi was no husband, was no FATHER! The word “father” tasted bitter in his mouth. Izuku had to swallow against the bile rising in his throat. He would not throw up in the car. He would NOT!Curling in on himself he sobbed harder, it hurt and his throat felt raw. He knew he was probably a sight to see, and was probably being very loud. He was wailing after all. But he couldn’t seem to stop, trying to hold it in only caused it to erupt from him, louder than before.He had his legs pulled all the way up to his chest, head bowed forward to press into the tops of his knees, and hands curled protectively over the top of his head. He looked very much like the picture of someone cowering in fear. And he “was’ afraid, afraid of the steely voice of his mother saying she didn’t like what UA was turning him into. Turning him into? He just knew that she was considering pulling him from the school. Every time something happened at school, she hinted that she didn’t feel safe that he was going there. “She” didn’t feel safe!*Why won’t she listen to me? Why? Why does she deny that anything’s wrong with our life? Why wont she let me make my own decisions? Why do adults think they know everything? Why do they never listen?* *Aizawa listens.*Izuku tugged at his hair. He had begged Mr. Aizawa to do something, keep her from making him speak to his father, keep her from pulling him from school, keep her from taking away his freedom. Izuku shook his head. No. He couldn’t think about her like that. She wasn’t trying to take away his freedom, she just wanted to protect him. She just was trying to protect him too much, that’s all. She was a worrier. She couldn’t help but be overprotective.But it was too much. It was too much for Izuku to deal with in that moment. He couldn’t handle her right then, he was just far too stressed. He needed Mr. Aizawa in that moment, not as a teacher, but as the pro hero that he was. Izuku needed him to be his hero. But he couldn’t for the life of him think of a way for his teacher to do that. He didn’t know how his teacher could save him, Mr. Aizawa didn’t know what he needed saving from. So what could the man even do? And that scared him more. Not knowing if his teacher was going to even be able to help him, was terrifying. If Mr. Aizawa failed, then there was no way his mom would let him go back to school. Not after the show he had just put on.Time seemed to shut down for Izuku. His panic clouding his perception of time. How long had he been waiting on Mr. Aizawa? Three minutes? Ten? An hour? He didn’t know! Izuku couldn’t even remember making his way to the car and getting in! He had been so distraught at the time. He really hoped that he had gotten in the right car. Was he in the right car? Had there even been any other cars around? He couldn’t remember. Where was Mr. Aizawa? What was taking so long? What could they be talking about? Izuku wanted to look up and check, see if he saw any sign of his teacher approaching, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t find the strength or the courage to look up. What if he did and Mr. Aizawa wasn’t there.What if he did and saw his mom. He didn’t want to see his mom. He closed his eyes tightly. He felt so guilty for thinking that. *What kind of son doesn’t want to see his mom?!*He wanted Mr. Aizawa.Where was Mr. Aizawa.Izuku dug his fingernails into his scalp in frustration. *What is wrong with me! I can’t even be by myself for a few minutes without needing my teacher to hold my hand!* Izuku sobbed harder. *Stupid worthless Deku!* Izuku thought bitterly.*Should have kept my mouth shut and just talked to the bastard. Shouldn’t have yelled. Shouldn’t have caused a scene. Should have just went along with her. Stupid. Worthless. Deku.*Izuku’s sobbing was becoming more erratic, he was sure he was close to hyperventilating, but couldn’t figure out how to make it stop. He could faintly remember the breathing technique that Mr. Aizawa had done with him, but he couldn’t focus long enough to recollect it. He couln’t focus at all. His internal self deprecating screaming drowning out everything. His only focus was his anxiety. And that wasn’t good.*Where is he! I need help. I-I need- I need him!* Izuku wanted to get up, to leave the car and find his teacher, but he just couldn’t. He was so tightly locked into his panic attack that he couldn’t move. He couldn’t move! *Good* His depression whispered in his ear, sounding very much like himself. *You would only be bothering him. He’s probably getting sick of your pathetic crying.*It was getting harder for Izuku to breath, and no matter how hard he tried to take deep breaths, he just couldn’t. His breaths coming in short gasps when the snot and saliva wasn’t choking him. He wiped his face on the shoulder of his shirt. It helped some, but the tears wouldn’t stop and soon his cheeks were soaked again. *My chest hurts! Why does my chest hurt?* Izuku pulled his hands from his head and pressed them to his chest, he could feel how fast his heart was beating. It felt too fast. Slamming against his sternum like it was trying to escape. There was something making sounds, but he couldn’t focus enough to listen. He couldn’t hear properly, it was like he was under water. And he was cold. So cold! Cold and numb. He couldn’t feel his fingers or his face. He couldn’t feel anything!*It hurts!* Izuku sobbed, he couldn’t catch his breath. He tried, but it wasn’t working. He could feel the oxygen leading his lungs, but he couldn’t figure out how to get it back in. His throat felt tight. *I’m dying! Oh God! I’m dying! Where is he?! Where is Aizawa! I’m going to die alone! I’m going to die ‘alone’!* Izuku pulled at the collar of his shirt around his neck. As if the fabric was the reason he couldn’t breath.He couldn’t breath! *Good* The dark depressing Izuku thought. Another wail ripped through him. *I can’t breath. I can’t breath!*Izuku knew, in the back of his mind, that he was having a panic attack. That it was the reason he couldn’t breath. He remembers having them as a child, after he had been diagnosed as quirkless. But he had never had one this bad. It didn’t feel like an attack. It felt like death was gripping his heart and trying to rip it out. Izuku felt like he was dying and his mind screamed at him that he was. Even if he knew better. Fear overruled logic.*Why does everything always happen to me! What did I do to deserve this! Did I kick a puppy in my past life? How much can one person take?!**I can’t take this!*Izuku wanted to scream. But his fear of drawing attention to himself was too great, so he clamped his mouth shut. Its not like he could breath properly anyway at the moment.*If I make a scene it will embarrass Mr. Aizawa. Then he’ll leave me too. I don’t want him to leave me! I...I don’t... I don’t want that.* Izuku’s thoughts were growing sluggish and foggy. He was so upset and afraid. He was so tired. So very tired. Izuku’s whole body shook, multiple times. *I’m so worthless! Can’t even go a day without falling apart! I should just give up.*Izuku’s body shook again.*Aizawa... Where is he?... I need him... I need-* ~ Shouta finished descending the staircase and made his way to the car. He was ready to get back to UA, back to his apartment where he could keep Izuku safe. He looked towards the car, he could see Izuku curled in on himself in the front passenger seat, and as he got closer he could hear muffled sobs. It broke Shouta’s heart.Shouta got in the drivers side and turned his body to face Izuku, he had to get the boy to calm down before they could leave. He couldn’t just drive off while the boy fell apart in the passenger seat. There was no way he could or would ignore the distraught boy... who was hyperventilating.*I was only away from him for six minutes. How long has he been like this?* Shouta thought to himself.Izuku had his face pressed into his knees with his hands pressed to his chest, breathing in fast short gasps between sobs. It hurt to hear those sobs, the boy hadn’t cried this hard through any of the previous stresses. His mother had broken him.“Izuku.” Shouta called out in a firm voice to try and draw the boy’s attention to him. Nothing. No acknowledgement that he had heard Shouta. Shouta reached out and placed his hand firmly on Izuku’s shoulder and tried again. “Izuku, I need you to focus on my voice. I need you to-““It hurts.” Izuku whimpered between sobs. Shouta paused to see if the boy would continue, but Izuku must not have realized he had said anything. He didn’t seem to realize Shouta was even in the car with him. The boy was trying and failing to catch his breath, pulling at the collar of his shirt.Shouta tried to pull the boy out of his cramped position, trying to push his legs back into the floorboard and straighten his torso out, but the boy was so stiffly locked in place that Shouta couldn’t budge him. “Izuku.” Shouta called out again, a little bit louder. The volume of his own voice in the closed in space of the car made his ears ring.“Aizawa.” Izuku gasped out. Shouta couldn’t tell if the boy realized he was there, or was just calling out for him in desperation. The latter was confirmed when Izuku wailed out about dying alone. The poor child thought he was dying! Dying alone and wanting Shouta to be there for him. Shouta was there, but he couldn’t get the boy to calm down and realize it. “Can’t breath.” Izuku whimpered out.Shouta moved to where he was straddling the center console, his back facing the windshield. Reaching out he cupped Izuku’s face in both of his hands, turning the boy’s face towards him. Izuku had his eyes closed tightly. His face was streaked with tears. “Izuku!” Shouta almost shouted. He tried to force Izuku’s eyes open, but the boy refused, struggling to hide his face back in his knees. He clearly had no clue what was going on around him. Completely lost in his panic.Izuku started to let out a loud wail, but stopped suddenly. Mouth clamping shut tightly to cut off the sound. Shouta had hoped that if Izuku was aware enough to quieten himself from his loud wails, then maybe Shouta’s attempts at gaining Izuku’s attention were working. That was his line of thought until he saw Izuku’s lips turning blue!*Shit!*He was holding his breath! Probably not on purpose, just trying to keep quiet. The fact that his breathing had already been labored did not help the situation. Shouta needed to work quickly. Needed to figure out what to do for someone who was holding their breath.“Breath problem child!” Shouta growled out, pulling Izuku forward and slamming the palm of his hand on Izuku’s back. The force made the boy rock forward. Shouta had hoped that it would make the boy gasp for air. It didn’t work. His lips were quickly turning an even darker shade of blue and his face was turning from bright red to purple. Shouta slammed his palm on his back twice more. Nothing.Shouta grabbed Izuku’s jaw and suck his thumbs in the boys mouth to try and pry it open, but his teeth were firmly locked in place. Shouta was growing desperate and Izuku’s struggles weren’t helping. The boy was close to passing out and Shouta was desperate to get him to breath. Shouta placed his hand over Izuku’s mouth firmly to seal his lips closed, and tilted the boy’s head back forcefully with his other hand fisted in his curls. Leaning forward and taking a deep breath, Shouta placed his mouth over the boy’s nose and blew all the air in his own lungs down Izuku’s airway.He felt Izuku’s cheeks puff out from the air, and tightened his hold over the boy’s mouth to keep the air from escaping. Izuku tried to push him away, but his struggles were weak. Leaning back he saw the boy’s lips were still blue and his face was still purple. He wasn’t breathing still. Taking another deep breath Shouta started to repeat the process. Shouta was blowing more air into Izuku’s lungs when he felt the boy go lax in his grip.He had passed out.*Fuck.*Shouta reached around Izuku and pulled the lever to recline the seat. Izuku’s lips were still blue and face still purple, but he was relaxed from being unconscious. That made things easier for Shouta, though he would have preferred Izuku being conscious and breathing on his own.Prying Izuku’s mouth open, *Finally* Shouta pinched the boy’s nose closed and covered Izuku’s mouth with his own, breathing a deep lungful of air into the oxygen deprived lungs. He repeated this a few more times, reveling in how the blue faded away and Izuku’s normal color (although slightly pale now) started to return.Shouta nearly cried with relief when he felt Izuku start to breath on his own again, no longer needing him to do it for him. Most people who passed out from holding their breath for too long tended to start to breathing on their own once they passed out, the body naturally knowing what to do. Only some needed help jumpstarting their breathing, the body needing reminding of what it was supposed to be doing.Izuku had needed that jumpstart.Shouta brushed sweaty curls from Izuku’s face and wiped away the tears that clung to the boys eyelashes and face. He took in a moment to just look at the unconscious boys face. Reassuring himself that Izuku was breathing now, and was going to be fine.Izuku was going to be fine now.Shouta shakily crawled back over the console and into the drivers seat. Leaning forward and pressing his face to the steering wheel, Shouta took a few deep breaths to calm himself and slow his heart rate. Seeing his students battle villains was awful, but he knew how capable they were and was there to throw himself between them if need be. But seeing his student battle himself for air, and loosing that battle... that was a different awful. Shouta couldn’t throw himself in front of that. That wasn’t an enemy he could fight. And it hurt.Shouta had been unable to get between Izuku and Izuku’s own panic. Wasn’t able to protect him from whatever demons the boy had been fighting “alone” in the car. Shouta felt like a failure. He knew that he had done all that he could do in the small car and in the short amount of time that Izuku’s panic had spiraled out of control. He got Izuku breathing again. That was what was important. He had gotten Izuku away from his mother. That was also important.Things might be hard now, and Izuku was going to fall apart again when he woke up; but he knew that in the long run, things would get better. That while he didn’t feel that “in this moment” that he had helped Izuku all that much, he knew deep down that that wasn’t true.Izuku was going to be getting the help he needed, and in a healthy environment, with Shouta to look over him.Shouta knew Izuku was out of danger, he was breathing and was just unconscious. He decided to leave the boy unconscious, trying to smack him awake wasn’t a good idea. Sure he could try a sternum rub, those things were painful and would probably wake the boy up... but then what? Would he throw himself into another fit? Would he ask questions while Shouta drove to school? Would he freak out in the car if Shouta answered them? Would he freak if Shouta didn’t? It was probably best if the boy stayed unconscious until they got back to school. A good long nap wouldn’t hurt him. Wasn’t the first time the kid had lost consciousness and wouldn’t be the last. It wouldn’t hurt him to remain that way for a while.Shouta started the car and pulled away from the apartment, heading back to the school. He didn’t care if he never had to go back to that damned apartment again. He really didn’t want Izuku going back, at least not any time soon. Shouta pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Recovery Girl, switching the phone to speaker before placing it on the phone clip on the dash. The phone rang a couple times before the call connected and the youthful heroine answered.‘Aizawa? What can I do for you?’ Shuuzenji asked on the other line. Shouta sighed. “Can you set up a private room at the school for Izuku?”There was silence on the other end for a moment before Shuuzenji said harshly, ‘Shouta.’ Shouta flinched. *First name, uh oh.* A pissed Recovery Girl was never a good thing. Shouta couldn’t fathom how All Might could deal with being on her bad side all the time. The one time he had gotten on it when he was a student was enough for him. (He had gotten rope burns on his neck and hands while learning to use his capture weapon, and had tried treating it himself, determined to build a resistance to the friction the “scarf” caused. Bad decision. Nobody hides injuries from RG and gets away with it.) A pissed recovery girl was not to be trifled with.That’s why he made sure to keep his students in as best condition as he could (or as best condition as he could keep troublesome heroes in training in). Go Plus Ultra! Go beyond Plus Ultra! Just don’t go so far that he has to send you to Recovery Girl in a bucket. He likes to keep trips to the infirmary to a minimum with injuries being a minimum. And tries to avoid repeat visits like the plague. Which is why he tried to keep Izuku from breaking his bones as much as possible. He couldn’t be blamed for what Izuku did when he was out of Shouta’s reach. He couldn’t! Its one of the reasons he himself avoids going to her unless absolutely necessary. Better to recover slowly in the safety of his home and avoid any scoldings. He didn’t hide injuries from her, he knew better. He always told her if he was hurt, but never told her how he was hurt. Just said he would rather heal on his own, build resistance. He also didn’t want to rely on her quirk too much. As much as he hated thinking about it, Shuuzenji wasn’t young anymore and one day wouldn’t be around to take care of him. It was best to heal naturally and only rely on her if absolutely necessary.Thankfully she understood his reasons. Shouta started to cover his tracks quickly to avoid an angry Recovery Girl, he hadn’t done anything wrong, but that never mattered to Shuuzenji. She would rip you a new one just because she could.“Let me explain.” Shouta said calmly, no need to let her know that she unnerved him, or that he was already beyond stressed and anxious. “The meeting with Mrs. Midoriya went terribly. I’ll explain that later once we are back on school grounds.” Shouta heard her mutter ‘you had better’.“I had Izuku return to the car and wait for me after he got in an argument with his mother. She was upsetting him, and I thought it would be better to address her without him present. I was only away from him for five or six minutes at the most, but in the time that I was away from him, Izuku had managed to work himself into a panic attack.”Shouta paused to let her process the fact that his mother upsetting him had led to the panic attack. He switched lanes, speeding up to bypass a slower car before switching back to his original lane. Shouta wishes he had reassured the boy in some way before sending him to the car, then maybe it would have staved off the panic attack. Maybe. Or maybe not. The kid was a worrier and probably would have had one anyway. Leaving Izuku alone with his thoughts had been a bad idea. But he didn’t want him around his mother any longer, especially when he was taking custody from her.Shouta should have just snatched him and left the apartment without a word when shit hit the fan. Should have just left and let Nedzu deal with Izuku’s mother and the fallout that stealing him would have caused. He would rather deal with kidnapping charges any day than have to deal with what he had just gone through.‘Continue.’ She said after she had given some thought to what he had said. She always preferred to get important info out of the way before voicing her opinions.Shouta let go of the steering wheel with one hand to scratch at the stubble on his cheek before gripping the wheel again. She wasn’t going to like this part. “He was having such an awful attack, he wasn’t even aware I was there. Nothing I did would snap him out of it.” Shouta had been hesitant to slap Izuku, worrying that doing so would have negative repercussions. But maybe he should have. *Should have’s are pointless, don’t focus on them.*“He was hyperventilating. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before from him, but he was so out of it I couldn’t get him to regulate his breathing. Then he started to hold his breath. I think he was trying to keep from making too much noise, but he wound up holding his breath in the process.”Shouta looked at the boy in question, sleeping soundly in the reclined passenger seat. He reached over to quickly brush his knuckles across Izuku’s cheek. He just couldn’t help from reaching out to confirm that the child was there with him and safe, seeing just wasn’t enough. Shouta turned away and ignored the part of his brain possessively growling “my kid”.Izuku was not his kid.“And one thing led to another and he wound up passing out from lack of oxygen. I was able to get him back to breathing on his own, but he’s still unconscious. Though I think its more out of exhaustion and the need to sleep and recharge his brain than anything else. I’m hesitant to try and wake him up until we are safely back at the school. But that’s the gist of things.”He heard Shuuzenji sigh on the other end of the line and tisked, ‘That boy. I don’t know what I’m going to do with him.’ Shouta could hear the fondness in her voice. ‘I’ll set up patient room C for him. Bring him right back when you get here, no dawdling. And I wan’t to know exactly what happened today.’“I appreciate it Shuuzenji, and of course.” Shouta was about to hang up when he thought to add something else. “Would it be possible for you to keep the others away. Specifically All Might and Nedzu.”She hummed in thought before replying, ‘I don’t see why not, but I would like to know why?’“Because they will wan’t to question me about what happened extensively. Especially All Might. I plan to let Nedzu and you know what happened, but I’m in no mood to be interrogated. And I wan’t Izuku to be left alone. I have somethings now that I have to tell him, and he’s probably not going to take it well. Having others around might make it harder. He tries to put on a brave face for others and I don’t want that.”*The kid will probably fall apart all over again.* “He needs time to recover and process things, and he shouldn’t have to deal with All Might’s extraness.” *I really wan’t to know what’s going on with him and All Might! But not now. Priorities Shouta. Priorities.*Shuuzenji snorted. ‘Yes I understand, Toshinori can be a bit of an overgrown child. I’ll keep everyone away from you and the sweet heart. If you wan’t you can pass on any info you think Nedzu needs to know right away, and I’ll deliver it myself. That way you won’t have to deal with anyone and can recove yourself.’“Recover myself?” Shouta questioned, frowning. Nothing had happened to him.Recovery Girl scoffed at him. ‘Aizawa Shouta, I have known you since you were a student at this school. I have seen how far you are willing to go for your students, you are practically a father to each of them. You-‘ “I am not their father.” Shouta interrupted. That was illogical. He took care of them like any other teacher would. It wasn’t anything special. He only did what was necessary. ‘Deary, I don’t know any other teacher who would get out in the middle of the night just to buy tampons for a student, because nobody else had any pads or had the brand or size of tampons they used; and they didn’t wan’t to use the flimsy pads that the infirmary keeps on hand. If that’s not a dad move, then I don’t know what is.’Shouta rolled his eyes, he had no problem going out to buy pads in the middle of the night. They were necessary. He’s done it for Nemuri many times over the years. And the pads that the government stocked school infirmaries with were no better than a few sheets of paper towels. It made more sense to go out and get the appropriate ones, even if it was the middle of the night.“It was the logical choice.” Shouta rebutted. He heard Shuuzenji snicker. ‘Dear, you had to go four bus stops over to find an all night convenience store just to find them.’“It was necessary.”‘Was buying a small tub of chocolate ice cream and her favorite chips also necessary?’*Damn this woman.*Shouta just grunted. He wasn’t going to argue about how making sure the student was comfortable was necessary. It’s not like she could help having a period. Why should he let her feel any more discomfort over something she had no control over. Like Nemuri says, “It’s not like girls ask to get punished for not getting pregnant.”According to her, girls bodies get all ready for a baby. Make everything nice for when a baby comes, only to throw a bitch fit when it doesn’t happen and tear everything to pieces.The least Shouta could do was spoil his female students a little when that happened. ‘Aizawa, you care for your students almost as much as their families do. So I know for a fact that you are hurting for Midoriya. I can only imagine how much this scared you.’ Shuuzenji finished.Shouta was pouting, she couldn’t see it, but he was. Scowling with his bottom lip stuck out, a bad habit of his. He hadn’t realized he had been that obvious about his affection for his students. Did the other teacher’s know? Did loud mouth gossip central Present Mic know? He’d never hear the end of this. Did the students know? They would make him suffer for all eternity if they knew. He was going to have to expel somebody just to get his reputation back.He cast a quick glance at Izuku again, the boy who was going to be living with him indefinitely now. Two people, he was going to have to expel two people... maybe three to get his reputation back. Screw it he would expel the whole class if they opened their mouths.“Are you finished knocking me off my pedestal of bad assery, or would you like to add more?” Shouta snapped.‘I’ve heard students whispering the name Dadzawa recently.’ She said quickly before hanging up on him.Oh! Hell! No!Shouta strongly considered swinging by UA just to snatch Eri and make a getaway to the airport and flee the country with her and problem child. Because he could not deal with this. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Whose got time for that? Not Shouta!He was going to kill Hizashi.Because this had to be Hizashi’s doing. He was the only one with the balls to do something like this.He was going to kill Hizashi. He was going to kill Hizashi with bugs! Then he would flee Japan with his two kids- one kid! One kid and tag along problem magnet teenager.Shouta needed a nap. And alcohol. He needed an alcohol induced nap.The rest of the drive to the school was uneventful and silent. Shouta was silently fuming and plotting so many murders. If someone with a mind reading quirk read his mind right now it would probably result in having his hero license revoked and possibly being thrown in jail. His planning was that detailed and graphic. He wouldn’t actually do any of them, but he could dream right? Right!?Shouta pulled into the school and quickly parked near the infirmary. Getting out he made his way over to the passenger side as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself. He didn’t think any of the students would be loitering around here on a Saturday, but he didn’t think Iida would have been up so early this morning either. So Shouta worked nimbly, getting Izuku out of the car and carrying him bridal stile into the school to the designated room. He glanced around intermediately, checking that no mosey students were around.Shouta couldn’t get over how heavy this kid was. He was nothing but pure muscle, except for the baby fat that still clung to his face. Maybe he should have the students practice carrying each other. You never know when you might have to carry someone like a bride across the threshold, and it seemed Shouta was making a habit of it.Once in the room and away from any curious eyes, Shouta slowed himself to relax. Slowly walking over to the bed where Recovery Girl was waiting and laying Izuku down. She got to work immediately, checking him over and making sure all his vitals were fine. When she was done she leaned over and kissed his forehead.Shouta raised his eyebrow at her. He had seen the vitals, and they were fine. There was nothing for her quirk to fix, so the kiss would have no effect at all.“Not using my quirk, just thought the deary needed a kiss. That’s all.” Shuuzenji said while tucking Izuku under the thin hospital regulated sheets.Shouta nodded his head in understanding. Forehead kisses were like magic. Even Shouta, Mr. Logical could admit that. Every time he visits Hizashi’s parents, Mrs. Yamada (Haru as he calls her now) kisses him on his forehead. The first time she had done it, if felt as if everything was right in the world, he felt safe and loved in a way he wasn’t used to. Thirty one years old and he still felt the same whenever she kisses his head, though he has to bend down for her to do so now. So yea, there was magic behind a loving forehead kiss.Shuuzenji walked over to one of the chairs at the back wall that had a large window that thankfully had the shades drawn, and patted the chair next to her. Once Shouta was seated beside her, she looked at him expectantly. So Shouta made his way over and sat down, spilling the mornings events to her. Detailing how Izuku’s mother treated him before he manifested his quirk, how she couldn’t seem to break the habit of treating him like an infant even though he had a quirk. Even though he was sixteen years old and had his hero professional license.Shuuzenji scowled at this, she was an avid protester of quirk discrimination. No one should be defined by their quirk or lack of one. She was able to become a rescue hero with her quirk. People tended to forget that that meant that she had to train just like everyone else in the hero course and take all the same tests. How anyone didn’t realize what a bad ass Recovery Girl was/is was beyond him. He told her of how she had no clue that Izuku was being bullied (he didn’t know how she had missed that when she said it herself that the other boy’s were too rough and that Izuku was “accident prone”, that just screamed “bullied” to Shouta), but that she didn’t hesitate in accepting it, and was very upset that her son had gone through that. As she should be. But when it came to confronting her about her husband, she refused to accept the man as anything less than perfect. How she wanted to force Izuku to see her husband as she saw him. Wanted to force them to have a happy relationship, even if it wasn’t.He told her how he had taken custody of Izuku away from his mother. Shuuzenji nodded and said, “Well his mother has clearly made these delusions to deal with the pain of having an absent husband. She’s in denial. Very much so. She needs therapy just like Izuku.” She looked over at the boy sleeping peacefully before looking back at Shouta. “By the way I have Izuku’s therapists lined up and they are ready to meet him when you see fit. But I think you did the right thing in removing him. It isn’t healthy, and he can’t heal with her oppressing him. He needs to heal and she needs to heal, but separately.”Shouta nodded his head. He would get an appointment for Izuku once everything was settled. No need to rush things. Izuku probably had had enough of being rushed and pulled in every direction. He’d let him get acclimated to his new life before adding anything else new.Shouta continued telling her everything and explaining in more detail Izuku’s panic attack and the steps he took to prevent Izuku from passing out, although he had failed. How the attack had escalated so quickly that Shouta was left scrambling to react. Not something he was proud of.The youthful heroine patted his knee absentmindedly while she thought. “You did what you could in the situation you were in. Getting someone who is holding their breath to breath again against their will is a lot harder than normal mouth to mouth resuscitation. Although keep in mind if this ever happens again, not that I think it will, but if it does you should get him out of the car first.”“With a normal panic attack, you can stay in the car with him. It’s a bit safer that way, keeps him from trying to run away in his panic. But when his breathing is that compromised, getting him out of the car and in a more stretched out or upright position is important. I’m glad you didn’t slap him, with him being that unaware of his surroundings a slap could trigger fight or flight. And with as strong as he is, neither option would be safe, especially since your time limit on how long you can hold your quirk has shortened. I doubt you would have been able to get him under control before you had to blink.”Shouta nodded his head. “I thought the same thing. I just wish he hadn’t passed out.” Shouta mumbled, crossing his arms in agitation.“I know.” She said, giving his knee a gentle squeeze. “But you can’t help what you can’t help. He wasn’t making things easy for you. And while it’s not my professional opinion, I think passing out was the best thing for him. He was too stressed and most likely wouldn’t have calmed down any time soon, and you weren’t in the best position to comfort him and get him back to the school. This is just the rest and restart that his brain needed.”Shouta hummed. He didn’t feel she was entirely right, he felt like he should have done more. She seemed to sense that and got up after giving his knee one last pat. “Don’t fret about it sweetie. I’ll leave you two alone. Get some rest too.” She left the room, closing the door softly behind her.Shouta got up and moved his chair over to the bed and sat back down. Izuku seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but Shouta couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under his eyes that were no doubt from lack of sleep, stress, and excessive crying. His face was still blotchy and tear stained from crying earlier.Sighing, Shouta got up and made his way to the bathroom. He grabbed a handful of napkins before running them under the faucet, wetting them with cool water and ringing them out until they were only slightly damp. Once finished he returned to his chair and set to work gently wiping Izuku’s face.He hadn’t intended to wake the boy, but the cold of the napkins must have been enough to rouse him back to consciousness. Shouta was just dragging the napkins across Izuku’s face when the boy’s eyes fluttered and slowly opened. Shouta stilled his hand, not wanting to do anything to wake the boy up even more in case he would rather stay asleep a while longer.Izuku seemed to struggle for a moment to focus his eyes, but when he did they locked on to Shouta. He seemed confused for a moment before his earlier panic started to rise. Shouta could see the panic in his eyes and began to rise from his seat, but before he could say or do anything Izuku had bolted upright and threw himself into Shouta’s arms.The impact sent Shouta back in his seat hard, Izuku mostly coming along with him. The boy was half laying on the bed and half in Shout’s arms. Izuku had his arms around Shouta in a death grip and his face pressed into the crook of his neck. He was crying again.*This kid is going to be the death of me.* He thought as he pulled Izuku the rest of the way off the bed and all the way onto his lap. Like how he would hold Eri when she was upset. He wrapped his arms around Izuku, rubbing his back and whispering reassuring words to him. “I’m here. You’re not alone. I won’t leave you. Cry all you want.”The last part made the boy cry harder. Shouta let him cry. He wasn’t hyperventilating, if anything he seemed to be crying out of relief that Shouta was there. Remembering how Izuku had called out for him, how scared he seemed to be that Shouta wasn’t there to help him. Even though Shouta had been. But he knew Shouta was here now, and wasn’t going to let him go.They sat like that for a while until Izuku’s crying had subsided and the room was quiet once again except for their breathing. After a few more minutes Shouta asked, “You awake kid?”He felt Izuku nod his head against his neck, Izuku’s curls tickling his jaw and cheek. “I know you probably don’t feel like talking anymore.” Shouta began. He could feel Izuku nod his head. Shouta patted him on the back. He felt Izuku move to get up, probably to protest and ask if they had to do this now. Or maybe his embarrassment over being held like a child was taking over.Shouta tightened his grip around Izuku’s waist, holding him firmly against his chest. “No escaping brat I wasn’t finished.” Shouta chuckled. “You’ll probably end up back on my lap anyway, so just chill here for now.” Izuku groaned in embarrassment and Shouta just patted his back again. “This obviously makes you feel better, don’t deny it. And apparently I’m getting used to this because it’s making me feel better too. Holding you close enough that I can feel that you’re okay, that you’re safe.” Being able to feel Izuku breath was easing the earlier stress of seeing Izuku not breath. They could both cuddle in embarrassment. No shame here. We die like awkward idiots.Izuku settled back down tucking his face back into Shouta’s neck. Shouta could feel the heat coming from Izuku’s face and knew the boy was blushing. *Honestly this kid has cried on me a hundred and fifty million times. I’ve held him sixty-three-fifty-million times. And carried him bridal style more times than most brides get carried. And he still has the nerve to blush!* As Hizashi would say “son, we’s family now. Deal wit it!”Shouta continued. “As I was trying to say earlier before you tried to escape my loving and caring affection.” Shouta deadpanned. Nemuri called it his flat and emotionless voice his “dead” voice, because he sounded like he was dead inside. Izuku snorted. *Ah! Someone who appreciates my humor.*“I was trying to tell you that you don’t have to talk, I just need you to listen.” Shouta waited, and Izuku nodded his head for him to continue. “Let’s start with you having a panic attack in the car and passing out.” Shouta suggested. Izuku nodded his head, so Shouta told him about how he found him in the car. How Izuku didn’t realize he was there, and Shouta’s attempts at getting Izuku to breath again after he had passed out.Shouta had expected Izuku to begin apologizing for the attack, something he had no control over. Or to even ask if he was ok and if there was any damage from holding his breath until he passed out. What he did not expect was Izuku covering his face in his hands and groaning, “I can’t believe my first kiss was with my male teacher!”*What?*It took all of Shouta’s self control not to dump Izuku right on the floor and leave to hunt down the devil and slap the creature for putting him in this hell on earth. Shouta used every ounce of self control and patience he had, and probably borrowed some from the other teachers at the school too. That’s the only explanation for how he didn’t just ruin all the hard work he put into getting Izuku to trust him by body slamming the poor boy into the floor.Embarrassment was a bitch he didn’t like to deal with, especially considering Shouta rarely got embarrassed. And that had surprised Shouta enough to embarrass him. Shouta kept his self control and did. not. drop. Izuku.There is no earthly explanation for what Shouta responded with. Other than that Shouta was a little shit, was exhausted past reason (something that removed his brain to mouth filter), and wanted to get Izuku back for the embarrassment that had just came out of the boy’s mouth. He could have told the boy that it didn’t count. That Shouta had been merely breathing for him. That he was unconscious and that Shouta was just BREATHING for him. That would have been the logical thing to say. But Shouta threw logic right out the window and instead relied with, “Don’t let Mrs. Joke know, you’ll have to fight her for me.”Izuku froze. Embarrassment forgotten. Izuku exp. has stopped working.Smooth Shouta. Real fucking smooth. You broke the problem child. Even more!Shouta was just starting to get worried about causing irreversible damage when Izuku burst out giggling. He doubled over across Shouta until his head was pressed to the chair’s armrest. Laughing so hard that he was wheezing.Shouta kept his face stoic, but was internally rejoicing at hearing Izuku laugh such a heartfelt laugh. It was music to his ears. Not that anyone needed to know that. He would die before he let anyone know just how much that laughter meant to him after nearly two days of the kid crying.Shouta was also not secretly a marshmallow on the inside. He wasn’t. He was a badass extraordinaire with very few emotions. And those emotions were badass.Sighing Shouta remarked. “Tone it down kid. You don’t want to go for passing out round two. Recovery Girl might kill both of us if that happens.”That sobered Izuku right up. Nothing like a cold dose of fear of Recovery Girl’s wrath to stop a giggling fit.Once Izuku was good and calmed down he sat up and looked at Shouta expectantly, probably waiting for Shouta to tell him what had transpired while he was in the car. His face was red from all his laughing and he was staring at Shouta intently. Shouta couldn’t help but poke more fun at the boy considering they were going to have some heavy things to discuss soon. Best to have some fun for the moment was ruined. Shouta raised his eyebrows at Izuku and cocked his head to the side. “What are you straining at me so hard for? Ready to kiss me again so soon?” Shouta couldn’t help attack Izuku’s earlier embarrassment. Like he said earlier, when he was tired his filter disappeared. Thats why he was joking so openly with Izuku. He had caught Shouta off guard with his statement and had slightly embarrassed Shouta himself. No need to point out to the kid that mouth to mouth wasn’t a kiss and that the only person Shouta had ever kissed was Nemuri, and that had been on a dare. Nobody needed to know that. Shouta hated that he knew that.So why not tease the hell out of the kid. Most people didn’t know, but Shouta actually could make jokes. But because of his seriousness, it tended to go over their heads, or came off as him actually being mean. Oh well, his friends knew he was funny. Apparently Izuku was secretly a little shit too, he got an evil glint in his eye, and with a smug face he looked at Shouta and said saucily, “You know it.”Shouta was not expecting that, and did dump Izuku on the floor that time. Izuku hit the floor with a smack and looked at Shouta with a stunned face which quickly turned mischievous at the sight of his teacher’s wide eyes and blush. Damn that sassy kid and his quick wit. He’d managed to embarrass Shouta again! Shouta snorted, trying to hide his embarrassment, “You got me kid. You win.”Izuku sat up on the floor and laughed. Shouta helped Izuku to his feet and motioned for him to sit down on the bed. Izuku could tell the conversation was turning serious and he wished he could joke around with his teacher some more, but all good things must come to and end.“Izuku,” Shouta began. “When I sent you out to the car, I had a bit of a one sided discussion with your mom.” Shouta rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t know how to say this, how to you tell a kid you’re taking them away from their mom.Sniffling drew his attention, Izuku was crying again, probably afraid of what Shouta was going to tell him. Shouta didn’t reach out to him, he would probably turn against Shouta when he found out that his life was going to be turned upside down more than it already was.Shouta started to explain when Izuku interrupted him. Kid was good a doing that. “She’s pulling me from UA isn’t she?”“No kid. She’s not pulling you from UA.” Izuku looked at him in shock which slowly turned to hope.“She’s not?” Izuku whispered, as if he asked it too loud his hope would be snatched away.Shouta shook his head. Here comes the hard part. “She’s not. I’m pulling you from her.” Izuku stared at Shouta for a long time before he whimpered, “I don’t understand.”Shouta rubbed at his face. “Look kid, I’ll be blunt. The way your mom has treated you was not healthy for you. She loves you that’s true, but the way she treated you for being quirkless was not healthy. Your just as capable as any quirked person and you shouldn’t have been treated like you weren’t. Even now that you do have a quirk she wants to baby you.”“Although I’m not entirely convinced you are telling me the truth about how your quirk manifested or how All Might fits into this. I still trust you. I know you wouldn’t lie for just any reason. All Might probably told you to lie, he probably didn’t know how much you suck at lying though. And while I really want to know what’s going on with that, I’ll respect your secret for now. Though I feel I’ve earned your trust enough to a least get a half truth or a hint. But that’s not important now.”“The fact is your mom needs help, you know her delusions aren’t healthy. It’s not healthy to force them on you either. So until she gets help and makes the appropriate choices to getting better and proves that she is mentally stable enough to take care of you, you will be my problem. You won’t be able to see your mom for a while, or talk to her. You will be in my custody and staying with me here at school like Eri wants. I also feel there’s more that you aren’t telling me regarding your mom, and from what I’ve seen, I think I might know what it is. It’s important for you to confirm my suspicions, but I wont push you for now. There’s time for that, we will be around each other a lot more from now on.” Shouta paused, his confidence wavering slightly.“Unless you resent me too much right now for taking you away from you mom, I know how much you love her and how much she means to you, so you might not want to stay with me. I’ll understand if that’s the case, and will see if one of the other teachers will take you. Hizashi would probably love to have you living with him. And I can try and get Eri to understand. She’ll be sad, but what’s important is that “you” are comfortable where you are living.” Shouta wasn’t looking at Izuku anymore but down at his feet.He didn’t want to see Izuku looking at him with anger or hate. Sure he’s had plenty of students look at him that way over the years, but it would hurt to see Izuku looking at him like that.Eri was going to be crushed if Izuku chose not to live with them. Shouta had even been looking forward to it too, wanting to help Izuku’s confidence in himself grow more. Shouta had secretly been hoping to somewhat fill the roll that Izuku’s father had abandoned. He couldn’t deny the fact that he wanted to be the one to show Izuku what a father was supposed to be like. To help further mold Izuku into the young man he was becoming.“I’ll don’t resent you Mr. Aizawa.” Izuku whispered.Shouta looked up in surprise. He was sure Izuku would be angry, would be hurt. Would want nothing more to do with him. Izuku had a sad smile but his eyes held a fire within them. A determination that surprised Shouta.“You don’t?” Shouta asked dumbly.Izuku shook his head. His smile left his face, but he still held the determination in his eyes. “You’ve been more of a father figure to me than my own father has ever been. You are like that with everyone, I know, but it’s always meant a lot to me. And the last couple of days, you’ve been more like a dad to me. Protective. Comforting. Joking.”Izuku looked back at Shouta and smiled. “I can’t resent you or be mad at doing what you think is right. What “is” right. I know she needs help, I just never knew how or what help she needed. That’s probably why I’m always mad at myself for not being able to make her happy. Because it’s not something “I” can do. I mean, you can’t love someone’s mental illness away. I know, I’ve tried. And I think that’s what it is, I think she has some kind of mental illness. I don’t know if it was always there, or if Hisashi leaving caused it.” Izuku sighed. “I never really realized that my life want normal, until I started living in the dorms. Saw and heard how everyone else was used to living. How she treated me always bothered me on some level, but I never really questioned it. I’m not sure what really is normal or acceptable. So I don’t mind living with you and Eri. I’d like to find out what normal is, while living with you. I also don’t think I could live anywhere else, there’s no way Eri would let me.”Shouta and Izuku bother laughed at that last part. Shouta didn’t like hearing that Izuku wasn’t sure how a normal life was supposed to go, wasn’t sure how a parent was supposed to raise their kid. Luckily Izuku had gotten used to living in the dorms, so he knew how to get by on his own, he would just have to get used to Shouta being a more constant presence. Get used to Shouta being more of a parent than a teacher.“Things aren’t going to be easy.” Shouta said. Izuku looked at Shouta and tilted his head to the side in confusion. “I don’t think your mother is going to let this go easily. I’ve encroached on her territory and stolen her child from her. She’s going to want you back. Will probably want to take you back with a fight. So don’t be surprised if she ends up taking me to court.”Izuku looked horrified at the thought but didn’t argue Shouta’s reasoning. Izuku was all his mom had, she wasn’t going to let his teacher just take him. He knew first hand how stubborn she could be. “There is a chance that your father will get involved too.” Both Shouta and Izuku scowled at that. “But trust me, I wont let anything happen to you.”Izuku nodded his head. “I do trust you. I trust you more than anyone I have ever known.” Shouta was flattered by that, but it also hurt to know that Izuku had gone so long without having someone he could truly rely on. “And your right, All Might and I are keeping a secret about my quirk and he was the one who told me to keep it a secret, because it’s a big secret. But he has people that he trusts enough that he told. And I think-I know I trust you enough to keep the secret too. It’s a bit of a long story, but I want you to know it.”Shouta was shocked, he didn’t think he would be told about the secret so soon. He didn’t think Izuku would be the one willing to tell him. Izuku was loyal to All Might to a fault, and Izuku was clearly going against what All Might said just to tell Shouta. Honestly, Shouta had thought he would have to beat it out of All Might’s skeleton ass. But Izuku was willing to tell him.Shouta looked at the boy, who was clearly nervous. But he was also looking at Shouta with his dark green eyes, filled with trust, and Shouta felt his heart fill with pride at being trusted by such an honest and caring child. He would never break that trust. So leaning forward Shouta said with his own determination in his voice, “Tell me everything”.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Shouta sat and listened quietly as Izuku told his secret, but on the inside he was screaming. Screaming of the injustice! The danger! So much danger! White hot fury was coiled deep inside Shouta, he felt that if anyone were to touch him in this moment, their hands would surely melt away. He was that mad.On the outside however, he looked impassive. He was too stunned by Izuku’s story and by his own feelings to show any outward emotions. So luckily, he looked like his normal stoic, couldn’t care less self. Thank goodness for resting bitch face.The boy in front of him shifted on the bed, nerves making it impossible to sit still, while Shouta on the other hand was as still as a statue. Leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest and legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles as he listened to his student.Izuku’s secret was something he had never expected. Sure, the special training from All Might was something he had been expecting, Izuku had said himself that All Might had agreed to train him. Their quirks were so similar, it made sense that All Might was secretly training the boy. Shouta just hadn’t known how similar their quirks were!Shouta mentally face palmed. He should have realized that their was more going on. Things just didn’t seem to add up concerning those two. But never in his wildest dreams would he have suspected that All Might could transfer his quirk. That he had transferred his quirk to Izuku.All Might was training the boy as his successor, to be the next symbol of peace! He knew the kid had it in him, but that was a lot of responsibility to put on a teenager. He knew there had been a special reason for the man to agree to teach at UA, but Shouta had just assumed that it was because of his decreasing time limit. As did the other teachers. Nedzu had hinted that that was the reason when he had introduced All Might as a new member of the staff. Shouta could not have known that the man had planned to give his dangerous quirk to a student. A dangerous quirk and a huge target to go on their back and a villain mastermind to go after it!Shouta doesn’t give a damn if Toshinori thought that All for One was dead. The man was still powerful enough to have followers after death! And Toshinori had put Izuku through all of this! Before the boy was even in high school! Without his mother’s consent! Shouta doesn’t know if she would have agreed or not, but that’s not the point! Izuku was fourteen going on fifteen when he met All Might! That is way too young to be allowed to decide something that life changing on his own! And Toshinori hadn’t even divulged all the information at the time! Had only told Izuku about All for One’s relation to One for All after the boy had received the quirk, and only after it became apparent that AFO was possibly still alive!Izuku should have been told all of that from the beginning! That’s a very big and important detail to just leave out! If you’re going to reveal one huge secret, then reveal them all! The fact that Izuku had such a hard time learning how to control his quirk, a quirk he had only gotten the day of the entrance exams, was another thing to add fuel to Shouta’s fire. What the fuck do you expect to happen when you give a kid a overpowered quirk and send them off to fight robots without any quirk training or any knowledge on how to actually use it?! Because broken bones seems like the obvious conclusion. Shouta was one step away from becoming a raging inferno.*Fucking dumb ass All Might!*Shouta he held all his rage in. Flipping out in front of his student would do no good. Izuku was fidgeting nervously while Shouta processed everything. And Shouta had ‘needed’ that time to process, he actually felt like he needed years to process everything but unfortunately he didn’t have that time.Shouta got up from his seat, it took almost all his strength, but he managed. Taking the couple of steps over to the bed, Shouta reached out and ruffled Izuku’s soft curly green hair. “I’m very proud of you Izuku.” Shouta said, he ruffled Izuku’s hair a few more times before removing his hand and crossing his arms again. Izuku looked up at Shouta with shock.“You are?” The teen whispered disbelievingly.Shouta rolled his eyes, the boy never could take a compliment, and Shouta knew why now. Knew that the boy had never received much praise. And the praise he did get from his mother was bittersweet, as she compared him to the father he hated. “Yea problem child. You have overcome so many obstacles in your life. Most people would have given up, but you persevered.”Izuku started to cry, he had stayed dry eyed while telling his secret, but was crying because Shouta was proud of him. *How can this kid keep crying?!* Shouta was seriously considering hooking Izuku up to an I.V. bag to keep the kid from dehydrating.Shouta pulled his chair up until he was right in front of Izuku, and sat back down. Izuku had his arms covering his face to hide his crying. Shouta gave him a moment before he reached out and tapped the boy on the side of his knee to draw his attention.Izuku sniffled a few times before removing his arms from in front of his face and looked at Shouta. “Ready to hear some of my thoughts on the matter?” Shouta asked.Izuku flinched and looked away from Shouta. “Only as long as its a few.” Izuku mumbled. Shouta chuckled a little, Izuku was probably expecting a long winded lecture and yelling. Shouta had a lecture and yelling planned, but not for Izuku.“Its only a few.” Shouta promised, fighting a smirk. “First I would like to say that I wish that I had been the one to save you from the sludge villain instead of All Might.”Izuku looked at Shouta, bewildered. “Why?” Izuku asked. “If I hadn’t of been saved by All Might, then I never would have gotten the chance to talk to him. I wouldn’t have saved Kacchan, and All Might wouldn’t have known I existed and would never have made me his successor.”Shouta nodded his head. It sounded mean of Shouta when Izuku said it that way, but Shouta had a point to make. “If I had found you and saved you from the sludge villain, would you have asked me if you could be a hero?”Izuku thought about it for a moment before he nodded his head. “W-well, yea. I had always planed to ask a pro hero that if I ever got the chance.”Shouta nodded his head in understanding. “I can understand why you would want to ask a hero, wanting validation for your dreams when nobody else would give you that. But All Might didn’t give you that at first. He told you no, to give up. That was cruel.”Izuku began to panic, waving his hands in front of himself back and forth. “N-no! He was just looking out for my safety. I was just a skinny quirkless kid who could get himself killed! Even All Might as strong as he was, got hurt irreversibly.”Shouta nodded his head, of course All Might would compare himself to a kid. Showing Izuku everything that he lacked compared to himself. Shouta sighed. “Look Izuku, you could never go up against some of the villains All Might fought, not while quirkless. I couldn’t go against some of them either, do you think that makes me weak?” “Of course your not!” Izuku all but shouted at Shouta. “You fought an army at the USJ and you fought against The Eight Precepts of Death! You also trained yourself in different kinds of combat and with different weapons. You trained your body to make up for where your quirk lacked!”Shouta smiled, Izuku was slipping into his fanboy mode while defending Shouta’s honor as a hero. Izuku was helping make Shouta’s point without even realizing it.“Your right.” Shouta said, and Izuku relaxed some. “I did do those things. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get to where I’m at. I basically fight quirkless all the time. My quirk might stop most quirks, but not all. I still have to fight using my own strength and skill. So tell me Izuku, why couldn’t you have done that? You have the determination to work hard and go Plus Ultra, and you are able to copy fighting styles on the fly. A good skill, by the way.”“If I had found you, I would have told you that if you proved you had potential and trained with the proper training and support items, that you could be a hero too. You could have done what I did, what I helped Shinsou do. Enter the General Studies course, train your body and mind and fight your way to the hero course. Had I found you and you had proven to me you had potential, I would have trained you myself and had you give all those who doubted you for being quirkless the middle finger.”Izuku let out a sob as he broke down, it was one thing for people to believe in him because of his quirk. For All Might to believe in him because of his quirk. But Mr. Aizawa believed he could have been a hero without a quirk. It was too much for Izuku to handle. Izuku was shaking from the sobs wracking his body.Shouta got up and sat beside Izuku, patting him on the back while he cried. *If I catch second hand crybaby from this kid I’ll expel him.* Shouta thought fondly. “Not many people think much of the quirkless in Japan, much less around the world. But I’ll let you in on something that Present Mic found out in France. In Cannes France there is an underground hero who is quirkless.”Izuku gasped and turned to Shouta, wide eyed, sobbing fit all but forgotten. “Really?” Izuku whispered. “Is there really a quirkless hero?”Shouta nodded his head. “I can’t tell you everything, because a lot of it is a private matter for Hizashi, but I can tell you a little bit that I know regarding that hero from what I was told.” Shouta had to be careful about how much he revealed. While Hizashi did know the hero based off of his work, Hizashi knew more about him from having dated the man for half a year. A lot of what Hizashi knew was on a more personal level, things that not many people knew about.Izuku was practically bouncing on the bed. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning, starry eyed and filled with so many expectations as to the surprises awaiting him. *This kid’s adorableness could be used as a weapon!* That gave Shouta so many idea’s on how to use Izuku against the other teachers.“So,” Shouta began. “Hizashi went to France when we were twenty three, for half a year to work internationally. The agency he was working for in France stationed him in Cannes because they were having issues with villains escaping in speedboats out to the ocean and to Île Saints- Marguetite. There were many hero’s in the area with water based quirks, but it’s very hard to go after boats that are small and built for speed. Sound travels fast, faster than those boats, so that was where Hizashi had been working.”“Cannes is a resort town with many festivals and is popular with flashy pro heroes, so there aren’t many underground heroes around. Hizashi was eventually introduced to Vide, one of the few underground heroes, because it was likely they would run into eachother.”“Vide.” Izuku whispered to himself. Shouta knew that the boy was probably going to look up the hero at the first chance he got.“He’s an underground hero that deals with human and drug trafficking along the coast. So it made sense that they would need to meet, heroes need to know what other heroes are working in their area. Just so they don’t get in each other’s way.”“Vide, from what Hizashi has told me, is very good at their job. They have multiple support items to help them, and are on par with Snipe apparently when it comes to shooting. Hizashi got to know him for half a year, and said he worked flawlessly.”“Wow.” Izuku seemed to be in a bit of a daze, probably thinking of what his life could have been like if he had pursued being a hero quirkless.Shouta waved his hand in front of Izuku’s face, drawing the boy’s attention. “Yea. Big revelation. I still have a few more things to talk to you about.” Izuku nodded his head, making an effort to focus on Shouta and what he had to say.Shouta got up from beside Izuku and sat back in his chair. Shouta was a little bit over all the closeness from today and was starting to need some distance. “So next is, I think I know why you had so much trouble with your quirk.”Izuku gasped and jumped off the bed and leaned towards Shouta an getting in his personal space. “You do?”Shouta put his hand over Izuku’s face and pushed him back, making the teen flop back on the bed. “Slow your roll kid. You have way too much energy for someone who has probably cried two gallons today.” Izuku blushed indignantly and rubbed his face, but settled himself back down onto the bed. “How can you already have a theory when I just told you about OFA?” Izuku questioned him.“Because I don’t spend all my time crying.” Shouta mumbled. “I heard that!” Izuku squawked.Shouta rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t trying to hide it, but anyway, I’m very good at analyzing things quickly. It’s an important skill for pros to have. I also had Nedzu as a teacher when I attended UA.” Izuku shivered, and Shouta didn’t blame him. Only two of his students had faced the principal once, while some had watched; but Shouta had to sit through his classes for three years!His students knew nothing of the horrors that Nedzu was capable of. If they thought Shouta was awful, they had no clue at how sadistic their principal could be. Shouta knew. And he had nightmares because of it.“You said that OFA is a transferable stockpile quirk, gaining power from each new holder and quirk. And all the previous users possibly had quirks until All Might. It’s possible that when he gained the quirk, OFA had nothing to draw from but his own strength and the strength from the previous users. All Might’s bulky form is probably OFA enhancing his physical appearance and strength because there was no quirk to enhance.”“All Might was just wielding OFA’s raw power. He probably took to the quirk so well because it still held strength from the previous user’s quirk and was still pretty balanced. But then All Might gave it to you. Having gone from one quirkless person to the next probably unbalanced it. Not having any quirk power to draw from from its previous user All Might and being given to someone else who couldn’t provide it quirk power, it is likely that that caused it to malfunction.”Izuku was looking at Shouta intensely, clearly going over what Shouta was saying in his head.“It would explain why you had so much trouble with it. Your quirk might not have known how to react to losing power twice. It didn’t attach itself to you properly, didn’t spread evenly throughout your body. That’s probably why you have to force it to spread evenly, unlike how it did it naturally with All Might.”“And there is also the fact that All Might had much more time to train his body and make it a proper vessel. Your training was rushed. You were not given enough time to prepare your body, you rushed to put on muscle. And then you had no time to grow accustomed to the quirk, to grow with it and learn your limits.”“You were thrown into a school with a new volatile quirk, and told to use it with no idea how. If I had known that you had no clue how to control your quirk, I would have never pushed you to use it and let you learn slowly. I thought it was just a painful drawback from your quirk if you used too much power. Like how I get dry eye, Hizashi gets a sore throat, or Kaminari short circuits his brain. Some quirks can have negative side affects. I didn’t know it was because you didn’t know how to control it!”“That is something important I should have been told, I don’t care how or what lie was used to tell it, but I should have been told. I could have prevented you from destroying your arms. You could have participated in exercises without you quirk, you already proved you could do that many times. You only used it as a last resort, but those last resorts had devastating consequences! I could have been helping you this entire time to learn how to control it and get used to it.”Izuku was a little ashamed. He didn’t want Mr. Aizawa to put any blame on himself for his own shortcomings or to feel bad for having not known. Izuku should have said something to his teacher to just hint that he was new to having a quirk and that he wasn’t sure how to use it. He hadn’t wanted to make Aizawa suspicious with his terrible lying or worse make him expel him for being useless. Though he knows now that his teacher wouldn’t have expelled him for not knowing how to use his quirk, especially because it was a danger to himself and others, and how he needed to know how to control it. He should have said something, but he was too worried about accidentally exposing All Might’s secret. He also assumed that All might would know what to do because he was All Might.“But no. All Might didn’t see fit to let the people responsible for your safety know. The man couldn’t even train you himself and a retired pro had to help you. Whoever this Gran Torino is, I need to send the man a gift basket. He did more in a couple days than All Might had done the entire time he’s known you.”“And now that you’re becoming more in tuned with your quirk, you are unlocking secrets from the previous holders. Unlocking their quirks that are stored within OFA for you to use. This means you are going to need even more training. Carefully thought out training that will have to be adapted to each quirk. One of the holders said you will gain six quirks. We’ll have to train each. And maybe see if you can freely enter act with these phantom holders and if they can advise you. This quirk of yours is an anomaly. You should have been getting extra training from the beginning.” Aizawa finished.Izuku hung his head. “I’m sorry I disappointed you Mr. Aizawa.” Izuku mumbled.Shouta sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Izuku, look at me.” Izuku slowly lifted his head. The boy looked like a kicked puppy. *Definitely going to use him against the other teachers.* “I am NOT disappointed in you. I am upset with All Might, but not you.” Izuku frowned at the part about him being mad at All Might. “I really wish you would have told me sooner, but this is a big secret so I understand needing to be careful. And you’re just a kid and can’t be expected to come to the same conclusions an adult would.”Izuku sighed. “I’m still sorry though. And Kachan said I was an idiot for telling him and dragging him into it. But he was so upset and thought I-“ Shouta interrupted Izuku by jumping up and smacking the boy on the top of his head. “Bakugou knows! When!? Why would you tell HIM!? Why-never mind. I don’t want to know what possessed you to tell him. But when-no. No. Don’t even want to know when.” Shouta fell back into his seat and covered his face with his hands.*This kid is going to be the death of me!* *Death by stress, curtesy of Problem Child.**I am sooo going to have Nemuri take me drinking. And I will drink all night long until I’m piss drunk and black out. Don’t care if she draws perverted shit on my face. I need the oblivion of alcohol.*Izuku sat silently while his teacher spiraled in self pity with his face covered, groaning about needing to get drunk. Izuku was starting to worry he had broken his teacher after a few minutes of the man just sitting with his face covered, not moving. He wasn’t even groaning anymore.Izuku was fixing to lean forward to poke his teacher when the man in question spoke from behind his hands, startling Izuku. “Third bout of business then were done.”Izuku couldn’t even say anything to agree before Shouta was speaking again. “A small house has been set up for you, me and Eri. It’s right behind your dorms so I can be close to your problem class. So you can still hang out with them whenever you want. In the dorms. You will not bring any of those hellions into my house. I need my space, and they are not allowed in my space. They tend to break things.”Izuku couldn’t argue that. So far Kacchan had blown up two doors, Mineta had gotten the couch permanently stuck to the floor. Kaminari had short circuited one tv, the microwave, and caused three lights in the hallway to blow a fuse. Ashido had melted four doorknobs, and left an acid stain on the carpet. Uraraka and Tsu had broken the chandelier, he doesn’t know how. Sero had broken, then taped up a window. Izuku had tripped and punched a hole in his bedroom wall and had pulled his door off it’s hinges. Aoyama had broken a mirror. And Kouda’s bunny had chewed up three pillows.Iida was very disappointed in all of them.Shouta continued when he didn’t hear any protests. “All of your things have been moved to the house by Midnight and Hound Dog. And since I haven’t gotten any texts from Midnight, its safe to say that you didn’t have anything inappropriate in your room.” *Thank goodness. I think the world would end if Izuku was involved in anything inappropriate. The universe would just I’ve a resounding “nope, not my green bean”, and end itself.* The dorms were due for a surprise inspection soon and Shouta dreaded going into Mineta’s room. He’s pretty sure Kaminari had some questionable magazines too. But Mineta’s room screamed “nasty”.Shouta hadn’t moved his hands from over his face, but he did open his fingers enough to peek a glance at Izuku. The boy was as red as a tomato. *So innocent. Keep away from Midnight.*Shouta got up and ruffled Izuku’s hair before making his way to the exit. “That’s all for now. We can go over house rules later. For now, get some sleep. You need it. Eri won’t let you rest once we get home.” Shouta smiled, even though Izuku couldn’t see it. Home, with his kids. *KID! ONE KID! Damnit Shouta. You are only adopting one kid! One kid!* Shouta lied to himself.“Just sleep. I’ll come back and get you later. I have a bunch of paperwork to do, and I need to speak with Nedzu. No leaving this room.”Izuku yawned and stretched out on the bed. Sleep was sounding really good. Shouta looked back once before he left the room, Izuku was already sleeping soundly. Crying so much tends to do that to a person. Closing the door behind him, Shouta let all the rage he had been holding in leak out as he marched through the halls. Shouta was out for blood. All Might’s star spangled banner blood. The man had been at the school to deal with Bakugou, and he should still be here. Probably waiting for when Shouta brought back Izuku.*Good.* Shouta thought menacingly. Enough to make the most hardened villain quake in their boots.*That makes him all the easier to find.*Shouta wouldn’t kill Toshinori. That would be too easy. He was going to give Toshinori a piece of his unfiltered mind. Shouta grinned maniacally. All might had fucked up big time.*I’m a bad bitch and nobody messes with my kid!* Shouta ignored the fact that Izuku ‘wasn’t’ his kid at the time. Wasn’t his kid right now. Shouta ‘was’ a man that lived by the rules of logic. Was. Any other day, Shouta followed his rules of logic. Today was not that day though. His nerves were so beyond fried. *Stick a fork in me I’m done. My self control is no more.*He was making his way to the teacher’s lounge when he came across Snipe and Ectoplasm standing in the hall talking. Shouta would have to go around them. *Fucking damnit.*Snipe took one look at Shouta in all his pissed off glory and pulled out his pistol that had a silencer on it, turned to the nearest window and shot the glass out. He then grabbed Ectoplasm around the waist and proceeded to jump out the window.Shouta didn’t stop walking, but did spare a quick glance out the window and saw Snipe and Ectoplasm making a run for the UA gates. Strange. Shouta must look really pissed off to make two pro heroes that he works with run for their lives.Shouta smiled bigger. *GOOD!* Let All Might see him and know fear!Shouta was getting close to the lounge, and he knew that he was far enough away that Izuku wouldn’t hear him shout, he wasn’t Present Mic after all. Shouta took a deep breath before he slammed the lounge door open.“ALL MIGHT!!!!!” Shouta bellowed at the top of his lungs. Shouta hated yelling, but fuck it, Toshinori needed to know just how fucked he was.Toshinori fell of the couch he was sitting on and turned towards Shouta in surprise. He took one look at Shouta and his face paled.“Ai-Aizawa.” Toshinori stuttered.Shouta bared his teeth and spit out. “All Might we need to talk. Come. With. Me.” Shouta growled.The symbol of peace gulped and whispered. “I don’t think I want to.” Shouta probably looked ready to kill. Poor All Might. Shouta didn’t intend to let him off easily by killing him.Shouta grinned a very wolffish, gonna rip your soul out and eat it grin and said, “You don’t have a choice.”You. Don’t. Have. A. Choice.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“You don’t have a choice.”
His words hung in the air like a noose, looming ominously and waiting to wrap around Toshinori’s neck.
Toshinori sputtered before standing up off the floor where he had fallen and made his way around the couch to face Shouta. Shouta growled under his breath. If the man thought he could placate Shouta, then he had another thing coming. But it was brave to think he could face Shouta head on. Brave, but foolish.
Power Loader and Cementoss had come to peek out of the adjacent office when they had heard the yelling, looking back and forth between Shouta and All Might. Confused and a little frightened. Maijima (Power Loader) took one look at Shouta and made a high pitched “Eeep” and scurried back into the office. Shouta could faintly hear him muttering “nope, would rather be blown up by Hatsume”.
Cementoss (Ishiyama Ken) stood his ground, though he looked very nervous. Honestly, it wasn’t like Shouta was mad at any of ‘them’, they had nothing to be scared of... unless they got in his way. Then they could be afraid. Very afraid. Shouta ‘did’ know all of their weaknesses after all, and would exploit them if he had to.
“Aizawa,” Toshinori began, “let’s talk like rational adults here. Recovery Girl informed Nedzu and and me about young Midoriya, and I understand you are upset.” Clearly the blond had no idea how upset he was, or more importantly why. “But there is no cause to yell at me.” *Oh isn’t there.* “Especially when I have no idea why...” Toshinori trailed off.
Shouta marched over to All Might and jabbed him in the chest. “Yes I do. And yes you do.” Shouta ground out between clenched teeth, jabbing the tall blond in the chest with every word. All Might was tall, even in his skinny form and he towered over Shouta, but it didn’t matter, Shouta had the intimidation switch turned all the way on.
Shouta activates intimidation. It’s 95% affective.
Toshinori stepped back rubbing at his chest. Shouta let him, crossing his arms and glaring at the frail man with as much spite as he could muster, and he could muster a lot. Shouta was pretty sure he was 60% spite, 20% cat enthusiast, 10% dirty jokes (thanks to Hizashi and Nemuri), and 10% super dad. And that was just personality wise.
“You do? I do?” Toshinori inquired.
*How many times can we confuse All Might today... lets find out.*
Ishiyama was still standing by the office door, looking just as confused as Toshinori. It was like he was watching a ping pong match with the way his eyes jumped between the two men.
Shouta nodded his head. “Yes, and you are going to come with me, ‘now’, and I’ll gladly explain everything.” Shouta said darkly, moving forward towards Toshinori again. Ishiyama took a hesitant step forward. He didn’t seem like he wanted to interrupt them, just be close by in case he needed to pull Shouta off of All Might.
Shouta wanted to laugh. The number one hero needed protecting from Shouta. You would think that Shouta was a villain with the way everyone was reacting.
Toshinori reversed until he bumped into the back of the couch, panicking and waving his arms around in front of him as if to ward Shouta off. It reminded Shouta so much of Izuku’s nervous tics. Shouta’s eyes flashed red in anger, hair levitating for a moment before he deactivated his quirk.
*Keep it together.*
Ishiyama took another step forward, wanting to do something to intervene but unsure what, he wasn’t used to deescalating situations like these. That was Present Mic’s job. “Aizawa. Please calm yourself.” Ishiyama said holding his hands out in a placating manner.
Shouta ignored him, not even glancing in his direction. Screw calm.
Shouta reached Toshinori and grabbed the man my his bony wrist and started to drag him to the door. Toshinori struggled in his grasp, digging in his heels to try and stop Shouta from whisking him away and from any witnesses. Ishiyama followed behind, ready to put a stop to things if it looked like Shouta would get violent, and to be able to help the weakened All Might if he asked for help.
“Aizawa, I-I don’t think this is a good idea. You are clearly overwhelmed by anger. We would sit down an-“ Shouta interrupted Toshinori’s pleas.
“I ‘know’ All Might.”
Shouta didn’t look back to see the confused look cross Toshinori’s and Izhiyama’s faces, he had just reached the door and was pushing it open and trying to drag the scarecrow of a man out into the hallway. The blond was putting up a pretty good fight in resisting Shouta, and he was very close to throwing Toshinori over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and sprinting away from Ishiyama.
“You know?” Toshinori asked. Shouta rolled his eyes, it clearly hadn’t crossed his mind that Shouta could know his damning secret.
Shouta looked over his shoulder to stare at the retired hero, willing the other man to understand. He could see Ishiyama trailing behind Toshinori, probably intent on stopping the attempt kidnaping... mannaping? Shouta wishes he was a man napping. All Might-napping?
“All Might.” Shouta said lowly so their coworker wouldn’t hear. “I ‘know’ everything.”
Shouta didn’t know if it was the way he said it, or if All Might wasn’t as dumb as he looked, but realization finally dawned on the man. Shouta could practically see the lightbulb flash above the man’s head. Many emotions crossed the blond’s face, shock, guilt, uncertainty, resignation, but finally settled on determination.
Straightening, All Might nodded his head, tugging his wrist from Shouta’s grasp. Shouta let him. “Then let us go speak someplace private.” Toshinori agreed.
Toshinori followed Shouta the rest of the way out into the hall, closing the door in a surprised Ishiyama’s face. The cement hero didn’t follow, clearly respecting the older man’s decision. No matter how suicidal it seemed.
Shouta led Toshinori through the halls in silence. No matter how much he wanted to scream about All Might’s failures in front of everyone, so they could all know how much of a screw up the man was, he couldn’t. Doing so would bring a spotlight on Izuku, and bring unwanted and dangerous attention to the kid.
He didn’t need any more of that. So far the kid had gotten Shirigaki, Stain, Toga and the Yakuza’s attention. The kid did not need any more spotlight.
Shouta could only imagine how Monoma would react if he ever found out. The brat already seemed to think that Shouta’s class was handed everything on a silver platter. If he even suspected that Izuku was given a quirk, he would never leave Izuku alone. The kid was annoying enough.
Shouta was pretty sure the 1B brat had rabies.
Down the winding hallways they went. Toshinori, deep in thought, walked silently beside Shouta. Shouta kept stealing glances at the older hero, but couldn’t tell what he was thinking. After the initial shock of the realization that Shouta was aware of the man’s secret, he had kept his face neutral. Closing off his expressions so Shouta couldn’t guess what was crossing the man’s mind.
No matter. All Might’s thoughts didn’t matter, and he doubted the man could come up with any excuse that Shouta hadn’t already thought of and found a way to counteract. This was not going to be a discussion on All Might’s reasoning. This was going to be Shouta verbally tearing the symbol of peace apart.
After a few minutes of Shouta leading them down hallway after hallway, Toshinori began glancing around in confusion. The blond man had never been down these hallways before and was clearly lost and confused. He probably thought Shouta was leading him away to some dark and deserted part of the school to kill him.
It had crossed Shouta’s mind.
UA was a very large school, with many classrooms and offices along with a few indoor training rooms for the teachers and students. It was necessary. Students needed space to train their bodies along with their quirks in a safe environment. The teachers did also, which is why there was a gym made for the teachers to spar and train in. Just because you were a pro, didn’t mean to could slack in your training.
But not many people knew that a few of the teachers had personal training rooms designed just for their quirks. Snipe has an elaborate shooting range, Midnight has a room that prevented her sleeping gas quirk from escaping, and Present Mic has a completely soundproof room. Shouta was taking Toshinori to Mic’s training room.
They reached a very large heavy duty door painted bright yellow that had many musical notes and band stickers stuck all over it. Shouta rolled his eyes, but Toshinori looked fascinated by the door. Shouta reached forward to press a panel by the door, the panel slid away to reveal a small numerical keypad. Standing in front of the keypad to block Toshinori’s view, Shouta quickly typed in the pass code. There was a sound of heavy gears unlocking before the door swung open to reveal a very spacious room.
Shouta motioned Toshinori to enter first. The man hesitated, turning to face Shouta instead. “What is this room, if I may ask? And why did you bring me here?” Toshinori questioned, unwilling to go into a strange room with Shouta without knowing what the room was for and if he could get back out.
Shouta crossed his arms and glared at Toshinori. Being cautious was a good thing, but right now it was just pissing Shouta off. It was ridiculous. Shouta was a poor hero and a teacher, he wasn’t going to do anything villainous.
“It’s Present Mic’s training room. Its sound proof, so no one will overhear us.” ‘And so no one will be able to hear your screams’ went unsaid, not that Shouta was going to hurt the man. He just wanted to talk.
Toshinori still looked apprehensive, and didn’t make any move to enter the room. Shouta sighed. Did he seriously think Shouta was going to kill him, or was he being difficult because he wanted to avoid their conversation for as long as he could? It was probably both.
“Look All Might, the sooner we get this over with the better. I don’t want to be stuck in a room with you any longer than I have to be. And if your worried about being locked in a room with me, then don’t be, the door is easily opened from the inside.”
Toshinori’s shoulders relaxed some. He must have been worried about not being able to escape Shouta’s wrath. Sighing, the blond turned and entered the room. Shouta followed, shutting the door behind them, the sounds of the gears turning once again to lock in place.
The room was very spacious, around the size of a basketball court with a very high ceiling. There was a stainless steel table at the far side of the room, and along one of the side walls were a multitude of cabinets that had been soundproofed.
Shouta had helped Hizashi train in here multiple times and knew that in the cabinets there were a variety of glass cups and figurines of different densities. Hizashi used these to practice pitch control to find what volumes affected which glass.
Hizashi had practiced his quirk for years, more so once he had become a teacher of UA and had been given the room to safely practice in, to learn the in’s and out’s of his quirk. It was necessary when your quirk made you loud enough to shatter glass, burst eardrums and topple buildings. ‘Now’ Hizashi knew how to pitch his voice so that he could safely incapacitate a villain, without shattering any glass objects around him.
Hizashi knew his quirk could cause property damage and instead of just shrugging it off and letting his agency deal with the repercussions, he had made sure that he could safely use his quirk with the help of his directional speaker, to only affect his targets. No busted eardrums of civilians, and no shattered windows. That’s a lot more than many other heroes were willing to do.
More than Endeavor was willing to do.
Of course he needed to know the ‘right’ pitch to use that would affect a villain but not the glass, and being the good friend that Shouta was, volunteered to be the guinea pig/test subject.
The room was pretty plain, except for the band posters that littered the walls. No chairs or other furniture except for the lone table at the back and the cabinets. Toshinori was looking around curiously, having forgotten his nervousness and the reason for it.
Shouta quietly took a deep breath before yelling “You are the biggest fool it has ever been my displeasure to know!”
Startled, Toshinori jumped and spun to face Shouta. “Ai-Aizawa, let me explain.” The man said, trying to force a reassuring smile on his face. He wasn’t doing a good job, and Shouta wasn’t going to humor him. Let him defend himself to someone else, Shouta didn’t want to hear it.
“Shut the hell up! I don’t want to hear any of your excuses, because that’s all they are. Excuses!” Shouta yelled, his hands were fists at his sides and it was taking all of his self control no to just deck the man one good time. Just to shut him up.
Toshinori either didn’t sense the danger he was in or was trying to be brave, because he stepped towards Shouta with a look of determination. Not backing down from Shouta. “No Aizawa, I think it’s only fair that I explain myself.” Toshinori said crossing his arms and looking down at Shouta frowning.
This fool of a man was going to need devine intervention, because he was challenging Shouta. Challenging Shouta in dad mode. The angels better get ready to carry this man off, because he clearly had a death wish.
Can’t really throw Shouta in jail for granting the “symbol of peace” his wish.
And if someone tries, he could probably bribe the principal to find a loophole for him. Or he could just refuse to go to jail.
“I don’t need any explanations from you.” Shouta growled, stepping forward and pointing his finger in Toshinori’s face. “If anyone needs an explanation for the shitty job you’ve done, it’s Izuku.”
Toshinori blanched at Shouta calling Izuku by his first name. Even he and the boy weren’t on a first name basis yet. Toshinori went to push Shouta’s hand from out of his face, but Shouta snatched his hand away as soon as Toshinori touched it.
Shouta turned and walked a few steps away from the blond, putting distance between the two of them. Running his hands through his hair a few times, Shouta took a couple of deep calming breaths.
*Cool it. You’re here to give him a piece of your mind, ‘not’ to beat the living shit out of him.*
“Aizawa, please.” Toshinori pleaded. “I know I made some mistakes, but everything I did was with the best of intentions.”
The road to hell was paved with good intentions. Many good people had caused terrible things to happen, all because they had the best of intentions.
Toshinori continued, “And everything turned out all right, even with my mistakes.”
Shouta spun around and threw his hand up in exasperation before letting them fall to his sides. “Some mistakes!? Turned out all right!?” Shouta yelled. “Everything you’ve done since you met Izuku has been a mistake! One after the other. The only thing you did to help the boy was give him a quirk, and even I question if that wasn’t a mistake!”
Toshinori’s jaw dropped open, he starred at Shouta in shock before he regained himself and whispered. “‘You can’t mean that, he’s proved himself to be worthy.”
Shouta screeched, “He was always worthy! He didn’t need to prove anything! He was worthy to be a hero even without a quirk!”
After hearing Izuku cry so many times, after hearing how he had been treated because of being quirkless, after seeing how his mother controlled and overly coddled him, well... if anyone deserved to be a hero it was Izuku. He would have made a damn good quirkless hero.
Toshinori was shaking his head, a sad look on his face. “He couldn’t have been a hero without a quirk Aizawa. You know that. Being a hero is too dangerous, he would have gotten himself killed. You’ve seen the damage I took, even with the power I had. Being a quirkless hero just isn’t possible. He was too weak.”
Too weak!? All because he was quirkless. Quirkless! Why did it always come back to that? Why can’t people look past the end of their own nose to see that quirks weren’t infallible.
Shouta lunged forward and punched All Might in the jaw, the retired hero fell backwards and onto the floor from the impact. Cradling his jaw, he looked up at Shouta with wide unbelieving eyes. Shouta was shocked himself, but recovered quickly and stepped away from the fallen hero, glaring at the man on the ground the whole time.
*Oh shit! I just punched All Might!*
*Hell yea!*
“You’re a hypocrite. You were quirkless yourself, and still fought to be a hero.” Toshinori went to protest, probably to say that he couldn’t have been one if Nana hadn’t given him her quirk, but Shouta cut him off. “You knew the pain of being quirkless and yet you still crushed the boy’s hope. You didnt even give him a chance. Just tossed his dreams aside.”
Toshinori flinched, but he was making no move to stand back up. He probably assumed that Shouta would knock him back down, and Shouta wasn’t so sure that he wouldn’t.
“You didn’t know him. Didn’t know what he might be capable of. You didn’t know how amazing he is at analysis. Didn’t know how talented he is at incorporating fighting styles and making them his own. You saw his quirklessness and took that to mean weak. Useless in the hero world. And it’s sick! It’s sick because you know what it’s like to be quirkless. You know how people see them. If you had stopped to think, you would have realized that he was put down every day of his life and told he didn’t have what it takes. You knew it and you still crushed him. Crushed him and left him on a fucking roof!”
Shouta dug his fingers into his scalp, using the pain to ground himself. “He could have died that day, All Might. And not because of the villain, but because of two people throwing around harsh words carelessly. The day you saved him, Bakugou told him to jump off the school’s roof and pray for a quirk in the next life.” Toshinori inhaled sharply in shock. “Then this broken boy lays his heart out for you and you break it without a second thought. You never stopped to think how your words might affect him. How much he was clinging to hope. You didn’t think about him, not really. You were thinking about yourself. Comparing him to you, and thinking “the great All Might can be hurt, this kid doesn’t stand a chance. You’re words could have been the final push that day. A final push off a roof, that you left him on.”
Toshinori looked close to throwing up. His face was pale and he had a look of horror and regret. Realizing that he had come close to losing his successor. That he would have been the reason a bright light was outed too soon. Shouta removed his hands from his head and shoved his hands into his pockets, ignoring the little bit of blood under his fingernails.
“All Might, I’m gonna tell you something, something that I thought you knew.” Toshinori looked at Shouta quizzically, unsure what Shouta was going to tell him. “All Might... not everyone can be you. Not everyone can have flashy quirks and fight the most dangerous of villains. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be a hero.”
“Midnight, her quirk is Somnambulist. Not useful if a villain has a filtration mask, but she can still fight using her whip and her agility. Ectoplasm, missing a leg, his quirk is Clones. It’s just clones of himself that he can manipulate. Power Loader, Iron Claws, helps him dig underground. Still a hero, and is a genius when it comes to creating hero costumes. Snipe alters the trajectory of bullets.”
“And then there’s me. Eraserhead, quirk Erasure. I erase most but not all quirks. I render most viallains quirkless. I fight them quirkless! And for the ones who’s quirks I can’t erase, I still fight them! Using my own strength and skill that I took years to develop! I have to fight villains using my own normal strength!”
“I was told many times growing up that I couldn’t be a hero, that my quirk was useless because it wasn’t a strong and flashy quirk. Told to just give up, that I wasn’t needed because there was someone better and stronger out there who could take my place. We were ‘all’ questioned on whether or not we were cut out for heroics. I was even placed in general studies because I didn’t have a quirk suited for fighting robots.”
“Nemuri was in general studies. Snipe was in general studies because he couldn’t bring a gun to the exam. Most of us were all in general studies. If we had been allowed weapons, we could have passed. But the rules don’t allow weapons because they wan’t to focus on ‘just’ quirks, and with all the secrecy around the tests, students don’t know what they are up against unless they have insider information.”
“But the tests are rigged. They are all about showing off the more powerful quirks. So many potential hero’s are lost because of that test. Sure, they can be shut down if you’re skillful enough to get in close and find the off switch. But most teenagers who are not trained in stealth can do it. It’s unreasonable to expect them to. We had to claw our way up to the hero class, had to ‘prove’ ourselves over and over that we deserved to be there. Just because our quirks weren’t considered suitable for heroics. But that doesn’t mean we were less than the others. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have become hero’s because our quirks were less flashy!”
Shouta ground his teeth together. The tests were unfair and illogical. There had to be a better solution for testing the students, but the board of commissions regarding UA’s application process all had their heads in their asses. They wanted to show off the flashy quirks because it brought more attention to the school when the students finally became heroes. There wasn’t as much recognition for the less flashy students, so they didn’t give them much thought.
“I have no doubt that with Izuku’s determination, he could have worked his way up and taken the hero courses by storm, all while being quirkless. And don’t give me that shit about it being dangerous. It’s dangerous for all people who choose it, no matter the quirk. Being a hero is an occupational hazard, for everyone. I got my face smashed in at the USJ, does that mean that I should never have been a hero?”
Toshinori wasn’t looking at Shouta anymore, he was staring at the ground, his face still pale. A bruise was starting to show itself on his jawbone. Toshinori didn’t know how much some of the other hero’s had struggled to become heroes. It had been a breeze for him, he never gave it much thought that not everyone had found it easy.
Shouta sighed and rubbed his neck. He wasn’t done, it would be a while before he was done, but that didn’t stop him from wishing he could curl up in his seeping bag and pretend that All Might wasn’t his problem to deal with.
“I, along with many others, proved ourselves at school that we had what it takes. If we didn’t, then the teachers could have sent us packing, but they at least allowed us to prove ourselves. We had potential, so we got to stay. You knew nothing about Izuku other than he was quirkless. You didn’t give him a chance to prove himself before you told him no.”
“You didn’t know if the boy had any skills, or anything he could offer the hero world. You saw the label quirkless and you treated it like a liability. Hypocrit. Quirks should not define us, but unfortunately they do. And those more privileged in the quirk department tend to reap the benefits of having a powerful quirk. They get praised all their lives and told they can accomplish anything, even if the only potential they have is being powerful. Being powerful doesn’t make you a good hero, just look at Endeavor.”
Toshinori frowned. His rival had a awful habit of using too much force and not considering those around him.
“Sure Izuku got caught by a villain, but Bakugou got caught by the ‘same’ villain and no one told him he couldn’t be a hero because of it. You saw Izuku as the helpless quirkless boy that got caught by a villain an saw it as proof the boy was helpless.”
“Bakugou ‘freaked out’ when he was caught by the same villain and made it difficult for the pro heroes to get close enough to rescue him. Pro heroes stood by while a child was being suffocated, all because they didnt think their quirks would be useful and they didn’t want to get hurt by Bakugou’s explosions.”
Shouta clenched his fists, this part made him angry. “And the poor quirkless boy you carelessly dismissed, rushed in to save his tormenter. Spotting the villain’s weakness after only watching it for a short amount of time, and used his quick thinking to stun the villain and give Bakugou a chance at breathing air the villain had been denying him.”
“It was dangerous, he shouldn’t of had to interfere, but he had to because the other pro’s were too busy worrying about how their quirks were useless. ‘You’ were too busy feeling sorry for yourself. And instead of Izuku getting praised for his quick thinking and heroic act, he was told off. While Bakugou was praised for his quirk, even though his quirk and panic was what had caused the other heroes to back away.”
All Might seemed to find his courage again and spoke up after slowly getting to his feet. “But I realized my mistake and trained young Midoriya and gave him my quirk. I saw his potential and saw the hero he could be!”
Shouta shook his head sadly. “You only saw his potential with ‘your’ quirk.”
Toshinori was getting mad and clinched his fists as he stood up. “How can you not see that it would be a terrible idea to encourage him to be a quirkless hero? You are a pro, you know how important it is to be able to protect yourself, and without a quirk-“
“Having a damned quirk doesn’t mean you can protect yourself! There will always be someone better than you! I have my capture weapon for when my quirk won’t work! Snipe has guns! Midnight has a whip! Support items, All Might. Ever heard of them? You might not need them, but for many heroes they are essential.” Shouta could feel a headache forming.
“Support items can only do so much! It just isn’t possible! You are not thinking rationally!” Toshinori yelled at him.
“I am being rational!” Shouta screamed. “You just cant see past your own biased and bigoted opinions!”
All Might ran his hands through his hair, he was looking at Shouta as if he had taken a dive off the deep end and had lost all reason. It pissed Shouta off.
“Vide. He’s a underground hero in France. He’s quirkless.” Shouta said, glaring at Toshinori.
Toshinori opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of something to say and falling short. A quirkless hero was unheard of. “That... that can’t be a good idea.”
*Is it only a good idea to be a hero if your fucking overpowered?*
“He’s thirty eight. Skilled in hand to hand combat that could apparently give me a run for my money.” Shouta’s mouth twitched, fighting off a smile. “He wears a heavy duty vest that protects against bullets and many low range emitter quirks. Has a bow staff that emits an electric charge. Has a variety of grenades and smoke bombs that he can use. Gloves and shoes that inable him to scale walls. And guns. If he were to challenge Snipe to a quirkless snipe off, it is suspected that he would be almost as good. Snipe is better when using his quirk, but Vide is skilled enough to be considered a rival. He’s quirkless and has the respect of many quirked heroes in France.”
“Heroes, no matter how powerful, don’t always live long lives. I could die any time I go out on patrol.”
*And my students are bound and determined to draw in every super villain in Japan and get into all kinds of trouble, so if I don’t die before they graduate it will be a miracle. Hell, I’ll probably be so worn out by the time they graduate that I might have to retire from teaching.*
“This quirkless hero has been fighting as an underground hero for almost twenty years, and they are still alive. So no All Might, it is not impossible.”
Toshinori was taken aback. “I’ve never heard of a quirkless hero before.”
Shouta nodded. “Most people don’t look into hero’s who aren’t flashy. And its very hard to find out much about underground ones. So its no surprise that you haven’t heard about one in a different country. Tell me, did you know much, if anything, about me before becoming a teacher?”
Toshinori shook his head no.
“Have you ever looked up heroes that weren’t in the top twenty?” Shouta asked.
“No I haven’t.”
Shouta sighed. All Might was an idiot. “Not all heroes show up on those lists. I don’t expect you to know every hero in Japan, but you should at least know most of the ones in Tokyo. All Agencies are required to keep tabs on all hero’s in their vicinity. Just in case any of their heroes come across a hero from a different agency that they don’t know of right off the bat. It keeps misunderstandings from happening. You could easily get that information, and learn about the heroes that are working around you. Not just the ones that are in the spotlight. Maybe then you would see that not all heroes have amazing quirks suited for heroics.”
Toshinori couldn’t argue with him. You needed to know who you were working with, even if you weren’t working with them; because being a hero was a job and it was important to know who those working the job with you were. It was one of the important ground rules for heroes to follow, something they had learned as student’s at UA.
-Know what’s going on around you, be mindful of current events.
-Know the heroes around you, what their quirks are, and where they work.
-Be mindful of other hero’s patrol routes. (Agencies make sure that heroes patrol routs don’t clash with each other, or that they only pass each other. They don’t wan’t heroes gettin in each other’s way, but want them to be nearby if needed.)
-Don’t interfere with another hero’s work unless needed. (Something Mount Lady clearly forgot.)
Shouta rubbed at his eyes tiredly. “I know that you are new at being a teacher, but you should have considered the fact that you didn’t know what you were doing when you decided to train Izuku personally. I think your training schedule was fine, you clearly put a lot of though into it. Kudos for that. I think you had him bulk up a little too fast, but time limits are a bitch. Knowing he wanted to be a hero, Izuku should have been training his body for years, that’s his bad. But giving him your quirk the day of the testing with only the advice of “clench your ass and yell smash”! Are you an idiot! You could have killed him!”
Toshinori had the sense to look ashamed. “I had no idea that it wouldn’t take to him like it did me. I did warn him to take it easy though.”
Shouta clasped his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling, squinting against the protected fluorescent lights. Closing his eyes he began to count backwards from thirty. Toshinori was looking at him quizzically, but chose to say nothing. After the second time of counting down, Shouta felt he was in control of himself enough not to attack the man again. Once was just an impulse accident, twice would be assault.
Lowering his arms and shoving his hands into his pockets again, he finally looked back at Toshinori. Shouta said sarcastically, “Oh noooo. How could you have known that the quirk would react differently than it had for you. Its not like you were giving it to an entirely different person. Shocking.”
Toshinori face flushed in anger and embarrassment. Shouta continued sassing on, “And you told him to take it easy. Shame on Izuku for not listening, teenagers shouldn’t be so stupid. I mean its not like he had just gotten a quirk that he had no clue how to use and no time to learn how it works. Oh wait, that’s exactly what happened!”
“You gave him a quirk without teaching him how to use it! So he broke his arm and legs. Then he broke his finger. You still didn’t teach him shit, just let him figure things out as he went along. Well he definitely figured out how to demolish his arm and permanently disfigure his hand! The one who helped him get control of his quirk was Gran Torino!”
All Might flinched at the name of his once teacher. “That man could have been helping Izuku from the get go, but you were too much of a coward to contact him. He figured out what was going on from watching the sports festival and realized he needed to step in. He knew you were fucking up and had to step in for you!”
The blond man tried to cover his tracks. “You don’t understand how he can be! He’s merciless! I didn’t want the boy to have to deal with that!”
Shouta rolled his eyes. The same thing could be said about himself. “From what Izuku said, the man just pushes you and gets you thinking. Obviously that’s something you couldn’t handle, or he just really likes Izuku. He might be a bit crazy, but his teaching style worked”
Toshinori turned away and walked a few paces away before turning back. “Are you going to tell me that I’ve actually been failing as a hero too now?”
*Oh cry me a river.*
“No All Might, you have never failed at being a hero. Failed at being a teacher and mentor, yes. But you’ve always been a good hero, I can’t fault you that. You’ve done a good job at protecting Japan, but you’ve failed Izuku. Many times.”
Toshinori looked down at the floor, he looked miserable. Shouta has been insulting him for a while after all. “I was trying my best.”
Shouta sighed. He knew that, and that’s what made it worse. Toshinori was so out of depth, but he just kept floundering along. “All Might, there are many things you could have, should have done differently. You aren’t exactly cut out for teaching, but you try. Nothing wrong with trying, you just should have asked for help when you saw yourself failing.”
Toshinori nodded his head. “I know, but I couldn’t just tell anyone. This is a very big secret.”
“I know. But All Might, I was willing to give my life at the USJ for my students. I think that alone should have made me a trustworthy candidate for keeping this secret. I could have been helping him all along, training him.”
Toshinori sighed, “It never even crossed my mind.”
Shouta nodded, he figured that. “You were too focused on keeping it secret to even consider telling someone else. I know you have people that you have trusted with this secret, but did you ever consider that maybe Izuku needed people he could trust to know about it too. And I’m not talking about Bakugou.”
Both Shouta and Toshinori cringed at the mention of Bakugou knowing the secret.
“I suppose your right.” Toshinori admitted. “It is young Midoriya’s quirk now, after all.”
Shouta reached up and rubbed at his face. “I think you have some things to reflect on. I would hate for another quirkless kid to come to you, only for you to smash their dreams too. Next kid might decide it’s not worth living if they can’t follow their dreams. So think on that. Think about all the ways you failed Izuku, and better yourself. He needs his favorite hero still. And you are definitely his favorite hero. Think about how you can help Bakugou. He’s gonna need it too. And realize you can rely on the other teachers.”
Toshinori nodded. “Aizawa?”
“Hmm?” Shouta hummed.
“I’m sorry for disappointing you. And for how much I’ve failed young Midoriya. I wish I had done better.”
*Why is everyone worried about disappointing me?*
Toshinori looked like someone had just told him his dog had been run over, he looked like he was on the verge of tears.
“Don’t worry All Might... you were never my favorite person to begin with.”
Toshinori sputtered and started to spit blood, but quickly covered his mouth with his hands to keep it from spraying out.
It was too easy to pick on the scarecrow man. “Look, don’t apologize to me. I don’t want it or need it. And don’t apologize to Izuku. You tend to do enough of that and it will probably make him feel worse. You hurting, hurts him.” Toshinori chuckled and muttered fondly ‘cry baby’. “And don’t ask him any questions. If he want’s to talk about things, then let him come to you. The whole deal with his mother is hurting him, even if he’s taking it well now.”
They both frowned at that. It hurt to know that the sweet green bean had such a hard time at home.
Toshinori cleared his throat and hesitantly looked at Shouta. “Anything else?”
Shouta thought for a minute before nodding his head. Toshinori paled a little more. “Yea. If Mic goes missing, then say you saw me in my sleeping bag in the teachers office at the time it happened. Got it?”
Toshinori nodded his head quickly before rubbing his jaw. Whatever Yamada had done, Toshinori wasn’t going to get in the way of Shouta’s revenge. Being punched once on his bony jaw was enough. “You were definitely asleep when he went missing. Poor Present Mic, don’t know who got him, but it definitely wasn’t you.”
Shouta smirked and Toshinori took a few steps back. “~That’s right~.” Shouta sang. Toshinori looked at Shouta like he was possessed. Might be he was, who knows? Shouta was too tired to care.
Shouta turned away from Toshinori and made his way to the door and opened it. Before Shouta left, he looked over his shoulder and called out to All Might one last time. “Oh and All Might, ‘never’ piss me off like this again, no more secrets. And there better not be anymore arch nemesis hiding in the shadows. I won’t go so easy on you a second time.” Shouta walked out the door after that, before the door closed he heard Toshinori whisper, ‘what about all this was easy’.
Shouta made his way tiredly back to the teachers lounge, where he found Ishiyama and Maijima conversing worriedly with Nemuri. Maijima saw Shouta first and saw that All Might wasn’t with him. The little red headed man shrieked, “Oh fuck no! He’s killed All Might!” He then turned around and ran back into the office and slammed the door. Shouta could hear him pushing things against it to barricade himself inside.
Ishiyama looked at him worriedly while Nemuri just raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do I need to help you get rid of a body?”
*This is the kind of support I need in my life!*
Shouta shook his head no. He knew Nemuri was just joking and knew he hadn’t actually killed All Might. Shouta’s too clever to get caught that easily after all. But he would let Ishiyama worry a little longer, deciding if his “no” meant that “no I didn’t kill All Might” or “no I don’t need help hiding the body”. Honestly, Shouta didn’t give a flying fuck at the moment.
*I give zero fucks and I have zero chill in me.*
Shouta ‘might’ have lost his mind from all the stress. Oh well. He’s definitely lost what little filter he had, not that he really cared about that.
Shouta walks the rest of the way in the room and over to Nemuri. Ishiyama scrambles backwards a few feet, getting out of Shouta’s striking range. Not that Shouta would hit Ishiyama. He’s not dumb enough to hit fucking cement. But Ishiyama was to afraid to realize that.
Shouta, a hero that terrifies all other heroes, great.
*Might not have to expel anyone to save my reputation now.*
Shouta stood in front of Nemuri and calmly says, “Hit me with the good stuff bitch.”
The last thing Shouta sees before Somnambulist hits him is Nemuri’s wicked grin.
*Shit. That’s not good.*
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Bakugou Katsuki The car ride back home was a silent affair. Katsuki’s parents barely sparring him a glance in the back seat. He could feel the rage pouring out of his mom from the passenger side, but she remained silent. A silent Bakugou Mitsuki was like the calm before the storm.Katsuki had stood outside once before a storm hit as a child, it had still been a good distance away, and he could only faintly hear the sounds of thunder as lightning spiderwebbed across the sky. The air had been heavy, and he could feel the hair on his arms stand up from the static that the lighting was causing. Even far off like it was.Katsuki had ignored his dad calling him into the house, the storm was far enough away. He would be fine. The static in the air seemed to keep increasing, even though the storm had barely budged. The sudden flash of lightning overhead and the deafening roll of thunder had him making a mad dash inside.This is how the car ride felt. His mom’s silent anger making the hair on his arms stand on end. A signal that danger was near. Only, Katsuki had no place to run to this time. The safety of his home would not keep him safe from the storm that was his mother.Katsuki was screwed.They pulled up to the house, and Katsuki lunged out of the car before his father could even put it in park, running like mad to the front door. He heard his mom shout after him, but he ignored her. He already had his key out and was unlocking the front door before his mom had even gotten out of the car.He threw the front door open, not bothering to close it behind him and ran to the stairs. Vaulting up them two at a time until he had reached his room. Slamming the door behind him, Katsuki locked his door and threw himself onto his bed.Safe.For the moment.Katsuki waited for the sounds of his mom’s approach, knowing that she would be after him as soon as she entered the house. Screaming and beating on his door, demanding he come out and fight her like a man.As if any man could take her on in a fight, as if Katsuki could. He was pretty sure the hag was rabid, it explained why she fought like she was bat shit crazy.Katsuki sat on his bed waiting for her. But she never came after him. Not like Katsuki would open the door for her anyway. He would have just yelled at her through the door like he always does, until he sneaks out for food or to use the bathroom and gets cornered by her. But the aggressive woman never showed up.Katsuki was starting to panic. She wouldn’t burn the house down with him in it, would she? Would she?Katsuki heard the stairs squeak, and heard the soft footsteps of his dad make their way to his door. His dad usually only showed up after Katsuki’s scream off with his mom. Acting as peacemaker, or softly telling Katsuki what he had done wrong and telling him why it wasn’t acceptable. The tension that Katsuki had been holding eased up some. His mom must be too pissed to even yell at him.Scary, but Katsuki could deal with that as long as he was safely locked in his room.Katsuki was waiting for the soft but firm reprimand that his father usually gave him, but the only sound he got was a loud bzzzt of a handheld drill.Katsuki jumped to his feet, unsure of what to do. He couldn’t open the door, that would be walking into the hands of the enemy. He couldn’t leave out the window, he was on house arrest. He would not yell at his dad, Masaru had never once raised his voice at Katsuki, and Katsuki couldn’t find it in himself to shout at the soft spoken man.So Katsuki just stood silently in his room and waited. One by one the hinges on his door fell to the floor, and then slowly his door was removed from its frame and placed against the wall of his room. His dad stood where his door had been. He looked angry, that much was obvious, but there was a deep sadness underneath all that. And it hurt Katsuki more than any slap his mom could muster.Quietly, his dad came into his room and made his way over to his computer. He unplugged it before removing all of the cords attached to it. He unplugged Katsuki’s small clock radio and tucked it under his arm, he turned to Katsuki and held out his hand.“Give me your cell phone Katsuki.” His dad said softly.Katsuki took a step back. “No way. How the fuck am I supposed to keep up to date with hero news if you take all my shit away?” Katsuki asked.His dad shook his head. “You’re not. You’re under house arrest, so you don’t need to be able to keep up with the hero news.”Katsuki crossed his arms and glared at his dad, not making any move to fish his phone out of his pocket. “I have a right to know what’s going on. There are too many villains with a grudge against the school. I deserve to be in the loop and know if they make any moves.”The thought of not knowing if his classmates were safe or if any of the troublesome villains had been spotted made Katsuki sick.“Besides,” Katsuki added. “I tutor most of those damn nerds. If I don’t have my cell phone then how am I supposed to help them and keep them from flunking?”His dad sighed and rubbed his hand through his light brown hair. “Katsuki, you don’t have the right to know what’s going on. Not any more. Your actions against Izuku lost you that right. Going to U.A. and being a hero is not a right, its a privilege. Nobody has the right to something, only the privilege. And right now you have lost that privilege. Even if its only temporary.”“So that means you are losing all of your other privileges. The privilege of having free information, of keeping in contact with your friends, and of any activities that you enjoy.”Katsuki gaped at his dad. “Being a hero is my right.” Katsuki growled. “My quirk is perfect for being a hero.”Masaru shook his head sadly. “Your too conceited Katsuki. I don’t know how that happened exactly. Sure, your mother and I praised you, but we never let you get away with things we felt were wrong. Never led you to believe that you could just do whatever you wanted because you were strong. That you were better than everyone.”“But we wont let your ego get any more inflated. Katsuki it is not your right to be a hero. If it was, then you wouldn’t have had to take tests to attend U.A., or even had to attend school. If being a hero was your right then they would have just handed you the hero license. But they didn’t. It’s a privilege, and you had to prove that you deserved it. And now you have proved that you don’t.”“You may have a quirk that’s suitable for heroics, but you also proved it can be used for villainy. It became a villainous quirk the moment you decided to act like a villain and use it against an innocent person. You had no excuse to use it against Izuku. He’s never hurt you.”Katsuki scoffed and scuffed his sneaker across the floor. He had been in too much of a hurry to take his shoes off at the front door. “But the damn nerd was gonna get himself killed if he didn’t stop. If I didn’t stop him. I though he was looking down on me. Like if he could become a hero quirkless, then that made him better than me. That I wasn’t important, or as good as I thought, because if his quirkless ass could do it when I was trying so hard to be number one then did all my effort even have a point.”Masaru reached out and brushed away the few tears that had escaped and were trailing down Katsuki’s face. “I didn’t realize you were that self conscious.” His dad murmured. “But Katsuki. You have no right to tell someone how to live their life. Maybe he could have died, if his quirk hadn’t developed and he still pursued heroics and became a hero. But, being a hero would still be his choice, risks and all.”“How would you feel Katsuki, if you had grown up with All Might telling you that you couldn’t be a hero? That you weren’t strong enough because you weren’t on his level.” Katsuki flinched. All Might telling him that he couldn’t be a hero. That would have killed him.“Katsuki, Izuku has always looked up to you. Always. He has always been one of your biggest fans, has always said that you would make a great hero. All because you were his best friend when you were children. You told him that you two had to be hero’s together, how do you think it made him feel when you decided that he was no longer good enough?”Katsuki’s legs wobbled and he sat down hard on his bed. *I’m such an ass! I knew I was being an ass. But I couldn’t stop. That little voice that supposed to tell you when not to say shit must have decided it didn’t get paid enough and ditched. But how else was I supposed to talk him out of being a hero. He just wouldn’t see how weak and vulnerable he was. A strong breeze knocked him on his ass once. What kind of hero would I be if I just let him run headfirst into danger. How could I ever face aunty if I let her only son die? I had to show him! Right?**The weak fall. That’s how it always is. I couldn’t let him fall... I fuckin told him to fall. I didn’t mean it! Still told him. If he hadn’t of been such a weak ass bitch I wouldn’t have need to be so hard on him. Right? Am I really no better than a villain? I was acting out of the best intentions... Is that what I was doing? Or did bullying him make me feel better about myself, stronger? What the hell was I doing? I don’t know! IDON’TKNOWIDON’TKNOWIDON’TKNOW!*Katsuki reached into his pocket and ripped his phone out and tossed it to his dad, who had to scramble to keep it from falling to the floor. “I wan’t to be alone now.” Katsuki grumbled.He heard his dad sigh and walk to his door. *Cant even close my fuckin door now. The hag is gonna have a field day with that.*“Katsuki. Try to make the best of the next two weeks. This isn’t a vacation, and not going to be fun for you. I plan on making you a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow.” His dad said.Katsuki’s head shot up at that. “Why the fuck are you setting me up a doctors appointment when I’ll be dealing with damn therapists soon?”His dad sighed. “Language Katsuki. I’m setting you up with the doctor tomorrow, because I have an idea for why you might be like this and the sooner we deal with it the better.” Masaru tuned around so he could face his son.Katsuki growled, “What do you mean, ‘why I’m like this’?Masaru rubbed at his arm nervously with his free hand, he had all of Katsuki’s electronics in the other. “You’ve heard me and your mother talk about my estranged brother?” Katsuki nodded his head. “He was about ten years older than me. He had moments when we were growing up where he would suddenly lash out over anything. He would be verbally violent towards me and my mother, and sometimes even physically violent. Especially when I got older and wouldn’t let him treat us that way.”“He had times where he was very depressed and would become withdrawn. He had an ego as big as yours. He couldn’t keep to a schedule and his emotions would be all over the place. We knew that he had a habit of stealing from us, and after he moved out it got worse. He would spend all of his money and then would come and steal from us. I was still in high school at the time. We tried to get him into therapy, but he refused.”“When we refused to let him keep stealing from us, he went into a rage and broke into our house and tried to fight me, saying I was the reason our mother didn’t love him any more. My mother called the police and had a restraining order put on him. We haven seen him since, and I have no idea how he is.” Katsuki was confused. “What the fuck has that got to do with me and going to the doctor? I don’t steal shit from you and mom.”His dad nodded his head. “I know. But I can’t help but see some similarities between you two. The aggression. Snapping over anything, even if its minor. Erratic emotions that are almost manic sometimes. The ego. How you are easily depressed when you feel that you’ve failed or have been outdone. How you act as if you can’t control yourself when your angry. You can, you just give in to your anger and throw caution to the wind. My brother was bipolar. And I think you might be too, just not as severe as him.”Katsuki jumped to his feet. “I’m not fuckin bipolar. I’m not. There is nothing wrong with me.” Katsuki’s voice broke. Was there something wrong with him?Masaru really wanted to go and comfort his son, but knew that any affection from him right now wouldn’t be taken well. Turning and leaving the bedroom he called over his shoulder. “When you fell a little better, come downstairs. We need to go over some new rules and talk about your punishment. Suspension is not all your getting out of this. Your mother and I are very angry and disappointed in you, but know that we still love you.”Masaru left his son quietly sobbing in his room and headed back downstairs to his no doubt, still fuming wife. ~Yamada Hizashi Hizashi had just tucked Eri in for her nap in the new house, and was quietly making his way downstairs to the living room. The house had a similar feel to the dorms. It was a two story house, with four bedrooms upstairs, and a restroom that connected to a half bath. Downstairs was a very roomy living room that connected to an open kitchen with a wrap around bar. A hall that led to the front door and broom closet. A large sliding glass door that led to the open back yard. Another hall of to the side of the living room led to Shouta’s office and a restroom that connected to a spacious bathroom.It was a very pleasant house, and brightened up what had started of as a stressful morning.When Eri had woke up and found Shouta and Midoriya gone, she had pouted and refused to talk to him. Hizashi could tell that she was upset that everyone had left without telling her goodbye. But rule one for having a small child is, never wake them up before morning. Ok, that might not be rule one, but it was an important rule. Wake a kid up too early and you will have a little grumpy demon on your hands. She had refused breakfast at first, but one loud rumble of her tummy had her agreeing to French toast and bacon.It had taken thirty minutes for Hizashi to get her out of her slump and giggling madly at his antics. Hizashi is a kid at heart, entertaining kids comes easy. Hizashi had changed into an old gray pair of Shouta’s sweat pants and big t-shirt with a kitten in a coffe cup on the front. The pants were huge on Hizashi and he kept having to retie the drawstring. It was around the fourth time of the tie coming undone, and the pants almost falling off of his slender waist when Hizashi had gotten a wonderful idea on how to cheer the little cupcake up.Crouching down and pulling the extremely stretchy elastic waist of the baggy pants up and over his shoulders, Hizashi placed his hands in the back of the pants and made pinching claw like motions. It looked like he was a head with legs and had a lobster in the backside of his pants fighting to escape. Turning his back towards Eri, he started to walk backwards toward her while chanting “butt munchers”!And so Hizashi spent most of his morning chaising the little girl around the apartment like that until lunch had taken priority, followed by a nap. Now, Hizashi was reclined on the couch with his feet propped up on the table. It was a little after nine when his phone pinged, alerting him to a text.{Midnight has added LoudCockatooYea, Snipe, Ectoplasm, PowerLoader and 3 others to group chat}{Dadzawa and GreenBean Fan Club} Midnight: sooooo... our adorable hobo asked me knock him out. #sleepinggas LoudCockatooYea: ??? asked you to... or did you just do it cuz you could. We talked about this Nemi! CONSENT! It’s important.Midnight: Hizashi... your not too big that I can’t still shove you into a locker... Snipe: you knocked him out? Everyone’s safe now???LoudCockatooYea: safe??? What happened???!!!PowerLoader: He killed All Might!!!Snipe: asdfghjjlLoudCockatooYea: oh shit! we gon hide his body? I knew he didn’t like him. But damn! WHY?! Midnight: IDK why he went after All Might. All I know is what Ishiyama told me.BrickByBrick: He stormed into the teacher’s lounge. Roared out “All Might”. Then started to drag him away like a lion with his kill. I wanted to stop him, tried to talk to him, but he was terrifying. He said something to All Might and the man just went with him... willingly. There ws nothing I could do. So I called Kayama.Snipe: saw him storming down the hall to the lounge. I’ve never seen the man look so mad. Not even with the whole training camp fiasco and dealing with the press. He looked like a man that had been dragged to Hell only to get pissed that they didn’t have coffee, bitch slapped the devil and escape back to the living world, only to find out that his cat had been stolen and was fixing to take on the world with like 0 hours of sleep.Snipe: freaked me out so bad i shot out a window and jumped out with Ecto. Made a run for it, and still sitting at MOS Burger eating fries and looking paranoid as hell.LoudCockatooYea: asdfghjkl you yeeted yourself out a window! With poor ecto!!!! Ectoplasm: though I was going to lose another leg.Midnight: XDPowerLoader: off topic!!! No one has seen All Might since! LoudCockatooYea: RIP All MightMidnight: nice knowing ya bone daddyBrickByBrick: Truly an inspiration, he will be missedLoudCockatooYea: he is NO Jack Skellington!!!!!Snipe: better him that usEctoplasm: sameNedzu: Very frightening indeed. Rest In Peace All Might.LoudCockatooYea: yous a buncha chicken tenders!Midnight: ...Snipe: the hell!LoudCockatooYea: fuuuucccckPowerLoader: I TOLD YOU!!!!!BrickByBrick: oh my...KingOfBlood: lol! he’s bullshitting you guys! He just sent me to get All Might because poor man’s lost around the teachers private training rooms.Midnight: ahahahahahahahaBricByBrick: poor Maijima is crying in a corner now.Snipe: ecto choked on his lemonade and scared the poor waitress.Snipe: i got it on video. Gonna post it to his fan page!LoudCockatooYea: ok. Heart attacks aside. Mr. All Knowing Fuzzy Wuzzy Genius Principal, what the fiddily fuck is going on?Nedzu: I can’t reveal much. But the meeting with Mrs. Midoriya did not go well. Aizawa found a few things concerning regarding of how Izuku was viewed and treated, but was going to give the woman the benefit of the doubt for Izuku’s sake. He stepped away to let them have a moment together, but that quickly turned into a very loud argument between Izuku and his mother.Nedzu: After getting between the fight he began to question Mrs. Midoriya’s sanity. She appeared to be a bit delusional concerning her husband, and she was trying to force Izuku to see things her way. Aizawa decided that her unhealthy views were toxic to Izuku and part of the problem with Izuku’s willingness to forgive Bakugou’s abuse. She was also showing signs of an unhealthy protective behavior, bordering on abusive.Nedzu: So Aizawa removed Izuku from her custody. At least until she gets help and is deemed fit enough to get him back. I am in the process now of making Aizawa Izuku’s guardian, much like he is to Eri. Izuku also had a very awful panic attack that caused him to lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen, and is in a private room in the infirmary. That is why Aizawa is stressed, and he believes that All Might made some questionable decisions regarding Izuku and training him, and that’s why he went after the man. But I cannot tell you what those decisions were and I must ask you not to ask the three of them what they were.Midnight: no wonder daddy dearest needed me to knock him out. I almost fell bad for what I drew on his face.Snipe: what did you draw?Midnight: do you really want to know?Snipe: ...yes...?BrickByBrick: You don’t want to know.BrickByBrick: its very detailed.Midnight: I’m not the quirk art history teacher for nothing. 8==D Midnight: Right Hizashi?Midnight: Hizashi? {LoudCockatooYea has left the chat} Hizashi leaned forward to put his phone on the table, sliding his feet off to set firmly on the ground. He rested his elbows on his knees and placed his face in his hands. Tears were pouring down his face, and he bit his lip to keep quiet.A soft sob escaped him and he quickly covered his mouth. He couldn’t afford to wake Eri and let her find him like this. Not after he told her that everything was going to be ok. That Izuku was going home to talk to his mom, so that she would make things better, because that’s what mom’s do.Only she had made things worse.And the poor little green bean was suffering even more for it. Had passed out because of a panic attack. Because he panicked to the point that he couldn’t breath. Hizashi could only imagine how awful it had been for the kid, and for Shouta.Shouta. Shouta loved all his kids. He must feel like shit for not being able to protect his student from the one person who he shouldn’t have to protect him from. What was wrong with that woman.Hizashi had a mind to go shake Shouta awake and demand a detailed explanation. But he couldn’t do that. Shouta needed the sleep that Nemuri had provided. Needed a momentary break.But damn! Things were supposed to be getting better. Not worse.Hizashi took a deep, steadying breath. He had to keep calm, keep his composure. Not just for Eri, sleeping blissfully in the next room, but for Shouta and Midori-Izuku. Izuku deserved so much better than that last name.Hizashi took another deep breath. He would stay strong for them. Shouta and Izuku needed to be able to come home to peace and happiness. Hizashi would give them that. Even if he was dying on the inside at the injustice of it all. He would put a smile on and welcome them home with open arms and help them settle in. Not hard, all their stuff was already moved in. They just needed a tour from their happy go lucky cockatoo man. Hizashi could put on his happy face for them. He was known to be a slap happy pro and an over enthusiastic radio host, faking a smile was part of the job description.Fake it till you make it!And once they got settled in, Hizashi would leave. Tomorrow was Sunday, a perfect day for him to pay a visit to Midoriya Inko. Just a friendly visit.And maybe Monday, after school, he would grab the new little Aizawa family and pay a visit to his parents. Shouta was definitely in need of one of his mom’s forehead kisses. And she had been bugging Hizashi to bring his ‘brother’ over one day so she could see her ‘granddaughter’ again. She was going to flip when they show up and Shouta has two kids now.*Yea Izuku, Shouta’s your dad now. Get used to it.*Hopefully Hizashi could avoid any awkward questions about when he was going to bless them with grandkids. Honestly, not everyone could adopt kids out of the blue like Shouta can.But Monday would be a good day spent at the Yamada household. Hizashi would make sure of it.But for now, Hizashi had to pull himself together, and make sure to shower Izuku in all the love his uncle Zashi could muster.Today was going to end on a good note. Because Izuku deserved it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Consciousness slowly crept back on Shouta. First it was knowing that he was sleeping on something soft, then there was the feeling of something familiar wrapped around him. And there was the silence. The wonderful silence. Shouta basked in the silence as he slowly woke up.Shouta stretched his arms over his head and arched his back, sighing happily when when it popped in all the right places. He fell back into a more comfortable position, but left his hands stretched out over his head. Lying there comfortably for a few moments before he cracked open an eyelid to look around him curiously.He was still in the teacher’s lounge, but instead of the floor where he had collapsed, he was now on the couch. The familiar thing that he felt dropped across him was his spare sleeping bag that he kept stashed in the office. Shouta grumbled appreciatively at the kind gesture. It was probably Nemuri, not many people had the guts to move Shouta when he’s sleeping. Or touch his sleeping bag. Somnsmbulist induced sleep or not, people were still cautious of him.Shouta felt more rested than he had in days. He could stay like this for hours, but Shouta knew that wasn’t an option. He needed to go and check on Izuku. Shouta sat up and pushed the sleeping bag off of him. Yawning and stretching one last time, Shouta finally stood up and carried his sleeping bag into the office to put it back under his desk where he keeps it.The clock on his computer showed it to be 3:00 pm. Shouta vaguely remembers it being close to lunch time when he had confronted All Might. So that meant Shouta had been asleep for roughly four hours.*She really did hit me with the good stuff.*Shouta had really needed that complete and undisturbed rest, but he couldn’t help but wonder how Izuku was. When he had left, the boy had “just” conked out. He hoped Izuku would be able to get another hour or two of sleep, but Shouta knew there was no way the kid was still asleep. Shouta could only hope Izuku hadn’t worked himself into another anxiety attack.Surly someone would have woken him up if that was the case.Shouta quickly made his way to the infirmary. At least he wasn’t marching down the hallway like a demented demon this time. Shouta blushed and rubbed at his cheek in embarrassment. Now that he was no longer angry and less stressed due to his well needed nap, Shouta could admit that he had been acting a bit irrationally and a out of character.Unbridled anger. Cuddling. Possessiveness. Flirtatious teasing... well Shouta actually tended to do that when he was drunk, or hadn’t slept enough. But he usually only did that to Hizashi, Nemuri and Tensei. And only because Hizashi and Nemuri’s bad habits had rubbed off on him. Teasing Izuku like that was new. Shouta’s fucks to give had just fucked off and his stressed and tired mind had decided to just go crazy and let loose. Damnit! He was supposed to be the rational one!He knew that he had snapped, but who wouldn’t? He had found his student sitting on the edge of the roof on Thursday night and had been told some rather upsetting things, and had slept on the couch dead to the world due to stress. Spent Friday learning more upsetting things and dealing with a very emotional Izuku. Only had taken a few naps while trying to keep Izuku from falling apart. Went on patrol and then had to sleep on a very tiny child’s bed, for only a few hours.Then he had to get up bright and early Saturday, today, and take a mentally exhausted Izuku to his mother. Only for that to turn into a shit storm. Had to deal with Izuku having a panic attack. Then to top it all off, he found out just how incompetent All Might truly is and had to deal with that.So yea, Shouta had every right to blow a fuse. He wasn’t proud of it, but too much stress in a short amount of time, revolving entirely around one problem child could do that to a person. Even with all the stress, Shouta would have still taken everything on himself just to protect Izuku.Shouta hopes Izuku realizes just how much he cares and worries for him, like he does for all his students. He took a day off work, and is going to take Monday off too; just for Izuku. Shouta has never missed a day of work in his life. He had even came to school broken and bandaged like a mummy. If that doesn’t show how much Shouta cares for Izuku, then he doesn’t know what will.Shouta has always had a soft spot in his heart for Izuku. From the first day when Izuku turned to Shouta with watery eyes a pained smile and a broken finger, showing that he was still standing and that he wouldn’t let his quirk hold him back. It showed that Izuku was smart enough to work around his quirk’s backlash.That determination and the ability to make quick decisions impressed Shouta. In all honesty, Shouta had been prepared to expel Izuku and Mineta. But Izuku had changed his mind and made him declare it all a “Logical Ruse”. Sure he could have still expelled Mineta just for the heck of it, even though he showed some ingenuity with his quirk. But he figured he could scare the pervertedness out of him. Or at least get him to hide or suppress it.Shouta was still working on that.Shouta was even more impressed, while also being extremely exasperated when Izuku and Uraraka fought against Bakugou and Iida. Shouta had watched and listened to the video of that fight. Izuku had known how his opponent would react, and had made a very good decision in having Uraraka scout ahead. Knowing Bakugou could have hurt her just to get her out of the way. It was smart. Self sacrificing, which Shouta didn’t like for a student to do, but it was smart. He had fought Bakugou for as long as he could without using his quirk, impressive. Had made the tactical decision to run and put distance between them to make time and protect himself. Smart again.Breaking his arm to create a shockwave through the ceiling while taking a near lethal explosion head on. STUPID. STUPID. STUPID.You should not have to remind someone to NOT break their arms. It should be common logic.Unfortunately martyrs seldom use logic. They just break themselves until they cant break anymore. Something Izuku seemed to have a habit of doing, because he was trying to emulate All Fucking Might. Not trying to be his own person, but acting in a way he thought All Might would.
It was something that really pissed Shouta off. At last the kid was moving away from that reckless behavior and working to find his own way as a hero; not following in All Might’s shadow.At least now Shouta knows why he was that shadow to begging with.Then came the USJ. Shouta had been told how after he had lost consciousness, Izuku had jumped into the fray, along with other students. How he had tried to attract the Nomu himself! Shouta had thrown up when Hizashi had told him that. Remembering how easily the creature had snapped his arm and slammed his face into the concrete, and thinking about how Izuku had jumped in without hesitation. Willing to risk life and limb to protect everyone, even after seeing how Shouta had failed. That knowledge had been too much for Shouta. Was still too much. Part of him was proud at how brave his student was, and could faintly imagine the kind of hero he would grow up to be. But that pride was small. He was more appalled than anything. Appalled at the recklessness. Izuku may be brave, but he was more of a little All Might idiot than anything else. And he knew Izuku didn’t regret jumping in. It made Shouta fear for Izuku’s future. He couln’t become the hero Shouta knew he could be if he was dead.And Izuku’s recklessness was going to kill him one of these days. The kid needed to think before he jumped. He had a brilliant mind and needed to use it before running into the fray. Shouta knows that sometimes you move without thinking. But Izuku is a child, and needs to know when to stand down. Even if it means letting one of his teachers die. The life of an adult is worth less than the life of a child.That had been the first time Shouta had ever though that he could lose one of his students before they became pro heroes, before they even got their provisional licenses. The USJ had been a slap in the face, and Izuku’s self sacrificing nature had been a punch in the gut.Then there had been the sports festival. Shouta groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Shouta had thought that Izuku was a candidate for either second or first place. He knew Todoroki only used his right side. His ice. Concerning, and Shouta had his suspicions and was considering confronting him. He figured letting Todoroki lose the festival would be a wake up call and help convince the duo toned boy to either go all out or give up. You can’t half ass being a hero. Shouta thought for sure that Izuku would try to make things quick and knock Todoroki out of bounds. And Izuku had tried at first, but he wasn’t putting his all into it. Shouting things at the icy boy that Shouta couldn’t hear. Things that were making Todoroki angry.Finger after finger, Izuku broke. Then broke them again. *What kind of pain tolerance does Izuku have?!* Just when Shouta thought Izuku couldn’t break anything else and that the match would lean in Todoroki’s favor (Shouta had ‘told’ him breaking himslef would make him a liability), Half and Half decided to use his flames. And the sudden heat in a very cold arena created an explosion just as Izuku attacked.Izuku broke his arm... again, and was launched out of the arena and into a wall. Todoroki just barely catching himself with his ice.Shouta would have been impressed that Izuku had finally gotten the other boy to use his flame. If he hadn’t been to busy being pissed that Izuku had permanently damaged his hand.Izuku had to learn to write with his left hand after that.Stain! Sure, Izuku hadn’t been looking for a fight. He was just trying to find Iida. Had known that Iida was probably getting himself into trouble. Shouta had known that Tensei had been attacked in Hosu, and knew that that is where Iida had chosen to intern. But he thought the straight lace, rule following kid would behave.Iida was the responsible one. He had hoped Iida just wanted to help out in the city his brother had last been active in. Choosing to continue his brother’s work there for the moment.Tensei had told his friends that he gave his little brother the name of Inginium.Shouta thought Iida would be fine. He wasn’t, and it was Shouta’s fault for letting him go in the first place. He couldn’t blame Izuku for seeing the warning signs and going to find his friend. And it wasn’t Izuku’s fault that the League had sent more fucking Nomu’s to Hosu at the same time.Wasn’t Izuku’s fault that the hero’s were too busy. And when he found Iida, Native, and Stain; well he couldn’t blame Izuku for not running away. How could Izuku be a hero if he left his friend to die. Left another hero to die.Although, Shouta agrees with Native that Izuku should have grabbed Iida and run. Pro heroes know what they are getting themselves into and don’t expect unlicensed or even licensed children to die beside them.Izuku sending out his location was smart. He knew that Todoroki was nearby, he just probably hoped that Todoroki would bring his father along. Sure the Nomu were a very big threat, the citizens needed protecting. But would it have killed the man to send one of the many sidekicks in the area to go with his son? Or one of the minor heroes?Of course Todoroki running off from his father didn’t help. Is it so hard to drag an adult with you? All he would have to say is “my friend is in danger please help”, and any decent pro would jump into action.Dumb asses. All of them.At least he had sent his location to the adult heroes in his contact list. All The teachers made sure that their students had their numbers. So Shouta had gotten the alert. Little good it did him all the way at UA, but at least Gran Torino had finally shown up.And Endeavor had eventually tracked down his son. Not that showing up late and stealing the glory did much good other than protecting the kids from being charged as vigilantes. Those laws were actually kind of ridiculous. Sure, Iida had activity acted as a vigilante, but the others were protecting their friend. The law was a little too unbending at times, and after having worked with vigilante’s for a short time; Shouta was able to see the other side of the coin. You shouldn’t get the book thrown at you for doing the right thing and saving a life. But that’s what had happened, and Shouta couldn’t do a thing about it.Three students going up against the hero killer was the craziest most dangerous thing he could think of.Then the training camp happened and Shouta wanted to eat his earlier statement.The motherfucking training camp happened!Izuku had fought Muscular! Fought him and won! That was a huge “what the fuck” moment. Izuku fought him and had broken BOTH of his arms. Shouta couldn’t be too angry at him. He had been protecting a child from his parent’s killer. And they had not been able to safely run away.But damn! Both of his arms!Then the brat had run off to help his friends, when he was only supposed to deliver a message. Was supposed to go right back to the safety of the lodges. But noooo, he had to run head first into danger. All for Bakugou!Shouta couldn’t get Izuku into therapy fast enough. Sure a hero had to save everyone no matter how they felt about the person, but it is also important to think about yourself. Sometimes you need to put yourself first. You can’t be a hero if you don’t take care of yourself, and Izuku isn’t taking care of himself when he keeps clinging to Bakugou. Like he’s a glutton for punishment.THEN this idiot decides that as soon as he gets released from the hospital, to go and track Bakugou down! Back to the vigilante shit! Shouta had seen the newsfeed after his conference. Had seen Izuku and his friends fly across the sky over the fight and saw Bakugou rocket himself up to them.IDIOTS! He should have expelled all of them! But at least as soon as they had Bakugou they did the smart thing and ran away. That was their only saving grace. The only reason he didn’t throttle them was because they had been so afraid of the fight, and were all heartbroken at All Might’s final stand. He decided to let them heal without punishments. At least they didn’t use their quirks to fight.It was as if the universe had decided to keep fucking with Shouta, because of course the problem child had to get drawn into a fight with the Yakuza! The League of Villains wasn’t enough, he had to go against the Japanese mafia!A hero lost his life! A very good underground hero died! One of his most promising students lost his quirk! Shouta had almost been kidnapped! He had been stabbed in the back!It was awful! But... at least Shouta got a daughter out of it. Shouta wouldn’t trade her for anything. No peace and quiet could ever be worth not having her in his life. His students had survived. Had learned first hand the ugly and painful truth of being a hero, sometimes the villains win and take a life.He had hopped it would be years before any of his students had to learn that. But class 1A has proved, “Izuku has proved” that they are going to be the unfortunate ones that learn everything too soon. Accomplish everything too soon.Shouta had finally reached Izuku’s infirmary door. He stopped and leaned his head against it for a moment.His kids were growing up too fast. Before he knows it they’ll be married with kids of their own... they better be FUCKING GRADUATED before they have kids of their own or he would expel them! Expel them and keep the kids for himself. Ugh!!! Shouta is too young to become a grandfather! And knowing his class, they would make him be the honorary grandfather! Shouta blushed. He was not secretly waiting for the long, very long off day, that his students brought a babies back to show him or ask him to babysit.He was not looking forward to it. Was not looking forward to telling the children of his favorite class/worst class embarrassing stories about their parents. Nope. Let his class cut contact with him so he can finally have peace.Shouta sighed. He would never have peace. They have his number, they know where he lives, they would never leave him alone. They will be grown ass heroes calling him and asking questions or needing help. “Mr. Aizawa, how do you fill this paperwork out?” “Mr. Aizawa, I got lost chasing a villain, please help.” “Mr. Aizawa, my hero costume ripped, what do I do?” And Shouta, like that dad that he is, would always answer and go to them. Damnit.Shouta opened the door and walked in. Izuku was awake, like he thought he would be. He was writing away in what looked like a new notebook. Shuuzenji must have gotten it for him, though the old woman was no where to be seen.Shouta walked over to Izuku and sat down in the chair beside his bed, the same one he had sat in earlier. Izuku finished what he was writing, closing the book and setting them on the stand beside his bed before turning and looking at Shouta.“Hi.” Izuku said awkwardly, looking away as soon as he looked at Shouta.“Hi.” Shouta replied. Izuku was blushing furiously and wouldn’t make eye contact. Shouta sat quietly and watched as Izuku would glance his way, only for his blush to darken and him to quickly look away again.*What the hell? What now?*Izuku looked like he wanted to say something, only to squeak and cover his face with his hands. *What the actual hell?*“Izuku?” Shouta deadpanned.Izuku didn’t remove his hands from his face but asked, “Yessir?”“What’s the matter with you?” Shouta asked. This was just awkward and was making Shouta a bit self conscious and annoyed. “It’s not me its you.” Izuku mumbled from behind his hands.Shouta sighed. “You’re making it sound like you’re breaking up with me. Want to try again?”Shouta could see Izuku’s ears turning red. *That’s some blush.* Izuku nodded his head and whispered “Your face.”Shouta tugged at a lock of his hair in irritation. *We’re going around out elbow to get to our butt. Why is he being so difficult?* “I’m aware I have a face, what about it?”Its the same face Izuku had seen earlier today, he didn’t seem to be embarrassed by it then. Shouta rubbed at his face. No drool or snot was stuck to it. The blush was now spreading down Izuku’s neck. “Y-you, um, uh... you just h-have. W-well. D- don’t make m-me say it. J-just go l-look.” Izuku stuttered out.Confused, Shouta stood up and made his way into the restroom. The light cut on automatically and Shouta peered into the mirror and froze. “There’s a penis drawn on my face.” Shouta said slowly. “A very realistic one. Drawn in sharpie.” Shouta sighed. *Fuuuuuuucking Nemuri!*That explained Izuku’s embarrassment. Shouta was very glad he hadn’t run into anyone on his way here. Shouta walked out of the bathroom, no point in trying to wash it off with just water. That wouldn’t work. Shouta walked over to a cabinet on the wall and snatched it open, Shuuzenji always kept spare medical supplies in them.Shouta raided the cabinet and stole all of the alcoholic wipes and made his way back into the restroom. Izuku refused to look up the entire time. Looking in the mirror, Shouta took the wipes and began to roughly scrub at his face. Eighteen wipes later and you could barley see the penis on his face. Someone would have to be staring very closely to see it.Satisfied, Shouta left and sat back down in the chair he had vacated. Honestly Shouta didn’t see why it was so embarrassing. It would have been one thing if a girl had seen it, but Izuku was a boy. He had one. He took a communal bath with other boys who had them.But Shouta conceded that it was easy to avoid looking at his classmates privates, when they were down low and usually covered by a towel. There was nothing wrong with being shy and easily embarrassed. And no one ever expected to see one drawn on someone’s face.*Thats what I get for letting Nemuri knock me out. I should have known better. How many times have I watched her draw things on Hizashi and Tensei’s faces when they pass out drunk. How many times of waking up hungover to find something on my face before I learned not to drink till I pass out around her. My fault for thinking she would control herself while at school.*“It’s safe.” Shouta grumbled. Izuku pulled his hands down from around his face and peeked at Shouta, sighing in relief when he saw Shouta’s face was clear.“Ready to go kid?”Izuku nodded his head but made no move to get up. He was worrying his lip and still seemed to be nervous, although the embarrassed blush had left his face. Shouta looked at him for a minute before he sighed. “What’s bothering you kid?” Izuku really needed to learn to be more upfront. Izuku hunched his shoulders and looked away. “Besides everything?” He asked.Shouta rubbed the back of his neck, “Wan’t to try and simplify that? I don’t know if I can handle everything right now, but why don’t you tell me what you think I can help you with at the moment. It doesn’t have to be the most important, just the one’s that are easily fixed.” *Please don’t have anymore world shattering revelations.*Izuku looked down at his lap and pulled at the sheet covering his legs. “W-well, I’m kind of nervous about living with you and Eri. Not-not that I’m not looking forward to it, but its different from living with my mom... or with my friends. And I don’t know how to talk to my friends about this, or if I even wan’t to. And I was wondering where we will be living. What are the rules? How should I act around you and Eri?”Shouta had to resist sighing in relief. Those things he could fix easily. “Its ok to be nervous. This is a new situation. I’m nervous too.” *Only slightly, but he doesn’t need to know that. I’ve been living in the dorms with over twenty kids. It would be illogical of me to be overly nervous about living one-on-one with Izuku. He’s the easiest to live with. Although I am going to avoid his All Might themed room at all costs.*Shouta leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs. “We will be living in a house behind the 1A dorms. That way I will be close by in case I’m needed. That means you can hang out over there as much as you want and still be able to get back before curfew. Sure it will be different, living with me personally, but we’ll both get used to it. I’m banking on Eri being able to ease the awkwardness.”Izuku nodded his head smiling, remembering Eri comforting him at breakfast Friday morning. Shouta was glad to see the small smile on Izuku. Shouta continued. “As for rules, they are the same as the dorms. Try not to break anything, respect other’s belongings and personal space, clean up after yourself and be inside by curfew. You don’t have to explain yourself to your friends if you don’t want to. And I really don’t want any of the brats coming over and bothering me or snooping, but I will consent to having a select few coming over as long as it’s one or two at a time. Just ask for permission first.”Izuku nodded his head. After everything that his teacher was doing for him, he couldn’t complain about his teacher wanting his privacy.“As for how to act around me and Eri, well you already fill the role of big brother pretty well. So just keep doing that. You two get along so naturally, I don’t see you having any trouble there. As for me, you don’t have to treat me like a teacher while at home you can just treat me like a guardian. Unless it makes you uncomfortable. You can just think of me as a roommate that gets to boss you around and is the one to provide food for you if that makes you feel better. You also don’t have to try and be the man of the house anymore, because “I” am the man of the house and its “my” responsibility to take care of you. So feel free to act like an angsty teenager.”*Please go easy on the angst.*Izuku looked up at Shouta finally and gave him a small nervous smile. “Ok. Thank you Mr. Aizawa.”“Shouta.”Izuku blinked at Shouta in confusion. “Huh?”“When it’s just us or we’re at home, call me Shouta. I’m not just you teacher and dorm overlord anymore. Yes, I heard most of you calling me that. But seriously, I don’t want to have to answer to Mr. Aizawa when I’m at home and not working.”“Th-Thank you Shouta.” Izuku said smiling widely, it was one of the brightest smiles Shouta had seen since Thursday night. Shouta’s lip twitched in a slight smile, before he resumed his neutral expression. Standing up, Shouta ruffled Izuku’s curls. Izuku blushed and batted Shouta’s hand away good naturedly.“Let’s go problem child. I’m starving.” Shouta said and walked towards the door. He heard Izuku throw the sheets off of him and and his quick foot steps as he hurried to catch up to Shouta. Out in the hallway he fell instep beside Shouta. Izuku had his notebook cradled close to his chest as they walked.“I’m actually not hungry.” Izuku said. “Lunch Rush brought me some Katsudon around one o’clock.”Shouta hummed in response. *So he’s been awake for a while.* “Sorry about making you wait so long. I had some things to deal with, and then I had Midnight use her quirk on me. Thats why I was gone for so long, and also why I had “that” drawn on my face. Midnight is an opportunist and likes to take advantage of her friends trust in her.”Izuku shook his head and hugged his notebook closer. “It’s fine. You needed the rest. I was a little anxious at first, but Recovery Girl came and sat with me for a little while. She even brought me this notebook to write in.”Shouta nodded his head and glanced at the notebook again. “Another “Hero Analysis for the Future” notebook?”Izuku shook his head again. “No. Um, well...” Izuku trailed off, he seemed unsure.“Look Izuku, if you don’t feel comfortable telling me then don’t. You are allowed privacy. Unless it’s something I really should know, you don’t have to tell me anything. If I ask you something and you would rather not tell me, then feel free to me that you don’t want me to know. You are allowed to keep secrets, as long as they aren’t secrets that could hurt you or someone else.”Izuku was shocked. He could keep secrets? He didn’t need to hide that he was keeping secrets? He could just “not” tell? And Mr. Aizawa-Shouta, wouldn’t mind? His mother had always wanted to know everything going on with him. And if he acted like he didn’t want to tell her, she would get upset. She would cry and want to know what he was hiding. Why her baby didn’t trust her. It always made Izuku feel guilty. And he would have to scramble for something believable to tell her.Izuku had gotten very good at faking a smile and omitting details of his day, just to keep her from worrying and prying. He was amazed that he was able to keep his training with All Might a secret. Whenever she asked what he was doing, he would tell her partial truths. Leaving out All Might and the fact that he was cleaning the beach. Only admitting to exercising to get healthy.That made her proud, that Izuku wanted to get in shape. She didn’t mind making the meal changes, because it was healthy and she wanted Izuku to be healthy. She would have freaked if she knew he was cleaning the dump of a beach.It had been exhausting to dance his way around her questions and concerns, all to keep some parts of his life private. The fact that Shouta was letting him keep his life private, keep secrets without having to go through the trouble of secretly keeping those secrets... well... it was a weight off of Izuku’s shoulders. One he didn’t even know had been there.He had to blink away tears.Shouta watched Izuku as they walked. He could see the emotions playing across the boy’s face. Shock, confusion then finally relief. Shouta could only imagine how nosy Izuku’s over protective mother had been. Izuku finally got control over his emotions, Shouta had been worried the kid would start crying again. Shouta looked away before Izuku could notice that Shouta had been watching him.“Thanks Shouta. And, well, Recovery Girl suggested that I keep a diary of sorts. That’s what the notebook is. For me to write down my thoughts and feelings, so I could go over them. It’s easier to write things down than to say them. And if I write down what I felt that day, it might help me work through them. She also suggested I get a notebook for both of us to use.” Izuku said quietly.Shouta was touched that even after telling Izuku he didn’t need to share with him, he still chose to do so. But sharing a notebook? “Why would we both need to use a notebook?” Shouta asked.Izuku seemed to gain a bit of confidence and looked up at Shouta to explain (Izuku always shows confidence when he’s explaining something). “Well, if I don’t feel comfortable telling you something outright, I can write it down. And you can respond through that if I’m too nervous to talk about it at the moment. Or we could leave suggestions for each other. Make lists of things we like and don’t like. She also said I don’t have to share my personal journal with anyone, its just for me to use. But if you were worried about me, you had the right to look through it to find out what was wrong.”Izuku said the last part nervously. Probably not liking the idea of someone having access to his personal thoughts, but understanding the importance of someone needing to be able to find out what was wrong.Shouta nodded his head. “I’m fine with that. Just don’t leave me any essays to read. It will probably help us get to know each other better. Of course I already know you’re a problem child, and that’s the most important thing.” Izuku shouted an indignant “hey”, which made Shouta chuckle.“I won’t read your personal notebook unless it’s the last resort. I’ll always come to you first if I’m worried. And I hope that you will respect me enough to be honest with me so I won’t have to resort to snooping.”The were just walking out of the front doors of the school when Shouta said that, he felt Izuku bump him with his shoulder. He looked down and saw that Izuku had a few tears running down his face. “I-I do respect you. So much. And t-trust you too.” Izuku sniffled.Shouta sighed and stopped pulling Izuku to his side, reaching up to tuck the boys head against his chest. *My damn sensitive kid.* Shouta ran his fingers through Izuku’s hair a few times before letting his hand rest on his head.“If anyone sees us, I’m expelling you.” Shouta said dryly.He felt Izuku laugh softly between sniffles. The hug was brief and Izuku pulled away from Shouta quickly, wiping his eyes. “No you won’t. And if for some bizarre reason you do, you’ll still be stuck with me.” He laughed again and started to walk in the directions of the dorms. Shouta followed behind him.Shouta grinned. “Watch it smart mouth. I could always send you to live with Midnight.”Izuku turned around quickly to look at Shouta. A look of absolute horror on his face. “Please don’t! Some of the third years say that she keeps a harem locked in her basement and that you can hear them all the way to the outside! And that’s why no one will live next to her!”*Ok. Thats new. But I’ll still roll with it.*“~Thats right.~ Better watch out. I hear her favorite food is broccoli.” Izuku being the broccoli. *It’s actually sushi. But what Izuku doesn’t know provides entertainment for me.*Izuku poked his bottom lip out in a pout, his face was slightly blushed and he half heartedly glared at Shouta from beneath his eyelashes.(Out on patrol across town with her whip curled nice and tight around a villain, Midnight squealed in delight for no apparent reason. Panicking, the villain confessed to every crime he had ever committed. Nothing good could come from a squealing R rated hero.)Shouta rolled his eyes and walked passed Izuku. He was too seasoned a hero and a teacher to be taken down by an expert pouty face. *Don’t look. He can’t break you if you don’t look. Besides, Eri’s pouty face is twice as effective as his and I can hold my own against it.*Izuku jogged to catch back up to Shouta’s long strides. “Don’t be mean Shouchan!” Izuku practically sang the nickname, and Shouta staggered in his stride.Danger! Danger! Shots fired!Shouta looked down at Izuku with wide eyes. *Who now, what now, why now?* Izuku was looking up at him as they walked with a smug look on his face. But Shouta could see beneath the smugness and underlying nervousness. Izuku was probably still nervous about the living situation. *So he’s teasing and joking to try and get over his uneasiness. No harm in it I guess.*Shouta shoved Izuku slightly and mumbled, “Don’t call me that.”Izuku was quiet for a minute, they were nearing the dorms and Shouta could see the two story house just behind it. As they were getting closer, they skirted around the side of the dorm, Izuku laughed and said, “If I can’t call you Shouchan, then I guess I’ll just have to call you dad.”Shouta paused in shock and embarrassment before he reached out to grab Izuku. He was smiling his “I’m fixing to beat the shit out of you smile”. Izuku squeaked and fired up OFA, dashing the rest of the way to the house before bolting inside. Leaving Shouta in the dust before he could even activate erasure.Regaining himself, Shouta growled and ran full speed after him. Shouta was going to put him into a headlock and not let go. Shouta ran through the door that Izuku had left open and barreled into Hizashi, knocking them both to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.Shouta knocked his head harshly on Hizashi’s chin. After a few seconds of being stunned, he propped himself up slightly on one arm, leaning over his friend while he reached up with his left hand to rub his forehead.Hizashi was rubbing his chin and looking up at Shouta with irritation. “Shit Shouta, don’t you know better than to run into a house. Why are you chasing Izuku? What hap-WHY THE FUCK IS THERE A FADED DICK ON YOU’RE FACE?!”Shouta groaned and rolled off of Hizashi to lay on his back on the hardwood floor. “Why don’t you say that louder Zashi, I don’t think the kids in the management dorm heard you. And Shut the door.”Hizashi covered his mouth before getting up to shut the door. “Sorry Sho.” Hizashi whispered, then called out louder into the house, “Sorry kids for the potty mouth.”Izuku and Eri crept into the hallway to peer at Shouta lying on the floor. Eri looked down at Shouta and up at Hizashi before asking, “What’s a di-“ Izuku quickly covered Eri’s mouth while Hizashi freaked and made a sound that sounded like a dying animal. Shouta covered his face with his arms and contemplated the reason for his existence and how he could kill Hizashi twice.Izuku pulled Eri aside and crouched down in front of her. Shouta could hear him whispering to her that Hizashi had said a bad word and that she shouldn’t repeat it.“Ok, Deku.” Eri agreed easily. She turned to Hizashi and scolded him. “You shouldn’t say those bad words around kids uncle Mic.”Hizashi being thoroughly scolded, apologized and followed Izuku and Eri into the living room. Shouta could hear all three of them giggling.Shouta stayed on the floor for a minute before kicking his shoes off beside Izuku’s and finally getting up. He wandered slowly down the hallway to the kitchen.*I am not his dad. I am not his dad. He was just teasing. He doesn’t want to call me dad. Shouchan is fine. I do not wan’t him calling me dad.**I wan’t him to call me dad. I wan’t them both to call me dad.*Shouta made his way to the kitchen and grabbed one of his jelly pouches out the refrigerator, opening it and taking a large gulp of the contents. He turned around to see what all the giggling was about (it had gotten pretty loud, Hizashi being the loudest) and almost choked at what he saw.Hizashi had his sweat pants pulled all the way up over his shoulders, doing some weird grabbing/pinching motion with his hands through the backside. He was walking backwards after Eri, who was running away from him giggling like mad. Hizashi kept trying to say something through his giggling, but Shouta could only understand him giggling out the word “butt”.Izuku was doubled over on the couch, wheezing and clapping his hands together. Every time Hizashi would get near him, Izuku would pull his feet up on the couch and his giggling would increase.Shouta just stood there, watching the insanity unfold. *They’re crazy. They are all crazy... and they are all mine.*Shouta smiled to himself. Hizashi noticed him and moved as quickly as he could backwards to chase Shouta. Shouta humored him a little, letting Hizashi chase him around the kitchen table much to Eri’s delight.Shouta grew bored of it quickly. Clearing his throat he said calmly, “The floor is lava” and jumped up onto the counter. Eri squeaked before throwing herself into Izuku’s arms on the couch.Hizashi shrieked and scrambled to get his shoulders and arms from out of his pants. Apparently it was a bit of a tight fit once the he got the over his shoulders, so Hizashi flopped around on the floor trying to free himself. His frantic struggles only resulted in him getting even more stuck.Shouta, in a monotone voice announced, “Hizashi has been consumed by the lava. May he rest in peace. Long live king Shouta.”Hizashi whined out a long drawn out no, as Eri and Izuku repeated “long live king Shouta.”Shouta hopped down off the counter, and after taking a quick picture of Hizashi still trapped in his pants, he finally helped end his friends suffering.Once free, Hizashi got up off the floor and scowled at Shouta. “That wasn’t fair Shouta.” Hizashi whined. Shouta just rolled his eyes and whispered as he walked away, “all’s fair in love and war and I don’t love you.” Hizashi let out a low whine and called Shouta a liar as he followed Shouta into the living room.Shouta flopped down on the couch beside Izuku and reached over to ruffle Eri’s hair. She was still sitting on Izuku’s lap. She smiled happily at Shouta, and it made Shouta’s heart warm. He loved seeing her so happy. Hizashi claimed the loveseat next to the couch.“Deku gets to stay with us right Shouta?” Eri asked.Hizashi flinched and Izuku stiffened slightly. Eri looked at Izuku when he stiffened, but he just smiled at her and nodded. This didn’t seem to reassure her. She turned back to Shouta and looked at him questioningly. “What’s wrong?” She asked.Shouta sighed and tried to explain to the little girl in front of him what had happened. “Well, Izuku and his mom got into an argument. They still love each other, but I decided that it would be best if I kept Izuku for now while she takes care of herself. It’s like how I’m taking care of you now.”Eri sat silently for a minute, thinking over what Shouta had said. Izuku watched her closely but didn’t move to disturb her. She looked up at Izuku then looked back at Shouta. “So you’re going to be his dad too?”Izuku blushed. Shouta blushed. And Hizashi squealed like a little girl.“Foster dad.” Shouta clarified. “I’ll be his foster dad once I get the paperwork filled out and get custody of him.”Eri frowned. “You said you would adopt me after the year was over, can’t you do the same for Deku?”Hizashi chipped in, “Yea Shoutaaaa! Can’t you do the same?” Shouta glared at the man child. He was not helping.Izuku was biting his lip and looking at the floor, clearly uncomfortable.“Eri.” Shouta began. “This isn’t forever. Izuku loves his mom, and once she gets better Izuku will want to go back to her. He’ll still live here during the school year, but on holidays and breaks he’ll go back to his mom.”Eri pouted. “He can do that even if you adopt him.” *Stubborn girl.*Sighing, Shouta tried again. “Eri, I can’t adopt Izuku when she gets custody of him back. Custody will go back to her and her husband. Izuku’s father. I can’t adopt him when he has both of his parents.”Hizashi growled, “That man is no more of a father than a duck is a cow.” Izuku nodded his head in agreement.Eri turned around to look at Hizashi. “But a duck isn’t a cow.” Eri said confused. “Exactly!” Hizashi said, throwing his hands up.Shouta sighed and Eri turned around to look back at him. “What Hizashi means is that Izuku father isn’t a good one, and shouldn’t be considered one because he hasn’t tried to be one. Understand?” Eri nodded her head. “But doesn’t that mean you should be his dad even more? Doesn’t that mean he needs you more?” Eri’s lip wobbled. She didn’t like the idea that Deku needed Shouta to be his dad but couldn’t have him.Izuku wrapped his arms around Eri and pulled her close to him. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t consider Hisashi my dad. And even though Shouchan can’t legally adopt me once I’m back in my moms custody, that doesn’t mean we can’t consider him my secret dad.”Shouta blushed and looked away, he didn’t know if Izuku was saying this to placate Eri, or if he actually meant it. Hizashi was grinning like a mad man behind Izuku and Eri, who were facing Shouta.She snuggled closer to Izuku and whispered. “Does your mom have to get custody of you back? I want you to be an Aizawa like me.” Eri whined. Hizashi was clutching his chest over his heart and looked like he was close to crying.Little girls do not know the power they hold... or they do and that’s why they stab everyone in the heart with feelings.“I don’t know Eri.” Izuku whispered.Shouta and Hizashi looked at Izuku worriedly. “Do you want to go back?” She asked.Izuku paused for a minute, thinking. “I-I don’t know. I’ll always be my mom’s son, and I want her to have custody of me, I do... but I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I do know that I don’t want Hisashi to have custody of me or any say in my life.”Hizashi jumped to his feet. “Shoutaaaaaa! Even if Izuku’s mom earns back the right to have custody of Izuku, you can still file for permanent custody!”Shouta rubbed his face. “Zashi, I can’t just take-““No listen Shouta! You get permanent custody, and adopt Izuku. Older kids get put through the process faster, so you won’t have to wait as long as with Eri. Then you can do shared custody with Mrs. Midoriya, she could have like partial custody while you have full. It’s possible to do that with someone who is married. Only she would have the custody not Hisashi.”“When you removed Izuku from her, you removed him from Hisashi too. And being overseas and not having a part in Izuku’s life, his rights are less. Nedzu already has the foster paperwork going through. Because you’re a hero and his teacher, they aren’t questioning your decision. If you want to adopt him, you have sooo much leaning in your favor. Don’t you see! This could work! Sure you would have to go to court, but she’s probably gonna take you there anyway!”“If you do this, Izuku doesn’t have to have his father’s name anymore! He can legally be an Aizawa! She can have shared custody with you! You would be able to make the rules for how things would be with Izuku, and she would have to follow them. And she doesn’t have to divorce that jackass of a man, even though she should! It’s perfect! You have to-“Shouta threw one of the cushions on the couch and smacked Hizashi in the face. “Calm down.” Shouta growled. “Don’t jump the gun. You didn’t even ask Izuku if he wanted this. You’re moving too fast.”Shouta knew that “he” wanted this, but he couldn’t be selfish.This was about what Izuku wanted. What Izuku felt he needed.Hizashi huffed but sat back down, straightening his glasses. Everyone looked at a Izuku who had frozen. He was quietly mumbling under his breath, but Shouta couldn’t understand what he was saying. Eventually Eri reached up and patted Izuku on the face. “Deku?” She asked.“It could work.” Izuku gasped. Shouta had to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. Hizashi let out a loud “whoop” that made the windows rattle. “You would have primary authority and would make the important decisions regarding me. She couldn’t pull me from school whenever she got the notion. You would be able to step in and stop her from trying to force Hisashi into my life. I could still live with her when I wanted but I would have a safe place to go to without her being able to stop me. And I would never have to deal with Hisashi.”Izuku wanted to believe in his mom, believe that with the right help she would change. But years of having his mom defend his father no matter what and stay blindly faithful gave him reason to doubt. And truthfully, Izuku really wanted to have a father figure in his life. Wanted to be around Eri as much as he could. She was his little sister and he wanted to be there for her. He also wanted to be away from her obsessive hovering. He was a teenage boy, and having his mom following his every step and popping in on him at random wasn’t ideal.Izuku looked at Shouta with so much hope, it took all of his self control not to call Nedzu and demand the adoption papers right then and there. Shouta took a deep breath and rubbed his face. “Are you positive about this Izuku?”“Yes I am.” Izuku said firmly.“This would legally make me your dad.” Shouta warned.Hizashi muttered, “You’re practically his dad now. This would just make it legal.” Eri and Izuku snickered.“Fine.” Shouta sighed. “I’ll have Nedzu set everything up. It won’t be easy, your mom is going to fight this. Your father will probably fight this too. But I don’t doubt that Nedzu can wiggle his way around this and get it to turn in our favor. And you’re free to change your mind whenever you want before things are settled.”Shouta’s phone pinged and he pulled it out of his pocket to look at it before he continued. A shiver ran down his spine, it was a text from Nedzu. Nedzu: You’re absolutely right that I can get this to go in our favor. I’m sure with your’s and Izuku’s testimony, and Hisashi’s absence will be more than enough to settle things. Am I right to assume you recorded today’s meeting with Mrs. Midoriya? Everyone was looking at Shouta as he typed on his phone. Aizawa: you’re always right.Nedzu: Splendid. I’ll get to work right away. Shouta looked up at everyone in the room. “Nedzu scares me.” Hizashi and Izuku both nodded in agreement, even if they didn’t know why Shouta was saying this.“I like him.” Eri announced.Shouta’s phone pinged again. Looking at it he saw it was from Nedzu again, saying he liked Eri also. Shouta told her, and she smiled happily.*Note to self, keep Nedzu away from Eri and Izuku. He could take over the world with these two sunshines.*Another ping from his phone. Nedzu: Yes I could. *What the fuck! How!?*Ping. Nedzu: Not telling. “What was that?” Eri asked.“Nothing you need to worry about. Why don’t you go show Izuku upstairs.” Shouta suggested as sweat dripped down the back of his neck.Eri hopped down off of Izuku’s lap and did her best to pull him to his feet. Izuku chuckled and got up, letting the little girl drag him to and up the stairs. Once they were gone Shouta signed to Hizashi, ‘Our thoughts are not safe.’Hizashi gasped and signed back, ‘how?’Shouta shrugged his shoulders. Worrying about it wouldn’t do anyone any good. And he’d be crazy if he wanted to know.(Meanwhile in Nedzu’s office, the rat/bear/dog creature was just finishing up a meeting with a telepath detective, about a case that the police department needed Nedzu’s help with.)‘So what happened today?’ Hizashi signed to Shouta.Shouta signed back about everything that had happened, leaving out the bit about OFA and most of the reasons he had chewed out All Might. Hizashi was visibly mad, but kept himself under control. He didn’t want to do anything to disturb the kids laughing upstairs.Hizashi got up and walked over to sit beside Shouta, pulling his brother in for a tight hug. Hizashi knew today must have been hard on Shouta. Shouta returned the hug, burying his face in Hizashi’s shoulder. The hug didn’t last long before Shouta was pulling away, but it seemed to help Shouta relax some.Hizashi stood up and made his way to the kitchen. “I’m gonna start on dinner. Anything you want?”“Anything’s fine with me.” Shouta yawned, settling deeper into the couch.“Curry it is.” Hizashi cheered.(Upstairs Eri and Izuku were sitting in her room at a small table having a tea party. Izuku was wearing a sparkling crown, and a bright pink glittery scarf. Eri had on a large pink and glittery crown and a princess dress. Eri would keep looking up at Izuku and smiling widely.)It wasn’t long before dinner was done, and everyone was sitting at the table enjoying Hizashi’s cooking. Hizashi couldn’t cook a lot of things, but he prided himself in his curry. It was one of the few things that Mrs. Akashi, Shouta’s guardian, had taught him before she passed away.After dinner, Shouta and Hizashi watched in the living room as Izuku laid sprawled out on the floor with Eri tucked close to his side as he read her a book. Hizashi and Shouta made small talk while listening to Izuku do funny voices for each character of the book, but it wasn’t long before both Izuku and Eri were fast asleep.Shouta got up and nudged Izuku awake, while Hizashi unhelpfully took pictures. Once Izuku was awake he sent him off to bed before picking Eri up and following behind. Izuku went to his room, closing the door softly behind him. Shouta took Eri to her’s, sidestepping the tea party disaster in the middle of the room. Shouta quickly changed her out of her princess dress and into pajamas, tucking her in and giving her a quick kiss on the head; she stayed asleep the whole time.Once he was back downstairs, he found Hizashi waiting at the front door with his shoes already on. He had changed back into his hero gear while Shouta had been upstairs. *How does he get all that leather on so quickly? Does he keep the insides greased?*“Your not staying the night?” Shouta asked.Hizashi shook his head. “Nah man, got shit to do tomorrow.”Shouta nodded his head. Shouta could handle an entire day alone with Eri and Izuku. He dealt with an entire class of danger magnets almost every day. He could handle a new kid and a new house all on his own. It would be fine.Hizashi turned to leave before pausing and turning back to Shouta. “Oh and by the way, I want us to go see my parents after school Monday. They have been bugging me to bring you and Eri over to see them. They will definitely want to meet their new grandson.” Hizashi said cheekily.Shouta blushed but grumbled his okay. Hizashi nodded and left, thinking about what he would say tomorrow when he confronted Mrs. Midoriya.Inside the house Shouta made his way up the stairs. His room was the first door on the right, and Eri’s was right beside his. He walked over to where he had left her door cracked and peeked in.She wasn’t there.Sighing, Shouta walked to the room across from his, opening the door to Izuku’s room and looking in.There she is.Izuku was laying on his side, and Eri was curled up beside him, back pressed to his chest with his arms wrapped protectively around her. Shouta left the door open a crack and walked over to his room, slipping inside.Shouta stripped and changed into a pair a black pajama bottoms before he crawled into bed and fell fast asleep. ~ Earlier ~ Shouto was just stepping outside for some fresh air when he heard what sounded like Midoriya ask “call you dad” from around the side of the dorms. He peaked around the corner of the dorms to see Midoriya activate his quirk and dash of into the house that had been built there with Mr. Aizawa hot on his heels.Did...Did Midoriya just ask to call Aizawa dad? What about All Might? Shouto knew Midoriya had denied being All Might’s secret love child. But he had assumed that it was supposed to be a secret or he was embarrassed. They spent so much time together, had similar quirks, and All Might called him “my boy”.But what if Aizawa was really his father. Midoriya did have black tones in his dark green hair. Midoriya’s hair was also curly, while his mother’s was straight. Aizawa had wavy hair. Could Midoriya get it from him. Midoriya was also kind of good at hand to hand fighting, did Aizawa train him? Did Midoriya only know All Might so well because of Mr. Aizawa?Maybe Shouto hadn’t realized Midoriya and Aizawa were related because he was so focused on Midoriya and All Might spending so much time together. Was that the point? Aizawa and Midoriya had fought the Yakuza side by side together after all. Was Midoriya being around All Might just a logical ruse? A way to throw off suspicion from Aizawa?Aizawa always did seem concerned about Midoriya. Midoriya had mentioned once that his father was always away. That he couldn’t really remember him.Was the reason his father was always away because he was a hero? Because he was the underground hero Eraserhead? Had Midoriya not realized Aizawa was his father until recently? How had he found out? Did Aizawa finally tell him? Is that why he was unsure if he should call Aizawa dad? Was Midoriya’s connection to All Might just a coincidence then? Had he really not known that Aizawa was his father?This needed further investigation. Shouto would have to wait and watch.He would find out if Midoriya was actually Aizawa’s secret love child, and if the name Midoriya was just a way to keep the boy safe from his father’s enemies? He would find out if Midoriya had been lying when he said that Shinsou Hitoshi wasn’t Aizawa’s secret love child. Was he trying to protect his brother who was more obviously related to their teacher. Their facial expressions and fighting style were just too similar for it to be a coincidence.Although Midoriya and Shinsou looked nothing alike... other than both of them having wild hair. Was Shinsou his half brother and Midoriya just didn’t know it? How many secret love children did Aizawa have? Was Eri actually his child too? She did have red eyes, and Mr.s Aizawa’s eyes glow red when he uses his quirk.There were just too many possibilities and uncertainties.Shouto would find out the truth.Shouto would find out.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
-After Shouta and Izuku had left the Midoriya apartment- Inko sat on the floor of her dining room, sobbing as she held herself and rocked back and forth. It had been almost an hour since Izuku and Aizawa had left. That man! That man Aizawa had taken her baby from her. He had said she wasn’t capable of taking care of him anymore.She wasn’t capable of taking care of her own child?! Her own flesh and blood?! She had been taking care of him for years! All on her own, while her husband worked tirelessly to provide for them. And he said that “she” was unfit to care for Izuku? Her?They saw her as the problem?What good had they done? They had put her poor baby in so much danger! She had never put him in danger! She worked hard to protect him! Made sure that he didn’t do anything that could hurt himself. She made sure his life was safe. Always checking on him during the day and at night. He was such a selfless boy who didn’t want to ask for help, so she had to check on him. She wouldn’t know if he was fine if she didn’t. She asked him about his day. Like any good mother would do. She needed to know about his day, needed to know if she should make any changes to it. He could be such a thoughtless boy, coming home with scrapes and bruises. She had to make sure he stayed out of situations that could get him hurt. Boys never thought about staying out of trouble, it was her job as his mother to do it for him. She made sure he was home way before dark. Good boys were home by five o’clock. She always knew where he was and what he was doing. Always.And all that school had done was throw him into dangerous situations! Let villains attack her son! UA was supposed to be the best. The safest. Yet they couldn’t keep villains off of school grounds? They stood by and let her baby get hurt at the sports festival. It was so dangerous, she shouldn’t have let him compete. Then they just sent him off with a strange and unknown hero and let him fight the hero killer. Then they had allowed villains to attack the camping trip. Her baby had been hurt by the League of Villains again. And they had even managed to get him involved with the mafia!They left him unsupervised at the dorms and allowed him to do as he pleased. She had never left him unsupervised. He was not old enough to be allowed to live on his own with other teenagers. She knew for a fact that Mr. Aizawa was rarely around. If he wasn’t out on patrol, then he was holed up in his apartment. Izuku couldn’t just be left alone like that. Who would cook his food? Who would do his laundry? Who would check on him at night? It was so irresponsible, but there was nothing she could do. She had agreed to it. So she had to settle for calling him at least twice a day. It was so hard knowing her baby was alone at night, with no one to make sure he was okay. She had kept a baby monitor in his room until he was thirteen and had decided he was too old for it and had gotten rid of it himself. She had been so worried that he would need her during the night, and when he removed it, she had made sure to get up at least twice a night to check on him. But she couldn’t do that now that he was i the dorms.Didn’t they realize he needed to be protected, her baby had been fragile for so long that he didn’t know how to protect himself. And his own quirk hurt him. He wasn’t like all the other students who had had their quirks since they were children. Izuku was a late bloomer, they needed to be more careful with him!She had begged him to stop using his quirk, had tried to convince him that he would be happy with an office job or working as a lawyer. He could still help people that way, and people would accept him now that he had a quirk. But he refused, he had his father’s stubbornness and she feared that if she pushed him too hard that it would drive a wedge between them.Nothing good had happened since he began attending UA. Nothing. Sure he had friends now, but how good could they be if he was being so rebellious now. That one boy with the engines was why Izuku had gotten hurt by that hero killer. They had talked him into going after Katsuki, going right to the dangerous villains! They were turning her baby against her! The students and the teachers. He wasn’t the same person he had been. He was rebellious. What had they done to the sweet little boy who told her all about his day, and always told her what her was doing and where he was going? Who spent the weekends home with her all day. Movie marathons and ice cream parties spent cuddled on their couch.They were all bad influences and her Izuku did not need those kinds of people in his life. He had her, and that was all he needed.She should have removed him from that school the first chance she had. None of the other hero schools seemed to have as much trouble as UA, their students were kept safe. But she had been foolish and had believed that All Might would protect her son.She had thought that All Might actually cared for her baby. But that couldn’t be. If he cared then he would have protected Izuku. The man must have only cared about her son’s quirk. It was powerful, and the dimming hero must have seen Izuku as a way to keep the spotlight on himself. Mentor the boy with a strong quirk and brag about being the one who taught him after Izuku became a hero. That had to be it.All the years she had wished her baby would have a quirk, and now she wishes he had never gotten it. He would still be safe with her if he was still quirkless. A small voice in the back of her mind whispered that Izuku had never been safe. That Katsuki had been abusing her son for years without her knowledge. She had thought that all those times he had come home hurt was because the other boys were too rough. Izuku was quirkless, he couldn’t take care of himself like they could. Couldn’t keep up with their rambunctiousness.But her baby had been lying to her, telling her everything was fine. No. He wasn’t lying. Her baby doesn’t lie. He is a sweet soft hearted child. He probably didn’t want to worry her. He was trying to be brave and deal with it on his own. Didn’t he know that he didn’t need to be brave, she was there to take care of him. She would have fixed it.She could have told the teachers to keep the other students away from him, had them monitor Izuku. She could have made the time to take and pick him up from school. And she would have stopped him from playing with Katsuki sooner.Did Mitsuki know? She couldn’t have, she would never have let Katsuki behave like that if she knew.How had things gotten so bad so fast? Everything was fine this morning. Her baby was coming over to visit with his teacher. Everything was supposed to be fine.Then that man had told her such awful things about Katsuki, about her husband. Her husband! Aizawa didn’t even know Hisashi!How had things become so twisted. Izuku had never hated his father before, had always listened as Inko rambled on about Hisashi and how Izuku was so much like him. Izuku loved his father. What had happened? How had Aizawa turned her son against his own father? Against her! What had Aizawa told her son to make him this way? What was he doing to corrupt her son’s way of thinking? To fill his young and impressionable mind with such lies! Inko remembers how Izuku had started to yell at her this morning. She had told him that they were going to call his dad and talk things through. Hisashi would explain to Izuku that he did love him. Hisashi would make things better. He was a busy man, he was doing his best working at his job and sending them as much money as he could afford to send. Hisashi didn’t deserve to have his son turned against him.Hizashi wasn’t the best at showing his feelings, he was a reserved quiet man. She knows that there had been a bit of strain when Izuku had first been labeled quirkless, but it had been her fault for calling at a bad time. He was stressed with work, had said things he didn’t mean.He had called later to apologize to her, but he wasn’t good with words and didn’t know how to comfort Izuku. So he had just asked Inko to do it for him. And he didn’t ask about Izuku because it hurt to do so. Being so far away from them, hearing about their lives hurt. And she knew he worried about Izuku’s safety, was worried he would be told that things weren’t going well for his son. So he didn’t ask.Inko understood.But maybe that’s why Izuku was so upset. He didn’t understand. But that could be fixed with a phone call. Hisashi could fix it, she just had to get Izuku to talk to him. It shouldn’t have been that hard, he always listens to her like a good boy.But that man just had to get in the way. Aizawa must have heard their raised voices. He had sprinted into the room and was by Izuku’s side before she could process what was happening. He was comforting her son.That was her job!Izuku deserved all the love in the world. And Aizawa looked like he was willing to give her son just that. But it was wrong. Aizawa looked at Izuku with so much love and protectiveness. But that wasn’t right! Why was a grown man, just a homeroom teacher, looking at her son like that.Izuku had a dad already, Aizawa couldn’t be trying to fill a role that was already filled. So why did he look at her son with so much affection. And why was her shy little boy so willing to cling to him? Inko remembers her high school homeroom teachers. They were nothing more than people who gave out information, arranged things for the students, and counseled them. But that was never a reason to be so attached. So why was Izuku attached?The moment between Aizawa and her son was sickeningly sweet, like he was showing off how close they were. Then he turned to Inko and he treated her like a threat. Had been cold towards her. Her, the mother of his student. That man was determined to offend her in every way possible.And when she had tried to defend herself and Hisashi, defend against a guest in “her” home and reprimand “her” soon, Izuku had cursed at her.Her baby had used profanity, towards her, about his own dad. Obviously UA was filled with nothing but bad influences. More so than she had previously thought. And when she had stated her opinion, her son had looked at her so heart broken and betrayed, before tuning to Aizawa and whispering something to him and clinging to his side.And Aizawa had pulled her son against him. Pulled her son agains himself! Hugged Izuku tightly to his chest and ran his fingers through his hair so affectionately, like a lover would do. Because it wasn’t a parental action, Aizawa was not Izuku’s parent. Then that dreadful man had told Izuku to go wait in the car, and her baby had obeyed without question.He had told her baby to leave her!And Izuku had!Aizawa had turned her own child against her and kept throwing it in her face!She had tried to speak, she was going to demand Izuku come back. Remove him from that tainted school, and protect him from all of the negative outside influences that had changed her son.But Aizawa had interrupted her, and had told her in a polite way to keep her mouth shut. He deemed her an unfit mother, had hinted that he thought she was crazy. That Izuku wasn’t safe with her. Her own child not safe with her? Aizawa had removed Izuku from her custody using his rights as a hero to do so. Such abuse of power!He had no reason or right to do this!Had told her that when she had signed for Izuku to attend UA and stay in the dorms that she had given partial custody to the school. To him!Inko vaguely remembers reading that, but had been a little too focused on All Might’s apology. She should have paid closer attention to what she was signing. But All Might was there! And there was just so much confusing legal jargon. It seemed easier to just sign the papers. And it’s what Izuku wanted, and she had wanted so much to give him what he wanted. Just to see him so happy.But that had been a mistake. He could have learned to be happy without All Might and UA. Without Aizawa.Aizawa then told her she couldn’t have any contact with her son, that she no longer had any right to the child she had brought into the world. He didn’t want her to contact her own son? That was not going to happen. He had informed her that there were steps she would have to take before they would consider giving her back custody. That it was up to “them” if she should be allowed to have her son back at all! They were fools if they thought they were going to keep her away from her baby! She could hear the underlying meaning of his words. It was if “he” wanted to give her son back, if “Aizawa” wanted to hand over his prize! She doubted there would be anything she could do to appease the man and get back her son. Aizawa had taken her son for himself and she doubted he was inclined to give him back under any reason. Giving her the option to “get better” to get custody of her son back was a lie. Aizawa didn’t seem like the kind of man to just hand Izuku back to her. He wanted her baby, and now he had him. Aizawa was clearly willing to step on Inko to get what he wanted.Can’t that man have children of his own, why does he need to take her child?Her baby could be begging to come back to her at this very moment and that awful man was probably ignoring him.There is no way Izuku wants to be separated from her. He has always been a mama’s boy after all.But Izuku was “his” now, and he wasn’t likely to give him up without a fight.He had said before he left that she could challenge his decision in court, and she was going to do just that.Inko felt her phone buzz from where it was still clenched in her hand. Flipping open the old cell phone Inko saw that it was Mitsuki calling.Izuku had said that the school was going to deal with Bakugou. Had they already done that? Was that why Mitsuki was calling?Inko pressed the answer call button on her phone and held it to her ear. “Mitsuki?” Inko whimpered.‘Inko? Damn, you sound awful. I guess you’ve already been told about what my bastard of a son did?’ Mitsuki asked bluntly. The blond woman was always blunt and never saw the need to soften her words for anyone.“Yes.” Inko sobbed. She tried to wipe the tears away from her face, but it was no good, fresh tears just replaced the ones she wiped away.‘Woh, deep breaths girl. I won’t be able to talk to you if your like this.’Inko tried to calm herself down with deep breaths, but it didn’t do much good. Her sobbing only quieted a fraction.‘That will have to do for now.’ The blond woman huffed on the other line. ‘Look, I’m sorry for the shit my brat pulled and he’s not getting away with it. If I had known, I would have beat that shitty attitude out of him a long time ago. But the school’s dealing with him now.’‘My brat’s been suspended for two weeks. They should have expelled his ass, but his teachers still see potential. They are putting his ass through a lot of therapy, and they are gonna keep jelly bean away from my demon. Said he’s going to be living with that Aizawa in a house on school grounds.’“What?” Inko gasped. Her Izuku was going to be living with that man? He had a house made for them already? How long has he been planning on taking her baby away from her?‘What’s wrong Inko?’“You said that Aizawa was going to be living with Izuku. In a house?” Inko stood up and made her way to the living room where she collapsed onto the couch, looking at the pictures of her baby around the room.‘Yea.’ Mitsuki said. ‘We were worried about Izuku. So we asked. The principal said that a house had been made for them to live together with his foster daughter.’ He already has someone else’s child?! ‘Said it was so Izuku could be away from Katsuki and prying friends in a safe and calm environment. Besides, it will probably be good for Izuku to be around a male role model at home.’‘Nothing against Hisashi, I know the man’s working hard to provide for you and jelly bean. I can respect a hard working man. But he ain’t around Inko, and Izuku needs a man to show him how a man is supposed to act. Teach him the man code and pass on secret manly teachings or some shit. Masaru tried to be there for him as much as he could, but he’s busy too.’“Mitsuki. Aizawa removed Izuku from my custody.” Inko whispered.There was a pause on the other end of the line before Mitsuki yelled, ‘What the fuck! Why would Aizawa remove Izuku from your custody?’ ~ (Upstairs at the Bakugou residence, Katsuki heard his mom yell “What the fuck! Why would Aizawa remove Izuku from your custody?” Katsuki sat on his bed in shock. Mr. Aizawa had taken Deku away from his mom? Why the fuck would he do that. Aunty Inko loves the nerd and would never hurt him. Katsuki crept out of his room and sat on the top of the stairs to eavesdrop on his mom’s conversation, even though he could only hear one side. Whatever reason Aizawa had for removing Deku, it had to be a good one. His teacher doesn’t do shit without a reason. And this was definitely not a fucking logical ruse.)‘Mitsuki, he acted like I was a bad mother. He glared at me. All because he thinks Hisashi is a bad father. He said I was mentally unfit because I don’t think Hisashi is awful and negligent. He’s somehow turned Izuku against Hisashi and me. Said Izuku hated Hisashi. My baby has never hated his dad before!’“He said you were mentally unfit because “he” doesn’t like Hisashi? What kind of logic is that? You said he made Izuku hate his own dad? What the fuck?” Mitsuki said in outrage.Katsuki scoffed. Yea, there has to be more to that. Aizawa isn’t gonna take the nerd away just because he thinks Hisashi is shit. Nah, there’s more going on than that. Although Hisashi is shit. And Aizawa didn’t turn Deku against his dad. Deku decided that Hisashi was shit years ago.When they were still kids and the nerd still spoke to him like they were friends he had told Katsuki what his dad had said to his mom. Saying there was something wrong with Deku because he was quirkless. There was nothing wrong with the nerd, he was just weak and useless. But there wasn’t anything “wrong” with him. He had made it clear he didn’t want anything to do with Deku by shunning him.Not that Katsuki was one to talk, he had done that too and had said and done worse. Of course, who knows what the man said that Aunty didn’t know about. Probably wasn’t anything good. Dad’s are supposed to love their kids. Katsuki’s dad still loves him after all the shit he’s pulled. So Katsuki doesn’t think the man is a good person.And from what Deku has said over the years about him, how Aunty could think anything good about him was beyond Katsuki. But the way she talked about him, it was as if the man never did anything wrong.She spun the tale of a hardworking husband, working tirelessly overseas. His job was stressful, his schedule was hectic and constantly changing. Called as often as he could. He was a stoic man. He provided for them as much as he could. He loved them.From Deku’s point of view, the man was uncaring. Didn’t call much, and called even less when the nerd was pronounced quirkless. Sweet talked his mom when he did call to stay on her good side. And never asked about Deku. Ever!No how is my son doing? No birthday calls. No holiday calls. No asking to talk to him. No asking Aunty about him. It’s like he didn’t even have a son. Did Aunty tell him Deku had a quirk now? That his son was working his way to being a hero?Katsuki thought about it. The last time Hisashi had called, it had been a month before Katsuki had told him to jump off the roof. Katsuki always knew when the bastard called because Izuku would be depressed for days. So Hisashi wan’t due to call back for a long time. The loser only called once or twice a year. And Aunty hardly ever got through when she called him, he had told her to only call during an emergency and at a specific time. That he wouldn’t be able to answer any other time.It was fishy.Katsuki had tried once when he was younger to talk to his mom about it, but she had dismissed him. Told him Izuku was just hurt and confused and that Katsuki shouldn’t talk about shit he doesn’t know about.‘He’s taken my baby and he didn’t even let me say goodbye. I’m not allowed to have contact with him. Mitsuki it was like he was trying to wedge himself into Izuku’s life! It felt so wrong.’Mitsuki growled. “You ain’t gonna take this shit lying down! We’ll go to court and fight this. Mother’s have rights, and that flimsy excuse will not hold up in court. I know a good lawyer, I like to go out for drinks with her. We went to college together. I thought that Aizawa was pretty cool, looking after our brats and all. But this isn’t cool.”Katsuki rolled his eyes. Aizawa’s excuse the way Aunty told it did sound flimsy, but he knew his teacher. He didn’t half ass anything. Whatever reason he had, it wasn’t flimsy and would be airtight. Especially if he had the freakin Principal on his side. Not to mention that lie detector extra.No, nothing about this was flimsy.But Katsuki knew that he couldn’t convince his mom. She was still to pissed to listen to him. Katsuki could say the sky was blue, and she would call him a liar. And there was no way anyone could convince his distraught Aunty. She had made up her mind about Aizawa. Just like she had made up her mind that Hisashi was model father and husband. No his only hope at keeping things from going too far was his dad. Katsuki had wanted to avoid all of them for as long as he could, but he knew his mom would make this into an absolute shit storm. He had to at least try and put a stop to it.Damn Deku. Still causing me trouble. At least it’s not my fault this time.Not that it was my fault last time! Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn nerd. How does he get into so much trouble all the damn time. Did he secretly have a true quirk that was trouble magnet or something, and OFA was just amplifying it?That extra toe joint thing sounded like bull shit anyway. Ugh! Katsuki was going to have to become the number one hero as fast as he could just so he could keep the fuckin freckle face idiot out of trouble.Katsuki ignored the voice in the back of his head whispering *How can you protect Deku if you can’t even protect yourself.* Katsuki crept down the stairs, keeping close to the wall to avoid making the steps squeak.His mom was still too busy on the phone to notice him, so he quickly and quietly crept along the wall to his dad’s office. His dad usually listened to classical music when he was in his office, but the radio was silent when he snuck in and closed the door behind him.His dad was seated at his desk, worrying his bottom lip as he listened to the conversation his wife was having. He looked up when Katsuki closed the door. His dad got up from his desk and walked around it to Katsuki, putting his hand on his son’s shoulder in comfort.Masaru’s face looked worried, but Katsuki knew it wasn’t about him at the moment but about Deku. Good. Katsuki doesn’t need anyone to worry about him, but he didn’t brush his dad’s hand away.“Are you worried about Izuku?” Masaru asked.Katsuki shook his head. “Damn nerd’s fine. Aizawa taking him in is probably a good thing.”Masaru looked at his son in confusion before leading him to his desk and having Katsuki sit in his chair while he sat on the desk. “Why’s that Katsuki?” Masaru asked gently, his earlier anger at Katsuki gone.Katsuki slouched in the chair and crossed his arms. He told his dad about what Deku had told him years ago, and how shitty his dad actually was. “I tried to talk to mom about it once, but she brushed me off. And Aunty really loves the loser and thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread.”“Deku ain’t the type to argue with her, he’s a mama’s boy. So he probably just never told her how he felt. I think he tried to tell her once how he felt when we were kids. I think I told him to tell her Hisashi was a bastard. He probably didn’t say that though. I asked him the next day if he manned up and told her. Deku said he told her that he didn’t like his dad cuz the loser didn’t like him.”“Said Aunty broke down crying and begged him never to say something like that again. Went on about how great Hisashi was and that Deku shouldn’t feel that way about him, and Deku just wound up feeling guilty and promising never to say it again. Aizawa probably found out how shitty the whole thing was and probably tried to talk to her about it.”“If he took Deku away, its probably because it was absolutely necissary. Aizawa ain’t one o make things harder for himself. I don’t know what goes on at Deku’s place anymore, we haven’t worked up to having long drawn out conversations yet. But we’re trying. But if Aizawa took him away, then he must have been worried about the nerd and there must be more going on that I don’t know about.”Masaru sat and stared at his hands for a while, thinking. For someone who clearly didn’t like Izuku, Katsuki sure knows a lot about him. But, well, Katsuki has always been observant when not yelling. Katsuki had mentioned earlier that he and Izuku had settled things between eachother, but he just assumed it was Katsuki’s way of settling things. Getting mad, yelling what he wanted to say, and then leaving it at that.He had been having a hard time imagining his son working past all this, but if both boys were at least able to hold short conversations, then that meant there was hope. Right?“This is a lot to take in.” Masaru said. Katsuki nodded. “Yea, I doubt anything we could say would change mom and Aunty’s minds. To worked up and shit. They are gonna have to find out the hard way that Aizawa and Deku are right. But we can at least make it easier on Aizawa.”Masaru tilted his head, “How so?”Katsuki rolled his eyes. “You use my phone to call Nedzu and tell him about what Aunty and ma are planing. Give him a heads up, tell him if he doesn’t at least get Aizawa to talk to my mom himself and explain shit, then they’re gonna have a bunch of trouble on their hands...” Katsuki paused and listened to his mom still ranting in the living room. “Shit I think mom just suggested Aunty get the news involved.”Damn that evil conniving woman. Katsuki loved it, when it wasn’t causing him trouble. Like right now.“Why not just call Aizawa?” Masaru asked.Katsuki sighed. “Because he’s probably with the damn nerd right now, and hearing people plot against his mom would just freak him out. I’m an asshole, but I’m not fixing to torment his mom in front of him. I fucking love Aunty, so this shit really sucks.”His dad nodded his head and opened a drawer in his desk and reached in to pull out Katsuki’s phone. Katsuki unlocked it for him and his dad scrolled through his contacts until he reached Nedzu’s and hit call.The phone rang two times before the principal answered. ‘Katsuki? I didn’t think I would be hearing from you so soon.’“This is Masaru. I’m sorry to trouble you again, but we have a problem.” Masaru said, shifting nervously. He could still hear his wife in the next room plotting. He turned to Katsuki and mouthed ‘stop her’.Katsuki got up and quickly left the room, while the principal responded. ‘Oh dear, please explain.’Masaru started to explain what was happening in the other room at the moment along with what Katsuki had told him, when he heard an explosion and his wife scream, “You fucking bastard! That was my phone!” He was just finishing his explanation when Katsuki barreled back into the room. Slamming the door and locking it behind him with a shit eating grin plastered on his face. Katsuki loved chaos.Masaru wanted to bang his head against the wall. When he had said ‘stop her’, he hadn’t meant “destroy her phone.” His wife was banging her fists against the door, calling Katsuki every name under the sun, while Katsuki just leaned against the door looking smug.Peace? Who’s she? Masaru doesn’t know her.‘Thank you for informing me. I’ll be sure to handle this as quickly as possible. I don’t wish to disturb Aizawa at the moment. It has been a very stressful morning and he is comforting little Midoriya. But I will send you an email addressing the situation and explaining Aizawa’s concerns. What he noticed and what Midoriya has revealed himself. You can feel free to show your wife and Mrs. Midoriya too. Although I will be sending her her own email shortly.’‘Please tell Katsuki I appreciate his help, and this will be taken into consideration regarding his punishments. He did the right thing informing you of his concerns. Thank you and have a nice day.’ BEEPMasaru lowered the phone and looked at Katsuki exasperatedly, Katsuki just glared back.“I’m on house arrest and you removed my door. It’s up to you to protect me from the hag.” Katsuki growled.Masaru sighed. He felt like a small water gun that was having to face a raging inferno. Utterly useless. Or maybe it was a water gun facing a dragon, and was doing nothing more than pissing off the already pissed off dragon. Mitsuki was the dragon. And Katsuki seemed to be handing Masaru gasoline instead of water. So instead of utterly useless, maybe he was instigating his and Katsuki’s murder.He should see just how hot the flames were.He walked over to the door where his son was and calmly spoke through the door his wife was banging on. “Honey?”“Open the fucking door so I can beat the shit out of him!” Mitsuki screeched. “Fucking banshee.” Katsuki grumbled.Mitsuki roared on the other side of the door, there was no talking to her like this. The flames of her anger were too hot. Masaru sighed. “Let’s just stay in here until she loses steam.” He suggested to his son. Maybe if she exhausted herself enough, they could inform her on the update and hide away again until she was safe to be around. Or at least it was safe for him to be around her. Katsuki would probably still be in danger.He did blow up his mother’s phone after all.“How long to you think that will fucking take?” Katsuki asked.Masaru listened to his wife curse and hit and kick the door.“Don’t worry, I have a lot of snacks and drinks in here.” Masaru said reassuringly. Katsuki was not reassured. ~ (At U.A. in the principals office.)*Bakugou’s. What interesting people.*Nedzu sat reading an email. The police department need a favor from him. They were having trouble solving a case and needed his help. They were sending over one of their detectives. Detective Nami, who had a telepathy quirk. He could read minds and rifle through memories.If the police department needed a favor from him, then surly they wouldn’t mind if Nedzu cashed that favor in right away. Nedzu was positive that Nami’s quirk would be very useful regarding the issue with the Midoriya’s.He was positive that Mrs. Midoriya would take Aizawa to court. And Nami could be used to reveal exactly how she had unintentionally hurt her son. There was no need for it to be used against her son, but if it came to that Nedzu would make sure that the detective knew to avoid certain memories.Yes, Nedzu could definitely use this detective to help swing things in their favor. Not that Nedzu needed much help. But if you are going to do something, then you should be sure to do it right.For Izuku’s sake, everything needed to go right. Nedzu would make sure of that, he was getting fed up with the world constantly going after his bright students. Going after one specific student.Despite his friendly demeanor, Nedzu was not a forgiving creature.He may not hold all humans accountable for his torture and experimentation, and for the ones he did, he made sure that they suffered.Mrs. Midoriya might not be intentionally hurting her son. But she was hurting him none the less. Nedzu was not going to let it continue on. He would protect his student this time. Even if it meant that she would never get custody of her son again.Nedzu would protect Izuku.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Hizashi woke bright and early at six o’clock to the sound of his alarm clock. Yawning loudly, he rolled over and blindly reached for the alarm. After the third try, he finally found his clock and was able to hit the snooze button.Laying back on his back, Hizashi stretched his lithe body as far as it would go. Sighing in satisfaction, he finally sat up and reached for his glasses on the bedside table. Placing his glasses on his face, Hizashi blearily looked around with half lidded eyes. His brain, sluggish with sleep, was trying and failing to come up with a reason for him to be awake so early on a Sunday morning.He was starting to consider ignoring the early wake up call and going back to sleep, when he remembered just why he was getting up so early on a day off. He was going to go and confront Midoriya Inko today. He was going to find out for himself why this woman treated his little green bean the way she did.Not many people would consider what she was doing as abuse, many would say that she was just overprotective. That it was her right as a mother to raise her son however she saw fit. Police would probably side with her, lawyers would probably side with her. Hell many people would side with her and see nothing wrong with what she was doing.Hizashi knew better. All psychiatrists would know better.When Shouta had started seeing a therapist after the fiasco with his parents, and had allowed Hizashi to attend with him; Hizashi had dove head first into understanding any and all abusive parenting styles. Abusive parenting wasn’t just hitting your kids whenever you felt like it, or verbally abusing them. Calling them names and using intimidation, much like Shouta’s parents had. There was a more passive form, so passive that most parents didn’t even realize that it constitutes as abuse.-Manipulation. Using guilt as a way to make the child comply. The parent making themselves seem like a victim and using a child’s innocent love for their parent and not wanting to hurt or upset their parent as a way to get their way.-Controlling. Having absolute control over every aspect of their child’s life. Who they associate with. Where they go. What they do. And just not letting the child make their own decisions. Claiming that the child didn’t know what was best for them, wasn’t capable enough of taking care of themselves. This was what many people considered helicopter parenting.Helicopter parenting, isn’t always bad or abusive. It’s just a parent, usually a new parent, being over protective. Most parents drop the habit as their child grows older. Realizing their child can take care of themselves.Those who don’t tend to become more radical, and can’t seem to relinquish their control over the child’s life. And usually end up making it where the child can’t do anything on their own without help. Not knowing how to do most things that are considered basic knowledge for most people.Like not knowing how to use the stove, how to get around a city on your own, or even set up their own doctors appointments. Because their parents do everything for them, and they are not taught or don’t get the chance to learn how to do these things on their own.-Then there is taking away their individuality. Forcing their will on their child and not letting them be themselves. Not letting them find or follow their own interests. You can’t do ‘this’, because I want you to do ‘this’ instead. I don’t like ‘this’, so you aren’t allowed to like it either. “I”wan’t you to live your life in a certain way and follow all of the goals “I” have set out for you, because it’s what “I” wan’t.From what Shouta has told him, Mrs. Midoriya has shown many of those traits and doen’t seem to realize that what she’s doing is wrong. And Shouta didn’t point it out to her because he saw no point in arguing with her or trying to get her to see past her delusions. A psychiatrist can do that. Izuku was his first priority at the time.Izuku should be everyone’s first priority. Hizashi might be a little biased at this point. Just a little.But letting Mrs. Midoriya continue seeing nothing wrong with what she’s done. Yea, that wasn’t gonna fly with Hizashi. Sure... he could leave everything for the lawyers to deal with. And there would be lawyers and a court battle. Let her find out in front of a judge and jury just how much she had fucked up. Let her suffer.But...This was Izuku’s mom. Izuku loved his mom. Knew that she needed help, and knew that even though he loved her more than the whole world and would do anything for her, he knew that him living with her wasn’t healthy. For either of them.Wasn’t healthy for him to let her continue with the way she was treating him. And wasn’t healthy for her, letting her stay in the same habits she had been in for years. They both needed change. And unfortunately for them, for them both to get better, they needed to be separated.Izuku has been so brave and has been taking everything as well as he could, but he was hurting deeply. Hizashi could see. He was good at reading people, though his little green bean had some amazing suppressing skills to have gotten by so long without Hizashi even getting a hint that the boy had so much hurt buried inside him.But the past couple of days, Izuku had been left so raw, that Hizashi could look into him as if he was a lake so crystal clear that he could see straight through to the bottom of. And Hizashi could see just how much everything was hurting him. It was heartbreaking.But along side the hurt, there was also hope. Hope, and just a hint of anticipation. Hope at things finally getting fixed. And maybe, just maybe, anticipation at the prospects of starting a new life. A new life with things he had probably only ever dreamed of. A father figure to teach and guide him. And a sibling, a little sister. Being an only child, Izuku at some point in his life had probably wanted a younger sibling.And what better pair to fill those roles than Shouta and Eri. Izuku deserved the world, and it was Hizashi’s completely unbiased opinion that Shouta and Eri were the world. So what was better than giving Izuku the world (Shouta and Eri), and letting Izuku be the ray of sunshine that he was to the world (Shouta and It was perfect.Hizashi just needed to deal with the cloud that was Midoriya Inko, from raining on them. Nothing wrong with having a cloud or two on a sunshiny day, but this cloud had the potential to rain forever and flood the world if not stopped.And she was going to get stoped.Hizashi went about his morning routine. Taking a nice hot shower first, Shouta told him once that he kept the water hot enough to burn flesh from bone. Hizashi called him a weak ass bitch and that he could stick to his cold (reasonably warm) showers. Drying off Hizasi wandered off to the kitchen naked to make a pot of coffee, this was his apartment and he’d be damned before he put on clothes before he needed to.Also shout out to whoever made one way windows so people couldn’t look in his apartment through his large living room windows that took up the entire wall. Hizashi wasn’t shy, but this wasn’t a peep show. And could you blame him for wanting to walk around in the privacy his own home naked? He literally spends almost every day in leather. He looks cool and like a bad ass, but that shit gets hot.So Hizashi felt it was fairly reasonable to spend his down time at home in as few clothes as possible.While his coffee was brewing, Hizashi decided that a very light breakfast was in order. He was positive today was going to be emotionally stressful. He can deal with physically stressful easily, but when he was emotionally stressed and had a full stomach Hizashi tended to throw up. So light breakfast it was.Hizashi popped two pieces of bread in the toaster and set them to toast and fished some apple cider jelly out of the fridge. Hizashi didn’t feel like making the effort to fry an egg to go with his toast, and you only make the mistake of frying anything naked once. So no egg.Once his toast was done, he slathered a good bit of jelly on them and fixed his cup of coffee and some orange juice, and sat down at his table to eat. It was a short breakfast, and after washing the dishes and setting them out to dry, Hizashi wandered back to his room to get dressed.He checked his phone quickly for any notifications once he was in his room. Nothing. Not that he expected there to be. He had told Shouta he was going to be busy today, so he knew the man wouldn’t bother him unless absolutely necessary.He had already spoken to Nedzu last night after he had left the school, calling the little animal principal to give him a heads up on what he planned. Just in case he needed bailing out of jail. Nedzu had informed him that Bakugou Masaru had called him yesterday evening to inform him that Mrs. Midoriya had called his wife and told Mrs. Bakugou ‘her’ version of what had happened.Resulting in the loud blond woman getting worked up and plotting Shouta’s downfall. Hizashi had gotten pissed at that, but calmed down when Nedzu explained that Katsuki had intervened (blown up his mother’s phone) stopping her plotting. And that after the woman had tired herself out after a few hours of trying to beat down the door her husband and son had locked themselves behind, Masaru was able to safely approach his wife and show her an email Nedzu had sent.The email had been a list of things that Shouta was accusing Inko of, Izuku’s testimony about how his father treated them, and a detailed explanation of why Shouta had felt it necessary to remove Izuku from his mother.That had shut Mitsuki up. Mitsuki wasn’t best friends with Inko, just sharing the fact that they had gone to school together and keeping in touch because their kids were the same age and had always gone to school together. Mitsuki was a bit protective of Inko, because she was a shy and quiet woman raising a son on her own. But they weren’t best friends.She had wanted to argue that it was only the opinion of an outside party (Shouta) and an overreaction, but Masaru stopped that by telling her that they had no way of knowing that. Mitsuki only knew Inko’s side. They didn’t know Izuku’s. And if the teacher was willing to side with Izuku and remove him from his mother after only being around Inko briefly, then there had to be some merit it the accusations.She didn’t even bother in trying to deny that Hisashi wasn’t all that Inko had made him out to be, the testimony that Izuku had given left no room for doubt. Katsuki confirming things didn’t help either.Bakugou Mitsuki had called Nedzu herself to apologize for any trouble she might have caused by adding fuel to Inko’s anger and resolved to not interfere any more. Not that she could, her son had destroyed her phone.Hizashi had been surprised that Katsuki had defended Izuku and had been the one to get his father to call Nedzu in the first place. Hizashi was still pissed at the kid, but he was 1% less pissed at him now. Progress.Nedzu had faxed over paperwork for Hizashi do deliver to Inko. One of the things about being a hero was that you didn’t need to wait for the police to deal out important paperwork, you could do it yourself.So after dressing himself in a pair of light blue jeans and a red v-neck t-shirt with his two favorite bracelets and two of his best necklaces, and pulling his hair up in a half messy bun, Hizashi grabbed his phone and the folder with the paperwork and left the apartment. Stopping at the door briefly to put on a pair of high rise vans before he left and made his way to his car. ~ Inko had waited for Mitsuki to call back after their call had suddenly dropped without warning. But the woman never did. She had paced her living room for hours waiting for a call, before wandering around her apartment unsure of what to do.She found herself wandering into Izuku’s room, but that only made her feel worse. The room was bare. All of his belonging were at the school in the dorms. It was like her son had never lived there. The only traces to be seen that the room had ever been occupied were the faded places on the walls where posters of All Might had hung, and the scuff marks on the floor where the bed and desk had been.Inko quickly left his room and went to sit at the table in the kitchen. She had never gotten the name or the number of the lawyer that Mitsuki knew. She hoped the woman would call tomorrow and tell her, she didn’t want to have to go through with everything on her own. It was already late, and doubted she would get a another call tonight.Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her sweater. She quickly pulled it out and flipped it open. She had texted and called Izuku many times while waiting for Mitsuki to call back, and she hoped desperately that it was one of them.It wasn’t.It was a email from the principal of Izuku’s school. He was informing her that someone would be dropping by tomorrow to deliver paperwork to her. She wanted to snap and reply that she didn’t want anyone from the school to come near her, that the last time she had been expecting company from the school her son had been removed from her.But she didn’t, it would do no good, they would come whether she wanted them to or not. These heroes didn’t seem to mind stepping over people to get what they wanted. That much was clear.She simply closed her phone, not responding to the text and got ready for bed. She had slept fitfully, and by morning she was ill rested and not in the best mood. She had no appetite to eat, and resolved to simply wait in the living room for whoever was coming over to arrive.She would give them a piece of her mind. ~ Hizashi pulled up to the apartment complex around 8:26 am. He lived in the opposite direction from the the school and the Midoriya apartment, and with early morning traffic it had taken a while to get here. Hizashi sat in his car for a moment, starring at the apartment building and mentally preparing himself.This had been Izuku’s home his entire life, and he was about to go face his mother and bring paperwork that she would not like. Hizashi took a few deep breaths. He had to be a professional. Even if he wasn’t in his hero gear and was in civilian clothing, he was still a hero and had to act like one.Too bad Present Mic was known for being dramatic and didn’t mind making a bit of a scene. He would just make sure to keep it on the down low and not bring the house down with his opinion. Hizashi got out of the car and made his way to the designated door, knocking in a very normal and subdued way. Only people he liked got custom knocks. He had liked Mrs. Midoriya okay when he had first met her. A sweet, pleasant, round woman who just looked like a mom. Now, now Hizashi ‘really’ didn’t like her.She wasn’t going to get the nice, smiling Present Mic or Hizashi that everyone and their mama knew. Hizashi was almost always smiling. Not the ‘All Might everything’s going to be ok’ smile, but the ‘over energetic DJ can’t nothing get me down’ smile. She wasn’t getting that. She wasn’t even gonna get the pissed smile that villains got. Nope. She was going to get a frown that conveyed his disappointment and irritation to the point that her ancestors would feel it.He heard some shuffling behind the door and the sounds of it being unlocked before it was snatched open, and the short woman who’s head barely reached his abs glared at him. “And you are?” She snapped, standing in the doorway and not offering to invite him inside.*We gonna do it this way. Well alrighty then. Two can play this game.*Hizashi cleared his throat. “I’m Present Mic, Izuku’s English teacher.” Inko flinched at the casual use of Izuku’s given name. *Yea, that sweet baby is my nephew now!* “I was asked by the Principal of UA to bring over some paperwork and go over it with you.” He waved said folder around for emphasis.Inko crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Hizashi. “I’m capable of going over these by myself.” She snapped.“Good for you.” Hizashi snapped back. “But unfortunately for both of us I am required by law to read out a few things to make sure that you were informed before I leave. That way you can’t deny having been informed or say that I never gave you the appropriate paperwork.”Inko was offended that he would even insinuate that she would do something like that. She was a law abiding citizen, not some common villain.Hizashi leaned forward so they were face to face. No he was not trying to intimidate her with his height, anyone who says that is a liar. He was just getting on her level so he could talk to her softly without any neighbors overhearing. “So you wanna let me in, or do I have to read everything out loud here for everyone to hear. I do have a bit of a loud voice after all. Its up to you, I don’t really care either way.”If he had to he would read out everything while standing in front of her door. And being used to having one sided conversations (thanks Shouta), Hizashi had no problem standing outside and telling her his opinion for everyone to hear.Glaring at Hizashi one last time, she turned around and stomped back into the apartment. Leaving the door open for Hizashi to let himself in. *Rude.* Honestly did she think her glaring intimidated him. It was about as effective as a bunny glaring at him.Closing the door behind him and removing his shoes, Hizashi slowly walked through the house, glancing around for Mrs. Midoriya. *She didn’t even tell me where follow her! Rude!*Hizashi eventually found her in the dining room, sitting stiffly in a chair with her arms crossed. Hizashi sat opposite her and opened the folder.“Let’s get this over with.” She snapped.Hizashi wanted to slam his hand on the table and tell her to straighten up, like he had had to do many times over the years with overly angsty students. Nobody ever expected the chill present Mic to get snappy. *Calm yo tits Hizashi. Snapping now won’t help anything.*“Mrs. Midoriya if I could just say-““No. You can’t just say. I’m done listing to you people.” Inko said, interrupting him. *Inner peace, inner peace. Do not choke a bitch out. Inner peace.*“Gonna say it anyway. You might not think so, but you have been abusing your son. The way you treat him, all because he was a late bloomer, has not been helpful to his growth. It’s been a hinderance. You have been hindering him in growing up. How do you expect him to ever become a man if you keep treating him like a baby. And you can’t rule his life for him. I know your a good kind hearted woman, you raised Izuku after all, but you’ve been hurting him without realizing it. We wan’t to help you get better. You just have to let-“She interrupted him again. *Not the first time you’ve been interrupted, wont be the last. Breath.*“If that’s all you have to say then you can leave. I don’t wan’t to hear any more about how I’m an unfit mother and have done a terrible job. And you are calling me an abusive parent, when I have never hit Izuku in his life! I will not be insulted in my own home anymore.” Inko retorted.*We can take this cat fight outside and I’ll insult you all I want. Don’t mess with this neko.* Hizashi ignored the fact that he hadn’t been trying to insult the woman. *We can fight it out like two teenage girls in the school yard. I’d like to see you try and pull my hair shorty!*Hizashi sighed. Mrs. Midoriya wasn’t going to listen to reason and make things easier. She was still too pissed. He’d just get this over with and let Shouta’s lawyer and a jury eat her then spit her out.“Fine, lets get this over with Mrs. Midoriya.” Opening the folder he pulled out the first page of paperwork. “This is a restraining order that Aizawa Shouta has had filed against you.” Mrs. Midoriya’s mask of anger and indifference slipped, showing shock and hurt. *I had planned to try and make it easier on you and talk you through it and ease your worry just for Izuku’s sake. But now you can suck it bitch.*“The restraining order states that you are not allowed near Izuku, nor are you allowed to contact him.” Thankfully Shouta has Izuku’s phone and it’s turned off for now. “Next is the information that states Aizawa’s rights in removing Izuku, just in case you question the legality of those rights. Along with a detailed list of his reasons for doing so.”“If you question his reasons you are free to dispute this in court. This here is the court date,” Hizashi said, pointing to another paper. “It is in a week and a half, that gives you plenty of time to get a lawyer.” Nedzu works fast. “The trial will be about Aizawa’s decision in removing Izuku from your custody, no charges will be brought against you for now. You can dispute Aizawa’s decision in court.”“It will also be about granting Aizawa permanent and full custody of Izuku instead of the temporary custody he has now. If the court agrees with Aizawa’s decisions for removing Izuku from your custody, then you will no longer have any rights to him, and will not be able to dispute any custody arrangements.”“If for some reason the court leans in your favor and Izuku is returned to your custody, Aizawa will fight for custody and will file charges against you. In which case a full investigation against you will be held. Your husbands rights to Izuku will also be addressed at the trial.” Hizashi didn’t mention that Nedzu had already gotten in touch with Shouta’s lawyer yesterday after they had returned from the failed meeting with Mrs. Midoriya and had decided that Shouta’s case was iron clad. There was no doubt that Shouta would be granted custody. And once everything fell in their favor, they would go through with a rushed adoption case, so that everything would be set in stone.There would be no way to take Izuku from Shouta after that. But Nedzu wanted to be careful, there was always a chance things could go wrong. Which was why the principal was pulling all of his tricks and calling out on favors due to him. He even had All Might calling contacts in America to secure their case.Mrs. Midoriya looked like she was in shock, seeing how serious they were and how hopeless things looked for her.Hizashi continued on. “If” Hizashi didn’t say when. “If Aizawa is granted custody, and you wan’t to have a role in your son’s life there are a few steps you will have to take. While you wont have custody, Aizawa does want you to have a role in Izku’s life. These steps will help with that. You will have to go to mandatory therapy and see a psychiatrist. You will have to accept that your son wants nothing to do with his father.” Because buff lil Eraserdaddy (Nemuri’s trashy nickname for Shouta because some villain had the hots for him one time and called him daddy) is gonna be lil green beans Dadzawa (Hizashi’s family friendly and accurate nickname for Shouta).“You will not be allowed to see him until a psychiatrist deems you healthy enough. This is all for now, but things can and will change as you progress. Aizawa makes all the terms and you will have no right to argue them. If you fail to comply to any of this, Izuku will be removed from your life permanently and you will be given no second chances.”“If you wan’t to salvage the relationship between you and your son, you will do this. Izuku has agreed to this.”That seemed to make her snap out of her shock and she jumped up from her chair. “I can’t believe that. My baby would never agree to treating his mother this way! You people are manipulating him. Just because you’re pro’s and have money you think you can do whatever you want. I won’t stand for this. You have brainwashed my son and turned him against me!”Hizashi stood up from his chair too. Just because she wasn’t a violent person, didn’t mean anything. Even the nicest of people can snap. Hizashi had worked a case a few years ago, a father was divorcing his wife and taking their son. The husband was worried about his wife’s mental state and hired a lawyer in secret to build a case against his wife.Mothers tended to garner more sympathy and were usually given custody in divorce cases. The lawyer had discovered that she had been institutionalized before and had two children out of wedlock that her aunt was raising because she had lost custody of them. She had never told her husband any of that.The husband had also believed that she was addicted to pain pills. All of this added up and a case was built, the divorce papers were served and custody had been granted to him because his wife refused to take a drug test. He had taken his son and left the next day to go stay with his mother until he could find a new place and get all of his belongings moved.The wife who had never shown any type of aggression, snapped. She had snuck into her ex- mother in law’s home and had used her spike quirk to kill her ex-mother in law, her husband, and then her four year old son. She then fled, and multiple hero’s had been called in to go after her.Hizashi had been called in because he was good at talking to people, and they had hoped he would be able to talk the unstable woman down and into giving herself up. Hizashi never got the chance. She had fled back to her home, not something they had been expecting considering it had looked like she had packed a bag for her and her son. Why she had killed her son instead of leaving with him, no one would ever know.Shouta had tracked her back to her home, where she had slipped around the patrolling police and let herself inside, and before Shouta could stop her she had grabbed a pistol and sticking the barrel in her mouth had pulled the trigger.Shouta hadn’t been able to sleep for three days after that. Nemuri had to knock him out. And he had had to start seeing his therapist again. Hizashi had read the police report of the crime scene for the family, and after hearing Shouta describe to the police about what the wife had done to herself, had refuse to let Shouta see the report.No one, especially Shouta, needed to know just how many times the wife had used her quirk against her own child. Even after he had long been dead.He shivered. Hizashi was cautious over the distressed woman in front of him. *Please don’t be that level of crazy.*“Get out!” She yelled. “Get out! I don’t want to see another person from that school until the court date. So get out and don’t come back.”*Thank goodness!* Hizashi didn’t have to fight her.Hizashi nodded his head. He walked out of the room, but before he left he turned and said “I would think about how your actions could hurt Izuku. He loves you, that will never change, but you are the only one damaging the relationship between you two. We might be taking him out of your custody, but were not trying to keep him away from you forever. But your actions are pushing him away, and if you don’t wan’t to be the reason that he’s no longer in your life then I sugest you stop and think. Think about what the people around you are saying, what your son is saying. Then ask yourself, is everyone else the one with the problem or is it just you.”Hizashi left, putting his shoes back on and leaving the apartment. The meeting hadn’t been long, but Hizashi felt like it had taken years off of his life. He didn’t even get to say everything that had been on his mind. But he didn’t wan’t to push the woman too far.Shouta would win. And Mrs. Midoriya, being the loving mom that she is, would follow their rules so she could have a relationship with her son. She just needed to get over her wounded pride and the delusions that she hadn’t done anything wrong. That her husband hadn’t done anything wrong.Time would fix things, and Hizashi couldn’t help but be thankful for Nedzu making the process go by as quickly as possible so that everyone involved could begin to heal.Court was gonna suck. Izuku wasn’t going to like it.But hopefully things would get better and they could put everything behind them and move forward.Hizashi was an optimist after all. Things would get better.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After the stressful past couple of days, there was nothing better to Shouta than a peaceful afternoon spent at home chatting with his brother while watching his two kids play on the living room floor. Izuku was his now, he couldn't deny it anymore. And once Shouta gained full custody and went through with the adoption, Izuku would be without a doubt legally his.Could anyone blame him for being slightly excited over that?The relaxing afternoon was just what he needed, and after putting his kids to bed and seeing Hizashi off, Shouta had finally- FINALLY gotten to sleep in his own bed! When he had collapsed face first on his bed, on top of the covers and everything, Shouta had to keep from moaning in ecstasy.If it was possible, Shouta would marry his bed without hesitation. I mean, they already slept together and everything. His bed was the only one who understood him and never gave him any trouble. Accepting him wholly and embraced him lovingly every night.Yea, he wanted to marry his bed. And sleep for at least a hundred years. And he would have tried, if not for someone poking him in the face.Ah, Déjà vu.Shouta couldn't complain... much. He had slept soundly all through the night, and if he was being poked awake, that meant it was morning and his little monster was hungry and in need of breakfast.Damn.Can Izuku cook? Can he pull the ‘your a big brother now you deal with her’ card and get Izuku to make her breakfast while Shouta gets another hour of sleep?The poking stopped and was replaced by his facial hair being pulled. He was taking too long, if he didn't open his eyes now she would start pinching him. Eri didn't fight fair.Shouta secretly loved it.Cracking open an eyelid he halfheartedly glared at the perpetrator. Eri only stared back before tugging on his chin hair again.Shouta reached out and arm and wrapped it around her waist and pulled her onto the bed and into his arms. Tugging the blanket over the giggling girl and himself, tucking them in. “Five more minutes.” Shouta grumbled, rubbing his scratchy beard against her cheek.This only made Eri giggle more and wiggle in an attempt to get free, reaching up to push at his face that he was still nuzzling against her cheek. “Nooo.” She giggled out. “You have to get up now Shoutaaa.”Shouta sighed dramatically before blowing a raspberry on her neck. Releasing her, she quickly crawled out from under the covers and shoved him a few times. “Hurry up Shouta.” Eri whined.With one final huff, Shouta kicked the blankets off of him, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sitting up. “I’m up. I’m up.” Shouta stretched and let out a loud yawn. Shouta sat there for a moment to get his bearings, but Eri wasn’t having any of it. She grabbed his arm and pulled using all the strength the six year old could gather.Shouta didn’t budge. After a few more tries and watching her grow more frustrated, Shouta gave in and tumbled to the floor, like she had managed to pull him off the bed. Eri giggled and nudged him with her foot.Standing slowly, Shouta stretched one more time and walked out of his room into the hallway with Eri right behind him. Izuku’s door was wide open (Shouta needs to remind Eri to close doors behind her, it was polite), the boy was still fast asleep.Eri hadn’t woken him up yet, or if she had he had fallen back asleep. *Well that’s just not going to work.*Shouta turned to Eri and put his finger to his lips to show that they needed to be quiet. Copying him, she put her finger to her lips too and nodded her head. Creeping quietly, Shouta made his way into Izuku’s room and over to the bed. He could hear Izuku snoring lightly.Eri was standing at the door, watching and waiting. Shouta slowly began to pull the blankets off of Izuku. Izuku stirred a bit at the loss of warmth, but didn’t wake up, so Shouta pushed the blankets off the foot of the bed. Shouta made a mental note to train Izuku in the art of being a light sleeper. Good thing they were going to be living together, he thought evilly.Izuku was sleeping on his back with his arms stretched out on either side of him. He looked so peaceful. Reaching over him, Shouta undid the far corners of his sheet before doing the same with the corners on his side. Once the sheet was untucked, Shouta grabbed the corners closest to him and after he activated his quirk he yanked the sheet with all of his strength.Startled awake, Izuku yelled out in alarm, but was only able to flail around briefly before he fell the the floor. Izuku laid on the floor in shock, looking up at Shouta with wide eyes. “W-what? Why?” The boy stuttered out. Eri squealed and launched herself across the room and onto Izuku, who let out a loud “oof” upon impact.Shouta winced in sympathy, having been on the receiving end of a few of her tackles himself. “It’s time for breakfast, and I figured that if I have to be awake then so do you. Besides, Eri would probably like it if we all had breakfast together.”Eri nodded her head vigorously. She reached up to Shouta from where she was sitting on Izuku’s stomach, making grabbing motions with her hands. Shouta leaned forward and picked her up, placing her on his hip like he had seen many parents do. Eri was very smart for her age, and could speak very well but tended to use non verbal cues a lot. It was a remnant from her days under the villain’s hold, being unsure if she was allowed to talk or not.Talking or asking questions was dangerous around the villains, and even though Shouta told her that she could talk as much as she wanted. Could ask as many questions and ask for things as much as she wanted, she still fell into the same habit at random times. She was getting better though. But it still twisted his heart when she lost confidence out of no where and stopped talking.He never pressured her into talking, it only made her more nervous. So he would wait patiently for her to start talking on her own, while he talked about random things to ease her nerves.Shouta left Izuku on the floor and made his way out of the room. “Make your bed before you join us, can’t have a messy bed.” Shouta called out as he left, ignoring Izuku’s indignant squawk and the fact that he had been the one to mess up the bed in the first place.Downstairs, Shouta placed Eri on one of the bar stools that sat at the wrap around bar. The bar went along the entire wall of the kitchen to jut out from the wall, separating the kitchen from the living room. The bar alongside the wall had a built in stove, with a microwave set onto the wall above it.The sink was in the far corner of the kitchen, a decent size without taking up much room. Along the wall that opened up to a hallway that led to the front door was the refrigerator. The kitchen was very spacious without being too big. Shouta made his way to the refrigerator to grab what he needed for breakfast, skirting around the kitchen table in the middle of the room.The living room and kitchen were wide open spaces with no walls separating them. The back wall of the living room had a discreet hallway that led to his office and the master bathroom. Shouta was claiming the master bathroom for himself.The bathroom had a big ass bathtub that he was not going to share with anyone. It was like a freaking jacuzzi.Eri hummed to herself while Shouta got a start on breakfast, it wasn’t long before Izuku wandered down from upstairs and sat down on a stool beside Eri.“What do you wan’t to do today Deku?” Eri asked turning away from watching Shouta to look up at Izuku. Shouta was glad that she had started speaking again quickly. Her bouts of silence could last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.Izuku thought for a minute, placing his fist under his chin and humming loudly to himself. “We can do whatever you wan’t.” Izuku decided. “I missed school Friday, so I don’t know if I have any homework to do or not.”*Shit. I knew I was forgetting something.*Eri smiled at Izuku. “Can we make hero posters for my room? Aunty Nemi got me glitter markers and glitter to do arts and crafts with.”Izuku smiled back at her and nodded his head. “Yea, we can make a bunch and even stick some in my room.” Izuku added.Eri clapped her hands together enthusiastically. “Hurry up Shouta! We have posters to make!” The little girl shouted at him.“Yea Shouchan.” Izuku agreed. “Hurry up.”Shouta rolled his eyes. *Looks like they’re going to tag team me from now on.* Shouta grumbled out, “I’m cooking as fast as I can brats. Just wait.”The two brats giggled and talked about what heroes they were going to draw. Shouta smiled softly to himslef, it was going to be easy getting used to this. Izuku just seemed to fit right in with them. Like a missing puzzle piece.Shouta had just finished breakfast and was setting everything out on the kitchen table. Eri came around and climbed onto her seat, while Izuku got the plates and cups to set out. Shouta started to dish out the food on to each plate, just as Izuku was sitting down.“Yes, I’m starving.” Izuku cheered. “Hi starving, I’m dad.”Shouta froze.Izuku froze.The universe froze.Eri started eating.Shouta put the food down and stared at the ceiling.*The fuck did I just do?!*Shouta was having an internal crisis! Izuku didn’t seem far behind.*No! I will not succumb to the sickness! I will not! I will not be like that!*Eri finished chewing her mouthful of food and swallowed. She was too young and new to the normal world to know what was going on at the moment, and looking at her shocked brother and her despairing guardian she did the only thing her sweet mind could think of and answered “Hi dad.”Shouta’s soul that had been trying to escape his body, slammed back into its host faster than Iida could run. He snapped his gaze down to Eri and looked at her in shock. Izuku sounded like a deflating balloon and was flapping his arms around. Shouta could feel himself blushing furiously.*Did she just call me dad?!*“Are you gonna eat?” She asked, looking at Shouta and Izuku.“Yes!” Both males shouted at the same time. Izuku dug into his food, while Shouta sat down and ate his food at a slower pace. Breakfast was a quiet affair after that. Every now and then Shouta could feel Izuku glance at him (probably judging him), which only made his blush darken. Shouta couldn’t really think coherently enough to hold a conversation, even if he wanted to. His internal monologue saying the same thing over and over again.*She called me dad! She called me dad! She called me dad!*Even though she only said it because he had called himself that first, she didn’t seem to have any problem using it. Children were so pure.As soon as she was done eating she waited patiently for Izuku to finish. As soon as the poor boy had taken his last bite, she jumped up from her seat and grabbed him. Dragging him off to go back upstairs to work on posters.Shouta robotically cleared the table and got to work washing and drying the dishes. Once done he made his way back upstairs to his room where he had left his phone in his room. Grabbing it and Izuku’s he walked over to Eri’s room and peered inside.She and Izuku were seated at her small little table littered with construction paper, glitter markers, glue and glitter. They had only been alone for a few minutes and it already looked like a glitter bomb had gone off.Eri’s hands were a rainbow of glittery colors while Izuku had a few blue, yellow and red glitter spots on his arms. Shouta feared what they would look like in a hour. He doubted there would be any glitter left after this. And Nemuri had given Eri a LOT of glitter.Going back downstairs, Shouta went to his office and closed himself in. Slouching over to his desk, Shouta collapsed into his chair and groaned. *Really Shouta? A dad joke? The epitome of dad jokes?* Hizashi would never let him live it down.Shouta unlocked his phone, seeing he had a notification from Nedzu. The principal informed him that Hizashi was delivering all the necessary paperwork to Mrs. Midoriya today. *So that what he meant when he said he had shit to do.*Shouta resisted the urge to check his bank account to see if he had enough funds for bail money.Nedzu also informed him on the situation revolving Bakugou Mitsuki and Mrs Midoriya. Explaining everything that Masaru had informed him on.*Well at least Katsuki didn’t ignore the situation and let Izuku and by default me, suffer out of spite.*Nedzu said that it might be a good idea for Bakugou Mitsuki to take anger management too, after hearing the woman rage through a locked door. No wonder Katsuki doesn’t do feelings other than anger.The small rodent informed Shouta not to worry, that he was pulling in favors from all around to make sure that they would not lose the case. That he, along with All Might had many private investigators prowling around. Digging up some very interesting info, and no Shouta wasn’t going to be let in on it. He could find out at court like everyone else.Shouta suspected it was something bad, and that’s why the rodent didn’t want him to know. Probably didn’t want Shouta to go on another rampage.The court date was set for a week and a half. That was plenty of time for Mrs. Midoriya’s lawyer to make a spectacle out of him. Shouta sighed, he could only hope that the woman would want to keep this quiet. Drawing Shouta into the light for the press to attack would only shine a light on Izuku too.And Shouta had already decided that the universe needed to give the kid a break and stop shining lights on his problem child. But he doubted the Mrs. Midoriya was thinking that clearly. She had it out for Shouta now, if Bakugou Mitsuki’s word was anything to go by.Shouta would just have to keep Izuku confined to the school grounds for now, and Shouta would probably have to face another press conference.Shouta’s luck is shit.Shouta clicked his phone off and powered up Izuku’s, keying in the passcode that the kid had given him. All Might’s debut date. Ugh.As soon as Izuku’s phone cut on it started to ping, and Shouta briefly worried that it would never stop. It did, but damn that was a lot of notifications. Shouta decided to start from the beginning and work his way to the most recent.~{Class 1A is A-Ok}-Friday, 7:00 amIIDA TENYA: Midoriya, I must inquire where you are. Class will begin shortly and as class president, I received no news that you were unwell.IIDA TENYA: Did you oversleep? If so I am sure with a proper apology our teacher will forgive you.IIDA TENYA: Midoriya?-Friday, 12:00 amSpaceFight: Deku? Everyone’s worried. R u ok?IIDA TENYA: Yes, all of your friends are worried. We were informed that you were unwell and staying with Mr. Aizawa. If you are capable please respond.Shocking: guuuuuys! What if he has the fluuuuuuuu! Shocking: I bumped into him yesterday! I don’t want the flu!Vour: He was acting strange and withdrawn yesterday. If it is the flu then my condolences. If it is bird flu, I must inform you that I had nothing to do with that.AlienQueen: Dude Toko! What is up with your screen name?Vour: Read the American book “The Devouring”, then get back to me. And also... Toko? RedRiot: Toko!Shocking: Toko DuctTapeSpidy: Toko!!!AlienQueen: Tokoyami is too long!AlienQueen: TokoI’mNotHereToMakeFriends: please tell me I’m not the only one who heard Mic scream profanities?I’mNotHereToMakeFriends: i wasn’t hallucinating from lack of sleep again was I??? IIDA TENYA: You were not. It was highly unprofessional and unbecoming of a teacher. LordExplodoKill: it was FUCKING awesome!IIDA TENYA: Wait, again?Shocking: AGAIN?IIDA TENYA: Shinsou?!!!I’mNotHereToMakeFriends: ...Vour: what a mad banquet of darkness~Shouta scrolled through the texts, ignoring the ones asking where Bakugou had went. Iida had seemed to calm the group chat regarding Izuku. But it looked to be escalating in regards to Bakugou. It seemed the Baku squad didn’t seem to know what to do without their leader. Shouta decided to intervene. At least to keep them from going on a man hunt. And to troll them because he was still in a bit of a mood. It wouldn’t kill them to fear a little. Unlocking his phone he added himself into the student’s chat.~[Aizawa Shouta has added himself to the chat] {Class 1A is A-Ok}RedRiot: he’s not answering his cell!RedRiot: I’ve called five times!Shocking: and texted 1426787644543320 timesRedRiot: Guuys!YouCan’tSeeMe: you don’t think villains got him again do you? AlienQueen: ohRedRiot: asdfghjklSpaceFight: Hagakure! U broke him!!!!YouCan’tSeeMe: oopsAizawa: disaster class RedRiot: ...Shocking: oh my gosh he’s dead!SpaceFight: 0.0IIDA TENYA: I am sure there is a logical explanation and Mr. Aizawa will explain.Aizawa: ...Aizawa: Uraraka, would you mind bringing Izuku any homework or assignments he missed?SpaceFight: sure!SpaceFight: where?SpaceFight: he hasn’t come back to the dorms yetAizawa: he’s still with me. At my new place.Aizawa: I’m willing to let you in for a brief amount of time. You will be sworn to secrecy or I’ll expel you.RedRiot: what about BAKUGOU! (Aizawa is typing)(Aizawa is typing)Shocking: oh shizzzzz I’mNotHereToMakeFriends: oh shit Aizawa: Bakugou has been expelled. [Aizawa has removed himself from the chat] ~Shouta could faintly hear the collective screeches of “what the fuck” from the dorms and smiled.Looking back at Izuku’s phone, Shouta got out of the group chat and opened the messages from Izuku mother. He ignored all the missed calls. There were a lot.*Didn’t I tell her she wasn’t allowed to get in contact with him anymore?* Shouta sighed, this woman was determined to make things difficult.~-SaturdayMom: baby please come back. I don’t know what that man has been telling you, but it’s all lies. Your dad loves you. Please come back and let’s talk about this.Mom: You don’t have to listen to your teacherMom: just come back to me. Mommy will take care of you. That school has done nothing but hurt you.Mom: Izuku please answer me. Mom: this is hurting me sweetie. Please just talk to me.Mom: this isn’t like you. You don’t curse. You always listen to me. Are they holding you against your will? Are they making you say these things? Are you safe?Mom: whatever Aizawa is telling you is a lie. He’s manipulating you baby.Mom: he doesn’t love you sweetie. Not like your dad and I do. If he loved you he wouldn’t have taken you from me.Mom: a good person wouldn’t have taken you from your loving home.Mom: he’s too close to you baby. It’s not healthy. Teachers aren’t supposed to be that close to their students.Mom: it’s wrong baby. He’s a grown man. He’s using you. Mom: why is he so close to you sweetie?Mom: is heMom: is he trying to force you into a relationship with him? Mom: I won’t let him hurt youMom: whatever he tells you, it’s wrong. It’s not love. Mom: is he trying to replace your dad?Mom: he can’t baby. Your dad loves you! You don’t need Aizawa. Don’t let him trick you into believing you need him.Mom: baby come home. My heart is breaking. Mom: baby?~Shouta wanted to throw the phone out the window. He felt sick. The things she was insinuating could cause so much trouble. It was playing with fire. Did she even believe any of that. Shouta sighed, of course she did. Anything to fuel her delusions and make her right.She had no basis, no proof. But the insinuation that he had or was trying to have a sexual relationship with her son would be enough to get him suspended from hero work, suspended from teaching, and have Eri and Izuku temporarily removed from his custody. He could be labeled a child predator.*Damn this bitch.*Shouta quickly took screenshots of the texts and sent them to Nedzu. Shouta was pissed. This woman thought the only reason Shouta wanted her son was to either have sex with him or to play father. Is that the only reason she could come up with for someone wanting to help her son? The only reason they might care about him? She said that Shouta didn’t love her son or made it into something vile. Shouta loves all of his students in a parental way and would die for them. How dare she say these things!She doesn’t know Shouta. She doesn’t even know Izuku.Shouta’s phone rang and he picked it up without looking at the caller ID, he knew who it was. “Nedzu.” Shouta greeted tiredly.‘Aizawa.’ Nedzu replied. ‘This is very disturbing. And I’m correct in assuming that she has no bases for these accusations.’ The principal’s tone was very harsh, clearly angry that someone would accuse one of his teachers of something so horrible. All teachers went through screenings to deem them safe for working with children.“Yes. The only physical contact I’ve had around Izuku in front of her was to hug him when he was distressed, and that was brief.” Shouta thought for a second. “I highly doubted she saw me giving Izuku mouth to mouth, she would have interfered if she had. And she doesn’t mention it in the texts.”Nedzu hummed in response. ‘Then she is clearly grasping for straws. I don’t believe she realizes the consequences these accusations could cause if they were made public.’“And if she does?” Shouta asked. This was all too much.‘Then she will regret them. I don’t take kindly to my teachers being attacked. I had hoped that this would be a quiet affair. That we could deal with everything in court, but she has forced my hand. We must act first.’Shouta had a bad feeling, but knew that it was inevitable. “What should we do?”‘I will set up a press conference for this afternoon. You, All Might and I will announce that a student has been removed from his mother on the belief that she is mentally unstable. Will speak out about the father refusing a relationship with his son. And how you saw fit to take custody of him seeing as you have the more flexible schedule.’‘Then we will address that after you informed the mother that she must cease contact, she chose to ignore it. Aizawa it is a violation of the restraining order and I have no choice but to have an officer sent over to her immediately. She will be given a warning, that hopefully she will take seriously. Or if she’s difficult she will be jailed temporarily. That should at least momentarily stop her from causing more trouble. She may try spreading these false accusations about you. So we will be sure to let the press know that she may try and slander your name.’‘But with All Might backing you, that should help erase any doubts the press might have had. If we address this first it should lessen the fallout, though I do not want to leak her actual accusations. If we are lucky she will see how foolish they are and not try and spread them. I will however have detective Tsukauchi come over shortly to interview you. This will clear your name, and ease the public’s worry should she try and slander you. I’m afraid that Midoriya Inko will face backlash after this. No one likes an unstable mother. She might garner some sympathy, but with our word and evidence against her, she will most likely have more enemies than allies.’‘But I can’t in good conscience let her off easily when she does not seem to have any issues potentially ruining one of my best teachers life. Or throwing her own son to the wolves of the media and bringing him under scrutiny just so she can have control over him once again.’Shouta was really considering just running away to a deserted island and taking all of his students and his kids with him. The real world sucked. Shouta has always known this. Knew that people would break their own morals and crush those around them just to get what they wanted. He’s just never had so much negative reality hit him in the face before. Never believed that Izuku’s mother would be the one trying to bring things crashing down around them.Damn. Damn it all to hell.“Do what you have to do. I’m guessing that I will have to be the one to break the bad news to Izuku?” Shouta asked.‘If you don’t mind.’*I do mind! I really fucking do!*“Fine.” Shouta grouched. *Why me? Why him?*‘Bad things happen to good people.’ Nedzu responded. Shouta hadn’t realized he had spoken his thoughts out loud. ‘Tsukauchi will arrive in an hour, I’ll have the meeting set up for around 12:30. Good luck.’ The principal hung up, leaving a very distressed Shouta sitting quietly in his office. He could feel the threat of tears behind his eyes.Damnit!He grabbed his phone texting Uraraka to hurry over now, that he had things to do and couldn’t wait around all day and that she could only stay for a few minutes. He unlocked one of the drawers in his desk and tossed Izuku phone inside then closing and locking it.Getting up, Shouta rubbed at his face and made his way over to the bathroom. He didn’t look like he had been on the verge of crying, good. He schooled his expression into his normal neutral face and went back upstairs to his kids.Shouta walked into Eri’s room and had to do a double take. Apparently she had given up on making posters at some point and had decided to decorate Izuku. She had doodled all over his arms with the glitter marker, along with a very bright pink glitter heart drawn onto his face. He had what looked like an entire container of blue glitter poured onto his head, which oddly enough made his green curls more prominent. He had glitter on his clothes, and it looked like she had rubbed a glue stick on his cheeks and rubbed lime green glitter on them.He was a mess.And it was the best thing Shouta had ever seen in his life. Taking out his phone he snapped multiple pictures all the while laughing as loud and as hard as he could. The world is falling apart around his kids, and they ease the heaviness in his heart without even trying. Without even knowing.He could have broken down crying at just how happy these two kids make him feel, but he had a student coming over. He would save the breakdowns for after she left. Then he would tell Izuku everything. But for now. For now he would just laugh.Izuku was laughing too. Clearly amused by his little sister, *Did you even try to fight back?* and just happy that he could get such a reaction out of his teacher.Once Shouta could breath again he wheezed, “Uraraka is coming over to bring you the school work you missed.” Izuku seemed to freeze before screeching “She’s what! I have to change and wash up!” Izuku got up and dashed to the door, but Shouta blocked him.“I doubt you’ll have time.” Shouta chuckled. Izuku grabbed Shouta around the waist and lifted him up easily, spinning them around so that Izuku was at the door and Shouta was in the bedroom. *Holy Hell!*“I at least have to try! Just look at what I’m wearing. The only thing decent on me is Eri’s art!” Izuku wailed. Izuku had on a pair of light green pinstriped pajama pants that holes in both of the knees. A grey t-shirt that said “awake” on the front and had a few small holes around the stomach and collar. “These are the most comfortable but the most ratty pajamas I own! I never leave my dorm room in them!”Izuku turned and dashed to his room, just as his hand landed on his doorknob the front door bell chimed. Shouta saw all the blood rush out of his face and heard him mumble “shit”.Shouta chuckled. “I’ll answer that, but I don’t see any point in you changing and getting glitter on clean clothes. You go outside and wait in the back yard, there should be some seats out there. And Eri, considering you were the one who went on the decorating spree, you can stay behind and clean your room.”Eri whined as Izuku dashed down the stairs, leaving a trail of glitter behind him. “But dad!” *Oh, we’re sticking with that.* Shouta fought the urge to smile. “I want to play with Uraraka too!”“No. They are not playing. She brought Izuku some school work. Now stay. And clean.” Shout left the whining child in her room and went to answer the front door. Uraraka was waiting patiently by the front door when he opened it. At least she wasn’t one to constantly ring a door bell.“Hey Mr. Aizawa.” She greeted. Shouta stepped aside and let her inside. She took her shoes off and made her way into the house. “Wow, this looks a lot like the dorms.”“Izuku’s outside on the veranda.” Shouta said, pointing to the other side of the living room where there was a glass wall with a sliding glass door. The veranda was a ground level deck that had a slightly closed in area just outside the door. So that they could go sit outside without being exposed to the elements.Uraraka gave Shouta a curious look before skipping outside to Izuku. *Shit. I called him Izuku and not Midoriya. Ah, fuck it they will find out soon enough that Izuku’s his now. Or will be, as long as things stop fucking up.*Shouta sat down at the kitchen table and pulled out his phone. Mindlessly flipping through it to keep his mind off of pressing matters.~Outside, Izuku sat on one of the benches outside that had a cushioned seat and backrest. His back was to the house, so he didn’t see Uraraka skip out until she was right at him.“Oh my gosh Deku! What is all over you?” Uraraka laughed.Izuku jumped slightly and turned to her as she flopped down beside him tossing the folder she was holding onto the table in front of them, grabbing his right arm and turning it every which way to see all the glittery drawings Eri had put on him. Izuku blushed fiercely.Uraraka was dressed in a tight pair of baby blue athletic shorts and a white v-neck short sleeve shirt. She looked cute. “Oh-um, well... Eri wanted to make glitter hero posters but decided to draw on me after a while. A-and I couldn’t tell her no... so...” Izuku mumbled.“It’s cute!” Uraraka grinned. Realizing that she was still holding Deku’s arm she blushed and quickly let go. “So I can’t stay long. Mr. Aizawa said he had stuff he had to do. But I brought all the homework that’s due Monday.”“Thanks, that means a lot to me. I would hate to fall behind.”Uraraka waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. That’s what friends are for. Besides it’s just one day, Deku. I doubt that would make you fall behind. Now tell me! Why are you still staying with Mr. Aizawa? Iida said that you had overworked yourself and he was making you take it easy. He said you looked fine and that Recovery Girl was checking over you. So why are you still here.”Izuku frowned and looked down. Uraraka was worried, Deku looked so upset.She reached out and lifted his face up to look at her, ignoring the glitter that was getting stuck on her hand. “What’s wrong Deku? You know you can tell me anything.”It was an intimate move, but they had been casually flirting with eachother lately. Throwing hints, but never really acting on them. They both wanted to focus on their hero classes, but that didn’t stop the wandering looks, the light and casual touches, and blushing smiles.Izuku sighed and nodded his head. “I know. It’s just a lot to take in.” “Don’t worry about me.” She encouraged.Izuku took in a deep breath and told her about everything that had happened the past two days. Told her the reason for Bakugou being suspended (not expelled! Aizawa you ass!), but left out the part about suicide baiting. He didn’t tell her about OFA, although he wanted to. Shouchan had said it was ok to tell people he truly trusted, and he truly trusted her. He just wasn’t ready to tell her all that yet.He told her everything as quickly as he could, knowing she was on a time limit. He glanced up at her and saw that she was crying. She threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug, he stiffened for a second before he hugged her back. Wrapping his arms around her waist and hiding his face in her neck, letting a few tears escape him.It was nice. It felt safe. And she was soft and smelled like honey suckles.She pulled away from him slightly and brushed his hair out of his face, laughing when glitter fell out of his hair and onto her clothes. he was extremely adorable. He chuckled too, but stayed with his face pressed to her neck. He felt a little embarrassed and was afraid to move away and look in her face. This was the closest they had ever been.“You don’t think less of me now do you?” Izuku asked her. He couldn’t help but ask her. His confidence was a very small thing, and it felt even smaller now.Uraraka gasped and pushed him away but kept her hands cupped around his face with her pinkies extended to keep from using her quirk on him. “I could never think less of you because of how the people in your life treated you. If anything I think even more of you. To go through so much and still be as nice as you are is amazing.” She said firmly.A few more tears escaped his eyes. “Really?” He whispered, looking at her with hope.“Really.” She whispered back. A strong urge hit her and giving in she leaned forward to press her lips to his softly, briefly before pulling back slightly. It was their first kiss. And even though they had never talked about being in a relationship, had never done more than briefly holding hands as friends, it still felt right. It was exciting. And she wanted more than anything for him to know just how much she cared for him. That she could never and would never think less of him.Izuku’s eyes widened in surprise before lowering slightly. His bright green eyes darkened a bit with desire, and he leaned forward to continue the kiss. It was soft at first, chaste, but slowly deepened. It was desperate. Like he needed the closeness. Needed the reassurance that she was there. They were also hormonal teenagers after all. Their emotions were running high. They were in new territory. It was exhilarating. All their worries could just be forgotten in a moment. They could just feel. Not think. And the thought of being seen not even on their minds.Neither knew much about kissing, but Izuku did remember what he had seen from the romance movies that the girls always made them watch. Blushing, Izuku took her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged slightly.Uraraka gasped in surprise and Izuku took that opportunity to roll his tongue into her mouth. She let out a surprised squeak before challenging his own tongue with her own. They separated briefly to breath, only to smash their mouths together once again. Fiercer this time. Hearts racing and minds filled with ecstasy. She reached up a hand to tug at his hair, causing more glitter to rain down around them. Izuku let out a soft moan that had Uraraka’s toes curling. She could feel some drool leaking from their mouths and down her chin, she wasn’t sure if it was her own or his.She could feel his tongue tracing the roof of her mouth and his right arm snake around her waist to pull her closer to him. She was almost on his lap at this point, and the thought thrilled her and made her nervous. It was a rush. She slid her hand cupping his face down his neck and felt him shiver. He growled deeply and and bit at her lip again, sucking on it. She could feel her lips swelling from the kisses and biting. She pressed her hand in Deku’s curls, to the back of his head, pushing their faces more firmly together. If she hadn’t been so caught up in kissing, she would have realized that she had used her quirk on him, and that she was slowly floating them both into the air.If they both weren’t stupid horny teenagers they would have remembered their teacher in the house, sitting right within sight of them. Would have noticed him marching across the living room to them activating his quirk.Unfortunately for them, it took Uraraka’s quirk being erased and them both crashing back onto the bench to snap them out of it. Izuku fell first with Uraraka landing firmly on his lap, which elicited a deep moan from him that had not only Izuku and Uraraka blushing, but Shouta too. She decided to not think about the obvious reason for that moan and quickly hopped off his lap.Izuku leaned forward, curling in on himself. Embarrassed by the very noticeable reaction he was having.“I think I should go.” Uraraka said, blushing. She was worried her teacher was going to kill them, but she was too embarrassed to make eye contact and check.“I think so too.” Shouta said disapprovingly. Uraraka nodded and quickly made her way through the house and left. Shouta turned and glared at Izuku. Izuku didn’t even bother looking up. He could feel Shouchan’s glare burning the back of his neck.He was blushing furiously. He was so humiliated. His first kiss with a girl! His first kiss with Uraraka! It had been so hot Izuku didn’t even know what to do with himself, although his body had some ideas. He couldn’t believe how fast he had gotten turned on. And then the worst thing that could happen, happened. His dad interrupted them. Not that Izuku was going to do anything else other than kiss. Oh gosh! He hoped he wouldn’t try anything other than that! They were outside! But he definitely wasn’t thinking with his brain at the moment, all the blood had left the brain area and fled down south.Oh my gosh she knew! She landed on top of him! She knew! Kill me now!!!!!“I’ll kill you some other time problem child.” Shouta growled. “But for now, go take a shower and take care of that problem. We need to talk.”Nodding and tugging the front of his shirt down as best as he could, he ran into the house and up the stairs. Thank goodness Eri was still cleaning her room. Shouta regrets not letting her tag along with Izuku and keeping the two teenagers out of trouble. Nothing is a bigger mood killer than a child.~Shouta rubbed at his face furiously, trying to will his blush away. He had been peacefully minding his own business, scrolling through the hero news. He had been considering texting Hizashi and telling him what was happening with Izuku’s mom but decided against it. If he was still with Mrs. Midoriya, then the man would probably flip out on her and make things worse. So he decided to wait until he heard from his friend himself.Setting his phone down Shouta looked up towards the veranda. It had gotten quiet for a minute and Shouta was desperately hoping he wouldn’t catch them in an awkward first kiss.Nope, no awkward first kiss. Just a fucking pg-13 make out session that looked close to crossing over to R-18! *What the fuck!*The thought of interrupting was embarrassing, but he couldn’t let this continue. *I look away for three minutes and they are practically going at each other on the veranda!* Shouta was marching across the living room to them when he saw them both begin to float. *Shit!* Shouta activated his quirk just as he got to the door and watched them both collapse back onto the bench.Izuku let out a deep moan that should be illegal for the virgin cinnamon roll to make. Shouta knew his face was bright red from embarrassment, and Uraraka and Izuku’s were the same. Thankfully Uraraka seemed keen on escaping, jumping off of his son’s lap and excusing herself.Good. Shouta could only deal with one horny teenager at a time and he had things to discus with Izuku anyway. He could have Midnight deal with the zero gravity girl. Once she left, Shouta turned his attention back to Izuku, and oh... To be young and healthy.*Why me?* This was becoming a redundant question Shouta kept asking himself. Shouta quickly shooed the boy off to the bathroom. A long shower would get rid of the glitter fiasco, and would give the boy time to deal with his problem.Shouta crashed onto the couch, laying on it on his back and glaring at the ceiling. He never thought in his wildest dreams that he would catch Izuku making out like a pro. Never thought it would be in his own home. Never thought the problem child would practically be like his own son and living with him.He was going to have to have “the talk“ with him. Damn. He didn’t want to. But he had no choice. But it could wait. He had some very important things to discuss with him, and the awkward “talk” could wait until later. Actually, he would rather have “the talk” than tell Izuku about the trouble his mom was making.*Damn. Can’t catch a break.*He would have Izuku spend lunch with his class while Shouta does the press conference. Hopefully they could keep him distracted and happy. He would also see if Sekijiro would watch his students for him. Specifically Izuku and Uraraka.Can you blame Shouta?Izuku showed some skill for a first time kisser. And Shouta was going to make sure there were no other first times for him. Not under his roof. Not while in school. Shouta want’s no grandchildren any time soon.Damnit problem child! Shouta wasn’t supposed to have to worry about this with him! He was supposed to be the innocent one! What went wrong!? Where did he learn that! Who was being a bad influence on his green bean?! Who?!WHO!?Shouta didn’t know that every romance movie his class watched was to blame. He knew Izuku was good at copying fighting styles just from observing. He just didn’t know he could apply that to kissing.The universe might like fucking people over, but even it knew to better than to let the little stronk broccoli boy ever watch anything R-18 or xxx. If he could get that good at kissing just from watching romance movies, then the universe was going to make sure that their precious child would not be watching anything adult rated until he graduated.Sorry Kaminari and Mineta. Your secret porn stashes are going to mysteriously get destroyed.Shouta might not like the universe for throwing Izuku curve ball after curve ball, but it was all to make him stronger. One day he would be able to catch those curve balls and send them right back with no problem.The universe had great things planned for their sweet child, and a little pain was going to go a long way into making Izuku a hero that Shouta could be absolutely proud of. A hero everyone could look up to.And if the universe secretly enjoyed making Shouta suffer a little too, well... everyone has their kinks.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
To say Ochako booked it out of Mr. Aizawa’s house would be an understatement. She could feel his burning glare even after she had hurriedly closed the front door behind her. Mortified did not even to begin to cover how she was feeling at being caught in a very... well hot make out session with Deku. Deku! Who she’s had a massive crush on since the beginning of the year. Stumbling over a loose stone on the walkway tot he dorms, she couldn’t help but cover her face as she blushed, only to immediately have to deactivate her quirk for the second time that day. Dear Kami! She had landed on Deku’s... Deku’s... she couldn't even finish the thought. What did this mean for them now? Were they dating? Was this all just a mistake? Something in the heat of the moment because of stress? Oh shit! Talk about stress! Deku didn’t have any time to worry about dating! He was being removed from his mom’s custody! And Bakugou! The bastard! Mr. Aizawa should have actually expelled him! Not just suspended! She had left the dorms in utter chaos! They all believed their classmate had been expelled. She couldn’t let them suffer any longer. Especially not Kirishima! He had been in tears, begging her to find out what had happened. She had, and she didn’t think the information would help console the shark toothed boy at all. Rushing, Ochako dashed the rest of the way to the dorms, hesitating right as she reached the huge double doors. She honestly didn’t want to be the one to tell everyone what had happened. She didn’t mind throwing Bakugou under the buss, she was truly pissed at the explosive boy; but telling everyone that their most sensitive friend was being taken from his mom for what sounded like abuse. It’s not a conversation she really wanted to have. But Deku had told her, and it must have been so much harder for him to confide in her. If he could be brave enough to do that, then so could she. Squaring her shoulders, she bustled into the dorms, flinching as the door banged open and closed behind her, drawing the attention of everyone in the common room. Iida was the first to recover. Pushing his glasses up his nose, he marched his way over to her, hands already chopping as he prepared to scold her. “Uraraka, that is no way to treat UA prop-” “I know, sorry Iida.” Ochako interrupted, brushing past him to go over to Kirishima who was slumped forwards on the couch, face buried in his hands. Hearing her approach, he lifted his face to reveal puffy eyes. Jumping to his feet, he knocked Mina outer her backside; who had been crouched in front of him. Kaminari pulled her up beside him on the couch as she pouted at being knocked over, Sero letting a small nervous giggle escape him from where he was sprawled on an armchair. “Uraraka!” He shouted as he rushed over to her. “Did you hear anything about Bakugou? I’ve been texting and calling-” “Obsessively.” Kaminari muttered. “-but he won’t answer. It’s not like him. He’d at least tell me to fuck off! I’m worried.” Kirishima finished. Ochako saw Iida gearing up to reprimand the cursing, but she waved him off, watching him huff in annoyance from the corner of her eye. Giving Kirishima her full attention, she led him back over to the couch and sat him down. “He’s not expelled.” She sighed. She waved down their shocked shouts, waiting for them to hush so she could explain. “He’s not expelled. I think Mr. Aizawa just said that because he was pissed. I know, language, sorry Iida.” A huff behind her confirmed that he had bee prepared to scold her. “But why would he lie? He’s not the kind of guy to let his emotions control him. It’s not manly.” Kirishima said, shaking his head. Sure their teacher had lied to them before, but it had always been a logical ruse, a way to get them to think or react. There was always a good, twisted, but good reason for it. This time he had just lied because he was angry. Probably because he actually wanted to expel Bakugou. “Because...” Gosh this was hard. “Because Deku accidentally told him that Bakugou bullied him all his life. That he used to even use his quirk on him.” Kirishima jumped to his feet, ready to deny it and defend his friend. “What! No way! Bakugou wouldn’t do that!”“I can believe it.” Kaminari muttered. The angry read head turned around to argue with the shocking blond. “Dude!” Mina jumped up and latched onto Kirishima’s arm, moving him away from their friend. “Think about it dude. How many times has Bakugou exploded your face? Just because you got on his nerves. Or let of pops any time he got mad.” Kaminari explained. “But I can handle it. And he’s just temperamental.” Kirishima defended. Sero sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “I think Kami’s right. Guy seriously has anger issues. Remember our first day? When Midoriya tossed the ball? Bakugou went after him. Our first heroics class, Bakugou went right after him too. Was brutal. And even their fight. They both snuck out to duke it out. That doesn’t sound like something childhood friends would do. Midoriya might see them as friends, but I don’t think Bakugou does. I can see him treating Midoriya like shi-crap for just being himself.” Brushing away tears, Kirishima turned back to Ochako. “But why treat him that way? And why would Midoriya wait until now to say anything? They’ve been getting along.” Ochako sighed and sat down on the coffee table. Taking her lead, the others sat down too. It was hard, and many tears were shed, but she managed to tell them everything Deku had told her. “Thats terrible.” Mina cried. “Not manly.” Kirishima fumed, slamming his fist into his palm. “Terrible parenting.” Iida agreed. The class OCD dad agreed! “I would have run away.” Kaminari shouted, throwing his hands in the air as sparks ran across his fingertips. “Glad my parents like a slightly hands off style of parenting.” Sero muttered. They all grew silent for a few minutes. No one knowing where to go from there. What could they say that hadn’t already been said. What could they do? The only thing they could do was to be there for their friend Whalen their protective teacher decided to let him come back to school. Until then, it was just them and their thoughts. “I’ll notify the class chat.” Iida sighed, tiredly getting up from his seat on the arm chair opposite of Sero. She had never seen him so dejected. Even after he had found out about his brother being paralyzed, he had been quietly focused. Leaving Kirishima with the others, Ochako made her way to her room, bringing out her phone and texting the girls private chat group. She needed consultation from all the queens.
Class 1A Queens:
QueenGravity: meet in my room in an hour. QueenAlien: u just dropped a bomb, n ur tellin me theres more?!!! QueenFrog: sounds serious, ribbit. QueenPunkMuse: damn, b there or b square QueenCreation: I’ll bring snacks. QueenInvisible: pls no more bad news!!!!QueenGravity: no bad news. Just drama. ~ Shouto didn’t know what to think... well that was a lie, he did have a theory, even if it was a bit outlandish. But not out of the realms of possibility. He had been in the kitchen when he heard Uraraka’s entrance. Curious, he had padded softly to the junction the led to the common room, leaning against the wall just out of sight. He wasn’t eaves dropping, clearly this was information for everyone, he just didn’t... didn’t wan’t to join the crowd. It was one thing if Midoriya was there, telling all this himself. Shouto would have felt comfortable being amongst the group, giving his support to his friend. But without him, he didn’t know where he fell in the group’s dynamics. Sure, he got along with all of them, to an extent; but not enough to feel comfortable being in group discussions without him present. He had thought that he had grown close to Bakugou during their make up licensing exam, but after hearing everything Uraraka had just revealed... he was uncertain of his feelings. He was furious that Bakugou had ever treated his first friend ever like a worthless punching bag, all for being a late bloomer. It made him want to confront the explosive blond with the full force of both his quirks. But he couldn’t. That would only upset Midoriya. The kindhearted boy was so forgiving, and if he was willing to give the little monster a second chance, then he could respect that. After all, wasn’t he trying to do the same thing with his own father? And speaking of fathers, it was just too suspicious that Midoriya would say that he couldn’t really remember his father because the man left while he was young, only to turn around and call their teacher dad. Dad, not father. That shows a closeness. Even Shouto doesn’t call Endeavor dad. Was the elusive underground hero really Midoriya’s estranged dad? The two had gotten close during the fight with Overhaul. Had secrets been revealed? Their teacher was only in their thirties, was it a teenage love affair that resulted in the conception of Midoriya? How old was his friend’s mother? So many questions. Dots being connected. He needed more information. Specifically, more information from Midoriya himself. Would his friend admit to it? Or would he deny it the way he denied being the illegitimate child of All Might? Their quirks were similar, and the retired hero was oddly fond of his destructive classmate. Was it merely because their quirks were similar that they bonded? Shouto had to admit, Midoriya favored Aizawa a bit. The dark messy hair, sharp minds, quick reflexes. They were also both kind of short. He knows that Midoriya gets his green eyes and the green tint from his mother. So it would be unsurprising that he would also favor his father some. After all, Shouto was a split mirror image of both his mother and father. He also felt even closer to his friend now. They had both suffered abuse form people they were supposed to trust. They were both betrayed by their mothers. But where Shouto had had his older sister and brother, Midoriya had no one. It was an unsettling realization. ~ Ochako squirmed on her bed, back pressed against the headboard. All the girls had gathered in her room, passing around snacks and drinks, waiting for her to spill the tea. Mina was on the bed with her, feet swinging over the side as she leaned back on her hands. Momo was seated in a chair she had brought from Jirou’s room. Jirou was seated in a bean bag she had stolen from Kaminari’s room, flopped back at Momo’s feet. Hagakure was sitting against her door, dressed in cute bunny patterned pajamas with matching bunny slippers; snacking on Doritos and making her normally invisible fingers visibly stained orange. Tsu was seated on a pillow on the floor, sipping on a can of flavored tea. Everyone was waiting on her. Heart fluttering, unable to keep quiet a moment longer, the words burst from her mouth, “I made out with Deku!” An ear splitting squeal from Mina drowned out Hagakure’s choking. Thankfully Jirou has wonderful hearing and quickly leapt up to pound on the invisible girls back until she could breath again. Tsu sat frozed with her drink halfway to her lips, head tilted sideways. Momo, ever the classy lady, covered her mouth to hide her shock. Lunging, Mina garbed her around her shoulders and shook her, sending her head rocking back and forth from the force. “Tell me everything!” Brushing Mina aside, she covered her face and sighed. Not dreamily! “It happened while i was talking with him. I just felt so bad for him, and just wanted to let him know that I was there for him! It was impulse! I just, I’ve had such a huge crush on him, but I’ve been ignoring it! And the moment, it just felt right! And he looked so cute covered in glitter!” “Why was he covered in glitter?” Jirou asked, like that was important information. Ochako tilted her head, trying to remember if he had mentioned it. “Umm, I think it had something to do with Eri.” That had all the girls cooing. Everyone loved watching Deku interact with the small girl, he was such a good big brother to her. Shaking her head, she continued. “Anyway. It got really intense. I had no idea Deku knew how to kiss like that!” ”Like what?” Hagakure asked, bouncing up and down where she sat. “Like someone in the movies. It was really hot.” Ochako confessed, blushing and fanning her face a little.“What else.” Mina asked. She looked eerily similar to a dog looking at a steak, begging for a juicy morsel. “Well,” she began, poking her index fingers together. “I kinda somehow managed to wind up in his lap.” Jirou wolf whistled, while Hagakure clapped. Momo was blushing furiously and Tsu had her finger to her chin in thought. “And...” “There’s more!” Mina squealed, loving this way too much. Ochako nodded. “I kinda used my quirk on him and we started floating. And then...” “And then?” Everyone inquired at the same time. “Mr. Aizawa caught us and used his quirk to cancel out mine.” Everyone visibly flinched, giving varying degrees of sympathetic looks. Being caught by their teacher was just as bad as if they had been caught by parents. “There’s more.” Ochako whispered.“There’s more!” All the girls cheered. Obviously her classmates watch way to many rom coms if they were getting this worked up. “When we landed, I landed on his lap, and he was... hard. And the moan!” “Dear Kami.” Jirou whispered. “The green bean? Really?” “I did not expect that, ribbit.” “I don’t understand.” Momo murmured. “He’s a fairly muscular boy, how is it surprising that his lap was hard?” Oh no! Innocence alert! Abort! Abort! Mina leaned over the edge of the bed and pointed at Momo. “His dick was hard! Meaning our girl Ura-rock-your-world got him so turned on that he got an erection!” And there goes Momo’s innocence, fluttering away with Mina’s lack of a filter. Momo’s face turned scarlet and she separate. Tried to hide her eyes and face, like. That would erase what she had just heard. Ochako reached over and smacked an oblivious Mina’s arm while Jirou patted Momo’s knee in sympathy. Swiveling around to face Ochako, Mina set her sights on her new victim. “So how big would you guess he is? How much is he packing? How many inches? How good is his Mississippi smash gonna be?” “Mississippi smash?” Tsu croaked. “Yes!” Mina threw her hands in the air. M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I! Mississippi has two p’s. PP. And Midoriya has a pp!” And Mina is obviously a perverted middle schooler at heart. Ochako flopped face first onto her bed and groaned out, “I don’t know. I don’t have anything to compare it to.” Mina patted her on the back sympathetically. “You’ll find out sooner or later.” Oh my gosh no! No way was she ready for that! “Are you two dating now? Ribbit.” Ochako rubbed her scarlet face as she thought. “Um, I don’t think so. We didn’t get a chance to talk about it, and I don’t know when we will. For now, I guess we’re two friends that kissed.” Mina grinned and nudged her. “Friends with benefits.” “Mina no!” Everyone groaned. Mina just cackled wildly and ignored her friend’s embarrassment. ~ The boys downstairs (Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari) all flinched when they heard Mina’s laughing from above. Nothing good ever came from a laugh like that. “I’m just so confused man.” Kirishima sighed. A collective nod encouraged him to go on. “It’s just, he’s my bro and I have his back, but I can’t support bullying ya know.” Kaminari stretched his hands over his head to pop his back, little sparks dancing along his fingertips. Sitting on the floor was not doing his back any good, but he’d be damned if he made the effort to get up and get into a chair. “Well, Mina put it best in the group chat when she said Bakugou is an idiot, but he’s our idiot. So we’ll take responsibility for him and make sure he never does shit like that again.” The electric blond yawned. Sero snorted. “He’s not as feral as he was at the beginning of the year. I doubt he’d do anything stupid like that again. Besides,” Sero grinned, “Aizawa would totally kick his ass the moment he tried to pull anything.” The three boys chuckled. No one would ever say it to the man’s face, but he was such a dad when it came to his students. Kirishima’s smile dropped. “Yea. I feel so bad for Midoribro. Sounds like he’s had it rough. I just wish he would have confided in one of us. He’s so close with Uraraka, Iida and Todoroki. None of them would have judged him. He always goes out of his way to help others, doesn’t he know we would do the same for him?” Sero slunk deeper into his chair. “I don’t think he does. He never asks for help. Maybe he thinks he won’t get any.” Kaminari nodded before slumping to the floor, sprawled out like a starfish. “Man, if I had lived his life, I’d be scared to ask for help too. Never knowing if anyone would help or hurt you. I wouldn’t fuckin trust anyone.” It was quiet in the common area, everyone thinking about what their friend had been through. Thinking about the kind of person he could have become if he wasn’t the ray of sunshine that he was. ~ Shouto sat in his room, writing in a journal as he tried to figure out if it was possible for Mr. Aizawa to be Midoriya’s biological father. Charting down their similarities, differences, anything that would prove that they were related. So far, the similarities outweighed the differences. It was frustrating, Shouto had confided... well, thrown out there that he had a less than perfect home life, why couldn’t his green eyed friend do the same? And how could their teacher, after all they have been through, look Midoriya in the face every day and never say anything. Never tell him that he was his father. He could understand Midoriya not recognizing him. The boy had told him before that he barely remember’s his father. Just dark hair and red angry eyes. But Aizawa should have been able to recognize his own son, or at least his name. There was no excuse for ignoring him for so long. And the next time he saw his teacher, he would demand to know why. He would get to the bottom of this. He would find out the truth. One way or another.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Shouta sat on the couch and wondered if he poured enough bleach into his eyes if he would be able to forget what he had just witnessed. As much as he wished that his brain had shut down at the sight of the green haired cinnamon bun having a hard make out session with little miss bubbly personality, it hadn’t. And now the memory was lodged in his mind permanently, something that was bound to keep him up at night. Haunting him at the worst of times. Like when you do something you regret and your mind helpfully reminds you of it randomly. Ugh! The Nomu smashing his head into the ground was less painful than this. Shouta had sent Izuku upstairs to shower, and get rid of his “excitement”. Maybe Shouta hadn’t thought through what having a teenage son meant. It’s not like Shouta had gone through the things Izuku was be going through. Well at least not all the things Izuku was going through. Shouta had gone through puberty after all, just not the becoming sexually attracted to others part.Shouta could not advise him on that. Someone else would have to. Why was this Shouta’s life again? Oh yea, because he felt protective of Izuku and wanted to be a father figure to the teen. Damnit! He was thinking of something more along the lines of training the kid, teaching him how to tie his tie, how to drive, and to make his own doctor’s appointments. Not giving him the sex talk, and dealing with all the awkward phases in life. Oh well, if his life was going to be hell then he might as well rule it. It’s not like he was going to give Izuku back after all. Izuku was his kid now, for better or for worse. And with Izuku’s track record, it would probably be mostly for worse. Shouta wasn’t superstitious, but he was sorely tempted to go to the nearest shrine and buy all of their omomori for good luck and protection and glue them all over the teen. With super glue. Shouta leaned his head back onto the couch and closed his eyes. Between dealing with a hormonal teenager, and trying to find a way to combat the teenagers delusional and at the moment, slightly dangerous mother; Shouta felt that the universe owed him a break sometime soon. This was a bit much to dump on one man’s plate all of a sudden. The stairs creaked softly, but Shouta didn’t look up. The only one who walked that lightly, or could walk that lightly was Eri. And she loved to sneak attack Shouta. So he kept his eyes closed, listening to her walk over to him, prepared to fake surprise when she launched her attack. Only, an attack never came. She carefully crawled up on the couch and flopped across his lap, heaving a long drawn out sigh. It was a lot like Shouta’s own sighs, and he felt his lips twitch in amusement. Opening his eyes and lifting his head, he looked down at the little girl draped across his lap. She had her bottom lip poked out and looked irritated.He tilted his head to the side and reached out to tug at her earlobe. “What’s wrong?” Eri grumbled and pressed her face into the top of his thigh. Shouta quirked an eyebrow and hummed. “Indistinct grumbling. That could mean a lot of things. Are cats becoming extinct?” If they were, then that would be a world Shouta refused to live in. Eri shook her head. “So cats are safe.” Shouta tapped at his lip in thought. “Is there a ban on apples?” Eri giggled and shook her head again. “Darn, I thought that was it.” Shouta deadpanned scratching his scruffy face. “Is uncle Mic going to sing karaoke here?” He the fuck most certainly is not! Never again. Not after the catastrophe from two years ago. Shouta had to move to a new apartment complex! Eri laughed. “No! That’s not it!” Shouta ruffled her hair. “Then what is it little bit?” Eri huffed and sat up, looking deep into Shouta’s eyes with such a serious expression. “The glitter won’t leave.” “The glitter won’t leave?” Shouta asked. “The glitter won’t leave.” Eri repeated. “Did you use the mini vacuum?” Eri nodded her head and rolled her eyes (something she was a pro at). “Yes!” She cried, throwing her hands in the air for dramatic effect. “The glitter is still everywhere! It’s impossible to get out!” Shouta stood up and marched over to the stairs. “Nothing is impossible.” Shouta said with determination. This was impossible! Shouta had just thought that she hadn’t been successful because she was a six year old and could only do a six year old’s equivalent of cleaning. But he was wrong. Oh so horribly wrong! He had vacuumed over the glitter monstrosity on the carpet five times! Then five more times with the carpet brush attachment! The glitter refused to budge! It still looked like a rainbow Tinker Bell had gotten her ass beat into the carpet! Glitter everywhere! Shouta stood in the middle of the room glaring at the mess like that would make it go away, glitter on his hands and knees from where he had been on all fours scrubbing and vacuuming with all his strength. It hurt his pride that he was so easily beaten by fucking glitter. He knew he wasn’t the best at cleaning. Until Eri, Shouta had lived a very minimalistic lifestyle; he had little to keep clean and wasn’t overly worried if he missed a few days of cleaning and laundry. But damn, he had tried his best to get the glitter out of the carpet. What was he doing wrong? Ever since he had moved into the dorms with Eri, Hizashi had taken it upon himself to do most of the cleaning. Coming over once or twice a week to make up for Shouta’s lack in cleaning skills. The man was seriously OCD about keeping a clean house and making sure everything was in it’s place. Hizashi was worse than a house wife.
HIZASHI!
If anyone would know how to remove glitter, it would be Hizashi. “Just leave the mess alone for now.” Shouta instructed Eri. She looked up from where she was playing with her toys and nodded at Shouta, not the least bit concerned about the glitter. Like she had accepted as a new addition to her room. Shouta left the room and dashed down the stairs two at a time. Thankfully Shouta didn’t break his neck. Although he came close when he dashed into the kitchen where he had left his phone. He forgot that trying to stop while in socks didn’t work, and he slid across the floor and past the table. It was only thanks to years of hero work and amazing balance that he didn’t bust his ass. Shouta calmly made his way back to the table and sat down, thankful that no one had witnessed his flailing when he tried not to die in his own kitchen. He grabbed his phone and quickly dialed Hizashi, hopefully the man wasn’t busy at the moment. He had said he had things to do, but never specified at what time he was going to be busy. Hopefully Shouta would catch him while he was free. The phone rang twice before Hizashi picked up. ‘Shouta! Just the voice I needed to hear! What’s up?’ Shouta had moved the phone slightly away from his ear when Hizashi answered, already knowing his friend would answer loudly. He pulled the phone back and scowled. “Must you be so loud?” Hizashi snickered on the other line. ‘That is my thing.’ “You need a new thing. Anyways, do you know how to remove glitter from a carpet?” The line was silent for a minute before Hizashi gasped. ‘Oh Shou, you don’t remove glitter from a carpet. You remove the carpet.’ Shouta blinked, took a deep breath and sighed out a very long “Fuuuck.” ‘Yea. Sorry to be the one to break it to you. But until you get rid of the carpet, and wash all your clothes in like 100 different washing machines; you’re gonna be stuck with the glitter. Actually, even if you do that, you’ll probably still find glitter... even if its five years down the road and you’ve moved twice. Why do you have glitter anyway?’ Shouta brushed some hair out of his face and grumbled, “Nemuri.” Hizashi laughed. ‘Yea she’s just the bitch that would do that to an unsuspecting new father. Anyhoo, how much glitter are we talking?’ “Four square feet of different colored glitter.” Shouta pulled the phone away from his ear as Hizashi shrieked in laughter at Shouta’s plight. Hizashi could laugh all he wanted, but Shouta knew that the neat freak would flip out once he saw it and would very likely be the one to replace Shouta’s carpet. ‘Holy shit! That’s hilarious!’ Hizashi said once he caught his breath from laughing. ‘Man I needed this laugh so bad today.’ Hizashi sighed. Shouta frowned and slouched in his chair. “What do you mean? Did your plans not go well today?” Hizashi huffed, and Shouta could imagine him frowning while driving, mustache twitching downwards. ‘It’s been fucking hell today. So like I was planing on giving Mrs. Midoriya a piece of my mind, and Nedzu gave me even more reason to do so by giving me the restraining order and shit to deliver to her.’ Shouta sighed. Of course Hizashi went to tell her off. His friend had nearly no self control when he was pissed. Shouta couldn’t imagine how that had gone down. ‘Shou, she’s a fucking bitch. All her kindness is gone. She’s like a psychopath waiting to happen. She gave me fucking chills. She was shouting at me! At me! Like, I ain’t done shit to her, but she wanted to pick a fight with me. She has it made up in her mind that we are manipulating Izuku. That we are doing all of this just because we can, not because we have to. She don’t see anything wrong with how she’s treated Izuku. Saying, she never abused him just because she never hit him.’ Hizashi took a deep breath to calm himself, and Shouta waited to hear what else he had to say. Hizashi was never one for a short rant. ‘I didn’t even get to tell her off. I tried at first to talk reasonably with her. That was my plan, talk reason, then tell off. You know how good I am at talking to people, it’s part of all three of my jobs. I’m good at getting people to listen and understand, but she wouldn’t. I couldn’t reach her Shou. She finally got pissed at some of the things I was saying and kicked me out, and by that point I was ready to go. I forgot allllll about telling her off. It probably wouldn’t have done any good anyway. But, Shou, I got a bad feeling that she’s gonna stir up trouble. I would have never took that quiet woman for the vindictive type, but now... now I feel like she’s out for blood. Hero blood.’ Shouta rubbed at his face. Damnit. Hizashi was a good people reader, if he thinks Mrs. Midoriya is a few passengers short of a crazy train, then they need to be more cautious. People put under stress can snap. And there have been plenty of people who have snapped for less reasons than having a child removed from their custody. “You’re not entirely wrong on the whole “stirring up trouble” thing.” Shouta grumbled. Hizashi groaned. ‘What’s happened?’ Shouta leaned forward and placed his arm on the table, propping his head up on his hand. “Even after I told her to not contact Izuku, she still called and texted him. I checked his phone earlier, and he had a lot of missed calls and texts. I haven’t listened to the voicemails yet, but the texts were troublesome enough. She wanted Izuku to come back, to talk to her and Hisashi. Even though her trying to force Izuku to talk to Hisashi was what started their fight in the first place. She threatened to pull him from school, even though she can’t because she no longer has the right to.” Shouta’s eyes wandered over the kitchen as he talked, landing on the refrigerator that had pictures Eri had drawn stuck to it. Most of them were pictures of Shouta, Togata, and Izuku. “She even accused me of grooming him, like I was some sort of predator. Somehow, that was the conclusion she came up with. That I was taking Izuku, not to protect him, but to make him mine. Like that was the only reason I could possibly have for taking Izuku from her. I don’t even know how she could have jumped so far from the truth to THAT.” Hizashi sucked in a sharp breath. ‘Fucking bitch ass fucker can go fuck herself! I hope she fucking steps on a LEGO!’ “Hizashi.” Shouta sighed. ‘A fucking LEGO with a tack stuck in it!’ “Hizashi.” ‘A LEGO with a tack and fucking itching powder and-‘ “Hizashi shut the fuck up for a second.” Shouta growled. Hizashi stopped talking and Shouta sat up and pinched the bridge of his nose. He needed Hizashi to be an adult, not an angry immature child set on revenge by LEGO. “This sucks, I know. But Nedzu and I are handling it. He let me know that Bakugou’s dad called and told him that Bakugou Mitsuki had riled Mrs. Midoriya up and encouraged her to go to the press about everything. So we plan to do that before she can. I’m going to hold a press conference with him and All Might around lunch today.” ‘Shit.’ Hizashi murmured. ‘Okay. I’ll make a few calls, get some reporters that always do good by the pros to show up. It’s not much, but they now how to ask the right questions to take heat off of a pro. But this is serous Shou. Accusations like that can ruin you. She doesn’t even need proof, just her word is enough to get so many people on your case.’ “Thanks for the help and the warning. You know more about public image than most, so I trust you. And don’t worry about me. Nedzu is having Tsukauchi come over to confirm my innocence before the press conference. We’ll discredit her before she can say anything. Nedzu’s probably going to have someone take her in for going against me and contacting Izuku, so that might buy us some more time.” ‘Yea, be sure to discredit her good, and I’ll cart her ass off to jail myself if i have to. Look, I’m headed your way. I was planning on coming over to talk to you before you called, but now that I have you on the phone I’m gonna lay it on ya. I told you that we were going to go to mom’s Monday, but with all the shit going on now, I say we pack up so we can split after the conference. That way, instead of just spending the afternoon and night with them, you guys can have all of tonight and Monday to chill before coming back Tuesday morning.’ Shouta grunted. “Sounds like a plan.” ‘Alright, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Love ya Shou.’ “Bye Zashi.” Hizashi gasped. ‘Shouta! Don’t leave me hanging!’ Shouta sighed, “Just hang up.” ‘No way!’ Hizashi whined. ‘You gotta say it!’ “Hizashi, why do you always insist on doing this?” ‘Because I love my brother. Love. Ya. Shou. Your turn.’ Shouta rubbed at the back of his neck. “You are absolutely childish and illogical.” ‘Say it!’ “Hizashi.” Shouta whined. ‘Say it like you mean it!’ “Oh my gosh! Fine! I love you too! Bye!” Shouta ended the call and placed his phone roughly on the table. It always embarrassed him when Hizashi made him do that. Hanging up without replying only made Hizashi call back over and over until Shouta complied. And if he just shut his phone off, then Hizashi would harass him until he said it face to face. It was so awkward to Shouta, who rarely expressed his love by actually saying “I love you.” Was it really necessary to constantly tell someone they are loved? Can’t they just tell? Shouta sighed. Hizashi was like a flower, praise, words of love and affection were his water and sunlight. Without them, he would die. Shouta was more like a weed. He didn’t need a lot of water or sunlight (love and affection) to grow. He was resilient and hard to kill. Yet everyone still wanted to give him just as much attention as everyone else. He didn’t need it. He did not. After the blush had finally left his face, Shouta stood and made to go back into the living room, but was stopped short by the sight of Izuku. The kid was standing there, horror struck, and Shouta cursed the fact that his phone was loud enough for people to hear who he was talking to. That Hizashi was loud enough naturally for people to hear. And it was obvious that Izuku had heard. Shouta walked over to Izuku, intent on pulling him into a hug, but Izuku stepped backwards- away from Shouta with his arms out to ward the tired man off. Shouta paused, arm outstretched from where he had been reaching out to Izuku. “Izuku?” Shouta cautiously called out to the boy. Izuku looked devastated, and like a frightened animal. One wrong move on Shouta’s part, and the kid might bolt. He needed to get Izuku calmed, clearly hearing everything going with his mother had broken him more. Shouta had never seen the kid look so... so destroyed. Not even when his mother had sent him into an anxiety attack. “I’m so sorry.” Izuku sobbed. His legs gave out and he crumpled to the floor. Shouta startled, and sank down too, pulling Izuku towards him. Izuku let him, clinging to Shouta and crying wretchedly into Shouta’s chest. “I’m causing you so much trouble. Hurting you!” He wailed. “It’s all my fault.” Shouta wrapped his arms protectively around Izuku, digging his fingers in the boy’s hair and pressing Izuku’s face closely to his chest. He leaned his face down and pressed his cheek to the top of Izuku’s soft green curls. He could not let Izuku- his kid, feel like a burden. Not when he had done nothing wrong. “Shhh.” Shouta soothed, rubbing his scruffy face against Izuku’s head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong.” Izuku whimpered against his chest. Shouta shifted and pulled Izuku into his lap, the way a parent would a small child. The way he had done many times for Eri. Cradling him and holding on protectively. “You’re mother is sick, and needs help. I know that. And I’ll make sure she gets that help. Hizashi is just hot headed and gets angry easily. Mouthing off makes him feel better.” He knew that Hizashi meant every insult he had said, but Izuku didn’t need to know that. Izuku still loved his mother even if she was messing up everyone’s lives. He didn’t need to worry about Hizashi’s anger. Izuku gasped and sputtered against Shouta’s shirt. “Bu-but you sa-said that she- that she said you were a- were a-“ Izuku sobbed louder. “You would n-never do that! Why would she-“ Izuku couldn’t continue, his sobs stealing his ability to speak. Shouta rubbed Izuku’s back and rocked them on the cold kitchen floor as the devastated teen sniffled and hiccuped as he cried. “She’s hurting. She’s hurting and lashing out. I don’t know if she realizes the effect her words will have, or if she even realizes what she’s saying is wrong and a lie. I don’t know what she’s thinking, or even if she is. But you don’t need to worry at all. Because I can handle it.” Shouta hoped his words would reach the boy. Shouta groaned as he stood up, lifting the teen with him. Izuku simply warped his legs around Shouta’s hips, curled around him like a koala. Shouta’s back protested, and he had to keep from grunting in pain. Carrying Izuku around so much was not doing him any favors. Shouta rarely had to carry around people, and when he did, it was usually just to evacuate them. Like at the training camp. Shouta wasn’t a weakling by far, he could easily carry multiply people. But that didn’t mean he did that every day, and carrying Izuku around was becoming a habit. Sinking gratefully into the couch, Shouta adjusted Izuku so that he was sitting on him sideways, legs stretched out over the couch. Izuku kept his face tucked under Shouta’s chin, sobbing and trying but ultimately failing to catch his breath. He could feel the tears dripping down his neck and pooling in his clavicle. There was nothing he could say to comfort the teen like this. He didn’t want to hear him repeat that everything would be fine, especially without any concrete proof. He couldn’t make him feel better about his mother, things weren’t looking good for her, and no child wanted to her that. Wanted to hear that his mother might go to jail, even if it was only temporary. It would still show up on her record and hinder her throughout her life. So he settled for rubbing his cheek back and forth over the top of Izuku’s head. Letting his stubble scratch his scalp. He wasn’t sure if it would help, but Eri and cats seemed to like it when he did that. He was surprised to see Eri peek her head from around the stairs. He hadn’t heard the creak of the stairs over Izuku’s muffled yet old crying. He assumed she would be content in her room, playing with her toys like she was most of the time. But she must have missed Izuku’s company, and after not finding him in the bathroom, had wandered downstairs to find him. She carefully made her way over, eyes wide with concern, he could see the beginnings of tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Seeing Izuku upset was not setting well with her. With a little difficulty, the little girl climbed up onto Izuku’s and therefore Shouta’s lap. She snuggled into his chest and did her best to wrap her small fragile arms around the teen as tight as she could. “Don’t worry Deku. Dad will make everything better. Just like you both did for me. So don’t be sad. Doctors are helping me get better every day, even though I don’t always understand some of the things they say. But your mom in a grown up, so she’ll understand and get better faster.” Izuku whimpered and pulled the girl tighter to his chest, burying his face in her glittery silver hair. Shouta just smiled at his two children and wrapped his arms around them both. If he could, he would just hold them like this forever. Forever was around ten minutes. Exhausted from being over emotional, they all fell asleep. Shouta startled when he felt the couch dip beside him. Snapping his eyes open and activating his quirk out of reflex, he glared at the intruder that had come to sit beside him. It was Hizashi. Hizashi gave a toothy grin as he took a picture of Shouta and his two carry on’s. Izuku had at some point fallen back on the couch, the only things on Shouta’s lap being the teen’s legs. Eri on the other hand had somehow tucked herself beside Shouta, tucked under his legs, half hanging off the couch. Kids clearly had no bones and could sleep anywhere. Quirking an eyebrow, Shouta used his free arm, the one that Izuku was not gripping in his sleep, to drag the little girl up farther onto the couch so only her feet were dangling off. Hizashi snorted quietly. “Looks like you have your hands full, or should I say lap full.” Shouta just gave him a half hearted glare. Hizashi shrugged, never one to be fazed by Shouta. “Have you called your mom yet and let her know we are coming over?” Shouta whispered. Hizashi bobbed his head, “Yea, she’s stoked. She’s sooo ready to meet her grandson.” Shouta nodded and settled deeper into the couch. He was seriously thinking about going back to sleep. “So what’s with the slumber party?” Hizashi asked, running his fingers though Shouta’s hair. Sighing and pressing into the fingers scratching lazily through his hair and on his scalp, Shouta hummed. He really enjoyed having his hair played with. It was relaxing, and Hizashi knew it. “Problem child overheard our conversation.” Hizashi winced and rubbed behind Shouta’s ears. “Shit. Sorry bro.” Shouta shrugged, “It’s not like he would never find out. Was just hoping to break it to him in a better way.” Hizashi nodded, agreeing. Silence settled between them, and Shouta soon found himself drifting off into a light sleep with Hizashi beside him. When he woke up for the second time, it was due to light snoring in his ear. Glancing over, out of the corner of his eye he found Hizashi fast asleep, nose practically shoved in his ear. Glancing down, he saw that poor Eri was squished between himself and Hizashi, sound asleep still. Izuku’s legs still were across his lap. Sliding off the couch and to the floor, Shouta escaped his cage of legs and arms. If he wanted to look presentable to the press, then he needed to get cleaned up sooner rather than later. And maybe he just wanted to soak in the bath for a while before all three children woke up. Sue him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Getting ready was pretty simple for Shouta. All he had to do was take a quick, yet very satisfying bath, shave his face without leaving any annoying nicks, and blow dry his hair instead of letting it dry naturally. The best thing though, was the fact that he got all of this done without Hizashi sitting on the toilet talking his ear off, Eri coming in and out to add toys to the bath or even joining him. And the problem child did not cause any more problems. It was honestly the calmest bath he's had in a while. Naps will always be a blessing to Shouta. Wandering back into the living room, Shouta was distracted by a knock on the front door. It was probably detective Tsukauchi, ready to interview him and rid him of all of Mrs. Midoriya's incriminating suspicions. He wandered over to the couch, shaking Hizashi and Izuku awake. Hizashi lazily looked up at him while Izuku arched his back, bones cracking as he stretched to wake up. "Zashi, take Eri upstairs and get all of our bags packed. Izuku, detective Tsukauchi is here. Do you want to sit with me for the questioning or would you rather go upstairs with Zashi?" Shouta asked. Izuku's eyes shot open and he sat up, ramrod straight. "He's here? Already?" Hizashi scooped the still sleeping child up and meandered up stairs, leaving Shouta to deal with the mess downstairs. Shouta sighed and ignored the second round of knocks. "We napped for a while. Now, stay or go? It's up to you." "I'll stay." Izuku declared with determination. He was to selfless and brave for his own good. Shouta nodded and made his way to the door to open it before the detective got impatient. The man carried around lock picks for occasions when someone was too slow in opening a door. Usually it was a criminal, but Shouta has known him to use it when he was too impatient to wait on him. Poor man never learns, which is why he's gotten an eye full of Shouta more than once. Shouta opened the door, and caught the detective in the act of removing his lock pick case from his coat. "Honestly, I'm going to start thinking you enjoy seeing me naked as often as you break into my house." Shouta joked, only to blush when he realized that the detective was not alone. Tsukauchi, always a good sport, merely laughed. "While your not bad to look at Aizawa, you already know you do nothing for me. I have eyes only for my wife." Shouta snorted, moving out of the way for both men to enter. "Poor woman, you barely ever look up from your work. It must be frustrating having to compete against paperwork for you." Tsukauchi laughed. They both new that the detective was made to sleep on the couch or at the office many times for neglecting his wife. The man with the detective was someone Shouta had never met before. He looked to be Chinese, with slanted and nearly closed eyes. He had shockingly red hair that hung straight and reached his ears. It was a deeper red than Todoroki's or Kirishima's, it looked to have different tones of red in it. But what was more shocking was the man's unnervingly creepy closed lipped smile. It made Shouta uncomfortable. Spotting his staring, the man waved at him, smile stretching even more across his face. Noticing their interaction, Tsukauchi straightened from removing his shoes and introduced them. "Aizawa, I don't believe you've had the pleasure of meeting detective Nozomu. He's part of district five's office. So he's far out of your usual jurisdiction." Shouta nodded his head. That would be why he looked unfamiliar. Shouta worked the areas around UA and Mustafu, going as far as the decrepit, rundown areas. But even then he only ever got as close as districts eight or nine. Five was more upper class. The man, Nozomu, looked over Shouta's shoulder and waved. Turning and looking behind him, he saw a mop of green hair duck down out of sight behind the bar. Izuku must have been peeking over from his place on the couch. "We can continue in the living room." Shouta suggested. Nodding, the two men followed after him after removing their shoes. Nozomu sat in the armchair, while Tsukauchi joins him and Izuku on the couch. Izuku being the one stuck between them. He didn't seem to mind, giving Tsukauchi a friendly smile and offering Nozomu a slightly strained yet just as friendly smile. Tsukauchi smiled back, patting Izukuz's fluffy curls as he pulled his notebook out of his pocket. "Let's get right to business. I know you're busy. This won't take long at all." Shouta nodded and patted Izuku on the back. Reassuring him that everything would be fine. The friendly smile from before faded away as Tsukauchi got ready. Even if he already knew the answers, he was still going to take his questioning seriously. "First question. Do you have any romantic or sexual feelings for Izuku Midoriya?" Shouta wanted to gag at the question. "I have no romantic thought or sexual thoughts towards Izuku." Only stressful thoughts. "Have you ever acted sexually towards Midoriya?" Tsukauchi asked. "No." Izuku and sexual should not belong in the same sentence. He still wanted to rip his eyes out after what he had seen today. "Have you ever spoken in a sexual way to Midoriya?" "I have not. I have only ever spoken to him as a teacher, hero or as a father." In front of him Izuku nodded in agreement. Shouta wanted to pinch him every time he made a grossed out face over the questions. He really needed to teach the boy about a poker face, even if the faces were being helpful to sell their point. "Are you sexually attracted to any teenagers?" Tsukauchi asked. "No. Have your met teenagers before? My teenagers? I only ever feel exasperation, annoyance, mild amusement and occasionally fear for them." Tsukauchi laughed, drawing the other detectives attention. "Don't lie Aizawa. They do more than mildly amuse you." Shouta scowled. "Don't tell them that, it will only in courage them." Tsukauchi laughed before regaining his composure. "Last question. Any sexual feelings or desires for children?" "No." Shouta said firmly. "You and I both know that I'm asexual. I have no desire for sex at all." "Truth." Tsukauchi confirmed. "All true. Sorry about this, but you know how the saying goes, better safe than sorry." "I know." Shouta agreed. Their attention was drawn by Nozomu smacking his hands together and scooting to the edge of his seat. "My turn." He cheered, smiling that awful smile. He tilted his head and looked directly at Izuku, eyes never seeming to open. "I would actually like to use my quirk on Mr. Midoriya here. If that is okay with you and him." Shouta looked down at Izuku. This was ultimately his decision, and Shouta would support him no matter his answer. Izuku pulled at his lip, eyes downcast and knee bouncing. "What is your quirk?" Nozomu smiled and pointed at his head. "My quirk lets me look into the minds and memories of people. I don't see their entire lives, because for one, people don't generally remember everything they have lived through. The brain tends to store memories, but even then, there is only so much room it has. Much like digital storage. Sometimes things get deleted to make room for more important things or things that just for whatever reason seem to stick. My quirk lets me look for key factors in memories and go to them. Like for instance if you had a memory of your first ever pet, let's say it was a cat; I could look for the key word cat and be able to see all of your memories of cats. Like if you pulled up videos on YouTube under the title cat. Then I would add another key word, pets, and the videos would be simplified to cats that were pets of yours or pet cats that you knew. This would continue until I got to the video of your very first pet cat. Do you understand so far?" Izuku nodded as he digested the information. It really was a unique quirk, and very useful for detective work. It made him wonders why the man was never brought in on the case involving All for One, or even used on Kurogiri to find out what had happened to Shirakumo after he died. "I have been told to avoid certain subjects if that makes you feel better about this. I am only to look for signs of abuse regarding your mother. But if you don't feel comfortable, then I won't pressure you. My quirk doesn't work without consent after all." Nozomu said gently. Izuku looked up at Shouta, searching his face. Shouta kept his face neutral, not wanting to influence him in any way. Izuku still seemed to find something though, with a look of determination, he turned back to Nozomu and nodded his head. "Okay. You can use your quirk on me. I want to help Mr. Aizawa be able to keep me, and I want my mom to be able to get help. I know she won't let you look into her mind, so you'll have to look into mine." Nozomu's smile widened, revealing needle sharp teeth. "Excellent." He purred, opening eyes to reveal sclera but no pupils or irises. Just whites with red veins slithering underneath. Just when Shouta thought that guy couldn't get any more creepy, the snake like veins began to glow. Hello nightmares.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There was little time to sit around after the detective was done sorting through Izuku’s memories. So with a rushed goodbye and a promise to Shouta to call and reveal the findings, Shouta returned to getting ready for the conference. Izuku had left him to his chaos to go upstairs and back a travel bag. Shouta snorted as he heard Hizashi bemoan the Nightmare on Glitter Street. By the time that Shouta deemed himself presentable to the public, all three of his disasters had meandered back downstairs, perched on the couch. He rolled his eyes at the applauds he got. Hizashi wolf whistling while Eri tried her best to mimic him, only to blow raspberries and dribble spit down her chin. And Izuku, acting like he had been cleaning up spit all his life, pulled out a tissue from his cargo shorts pocket and dabbed at her chin. Although, as much as Bakugou spits when he screams, Izuku might have learned at an early age how to deal with that. Forgoing his last hairstyle of a half bun, that he had wore to the training camp press conference, Shouta pulled all his hair up in a bun. Making sure no strands were sticking out, he turned to his audience. “How do I look?”Hizashi, ever overly dramatic, circled Shouta. Eyeing him from head to toe. After tucking in his shirt properly, Hizashi gave him a pat on the but and declared him, “passible.” Grunting to confirm that he agreed, although he would say he was better off than passible, Shouta hurried the three out of the house; picking up Eri and sitting her on her his hip. “I don’t have much time,” Shouta began, giving a small smile to the little girl’s consoling pat on his cheek. “So, Izuku, you and Eri are going to hang out with your class. They really miss you... and since you won’t be seeing them again until Monday, some time with them should be beneficial.” Izuku nodded his head, only worrying his lip a little. Satisfied with that, Shouta continued. “Hizashi will be with you. So if you start feeling overwhelmed, he can always bring you back here. You do not have to feel obligated to be with your friends. You owe them no explanations. And you do not have to pretend to be okay. Or entertain them, they can do that all on their own.”Izuku toed at the ground with his red sneaker. He gave a slight nod, probably unhappy with Shouta telling him to not fake it. Fake smiles are bull shit. Don’t smile if you don’t mean it. But especially if your trying to lie to others or yourself. Being honest with what you’re feeling is always better. With a salute, Hizashi ushered them over to the student dorms. Shouta watched them until they entered, then quickly made his way to the teacher’s parking. He had no more time to dawdle. As expected, Nedzu and All Might were already there. The school’s chauffeur was already behind the wheel, waiting on them. Nodding to the others, he crawled into the back seat behind Nedzu, with All Might following behind. Once the door was properly shut and seat belts were buckled, the car pulled out, speaking down the drive and onto the highway. “Have you given any thought onto how you are going to handle the questioning?” Nedzu commented. Shouta scowled. He had never been good at planning out speeches, they always ended up sounding rehearsed. He did better being factual. Keeping his emotions at bay. “The usual.” He grumbled. “I assume you’ve already planned an opening. So I’ll just follow your cues.” Nedzu hummed, and leaned forward to look around Shouta to All Might. “Yagi, while everyone already knows how... strongly you feel about justice and how you can be very... loud with your beliefs, do try to keep in mind that while having the former number one hero’s support is important, we don’t want you to be too overwhelming. You can easily sway people to your side. And that is a good thing, but we are not wanting to destroy Mrs. Midoriya quiet yet. So while I am sure the press is going to rile us all up, lets do try to keep our cool. No rants. No yelling. And no making it obvious ho fond you both are of little Midoriya.” Shouta wanted to roll his eyes. Nedzu was obviously speaking to both of them, but considering how this could all jump up to bite him in the ass, he must be trying not to stress Shouta out any more. Yagi nodded his head, probably seeing through Nedzu’s flimsy attempt at not telling Shouta to not fight the press under any circumstances. It was a quiet car ride. It was unnerving. Like a prisoner being marched to their execution. Deadly quiet. Ever bounce of Yagi’s knee, ever sound of fabric shifting, the engine’s quiet purr, cars zooming past, deep breath that were too close; it was like ants under his skin. Tiny needle pricks that burned. He wanted to scratch. To drag his fingernails over the skiing of his arms or the back of his neck. Wanted to fling his tie that felt like a choke hold. Was too tight, pressing the collar of his shirt to his neck, rubbing it aggravatingly. How the thin dress shirt clung to his skin in the heat of the car, a result of being pressed too close to others. He could feel his eye twitch, and wanted nothing more than to drift off to sleep for a quick nap. But he couldn’t. His nerves were to tightly strung. So he settled for rubbing his thumb nail against the side of his index finger, over and over and over. By the time the car pulled up to the location where the meeting was being held, press swarming the area like angry hornets, Shouta’s finger was raw and red. Why such a horrible meeting had to be held on such a bright and sunny day was beyond him. It felt like the sun was mocking them as it glared into their eyes as the stepped onto the podium and took their respective seats. Shouta in the middle with Nedzu and All Might on either side. Shouta squinted against the harsh light, feeling the rays burn against his fair skin. Sweat already beginning to bead and drip down his spine. Shouta winced as Nedzu tapped his microphone, the harsh screech drawing the audiences attention. Like eerie puppets being controlled by one master, they all swiveled their heads to look at them. Cameras cutting on and focusing on them. Nedzu cleared his throat, standing up on the table to reach his microphone. “Hello everyone, I wish that UA was here to speak to you lovely people for wonderful reasons, but sadly that is not the case.” Nedzu began, buttering them up by making them feel like something other than scavengers. “Many times UA has made announcements to the press, usually about wonderful and grand things such as the futures of the bright students that we enroll, or even about new teachers. I wish this was the same” Nedzu looked around, watching as everyone whispered to themselves over the fact that he did not bear good news. “But like has been the issue lately, something troubling has been brought to our attention yet again.” “Is it more on the League of Villains?” A voice called out. Shouta bit back a scowl at the impatient reporter. Wasn’t it more logical to wait to ask questions after Nedzu was done talking? “Nedzu shook his head, a sad smile adorning his mouse like face. “No, it isn’t. And as much as I dislike them and their business, I would rather be faced with dealing with them.” Nedzu sighed and clasped his hands behind his back. “No, unfortunately the threat that UA is facing now lies solely with one person. A parent of a student who is proving to be not the role model mother we were all led to believe.” Nedzu waited as the insuring chaos erupted at the news. He knew there was no point in speaking until most had shouted their thoughts and questions. “A mother of a student?” “Is a student being abused?” “How did she fail a background check?” “Shouldn’t UA be better capable of spotting these things.” “How did no one know?” “How can you be sure?” Nedzu kept his placating smile in place, even as his tail gave an irritated swish. After most of the commotion died down, did Nedzu resume speaking. “Let me clarify a few things. First being we had no reason to suspect the mother. She had no records. Is a meek and quiet spoken woman. Very timid. And was clearly very doting towards her son.” Nedzu raised a paw to silence the oncoming confusion of how a woman described like that, could be an abuser. Shouta stayed stock still, even as All Might shifted behind him. Most likely feeling the same as Shouta, like a failure. For not looking more closely into her and Izuku’s life. Dismissing her as harmless. Only paying attention to how much Izuku said he loved her. Children are too easily manipulated. “These reason’s are why we never suspected her. That and her child’s love for her. It’s not misguided love. You can love the people who hurt you, but continuing to stay by them is what’s not healthy. And this mother, while she never physically hurt her child, she did mentally.” Nedzu sighed and smoothed the ruffled fur n his snout, something he couldn’t control. “She saw her child as weak. To weak in fact. And that led her to controlling his life in unhealthy ways, dictating him almost. The term extreme helicopter parenting is something no one who has dealt with social work likes to hear.” Shouta watched as a few reporters nodded their head. The older and more seasoned ones who have covered cases on child abuse in articles or for those late night documentaries about parents who killed their own children or pushed their children to become killers. “From what I have gathered, the child was obsessively controlled, due to being considered weak. Bullying ignored as the child not being strong enough to handle playing with the other children. Even going as far as pushing the child to have a close relationship with a father that clearly despises them, just to have a ideal family. For privacy’s sake, I won’t go into much detail about them. But also because the abuse is not what this meeting is about.” The reporters all looked at each other in shock. The conference wasn’t about the abuse, then what could it be about. “It is about-” Nedzu glanced around, face serious. “This woman’s attack on UA and one of my most trusted teachers because of his decision to remove the child from her custody. Aizawa, if you will.” Nedzu gestured to him, resuming his seat as Shouta stood. Shouta ignored the pop in his knees as he stood. “My name is Aizawa Shouta, and I am a teacher at UA. Most of you might recognize me from the last conference during the schools training camp fiasco.” A few nodded their heads, while others tried to remember if they recognized him or not. “During the night, I found one of my student’s in distress. An anxiety attack. While calming them, I learned some disturbing facts about being bullied as a child. Said student had nothing mentioned in their files about having issues with bullies, which lead to more concerns. But it was mainly about the old school, and the bullies.” Shouta took a breath to gather his thoughts. “Now, the student never mentioned that their mother was controlling. In fact, they only spoke fondly. But anyone who’s ever dealt with child abuse cases of any kind, know that children are either conditioned to speak like that, or they don’t know any better. Probably not knowing that how they are being raised is wrong.” Shouta waved off some of the reporters vying for his attention. They could wait. “So, like any concerned teacher would do, I set up a conference with the mother and child at their home. Things progressed normally, even if there were a few red flags about how the woman spoke about her child. But it wasn’t anything concerning at the time. Having met with many parents, they all then to speak about their children in one way or another, some not exactly being nice. But you can’t exactly overreact over every minor thing like that. Some parents are just... rude.” That got a few snickers from some of the younger reporters. The ones that preferred being blunt. The nonconformists and trendsetters. “I pushed aside my own feelings at how the woman seemed to mark her child’s worth with their quirk. But there are many parents like that. The better the quirk, the more worth the child has. In this case, the child had been seen as weak due to the nature of their quirk, until it was shown that their quirk was in fact not weak.” More like Izuku was treated like glass for being quirkless. Shouta sighed. “They were both emotional, as they dealt with the issues of their bullying, although the mother refused to even discuss the fact that their child had issues with their father. Being that they hated him for how they viewed the child. So I left them to comfort each other, while staying inside the house. It wasn’t long before i heard sounds of an argument. Rushing to check on them, I found that the mother was trying to force my student to speak to their absent father. Going as far as to let the child know that they had no choice. She constantly brushed aside the child’s feelings. Reprimanded them for it even. Fearing for my students state of mind, and seeing that the red flags I had noticed earlier were not meaningless warnings, I acted accordingly. I removed the student from her custody. It was clear that she needed help, that my student would be in danger of deeper depression if left with her.” It wasn’t much to go on, for the press. But information regarding minors was not something to let loose. Something they had to begrudgingly accept. Taking a sip of water, Shouta continued. “I informed her that f she took the proper steps to reform her toxic traits, I would gladly return custody to her. But I also informed her that in the mean time, she couldn’t contact her child. She immediately ignored that. And after scanning through my student’s confiscated, for their safety, phone, I discovered an alarming amount of missed calls and texts. The text showed her trying to quilt and manipulate her child into returning. And also... accused me of trying to lure her child away through coercing them through sexual acts.” The crowd erupted at that. Demanding Shouta to explain himself. How a mother could come to that kind of conclusion without evidence. Nedzu took that moment to stand again and address the crowd. Shouta remained standing. “This accusation is completely unfounded. Her reasoning to our understanding, is that that is the only reason Aizawa here could want with taking her child away. She also accused Aizawa for trying to take her child’s fathers place. She couldn’t seem to make up her mind.” “I would also like to point out,” Shouta added, “the absolute relief the child had at bing taken from their mother. And the hope that their mother would seek professional help for her mental issues.” All Might took that time to stand, motioning for Shouta and Nedzu to take their seats again. Shouta watched the man beside him sigh deeply. The crowd immediate hushed, waiting to see what the former number one hero would say. “The safety of everyone, especially children, especially my students has always been very important to me. As a hero, i have dealt with many things in my life, and it never gets easier. I have had the pleasure of teaching this student many times. And I, the former number one hero, never suspected anything.” The crowd murmured worriedly at that.“That being said, I pride myself on being a good judge of character. And I failed this time. But I had only met the mother once, and therefore could not have formed a proper, long term opinion on this woman. However, I have spent many months with Aizawa here. And can say without a shadow of a doubt that he is a good man and would never hurt a child. And I have no doubt that these allegations are false.” The sun glinted against All Might’s bright blue eyes as he stared down the reporters. “But don’t just take my word for it. I am only one man. But I would hope you would trust the police, who have been investigating since the allegations started. And a very trusted detective, who has worked many high end cases, came in person and used his quirk Lie Detector, to clear young Aizawa here. The detective was very thorough, I assure you. If there was any doubt, the man beside me would not be here, but would be locked behind bars.” All Might bowed and sat back down, Nedzu taking his place once again. “We ask you to have faith in us, that we are doing everything possible to insure this child’s safety. That you will not try to blacken one of our teacher’s names, who has nearly died twice to insure the safety of the students he is in charge of. We intend to take the mother to court, at which time everything regarding the situation will be brought to light and the appropriate action will be taken against the person or persons who have committed any crime. Please be patient, and any accusations the mother may give you, please take with a grain of salt. She is desperate. And desperate people will hurt others, including their own children.” With that final statement, Shouta and All Might rose and bowed to the press. There were a few questions thrown at them here and there. Most concerning who was in charge of the child now. When the court date was. How the child was fairing, which was a very appreciated concern. But Shouta mostly tuned them out. Most of the questions directed at him were rude questions asking if he could have done anything to Warner the mother’s accusations. A blunt no was all he was going to say to that. Negotiating with a mob was impossible. They would thing badly of his until the fact were laid out as plain as day for them.Thankfully Tsukauchi’s word would be enough to keep the commissions off his back, and for the moment, child protective services. But just like when he became Eri’s care taker, they would have to visit. And they old be on high alert after this. Which wasn’t a bad thing, just a bit of a headache for him. He had nothing to hide. And he would be disappointed in the system if they just took his word for it and didn’t check on Izuku. By the time they were piling tiredly back into the car, the sun was already setting behind the tallest of buildings. Hopefully Izuku’s day had been better than his. And with the day’s events finally over and the anxiety and stress slowly ebbing out of him, Shouta found himself being lulled to sleep by the gentle hum of the car’s engine, with his head leaned against Yagi’s slim arm.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Izuku twisted his fingers as he walked behind uncle Zashi and Eri. He was happy that he was getting some time to spend with his friends, he truly was. But he was also a ball of nerves. He knew that Uraraka had told the others, he hadn’t told her she couldn’t. And he wasn’t... too upset that they all knew now. He was just worried that things were going to be different. That they would look at him differently. Would look at Kaachan differently. Izuku looked up and smiled when he heard Eri squeal in delight. Hizashi had swooped her up and spun them around in a circle as they walked. Izuku pretended not to notice the concerned flash of intuitive lime green eyes. Hopefully no one would bombard him with questions. He was counting on Hizashi to redirect questions so he wouldn’t have to. He was also hoping that no one would be willing to say anything in front of a six year old. but he didn’t have his fingers crossed, he knew a few of his classmates were... dense, when it came to being delicate. He loved them all. Gosh, he loved them all. But they picked the worst times to be stupid sometimes. The double doors to the 1A dorms loomed in front of them, and the ball of nerves was now feeling more like a rock. Setting heavy in his stomach. Dinner didn’t sound very appealing at the moment. Eri, bless her heart, wasted no time in slinging open the door. A good, yet not welcome at the moment, change to her past habits of timidly and silently opening doors and peering around them in search of danger. Hizashi followed behind her, bright smiles and all the confidence of a entertainer and pro hero. Izuku wishes he could be like that. But he’s never quiet been able to get rid of all the years of being nervous and skittish. He’s better when he’s in his hero outfit. But like this, with nothing but his normal and tacky clothes as protection, he can’t seem to muster up Deku’s confidence. The Deku that can do it! Like this, he feels more like the Deku that can’t do anything. And he doesn’t want to feel that way around his friends. He trusts them. With his life. And yet he finds himself nearly glued to Hizashi’s back. Not hiding. But more like using his newly appointed uncle as a buffer. He knows he doesn’t need to worry. These are his friends. Not his old classmates that bullied him. He’s safe. They won’t mock him. but he cant help feeling guiltily grateful that Hizashi said that he can leave whenever he wants. That the moment he starts feeling overwhelmed, he can have Hizashi sweep him back home to wait for Shouta. That it doesn’t matter if it’s five seconds after entering the dorms, if they are in the middle of eating, or if it’s five seconds before Shouta’s due to be back. They will leave at the drop of a hat. It’s quiet when they enter. And Izuku is getting ready to drag Hizashi and Eri out when fingers tickle his side. Izuku lets out a shriek, mostly from being startled and the rest due to the fact that he is very ticklish. He jumps about a foot in the air. Hizashi trips over his own feet, face planting the floor, while Eri spins around to see what was going on. Giggling erupts behind him, and he knows that laugh. “Hagakure.” Izuku wheezes, slumping to the floor, hand pressed to his chest as he felt his racing heart. More giggling from behind the couch draws his attention. Kaminari and Mina jumping up from their hiding places. He hears Hagakure walk over to them, Mina tossing the invisible girl her clothes. The commotion has drawn attention. And Sero, Uraraka and Shoji come to investigate. Sero takes one look at the mess he and Hizashi are on the floor, over to the giggling devils at the couch. Kaminari hanging over the back, face smushed into the cushions as he snorts. Realization washes over the boy, and he rolls his eyes to the ceiling, good natured smile hanging off his face, like always. “I was wondering why it was so quiet in here.” He sighs, shoulders slumping as he glares half heartedly at his friends. “We didn’t kick you out of the kitchen so you could play a prank on Midoriya.” Hizashi pulls himself to his knees, pushing his glasses to sit on the top of his head as he rubs his carpet burned face. Eri pats his shoulder. There’s nothing like receiving pity from a child when you epically fall. Mina snorts, sauntering over to stand in front of Sero and poke him in his chest. “Well thats what you get for leaving us without adult supervision.” He laughs, brushing her jabbing finger away. “Duly noted. I’ll make sure in the future that one of us adults is always around to supervise you three.” He says sarcastically. Shoji wanders over to stand by Kaminari and Hagakure, poking the boy still flopped across the back of the couch. Uraraka skips over to Izuku, still seated on the floor. She has to go around Hizashi, who has his long legs now sprawled out in front of him, rubbing his poor knees. She lends out a hand, and Izuku gratefully accepts her help to be pulled up. The floor isn’t exactly soft. She smiles at him and pulls him by his elbow to the kitchen, mindful not to place her pinky down. “I hope you don’t mind soba.” She says as she guides him. “We all agreed that we suck at cooking, and that soba was the easiest thing to make.” Izuku laughs. He knows all too well how poor his classmates cooking can be. He’s had to suffer many... questionably edible dinners with them. He’s still haunted by Tokoyami’s peanut butter ramen, that he swore tastes good. He’s greeted by the rest of his class in the kitchen. Todoroki is manning the battle stations, being the soba expert. Sato and Ojiro on either side of him. Yaomomo is setting out tea cups that Jiro has stacked on a tray for her. Koda is setting out plates while Mineta sets out chopsticks. Tsu and Kirishima are putting away ingredients. And Tokoyami is scrapping something that may or may not have blinked at him into the trash while cursing the “damned abomination of food” to the deepest pits of the underworld. Izuku makes a note to tell Shouta to make sure that whatever his classmates created is properly put out of it’s misery. He can feel some of his tension leave him. The normality of everything is calming. Uraraka wanders away from him, checking on the soba, floating just behind Todoroki. A hand falls on his shoulder, and he looks up to see uncle Zashi’s fond smile as he watches his students. The three miscreants rush into the room, bringing chaos in the form of loud and random chatter. Sero and Shoji meander behind. Sero sends out a strand of tape and pulls Mina and Kaminari back away from Jiro before they can bump into her. Eri wanders over to he place at the tables, a booster seat already in place. Yaomomo stops placing cups to help the little girl into her chair. It’s all sweet and normal, and Izuku tries not to think about the person missing from everything. Iida wanders in, waving to Izuku. His hair is slightly damp, and Izuku raises an eyebrow as his friend draws closer. Hands chopping, the tall teen apologizes. “Midoriya. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you.” Hizashi shuffles past them, wandering over to Tokoyami to peer into the trash. “Um, yea. It’s fine. But I was wondering about that, it looks like you took a shower.” Iida frowns and runs his hand through his har. “Yes... there was an incident with the... first attempt at dinner. And-” Iida shudders. “My shirt got singed and and a lot of the food got in my hair.” Izuku’s eyes widen in alarm. “Your shirt for singed? Are you okay?” Izuku just manages to here Todoroki mutter a sorry. Iida’s about to reply when Kaminari interrupts him. “Mina got freaked out by the food and launched it across the room at Iida and Todoroki. Todoroki panicked and incinerated the bit that was gonna hit him, thats how class rep got singed. But Iida took a face full of... whatever it was that Tokoyami and Mina were making.” Mina cried out and threw herself at Iida, wrapping her arms around one of his. “I’m soooo sorry! But I swear it smiled at me!” Iida didn’t seem to question her, which left even more questions for Izuku. Especially when he caught sight of Hizashi tie up the bag of trash that Tokoyami had been scraping the food into and rushing away. “Riiiight...” Izuku muttered. He did not have the energy to deal with that. “So only Todoroki had anything to do with the soba... right?” Please let it only have been Todoroki! The dual toned teen nodded, while Uraraka rushed back over to them. “Everything’s ready. Sit. Sit.” She urged, pushing him and Iida over to the tables. Izuku sat down next to Eri, while Uraraka sat on her other side. Everyone took their proffered spots, and eventually Hizashi came back in, looking slightly haggard. Slurping filled the room as everyone enjoyed the food that wasn’t likely to try and eat them. It was so nice. No one was pestering him about Kaachan or his mom. He felt silly for having worked himself up over nothing. “So are you Aizawa’s secret love child?” Izuku had spoke too soon! Damn Todoroki? This shit again?! Hizashi choked, coughing as Iida bead him on the back. It probably would have helped faster if Hizashi wasn’t trying to laugh the whole time. All eyes turned to Izuku. He had never really mentioned his dad outside of the one time he had mentioned that his dad wasn’t in the picture and that he barely remembered him. Izuku could have done many things. Could have denied it. Explained their situation. But when Todoroki added that he had overheard Izuku call Shouta dad, well he really should have done anything other than what he did. Taking a long slurp of soba, Izuku made direct eye contact with his conspiracy theory friend and said, “yep, Aizawa’s my dad.” Chaos broke out at the table. People screamed. Some even cried. Todoroki seemed satisfied, turning his focus back on the food. Hizashi wasn’t even trying to stop choking at this point, content to just die laughing. Eri was confused, but said nothing. Iida tried to regain order. Dark Shadow swooped around screaming “Dadzawa”, bumping into the lights and making them sway and flicker. Sero took his bowl of soba and left, tucking himself into a cabinet under the sink and closing the door. Uraraka had slapped a hand over her mouth, and was now floating above the table. Kaminari sort circuited and was giving Izuku the thumbs up. Mineta was gagging. And Yaomomo had spit her drink across the table. And Izuku just slipped his soba, wearing the most Aizawa done with life expression he could muster. Suddenly, the room grew quiet and a shadow fell over his shoulder. looking up, he found Shouta, glaring at everyone; red eyes glowing and hair floating up and escaping it’s bun. “What the hell is going on?” Shouta hissed.Now, any other day, that would have stopped everyone. They would have explained themselves, apologized, and remained slightly quiet. But today was not that day. Because today was the day that Shouta was making the same face Izuku had just been making. so today, all hell broke loose and the screaming intensified. Making a quick decision, Izuku scooped up Eri, and left. Quickly. Left Hizashi to continue dying. And left Shōta to deal with the mess Izuku had made. He couldn’t suppress the feral grin as he stepped outside the dorms. He had really needed that pick-me-up. He could hear his dad yelling and ordering everyone to shut up and for Hizashi to get a hold of himself. Only for Hizashi to wheeze out, quirk activated, “what part of me do you want me to hold!?” It got quiet after that. Very quiet. Izuku hoped his uncle would be alright as he stopped by their house and grabbed his luggage and walked to the teachers parking garage with Eri. He’d hate to visit the blond’s parents without the blond.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Nozomu Kei was a pretty apathetic person. He liked to think that he was a master at faking emotions so as not to disturb his colleagues. All of his smiles, surprised looks and concerned faces were all an act. The truth is, Kei had always felt like he was missing something. Something that everyone else seemed to have. Compassion, maybe? Sympathy? Empathy? He wasn’t sure. Maybe those things were there, just very diluted. Or maybe he was lying to himself and he really couldn’t feel anything for others. But whatever the case may be, it made him very good at his job. As a detective, you have to keep your emotions in check. Keep a distance so as not to get overwhelmed with the cruelty of the world. It why he has yet to break from all the things he has seen in the minds of people. His apathy protects his mind and cold heart. Which is why he’s not looking forward to telling Tsukauchi everything he had gleaned from the child’s mind. The detective in the driver’s seat was obviously attached to the teenager they had just met. It was clear to see, despite his best attempts at keeping his face neutral. There was a fondness there. A familiarity. He would not be happy with what Kei had seen. Kei wasn’t happy about it either. It only strengthened his belief that some people should not have children. He could recall memories that weren’t his own. Memories of Midoriya Izuku. ~Izuku was five. A big boy now. He could tie his own shoes, even if they would be in a tight knot that would take a few minutes to detangle. He could wash his own hair. He was steady with his chopsticks. Could drink from a grown up glass without spilling. All the things that Kaachan could do. All the things that his aunty Mitsuki would let him do when he came over to play or spend the night. Yet his mom wouldn’t let him do it at home. Even after he told her he could and that aunty let him. She insisted that she tie his shoes for him. Sure, sometimes they were in a hurry and it was easier to let her quick fingers tie a knot for him. But she insisted every time he needed to put his shoes on. So he got into the habit of not untying his shoes. That way all he had to do was slip them on or off. They were a little lose because of it, but he had yet to walk out of them, so it was fine.She washed his hair for him every time he took a bath. He had tried to sneak and do it himself, washing his hair as soon as he was in the bath, instead of playing with the toys he kept in there. But she would just was his hair again, because she needed to make sure it was washed well. Couldn’t let him have dirty hair because he had missed some. He had to use a fork with his food. Sure the All Might themed fork was cool, but eating noodles and katsudon was easier with his chopsticks. He showed her he could. Many times. But she still insisted on the fork. Saying his hand would get tired and he would eventually drop his food. He never did that at aunty’s. He also had to drink out of a sippy cup. That wasn’t cool like the All Might fork, even if it was also All Might themed. It made him feel like a baby. She had gotten rid of his sippy cups when he was three and proved he wouldn’t spill. But now they were back. He had never spilled his drinks. So he had no idea why she thought he would. Aunty let him drink out of the grown up glasses. The ones that were actually made of glass and made pretty clinking sounds when the ice shifted and hit the glass. His mom still wouldn’t let him. He was also not allowed to spend the night with Kaachan anymore. He was six. Bigger than he was last year... at least in age. He was still rather short. He had been playing with Kaachan, heroes and villains. Kaachan made him be the villain. Izuku knew it was so he could hit him. They weren’t a hero duo anymore. If Izuku wasn’t being made to be the villain, then he was a hostage. He still got beat up either way. Today Kaachan was really mean. He knew his friend was mad. Aunty had fussed at him that morning in front of Izuku. Kaachan hadn’t taken the trash out that morning like he was supposed to and the sanitation crew had passed by without the trash being taken off. So Kaachan had taken his anger out on Izuku. Which is why he was now asking his mom to help him put bandages on. He had a small burn on his arm, along with a bruise from where Kaachan had grabbed his arm to tight to pin him down. His mom had wanted to take him to the hospital, but it wasn’t that bad. He just couldn’t bandage it well on his own because of it being on his dominant arm. He had been able to take care of burns like this before, there was no need to go to the hospital. She had agreed, barely. But she still cried as she tended to him, apologizing with every thing she did while also reassuring him that everything would be okay. He would be okay. He knew that. The only thing that hurt was when the alcohol swab was used. But it only stung a little. Be barely even flinched. But it still made him mom sob. Now they were on the couch, with mom holding him in her lap, running fingers through his sweaty curls. It was nice. He loved to have her play with his hair. It made him sleepy and feel safe. Yawning, he snuggled deeper into his mom’s hold. “Mom?” Izuku whispered, drawing her attention away from the cooking channel that was showing some American dish. His mom’s hand stilled and she looked down to see bright green eyes looking up at her. “Yes baby?” Izuku bit his lip, running his words over in his mind before speaking. “I don’t think Kaachan likes me anymore.” His mom frowned, shifting Izuku so that he was facing her. “Why wouldn’t Katsuki like you baby? You two are best friends and you are the nicest little boy I know.” Izuku puffed out his cheeks. “Its just that he’s been really mean to me lately. He calls me Deku. Won’t let me be the hero when we play. And he and his friends hurt me when they do let me play with them. He says I’m a quirkless loser.” His mom frowned. “Oh baby.” Izuku felt relief at telling her. She would know what to do. She wouldn’t let Kaachan keep treating him like this. “Baby I don’t think he means to be mean to you.” Izuku felt his heart drop to his stomach. “It’s just that he’s so much stronger than you. And he’s always been a little rude. I think he just doesn’t know how to express that he’s worried about you because you’re quirkless. And he’s not very good at holding back while playing. He doesn’t know that he needs to be more gentle with you. None of them do. So its up to you to be more careful. Maybe you should just referee for them. Or pretend to be a reporter covering their hero fights. But I’m sure Katsuki still likes you, you just have my sensitivity is all.” Izuku couldn’t help but cry. She thought it was his fault for getting hurt. Izuku tried to take her advice. To play as a reporter. He still got hurt. So she told him to make sure he was far enough away. And when that didn’t work, he just kept it to himself. He didn’t want her to tell him not to play with them anymore. Because he was worried that it wouldn’t be their fault but his. That he wasn’t strong enough to keep up with them or stay out of the way. He already heard it from his friends. That he got hurt for being quirkless, he didn’t want to hear his mom say it too. He also hid his injuries. If it really was his fault, though he didn’t want to believe it, then they should be his responsibility to take care of. He didn’t want Kaachan to get in trouble. If he would. After all, his mom said that Kaachan would be a great hero one day. Izuku was nine and was very good at sneaking around. He had learned to make his steps soft in the house so he could avoid his mom if he was hurt. Which is what he was doing now. Kaachan had singed his shirt and left the skin on his shoulder red and irritated. So he was sneaking through the house to make it to his bedroom without being noticed. That was how he stumbled across a conversation he didn’t wan’t to hear. “What do you mean your not coming back Hisashi?” His mom cried into the phone in the living room. Izuku stilled in the hallway, listening. He should just keep walking. Go and take care of himself. But it had been nearly a month since his father had last called, and even longer since he had last talked to Izuku. Not that Izuku wanted to talk to the man. No, he had been very clipped and exasperated the last few times they had talked. Izuku could tell when people didn’t like him, he had experience in that area after all. No one seemed to like Izuku anymore. He could hardly remember a time when his father so much as looked at Izuku softly or spoke lovingly towards him. It had to have been before he was declared quirkless. But he was curious. He never stuck around to listen in on his mom’s conversations with him. It made his stomach churn to hear how much love she held in her for a man who was never home often. A man who could so easily turn his back on his own son for something out of his control. Keeping his breathing as quiet as he could, he pushed back the pain in his shoulder and listened. “Hisashi, you were due home weeks ago. I’m sure if you explained to your boss that your family missed you, he would let you come home for a few weeks.” His mom pleaded. A gasp startled him as he listened, he had to stop himself from bolting around the corner to make sure she wasn’t hurt or something. “What do you mean it’s your decision not to come home? Hisashi I don’t understand.” “Oh Hisashi.” Izuku hated that tone. It was the tone she took whenever she told him that Kaachan wasn’t trying to hurt him on purpose. Or that his friends weren’t being mean they were just a little rough. A tone that meant that his opinion wasn’t valid. That somehow Izuku was wrong. And he just needed to see things her way. He’d never heard her pull that tone on his father. “He’s your son. I know things are a little hard. You’re so busy that it makes stressful things harder to deal with, but thats more of a reason to come home where we can take care of you. I’m sure Izuku would stay out of trouble so as not to stress you out. He misses his dad.” Izuku rolled his eyes. He’s not sure how she came to that conclusion. He’s never said he missed his father. He doesn’t even ask about him. And stay out of trouble. She makes it sound like he goes around picking fights. Maybe in her mind he does. Maybe him constantly tagging along with Kaachan was more like trying to play with a snake. Something that is going to end up with the snake biting him. Maybe it is his fault. It’s not like he doesn’t know how Kaachan can be. “Hisashi don’t say that. I know you love him.” Wow, who was she trying to convince, his father or herself? “It’s my fault he’s quirkless. Be angry with me sweetie, not him.” So it was because he was quirkless that his father was being an ass. Figures. “Hisashi don’t you dare say that!” Izuku jumped as he mom shouted into the phone. She never raises her voice. “He is not a freak. He is our son. Our baby. And he needs the both of us.” It stung, despite his best efforts at saying he could care less about his father and what he thought of him. But knowing that his father saw him as nothing more than a freak, it hurt. He hears it from everyone else. He didn’t want to hear it from the man who was supposed to always love him. It’s not like he’s done anything wrong! He didn’t ask to be born! “Hisashi love.” How can she still talk so kindly to him! The man just called him a freak! “I know your only acting this way because your stressed. I know you don’t mean that. I- Hisashi please don’t call me delusional. I am not trying to manipulate you either. Hisashi! Please don’t hang up. Hisashi!” Izuku covered his mouth. He felt tears bead in the corners of his eyes. His mother sounded so desperate. He could hear the dial tone from the phone. His father had hung up on his mom. “Take all the time you need sweetie.” Izuku froze, thinking that she was talking to him. “Don’t worry Hisashi. We will be here waiting for you. We love you. Work hard.” She was still talking into the phone. And that, that bothered Izuku so much. But he had to get out of here. He didn’t want his mother asking if he had heard her on the phone when she spotted his shoes in the house. He didn’t want to see what kind of face she would make. Would she be visibly upset, or would she act as if nothing happened. He crawled down the hall, even as he listened to his mother telling the phone about how they were doing. As if his father was still listening. He grabbed his shoes and slipped out the door, then booked it to the forest that he used to play in with Kaachan. He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to think about anything. It was too much. Too much. He curled up at the base of a fallen tree and shuddered. Thoughts were running through his head. He didn’t want to think! His hand traveled up to his shoulder as he held himself, fingers digging harshly into the burn there. Harder. Harder. He could feel the blood trickling down his shoulder and pooling into his collarbone. Harder. All he could focus on was the pain. The longer he focused on the pain, the longer he could forget what it was he didn’t want to think about. HARDER! He’s not sure how long he sat there, clawing at the burn. But it must have been a while. The sun was getting lower in the sky, the woods were already shrouded in darkness. He also felt dizzy. And his shoulder hurt so bad he wanted to throw up. He made it back home in a daze. And by some miracle, his mother didn’t notice him as he slunk to his room to bandage his shoulder. Which was good, because he didn’t even try to sneak. His mother didn’t even seem to notice how quiet he was during diner. She prattled along as if nothing was wrong. And she was right. Nothing was wrong. Neither of them could handle something being wrong it seems. So nothing was wrong.
Izuku was fed up. That damn baby monitor had to go! He was thirteen. Thirteen! Baby monitors were for babies. He was not a baby! He was a teenager! A teenager! And he was learning that being a teenager wan’t just about being older. Other things were a part of being a teenager. Something he had learned about a few nights ago. A wet dream. He had had a wet dream. Or well... he had started to have a wet dream. But he had moaned in his sleep, which had prompted his mother to burst into his room, worried that he was sick. He had been so confused when she woke him up. Then humiliated as he laid on his stomach while trying to reassure his mom that he was fine. Not dying. Did not need to go to the hospital. Did not need to sleep in the bed with her. Did not need her to stay in his room. It took forever to calm her. To come up with some half assed excuse for the sound he made to get her to go back to sleep! Then he had to lay there as silently as he could, because he had no doubt that she was listening to the damn monitor. Waiting to see if she heard anything else. It was awful. It seemed to take forever for things to settle down. Biting his lip to keep silent as every little movement sent jolts of pleasure through him. His first time... and he... he couldn’t even do anything about it! Couldn’t... couldn’t enjoy it. Or experiment. He kept quiet as tears ran down his face. This sucked so bad. What was he supposed to do?! He couldn’t try things in the bathroom. She was always asking him if he was okay or if he had thought to grab fresh clothes. Reminding him not to slip in the bath or shower. Hell, he took showers because it was faster and he was closer to the door and could keep his foot pressed against it to keep her from opening it while he was in there to ask a question. Something she did constantly. He couldn’t do anything at school. If he got caught he would never live it down. It sucked. So, triumphantly, he threw the monitor away. Ignoring his mother crying. Asking him how she was supposed to know if he was okay during the night. Telling her that he would get her if he needed anything did not ease her mind. Which is how he found himself in a new kind of hell. Every night she would creep in to check on him. Multiple times a night for a month. Then it was only once a night. He didn’t even wake up anymore when she came in. Didn’t register her checking his breathing or running her fingers through his hair. He still slept face down on the bed. He was a teenager. Hormones don’t care about who was around or what was going on. So he refused to risk pitching a tent in his sleep. Face down where no one could see was his only option.~
Kei sighed as the memories faded. There were more, but these stood out the most. Looking over to Tsukauchi he reached over and grabbed the man’s notepad. “Mind if I borrow this?” He asked while smiling, despite the fact that asking for permission was pointless seeing as he already had the object in hand. “Seems like I don’t have a choice.” The man chuckled, passing by a slow moving car. “What are you doing?” “Writing down the names of therapists that I think would be best suited for the boy, along with some notes for Aizawa to keep for navigating his new charge.” “How bad was it?” The detective asked. Kei blinked slowly as he thought, not wanting to overlook anything while deciding. “Not the worst, but not the best. I’d say he was closer to the lower percentile of what constitutes abuse, but he is in the area that the law would consider abuse. But it might make going to court a little difficult. They may be more inclined to let his mother keep him, although she will definitely need therapy. And if she does keep him, she’ll have to be checked by cps regularly. The law... usually leans more towards keeping families together. It sucks, but seeing as she’s never been physically abusive, she’s got a good chance of winning. And if that happens, nothing can stop her from removing Midoriya from UA.” Tsukauchi ground his teeth. “Shit. I’ll send Aizawa a text later and let him know where we stand.” Kei nodded. He personally felt like Aizawa was the better option for keeping the child. But he was biased, seeing Izuku’s point of view quiet literally. Oh well. He had done his part. The only other thing for him to do was to speak on Izuku’s behalf at court. Maybe Mrs Midoriya will slip up and do something that would make it harder for her to keep her son. That might sound awful of him, but he doesn’t really care. He’s never felt parents should have the right to keep their children when its been proven that they aren’t capable of tending to them rationally and in a way that helps the child to grow. People change. But Kei feels like keeping a child with someone who has wronged them isn’t helpful. Sure, they have the opportunity to reconnect, to make things better. To grow. But how healthy is that growth when the child will always remember how they were wronged. Even if things get better. They will always remember. And they will always remember that it wasn’t their parent’s choice to change, but the law’s demand. That they will never have the comfort of knowing that their parent changed willingly. And can it truly be considered willingly if they didn’t do it because they realized on their own that they needed to change. That if not for the law telling them to, they might have stayed the same. And that it was the law that left them with the parent that abused them. Isn’t it better to let the parent and child heal separately and then see if the child is willing to go back to the parent. It shouldn’t matter if the parent wants them back. That the parent is better enough to care for them. It should only matter if the child is better and if the child feels safe to return. But most of the time, as soon as the parent proves that they are better, the child is handed over. Almost gift wrapped. Like, congratulations, you’re not a screwed up shitty person anymore, here’s your traumatized child. And in the worst cases. The parents relapse. And the child loses even more trust in adults. In the worst of the worst cases. Its too late for the child and their life is lost all too soon. Yea, some people shouldn’t be parents. And Mrs Midoriya Inko is one of them. Hopefully he’s not the only one who sees that.
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It didn’t take long before before his dad- it was still a little weird thinking of the man like that- and for his uncle Hizashi to show up to the car. He stifled his giggles when he saw the capture weapon wound tightly around Hizashi’s head, covering his mouth. Hizashi didn’t seem to mind much, waggling his eyebrows at the two children as he finger gunned them slid into the driver’s seat. Shouta was much more relaxed than he had been when entering the dorms, although he did fall into the passenger seat with a huff- but Izuku could tell it was put on. As much as he liked to act like the stern no nonsense teacher and hero, Izuku suspected that the gruff man had a bit of a flair for the dramatics. Not as much as the voice hero, but enough. Hizashi started the car, the engine coming to life with a near silent purr. After checking that everyone was buckled up, he reversed out of his spot and slowly pulled out of the parking complex. It wasn’t until the car had passed the gates of the school that Shouta removed the capture weapon, tucking it back securely around his neck. And that seemed to be the blond man’s cue to start talking. Did the man not need to breath? Eri, who was more accustomed to this it seemed, slipped on some headphones and pulled out a tablet to watch videos. Izuku cursed himself for not being able to do the same. He had left his at home because he was worried it would seem rude, and he had also wanted to be able to chat with his family. He did not realize that his uncle’s idea of chatting was to talk about every inane thing and point out every random thought that crossed his mind or caught his attention. His dad seemed to have mastered the ability to sleep through it. It seemed like the vocal man didn’t need much in terms of reply, the few acknowledging sounds Izuku was able to slip into the conversation seemed to be enough for the moment- and they had barely gotten a few blocks down the road! “Kids really trip me out man.” “Mmm.” “The food was killer.” “Yep.” “I could totally say it was the best I have had in a- oh look a puppy.” “Eyes on the road Zashi.” Shouta mumbled, not even opening an eye to make sure they were not veering off onto the sidewalk, which was a close thing. “I know. I know.” “Chicken wing. Chicken wing. Hot dogs and bologna. Chicken and- the light is GREEN asshole! Macaroni.” “Could the traffic be any slower?” On and on it went. Izuku was beginning to wonder if he should just cut his losses and fling himself from the car and into oncoming traffic. It might be less painful. “Izuku.” Maybe he could find a way to blow out his own eardrums. If he used OFA, pinched his nose and tried to breath out of it? Would Recovery Girl heal him if he did that? “Izuku.” Nah. He might be a little self destructive, but not to the point of hurting himself on purpose. “IZUKU!” Both Izuku and Eri startled, blinking up to peer at Hizashi who was once again not looking at the road, but looking into the rear view mirror at Izuku. “Zoned out there little man. Been trying to catch your attention for a skinny minute.” Hizashi chuckled, looking back at the road and slowing down when he realized he was practically tailgating the van in front of them. The hand gestures out the window proved the driver in front of them didn’t appreciate it either. Blushing, he fiddled with his fingers, looking everywhere but at the front of the car. Eri went back to her video unbothered. “U-um, sorry. Just got caught up in my own head.” Definitely not trying to find a way to ignore all the chatter. Hizashi snickered, swerving around the van that was apparently not going fast enough for Hizashi’s liking. “No problem. Shou is the same way. Or more like, he’s taught himself to ignore my loud mouth. You’ll become a natural at it too no doubt. Eri just drowns me out with music, games or movies. But thats chill, I can talk to myself no problem. I think I’m fantastic company.” The man bragged, drumming his fingers rhythmically against the steering wheel. Izuku grinned, he wishes he had that level of confidence. Glancing out the windshield he noticed the sun was sinking lower and lower in the sky, turning many building windows brilliant shades of orange. It was very pretty and soon the sky would be dark and the only light would be from the many lights of cars, street lamps and building lights. Izuku focused his attention back on his uncle when he heard him clear his throat. “So, you remember me telling you that my parents are deaf because of my quirk right?” Hizashi asked, giving a death glare to a pedestrian that thought it a good idea to try and cross the road no where near a crossing. “Bet you wont cross again if I clip you with the car.” Hizashi mumbled under his breath. Thank you universe for not letting this man be a villain, Izuku thought as he answered his uncle. “Y-yea. I remember.” “Well, I thought I would just share a little about them before we get there, ya dig? Might make you feel more relaxed around them.” “That sounds good. Are they like you?” Hizashi snorted. “If your asking if they are as all out as I am, then no. Well... maybe a little. I guess one plus one equals two, ya know?” “No.” Izuku shook his head, way beyond confused. Hizashi saw Shouta cover his face with his hands in exasperation, not even pretending to be asleep at this point. “I mean, ugh, they are both a little out there and that just made me like more extra I guess. That make sense?” “Maybe.” Izuku agreed. He knows that his aunt Mitsuki was loud and brash, and somehow that made Kaachan more loud and brash and aggressive. Even though uncle Masaru was a very quiet and calm man. “Well anyway, they are a bit like me. They love music, can’t hear it anymore, but they can feel the beat when the music is cranked up, so I’ll go ahead and apologize and show you where the noise canceling headphones are when we get there. Mom is way more chill than dad, but she is like super duper mothering. Dad is chill too, but he’s more expressive like me. He wanted to be an opera singer, he’s got the voice and quirk for it. He can amplify his voice to fit a certain area. Not to the extremes but like he doesn’t need a sound system, he’s his own. But between getting a job his family wanted him to get, starting a family and well going deaf, he wasn’t able to follow his dreams. I say he could still do it, deaf people can do anything we can, but he can’t control his quirk like he used to. And when he’s singing he tends to use it unconsciously, so his voice can go from amplified to normal with every other pitch. Not much rhyme or reason to it. Doesn’t bother me, but it can be uncomfortable to others.” Hizashi shrugged. That was just sad. Izuku would hate to give up on his dream just to please family and do what they want. His mom had tried many times over the years to discourage him and get him to agree to a safe and normal job, but he never listened. If he had, he wouldn’t have the friends and future he does now. He wouldn’t have the family he has now, even though his mom wasn’t a part of it yet. And he knows how hard it is to have a quirk that doesn’t cooperate. How many times has he questioned if he should keep his quirk when he cant even control it? He felt oddly close to a man he had never met. Izuku rubbed his arms, tracing scars. Yea, he’s glad he never gave up. “My mom has a mimic quirk. She can copy the voice of anyone she hears.” Hizashi continued. “She likes to pull pranks with it. Especially on Shou. She will mimic cats and make Shou wander around trying to find which cat is crying until he cates her doing it.” Izuku sniggered, drawing Eri’s attention. ‘Cats’, he mouthed at her when she continued to peer curiously at him. She grinned and nodded her head in understanding, she was playing a bubble popping game now. Izuku listened and giggled as Hizashi animatedly told him of his parents and all their antics. It was clear that he and his dad loved them greatly, they sounded like amazing people. And even though in the pit of his stomach he was worried about wether or not they would like him, he couldn’t help a bit of excitement at getting to meet them. Eventually Hizashi turned back to talking to his dad who, if not actually asleep, was doing a good job of pretending. Leaning towards Eri, he watched as his little sister played games silently. The glow of the console illuminated her face in a soft blue glow, until the occasional street light or light from a shop would light up the car. He could tell that she was sleepy, it was well past both of their bedtimes; but if they fell asleep now, they would definitely be grumpy when they had to wake up to go inside. Better to hold off until they reached their destination. Eri was obviously experienced in this routine, and Izuku was used to staying up late on nights when his brain wouldn’t stop obsessing over something. Needing to analyze every detail until it was lodged perfectly in his brain and could be recalled clearly whenever needed. It was the reason he could spit out hero facts like an encyclopedia. Still, he slumped lower in the seat. The diner had tired him out more than he would have thought, but to be fair, it had been a few days since he had seen his friends. And he still had yet to resolve his feelings towards Uraraka, and what their relationship was now. Oh! What was he going to do! Were they dating? Was he ready for that? Was this just a one time thing? Did he want it to happen again? Was he ready for that? He was still not used to having girls talk to him! If he slumped anymore he would wind up in the floorboard. Good thing he had his seatbelt on, at least it would stop him from becoming an anxious puddle in the floor. Biting his lip and trying to think of other things. Like All Might’s third year anniversary debut where he had saved the music studio where the J-Pop idols had been working on an album with an upcoming hero. And now that his mind was on music, his thoughts turned to the worry about Hizashi’s dad and mom and if they would like him. Why would they? He wasn’t really their grand child. He was only being taken in because he was a huge fuck up. His own mom couldn’t deal with him without having a mental break down! But that’s not his fault! He knows. He knows. He knows! But what if it is? Sure Aizawa was adopting him, but did he really want him? Even though he’s been reassured many times that he is wanted and cared about, his brain still had to be skeptical. What if it was just because he was a powerful student? Even All Might had overlooked him once because he was nothing but a useless quirkless child. But now that he has a quirk, he’s important. What if that was all this was about? Preserving a useful quirk and making sure it was used to it’s full potential. And it can’t do that if his mom removed him from school. Was he really truly wanted? And damn, doubting Aizawa felt like a crime! Would he be mad if he knew Izuku was doubting him? He could feel his fingers digging deeper into his arm with every spiraling thought. Those thoughts were jerked off course and brought back to reality when he heard uncle Zashi indignantly squawk, “Shou! Thats illegal! Buckle back up!” Looking up, he was brought face to face with his newly self appointed dad, who was crawling into the back seat like some sort of elderich demon. It was awkward, and took some maneuvering and scootching before the tall man was folded into the back seat and buckling back up. “I’m buckled back up.” He drawled lazily. “Eye’s back on the road.” A toned arm reached behind Izuku and pulled him to the man’s side, rough fingers rubbing up and down his arm. “Relax problem child, I could practically feel your anxiety through the front seat.” A stubble chin rested atop his head, rubbing back and forth; much like a cat does to those it sees as belonging to it. Like he was scenting Izuku. He felt Eri scoot over and lean against him as well. Rough fingers left his arm briefly to ruffle silvery locks before returning to rub up and down his arm. “I don’t know what nonsense your brain was trying to trick you into worrying about, but just so you know, whatever it was, I’m sure it’s wrong. You have nothing to worry about. The only things you need to worry about are your grades, and staying out of trouble. Everything else will fall into place. Mom and dad Yamada will love you. Because we do, and because you are absolutely loveable. I’m sure if the League of Villains would take their heads out of their asses for longer than a minute to breath some fresh air, they would be obsessed with you for an entirely different reason and we would be fighting them off for trying to declare their undying love for you. Well... one of them might already be on that page...” He couldn’t help the snort that escaped him at the thought of Toga. Or the sniffles, because really, so much was happening lately and he’d barely had any time to process it. And now he was meeting two important people, who he was being assured would love him. No doubt. Shouta just sighed and tucked Izuku’s head into his chest. His son was just too emotional. Not that he would ever change him. “Shhh. Let it out son. Just let it out.” The dam burst and Izuku sobbed into his dad’s chest, those rough fingers leaving his arm to tangle in his hair. Eri scooted closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. It felt good to cry, even though it also hurt. And every time he thought he was done crying, those rough yet gentle fingers tangled in his hair would rub just behind his ear soothingly and he would start back up all over again. Soft humming field the air, and a rumbling under his head from his dad’s chest soon lulled him to sleep. If he had been aware, he might have been shocked to find out that Aizawa Shouta, Eraserhead, was humming to him. But he was too tired. Soft voices roused him, not much, but enough to know that he was no longer in the car. The world swayed in a way he was unfamiliar with, and the soft rumbling voice of his dad floated above him. He was still too intrenched in sleep to make out what was being said, but he knew it was his dad that made the world sway. That he was being held. Sleep was too alluring, so he only snuggled closer, the other voices cooing. Soft light forced him to burrow closer to the warmth holding him. More swaying and the creak of stairs, and then he was being lowered onto a soft mattress. The lights were off and it was between one breath and the next that he was back into the blissful darkness of deep sleep. Missing the deep voice telling him he was home.
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After much consideration, I have decided to abandon most of my works. I do not do this lightly and hate to disappoint all the people who loved this story. But I suffer greatly from depression and anxiety and ptsd. When I was writing this story, I suffered multiple traumatic instances. I thought I could move passed them and continue writing it, but it seems I can't. I've lost the will and motivation to finish the story and when I try to work past it, I am left floundering from horrible memories. My mental state has gotten worse and I just can't force myself to reopen wounds, though I love the story I have written very much. I hope you all can understand and forgive me. I have loved all the kind words from you all, they have gotten me through dark times. I hope that you all will remember the story fondly or even continue it yourselves. I hope to write stories again, but this story I have to lay to rest, among with many others. Take care of yourselves. Mental health and physical health come first. Love and peace my little readers. I love you all. I won't tell you how I wanted the story to end because I want any authors willing to continue it to write it how they want.