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Chapter Text

Aizawa Shouta is twenty years old and very tired. 

He is too young, a lot of people say, to be doing all the things that he does, but he’s a determined person and doesn’t often care what other people think. That’s why he had married Hizashi straight out of UA, keeping it a secret from almost everyone for two years while they both built their hero careers. Being married to the up-and-coming Present Mic is something Aizawa wishes he could shout to the rooftops, but for their privacy and safety they tell only their closest friends and trusted colleagues. 

Aizawa’s seen some shit on his patrols during his two years underground, seen the darker side of society. Seen things that would give seasoned pros nightmares and worked cases that caused detectives to quit due to their brutality. 

One thing he would never get used to is the kids. 

Aizawa has seen more disgusting cases involving children than he could count. Seen more terrible things than most. Whenever he has a particularly rough case involving a child, he comes home with his eyes wide and haunted, Hizashi immediately understanding what’s happened. Hizashi hears his nightmares, holding him when the horrors wake him up after particularly stressful patrols. 

It’s always the kids that get to him the most. Aizawa never considered himself particularly paternal, but so often he wants to just bundle up the kids and run. He wants to keep them safe.

So, one night when there’s a call that an apartment building has collapsed and there are multiple civilian casualties, Aizawa steals himself for the nightmare he’s about to face. All available heroes are called to the scene and Aizawa sees not only his husband there, but All Might, Endeavor, Midnight, and multiple other pros. 

The scene is horrifying, the building laid waste across two city blocks. Dust and debris are everywhere and rescue workers are setting up tents and handing out face masks to help prevent people from breathing in the dirty air. 

The rescue hero Thirteen is busy removing rubble carefully from the building, clearly trying to get to injured civilians. Dozens of ambulances, police cars, and news reporters surround the scene. There’s smoke and broken pieces of the building everywhere, shell shocked people, lots of screaming and crying.

Aizawa shakes himself a little before heading over to Hizashi. His husband looks…tense. His hair is covered in grime and there’s blood on his chest and arms that’s clearly not his own. 

“Present Mic,” he says casually, eyeing Hizashi with concern. 

“Eraserhead,” Hizashi responds calmly, but Aizawa can hear the little lilt of stress in his voice, “I’m glad you’re here, there’s still some people trapped inside. We could use you and your capture weapon.”

“On it,” Aizawa says, squashing the urge to take Hizashi’s hand, “See you in a bit.”

Aizawa heads towards the absolute wreck of the building. He doesn’t know much of what happened, but they’re not in the nicest of neighborhoods, and he hears that shoddy construction and poor building maintenance is being blamed. No villain attack, just a terrible accident. Aizawa scans the wreckage, listening for any cries for help or voices, trying to find anyone left that he can save.

He checks all the areas he can find, about to head back to assist with the injured civilians, when he hears some quiet sobbing from behind him. His gut clenches, immediately identifying it as a child.

“M-Mommy, wake up!” the kid is crying, sounding absolutely terrified. Stealing himself for whatever nasty scene he’s about to witness, Aizawa heads towards the noise.

There’s a portion of the building that hasn’t completely collapsed, a support beam sticking up in the air that’s half leaning up one wall. Aizawa can see some broken glass and water leaking out from one of the busted pipes, making the scene wet and grimy. He climbs carefully over the debris, eyes widening when he sees a tiny kid, maybe three or four, covered in dust and grime and shaking what's the clearly dead body of his mother.

“M-Mommy, p-please, I’m s-scared,” the kid sobs, looking haunted and terrified. Aizawa walks over calmly, not wanting to scare the kid. The child turns when he sees him, eyes widening.

“E-Eraserhead,” the kid hiccups and Aizawa freezes. How the hell did the kid recognize him? “E-Eraserhead, c-can you h-help my m-mommy?”

Aizawa gets next to the boy, already knowing that the woman is dead. He leans over to check her pulse anyway, confirming it. He texts Hizashi that he found a kid and another body before looking over at the child.

He’s tiny. Fragile. Aizawa feels the familiar burning anger whenever he finds kids in these terrible situations. He wants to bundle this kid up in his capture weapon and never let him go.

“What’s your name?” Aizawa asks gently, kneeling down in front of him, “You already know mine, so I’d like to know yours.”

“I-Izuku M-Midoriya,” the kid sobs, “Is…is mommy okay, Eraserhead?”

Aizawa doesn’t believe in lying. Doesn’t believe in making things worse by giving people false hope. Despite that, he doesn’t want to crush this kid. He reaches down to take Izuku’s hands, looking at him gently.

“Izuku, I’m sorry but your mom didn’t make it,” Aizawa says as calmly as he can, “I’m going to get you out of here to safety. There are other heroes who will come and get your mom, okay?”

Izuku is frozen, tears pouring from his eyes, but he doesn’t fight as Aizawa bundles him in his arms and capture scarf and carefully gets them out of the building. He passes emergency rescue workers who are there to collect the body of Izuku’s mother. It’s disturbing, but Aizawa focuses on the child who’s currently trembling in his arms.

When he gets out of the rubble, he keeps Izuku close to him and instinctively rubs his back, scanning until he spots a free medic. 

“Eraserhead, here!” the EMT calls from the ambulance and Aizawa walks over.

“This is Izuku Midoriya,” Aizawa says calmly, “I just pulled him from the building. He doesn’t have any apparent injuries.”

The EMT helps Aizawa get Izuku onto a gurney, checking him over for injuries. Aizawa finds out that Izuku has just turned four years old, doesn’t have his quirk yet, and has only one family member he knows of, his mother Inko Midoriya. 

Aizawa waits as a medic with some kind of sterilization quirk touches Izuku and all of the dirt, grime, and dust vanishes from his body. It doesn’t clean his clothes, but his body looks better. Aizawa knows the medics can watch over this kid and he should get back to helping, but something…something makes him stop.

He can’t leave this kid.

Izuku looks up at him with wide eyes and Aizawa realizes he’s looking for comfort. Once the medic has cleared him and a police officer has recorded his personal information, Aizawa picks him up again, holding him to his chest. He’s not sure what makes him do it, but the kid just melts against him, and before Aizawa realizes it, the kid’s asleep.

“Who’ve you got there?” Hizashi’s voice cuts in, sounding exhausted. Aizawa looks up at his husband, wishing more than anything he could lean into his embrace right now.

“His name’s Izuku,” Aizawa murmurs, “I pulled him from the building. His…his mom was dead. Kid has no other family. He’s only four.”

“Shit,” Hizashi curses, sitting down next to Aizawa on the curb. “Poor little listener. Where will they send him?”

Aizawa tenses. He doesn’t want Izuku sent anywhere. He wants to protect the kid. He wants to keep him safe. He knows he’s only twenty, but this kid…this kid needs him. He and Hizashi both have emergency fostering licenses like many pro heroes do. They’re young, but…

“With us,” Aizawa says, Hizashi’s eyes widening in surprise.

“R-Really?” Hizashi asks, looking gently at the kid, eyes softening, “Little guy is pretty cute and you know I love kids. But…we’re barely adults ourselves. Can we really look out for him?”

“Yes,” Aizawa murmurs, gently cupping Izuku’s head, “I…I know this is a lot, Zashi. But he needs us. What do you think?”

Hizashi looks around to make sure no reporters are watching before leaning against Aizawa’s side. He reaches down and ruffles Izuku’s hair, melting when he sees the kid snuggle against Aizawa’s chest and stick a thumb in his mouth.

“Okay, Shou,” Hizashi murmurs, eyes fond, “Let’s go talk to the police about taking him home.” 

When Izuku wakes up, he’s still in Aizawa’s arms, but they’re in a warm police station instead of outside by the collapsed buildings. He blinks slowly, looking first up at Aizawa before his gaze falls on Hizashi, eyes widening.

“P-Present Mic?” Izuku whispers, clinging to Aizawa’s capture scarf, “You’re Present Mic!”

Hizashi beams, grinning at Izuku with a gentle smile and waving at him. “That’s right! You must have listened to my new radio show, yeah?”

Izuku nods, sticking a finger in his mouth before looking back up at Aizawa. “Eraserhead, where am I?”

“You’re at the police station,” Aizawa says calmly, “Do you remember what happened tonight, Izuku?”

Izuku tilts his head, looking a little lost. “Our house fell down on mommy.” 

Hizashi inhales sharply at that. Aizawa keeps his gaze calm as he leans down, kneeling in front of Izuku and putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. “That's right. Your mom can’t take care of you anymore, Izuku. We wondered if you wanted to come home with us. With Present Mic and me.”

Izuku does want to and it hurts. It hurts because his mom is dead, that’s what Eraserhead means. It hurts because their apartment fell down and there’s nothing left. It hurts it hurts. But Eraserhead has been nice and he’s a hero. And heroes are good and not scary, so Izuku nods through his tears. He can go home with Eraserhead and Present Mic. 

“O-Okay,” Izuku sniffs, “You live in the s-same house, Eraserhead? With Present Mic?”

Aizawa nods, “Yeah, bud. My name is Aizawa Shouta. Present Mic is Yamada Hizashi. Can you keep a secret?”

Izuku nods, looking a little tearful as Aizawa leans forward and whispers, “Present Mic and I are married.”

Izuku’s eyes widen, looking between the two heroes. “Really?”

“Really,” Hizashi smiles, reaching over to rub Izuku’s back, “Shouta and I want to take care of you, Izuku. For as long as you want. We’ll be your family.” 

A few weeks later, Aizawa and Hizashi have settled into being parents. Once it was confirmed Izuku had no other living relatives, they were able to apply for emergency adoption papers, getting custody of Izuku much quicker than usual. The kid fits into their lives easily. Of course, being married, pro-hero dads at their age wasn’t exactly simple, but they manage it.

They get Izuku into therapy to discuss what happened to his mom and work on papers to get him enrolled into an elementary school for next year. He also has a pre-quirk examination confirming he does have a quirk factor and should be presenting a quirk soon. It’s a lot to balance between shifts and Hizashi’s radio gig, but they make it work.

Izuku shyly begins to call Aizawa ‘dad’ and Hizashi ‘papa’, both of them melting every time he does. They spruce up their sparse apartment, getting house plants, some warm, thick blankets, wall art, and convert their guest room into Izuku’s new room. 

Their friend Nemuri, pro hero Midnight, comes over to help decorate. She helps hang up some cheerful framed art of animals, space, and plants on Izuku’s walls, and brings over tons of toys and books. Izuku likes her a lot and within a month she earns the nickname ‘Auntie Nem.’

Six months after living together as a family, the principal of UA comes over on their rare shared day off, surprising both Hizashi and Aizawa.

“Hello!” Nezu beams at Izuku, who looks positively delighted at the sight of the principal, “My name is Nezu and I am the principal of UA. It is very nice to meet you, young Izuku.”

“You too, mister Nezu,” Izuku says, clearly holding back a desire to pet Nezu’s fur. Izuku’s never seen an animal with a quirk before and he is fascinated. 

“What can we do for you?” Hizashi asks Nezu, getting them all settled at the table while Aizawa pulls Izuku onto his lap. 

Nezu beams, showing his sharp teeth before saying, “I'll cut right to the chase, we want to hire you to teach at UA! You’ll need to do teacher training and pass some tests beforehand, but we could really use you there. We've been having a hard time getting qualified staff and we're looking for young heroes to step up to help teach the next generation."

After they recover from their shock, they say yes and after everything is settled, between them both they now have five jobs. They only agree to working at UA by getting Nezu to confirm that Izuku is allowed to come with them to school, and the other teachers have offered to watch him when Hizashi and Aizawa are teaching.

It’s not a perfect arrangement, but they manage to make time for both Izuku and each other.

“Higher!” Izuku squeals, laughing joyfully as Hizashi pushes him on the swing set. They’re at the park near their apartment and Izuku has been having hours of fun with his dad. 

Hizashi is taking lots of videos of Izuku on the swings, sending them to Aizawa with lots of heart emojis. Izuku seems to be having the time of his life, kicking his legs joyfully. 

“Papa, can we go down the big slide?” Izuku asks, eyes wide as he points to the other end of the playground.

Hizashi pretends to be considering it, tapping his chin. “Hmm, I don’t know, the big slide is really tall. Seems a little scary, if you ask me.”

“I’m not scared!” Izuku claims, reaching over to tug on Hizashi’s arm, “If you’re scared I’ll ride down with you.”

“Oh is that so?” Hizashi laughs, gently tickling Izuku’s nose, making him wrinkle his face adorably, “Well, thanks honey. Let’s do it!”

They finish up at the park, Hizashi giving Izuku a piggyback ride on the way home as Izuku chatters in his ear about something he had just finished reading. They get up the stairs and into the apartment, both yelling “We’re home!” as they walk through the door. 

“Daddy!” Izuku laughs once Hizashi puts him down, running and checking the bedroom. When he doesn’t see Aizawa, he runs to check the bathroom, the kitchen, even his own bedroom. Frowning a little, he walks back out into the living room where Hizashi is busy hanging up their coats and putting away their shoes.

“Papa, where’s Daddy?” Izuku pouts. Hizashi turns to look at him with a soft smile, reaching over to ruffle his hair. 

“Dad’s on patrol, remember?” Hizashi asks gently, “You’ll see him in the morning, alright honey?”

Izuku pouts again, pressing his face against Hizashi’s leg. “I don’t like it when you and daddy go away.”

Hizashi puts a gentle hand on Izuku’s head. “I know, sweetheart. But listen, your dad and I are both heroes, so we have to go out sometimes. Dad will be back really soon, alright?”

That night, they stay up on the couch watching movies until Izuku falls asleep against Hizashi. At two in the morning, the door opens and Aizawa walks in, smiling in spite of his exhaustion when he sees his two favorite people tangled together on the couch. He slides off his shoes and walks over, kissing Hizashi’s forehead and gently running a hand through Izuku's hair.

Izuku shifts on Hizashi’s lap, yawning a little. He looks up, eyes sparkling as he jumps, waking Hizashi up. 

“Daddy!” Izuku squeals, leaping into Aizawa’s arms, “You’re back, you’re home! I missed you!”

Aizawa smiles, hugging Izuku tightly. “Hey, kid. I missed you, too.”

“What about me?” Hizashi pouts, leaning over. Aizawa raises an eyebrow, gently flicking Hizashi’s nose before leaning down to kiss him softly.

“Stupid hero,” Aizawa murmurs fondly, “I need a shower and sleep. And someone should already be in bed.”

Izuku is already yawning, looking like he’s about to fall asleep again.

“Come on, honey, let’s get you to bed,” Hizashi says, scooping Izuku up and carrying him to his room, tucking him into bed with a kiss. Once Izuku is asleep, Hizashi heads back out to the bedroom, hearing Aizawa getting into the shower. 

Hizashi lays back on their bed, looking up at the ceiling, heart full as he thinks of his sleeping son and his tired, beautiful husband.

Their lives are a bit hectic, sure, but Hizashi is happy.

Chapter Text

Hizashi is anxious. His husband was good at his job, a great hero, but they’re both still fairly new to the industry. Aizawa had been sent on an undercover mission with a few other pros to track down a particularly sadistic group of villains. While the mission was dangerous, there were five others in the group with Aizawa, so it stood a good chance that they would all be alright. They were supposed to check in every four hours with the police, but the entire hero group had missed the last check in two hours ago.

It was too early to panic, but that didn’t mean Hizashi wasn’t. He keeps it together in front of Izuku until Aizawa misses his next check in and is officially listed as missing in action.

Then Hizashi panics.

Nezu, Nemuri, and a few police officers are at the apartment now, getting Hizashi’s statement on what he knows of the mission and going over potential rescue plans. It’s late at night, Izuku’s been in bed for a few hours, and they’re using the kitchen table to pour over maps and look through computers. They don't have a lot of data on the mission, but Hizashi and Nemuri try and recall everything they can.

“They last checked in here,” Nemuri is saying, pointing at a map on the computer, “Their location vanished after this point. We haven’t been able to get in touch with them at all.”

Hizashi curses, looking over the maps, “It’s shouldn't be possible for Shouta to vanish, he always has a spare tracker in his shoe and another in the waistband of his costume. We should be able to find him. Has anyone scanned for those frequencies?”

They continue talking in hushed, worried voices at the table for a while, none of them noticing Izuku’s bedroom door open and the small sound of footsteps as Izuku walks out into the kitchen.

“Where’s Daddy?” Izuku asks in a tiny voice, the adults all turning towards him. He’s still in his pajamas clinging to a little cat plushie, eyes wide and scared. Nemuri’s eyes soften at the sight of him and a few of the police officers shift awkwardly. Nezu simply looks intrigued, eyes locked on the small child.

“Honey, you should be in bed,” Hizashi says gently, ignoring all of their stares, heart clenching for his son. Izuku just looks at him, trembling as he tugs his cat closer to his chest, eyes bouncing between all of them.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Nemuri coos, looking as the tiny boy begins to tear up. 

“Y-You’re all s-scared and w-worried,” Izuku sniffs, wiping at his eyes, “I c-can feel it. Where’s d-daddy, what h-happened to him?”

Hizashi flinches, moving to pick Izuku up and holding him close. 

“What do you mean you can feel it, Izu?” Hizashi asks softly, rubbing Izuku’s back. Izuku nuzzles against him, not speaking for a moment. The room stays quiet, no one wanting to upset the child.

“Dunno,” Izuku mumbles, “I can just feel it. What everyone’s feeling. You’re scared and sad, papa.”

More silence follows this and Hizashi’s eyes widen, realization dawning over him. Izuku was the right age, they knew his quirk would be coming in soon, but this is an awful time to find out their kid has some kind of empathy quirk, right in the middle of this mess.

“Okay, baby. I think we might have just found your quirk,” Hizashi says gently, “You’re right, we’re all a little scared because we can’t find your dad, but lots of people are out looking for him right now.”

Izuku’s eyes widen, staring at Hizashi in total fear as he ignores the part about his quirk. “You…you’re so s-scared p-papa. Is…is d-daddy going to d-die like mama?”

“No!” Hizashi says, hugging Izuku close and trying not to cry, “He’s not, baby, I promise. I’m just scared because your dad’s lost. He was working on a really important hero mission and he’s gone missing.”

“He’s l-lost?” Izuku hiccups, eyes shining with tears, “W-We should go find him!”

The others have stayed quiet through the whole conversation. Izuku’s little hitching breaths are the only thing breaking the silence. Hizashi sits down on the couch, holding Izuku against his chest, trying to calm him down. 

“We can’t, sweetheart,” Hizashi says, trying to keep his voice steady. Izuku looks more distressed by the minute though as he feels all the terrible, awful worry Hizashi is keeping inside of him. “We don’t know where your dad is. We’re making a plan to go save him now.”

“I want daddy,” Izuku sobs into Hizashi’s chest, inconsolable, “I want daddy, now!”

It takes everything in Hizashi not to start crying as his son weeps against him, crying for his dad. He soothes Izuku as best he can but fuck, Hizashi is only twenty one years old. He’s a hero, a dad, a husband, but he’s so young. This situation is stressful, beyond stressful, and he doesn't have all the solutions.

“Perhaps bringing Izuku to a neutral location where the emotions aren’t so heightened will help,” Nezu offers gently, “If we move ourselves to UA, it might be easier for us to strategize and also for him to rest.”

Izuku peeks out of Hizashi’s chest, staring for a while at the principal before whispering, “Wanna stay at home. Wanna wait for d-daddy.”

“I know, honey,” Hizashi’s voice cracks, “I know. I’m sorry.”

Hizashi rocks Izuku on his lap until he’s fallen back asleep, curled onto Hizashi’s chest with tear tracks on his face.

“I’m sorry,” Hizashi whispers over at the others, who are still working, “I didn’t expect his quirk to manifest on top of everything else.” 

“Izuku’s got some kind of empathy quirk, then?” Nemuri asks quietly, looking fondly at the sleeping kid, “I’m honestly not surprised, kid's always been sensitive. Hizashi, I know there’s so much going on right now, but I can take him to the quirk counselor tomorrow morning, if you want.”

Hizashi shakes his head, rubbing Izuku’s back, “No, Shouta…Shouta should be there when we go. It’ll be okay until then.”

They work to try and come up with solutions when a police officers shouts, “Eraserhead’s tracker is active! We don’t have an exact location, but it’s on!”

Hizashi sits up, heart thudding with adrenaline. Izuku is asleep on his chest, but Nemuri takes him carefully as Hizashi pulls out his phone.

“He’s calling!” Hizashi gasps, staring at his phone. He answers quickly, hands shaking as he puts the phone on speaker, watching the police begin to set up a tracing line. 

“Zashi?” Aizawa’s tired voice comes through. It's rough and there's static on the line, but it's the best thing Hizashi's ever heard.

“Babe,” Hizashi croaks out, not caring who hears, “Fuck, where are you? I’ve been worried sick.”

“Stuck underground,” Aizawa coughs, sounding totally exhausted, “I’ve been trying to call for hours, this is the first place I’ve found with signal. I was separated from the others, one of the villains had a gravity quirk; flipped us all upside down and threw us in the sewers.”

“Are you hurt?” Hizashi asks, clutching the phone, “Don’t move, we’re tracking you right now.”

“I’m alright, just tired,” Aizawa murmurs, “It’s hard to breathe down here.”

Izuku wakes up then, rubbing his eyes. He looks at Hizashi, eyes widening when he feels Hizashi’s relief and excitement. He stands from the couch, running over to his dad and tugging on his leg. 

“Daddy?” Izuku asks, voice wobbly, “Is that you?”

“I’m here, honey,” Aizawa says, voice soft, “I’m sorry I wasn’t home on time.”

Izuku is crying now as Hizashi picks him up, rocking him gently. Nezu, Nemuri, and the officers stay quiet, all working to keep tracing the call.

“I want you to c-come home,” Izuku cries, tears welling in his eyes, “Are you l-lost?”

“I am, but your papa’s going to find me,” Aizawa says gently, “He’s really smart.”

“Keep talking,” one of the officers says, “We’ve almost traced the call to his exact location.”

“I got my quirk, daddy,” Izuku says tearfully, clutching Hizashi’s shirt.

“You did?” Aizawa coughs, sounding genuinely surprised, “That’s incredible, Izuku. Tell me about your quirk.”

Izuku chews on his thumb for a moment before saying, “I can feel people’s feelings. Papa was really scared you were gone.”

“We think it’s an empathy quirk,” Hizashi interjects, “He says he can feel what everyone’s feeling in the room.”

“Izuku, can you tell how I’m feeling right now?” Aizawa asks gently. Hizashi shakes his head fondly, trust his husband to worry about his son’s quirk while stuck in a sewer. 

“You’re really tired and scared,” Izuku mumbles, chewing his fingers, “And annoyed. Do you need a nap?”

Aizawa barks a laugh which quickly turns into a coughing fit before he says, “Yeah, a nap sounds awesome. Listen, I’m so proud of you and I can’t wait to hear all about your quirk, kiddo, but I need to talk to your papa now, okay?”

Izuku nods before his eyes widen, “Daddy, why are you so scared now? You weren’t this scared a minute ago. It’s…you’re really scared.”

Hizashi shares a panicked look with Nemuri before one of the officers says, “We’ve got a location! Sending rescue units now!”

“Shou?” Hizashi asks, heart pounding. 

“I’m sorry you’re feeling that, kid,” Aizawa coughs, “I’m scared because I’m stuck. I’m stuck in a dangerous spot and I can’t move. The sewer's filling with water."

Hizashi pales, “Shouta.”

“Hey, it’s scary, but I’ll be okay. Police are on their way, right?”

Izuku is trembling in Hizashi’s arms, looking petrified. “I w-want to s-see you daddy, I want daddy!”

“Hush, honey, I’ll be home soon. I promise, kid. I’m going to be okay and soon we’ll all be together, alright?”

Izuku hiccups, rubbing his eyes. “You’re l-lying. P-Papa and I n-need to come f-find you.”

“Shouta, help is coming,” Hizashi says, face pale, “The police have your exact location and they’re sending Thirteen now, they’ll get you out. I promise, just hang on.”

“Is Nemuri there?” Aizawa asks, sounding breathy and anxious. 

“I’m here,” she says, “What do you need, Shouta?”

“Get Izuku out of there. He doesn’t need to hear this.”

“Daddy, no!” Izuku sobs, screaming for his dad as Nemuri gently takes him from Hizashi and into his room, closing the door. Izuku is still screaming as she tries to soothe him, Hizashi’s hands shaking as he looks down at the phone. 

“The water’s up to my chest, Zashi,” Aizawa chokes out, “It’s rising too fast and I can't reach my capture weapon. I'm completely stuck."

“You’re going to be fine,” Hizashi stammers, “Shou, the police are nearly there. Just hang on.”

“I know, I just…I love you, Zashi."

“Don’t you dare,” Hizashi snarls, gripping the table edge, “You’re going to be fine, don’t be dramatic.”

Aizawa lets out a shaky laugh. “Chew me out for being dramatic when I make it home, love.”

“God, Shou,” Hizashi chokes out, reaching up to cover his face, “You stupid idiot. I love you so damn much, you asshole.”

“I’m going to lose signal in a minute,” Aizawa chokes out, “Phone’s going to-“

The signal cuts out and it takes everything in Hizashi not to scream. The next minute is endless, terrible. He can hear Izuku screaming and crying in his room, knowing he can feel all the terrible things Hizashi is feeling. But he can’t help it. The panic is overwhelming.

He only releases his breath when Nezu says a moment later, “They have him. They’ve gotten him out, he’s alive.”

Relief floods through Hizashi and he sways on his feet, feeling a head rush like he’s about to pass out. 

“Where are they taking him?” he manages to ask, feeling lightheaded and a little nauseous. 

“Musutafu General,” Nezu says calmly, nodding to the police officers who are beginning to pack up, discussing heading to the station. Hizashi nods, breathing shakily as he runs a hand through his hair.

“Okay, thanks,” he manages to say, relief flooding him so much that he has to sit down on the couch for a moment. Nemuri and Izuku come out a moment later, Izuku looking absolutely wrecked and Nemuri exhausted. 

“P-Papa,” Izuku whimpers, running over to Hizashi and wrapping his arms around his legs, “P-Papa…”

Hizashi leans down, hugging Izuku tightly and kissing his hair. He tries to convey through his hug all of the love and relief he feels, before remembering his son can feel it. There's no need for words right now.

“I love you too, papa,” Izuku mumbles into Hizashi’s arms, “C-Can we see d-daddy now?”

Hizashi nods, “Yeah, kiddo. Let's go see your dad.”

When they arrive to Aizawa’s hospital room, Izuku is relieved to see his dad is awake and sitting up in bed. Izuku doesn’t wait, he rips himself from Hizashi’s arms and runs to Aizawa’s bed, crawling up and snuggling in his arms. 

“Daddy,” Izuku sobs into his chest, clinging to his shirt, “I m-missed you.”

Aizawa winces a little under the weight of Izuku’s tight hug, but he kisses Izuku’s forehead, rubbing his back. Hizashi sits next to the bed on a chair, reaching over to gently wrap his arms around both of them, trying not to cry.

“I missed you too,” Aizawa says hoarsely, “I’m sorry, kid.” 

Izuku cries into Aizawa’s chest for a long time, Hizashi moving to sit in a chair next to the bed. He looks at his husband with relief, remembering how scared he had sounded on the phone. 

“I’m so glad you’re alright, love,” Hizashi says shakily, reaching over to squeeze Aizawa’s hand, “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Papa, you said a bad word,” Izuku says, voice muffled by Aizawa’s shirt. 

Aizawa snorts a laugh, raising an eyebrow at his husband. “That’s a hundred yen in the swear jar, Zashi.”

His eyes soften after a moment, looking at Hizashi with a shaky smile. “I’m sorry I worried you both. It’s going to be okay, though, they got me out just before the water covered me.”

Izuku leans back, putting a little hand on Aizawa’s cheek. “I’m sorry you were so scared, daddy. You feel a lot better now.” 

Aizawa looks at Hizashi before gently rubbing Izuku’s back. “Yeah, your quirk, right? Can you tell me about it, honey?”

Izuku bites his lip, nodding. “Yeah…I just started feeling lots of things. Like…you and papa. And Mr. Nezu and Auntie Nem. Papa says it’s an em…empathy quirk.”

“That’s right,” Hizashi murmurs, “Having an empathy quirk means you can understand and feel other people’s emotions, feelings. It’s a really powerful quirk to have, Izu. Now that your daddy is safe, when he’s feeling better, we’ll take you to a quirk counselor and have them help you figure it all out, okay?”

Izuku nods, “Okay, papa. Daddy, you’re really tired. You should take a nap. Papa is tired, too.”

Aizawa smiles, ruffling Izuku’s hair. “This quirk of yours is really something, kid. You’re right, I think we all need some sleep. We’ll figure out everything in the morning.”

Chapter Text

After the intense rescue, Aizawa and Hizashi take a week off of all their duties to focus on Aizawa’s recovery and helping Izuku adapt to his new quirk. After a day of sleeping in and resting at home, Hizashi makes an appointment with a quirk counselor at a place not too far from their apartment. Izuku has been quiet since Aizawa’s near-death experience, clinging to both of his dads and sleeping with them at night. He doesn’t seem to want to leave Aizawa’s side, almost afraid his dad is going to disappear if he doesn’t keep him in his line of sight. They hope Izuku's upcoming appointment will help him get over his fear.

The day of his counseling appointment, Hizashi gives Izuku a bath and dresses him in a soft green t-shirt and yellow shorts, helping him put on his favorite cat socks and bright red sneakers. Aizawa is completely physically recovered, so he makes bento lunches for all of them in case the appointment goes long. 

“There you go!” Hizashi beams, helping Izuku ties his laces, “All set, buddy. Are you excited?”

Izuku nods, smiling. “Yeah, but not as excited as you are, papa. You feel really…bouncy!” 

Hizashi laughs, standing up and ruffling Izuku’s hair. “I’m just happy, honey. Shou, is there anything else we should grab?”

“Sweatshirt for Izuku,” Aizawa calls back from the kitchen, “The place is probably going to be air conditioned."

Hizashi roots through Izuku’s wardrobe to find a bright red sweatshirt with a panda on it (one of his personal favorites) and reaches for Izuku’s yellow backpack.

“Here, we can put your sweatshirt and our lunches in this,” Hizashi smiles, “Do you want to bring a toy with you to keep you company, Izu?”

Izuku considers, reaching for his well-loved stuffed cat. The toy was the first one they had bought for him and it quickly became a favorite. Izuku slept with it every night and it was always part of his games. Hizashi wonders briefly if they should just get a real cat. 

“Wanna bring Mr. Whiskers,” Izuku mumbles, gently putting the toy in his bag, “Is it time to go now, papa?”

Hizashi nods, leading Izuku out into the living room. Aizawa puts the bento boxes in Izuku’s backpack before slinging it over his shoulders. 

“Alright, everyone have everything?” Aizawa asks, “Keys and cellphone, Zashi?”

Hizashi feels his pockets, sighing when he realizes he’s left his phone on the desk. As he goes to get it, he hears Aizawa teasing Izuku gently.

“Did you remember your…feet?” Aizawa grins, reaching down to poke Izuku’s shoes, making his son laugh, “How about our hands, can’t forget those. What about your nose?”

Izuku is shrieking with laughter by the end, endeared by the game he’s playing with his dad. Hizashi pockets his phone and heads back out, swooping down and picking Izuku up, slinging him onto his back.

“I think we’re all ready now,” Hizashi grins, “Come on, let’s go! Let’s find out all about Izuku’s awesome quirk!”

The building where the quirk counselor is located isn’t too far, so they’re able to walk there. They’re not in danger of being recognized, with Hizashi’s long hair in a loose bun and both in casual, civilian clothing. Izuku is still on Hizashi’s shoulders, looking happily at street around them. It’s early morning, so not a lot of people are out. They’ve been cautious about Izuku being around others since his quirk manifested, unsure of how sensitive he really is to stranger’s emotions. 

After a while, they reach a large building with a colorful sign that reads, ‘Musufatu Children’s Quirk Center.’ Hizashi gently puts Izuku down on the ground and takes one hand while Aizawa takes the other, leading their son through the door.

They seem to be the first people there that morning, walking up to reception to check in.

“Good morning,” Hizashi smiles at the receptionist, “We’re here to check in Izuku Aizawa, appointment at eight a.m.”

The receptionist checks them in, directing them to take the elevator up to the fourth floor for their assessment. They ride up, Izuku still clinging to his parents’ hands as they head up to the office. There’s a large sign on the door reading ‘Dr. Tachibana-Quirk Counselor: Emotional Specialist.’

“Alright, kid, let’s do this,” Aizawa grins, before knocking and opening the door. Once they enter, Izuku is surprised to see a cheerful looking room. When his parents had said he had an appointment, he was imagining a doctor’s office, but this place is more like a classroom. 

There’s a desk in the corner surrounded by bookshelves stuffed full of various books. There are posters on the walls of famous pro-heroes like All Might. Izuku’s eyes stray over to a corner where he can see a fuzzy rug, a couple of large stuffed animals the size of him, and a huge box of toys.

“Welcome!” a voice says and Izuku turns to see a nice looking woman smiling down at him, “My name is Dr. Tachibana. You must be Izuku, is that right?”

Izuku nods, relaxing when he feels nothing but calm curiosity from the doctor and a gentle excitement at meeting him. 

“Thanks for seeing him on such short notice,” Hizashi says, “His quirk came in during a rough time, so he’s had it for about a week or so, we think.”

She nods, gesturing over to her desk. There’s two chairs, presumably for parents, facing the other side. Izuku is eyeing the box of toys, wanting very badly to go and play.

“Izuku, your parents and I need to go over some things first,” Dr. Tachibana says kindly, “Why don’t you go play for a while?”

Izuku nods, letting go of his dad’s hand to walk over to the pile. He first spots a large panda plushie, poking its nose. He giggles, finding it funny with how large the toy is. He hugs it, crawling on its back before looking around.

There were so many toys here. A stuffed rabbit, a stuffed bear, a few smaller stuffed toys. There’s also a bunch of hero action figures and some building blocks. Izuku notices the toys look kind of messy, wondering if a kid before him left them like this. He frowns to himself, thinking it’s not very nice to the toys to leave them all messed up like this.

He takes a few minutes to put all the stuffed animals near each other, figuring they’re all friends since they’re the same. He then gets to work checking over the action figures, sad when he sees that one of them, an All Might figure, is missing an arm. He looks around on the floor for it, eyes lighting up when he finds it. He tries to put the arm back in, but it’s not working.

Feeling sad, Izuku walks over to where his parents and the doctor are sitting, holding out the figure.

“I found it all broken,” Izuku says, getting their attention, “His arm is gone and he’s probably sad. Can you fix All Might, daddy?”

Aizawa’s gaze softens as he and Hizashi look at their son, sharing a glance with the doctor who’s also smiling. Izuku can feel lots of things coming from them, but his concern for the toy is overwriting all of it.

“It’s as I thought,” Dr. Tachibana says kindly, “You’re certainly correct in that Izuku has an empathy quirk. He also is genuinely a very kind and thoughtful child. Izuku, I can fix All Might if you hand him to me.”

Izuku does and she pops the arm right back in and hands the toy back to him, Izuku beaming back up at her. “You fixed it! I’m going to put him back with the other heroes now.”

Izuku walks over and sets the All Might figure down with the others, feeling satisfied. Dr. Tachibana walks over and sits down next to him, looking at him kindly.

“Izuku, I would like to start evaluating your quirk now,” she says, “We don’t know exactly what your quirk does yet, but I can tell you about mine.”

Izuku looks up, interested. He eyes his parents for security, pleased to see both of them are sitting close by on the chairs, watching everything. Izuku feels safe with them nearby and neither of them feel stressed or worried, so Izuku focuses on the doctor. 

“My quirk is called Heart Reader,” Dr. Tachibana continues, “If I touch someone, I can feel whatever they are feeling and interpret why they are feeling that way. For example, if I touch someone and they’re sad, I’ll know why they’re sad.”

Izuku’s eyes widen, “That’s really cool! Can you try it on me, please?”

“Yes, I can. Is it alright if I touch your hand, Izuku?” 

He nods and she gently holds his hand, Izuku gasping when they make contact. He can feel that she’s curious, kind, and he knows she can feel his excitement and curiosity. Emotions swirl between them and Izuku feels like he knows her. It’s so intense that his mouth falls open, a wave of trust and happiness welling inside him.

“Wow,” she exclaims after a long moment, pulling back, “You have a very powerful quirk, young man. Could you feel all of that?”

He nods, eyes wide. “You…your quirk is so cool! Could you feel all of my emotions?”

“Yes,” she nods, “And I could tell you could feel mine, too. It’s not often I come into contact with someone who can read my emotions at the same time that I can read theirs. It’s almost like talking, isn’t it?”

Izuku nods again, eager. “Can we do more experiments, please? I wanna know more about my quirk!”

She laughs, and Izuku eyes his parents happily as they officially begin the quirk assessment tests.

It takes a few hours, but Izuku finishes the tests with a newfound understanding of his quirk, a name for it, and two exceptionally proud parents. They thank the doctor, Izuku giving her a hug, before signing out and heading into a nearby park to eat their lunch.

“We’re very proud of you, kid,” Aizawa says as they sit under a tree, enjoying the warm summer breeze, “You did great today.”

“Thanks!” Izuku smiles through a mouthful of rice, “The doctor was really nice.”

Hizashi grins, ruffling Izuku’s hair. “She was. You have a really cool quirk, kiddo. Auntie Nem’s been texting us all morning to ask about it. Would it be okay if we invited her over for dinner? You can tell her all about it.”

“Yes!” Izuku gasps excitedly before chanting, “Auntie Nem! Auntie Nem! Auntie-”

“Okay, okay,” Aizawa laughs, “Nemuri better thank us for this. Come on you two, let’s finish up lunch. If Nemuri’s coming over, we’ve got to clean up.”

“Aw, but babe!” Hizashi whines, Izuku laughing at his dad’s silliness.

Later on during dinner, Izuku proudly shows his quirk evaluation papers to Nemuri, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Quirk Name: Empathic Resonance

Description: User (Aizawa, I.) has the ability to read others emotions and catalog them. During assessment, the user demonstrated the ability to do the following:

• Identify and explain another subject’s emotional state
• Showed a high level of empathy and understanding for living and non-living things
• Use emotions as an ability to communicate
• Note: User does not need to be in physical contact to sense emotions and does not appear to be able to turn off abilities

Recommendations: Regular quirk examinations (once every six months) along with bi-weekly empathetic quirk counseling (see attached notes on ‘Empathy Quirks in Children’). 

“Empathic Resonance, huh?” Nemuri asks, smiling at Izuku, “This is great, kiddo! So you can read us all like books? What am I feeling now?”

Izuku chews on the end of his chopstick before saying, “Playful! And happy. I’m glad you’re happy Auntie Nem.” 

Nemuri coos, looking at Izuku with practical hearts in her eyes. “Kiddo, you are so lucky your dads are tough or I’d just steal you away to live with me forever!”

Izuku laughs as she leans over to hug him, blowing a raspberry onto his cheek. He wipes it off and stares at her delightedly, swinging his feet on his chair while his dads laugh. It’s a nice dinner and later on when Izuku’s put to bed, the three adults sit around the table with coffee and more serious expressions.

“So, what’s bugging you two?” Nemuri asks softly, “I know you’re happy, but something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

Hizashi looks pensively into his mug while Aizawa sighs. “Not wrong, exactly, just…something the doctor told us.”

Nemuri looks anxious before asking, “Well, what is it?”

“She said Izuku’s quirk had more potential than she could evaluate,” Hizashi says, eyes darting towards his son’s closed bedroom door, “And that empathy quirks can be really damaging to their users. She said to avoid large crowds, to get Izuku headphones to wear when we’re out, and that he might have a hard time in school.”

“Poor kid,” Nemuri coos, “But he’ll be okay. He’s got you two and he’s got me. Plus, the whole UA staff’s going to have a hand in babysitting him, right? He’ll have a lot of people to help him out, plus that empathetic quirk therapy they mentioned.”

Aizawa nods. “Yeah, but what the kid really needs is a friend. If we can’t put him in school yet, we should find someone for Izu to play with.”

Nemuri suddenly goes quiet, blushing as she looks down at her coffee. Aizawa and Hizashi share a look before Hizashi asks, “Nem, what is it?”

She blushes harder, look up at them both before saying, “I…can probably help Izuku with that bit. I sort of…adopted a kid?”

They stare at her, mouths agape. Aizawa recovers first asking, “What? When?”

“Well, it’s still in the process,” she says, gripping the mug tightly, “I found out about it just before you went missing. Kid was in a really bad way. Same age as Izuku, in foster care. His quirk came in and his foster family they…they muzzled the kid for it.”

Hizashi grits his teeth while Aizawa’s eyes narrow with fury. All of them had faced some form of quirk discrimination, but Hizashi had it the hardest as a kid, especially when he couldn’t control his voice quirk. He was unfortunately familiar with the awful contraptions that Nemuri mentioned. 

“Monsters,” Hizashi spits out, “When do you get him?”

“Tomorrow,” Nemuri says with a wobbly smile, “My mom’s helped me set up a room for him and everything. His name is Hitoshi and he has the cutest purple hair. He has a brainwashing quirk with verbal activation, it’s why the foster family claim they did what they did.”

“Assholes,” Aizawa sighs, rubbing his forehead, “Well, if you need anything, Nem, we’ve got loads of stuff here. When he feels up to it, how about you bring him over to meet Izuku? Kid would probably be able to help, especially if Hitoshi is scared.” 

Nemuri smiles, “Thanks. I know it’s going to be tough as a single mom, but I’ve got my parents to help and you two, of course."

They continue to talk through the night about their children, about the little empath and the scared boy with the purple hair. They make plans for family vacations, traveling the city, even jokingly about teaching them at UA when they’re teenagers. It’s going to take a lot of work, but the three of them agree to support one another’s kids, no matter what may come in the future.

Chapter Text

“Izuku, Auntie Nem is bringing over someone very special today,” Hizashi tells him. Izuku looks up from where he’s busy playing with some blocks, intrigued by his dad’s emotions.

“Who is it, papa?” Izuku asks, abandoning his playing to turn his full attention to his dad. This was something new; with the manifestation of Izuku’s quirk, he seems more interested in people than anything else. Before his quirk, it was hard to get Izuku to stop playing or reading, but now anytime someone talks to him, they get his full attention. 

Hizashi sits down next to Izuku on the floor, motioning for him to come over for a hug. Izuku crawls into his lap, snuggling against him, sensing Hizashi wants comfort. 

“Why are you sad, papa?” Izuku asks quietly, trying to will his dad to feel happier.

Hizashi sighs, rubbing Izuku’s back. “Auntie Nem adopted a kid, a kid your age. His name is Hitoshi and he’s had a really hard time. I’m sad because Hitoshi is little like you and I don’t like thinking about kids being hurt.” 

Izuku curls his fingers into Hizashi’s shirt, thinking through the words. “Is Hitoshi nice, papa?”

“I haven’t met him yet, but Auntie Nem says he’s really sweet, like you,” Hizashi replies, “He’s just very shy. A lot of people have been very mean to him because of his quirk.”

“Why?” Izuku asks, confused, “There’s no good or bad quirks, that’s what you and daddy say.”

Hizashi nods, “That’s true. But some people don’t believe that, Izu. They think some quirks are better than others, which is very unfair.” 

Izuku looks thoughtful, resting his head under Hizashi’s chin. “I want to help Hitoshi feel better, papa. I don’t like it when people are sad.”

“I know, baby,” Hizashi murmurs, “I think if you are nice to him and play with him it would help a lot.”

“Okay, papa.”

Later, the doorbell rings and despite wanting to help HItoshi, Izuku is feeling shy. He hasn’t hung out with anyone his own age in a while and meeting someone new is making him a little nervous. He can also feel slight apprehension and worry from his parents which is setting him a bit on edge. 

Aizawa opens the door and Izuku’s eyes widen when he sees the little purple-haired boy at his aunt’s side. Hitoshi has nice eyes, Izuku thinks, but all he can feel from the boy is pure fear. It’s so intense that Izuku tears up, hiding his face behind Hizashi’s leg and whimpering a little. 

“Come on in,” Aizawa says gently, “Welcome to our home, Hitoshi. My name is Shouta and my husband is Hizashi. Did your mom tell you our hero names?”

Hitoshi is quiet for a moment before whispering, “You’re Eraserhead and Present Mic.”

“That’s right!” Hizashi smiles gently, feeling Izuku press his face into the back of his legs, “We’re excited to have you here, Hitoshi. Izuku, why don’t you come and say hello?”

Izuku peeks out at Hitoshi, tears pouring down his cheeks. Hitoshi is just so scared and sad and unsure and the negative emotions pouring from him are overwhelming Izuku. He rubs at his eyes, trying to be polite before he can’t take it anymore. He walks over to Hitoshi and without asking, pulls him into a tight hug.

“Izuku!” Aizawa hisses, sharing a panicked glance with Nemuri, “Izuku, you have to ask people before touching them.”

Hitoshi looks shocked, standing stock still as Izuku hugs him, crying into Hitoshi’s shoulder.

“You’re so s-sad,” Izuku chokes out, fisting his hands in the back of Hitoshi’s sweatshirt, “And s-scared, you don’t have to be scared, my d-dads are nice, I p-promise…”

Hitoshi doesn’t say anything but after a long moment he relaxes, bringing up his arms to hug Izuku back. The adults don’t intervene and Nemuri relaxes when she sees Hitoshi’s eyes also start to fill with tears. Izuku pulls back after a minute, smiling at Hitoshi.

“There, see, you feel a little better now,” Izuku says, patting Hitoshi’s shoulder, “Do you want to come play in my room, Toshi?”

Hitoshi doesn’t say anything or react to the nickname, he just nods, taking off his shoes and following him to his room. The adults can hear Izuku offering all of the toys in his room to Hitoshi to play with, relief on Nemuri’s face.

“Sorry he just hugged him like that,” Hizashi sighs, “I don’t think he was expecting to be so overwhelmed by Hitoshi’s emotions.”

Nemuri shakes her head, looking a little tearful. “It’s alright. Hitoshi’s hardly said anything since I took him home, I knew Izuku would…be able to help. I know Izuku’s only a little boy, but comfort is what Hitoshi needs right now.”

In Izuku’s room, Hitoshi is sitting on the floor wide-eyed as Izuku hands him a stuffed panda to hold while Izuku sets up a massive looking train set in the center of the room. 

“Daddy gave me that panda,” Izuku says happily, watching Hitoshi squeeze it methodically, “You can borrow it if you want, it’s really squishy and soft.”

Hitoshi looks down at the panda and back to Izuku before whispering, “Thank you.”

Izuku beams, crawling over to sit next to Hitoshi, rocking back and forth a little. “You feel a lot happier now than earlier. You felt so scared.”

Hitoshi looks at Izuku curiously and Izuku can feel his confusion. Izuku remembers that most people can’t feel other people’s emotions (his dads said so) and Hitoshi might not know that.

“Sorry, that’s my quirk,” Izuku blushes, “I forgot to say. I can feel other people’s feelings. It’s called em-empathic res-sonance. It’s hard to say, but I just got it a few weeks ago!” 

Hitoshi feels curious, scooting a little closer to Izuku. “That sounds like a cool quirk to have.”

Izuku positively beams, pleased that Hitoshi thinks so. “Thank you! I think all quirks are cool. My dads say no quirks are good or bad, they’re all just different. What’s your quirk, Toshi?”

Hitoshi freezes and looks at Izuku and there’s that awful fear again. Izuku reaches over and squeezes one of Hitoshi’s hands, looking at him seriously. “Toshi, your quirk isn’t bad and neither are you. But you don’t have to tell me about it if it makes you sad.”

Hitoshi shifts, squeezing the panda before leaning over and whispering, “Brainwashing.”

Izuku’s mouth drops, eyes sparkling. “That is so cool, Toshi! Your quirk is awesome!” 

Hitoshi blushes as Izuku bounces on his heels, asking him a bunch of questions about his quirk and how it works. Hitoshi asks Izuku all about his empathy quirk and after a while they start playing with Izuku’s train set, all anxiety forgotten.

“Sounds like they’re getting along,” Aizawa says from the living room where the three adults are settled with tea on the couch. Nemuri looked exhausted when she arrived, so Hizashi had made her lunch and told her to sit down and rest.

“Yeah,” Nemuri smiles, “I’m glad. Hitoshi has had a really hard time sleeping so far. I know this is a huge ask, but he seems to be getting on with Izuku, so…could we both spend the night here? I just need the kid to get some sleep, that’s all.”

“You don’t have to ask, Nem,” Hizashi says, Aizawa nodding in agreement, “You two are welcomed here anytime, you know that.”

They’re interrupted by Izuku’s joyful shout as he runs out of the room, tugging Hitoshi by the hand.

“Daddy, Papa!” Izuku squeals, “Auntie Nem, guess what?” 

“What is it, kiddo?” Hizashi asks, smiling at the pair of them. Izuku is practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

“Hitoshi and I are gonna be rescue heroes together!” Izuku shouts, Hitoshi looking shy but happy at his side, “Hitoshi’s gonna help people who are too scared to move on their own and then I’m gonna make them feel all better!”

Nemuri smiles fondly at them both. “That’s great, you two. Rescue heroes, huh? Sounds like we have a couple of UA students in our future, gentlemen.”

Hitoshi is smiling and Izuku is so happy his friend isn’t scared anymore. “Yeah! Let’s go to UA, Toshi! Then we can be the best heroes, just like our parents!”

Chapter Text

When Izuku walks into UA for the first time, he’s overwhelmed. 

It’s so big, just absolutely massive, and he keeps his hand tightly in Hizashi’s as they walk into the school. It’s early on a Monday in summer, so there aren’t students here, but the staff are gathering to prepare for the next year. In addition, some pro heroes are scheduled to come today and test out the new training facilities that have just been built. 

Aizawa has helped Izuku dress today, so he’s wearing a black hoodie with cat ears and some blue shorts, along with his favorite red shoes. He makes a pretty adorable picture as he tugs on Hizashi’s hand, the little cat ears bouncing as he points to things that he spots in the hallways.

Izuku’s excited. He knows his parents are pros, but despite living with them for over a year now, he still hasn’t really seen their quirks used in action. To help keep him calm today, Izuku has on his bright yellow noise cancelling headphones. They’re Present Mic themed, a new merch item from Hizashi’s radio station. While the headphones don’t provide Izuku a shield from people’s emotions, the quiet helps keep his anxiety down if he happens to get overwhelmed in a large group.

Izuku hasn’t met the other UA teachers yet besides Nezu and Nemuri, so he’s looking forward to meeting some other pros. Aizawa had left the apartment very early in the morning to help Ectoplasm check out some of the more technically challenging obstacle courses. Izuku’s excited to see his dad try them out. 

Hizashi walks him towards his classroom, Izuku beaming when he sees Aizawa and a couple of other heroes walking their way. He beams, letting go of Hizashi’s hands and running straight for Aizawa’s arms.

“Dad!” he giggles, throwing his arms around Aizawa, “I missed you.”

“Missed you too, kid,” Aizawa grins, hugging Izuku back, “Izu, this is Ectoplasm, he teaches math here. And this is Snipe, who’s in charge of the third year students. Snipe, Ecto, this is my son, Izuku.”

“Nice to meet you,” Snipe says, while Ectoplasm waves at him. Izuku smiles, sensing nothing but pleasant emotions from them, feeling relaxed. He eyes their costumes with big eyes, looking over Ectoplasm’s interesting design and Snipe’s guns. 

“Snipe-sensei, aren’t guns illegal in Japan?” Izuku asks, pointing to the weapon on Snipe’s back. Snipe bursts out laughing, winking down at Izuku. 

“Not for me, kiddo,” he grins, looking to Hizashi and Aizawa, “Smart one you’ve got there, guys.”

Hizashi looks down at Izuku fondly while Aizawa just smirks, picking Izuku up and putting him on his shoulders. 

“Too smart, sometimes,” Aizawa says, before saying, “Izu, we were just going to Auntie Nem’s art classroom. Do you want to see it?” 

Izuku squeals, making Aizawa wince a little as it’s so close to his ear. “Auntie Nem, Auntie Nem! Is Toshi here too?”

“Sorry, buddy, Hitoshi’s at school today,” Hizashi says, “But Nem is happy to see you!”

Izuku looks a little sad at not being able to see his friend, but he nods, looking marginally happier about seeing Nemuri. School is a bit of a sore subject for them all as Izuku still has issues in large crowds. They want him in school and to make friends, but they have to work Izuku up to handle being around a lot of others without getting overwhelmed by their emotions. 

They walk down the hallway, Izuku peering around at all of the interesting things. They’re nearly to Nemuri’s classroom when loud footsteps start coming towards them from down the hall. Izuku’s eyes widen when he spots a large figure walking down towards them, mind flashing back to an action figure with a missing arm.

Izuku squeaks, scrambling down Aizawa’s shoulders and down to the ground, hiding behind his leg as the hero gets closer. Izuku feels nothing but kindness and pleasant emotions from those around him, but he’s still intimidated as the large person gets closer. Izuku presses his face against Aizawa’s leg, feeling very shy.

“Izu, don’t you want to say hello to All Might?” Hizashi asks him gently and Izuku peeks out from behind Aizawa’s leg. The number one hero beams down at him and Izuku can tell All Might is happy to meet him, but it’s All Might, for goodness sake. Izuku just gasps, ducking his face behind his dad’s leg again.

“Izuku gets a little shy sometimes,” Aizawa says, “It’s nice to see you, All Might. How was Gym Gamma, you didn’t flatten it, did you?”

All Might laughs, a booming laugh that echoes around the hallway. Izuku can tell All Might feels a bit sheepish, so he pokes his head from behind Aizawa’s leg, fascinated to see the number one hero blushing.

“Well, sort of,” All Might says, rubbing the back of his head, as he feels embarrassed, “It was unintentional and Cementoss did say to go all out, so…”

Izuku giggles, covering his mouth when All Might glances down at him. He comes out from behind Aizawa’s leg, looking the number one hero up and down curiously. 

“You’re funny,” Izuku giggles again, “Mr. All Might, sir.”

All Might beams, leaning down and staring at Izuku for a long moment before sticking his tongue out at him. Izuku shrieks with laughter, ducking back behind his dad. He can feel warm fondness from everyone around him and Izuku relaxes, playing peek-a-boo with All Might for a few moments.

Later on, they find Nemuri in her room and Izuku runs into her arms, giggling as she holds him close. He asks her a million questions which she nicely answers. They all have lunch together in the UA cafeteria and Izuku is hardly able to sit down, endlessly fascinated by Lunch Rush and all the delicious meals he prepares.

When lunch is over, they all take a trip to the newest training ground. Izuku is feeling a lot more comfortable now, so he’s taken off his headphones, wearing them around his neck. He’s feeling excited to watch his parents use their quirks, holding Hizashi’s hand as they head to the new facility. Aizawa's been called to help clear up Gym Gamma with Cementoss, so it's just Hizashi and Izuku for now.

“Izuku, when we get there, we’re going to meet some other heroes,” Hizashi tells him as they walk, “Endeavor is going to be there, along with a few others. Are you doing alright, or do you need a break?”

Izuku smiles, “I’m fine! I want to see you and dad use your quirks!”

They get closer and Izuku spots a group of people. He sees Endeavor, the number two hero, covered in flames along with some other heroes he vaguely recognizes. He’s feeling confident when he suddenly stops in his tacks. A terrible feeling rises up inside of him, twisting and awful. It’s coming from the group in front of them and Izuku pulls his headphones up, clinging to Hizashi’s leg as they get closer. Once they stop in front of the group of heroes, Izuku gasps quietly when he notices there’s a kid in the group, one about his age. He feels instantly shy, ducking behind his dad's leg.

Izuku peeks around Hizashi’s leg as his dad talks to the group of heroes, shyly eyeing the little boy who’s standing next to Endeavor. The other boy has the coolest hair Izuku’s ever seen; half white, half red. He’s wearing nice, expensive looking clothes and has a bandage covering one of his eyes. Izuku vaguely thinks he looks like a pirate. 

This is all quickly diminished when Izuku centers on the kid's emotions and gasps, tucking his face behind Hizashi’s leg again. The boy feels awful, and Izuku knows if he can’t get a handle on those feelings, he’s going to start crying. When he had met Hitoshi, his overwhelming fear had taken Izuku by surprise, but this kid feels worse somehow.

Izuku doesn’t know the name for the emotion he’s feeling, but it’s terrible. It’s not anger, sadness, or pain, it’s like…all of the kid’s emotions are behind a wall. It feels…empty, lonely, and so, so scary. It’s terrible and Izuku wants to rush over, grab the kid, and run. Maybe he can come back to Izuku’s house and feel better there.

“Izu, honey, you okay?” Hizashi asks, noticing Izuku hiding behind him. Izuku doesn’t say anything, just taps his dad three times on the leg, his silent signal for when he’s getting overwhelmed and needs a break.

“Hey guys, we’ll be right back,” Hizashi tells the others, walking Izuku to the other side of the hallway and standing behind a pillar. Izuku is crying now, trying to wipe the tears off his face. Hizashi taps Izuku’s headphones and Izuku slides them off, wincing at the rush of noise and air.

“What is it, baby?” Hizashi asks gently, taking one of Izuku’s hands. Izuku glances across the room, wincing at the other little boy and the dark, hulking void standing next to him. Endeavor. The kid is standing next to him, so maybe…Endeavor is his dad? But dads are nice and Endeavor…he’s not. Not if what he’s feeling is any indication.

“That k-kid,” Izuku sniffs, trembling a bit, “He…he feels awful. I…I don’t know what the e-emotion is but it’s really, really bad.”

“Okay,” Hizashi says softly, worry in his eyes, “Can you try describing it to me?”

Izuku thinks for a moment before saying, “It’s like he locked all his f-feelings up. I think someone really h-hurt him. And Endeavor is s-scary, I don’t like him. I wanna l-leave.” 

Hizashi freezes, understanding the implications of what his son is telling him, even if Izuku doesn’t completely understand it himself. 

“Alright, let’s go find your dad,” Hizashi says, starting to walk with Izuku towards the doors. Izuku stops, turning back.

“Wait, we can’t leave him there!” Izuku cries, thinking of the other kid, “He’s got to come, too!”

Hizashi winces, knowing that whatever’s going on here, it needs to be handled delicately. “Izu, sweetie, we can help him, but we’ve got to be careful.”

Izuku is practically shaking, clearly overwhelmed from all the emotions in the room. After a long moment, he gets a determined look on his face. After a deep breath, he tugs his hand out of Hizashi’s and runs over to the other boy’s side, trying not to look up at Endeavor.

“H-Hi,” Izuku says to the other boy, who’s staring at him with a wide eye, “I’m Izuku. What’s your name?”

The kid is silent for a second before saying softly, “Shouto.”

“Want to come play with me?” Izuku asks, trying not to shake as he can feel Endeavor’s annoyance and anger building up next to him. 

Shouto’s eyes widen and Izuku can feel his confusion. “Play?”

“Yeah!” Izuku says, shaking now as he feels Endeavor’s anger surge, “I u-um brought some toys with me, in my backpack.” 

Endeavor shifts then, glaring down at him, and Izuku winces, half expecting the hero to attack him. Before anyone can say anything, Hizashi is there and Izuku grabs onto his leg, instantly feeling relief. 

“Todoroki, if you’d like, I can take Shouto and Izuku to my classroom while you check the training ground out, it’d be no trouble,” Hizashi says calmly to Endeavor. To anyone listening, it would have sounded perfectly friendly, but Izuku can feel his father’s suspicion and slight anxiety.

“No,” Endeavor says firmly, “Shouto, come. You will help me test the training facility.”

“Yes, father,” Shouto says, turning away from them and following Endeavor down the hall. Izuku’s lip trembles. He wants to call out, wants to do something, but whatever situation is going on here is too much for him to understand. The burning, furious emotions from Endeavor are suffocating and whatever he’s feeling from Shouto is indescribably awful. 

The moment Endeavor and Shouto are out of sight, Izuku bursts into noisy tears, gathering the attention of the surrounding heroes. Hizashi picks him up, trying to soothe his son.

“It f-felt so bad, papa,” Izuku sobs, burying his face against Hizashi’s chest, “Why d-did he feel like t-that?”

Hizashi hushes him, rocking Izuku in his arms. Once the crying stops, Hizashi eyes his curious coworkers before giving the simplest answer he can. “Izuku has an empathy quirk, just picked up on something. It’ll be alright, he just needs a bit of space for a while. I’m going to take him to my classroom. Snipe, would you mind checking in on Endeavor and seeing how he’s getting along?”

Snipe nods, heading down the hallway and Hizashi turns to carry Izuku back to his classroom. It’s a long walk and Izuku keeps his headphones over his ears and his face buried in Hizashi’s neck the whole time. Occasionally he can feel the emotions of someone passing by, but it’s clear Hizashi is trying to take him around as few people as possible. It’s only when Izuku feels a second wave of love and concern that he looks up, relieved to see Aizawa heading towards them.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, seeing Izuku’s tearstained face, “What happened, kiddo?”

Izuku can’t answer, he just holds his arms out as Hizashi passes him off to Aizawa, who wraps him in a tight embrace.

“We met Endeavor,” Hizashi says quietly, “Izuku didn’t really like him. Apparently his son Shouto was feeling something very upsetting, Izuku couldn’t really describe it. He tried to get the kid to play, but-”

“E-Endeavor is s-scary,” Izuku sobs into Aizawa’s shoulder, “He was getting so m-mad at me.”

“Mad at you?” Hizashi asks, confused, “Honey, he didn’t say anything to you. What do you mean?”

Izuku keeps his face pressed into Aizawa’s chest so both of them have to lean in to hear what Izuku is saying.

“He was s-so annoyed,” Izuku cries, holding tightly to his dad’s shirt, “He h-hated me. He w-wanted me to g-go away and he was so s-scary! I t-thought he was going to h-hurt me.”

Hizashi and Aizawa share a worried look. They can’t lie and smooth things over like other parents, not when their six-year-old can call them out on any bullshit they might say. They move to sit down on the floor together, leaning against the wall. Izuku cries into Aizawa's shirt for a while until he calms down, sitting up and looking at both of his parents. His headphones have slipped off his ears and are around his neck, and his eyes are red-rimmed and puffy.

“Will Shouto be okay?” Izuku asks, wiping his eyes.

Hizashi sighs, knowing he can’t lie. He aims to tell Izuku the truth gently, without dishonesty. “We’re not sure what’s going on with Shouto, sweetheart. We’ve never met him before and dad and I can’t feel the things you feel. I’m sure that whatever you were feeling from Endeavor wasn’t your fault, honey. Even if he was mad, you probably weren’t the reason, okay?”

Izuku nods, clinging to Aizawa tightly. He feels wrung out, like his whole body is tense and ready to snap. The emotions he’s felt today are more than he’s felt since getting his quirk, and it’s making him feel anxious.

“Hey, honey, want to see our classrooms?” Hizashi asks, “You can help give us decorating ideas! And you know, I think Auntie Nem is bringing Hitoshi by later this afternoon, you two can play then.”

Izuku brightens a little, but he still looks a little subdued. “Okay. Can…can we see if Shouto wants to come, too?”

Aizawa kisses Izuku’s forehead and says, “We can try, little one. Come on, let’s go check out 1-A, it’s right down the hall.” 

Izuku doesn’t see Shouto again.

Chapter Text

“We don’t know what to do, Nem,” Hizashi groans one night, “He’s been so quiet lately, we’ve been keeping him here with us, but it seems to be making it worse.”

Hitoshi and Izuku are asleep in Izuku’s room and Aizawa, Hizashi, and Nemuri are settled in the living room with a board game and coffee, discussing their worries about their kids.

“Well…maybe he needs to be around some young, positive energy,” Nemuri says, taking a sip from her mug, “You know, from new people. Shake things up. How about you take him to UA tomorrow?”

“UA?” Aizawa asks, sharing an anxious look with his husband, “After last time, I’m not sure that it’s a good idea. We’d have to be careful, we’re still private with our relationship and with Izuku.”

Nemuri shrugs, “It would be worth it, though. Endeavor was the one who freaked him out last time, right? He won’t be there, so it should be fine. I’d bring Hitoshi, too, but he has school.”

Aizawa sighs when Nemuri mentions school, “I just feel like we’re holding Izuku back. His quirk counselor said he’s not ready for school yet, but he doesn’t have any friends apart from Hitoshi. I know Hitoshi’s shy, but he’s still learning social skills in school. Izuku mostly just hangs out with us and his tutors and counselor.”

“Wow, I sure feel bad for him, then,” Nemuri cackles as Hizashi throws a pillow from the couch playfully at her. “No seriously, I think taking him to UA would be great! Being around all those excited kids, it’d be hard for him to sit still, you know?”

“Class, I have a favor to ask,” Aizawa says to his class one morning, who all turn to look, “My son’s with me today, can you make him feel welcome?”

Instantly, there’s a clambering of voices.

“Your son, sensei?”

“Aren’t you like, really young, sir?”

“Oh my god, he’s so cute!”

Izuku is clinging to Aizawa’s hand, eyes wide as he looks at the energetic students. The strongest emotion he’s sensing is curiosity, but nothing bad. He sees a nice looking girl smile at him and wave and Izuku gasps, ducking behind his dad. 

“Sensei, he’s adorable,” someone gushes, “What’s his name?”

“This is Izuku,” Aizawa says, gently cupping Izuku’s head, “Now, everyone, Izuku here has an empathy quirk and gets overwhelmed sometimes, so be nice to him, alright? Anyone who makes him cry gets detention.” 

Izuku doesn’t say anything, just blinks, overwhelmed slightly as all of his dad’s very nice students introduce themselves. Eventually, one of them gives him some paper and some colored pencils and Izuku happily sits down in the corner of the room, beginning to draw. He half-listens to his dad, but since it’s a high school level class, Izuku doesn’t understand most of it. The emotions in the classroom are pretty calm, and Izuku likes it.

When the first class is over, Izuku politely waves goodbye to the first class before looking up at his dad.

“Having fun, kiddo?” his dad asks, and Izuku nods enthusiastically. He hands his dad the drawing he made during class of a family of cats all outside in the grass.

“For you, dad,” Izuku says proudly, putting it on his desk, “For your classroom! You can put it on your wall.”

Aizawa smiles, grabbing some tape off his desk before taping Izuku’s picture on the wall right over it. Izuku beams with pride, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. His dad feels a little emotional looking at the picture, but Izuku can tell it’s one of those more complicated adult emotions he doesn’t quite understand yet.

“Dad, you feel…weird,” Izuku says, tugging on his hand, “What feeling is that?”

Aizawa kneels down, ruffling Izuku’s messy curls. “I’m proud and happy and a little sad that you’re growing up so fast, kid, that’s all. I’m mostly just really pleased to have some art from my kid on the wall to look at. It makes me feel good.”

“Then I’ll make you and papa lots!” Izuku says determinedly. 

Aizawa introduces Izuku to his next class and Izuku politely greets them, but he immediately goes back to drawing. By lunch, Aizawa has five pictures taped over his desk, mostly of different animals, and Izuku is puffed with pride. He has a stack of pictures for Hizashi and Nemuri as well, excited to hand them out.

“Aizawa-sensei, your son is really sweet, sir,” one of his dad’s students is saying, “How old is he?”

“Just six,” Aizawa smiles, looking at his son, “He’s a great kid. Now, get to class, all of you.”

If the students notice little hand-drawn pictures popping up in their teacher’s classroom over the next few days, they smile silently to themselves, not mentioning it.

When Izuku turns seven, he’s been going to quirk counseling for three years, getting private tutoring for two, and still hasn’t gone to school. He’s still best friends with Hitoshi, seeing him a few times a week. They have sleepovers all the time and Izuku is glad to see his friend happy, unlike when they first met. 

His quirk counselor tells his parents he needs to start working on dealing with his quirk in a crowd, so they practice first with small groups of people at UA, the park, the grocery store. When Izuku is able to handle those places, they decide to take him to the nearby mall. It’s not the most crowded place in the city, but it’s certainly more crowded than anywhere Izuku’s been recently.

His counselor recommends bringing the headphones, but not wearing them at first to see how Izuku does. Izuku’s a little anxious, but they bundled him up in his favorite sweatshirt and jeans, in between both of his parents. 

“Doing okay, Izu?” Aizawa asks as they enter the mall. Izuku is wide-eyed, staring at everything before nodding, reaching over to take Aizawa’s hand. 

It’s a lot. There’s so many people here, the emotions are building inside Izuku like a wave. He’s been working on putting up a mental barrier to stop other people’s emotions from overwhelming him in therapy, but this is the first time he’s had to use it. 

His therapist told him to think of it like building a transparent wall, one where he can still see other people’s emotions, but not feel them as strongly. As they walk past the stores and crowds, the noise starts to bother him. Izuku pulls his headphones over his ears, instantly relaxing when the sounds are drowned out.

Izuku focuses on the wall, picking out people in the crowd to see if he can identify their emotions. There’s an older lady with a young kid, probably a grandchild, who feels tired, but happy. A couple who are both shy and excited as they hold hands. A scared kid who gets soothed by an exhausted mom. It’s a lot, but it doesn’t overwhelm him. 

They spend a total of an hour walking around the mall, Aizawa buying them all ice cream as a treat on their way out. Izuku licks it happily as they leave, pulling down his headphones and grinning at his parents.

“I did it!” he says happily, “I wasn’t scared or overwhelmed at all.”

“That’s great, kiddo,” Hizashi smiles, “Your dad and I are really proud of you.”

They settle down on a bench outside, finishing off their ice cream and talking happily. Izuku feels very proud of himself for keeping it together today, a sudden thought coming into his head.

“Does this mean I can go to school now with Toshi?” Izuku asks excitedly, eyes sparkling.

Aizawa and Hizashi share a look and Izuku can feel that his parents are already going to say yes. He squeals happily, launching himself across their laps shouting, “Thank you, thank you!”

Later that night, they go to Nemuri’s apartment and Izuku runs in, grabbing Hitoshi in a hug before jumping up and down. “Guess what, Toshi, guess what? I get to go to school with you now!”

Hitoshi beams and the two of them cheer, running into Hitoshi’s room to start talking about all of the cool things about school.

“I bet sensei will let you be my seat partner,” Hitoshi grins from his bed where he’s hugging a stuffed penguin, “Nobody wants to sit by me, so it’s always empty.”

Izuku feels a little sadness from Hitoshi as he says that, standing up to crawl on the bed and sit next to his best friend. “I only want to sit next to you, Toshi! I’ll tell sensei that we have to be seat partners, since we’re gonna be hero partners, too.” 

Izuku knows people at school don’t like Hitoshi because of his quirk, which Izuku doesn’t understand at all. Hitoshi’s quirk is cool. He’s used it on Izuku a few times with permission and Izuku finds it completely fascinating. It leaves his brain feeling fuzzy and floaty, and he always has a million questions for Hitoshi when it’s over.

He’s sure school with Hitoshi will be the best.

School ends up not being the best, but it isn’t the worst, either. Their school is on the smaller side and most of the students have parents who work in the hero industry, so the teachers are pretty strict on bullying. So despite the fact that neither Hitoshi or Izuku are bullied, a lot of kids don’t like hanging out with someone who can read all of their emotions and someone who could potentially control their thoughts.

It’s a little hard, but Izuku and Hitoshi have each other, so they don’t worry about it too much. There are some nice kids there, like a boy with engines in his legs who is very earnest and kind named Iida Tenya. He is a very strict rule follower and while energetic, Izuku appreciates his honesty. He’s the little brother of the pro hero Ingenium, and Hitoshi and Izuku both find him to be a nice guy. 

Another girl in their class, Yaoyorozu Momo, is really cool because she’s brilliant and can create any object she understands the structure of, which Izuku thinks is extremely interesting. She always feels calm and steady, and Izuku finds himself drawn to her when he has a bad day. 

And so their little circle expands. 

Izuku’s days are scheduled now between school, counseling, and play dates with his friends. He mostly still just hangs out with Hitoshi, but Iida and Yaoyorozu sometimes join them as well. It’s nice to have friends and Izuku enjoys it.

One sunny afternoon, Izuku comes home from hanging out at Hitoshi’s and walks in the front door. He takes off his shoes and turns, eyes sparkling when he sees his parents on the couch, each of them holding a fluffy gray kitten. One has white paws and the other is all gray and Izuku melts.

“Surprise, kid,” Aizawa grins, scratching under the kitten’s chin, “Meet your new roommates.”

Izuku walks over, gently taking one of the kittens into his arms, endeared by its soft fur. The cat feels safe and not distressed at all. While animal emotions aren’t the same as human ones, Izuku can still sense them. The one with the white paws is a little more hesitant, but still feeling safe.

“They feel nice,” Izuku says, scratching the all-gray one between the ears, “They’re not scared at all!”

“Good,” Hizashi grins, “You should name them, Izu. Otherwise your dad will, and I don’t trust him.”

“Listen, just because my name idea was interesting-”

“Bastard is interesting?”

“Yeah, little bastard bit my finger, so-”

“Shouta, I swear to god. You can’t name a cat bastard, we have a child.”

Izuku is laughing by the end of the argument, knowing his parents are just being silly.

“You both owe a hundred yen to the swear jar,” Izuku says before declaring, “The all-gray one is Sushi. The one with the white paws is Mochi.”

“Cute,” Aizawa sighs, eyeing Sushi with a raised eyebrow, “Still a bastard, though.”

“Dad!” Izuku just laughs.

Chapter Text

Izuku is ten years old and very tired. 

He and Iida are on classroom duty today so they have to stay after school and empty the trash and clean up the room. Once they've finished putting away the textbooks and finished the last bit of cleaning for the day, Izuku says goodbye to Iida and leaves. Izuku’s lucky to live within walking distance to school, but he’s regretting not asking for a ride to pick him up today. His parents both have their own classes to teach, so Izuku is heading to UA to meet them so they can walk home together from there.

Normally the longer walk wouldn’t bother him but it’s been a tough day. Hitoshi is home sick with a cold so Izuku was alone most of the day. Yayorozu and Iida are nice, but it’s still hard without Hitoshi there, especially when most of their class is still a little aloof towards him because of his quirk. Sighing to himself, he adjusts his backpack on his shoulders with a yawn and keeps walking, heading for the direction of UA. 

He’s pulled out of his thoughts when a surge of fear flashes through him, one he’s sure isn’t his own. He looks up, mouth opening in horror when he watches a car skid across the road towards a man on a bike. It looks as if it’s happening in slow motion, and Izuku reaches out a hand towards the biker as if he can catch him in time to stop it. 

Before he can take a step, the car and the bike make contact in a horrible, ear-splitting crash. Car alarms around them begin going off and Izuku can hear screams and shouts of “call the police!” coming from all around him as a crowd begins to form.

Izuku doesn’t react to this, but he keeps his eyes on the bike. It’s been pushed meters down the road and the man that was on it is now covered in blood. Izuku moves before he can think of it, walking first, then running towards the man who isn't moving at all. 

There’s a large crowd forming now and normally Izuku would be cataloging all of their emotions. But this time, he can only focus on one, horrible set of emotions, burning through him. He knows instinctively who they're coming from even though he's never felt anything like this before.

He reaches the mangled bike, gazing down at the rider who’s helmet has been knocked off. He looks horrific, bloody and mangled, and Izuku is shaking with his own fear as he kneels down next to him, his school uniform pants soaked in blood. Without thinking, he reaches out and takes the man’s hand. 

The man gasps, eyes open and staring at Izuku. He feels those terrible, burning emotions again. Confusion, pain, fear, shock. A terrible knowingness and understanding. 

“K-Kid, are you hurt?” the guy asks. Izuku gasps as he realizes this man, this horribly injured, traumatized man, is worried about him. 

Izuku can’t speak. The weight of the emotions is too much and so he just shakes his head, squeezing the man's hand. In his panicked state, he doesn’t notice the crowd around them, doesn’t hear the ambulances coming toward them. 

“That’s good,” the man coughs, eyes going blank, “It’s…it’s so dark out here.”

Izuku shivers, the terrible, deep emotions taking root in him. He tries to put up his walls, but he can’t. The sensation of pain, confusion, and terrifying loneliness swell in him until he feels like he’s going to choke. He tries to imagine his see-through wall, the one that will protect him, but the crashing wave of emotions shatters it. Suddenly, as soon as it all rises to a point where Izuku can’t bear it, it vanishes. Everything is just gone like the entire person in front of him has evaporated, but they’re still physically there. 

Izuku gasps, looking down. He’s still holding the man's hand, but while he can feel the sensation of touch, his sense of emotion is completely blind. A void. He’s never felt nothing from someone before. He starts to breathe faster when he realizes what he’s feeling, this void, is death. He had felt the emotions and life vanish from this person, right in front of him. 

Izuku saw his mother die when he was four but he couldn’t feel it. His mind is panicking, heart racing. He tries to catalog his emotions, but with the void in front of him, the fear and panic of the people around him, the crowd, rushes in all at once. 

Izuku can’t sort out which emotions are his, which are the emptiness, the void, death , and which are the surrounding crowds. He’s drowning, drowning in all of it, and he reaches up to grab his hair, pulling hard. His head is full, too full, he has to get it out, get the feelings out-

“Kid, stop, stop!” A voice cuts in and to Izuku it sounds like it’s coming from underwater. Izuku has tears running down his cheeks and he’s sitting on his knees, arms wrapped around his stomach now. He doesn’t hear the questions from the EMTs, doesn’t feel himself moved into an ambulance. Doesn’t hear them go through his backpack, finding his ID, and calling his parents. 

Izuku is drowning in the void. The terrible nothing he felt when the person died, the sudden and immediate loss. There one moment, gone the next. A consciousness and life gone in an instant. It was horrifying. Izuku has never felt anything more viscerally terrifying in his young life. 

He doesn’t feel much of anything at all, after that. 

“What the hell happened?” Aizawa asks, anxiety and stress evident in his voice. He had been wrapping up his class at UA when his personal phone rang. Only several people had that number, and none of them would call during the school day unless it was an emergency. 

So Aizawa had answered his phone in class and half his students watched as he learned his kid had been taken to the hospital. Aizawa had ran from the room yelling at Ectoplasm in the hall to watch his class, fear flooding him like he had never felt before. He had run down to Hizashi’s room slamming the door open. His husband and class looked surprised at his loud entrance and disheveled state. 

“It’s Izuku,” is all Aizawa says before Hizashi pales. The bell rings for the end of the day just then, Hizashi running from his desk towards his husband. The students don’t get in their way as they race down the hall and outside. They get in one of the staff cars all the teachers have access to in case of emergency, Hizashi pulling out of the parking lot. Aizawa told him he had no information, but that they needed to get to the hospital and that their kid was in trouble.

Now, they’re talking to a doctor on the floor of the children’s psychiatric ward. Both of them are more than stressed, they’re terrified. They know their son is alive, but that’s it. 

“Your son was witness to a car accident on his way home from school,” the doctor explains calmly, “According to those at the scene, a car lost control and spun out, hitting and killing a delivery driver on a bike. Izuku saw this and raced to the biker. It seems Izuku was holding the man’s hand as he died.”

A silence follows this statement as they process what that means for their son, and the implications of his quirk. 

“He…felt him die,” Hizashi exhales, the horror of the situation fully dawning on him. Aizawa curses, running an agitated hand through his hair. 

“Yes,” the doctor says, “Initially, the EMTs thought he was having a panic attack. However, after they found Izuku’s ID and saw he had a registered empathy quirk, they sent him here. It’s a good thing they got to him when they did.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Aizawa asks, breathing a little shakily as Hizashi takes his hand. 

The doctor leans forward, folding her hands together as she asks seriously, “How much do you both know of empathy quirks?”

“Some,” Hizashi says impatiently, “Please, just tell us what’s going on with our kid.”

“There’s a kind of unofficial term for what’s going on with him,” the doctor says, “Unfortunately, as quirks like Izuku’s are very rare, we don’t have as much information as we would like and there isn't enough research to support the study of this condition. We refer to it here as Empathetic Shock. It’s sort of a catch-all term for when someone with an empathy quirk goes into emotional overload.”

Aizawa stiffens. “So, what does that mean for Izuku?”

“He’s conscious, but not present,” the doctor continues, “Essentially, his mind shut down and dissociated to prevent him from further distress after processing whatever he felt. Usually people snap out of it in two to three days, sometimes longer for kids. Until then, there’s not much we can do other than keep him calm.”

Later in Izuku’s hospital room, Aizawa and Hizashi sit on opposite sides of their son’s bed. Izuku’s eyes are open, but the normal brilliant green is blank and glassy, staring out at nothing. He doesn’t react to either of his parents’ presences, but the doctors say it will help Izuku to have those he knows around them. 

“God, our baby, Shou,” Hizashi chokes out, emotional and he runs gentle fingers through Izuku’s hair. “He’s so selfless. Running into an accident scene like that.”

“I know,” Aizawa murmurs, keeping his eyes locked on his son’s, “I just want to keep him safe. Fuck, Zashi, I hate this.”

Hizashi agrees reaching over to squeeze his husband’s hand before leaning down and kissing Izuku’s forehead. There’s not much they can do other than sit there, and so they wait. 

As hours pass, they play Izuku’s favorite music, take turns reading to him, call Hitoshi and have him speak to Izuku on speakerphone. They have dinner in the room, talking quietly. Izuku isn’t able to eat, so he’s hooked up to an IV, which makes both Hizashi and Aizawa ache. 

They fall asleep, Aizawa on the couch against the wall and Hizashi in the chair next to Izuku’s bed. It’s well past visiting hours, but no one seems to want to remove two pro heroes from their son’s room. Fortunately it’s the weekend, so they don’t have to worry about anyone covering their classes at UA. 

In the morning, they take turns going home and showering, bringing a change of clothes for Izuku and some of his things from home. Izuku hasn’t reacted to anything at all. The doctors describe it as Izuku being in an extreme state of dissociation, almost taking a break from being conscious at all. 

Two days pass and on the morning of the third, Aizawa is slumped on the chair by Izuku’s bed, massaging his son’s hands while Hizashi does gentle stretches on Izuku’s legs since he hasn’t moved at all. Hizashi’s just finished the stretches when Izuku blinks, shifting his head slightly and looking up at Aizawa. 

“Dad?” he croaks out, “Where am I?”

Hizashi is next to Aizawa at Izuku’s side in a minute, pressing the call button for the nurse. 

“You’re in the hospital, baby,” Hizashi says, voice wobbling despite his relief. 

“It’s been a couple of days, kid, we were worried sick,” Aizawa adds, squeezing Izuku’s hand. 

Izuku looks confused, but the nurses and doctors arrive then, asking Izuku questions and taking his vitals. Aizawa and Hizashi both sit vigil at his bedside during the check up. Once the doctor is satisfied with Izuku’s physical health, they call in the psychiatrist to check on his mental and emotional state. 

“I just remember it was empty,” Izuku whispers to the psychiatrist, tears in his eyes, “It just felt so empty…I felt him die.”

It takes everything in Aizawa and Hizashi not to break down in front of their son, but he’s been through a lot and they don’t want to add more stress by crying in front of him.

“Guys, I can feel how upset you are,” Izuku reminds his parents in a hoarse voice with a wobbly smile, “I’m really sorry I scared you both.”

That’s the last straw for Hizashi, who pulls Izuku into a hug and starts crying. Aizawa just wraps his arms around them both, dropping his head down and trying to convey all the love and relief he can to Izuku. 

After hours of tests and questions, the doctors and psychiatrists clear Izuku to go home, with strict instructions to his parents on how to handle the next couple of days.

“I strongly recommend twice a week therapy sessions with an empathic counselor,” the doctor says when they’re signing Izuku out.

“He already goes every other week, so we’ll up the appointments,” Aizawa says, pulling out his phone to start doing just that, “Do you recommend general therapy as well?”

“Yes, but perhaps not all at once,” the doctor says, “Three therapy sessions a week would be a lot for anyone. Let’s reassess the situation a month from now. In the meantime, please do sign up for those additional empathic sessions. I will send all of the information we have from Izuku’s stay to his current counselor.”

When Izuku returns home from the hospital, he looks exhausted. The look on his face reminds his parents of pro heroes after a difficult mission, not what a ten year old should be looking like. Izuku doesn’t seem to have an interest in his toys or games and worryingly doesn’t want to see Hitoshi or Nemuri. 

That night, they have a quiet dinner, Izuku picking at his food and petting Sushi on his lap while Mochi curls at his feet. He helps clear the table and takes a shower, putting on his favorite pajamas. Hizashi tucks him in while Aizawa turns out the lights, leaving his door cracked open.

Izuku doesn’t sleep, only thinks of all the terrible things he’s felt over the past few days. Hours later when he hears his parents getting ready for bed and turning out their light, Izuku gets out of bed and tiptoes across the hall. He feels scared, like the tiny four year old he was when his dad found him, and he just wants to feel safe like that again.

He opens the door to his dads’ room, their lights already out. Izuku can immediately sense that his parents are both asleep. There’s not much of a gap between them, but Izuku climbs into the bed anyway, snuggling down between them both on top of the covers.

“Izu, you okay?” his dad’s gruff voice asks. Izuku nods, feeling a little shy and embarrassed. 

“Dad, can I sleep here?” Izuku asks and Aizawa nods, working to lift the covers so Izuku can slide in between them. Izuku gets comfortable in the warmth in between his parents, his back pressed to Hizashi’s and facing Aizawa. He hears two little meows, looking to see that both of the cats have jumped on the end of the bed to join them.

“It’s like a hotel,” Aizawa grumbles, but Izuku can feel his dad’s fondness. He closes his eyes, relief flooding through him as he feels safe and protected for the first time in days.

Chapter Text

By the time Izuku turns fifteen, he has a much better handle on his quirk.

It’s not perfect, of course, he’s still a kid, but he doesn’t get overwhelmed as easily any more. He discovers that the better he knows someone, the easier they are able to read. He experiments in quirk counseling and realizes that not only can he read his parents’ emotions over the phone, he can also pick up traces of emotions in their text messages to him. Their connection is so deep Izuku wonders if at some point he’ll be able to sense his dads’ emotions without any visual or auditory cues at all.

For Hitoshi, he can’t detect his emotions as easily as his parents over the phone, but he still can. He can’t read Hitoshi’s emotions from writing, but Izuku can tell it’s a close thing. It seems like for most everyone else, Izuku needs to be in at least a twenty meter radius to pick up emotions from them. 

On top of training the empathetic part of his quirk, he and Hitoshi have been practicing martial arts and hand-to-hand combat with Aizawa. They both have their own capture weapons and spend their afternoons training at UA’s gyms. Snipe is also teaching them both how to use throwing knives and bo staffs, which Izuku thinks is very cool.

As the UA entrance exams are fast approaching, Aizawa and Hizashi recommend Hitoshi and Snipe recommends Izuku. His own parents can’t be the ones to submit an application for him as a recommendation student, and Izuku is very grateful to Snipe for doing it. Nemuri would have, of course, but she hasn’t been training Izuku like Snipe has.

The night before the recommendation exam, Hitoshi is spending the night at Izuku’s and they’re in his room. It’s late, they told their parents they were going to bed early to sleep before the exam, but they’re both lost in that contemplative late night feeling. The feeling where everything seems insignificant and the world, the universe seems endless. 

Hitoshi is lying on the floor with Mochi on his chest as he looks up at Izuku’s ceiling in silence. They haven’t talked for a while, but Izuku can feel Hitoshi’s contemplative emotions. The silence continues for a long while until Hitoshi breaks it with a question Izuku wasn’t expecting. 

“Izuku…do you ever think about your mom?”

Izuku freezes. He told Hitoshi the truth about his adoption years ago, but he’s rarely, if even, spoken about Inko Midoriya to anyone. He feels like if the few scraps of memories he has tumble out of his mouth, he’ll lose them and forget her. He doesn’t want that.

“Yeah,” Izuku manages to say, squeezing his cat plushie from where he’s sitting on the bed, “I don’t remember her well, but…sometimes.”

Hitoshi is quiet for a while before saying, “I don’t remember my parents at all. I don’t even know what happened to them or why they gave me up. I just know they’re dead now.”

Some laughter from outside of Izuku’s closed door makes them both turn their heads, the sound of their parents telling jokes and sharing old stories from around the kitchen table.

“We’re so lucky, Toshi,” Izuku says quietly, feeling the warm emotions from the other room, “They love us so much. I…I do miss my mom, but my dads raised me. They love me. And Auntie Nem would burn down the world for you. She loves you so much it’s a little scary.”

“Yeah,” Hitoshi laughs weakly from the floor, “I know. I just…wonder, sometimes, if I have more family out there. Like a cousin or a grandparent or something.”

Izuku slides off the bed and lays next to Hitoshi on the floor, reaching over to scratch Mochi’s ears. “I do, too. I mean, I have a biological dad, somewhere. I don’t even know who he was. He could have been a one night stand, or someone my mom really loved. She never talked about him and we didn’t have any pictures or anything, so I didn’t know.”

“It’s just so crazy to think about,” Hitoshi whispers, “Fuck, Izu, our lives are crazy.”

Izuku just laughs, looking up at the ceiling as Mochi crawls off of Hitoshi’s chest and onto his own.

“Yeah, they kind of are," Izuku sighs, "We should sleep, we need to kick ass tomorrow.”

“Yeah, can you imagine our parents' shame if we failed the entrance exam when all three of them teach at UA?”

“Forget them, I think Snipe-sensei would kill us.”

“Fair point. Last one on the bed has to sleep in the cold spot!”

“Toshi!”

Hitoshi and Izuku arrive to UA early the next morning after a lively breakfast with their parents. Whenever Nemuri and Hizashi are together, everything is very high energy. Aizawa always gives off the vibes that he’s their long-suffering parent and Izuku finds it highly amusing.

As they enter UA and head for the examination area, Izuku does start to feel a twinge of his own anxiety. Hitoshi is anxious as well, but Izuku is able to separate that feeling from himself. 

“Alright, you two, time to kick ass!” Nemuri shouts, reaching over to pull them both in a tight hug.

“Nem, we’re in a school and at our place of work, don't swear,” Aizawa sighs, “But yeah, what she said. After all the training we’ve done, you two are more than prepared.”

Hizashi beams, “That’s right! You’ll do great. Looks like the other kids are arriving, you two should get to the examination location.”

Izuku feels the heightened excitement from everyone, turning to hug both of his dads before he and Hitoshi wave goodbye and head towards the exam.

“Good luck!” their parents call and Hitoshi and Izuku walk into the examination area. 

The exams are held in the newly refurbished Gym Alpha, specially designed by Cementoss. Of course their parents have been tight lipped about it and neither Hitoshi or Izuku have seen the inside so as to not have a leg up on the other examinees.

The recommendation exams are a small group, usually only the children of pros or others who have connections to UA in some way. Izuku grins when he spots Yayorozu, waving excitedly at her.

“Momo, hey!” he calls, running over with Hitoshi. She smiles at them, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a smile.

“Hitoshi, Izuku, it’s nice to see you,” she says. Despite being on a first name basis, Yayorozu still speaks rather formally. They talk quietly for a few minutes when Izuku’s attention begins to wander around to the other examinees.

Izuku’s eyes scan the room until the freeze on one person standing alone in the corner. He knows them instantly, an old memory dug up in his mind.

Shouto Todoroki.

He had never forgotten the other boy, even though they had only exchanged a few words once at UA. Izuku has disliked Endeavor ever since and he tentatively scans Shouto’s emotions, wincing internally when he feels the same void he had felt back then. At least Shouto seems calmer now, determined. Izuku doesn’t feel any immediate distress, but whatever issues Shouto had as a child aren’t completely gone now.

Izuku didn’t understand what he was feeling back then, but he knows now. Shouto was repressing his emotions then, just as he is now. Something awful had happened to him and he wasn’t allowing himself to feel. Izuku gets the sense that whatever it was is an old wound now, but Shouto hasn’t totally recovered from it. He still needs some help.

Izuku only has a few friends, so he’d like another. Plus, Shouto seems like he needs friends, too, judging by the fact that he’s standing by himself.

“I’m going to introduce myself!” Izuku tells Hitoshi, turning to walk over to Shouto. Just then, an announcement comes over the PA saying the written exam is about to start. 

The written test is exactly what Izuku had expected and he focuses enough to finish the exam easily. He’s not the first person to be done, but he turns it in before about half of the other examinees, heading out to get changed for the interview portion of the exam.

Ectoplasm and Nezu interview him, which Izuku finds amusing as they’ve known him since he was a child. The interview goes well and Izuku is dismissed to the gym for the practical portion of the exam. He changes into athletic clothes, meeting Hitoshi at the gym.

“You ready for this?” Izuku asks and Hitoshi just grins, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, considering it looks like you and I are the only people here without some kind of physical quirk, I’d say we both better be ready to give it our all,” Hitoshi smirks. 

Izuku eyes the obstacle course that’s been set up, realizing with a twist that this is a race. He scans the whole things and sees a path through it, one he can get by with using his capture weapon.

Just like the written exam, Izuku doesn’t finish first, but he’s happy with his time nonetheless. 

After the exams, Izuku and Hitoshi are walking back out of the gym after saying goodbye to Momo. Izuku had wanted to introduce himself to Shouto, but the other boy was already gone. Izuku feels a bit bad, but he figures there’s no way Endeavor’s son isn’t getting into UA. And considering that he and Hitoshi both did well on the exams, there’s no way they’re not getting in either. So hopefully he'll have a chance to talk to Shouto again.

Izuku’s hopeful, at least.

Hitoshi waves goodbye to go find Nemuri and Izuku heads to find his parents. He’s halfway down the hall when he senses the curious emotions of someone who he feels is watching him. Izuku turns around, surprised to see Shouto standing in the hall staring at him.

“You’re Eraserhead’s son,” Shouto says calmly. Izuku can feel something bubbling under Shouto’s repressed emotions. It’s hard to identify, but Izuku thinks it might be suspicion and a little fear.

Izuku just smiles, not wanting to unsettle Shouto more. “Yes, that’s right. I’m Izuku Aizawa. You might not remember, but we’ve actually met once before when we were kids.”

“I remember,” Shouto says quietly and Izuku feels something wrench in the other boy then. “You asked if I wanted to play. My father took me away and you started crying.”

Izuku blushes, rubbing the back of his head a little sheepishly. “Yeah, um, I’m kind of a crybaby sometimes. It goes along with my quirk.”

“And what is that?” Shouto asks and then Izuku can feel a little bit of fear from him. Shouto is nervous around him, but Izuku doesn’t know why.

“Um…it’s called empathic resonance,” Izuku says, “I can feel other people’s emotions. I didn’t have a great handle on it as a kid because I can’t turn it off.”

A spike of anxiety shoots through Izuku so sharply it makes him a little lightheaded. Shouto looks a bit ill, eyes wide, and Izuku realizes that Shouto is afraid of him. Despite this, Izuku has to say something. Even if Shouto hates him and never speaks to him again, he wants to try to help.

“You just felt so…awful,” Izuku whispers, watching Shouto’s eyes widen, “I had never felt emotions like it before. And your dad hated when I asked you to play. He scared me, that’s why I was crying. And I remember thinking…if he scared me that much, how was he making you feel?”

“Stop it,” Shouto hisses out, “How dare you.”

Izuku swallows hard, feeling Shouto’s disbelief, shock, anger. It’s like he’s chanting no no no no no in his head and thrumming his emotions through Izuku’s heart.

“I just wanted to be your friend,” Izuku says quietly, “And I wanted to help you. I know…we don’t know each other, but I can feel everything you’re feeling, Todoroki. I just…want you to know I  would never tell anyone, alright? I don’t tell other people’s secrets.”

Shouto is feeling a burning anger now and Izuku knows he’s more than overstepped. Shouto hates him right now and Izuku can’t blame him at all.

“Leave me alone,” Shouto snarls, turning away from Izuku and walking quickly down the hall and out the door. Izuku sighs, heart aching a little as he turns to head to his dad’s classroom.

He knows that he probably shouldn’t have done that, but Izuku couldn’t help it. Part of his quirk, he’s realizing, makes him want to reach out to people in emotional distress. He thinks back to the man he saw die in the accident and to the terrible things he’s felt from others over the years. 

Izuku’s so caught up in his own thoughts that he doesn’t realize he’s standing right in front of his dad.

“Kid, you okay?” Aizawa asks, looking at his son with concern. Izuku snaps himself out of it, looking up at his dad with a small smile.

“Yeah,” Izuku mumbles, “I just…picked up on something, that’s all. I’m going to be fine, dad, promise.”

Aizawa looks like he wants to ask Izuku a question, but they’re interrupted by Hizashi running over and pulling Izuku into a tight hug.

“I’m so proud of you, kid!” Hizashi squeals, and his boundless joy makes Izuku relax a little, “You crushed that obstacle course, your dad and I were watching from the observation deck.”

“It was very impressive,” Aizawa says, squeezing Izuku’s shoulder, “You did great, Izu. We're both really proud of you.”

Izuku knows that they are, their emotions swelling up around him, enveloping Izuku in a warm blanket of love and support. Being able to feel his parents' emotions means he rarely argues with them and he always knows they’re doing everything in his best interests. He is so unbelievably grateful to both of them and he wishes they could feel the love that he does.

“Thanks, guys,” Izuku smiles, exhausted, “Could we go home and order some pizza or something? I’m really tired.”

That night, after pizza and celebrations, Izuku is curled up in bed with the cats and staring at his ceiling. He wonders about Shouto, about the others that he might (hopefully) meet at UA. 

Emotions are a strange thing, Izuku thinks. He stays up for hours, thinking about everything and nothing all at once.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s been to UA hundreds of times, but entering the school building as a student is different. He practically grew up in these halls, all the teachers know him on a first-name basis and Izuku is embarrassed constantly to see that his parents and a few other teachers still have his childhood artwork hanging in their classrooms. 

Hitoshi can share his pain, wincing when he sees a childhood photo of himself on his mom’s desk. He begs her to remove it but she just replaces it with a photo of him and Izuku at the zoo as little kids. Not much better.

Izuku knows Hitoshi will already be there, Nemuri likes to get to school very early. Hizashi is already there, too, getting everything set up for the first day. Izuku walks to class with his dad, fully realizing for the first time that his dad is his homeroom teacher and his other dad is his English teacher.

It’s a bit weird.

“Dad, do you know who else is in 1-A?” Izuku asks as they walk. He’s got a pair of headphones around his neck just in case he gets overwhelmed today along with his old, bright yellow backpack. His parents had asked if he wanted a new one, but Izuku likes this one. He’ll use it until it breaks. 

“Yeah,” Aizawa nods, sounding exhausted as they head to his room, “There’s twenty of you in total. Besides you and Hitoshi, your old friends Yayorozu and Iida are there.” 

Izuku grins, “That’s great! I haven’t seen Iida since the last day of middle school. Who else, anyone we know?”

“Shouto Todoroki,” Aizawa says gently and Izuku winces. He had opened up to his dads about the awkward conversation he had with the other boy after the entrance exams. He knows he didn’t handle it well and he hopes he doesn’t make Shouto uncomfortable. 

Other than the prospect of Shouto disliking him, Izuku is a bit anxious that the other students will be aloof with him and Hitoshi again. Iida and Momo were the only two friends he managed to make in middle school, and he knows even they’re a little wary of Izuku’s quirk sometimes. 

“Will we be doing formal introductions?” Izuku asks as his dad opens the door to the classroom. Izuku sets his backpack down at his assigned seat, watching his dad lay out some papers at the front of the room and start to write the schedule for the day on the board.

“No, you kids can introduce yourselves on your own time,” Aizawa says, “And you know we’re skipping the entrance ceremony, it’s a waste of time to go.”

Izuku nods, “I know. Is papa taking his class?”

“No, he’s MCing the ceremony,” Aizawa smirks, “He hates that I don’t bring my class. I’ll have to make it up to him."

Izuku laughs, taking out his phone and texting a quick good luck on the ceremony to Hizashi before settling in at his desk. Izuku loves Hizashi deeply, but he feels so close with Aizawa when they just exist in silence like this. There’s no pressure to talk as Aizawa keeps writing on the board, Izuku getting absorbed in reading one of his textbooks, one on quirk history and theory.

He’s so absorbed he almost doesn’t register when Hitoshi walks in, sets a coffee for Aizawa on his desk, and groans, slumping in the desk next to Izuku.

“It’s so freaking early,” Hitoshi whines, Izuku closing the book and looking up at his friend. Hitoshi has dark circles under his eyes and Izuku can feel how tired he is.

“Take a nap, Toshi, you’ve got time,” Izuku suggests and Hitoshi just groans, slumping forward on his desk and closing his eyes. Izuku goes back to reading until it gets closer to the start of class, watching as other students come in.

The next to arrive are Iida and Momo, who Izuku greets happily. They’re catching up for a while, and Izuku registers the emotions of more people who are arriving. His dad has disappeared sometime in the last few minutes, presumably to get some more things set for the morning. 

Izuku greets a few of his classmates as they enter, stomach clenching when Shouto walks in. Shouto ignores him completely, walking to his desk and sitting down, not acknowledging anyone at all. 

“I’ve never seen you before,” a nice girl with brown hair says to Izuku, “Were you at the entrance exam?”

Izuku can feel her gentle curiosity, eagerness to make friends, and the slight underlying anxiety all his classmates seem to be feeling right now.  

“No, Hitoshi and I were recommendation students, so we weren’t at the entrance exams,” Izuku says, “Todoroki and Yayorozu as well.”

“Oh, cool!” the girl gushes, “You all must be super smart, then.”

They continue to talk for a while and Izuku learns her name, Uraraka, along with meeting an extremely kind boy who can talk to animals and another student with a sentient quirk.

“This is Dark Shadow,” Tokoyami says, and Izuku is almost drooling with how interesting the quirk is. He realizes with a shock that he can feel Dark Shadow’s emotions, almost like he can sense with animals. There’s something different about Dark Shadow though, something almost humanoid. Izuku isn’t sure if he’s sensing Dark Shadow or Tokoyami, but it’s extremely interesting. 

The conversation is halted when there’s loud shouting from the front. Iida is yelling at angry-looking blonde kid who’s get his feet up on the desk. The guy sounds pissed off, but Izuku can sense he’s really just irritated and kind of tired.

“That’s school property!” Iida says strongly, “Please remove your feet at once!”

“Chill out, loser,” the guy growls, “It’s just a desk.”

There’s something oddly familiar about the angry boy and Izuku can’t quite place it. Before he can think too hard on it, the door to the classroom swings open and his dad stands there, looking at them all with irritation. 

“I’m Aizawa Shouta, your homeroom teacher,” he says, “Pro hero Eraserhead. Stop wasting time and head to the locker rooms. I want you changed in your gym uniforms and on the training field in ten minutes or less. Go!”

There’s a flurry of motion as everyone stands up to get changed. Izuku senses his dad’s curiosity and high expectations as he looks at the class, and he instantly knows his dad is testing them all. 

After they change and head out to the training field, his dad gives the spiel that he’s known for across UA. Izuku’s heard it multiple times, sighing internally as every other student except Hitoshi start to feel anger, injustice, and anxiety when his dad threatens to expel the person who does worst on the quirk assessment tests.

Izuku knows his dad won’t, not really. He’s expelled entire classes before, but UA stepped up their entrance requirements, so it’s hardly likely someone would flunk out in just one day. 

After the assessments, Izuku sits in the middle of the pack, where he usually tends to fall. After his dad reveals that no one will actually be expelled, Izuku feels relief flood through the entire class, even those who said that they knew Aizawa wouldn’t actually expel them. 

After the next couple of classes, it’s lunch and Izuku is already worn out. He’s put the headphones on as they head to the cafeteria, erecting his emotional walls in his mind. There’s too much high energy in here and the hundreds of excited emotions he’s feeling are making him a bit ill.

Izuku feels a tap on his shoulder and turns to see Hitoshi. He raises his eyebrow and taps the side of his head, and Izuku realizes he’s asking if he’s alright.

“I’m okay,” Izuku says and Hitoshi nods. They take their lunches to an open table, sitting opposite each other. They’re used to eating alone, or mostly alone, so it’s to Izuku’s surprise that the table starts filling up with their classmates. Even Shouto is there, although he’s sitting on the opposite end of the table from Izuku.

It’s easier to focus on the emotions of those around him now that they’re sitting down, so Izuku slides the headphones off, eating some of the bento Hizashi had made for him. His classmates are introducing each other and discussing their quirks. Izuku catalogs them all, as much as he can.

Besides the few he already knows, there’s Aoyama, the glitter boy with the stomach laser is sitting in between Tsuyu, frog girl, and Mina, a pink girl with some kind of acid quirk. The guy with the tail is talking with the guy who has all the arms and the facemask. A boy with yellow hair and an obvious electrical quirk is listening to a conversation between the red-haired boy with the hardening quirk and the explosion guy, Bakugou Katsuki. 

“How about you, Izuku?” Uraraka asks him, pulling him from his thoughts. She blushes a bit, “Sorry I used your given name, I just realize I haven’t heard your family name.”

Izuku blushes too. He had been hoping to avoid this as much as possible. “Um, it’s because I didn’t say. It’s uh, it’s Aizawa.”

There’s a silence for a moment before half the class gapes at him, seemingly at a loss for words.

Mina says, “So, Aizawa-sensei is…”

“My dad, yeah,” Izuku shrugs, trying not to make a big deal of it, although he can feel all of their curiosity. Those who already know, like his middle school friends and Shouto, aren’t making a big deal of it.

“Isn’t Aizawa-sensei kind of young to have a high school kid?” the guy with the electricity quirk, Kaminari, asks, before a dark-haired girl with headphone jacks on her ears nudges him sharply.

Hitoshi barks a laugh, and Izuku can feel his amusement at the entire situation.

“He adopted me when I was four,” Izuku says calmly, “But yes, he’s my dad.”

Uraraka blinks, looking a little confused, “Isn’t it kind of weird being in your dad’s class, though?” 

Izuku shrugs. “Well, Hitoshi and I kind of grew up around UA so almost anyone’s class would be weird.”

“You too?” Kaminari asks Hitoshi, who just shrugs.

“Yeah, my mom’s Midnight,” he says, watching their eyes bug out again as they fire off questions at Hitoshi.

Izuku drifts in his head for a moment, feeling a bit bad he can’t talk about Hizashi. He and his parents had made the decision to keep their family relationship a secret at school. They can’t exactly hide Izuku’s connection to Aizawa since they share a last name, but for all of their safety, Izuku doesn’t reveal Hizashi’s his dad. He doesn’t like the lie, but it’s better for all of them. 

“So, should we just call you guys by your given names, then?” Tsuyu asks, “Since you have the same last name as the teachers.”

Izuku and Hitoshi both nod, neither of them really caring that much. Honestly, this is the most anyone’s ever talked to Izuku in school, so he’s a bit overwhelmed. 

“Hey, what are your guys’ quirks, anyways?” Kaminari asks them, “I couldn’t really tell on the quirk assessment test.”

Izuku can feel a sharp flash of something from Shouto, who he’s finding difficult to read, along with trepidation from Iida and Momo and a bit of anxiety from Hitoshi. Izuku decides to go first, stomach twisting a little.

“Mine’s called empathic resonance,” Izuku says, biting his lip, “I can feel the emotions from people around me and I can’t turn it off. So um, sorry…about that.”

“Whoa, that’s awesome!” Kaminari exclaims, “What am I feeling right now, then?”

Izuku focuses before grinning, “You’re excited, curious, a little anxious, and hungry. Finish your lunch, Kaminari.” 

Kaminari laughs and Izuku is relieved. Kaminari thought his quirk was cool . 

“How about you, Hitoshi?” the red-haired guy asks, “It was pretty manly the way you and Izuku were nailing those quirk assessments without physical quirks.” 

Izuku can feel Hitoshi’s stress before he speaks. “It’s brainwashing. Verbal activation. I can temporarily control people's thoughts and actions.”

“Scary, but also awesome,” Kaminari grins, a few others nodding, “Seriously, that’s really cool, you guys. I’m just glad you’re both in our class.”

Izuku can sense that not everyone in class shares Kaminari’s opinion about their quirks, but it’s better than he’s used to from classmates. Lunch passes quickly after that, and soon everyone is back in the locker rooms to change for their first training exercise. 

They’re wearing their hero costumes for the first time and Izuku is pleased with his. It’s simple, but functional. He has black pants and a black jacket, both outfitted with multiple zippered pockets. Around his thighs are bracers to hold knives and other weapons. His boots have shock absorption and will help him to jump higher than usual. He has his capture weapon as well as a gas mask and a black visor to hide his eyes. 

He pulls up the hood on his costume, turning to Hitoshi. Hitoshi’s costume is similar to his, but instead of gas mask, he has a voice changer over his face so he can imitate anyone’s voice. It’s a clever invention and Izuku has to admit the two of them together made an intimidating looking team.

Hitoshi grins at him from under the mask, “Let’s crush this, Izu.”

They do, in fact, crush it.

All Might, who’s leading the exercise, selected the teams by random selection, and Izuku and Hitoshi were paired together by chance. When their names are called, they high five each other, already thrilled to be working together.

The exercise is simple, a hero team versus a villain team. The heroes have to defend an orb-like structure inside of a building and the villains have to touch it. Izuku and Hitoshi are facing Bakugou, the angry explosion guy, and Iida. 

“Bakugou seems pretty unhinged,” Hitoshi whispers to Izuku as they prepare their strategy, “So I’m thinking he’ll be easy to brainwash. How do you want to handle Iida?”

Izuku bites his lip before brightening, “I’ll sense him! Iida’s brave, but he gets nervous a lot. I can make noises around the room to heighten his emotions and then when he’s distracted, I’ll go in and touch the device.” 

It goes very smoothly. Hitoshi brainwashes Bakugou by asking the guy what his problem is. Bakugou answers, and Hitoshi tells him to sit on the floor without making a noise until the end of the exercise. Izuku sneaks in behind Iida and throws a knife across the room, making a loud clang on the metal barrier it hit. When Iida’s distracted, Izuku jumps on top of the orb.

“HERO TEAM WINS!” All Might’s booming voice comes over the PA. Iida looks stunned when he sees Izuku behind him, sliding off the orb.

So yes, it goes well.

By the end of the school day, Izuku is exhausted. He’s not sure if he’s made any new friends, but he’s worked very hard, hopeful that he’ll be able to connect more with his classmates in the future. 

That night, Izuku is laying dramatically on the floor under the kitchen table, trying to get through the math homework from Ectoplasm. 

“Izu, you have a desk,” Aizawa reminds him from where he’s sitting on the couch, sipping through coffee and going through emails. 

Izuku just groans, dropping his face in his textbook. “Equations are impossible. My brain is soup. I want to go to bed.”

Hizashi laughs from the kitchen where he’s cooking dinner, a rare night with all three of them home at the same time. 

“Ecto’s always been rough on his classes this first week,” Hizashi grins, “It’ll be okay, kid, dinner will be ready in a few, it'll save you from the big, bad math problems.”

Izuku just groans, going back to his homework. He manages to finish everything up before crawling out from under the table and into his chair. Hizashi calls Aizawa over and puts out their dinners, reaching over to rub Izuku’s back.

“Other than dying from math, how was your day, kiddo?” Hizashi asks, picking up his chopsticks, “I barely got to see you, but All Might said you and Hitoshi did great on your exercise.” 

Izuku picks up his head, starting to eat his dinner and smiling at his parents. “Yeah, we did. It was probably just because he and I know each other so well. I don’t know if I would have done as good if I was with a stranger. Some of the other kids in class are kind of wary of me and Toshi.”

Aizawa frowns, “Who?”

Izuku shakes his head, sensing his dad’s rising protectiveness. “It’s okay, dad, it’s nothing hostile or anything. Just more like…they’re scared I’ll invade their privacy. Well, um, Shouto really doesn’t like me, but I don’t blame him. I’m going to try to make it up to him, though! He needs a friend.”

“I swear, kid,” Aizawa sighs fondly, “You’re a menace. What if Shouto doesn’t want to make friends?"

Izuku considers this. “Then, I’ll just be his classmate. But I will help him. I get the feeling whatever he was so upset about years ago isn’t completely over. His dad is scary as hell.”

“He’s something, that’s for sure,” Hizashi sighs, “Did you have to use your headphones today?”

“A little,” Izuku says through a mouthful of rice, “But not too much. I think it’ll be mostly okay, there’s just a few people in class that have really strong emotions. Bakugou and Hagakure are really intense.”

Aizawa looks interested. “Hagakure? That’s surprising to hear, she seems so easy going.”

“Dad, she’s invisible,” Izuku reminds him, “She’s terrified that everyone’s going to forget about her, like all the time. I don’t think a single teacher called on her today, either.”

Aizawa frowns, “Got it. I’ll check in with her more often. What about Bakugou?”

“I dunno, he’s just intense,” Izuku says, picking at his dinner, “Like everything is a battle. He was livid that he lost that training exercise today. He was fine in the morning but by the end of the day he was really angry.”

Aizawa starts taking notes and Izuku blushes, realizing he might be giving away more of his classmates' personal information than he should be. 

“Don’t worry, Izu,” Aizawa says, not even looking up, “I can tell you’re worrying. This is helpful, knowing how your classmates are feeling will help me be a better teacher, and you’re not telling me anything I couldn’t figure out on my own after a week or so of having them in class.”

Izuku relaxes a little, nodding as he keeps eating his dinner. The day has given him a lot to think about and process, and Izuku is looking forward to what the next weeks at UA will hold.

Chapter Text

1-A spends the morning electing new class representatives, Iida and Yayorozu. It’s a pretty easy vote, most of the class feels confident in the two to lead them throughout the year. Izuku is mostly just relieved that it’s not him. No that he was expecting to get many votes; a lot of their class are still a bit wary of him and Hitoshi because of their quirks.

After elections, they’re just sitting down to eat lunch when an alarm goes off. Students start panicking, rushing towards the doors, and Izuku freezes in the lunchroom, an overwhelming surge of everyone’s emotions rushing through him all at once. It’s so unexpected he doesn’t have time to throw his walls up, missing when Hitoshi yanks headphones over his ears and pulls him out of his seat over to a quiet corner.

Izuku misses Iida managing to calm the crowd of stampeding students, misses the worried looks he’s getting as he slowly begins to panic. He slides down the wall and tucks his face into his knees, breathing shakily into them. The headphones over his ears help keep the sound out, but the unexpected wave of intense emotions leaves him reeling. He keeps his hands wrapped around his head, bringing himself in the tiniest ball he can as he tries to hold back the wave.

A few long minutes pass before Izuku looks up, panic still thrumming through him, eyes red-rimmed as he sees Hitoshi’s worried face. He's so overwhelmed that he hadn't even noticed his friend's approach. A couple of their classmates are watching from a distance and Izuku can feel their uncertainty and concern as they look at him.

“Are you okay?” Hitoshi asks after a minute and Izuku shakes his head, closing his eyes again. His heart is hammering and the anxiety of so many people at once has left his body with an adrenaline rush that he’s still coming down from. 

“Please brainwash me, Toshi,” Izuku murmurs, not missing the shock he feels from their other classmates, “It's too much.”

Hitoshi doesn’t say anything more and Izuku feels a warm, fuzzy feeling draping over his brain like a blanket.

“Sit here until you calm down completely,” Hitoshi orders, ignoring their classmates' curious stares , “You are safe and nothing is going to hurt you.”

Izuku sits for five long minutes, catching his breath and calming down. Eventually, the fuzziness goes away and he looks at Hitoshi with clear eyes, feeling much better. Their other classmates are still watching with concern, feeling anxious at the sight of Izuku.

“Thanks,” Izuku says, reaching out his hand so Hitoshi can help him stand up, “That was really intense.”

“Yeah,” Hitoshi agrees, “Iida was awesome though, calmed everyone down pretty quickly.”

Izuku nods, looking around the cafeteria. It’s almost totally empty now, save for a few of their classmates. He sees Uraraka, Hagakura, and Kaminari, all watching him and all feeling concerned. 

“Um, sorry for worrying you all,” Izuku apologizes and he can feel their surprise at that, “I mean, um, at least you felt worried, so I just assumed…well, thank you. Sometimes big crowds like that can set off my quirk.”

Uraraka recovers first, “That sounds really hard to deal with, Izuku. But Hitoshi, was that your quirk? That looked so awesome!”

Hitoshi blushes and Izuku can feel his embarrassment. “Uh…thanks. It’s…”

“Toshi’s been helping me calm down with his quirk for years!” Izuku says cheerfully, slinging an arm over Hitoshi’s shoulder, “He’s going to be an amazing rescue hero someday. His quirk feels so awesome, it’s like your brain is in a spa or something.”

Hitoshi is sending off waves of embarrassment but underneath that Izuku can feel that he’s pleased, so Izuku doesn’t feel too bad about talking up his best friend.

“Izu, come on,” Hitoshi grumbles, “We should get back to class.”

“A break in?” Aizawa frowns at the kitchen table later that night. He and Hizashi are talking about the event that triggered the alarm at UA. Izuku looks up curiously from his homework, wondering what exactly went on.

“Is that why everyone panicked so much?” Izuku asks, both of his parents turning towards him, “Because someone broke in? I was so overwhelmed, I actually didn’t stop to think about it.”

Aizawa and Hizashi are both instantly worried and Izuku remembers he hadn’t actually told them about what had happened earlier. Oops.

“Oh, um, I was just in the cafeteria,” Izuku mumbles, blushing a bit, “When everyone panicked. It was rough for a few minutes, but Hitoshi helped me calm down with his quirk.”

“Honey,” Hizashi says sternly, folding his arms, “You needed Hitoshi to calm you down and you didn’t go to Recovery Girl after or come find one of us after?”

Izuku blushes more, looking down at the table. “No, I’m sorry.”

“Izuku,” Aizawa cuts in. Izuku can feel both of his parents' disappointment and worry, understanding that they both just want the best for him.

“I know,” Izuku sighs, dropping his head, “I’m sorry, I really should have. But I was fine, I promise.”

Aizawa sighs, “Izu, you can’t be reckless like that. You know what happens when you get too overwhelmed. We don’t want to see you in the hospital again, not like when you were ten.”

Izuku freezes, feeling awful as his parents’ worry and concern flood him. He knows how traumatic that incident was for both his parents and him, so he understands where they’re coming from.

“I’m sorry,” Izuku says again honestly, “I promise I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Izuku is excited when his dad announces their class field trip to the USJ. The Unforeseen Simulation Joint is a massive facility, designed for training young heroes in different techniques. He hasn’t seen the facility yet, but he knows that it’s impressive. On the bus ride over, he chats excitedly with Hitoshi about everything they’re going to see, especially looking forward to meeting the rescue hero, Thirteen.

When they enter the USJ, Izuku’s mouth drops. It looks like a massive theme park and Izuku is taken in by both the design and the overall layout of the place. He wants nothing more than to inspect every inch of it, there’s a couple of spots in the distance that look like they’d be especially fun to navigate with his capture weapon. Thirteen greets them all with a wave from the front of the building.

“Welcome to the USJ!” Thirteen says, gesturing towards the sight in front of them, “We’ll be training today in this arena in different rescue techniques."

Suddenly, there's an odd sound. Izuku's stomach wrenches, looking out to see a black and purple spiral appear in the center of the USJ, expanding out. A person covered in what look like severed hands steps out of the mist, and Izuku feels a stab of panic from his dad, making him jolt.

“Thirteen, protect the students!” Aizawa says, staring out at the portal that’s appeared in the middle of the USJ. The black and purple swirls around and more people begin pouring out of the mist. The class stares, confused, until Izuku gasps. He feels so much that it’s intense. There’s anger and fury, but mostly what he’s feeling from the intrudors in front of him is excitement. Blood lust. Izuku wants to vomit.

“Stay back!” Aizawa calls, sliding on his signature goggles, “This is real, those are villains. I’ll leave it to you, Thirteen.”

Izuku’s heart plummets when he realizes instantly that his dad is planning on facing all of those villains by himself. He can’t feel the confidence, the hatred, emanating from the villains in front of them all, along with his dad's determination.

“Dad, you can’t,” Izuku chokes out, taking a step towards his father, “There’s too many, you-”

“Kid, what do I always say?” his dad smiles, sending a wave of calm towards Izuku, “You can’t be a pro with only one trick up your sleeve.”

Izuku watches anxiously as his dad heads down into the fray, instantly cancelling the quirk of a villain with some kind of weapon for fingers. He has to admit, his dad really kicks ass. Watching him take down six villains in less than a minute is impressive, and despite his anxiety, he feels pride watching his dad absolutely decimate them.

“Man, Aizawa is so cool,” Kirishima gushes and Izuku definitely agrees.

It’s the last word anyone gets before they’re suddenly separated by portals of black mist.

When Izuku opens his eyes again, he’s by himself in another part of the USJ. He can’t sense any emotions near to him, realizing he’s been dropped somewhere alone. His heart hammers in anxiety, knowing that they’ve been separated all around the USJ, and Hitoshi and the rest of his classmates are probably fighting alone.

Despite this, all he can think of is his dad. His dad with a horde of villains descending on him. Izuku races back to the center of the USJ, stomach sinking when he sees his dad still in the center of a raging fight. He's still moving quickly, but Izuku notices the way his hands shake, notices he's favoring his left leg over his right a little.

Aizawa’s getting tired.

Izuku doesn’t need a quirk to see that his dad’s moving a little slower than he did at the start. He’s hurt as well, Izuku can see some blood on his chest and there are some tears in his costume. Most of the villains are falling down around him, being taken out by Aizawa’s quirk, but Izuku can see a villain that seems more confident than the rest watching the whole scene with interest.

The villain is excited.

Izuku runs down as fast as he can towards the fight, stomach clenching in horror when he sees what looks like a monster standing next to the villain who’s covered in dismembered hands. Next to them is a person made of mist, the one Izuku’s sure let them into the USJ. Izuku has just reached the fight when he sees the villain with the hands spot him. He barely has time to blink before the villain is racing at him, hands outstretched.

Izuku doesn’t know what this guy’s quirk is, but everything he’s feeling from the villain is awful, so he steps back instinctively. The villain's hand is barely at his face when he sees his dad sit up out of the corner of his eye just as the villain touches Izuku’s skin.

Nothing happens.

The villain laughs and Izuku feels a reckless amusement coming from him as he turns and says, “Eraserhead, you really are so cool.”

Izuku is abruptly thrown to the side, slamming into the ground. He hits his head hard enough that he sees stars for a moment, sitting up and hissing in pain. Just as he sits up, he feels agony from his dad and watches as the villain decays part of his dad’s arm.

Aizawa falls.

The villain laughs.

“Shigaraki, the heroes will be here soon,” the man made of mist says. Izuku’s just staring. The villain covered in hands, Shigaraki, just grins, stepping away from Aizawa and back towards the monster.

Izuku sees his dad, laying down in a pool of blood. He’s not moving and part of his arm has decayed. It’s horrifying, terrible, and all Izuku can think of is his mother’s body, laying in a destroyed building. His dad, nearly drowning over the phone. The cyclist he felt die five years ago.

The fear and panic are too much. His head is full to bursting, his body is vibrating with too much. Izuku’s going to have a panic attack, he’s going to lose it, his dad is going to die, he has to do something, he can’t react like this, he has to stop-

And then, suddenly, Izuku feels nothing at all. 

He looks back down at his dad, bloody and broken, and feels nothing.

Izuku knows he should be feeling a lot of things seeing his dad laid out like this. But instead it’s just empty inside him. He’s void of feelings, as if they’ve been locked away and he can’t access them at all. He doesn’t know how, but he’s completely shut off all of his emotions, feeling nothing other than a vague curiosity as to how it occurred. His dad is badly injured, possibly dying, and Izuku knows he should be panicking.

Instead, he’s able to be rational, logical. Without the emotions overwhelming him, he can clearly see the best course of action is to analyze the situation and see which of the villains he will be able to subdue most easily.

He steps in front of his dad’s motionless body, looking up with blank eyes at the three enemies in front of him. Izuku doesn’t sense any emotion at all from the villain with the warp quirk or the monster with the beak. Shigaraki is different, though. He’s feeling a lot and Izuku knows instinctively that he can use Shigaraki’s emotions to get the better of him. 

Without his own emotions to distract him, Izuku is able to focus solely on Shigaraki’s. The villain feels excited, but also agitated and annoyed, and maybe a touch disappointed. Interesting.

“Did someone let you down or something?” Izuku asks Shigaraki calmly, completely ignoring the rest of the chaos around them.

There’s a flash of annoyance and confusion from Shigaraki before he asks, “What?”

“You feel very disappointed,” Izuku tilts his head curiously, “I just wondered why.”

Shigaraki’s eyes narrow. “Fucking empathy quirk, is it? I hate brats like you.”

Izuku can feel that Shigaraki means it, but since he currently can’t access his own emotions for whatever reason, it doesn’t bother him. 

“Nomu, get rid of him,” Shigaraki says and the beaked creature roars. It’s probably a frightening scene, but Izuku feels nothing at all as he stares the nomu down. 

The thing’s brain is exposed, which Izuku thinks is stupid. The creature might as well have a neon sign over its head that says ‘hit me here!’ If Izuku could feel anything right now, he’d probably find that funny. 

Instead, Izuku kneels down and grabs a couple of throwing knives out of the pockets of his dad’s costume. He feels Shigaraki staring at him, filled with confusion as Izuku stands in front of the charging nomu with absolutely no fear. 

As soon as the creature is in range, Izuku flings a knife directly into its brain, stopping it in its tracks. The nomu screeches, stumbling a little, and Izuku throws two more knives to blind it, and the creature falls. Izuku’s not sure if it’s actually dead, but he did stop it for the moment at least. 

“What the fuck did you do?” Shigaraki snarls, enraged, “You’re just a brat!”

Izuku tilts his head, emptiness still swirling inside of him. “It was really obvious where it was vulnerable, so I just took my best guess,” he says in a flat voice to the villain, “It wasn’t hard.”

A flash of unease from Shigaraki then, “Shit, you’re a little psycho, aren’t you? Does the precious hero course know they have a little baby villain in their school?”

“I’m not a villain,” Izuku says blandly, as if he’s discussing the weather, “I’m a hero student and Eraserhead’s son.”

Shock, disbelief, unease, and then amusement. Shigaraki grins, “Then you really are disturbed, little hero. Didn’t take a good look at your daddy yet, did you?”

Izuku looks down, eyeing his father’s poor condition. “He’s very badly hurt. I think when I get my emotions back, I’ll be really upset about it.”

Confusion. Irritation. Intrigue. 

“You’re interesting,” Shigaraki grins, all teeth, “I’d like to take you back and study you. Maybe keep those emotions turned off for good.”

Izuku just stares. He figures the heroes will be coming soon, so Shigaraki’s words and threats mean nothing to him. He simply shrugs, sitting down cross-legged next to his dad’s motionless body. 

“No thanks,” he says conversationally, reaching over to check his dad’s pulse. It was still strong, and his dad was still breathing. All good then. 

Shigaraki feels amusement then, followed by annoyance. They don’t have any longer to continue their conversation, though, as All Might bursts into the USJ. The nomu stirs then, recovering from the injuries Izuku gave to it, and the fight between All Might and the nomu begins. 

The following fight is vaguely interesting to watch, Izuku tracking All Might’s moves and the other teachers. He stays sitting cross-legged next to his dad, eyes blank. Without emotions, he has no fear, which also means he has no self preservation at all. He doesn’t move out of the line of fire, just throws his capture weapon over his dad’s chest so he doesn’t get dirt in any of his wounds. Izuku has a sense he’ll care about that later. 

The battle seems over quickly, the UA teachers and All Might subduing the villains before they all vanish through portals. Izuku stays at his dad’s side, looking blankly at All Might. He doesn’t notice some members of his class and the other teachers walking over to the scene. 

He does see Hitoshi running at him full force, face dropping in horror when he sees the state of Aizawa. Izuku feels fear, panic, and shock from most of the people around him. Hitoshi moves to rush towards him but he’s stopped quickly by Ectoplasm. 

Izuku wonders why, but then he looks down to see that a lot of his dad’s blood is on Izuku’s legs and chest. Ah, he probably looks injured as well. 

Izuku barely registers the panicked voice of Hizashi calling his name, keeping his blank-eyed stare forward. He figures he probably should turn his emotions back on, but the trouble is, he can’t seem to figure out how. The walls around his feelings seem thick, impossible to breach. He usually sees them as clear when he visualizes them, but these are dark, impassible. He knows he should be feeling emotions, but he can’t access them from where he locked them away. 

“What’s wrong with Izuku?” Uraraka asks from where she’s standing with the rest of the class, voice wobbly with tears, “Why does he look like that?”

Panic. Fear. Anxiety. Worry.

Hizashi reaches his side, and Izuku can feel his dad’s panic, then relief when he feels Aizawa’s pulse. It’s all worry love panic fear worry and Izuku just stares. 

“Izu, are you alright?” Hizashi asks him in a shaky voice, putting a gentle hand on his arm, “Is any of this blood yours?”

Izuku shakes his head, “No, it’s all dad’s.”

Hizashi flinches at Izuku’s blank voice, worry overwhelming him. 

“What’s wrong?” Hizashi asks as medics rush over to begin helping Aizawa, “Honey, you’re scaring me.”

Izuku looks at Hizashi and feels all the worry and panic, unsure of how to respond. He just goes with the truth. “I turned all my emotions off. I don’t know how to get them back. Do you know?”

Hizashi looks like he’s about to cry, the panic at his husband and son’s conditions overwhelming him. He leans forward, pulling Izuku into a tight hug. Izuku is just staring blankly ahead, seeing a few of his classmates watching and whispering. Oh right, no one knows Hizashi’s his dad, too. 

“Izu, you need to break your walls down,” Hizashi is saying, voice trembling as he strokes his son’s hair. Neither care that the whole class can see, the teachers, everyone. Everyone will know that Izuku is his son, there’s no hiding it after this. Izuku can feel that his dad doesn’t care, his sole worry is about his son right now.

“Come on, honey,” Hizashi chokes out, pulling his blank-eyed son into a tighter hug, rocking him a little, “Please, break them down. I know it’s going to hurt, but you can’t stay like this. Let go, you’re safe, I won’t let anyone hurt you, or dad.”

Izuku listens and while he can’t feel anything anymore, he still doesn’t like that his parents are hurting and scared. He digs deep down in himself, looks into his mind at the visualized walls he made around his emotions. He imagines taking a hammer, lifting it high, and smashing the walls down, shattering them into oblivion. 

And there, on the bloodstained floor of the USJ in Hizashi’s arms, Izuku lets the emotions rush back into him, and screams.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s mind is in overdrive. Since the events at the USJ the previous day, he’s been in the hospital with his parents. While Aizawa’s injuries were grievous, Recovery Girl was able to heal the worst ones so he was out of the woods. Despite this, he was still head-to-toe in bandages and could only stay awake for a few minutes at a time. 

Hizashi was staying strong, but Izuku can feel what a wreck his dad is right now. He’s trying to be there for Aizawa and Izuku, but Izuku can feel his exhaustion every time his dad comes to visit him in the children's ward. 

After turning his emotions back on at the USJ, Izuku had felt so unbelievably exhausted and frightened. It was like every heightened sensation from the attack was shoved into him at once. He had screamed in Hizashi’s arms until a medic came and sedated him, in the hospital since.

It’s not the first time Izuku’s been in the psychiatric ward at this hospital. The doctors inform him that he’s experiencing Empathetic Shock as when he was a child and Izuku tries to make sense of all of it. He had drifted into dissociation when he awakened in the ward, only becoming aware of his situation in the last few hours.

“Honey,” Hizashi’s voice cracks, squeezing Izuku’s hand as he sits on the edge of his hospital bed, “Are you with me?”

Izuku blinks, taking in Hizashi’s worried face. His emotions are all over the place, both of theirs are, and he wants nothing more than to curl up and put a blanket over his head. Anything to make all these overwhelming feelings stop.

“How’s dad?” he asks instead, voice rough from screaming so much the day before, “And everyone else?”

Hizashi feels relieved as he replies, “Dad’s going to be fine. All Might and Thirteen are in the hospital as well, but they’ll pull through. A couple of your classmates got treated for minor injuries, but they’re all home now. Seems like the one that got hurt the worst was your dad.”

Izuku’s stomach clenches, guilt flooding every inch of him. While his dad had laid there bleeding out on the ground of the USJ, Izuku had just been conversing with a villain. Hizashi must see something on his face, worry flashing through him. 

“I should have protected dad more,” Izuku chokes out, tears in his eyes, “I just sat there. I was so useless-“

“Hey, none of that,” Hizashi murmurs, rubbing his thumb over their clasped hands, “Your dad is a pro hero. It's not your job to protect him. Your quirk did something you weren’t expecting and you dealt with it the best you could. Not to mention you distracted Shigaraki from hurting your dad more when he was down.”

Izuku can feel the honesty, the worry, the love, and he leans forward, relief flooding him when Hizashi pulls him into a hug. 

“Can I see dad now?” Izuku mumbles into his shoulder, “I just want to see him and go home.”

“Soon, honey,” Hizashi replies, stroking Izuku’s back to soothe him, “They just need you to pass a couple of tests and then we can leave.”

The tests Hizashi’s referring to are psychiatric and emotional evaluations. His empathetic counselor had visited Izuku earlier, taking note of the new emotional shut-off portion of his quirk and suggesting the tests.

“We’ll need to test this when you feel better, Izuku,” she had told him calmly, “So it doesn’t take you by surprise again.”

Izuku goes through his remaining psych evaluations, hears the doctors tell Hizashi they’re concerned about Izuku’s dissociation, and that they want him to check back in for an appointment in a few weeks. After the barrage of tests, Izuku is free to leave the ward and go see his dad, under supervision.

Izuku’s wearing his favorite sweatshirt and joggers Hizashi had brought from home, walking through the hallway behind his dad like a shadow. He’s exhausted and wants nothing more but to see his dad and to sleep. He must be walking slow, because at one point Hizashi turns around and gently takes Izuku’s hand, leading him down the hall. 

When they reach Aizawa’s room, Izuku’s heart clenches when he sees his dad covered in bandages. He’s awake, but looks rough. Izuku feels soul-crushing guilt when he sees a large cut under one of his dad's eyes, one that will definitely scar.

“Hey, babe,” Hizashi smiles, but Izuku can feel his anxiety. Aizawa sits up with a groan, eyes widening when he sees Izuku, relief flooding him. Izuku doesn’t move, trying not to feel sick from the guilt.

“My two favorites,” Aizawa grins, but his voice is exhausted. Izuku’s eyes well with tears as he walks in, leaning over to carefully hug his dad, not wanting to aggravate any of his injuries. 

“I’m so sorry, dad,” Izuku whispers, tears falling now. Worry and love flood in from both of his parents.

“Kid, you have nothing to apologize for,” Aizawa says gently, “I’m glad you’re up and about now. Looks like we’ll both be discharged today, they’re going to do one more healing session for me in a little while.”

Izuku’s relieved, wiping at his eyes. “Are we going back to school tomorrow?”

“Absolutely not,” Hizashi says before Aizawa can reply, “You two are staying home and recovering. No arguments, Shouta.”

Izuku can feel his dad’s fond exasperation as Hizashi talks. Izuku can’t deny he’s relieved, still feeling exhausted and a little spacey. He doesn’t think that he could make it through a day of school yet.

“Zashi, we’ve got to prepare the kids for the Sports Festival,” Aizawa reasons, Izuku perking up at the mention of the event, “I can’t leave my class.”

“I’ll sub for your homeroom, Shou,” Hizashi says, squeezing Aizawa’s hand, “Don’t worry, I’ll catch them up.”

Izuku had honestly forgotten about the Sports Festival, one of the biggest events of the year at UA. A chance to show off quirks and get internships. It’s something that he and Hitoshi have been talking about participating in for years, having attended them in the past with their parents as spectators.

“I should go to school too, then,” Izuku says, sensing his parents' confusion and concern at the words, “So I can train and prepare.”

Silence follows this statement and Izuku’s gut clenches as he senses worry, anxiety, trepidation from his parents. 

“Izu, honey, you’re not medically cleared to participate,” Hizashi says gently, “You’re going to have to sit out this year, I’m sorry.”

Izuku’s stomach drops. He can’t sit out of the festival. It’s not fair. To his utter embarrassment, tears well up in his eyes again as he feels his dads’ sympathy, worry, love. 

“I’ll be the only person in class not doing it,” Izuku chokes out, “Please, I’ll be fine, it’s not like I use my quirk to fight.”

Aizawa shares a look with Hizashi before reaching over to squeeze Izuku’s hand. “Kid, it’s non-negotiable. That stadium will be packed with thousands of people. Your doctors didn’t clear you, so the answers no. I’m sorry.”

Izuku can feel that his dad really is sorry, but that doesn’t mean Izuku’s happy about it. He’s finally just found classmates who don’t care about him using his quirk, and now he can’t participate with them. It’s so unfair and Izuku’s potential internships will be limited because of it. He knows any of the UA teachers would take him on, but he was hoping for an internship with a hero he doesn’t know well. Without the festival, it’s a non-starter. 

“It’s not fair,” Izuku says, wincing at how childish that sounds. Hizashi squeezes Izuku’s shoulder, sending love and worry towards him. 

“It isn’t,” Hizashi says softly, “But part of being a hero is knowing your limits. You still need to train your quirk. Having you sent to the hospital again is not what your dad and I want, or your classmates. Everyone’s so worried about you, Izu. Especially Hitoshi.”

Izuku’s sniffling by the end, rubbing at his eyes. He wants to scream and yell and shout, but he can feel his dads’ earnestness. They want him to participate, but their worry for his health comes first. Izuku gives in, trying to quash the disappointment welling up inside of him. 

“You two are going home to rest,” Hizashi says, gentle but firm, “No school or work tomorrow for either of you.”

Izuku knows there’s no way he’s winning an argument against his parents right now, so he stays silent. 

Later that night, they’re at home and Aizawa is laid out on the couch, the cats curled up on him, asleep. Hizashi has made enough food for the next day so they won’t have to do any cooking, and handled the chores around the apartment. Izuku’s in his room, texting Hitoshi about the festival, trying to be soothed by his friend’s messages. He still feels bitter about missing it, like he’s being sequestered from the class and not involved at all. He resolves to ask his parents if he can at least attend and watch, wanting to cheer his classmates on. 

Izuku feels an anger deep inside him, festering and burning every minute since he’s arrived at home. He’s been trying to ignore it, but the overdue breakdown from the emotional upheaval he went through at the USJ seems to be on the horizon. He knows he should tell his parents, ask for help, but he doesn’t want to bother them, not when Aizawa’s healing and Hizashi’s so stressed. 

Izuku sits on his bed, burying his face in his knees. He’s stopped texting Hitoshi now, just wanting some time to breathe on his own. His room is suffocating, it feels tight and cramped, and he suddenly wants to get out. He wants to be somewhere else, somewhere quiet and peaceful where he doesn’t feel the guilt of his dad’s injuries hanging over them. His parents won’t let him leave right now, he knows this, so Izuku considers exiting through his window and heading to a nearby park.

It’s a reckless thought, but he feels stifled and his emotions are all over the place. He sits up, walking over to his window and sliding it open, leaning out slightly to look at the roofs adjacent to their apartment building. If he uses his capture weapon, he can get down to the ground, no problem. 

He pockets his phone, slides on his shoes, and grabs his capture weapon from his desk. He has one leg out the windowsill when a flash of shock and disbelief shoots through him, making him wince when he realizes it’s not his.

“What are you doing?” Hizashi asks sharply from the doorway. Izuku’s only heard his dad use this tone of voice three times in his life, all after exceptionally irresponsible things that Izuku had done. 

He’s definitely in trouble.

“I just wanted some air,” Izuku says, the words sounding flimsy and pathetic even to him. He senses Hizashi’s anxiety and rising anger with a wince. 

“So you decided to climb out of the window?” Hizashi hisses, “Izuku, we live on the tenth floor of this building.”

Izuku winces, already knowing he’s in major trouble. “Y-Yeah, but I knew you guys wouldn’t let me leave if I asked.”

“Get inside right now,” Hizashi says sternly. Izuku obeys, closing the window behind him. There’s an awkward pause as his dad stares at him, arm outstretched. Izuku takes off the capture weapon, handing it to Hizashi before taking off his shoes.

“Please go sit in the living room,” Hizashi tells him, gripping the capture weapon in both hands. Izuku nods, biting his lip as he heads out of the room. He can sense that his dad is trying to get a handle on his emotions, clearly not wanting to yell at Izuku, but obviously upset at the stunt he had just tried to pull.

Izuku rarely gets in trouble with his parents. Partially because he’s just generally well-behaved, but also because of the emotions he can sense. It’s hard to disobey his parents when he can feel how much they love and worry about him constantly. It doesn’t take much to annoy Aizawa, but Hizashi has the patience of a saint. For him to actually get angry takes a lot, and Izuku knows he’s just crossed a line.

He heads into the living room and sits down on the floor next to the couch where Aizawa is still sleeping with the cats. Izuku gently takes Mochi and cuddles with the cat on the floor. He can still feel Hizashi trying to calm down and Izuku feels a wave of his own guilt mixing with the strong emotions from his dad.

Eventually, Hizashi comes out into the living room, feeling calmer but still upset. Izuku winces, knowing he’s in for a long lecture. He knows he’s in even bigger trouble when Hizashi wakes up Aizawa, shrinking down on himself. If Hizashi was angry enough to wake up his still-healing husband, Izuku knew he had really fucked up.

“What is it?” Aizawa asks sleepily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Hizashi sits down on the end of the couch, handing Aizawa a glass of water and keeping an eye on Izuku, who can feel his disappointment. 

“Our son just tried to leave the apartment through his bedroom window using his capture weapon,” Hizashi says, Aizawa’s eyes widening with shock, turning to stare at Izuku.

“You what?” he hisses, feeling shock, disbelief, anger. Izuku winces, curling in on himself. His parents don’t yell, not really, but their disappointment can be so much worse sometimes. 

“Izuku, why did you do that?” Hizashi asks, clearly trying to keep his voice even, “What were you thinking?”

Izuku opens his mouth to explain that he needs air, he needs to breathe, but he realizes suddenly that’s not actually the problem. The problem isn’t where he is, it’s what and how much he’s feeling. There’s an explosion rising up inside of him, the boiling, burning anger leftover from the USJ attack and the residual anxiety and panic from the hospital stay.

It’s too much, all too much, and Izuku can feel himself sliding away from himself mentally.

“Don’t check out on us, kid,” Aizawa says, voice full of worry. It takes every effort for Izuku not to dissociate again, to go back to the drifting feeling from the hospital. 

“Talk to us, honey,” Hizashi says softly, all traces of anger gone. Izuku can only feel worry from his parents now, and he just feels another wave of guilt.

“I don’t know,” is what Izuku chokes out, feeling exhausted, “I just…I need a break, I’m overwhelmed. Everything feels wrong. I’m just so angry and I don’t know….I don’t know what to do.” 

Izuku feels a pair of arms around him and he sags into Aizawa’s embrace. A moment later, Hizashi’s gentle hand cups the back of his head. Izuku melts into the warm emotions and gentle touches from his parents.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Izu,” Aizawa murmurs, rubbing his back, “We’ve got you, kid.”

The day of the Sports Festival arrives and Izuku is still a little sad not to be participating. However, he concedes that he isn’t ready to participate, not when his emotions are haywire and he can’t be in large groups without mentally slipping away. He’s dissociated three times in his homeroom class this week, not including twice in Ectoplasm’s class, and once in art. 

His classmates are concerned, everyone checking in with him after his absence to make sure he’s okay after the events of the USJ. Hitoshi is like his shadow, making sure Izuku eats and helps him get caught up in class. The others are kind as well, even those he doesn’t know very well. Even Shouto has felt less wary around Izuku since the USJ, even feeling a bit of concern when he saw Izuku’s state.

So, it’s with mixed feelings that Izuku sits and watches his class get introduced at the Festival. Bakugou gives a terrible speech and Izuku almost laughs at the reactions from the rest of the class. He’s wearing his headphones and is in the locker rooms, watching on the monitor. He knows it would be too much to be in the stadium with all of the heightened emotions. 

His parents are announcing, but Izuku assured them he’d be alright in the private student area, wanting to see his classmates in between events.

He watches the first event, a race, and feels a mixture of jealousy and pride as he sees Hitoshi outthink most of the other students. Shouto slides into first place easily on his ice, followed by Iida, and then Bakugou. Hitoshi manages fourth place which is extremely impressive considering the physical quirks he had to out think to get that far. 

The second event is also fun to watch, a team event where teams have to steal headbands from one another for a certain amount of points. Izuku roots for his classmates, cheering when a team of 1-A students win.

There’s a break after the second event as the one-on-one match lineups are announced. Izuku stands, wanting to find Hitoshi to hype him up before his match. He can feel that people are coming down to the locker rooms, so he stands up, excited to see his classmates. Walking out of the room, he heads down the hallway and turns the corner towards the locker rooms, surprised to see Shouto standing there, leaning against the wall. 

They haven’t really spoken since their awkward conversation at the start of the year, but Izuku doesn’t want that to hang over them forever. Shouto doesn’t feel hostile or scared, mostly a little anxious and a bit curious. 

“Um, good job on the first event,” Izuku offers, feeling a little awkward, “You looked so cool, skating on the ice like that.” 

Shouto looks at Izuku with an expression he can’t place, finding a hard time sorting through Shouto’s odd emotions. 

“I wanted to apologize to you,” is what Shouto eventually says, taking Izuku off guard. His surprise must have shown on his face because Shouto feels embarrassed before he continues talking.

“I didn’t realize how much your quirk hurt you until I saw you at the USJ,” Shouto says quietly, “It must be very overwhelming dealing with other people’s emotions all the time. I unfairly judged you, I know you were just trying to help me.”

Izuku relaxes, recognizing a peace offering when he sees it. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have spoken to you so familiarly like that. Sometimes I forget that I know people better than they know me, if that makes sense.”

Shouto feels a bit uncomfortable at that, but he just says calmly, “That must be lonely sometimes.”

“Sometimes,” Izuku echoes, “But I have a lot of really good people in my life, my parents, Hitoshi. And everyone in our class, too.”

Shouto smiles slightly, leaning against the wall. “Yes, I feel the same about our class. Before UA, I didn’t really have any friends. Most of our classmates are very kind.”

Izuku relaxes more, recognizing that this is the first real conversation he’s had with Shouto, and he’s excited at the chance to make friends. He always felt like Shouto was a kindred spirit with him and Hitoshi, someone who’s been through terrible things, but comes out the other side resilient. 

“They are,” Izuku agrees, looking up at the screen, “So, who’s your first match?”

“Sero,” Shouto says, flexing one of his hands and massaging the center, “He’s been working hard in class but unfortunately our quirk match up is poor; I don’t know if he’ll be able to land a hit on me.”

The words sound arrogant, but Izuku can feel Shouto’s resolute acceptance of what he’s saying. There’s no gloating, boastful feeling, only determination, like Shouto has a goal to complete. Izuku is reminded of when he first met Shouto and his emotions were repressed, locked tightly away. 

“My father expects me to win,” Shouto says next, and Izuku feels a flash of anger .

He knows, or at least, always suspected since he met Shouto that Endeavor was not the man the news made him out to be. The number two hero seems angry and cruel compared to what Izuku feels from most other pros, and he wonders what it was like to grow up with a man like that.

“Do you want to win?” Izuku asks quietly, feeling Shouto’s surprise at the question. Shouto shifts, looking at the wall before turning to him and asking a question.

“Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?”

What follows is a sad story. How Enji Todoroki bought a woman for her quirk, how he used her to birth four children, two of whom were failures in his eyes, one of whom was dead, and the last was what he believed was his perfect creation, Shouto. How the woman snapped after the death of her oldest son and burned Shouto’s face with boiling water, mistaking him for his father.

“I hate him,” Shouto says firmly and Izuku can feel that it’s true, “My brother Touya is dead because of him and our family’s life was a nightmare. He should face consequences for everything he’s done.”

Izuku is horrified. He had known that Shouto had a secret, but this was more terrible than he had imagined. Thinking back, he remembers little five year old Shouto having bandages on his eye, realizing he must have met him only days after getting burned.

No wonder he felt the way he did, Izuku thinks.

“Is…that why you don’t use your fire?” Izuku asks, feeling Shouto’s shock at the question. 

“Yes,” he replies, looking stony-faced. Izuku’s not sure exactly how to take that, but he knows Shouto’s holding himself back. It makes Izuku angry that Endeavor holds this much power over his son. He doesn’t know if anything he says could help, but he wants to try.

“Todoroki, your fire is your own,” Izuku says quietly, watching as Shouto’s eyes widen, “When I first met you, your father terrified me. He hated me on sight, I could feel it, and all I could think was how scared you must be at home. I understand why you don’t want to use that half of your quirk, but I think by doing that, you’re just letting him win.”

Shouto stays silent and Izuku takes it as encouragement to continue.

“The best fuck you that you could give to Endeavor would be to win the festival and not acknowledge him at all. Thank your teachers in any speeches for the press and pick an agency for your internship that would really annoy him, like Hawks or Best Jeanist.”

Izuku can feel Shouto’s amusement and bewilderment at the words.

“You might be onto something there,” Shouto smiles, standing up off the wall, “Alright, I’ll try it your way."

Later in the final match, Shouto unleashes a glacier and a wave of fire so hot that Izuku swears he can feel it in the locker rooms, and wins spectacularly. Izuku grins.

Chapter Text

Izuku is freaking out.

Hitoshi had come over a few hours before, helping him clean and get things set up in the bedroom. Izuku didn’t think when he invited Shouto over for a sleepover after the Sports Festival that Shouto would actually agree.  

“Hitoshi, hide the manga,” Izuku says seriously, pointing to his childhood favorite series that he’s been rereading, “He can’t see how I live.”

Hitoshi bursts out laughing, watching Izuku fretfully clean his room. Hitoshi has been in good spirits despite not placing in the festival. He had done well overall, getting attention and Nemuri had told him there were a number of underground and rescue agencies interested in him. 

“Izu, he’s our classmate, not your mother-in-law,” Hitoshi smirks, picking up a pillow from Izuku’s bed and throwing it at him, “Chill out.” 

Izuku does not chill out. “But…but his family lives on an estate. We have a tiny two bedroom apartment. We only have one spare futon because that’s all we can fit!”

Hitoshi shakes his head, moving off the bed to sit next to Izuku on the floor. “Come on, that’s not like you. This place is awesome, your dads are cool, and Todoroki wouldn’t have said yes if he didn’t want to come. If things get awkward, we can always watch a bunch of movies so we don’t have to talk, right?”

Izuku nods, still feeling a bit anxious. He doesn’t have much time to dwell on things, though, as the doorbell rings not a moment later.

“I’ve got it!” Hizashi calls and Izuku hears his dad say, “Oh, hey Todoroki, welcome.”

“Hello, sensei,” Shouto responds politely. Izuku and Hitoshi come out of the room, watching Shouto take off his shoes and set down his bag. Izuku is anxious, but it all evaporates when he feels Shouto’s emotions.

Shouto’s anxiety is skyrocketing and Izuku realizes this whole situation must be a bit weird for him. Shouto doesn’t have many close friends and Izuku wonders if this might be the first time Shouto’s ever had a sleepover.

“Hey, Todoroki, welcome!” Izuku grins, waving at Shouto, “Come on in.” 

They exchange greetings and head to Izuku’s room, Shouto looking around with interest at the way Izuku’s decorated his room. The room is small, but cozy. Izuku has a lot of books mainly, along with posters of his favorite heroes and from movies and tv shows he likes. He also has lots of string lights and a galaxy projector, giving the whole room a really cool vibe (in his opinion).

“Thank you for having me,” Shouto says a bit formally, sitting down on the floor and looking around, “Your room is nice. Hitoshi, do you spend much time here?”

Hitoshi grins, settling in Izuku’s desk chair. “Honestly, it feels like I live here sometimes. I think half the shit in here’s probably mine, Izuku just acquired it by osmosis. My mom and I come around a lot.”

Shouto nods, eyes lighting up a little when he spots Sushi curled up in one of Izuku’s sweatshirts on the floor, blinking sleepily at him. He reaches out a gentle hand and is rewarded with a headbutt from the cat, and Izuku can feel both Shouto and Sushi’s satisfaction at that.

“I haven’t seen you at hero galas,” Shouto says to them both after a moment, “I would have thought since your parents are all pros, you’d be at more things like that.”

Hitoshi shrugs, “My mom hates them. Says they’re boring as fuck.”

“My dad, that is, er, Aizawa, would rather tear his hair out than go to any kind of social event,” Izuku adds, “So papa is out voted a lot of the time.”

“Yeah, I don’t remember seeing Present Mic at many of them, either,” Shouto comments, looking a little wistful, “I wish Endeavor didn’t care to haul me around to them, they’re so dull. Except at the last one, Hawks and Mirko broke a table trying to do a demonstration of their partner moves for the press. I enjoyed that.”

Izuku laughs and Hitoshi grins. It feels like the ice has broken a bit as they sit around talking about this-and-that. An hour or so after Shouto arrives, there’s a knock on the door. 

“Come in,” Izuku calls and Hizashi opens the door.

“Hey kids, I’ve ordered pizza. Should be here in a bit. Izu, dad and I are going out on patrol. Nemuri’s on call if you three need anything, okay? We should be back in a bit after midnight.”

Izuku smiles, grateful. “Thanks, dad. Stay safe, okay?”

“Always, kid. Have fun, you three!”

They say goodbye and Izuku can feel soft fondness from Hitoshi and something confusing and a little painful from Shouto. Once his parents leave, Izuku looks over at Hitoshi and they share an understanding expression, both nodding.

“Todoroki, um, do you mind if we call you Shouto?” Izuku asks, sensing the other boy’s surprise, “Since Hitoshi and I use our given names, it seems a bit unfair to leave you out of it.”

“I’d like that,” Shouto says quietly, petting Sushi, “I’ve um, never had friends close enough to use my name before.”

It’s sad to hear, but Izuku expects it. “Well, Shouto, you’ve got us now. Me and Toshi.” 

Izuku can feel how pleased Shouto is at that, and when the pizza arrives the three of them are nearly in hysterics laughing by the end of dinner. Izuku is gratified to know that he was right about his hunch with Shouto, that Shouto actually likes them both. It seems unbelievable after the rocky start Izuku and Shouto had, but it's nice that they're friends now.

They eat until they’re nearly sick, play video games, watch a movie, talk about school, their classmates, and the festival. As it gets darker and the late night introspection starts, the subject turns to their pasts.

“So, how did you two meet?” Shouto asks from where he’s lying across Izuku’s bed. Both of the cats are curled up against his warm side and it doesn’t look like Shouto will be moving any time soon. Hitoshi is resting on his stomach on Izuku’s floor, elbows on a pillow and Izuku is leaning against the wall with a blanket in his lap.

“We were really little,” Izuku answers quietly, twisting his hands in the blanket, “I had only been with my dads for about a year, I think? I remember papa telling me that Auntie Nem was bringing over someone special.”

Hitoshi smirks fondly, “Yeah, then you hugged the shit out of me on sight. That was right after you got your quirk, right?”

Izuku nods, “I think so. It was so long ago, it’s hard to remember.”

Izuku feels Shouto’s curiosity and a little bit of trepidation. Figuring they’re on a first name basis now, Izuku decides to stop holding back with his quirk.

“You can ask us whatever you want, Shouto,” Izuku tells him, “I can feel how curious you are.”

Embarrassment next.

“No need to be embarrassed, either, it’s totally fine, honestly!” Izuku says quickly as Hitoshi laughs at him. 

“Don’t mind him, Shou, Izu gets like this all the time, you get used to it,” Hitoshi laughs. Izuku feels a bit of relief from Shouto and more fond amusement from Hitoshi before the room goes quiet for a moment.

“So you two…were adopted,” Shouto says quietly, “I didn’t know that.”

Hitoshi sighs, looking up at the ceiling where Izuku’s projector is showing a slowly moving constellation. “My foster family was fucked. When my quirk came in, they muzzled me. My mom handled the domestic abuse call from a neighbor and got me out. Adopted me basically on the spot. She saved my life.”

“Auntie Nem is the coolest,” Izuku says quietly, not missing Shouto’s horror.

“They muzzled you?” he asks softly, sitting up quickly enough that the cats meow in protest.

Hitoshi shrugs, “Yeah, that’s what my mom says. I honestly don’t remember it, but I do remember being fucked up for a while after. Therapy and shit for years.”

Shouto doesn’t respond but Izuku can feel his new friend processing that. He stays quiet for a moment before saying, “And Izuku, what about you?”

Izuku freezes a little. He doesn’t talk about his mom, almost never, but he knows that all three of them have parental issues. Hitoshi doesn’t know Shouto’s story, Izuku hadn’t told Shouto’s secrets, but if they’re going to be friends, Izuku knows this is something they can bond over. 

“When I was four the apartment building I lived in collapsed,” Izuku says quietly, “My mom died in front of me and my dads saved my life. They were only twenty, but they just decided to adopt me right then and there.”

Shouto is quiet. Izuku feels sadness and a twinge of jealousy from him, recognizing Shouto has a very complicated relationship with his own father. It makes Izuku feel a surge of love and affection for his dads, pulling out his phone to send them both a quick I love you, see you home safe later!  

“It was a shock to find out that Aizawa and Mic-sensei were married,” Shouto admits, making both Hitoshi and Izuku smile, “They seem so different.”

“Aizawa is gone for him,” Hitoshi smirks, “Seriously, I know he seems all scary underground hero, scary ‘I’m going to expel all of you,’ but the mystery is ruined when you see him in Mic’s radio merch and fuzzy pink slippers. You wouldn't guess it, but they're both actually disgusting saps."

They all laugh at that, and the conversation turns to happier topics. Izuku tells the story of going to the quirk counselor the first time and Shouto tells a story about his oldest brother. Everyone’s walls seem to be falling and Izuku is happy.

He adds Shouto to the list of people he’s grateful for. They may not be best friends yet, but it’s a definite start.

The next day in class, the news about Iida’s older brother, Ingenium, is all over the news. The self-proclaimed hero killer Stain had wounded the hero badly enough that he would probably never walk again. Izuku looks anxiously over at his hunched classmate, Iida looking subdued and upset.

He feels horrible.

Izuku wants to comfort Iida, wants to try and help, but he knows his friend. Iida is hurting and while he needs support, he wouldn’t be happy if Izuku ambushed him in class. They’re currently working in small groups to come up with their hero names and Izuku is a bit stuck. 

Shouto, Hitoshi, and him have been brainstorming for a while and Izuku thinks back to when he was a kid and the ideas that he had for hero names. They’re all pretty cheesy and bad, so he hopes his friends have better ones.

“How about Solace, the Empathic Hero?” Shouto suggests to Izuku, who blushes. It’s a good name, but it sounds too important for someone like him. He likes it though, so he adds it to his list of potential names, figuring it's the best name he's heard so far.

“I was thinking of being The Mind Hero: Siren,” Hitoshi says, biting the tip of his pencil, “It’s kind of on the nose, but what do you guys think?”

Izuku nods emphatically and Shouto gives a thumbs up. That just leaves Shouto’s name, which gives them all a lot of trouble. They try every version of combining ice and fire they can, before Shouto settles on something.

“The Thermal Hero: Pyrofrost,” he says, turning his whiteboard and showing the class.

Izuku goes with Solace in the end and after everyone’s chosen their names, they settle in for a discussion about internships. Hitoshi received a number of offers, but it’s nothing like the massive amount Shouto received. Izuku has some as well, but they’re all from UA staff since he didn’t compete in the festival. Shouto takes Izuku’s advice and picks an agency he knows Endeavor won’t approve of, and goes with Hawks. Hitoshi and Izuku both opt to train with Aizawa, knowing his style of fighting best suits their own. 

And so the week of internships begins. 

Aizawa might be Izuku’s dad, but he’s a tough teacher. Izuku’s trained with him for years, of course, but it’s different under the guise of an internship. As his father is underground and doesn’t really have an agency, a lot of what they’re doing is pounding the pavement. Since Aizawa mainly works as Eraserhead at night, it means some odd sleep schedules. 

Izuku’s also been distracted the entire week, thinking of Iida and Ingenium, hoping that his friend is alright. He’s sent Iida a few text, all of which have gone unanswered, and he feels uneasy at the thought that Iida might try to take the situation into his own hands. 

It’s all this that prompts Izuku to ask his dad if they can patrol up in Hosu, near where Iida has decided to intern and where Stain is most active. 

“Dad, Iida’s going to do something dumb,” Izuku says by way of explanation when his dad questions the patrol location, “I’m not sure what, but I can tell he’s thinking of some stupid plan.” 

So, Izuku, Hitoshi, and Aizawa are patrolling in Hosu at night. Hizashi and Nemuri are anxious, knowing Stain is in the area, and requests hourly check-ins from all of them. Izuku’s focusing his quirk on Iida’s specific emotions, something he’s been working on lately, when a flash of something ugly rushes through him.

It reminds him of the terrible feeling he had gotten from Shigaraki at the USJ, only this is more visceral. There’s a kind of brazen courage behind it and also a strong sense of self-righteousness and bloodlust. 

It has to be Stain.

“Eraserhead,” he says flatly, remembering to use his dad’s code name. His tone of voice makes both his dad and Hitoshi turn, sensing Izuku’s picked up on something.

“What is it, Solace?” his dad asks, a strong sense of urgency beneath the question. Izuku closes his eyes for a moment, trying not to let the overpowering emotions get the better of him. He can’t shut down right now.

He points to his right towards an alley where the feelings are coming from. “It’s Stain, he’s that way.”

He can feel their surprise and Hitoshi asks, “How do you know?”

“I just…can feel it.”

Astuteness. Worry. Determination. Protectiveness.

His dad feels all of this at once and says, “Stay here. Do not engage Stain, no matter what. Good job, kid.”

Before Izuku can say anything, his father takes off with his capture weapon towards the alley. It takes everything in Izuku not to scream for his father, and he tries to keep his emotions even. His quirk counselor had told him the ability to shut off his emotions could be useful in battle if he can learn to control it, but until they’ve tested it more, he shouldn’t risk trying to use it again.

Izuku manages about a minute of waiting before he and Hitoshi both rush after his dad. When they reach the alley, Izuku is shocked to see Iida crumpled on the ground, looking worse for wear next to an unconscious pro hero that Izuku doesn’t know. In the center of the alley is his dad, who has an unconscious Stain wrapped in his capture scarf, a good ten feet away from him.

“Holy shit,” Hitoshi says, “Eraserhead is so fucking awesome.”

Izuku has to agree with that. Seeing that Stain is subdued, they both run over to Iida’s side. He’s not too badly hurt, but he is unconscious, so Hitoshi hoists him on his back. Izuku heads over to the other pro, recognizing him vaguely as Native. He pulls Native onto his back and he and Hitoshi head for the street, hopeful they can find an ambulance. 

Aizawa has called the police and they’re there in minutes, Stain taken away in quirk suppressant cuffs. An ambulance comes to help Native and Iida, and Izuku and Hitoshi are left reeling with how quickly everything was resolved. 

When Aizawa’s done giving his story to the police, he heads back over to them looking exhausted.

“Let’s get the hell home,” he says, and Izuku has to push down every instinct inside him so as not to hug his father in his hero costume in public.

They take Hitoshi to Nemuri’s first before heading back home. Once they’re through the door, Hizashi is there in an instant, looking over them both with an intense gaze, scanning each of them for injuries.

“We’re fine, both of us are fine,” Izuku reassures, feeling his father’s worry, “Dad was amazing, he caught Stain like it was nothing!”

Aizawa sighs, “He was cocky. I got him because he was monologuing.”

“Will Iida and Native be alright?” Hizashi asks, helping them take off their hero costumes. Aizawa had texted him earlier with the bare bones of the situation.

“Yes,” Aizawa replies, “Both are fine, just giving interviews in the hospital. Iida’s lucky he didn’t actively use his quirk against Stain, or he would be in major trouble right now.” 

Izuku sighs in agreement, feeling exhausted. He’s still reeling from how terrible Stain’s emotions were, feeling utterly drained from the entire experience.

“Can you please make an appointment with my quirk counselor?” Izuku yawns, rubbing his eyes, “I feel…weird.”

Immediately he feels flashes of worry from both of his parents, wincing. He needs to be better at explaining.

“Stain just felt really intense,” Izuku adds, “It reminded me of Shigaraki and the USJ. It made me want to turn off my emotions again.”

Hizashi and Aizawa share a look before Aizawa gently puts a hand on Izuku’s shoulders. “No problem, kid. It’s good that you’re asking for help. How’s the head, do you still feel like you’re going to space out?”

Izuku had told his parents that since he started dissociating, he felt a bit like an untethered balloon, floating in the wind. Since his brain had started checking out, it was becoming easier and easier to do it, which was scaring him. Dissociating in class was bad enough, but if it happened during a villain attack, well…Izuku really doesn’t want to think about that. 

“A little,” Izuku admits quietly as he slips off his shoes and finishes removing the outer layers of his costume, “I’m mostly just really drained. Being home is good, though, it helps.”

“Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll make you both dinner,” Hizashi offers, leaning over to kiss Aizawa gently, “I’m proud of you for taking down Stain, love.”

“Thanks, Zashi,” Aizawa says tiredly, “Come on, let’s relax. I want to eat, watch a crappy movie, and go to bed.”

Aizawa sighs and Izuku can feel his parents’ love for one another welling up in both of them. It’s always strong, but he marvels at it every time he feels it. 

Chapter Text

Izuku’s in class when Bakugou of all people turns to stare at him. Izuku can feel his curiosity, a little uncomfortable with the staring. Bakugou’s quirk isn’t the only thing about him that’s explosive, and while they’ve hardly exchanged words, his intense emotions put Izuku on edge.

After a while, Bakugou just says, “Oi, nerd, you’re adopted, right?”

“Um, yeah?” Izuku replies, bewildered. Why would Bakugou care about that?

Bakugou just stares at him. “And you have green hair.”

“Yes,” Izuku replies, nonplussed. Bakugou seems satisfied, pulling out his notebook and grabbing what looks like a photograph before staring at it, and then back to Izuku. 

“Is this you?” Bakugou asks, turning the picture around to show him. 

It’s as if the room whites out for a moment. Izuku stares at the photo, unaware that his hands are trembling. It’s a picture of him, maybe around three or four, in a woman’s arms. They’re both smiling at the camera. It’s a face Izuku hardly remembers and one he’s desperately been missing since he was four years old. 

“Y-Yeah,” Izuku trembles, reaching out to take the picture with his still shaky hands. He doesn’t notice that tears are in his eyes, catching the attention of the people around him. 

Bakugou feels confusion and apprehension, and Izuku wonders just how his classmate has this photo. 

“My mom keeps that by our shrine,” Bakugou explains, “She said it was of her old best friend Inko Midoriya and her son. The son was alive and adopted, but it’s the only photo she had of your mom.”

Izuku doesn’t respond, eyes locked on the green hair and eyes of his mother. It was like being sharply woken up after a long dream, her hair and eyes so much like his own. Her death had played over and over in his mind since that terrible night; he had almost forgotten her smile. He has a few precious memories of his mother, ones he doesn’t share, and looking at the photo makes him want to take the picture and run.

“I don’t have any pictures of her, either,” Izuku says quietly, feeling Bakugou’s surprise. 

“Then, uh, keep that one,” Bakugou says, feeling awkward and a little sad, “I’ll tell my mom where it’s gone.”

Izuku stares reverently at the photo through most of class. He can feel his dad’s curiosity and twinge of worry when Izuku doesn’t participate, but he doesn’t call on him or ask about the picture. 

He keeps the picture all to himself until the gets home, shyly showing his parents the photo. They hug him, telling him they’re happy he has a photo of his mom and Izuku feels the same way. He’s touched when later that night, he comes out of the shower and sees the photo on his nightstand in a frame. His parents must have done it for him, and he’s more than grateful. 

The next day in class, Bakugou hands Izuku a note from his mom. It has a phone number, her name, and a quick message to let Izuku know she’s there if he ever wants to know about his mom. It’s a kind thought. 

Izuku doesn’t call, but he keeps the note just in case. 

Half of 1-A decides to meet at the mall to shop for their upcoming outdoor overnight training camp and Izuku is trying not to get overwhelmed. He’s better around crowds not that he’s older, but the unsteadiness he’s been feeling from his quirk since the USJ makes him feel shaky and uneasy. He wears his headphones, not wanting to be a burden on any of his friends today. 

As soon as they arrive together, people split off into different directions and Izuku’s left with Uraraka, Shouto, and Hitoshi. 

“I need basically everything,” Shouto admits, looking at the list of suggested items, “My family doesn’t have camping supplies.”

Hitoshi nods, “Me too. Mom hates bugs, so we never camped as kids. Want to head to the outdoor supply store? It’s just down that way.”

Shouto agrees and they part from Izuku and Uraraka, who Izuku can tell feels a little shy and embarrassed. It’s one of the downsides of his quirk, but he always can tell exactly how people feel about him, and he’s a little embarrassed himself when he realizes that Uraraka might have a small crush on him.

She squeals something about needing bug spray before running off, Izuku standing in bewilderment. Without his friends around him, he feels the oppressive sensation of thousands of emotions whipping around him from the other mall-goers. He texts Hitoshi and Shouto, asking if they wouldn’t mind coming back to get him, sitting down on a nearby bench.

He’s there for only a minute when he senses someone sit next to him. It takes him a split second to recognize the emotions, stomach sinking in horror when he realizes exactly where he’s felt this person before.

The USJ. Shigaraki. 

Before Izuku can react and turn to the side, he feels a hand at his throat.

“Move or call for help and you’re dead,” Shigaraki says in a bored tone, whispering in Izuku’s ear. A cold shiver runs through Izuku’s body and he flicks his eyes back and forth, hoping one of his friends is still in sight.

“What do you want, Shigaraki?” Izuku asks, trying to stay calm. Shigaraki feels terrible, his swirling, conflicting emotions making Izuku feel a bit nauseous. They’re so entangled and messy, Izuku can’t even sort them out.

Shigaraki just grins behind him, leaning his head over Izuku’s shoulder. “What a boring question. But I’ll answer. To kill All Might, of course. And destroy everything I hate. Stain, All Might, UA. I want to burn it all to the ground and rebuild the world anew.” 

Izuku says nothing, stomach twisting as he feels nothing but honesty and conviction in Shigaraki’s words. Undeterred, the villain continues.

“I want to build my army of villains and destroy this fucked-up society we live in,” Shigaraki says, curling his fingers lazily around Izuku’s neck, “And I need special people to help me do it. People like you.”

Izuku freezes, shocked. “M-Me?”

Shigaraki grins, laughing a little, “Yes, you. Honestly, I’ve been interested in you and that brainwash brat since the USJ. You’re the heart, he’s the brains. If only I can find a mind reading quirk, I’d have the whole set. Mind, body, soul. The league would be unstoppable.”

Izuku’s panicking now as Shigaraki tightens his fingers around Izuku’s neck. He tries to think of ways to escape, but he can’t, not here in this crowded place. Not with Shigaraki able to decay the entire mall with the flick of a finger. 

Shigaraki is unhinged. It’s the best word Izuku can use to describe the chaotic swirl of emotions in the villain. He truly believes everything he says and has absolutely no self-doubt in his convictions. 

“I’m coming for you both,” Shigaraki says conversationally, tightening his hand harder around Izuku’s throat, “And soon. Think about my offer, Eraserhead’s son. When I come for you next, it’s join us, or die.”

Izuku’s heart is hammering hard. He’s trying his absolute best not to panic, but the thrum of emotions from everyone around him combined with the chaos of Shigaraki, the stress of the situation, and everything else, makes Izuku’s brain start to go fuzzy around the edges. Shigaraki’s half-strangling him now with four fingers, and Izuku doesn’t even hear Uraraka call his name.

“Didn’t know you were with a friend,” Shigaraki grins, abruptly releasing Izuku, who starts coughing. “Don’t follow me, hero. Not unless you want all of these people to die.”

Uraraka is at Izuku’s side in an instant, asking him if he’s okay, but Izuku can’t respond. He pulls out his phone with shaking hands as he coughs, typing ‘SOS’ in a text and sending it to his parents along with his location. He knows they’ll be able to get here soon, their apartment is close by.

Izuku calms his breathing as best as he can, listening to Uraraka’s worried voice. She stands and flags down a security guard, reporting the incident as Izuku tries to stay present. He can’t drift away, not right now.

“Izuku!” Hitoshi’s worried voice cuts through, and Izuku looks up to see his friend kneeling down in front of him, “What the hell happened?”

“Shigaraki,” Izuku says hoarsely, Hitoshi and Uraraka’s eyes widening, “He…he threatened me and…”

“He was strangling him,” Uraraka says, tears in her eyes, “With f-four of his fingers.”

Hitoshi curses, moving to sit next to Izuku. Izuku can feels his friends’ worry, only amplified when he senses his parents' absolute panic.

Well, at least he’s safe now. 

After the mall is put into emergency shut down, Izuku is taken to the police station with his parents while he explains everything that happened to Detective Tsukauchi, a detective with a lie detection quirk. Once he’s cleared to go home, Hizashi and Aizawa take him immediately, both fretting and fussing. Nemuri and Hitoshi meet them at the apartment as well. 

Hitoshi feels guilty, Izuku can tell immediately, so he walks over and hugs his friend. “It’s not your fault, Toshi. Shigaraki would have gotten to me no matter what.”

“I know,” Hitoshi sighs, hugging Izuku tightly, “I just hate that you got hurt and I wasn’t there.”

They settle in the living room, Izuku tucked under a thick blanket on the couch, the others sitting down. Izuku explains what happened to him, remembering what Shigararki had told him about the next time they would meet. 

“He said he wanted to recruit Hitoshi and me,” Izuku says softly from the blanket bundle on the couch, not missing the flash of anxiety that shoots through everyone, “Said that Hitoshi was the head and I was the heart, or something. And if he had a mind-reader, his ‘set’ would be complete.”

Hizashi shares a tense look with Aizawa and Nemuri before asking, “What else did he say?”

“That the next time I see him, it’s join him or die,” Izuku whispers, hating the fear that floods through his parents in that moment, “He s-said he’d kill me if I refused. Toshi, too.”

“That fucking asshole,” Nemuri curses, reaching over to squeeze Hitoshi’s hand, “We won’t let him get his disgusting hands on either of you.”

Hizashi looks grim and Aizawa a little haunted. Izuku knows he’s put his parents through a lot lately, and he hates doing this to them. But he needs help, he’s still struggling with his quirk and he can’t handle this by himself. He needs their support.

“I’m kind of freaking out,” Izuku says weakly, looking up at his dads, fear in his eyes, “I don’t….Shigaraki’s just really intense. Every time I feel him, it makes my brain want to shut out everything he’s feeling and hide. It’s…it feels like he’s invading my body, or something.”

A silence follows this statement and Izuku feels the couch sink down a little as Hizashi sits down next to him, wrapping an arm around Izuku’s shoulders.

“We hear you, Izu,” Hizashi says gently, hugging his son close, “You’re not alone in this. We’ll help you. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, okay?”

Izuku nods shakily, Hizashi’s solid presence calming him somewhat. Aizawa is at his other side in a moment, gently holding one of Izuku’s hands.

“Your dad’s right,” Aizawa murmurs, “We’ve got your back, kid. Us, Nem, Hitoshi, your class. Hell, all of UA’s staff. I took down Stain, Shigaraki won’t touch you again. Not while I’m around.”

Chapter Text

Training camp was intense. Izuku had known going into it that it wouldn’t be easy, but starting off by being thrown off a cliff and fighting for hours seems harsh even for his dad’s standards. They had been there working hard for three days when Aizawa announces the Test of Courage. 

“1-B students will enter the woods there,” Aizawa says to the group of students, “It will be your job to use your quirk in whatever ways you can that do not cause physical harm in order to scare the searchers. 1-A, your mission objective is to enter the woods and find a hidden card with your name on it and bring it back out to a staff member. This will prove you entered the forest and passed the test.” 

Izuku isn’t looking forward to feeling everyone’s fear during this exercise, but he wants to prove himself and do the best he can during this training. He is partnered with Hitoshi again, and the two are quiet as they enter the forest, neither one particularly enthused about this exercise.

“This fucking sucks,” Hitoshi sighs and Izuku can feel his trepidation, “You and I shouldn’t have to do this, we’ve both been through enough shit. As if 1-B could scare us.” 

Izuku smiles, linking arms with Hitoshi. “That’s a good point, but it just means we’ll be finished faster than everyone else, right?”

They talk casually, Izuku’s ability to sense emotions making it impossible for anyone to sneak up on them or scare them. They dodge countless attacks and surprises, heading deeper in the woods to look for the cards that have their names on them. They’ve been in the woods for about fifteen minutes when Izuku feels something wrong.

“Toshi,” he murmurs, stopping his friend in his tracks, “There’s someone else here.”

Hitoshi raises an eyebrow, but he hears the tension in Izuku’s voice and Izuku can tell he’s taking him seriously.

Hitoshi turns to ask him a question, Izuku thinks, but everything goes fuzzy after that. 

Izuku’s trying to remember how he got here.

He’s sitting in a chair, hands cuffed behind his back in a dingy bar. The light is low enough that it’s difficult to see and he’s surrounded not by one, but multiple villains. It starts coming back to him, the training camp, his bad feeling, being with Hitoshi, and then-

Oh, fuck.

Izuku blinks, the reality of the situation fully hitting him. He had been kidnapped, straight from the training camp. A villain he thinks is called Compress had put him and Hitoshi into odd blue marbles and he had lost consciousness. At least he thinks that’s what happened. It’s all a bit fuzzy.

Izuku looks left and right, relieved when he doesn’t see Hitoshi, hoping it means his friend is safe. His eyes drift to the villains, cataloging them in his mind. There’s Shigaraki of course, the warp villain, the girl with the knives, a guy covered in purple scars, Compress, and a villain in a black jumpsuit who’s talking to himself.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” the knife girl giggles, swinging her legs on the barstool, “Welcome to the League, Izuku! I’m Toga. You’ve been out of it for a while.”

Izuku just stares. He can’t even process their emotions, his head thudding with the fuzzy feeling it gets when he’s come out of dissociating. He wonders exactly how long he’s been drifting when he looks at the clock, stomach sinking. It’s been at least six hours, if not more. God, his parents must be losing it right now. He quashes the guilt, trying to sort his scrambling thoughts. Trying to remember everything that had led up to him landing in what's apparently the League of Villains home base. Meanwhile, they’re just staring at him and Izuku blinks back, head swimming with confusion and fogginess. 

“What happened?” he asks dully, wincing at the pounding in his head. He feels a flash of concern from a few of them, which is surprising. He supposes that watching someone dissociate for hours would be unsettling, even to villains. Shigaraki smirks, but it’s the girl, Toga, who speaks up again.

“We kidnapped you from your training camp!” she giggles, spinning on the bar stool, “Then your eyes went all funny and you went away in your head. It’s lucky we didn’t want to kill you, or it would have been really easy.”

“She’s got a point,” the guy with all the scars says, “Hey, dusty, shouldn’t we explain to the kid what’s actually going on here?”

Shigaraki sighs, tilting his head to look at Izuku. Izuku tentatively searches the villain’s emotions, wincing a little. The chaos that always seems to be present in Shigaraki is still there, but it’s subdued somehow, like he’s a little calmer. 

“He already knows,” Shigaraki says in a bored tone, gesturing at Izuku, “I told him the last time we met, it’s join us or die. So, Eraserhead’s son, want to join the League of Villains?”

Izuku blanches, shifting in his tight restraints. He’s so, so fucked. He decides to do one of the things his parents have drilled into him over the years; if you’re stuck in a battle you can’t win, try to keep your enemy talking. Distract them.

Izuku has gotten a hold of himself now, but he remembers the vague concern he picked up from a few of the League members when they mentioned how he had been dissociating for a while. He decides to lean into that, wanting to see if he can figure out the rest of the League members in the bar.

“Um…I don’t…know what’s happening,” Izuku mumbles, looking down at the floor and making himself look as vulnerable as possible, “This is…can I go home now, please?”

Confusion, surprise, indignation.

“What?” Shigaraki asks, taken aback by the direct question, “Did you not just hear me say ‘join us or die,’ kid? Your dad’s a pro hero and shit, shouldn’t you be smarter than this?”

Izuku’s glad he took Shigaraki off guard, deciding to keep going down this line of questioning. If he can get the villains to open up, even a little, he may discover a way to stop them from targeting his class. His stomach clenches when he thinks of his classmates, truly hoping none of them are stuck here somewhere.

“Y-Yeah, my dad’s Eraserhead,” Izuku says in a wobbly voice, as if he’s trying to half-convince himself, “He…oh god, he’s probably freaking out. How long have I been here?”

The guy in the jumpsuit says, “About a day, give or take- no, more like a few hours- but you were out of it for most of that- spaced out like you were high!”

Izuku senses the guy’s emotions, and he feels yanked in two different directions. If Shigaraki is chaos on the inside, this villain is madness. The emotions make no sense and are changing so rapidly it’s giving Izuku a migraine just trying to keep up with cataloging them. It’s like multiple people are inside this guy, all vying for control at the same time.

He must have been staring for too long because Toga says, “Oh, that’s just Twice! He just talks like that sometimes.”

Despite the situation he’s in, Izuku is filled with nothing but concern for Twice. The emotions are unstable, volatile. He reasons he probably shouldn’t be sympathetic to a villain like this, but if most people could feel the things Izuku feels, they’d want to help Twice, too. 

“A day…” Izuku says, eyes going a little glassy, “Is…did you take anyone else? Or just me?”

Shigaraki scoffs, “We tried to get the brainwash kid, but Compress lost him at the last second. Fucking hero brats.” 

“Don’t blame me!” Compress sighs dramatically, “I got the one you wanted the most, little Izuku Aizawa. An interesting child. Come now, everyone, let’s introduce ourselves. Let Eraserhead’s son make up his own mind about joining our cause.”

Izuku can sense that Compress isn’t being facetious, he really finds Izuku interesting. Despite bristling at being called a child, he can’t help but be interested as well in Compress’ emotions. He listens as he gets the rest of their names; Kurogiri, the warp villain, Dabi with the scars, and the others he’s already met. He learns there are others, Spinner and Mange, but they’re not in the bar right now. A smaller group than Izuku had honestly expected.

Out of all of them so far, Compress feels the most rational, the most calm. Izuku is instantly soothed as he takes in the villain’s emotions, the only relatively stable person he’s sensed in this bar. He decides to feel out the others, Toga’s strange, twisted energy, an odd blank void from Kurogiri, and simmering rage from Dabi.

Everyone in this room is so damaged. Izuku finds it hard not to be sympathetic towards them. He focuses back on Shigaraki, knowing he must look a little strange at being so calm. The villain is staring at Izuku, which he finds unsettling, but he doesn’t feel anything…especially antagonistic from him.

“Just me, then,” Izuku murmurs, closing his eyes as he tries to sort through all of the feelings of the people in front of him, while trying not to panic, “That’s…that’s good. Siren’s safe. And the others.”

“What’s wrong with this kid?” Dabi murmurs, and Izuku misses the answer Twice gives in response. Truthfully, Izuku doesn’t know how to feel. He doesn’t remember anything from being captured, only the start of the camp and waking up here, a vague idea only of how he had gotten caught. He wonders if he’ll manage to get the memories back, or if the fogginess will take over again. 

“I’m just exhausted,” Izuku offers, eyes drooping closed as if to prove his point, “All of you, your emotions…they’re a lot.”

Instantly, the mood shifts. Izuku feels shock, a little fear, anger, annoyance.

“Fuck, I forgot the kid’s a fucking empath,” Dabi scoffs, but Izuku can feel he’s more wary than angry, “Shigaraki, what were you thinking nabbing him? He can read us all like a book.”

“Exactly,” Shigaraki grins, tapping his fingers against the bar, “That means he can read everyone like a book, heroes included. Did I tell you guys this kid can also turn all of his own emotions off? Think of what we could do with someone like that.”

A silence follows this and the room feels…odd. Izuku picks up more anger, light amusement, frustration, and some…protectiveness? It’s all very confusing.

“I don’t want to turn off my emotions again,” Izuku says quietly, keeping his eyes on the floor of the bar, “Please, don’t make me do that.”

Izuku tries not to get overwhelmed by all of their emotions, deciding to focus on Compress since he’s the most calm and steady of all of them. But even Compress feels a flash of worry at Izuku’s words, so he turns his focus to Kurogiri, who oddly seems to feel…numb.

“Excuse me, Mr. Kurogiri?” Izuku asks quietly, looking over at the warp villain, “Um, I’m sorry if this is really rude, but are you…okay?”

Kurogiri looks at him, the mist around his body undulating slightly. Izuku still can’t feel much from him, but a slight curiosity drifts from the warp gate.

“Yes,” Kurogiri says calmly, “An interesting question, though. Why do you ask such a thing?”

It’s like everyone else in the room is gone as Izuku stares at Kurogiri. Something about the villain is setting off every instinct in Izuku to help.

“Because…you’re numb,” Izuku whispers, eyes wide, “You…you feel…something really bad happened to you, didn't it?”

“What the fuck?” Shigaraki whispers, but Izuku ignores it, focusing solely on the warp villain. 

Kurogiri just looks at Izuku from behind the bar, a flash of something too quick to name shooting through him. Izuku has completely forgotten everything except Kurogiri, this person needs help and Izuku wants to help him. 

“I have no memories of anything bad happening to me,” Kurogiri replies, “Only caring for Tomura Shigaraki and the League.”

“But…” Izuku stammers, wondering why there’s tears in his eyes, “No, that’s….that’s not right. Something’s wrong.”

He’s not sure why, but he knows suddenly that something is very, very wrong with Kurogiri. Izuku doesn’t know what the issue is exactly, just knowing that the warp villain may possibly be the most damaged person in the entire room, and that’s saying a lot.

“What the actual fuck are you on about, kid?” Dabi asks, sounding casual but feeling suspicious.

Izuku ignores him, focusing his attention solely on Kurogiri. The warp villain has walked out from behind the bar, staring at Izuku with unblinking yellow eyes. Izuku should be scared or at least wary, but instead when the warp villain reaches out to touch Izuku’s hair, he feels relief. 

“What the hell is going on?” Shigaraki whispers, sounding truly stunned as Kurogiri ruffles Izuku’s hair.

“Izuku Aizawa can be unbound,” Kurogiri says calmly, “He will not fight, or run.” 

Izuku bites back a protest, but as the warp villain keeps an undulating hand on his head, he realizes it’s true. The warp villain feels familiar somehow, and Izuku wants to know why. Why does this villain, who has only caused him and his friends and family harm, feel so calming to be around? Why does he feel like they’ve met before?

“Who are you?” Izuku asks Kurogiri, eyes wide, “Why do I feel like I know you?”

Kurogiri looks down at Izuku, gently removing his hand, “I do not know. We have never met previous to the USJ and I have no memories before being with the League.” 

“Enough of this weird shit,” Shigaraki interrupts, walking over and releasing Izuku from the restraints keeping him attached to the chair. Izuku doesn’t move beyond flexing his arms and rubbing at his sore wrists, aching from being bound. 

“Thank you,” Izuku says automatically, forgetting for a moment that he's been kidnapped by a psychotic villain and is currently their hostage.

Toga squeals, running over and throwing her arms around Izuku who stiffens slightly. Toga doesn’t want to hurt him, but he can sense her overwhelming frantic eagerness, a sort of chaotic energy he feels sometimes from overexcited children combined with bloodlust. 

“Izuku, you’ll stay with us, right?” she asks, pulling back and bouncing on the balls of her feet, “You’re so cute, and you’ll look even cuter all covered in blood, I just want to take a little bit-”

“Toga, what the fuck,” Dabi sighs, reaching up to rub his forehead, “That’s not how you get people to join us. Listen kid, we know your dad’s a pro hero and all, but that means nothing. Believe it or not, so’s mine, and he’s a fucking shithead. We need people like you to help fix what’s fucked with society. So, are you interested, or not?”

“Not that you really have a choice,” Shigaraki adds before Izuku can reply, sipping a drink at the bar, “Since we’ll kill you if you don’t join us.”

“What a waste!” Twice bemoans, “Let’s kill him right now.”

Izuku is just…lost. His head is swimming. He wants his headphones. He wants his parents, his friends. He wants to know what’s going on with Kurogiri. He wants to stop all of these people from hurting so much-

“Are you fucking crying?” Shigaraki scoffs. Izuku looks up, feeling the tears flowing down his cheeks. He’s surprised, not sure when he’s started crying. He decides to just be honest. The League, while terrifying, doesn’t seem to actively want to murder him yet, and he wants to know more about them. To keep them talking.

“You all just…” Izuku starts, lip trembling, “You all feel awful.”

A silence follows this and Izuku picks up on indignation mostly, but also a quiet understanding and a touch of sadness and fear.

“Jesus, kid,” Dabi scoffs after a long moment, “You’re more affected by our shit lives than we are.”

“That’s not true,” Izuku says, although it’s kind of true, “You…you’re all hurting so much. I’m so sorry. I wish…I want to help you feel better.”

“You. Want to help us?” Shigaraki snorts, “We don’t need help from a fifteen year old hero wannabe. We’re the ones that will use you, Eraserbaby.” 

The mention of his dad again sends Izuku a little over the edge. It’s been over twelve hours since he was kidnapped at the camp and his parents must be absolutely frantic. For him to be gone this long without a hero finding him means the League are very well hidden, and there’s a good chance Izuku will be stuck with them for a while. He’s got to use what he can to stay in their good graces.

“Fine, then use me!” Izuku cries, not missing their surprise at those words, “Just…please, let me help. Your emotions…I can’t…it’s too much.”

Izuku feels himself starting to drift again as he collapses back down in the chair, bringing shaking hands up to his face. He feels a hand on his forehead and it’s calming. He feels himself drifting away, going back into his mind.

“...dissociating again…”

When he comes back to himself, he’s surprised to find he’s been moved to a couch, one pressed against the wall of the bar. Kurogiri is still behind the bar, quietly cleaning glasses, but everyone else is gone. Izuku sits up, touched to find that someone’s put a blanket over him.

“Are you alright, young Aizawa?” Kurogiri asks, the question taking Izuku by surprise. He takes stock of his emotions, realizing he’s feeling mostly exhausted and a little thirsty and hungry. Kurogiri is calm, so Izuku doesn’t feel overwhelmed by his feelings. 

“Can I have some water, please?” Izuku asks, bringing a hand up to his head, “And maybe some food?”

“Of course,” Kurogiri says, reaching down and rummaging underneath the bar, eventually placing a water bottle and a bag of chips on the counter. Izuku stands on wobbly legs, heading over to sit on one of the bar stools. 

The door to the outside is tantalizingly close, but there’s a reason why the League left Izuku alone with Kurogiri. He would be able to warp Izuku back in an instant, so trying to escape right now would be pointless.

“Thank you,” Izuku says politely, opening the water bottle and taking a long sip before beginning to eat some chips. Kurogiri doesn’t say anything, only stands behind the bar like a silent statue. Izuku is perplexed by the villain; he seems fairly level-headed and even kind, in his own way, but his emotions are odd. They’re definitely there, but they feel too simplistic for an adult, and muted, almost like someone’s turned the volume down on his personality. 

“Yesterday you were concerned for me,” Kurogiri says in a low voice, making Izuku look up, “I am curious as to what prompted you to be so.” 

Izuku stills for a second, unsure of how best to respond. “I guess I just…wanted to make sure you were alright. Sorry, I know that’s an invasion of privacy. But with my quirk, I can’t help it.” 

“I do not mind,” Kurogiri offers, sounding actually a bit hesitant, “I admit that not having memories of my past often makes me curious about my own history. I wonder sometimes what kind of person I was before I became Tomura Shigaraki’s caretaker.” 

Izuku looks up, food all but forgotten. “I might be able to help you. I mean, I can’t help you with your memories, but I can help with…um, emotions. I’m really good at reading people.”

“I am unsure if I am even a person,” Kurogiri says, staring at Izuku with his intense yellow eyes, “As I am a nomu, I do not know if I qualify.”

Izuku’s stomach sinks. He remembers the terrifyingly powerful creature from the USJ, but it was mindless, not a person. If Kurogiri was a nomu, the implications of that were horrifying. 

“If you’re a nomu, doesn’t that mean, you’re um, dead?” Izuku asks quickly, before wincing, “S-Sorry if that’s insensitive, I just overheard my parents talking about what they think they know about nomu and it’s been theorized that they’re created from dead people and, um mutated.”

“Yes,” Kurogiri says simply, “I was once alive, however I have no recollection of my past life.”

Izuku stares. If Kurogiri was a nomu, then…he had to have been someone with a good quirk, one that All For One, the villain behind the League, Shigaraki, everything, would have wanted to use. Izuku doesn’t know much about the situation of the villains he’s fighting, but he’s observant and he’s overheard enough over the past weeks to understand there’s something more powerful than Shigaraki at play here.

“Do you have any theories?” Izuku asks quietly, taking a sip of water, “About who you were?”

Kurogiri is quiet for a moment. “No, it was not necessary to consider. All I know is that many years ago, I awakened and was ordered to care for Tomura, which I have done since. It is my mission and my purpose.”

Izuku searches Kurogiri’s emotions, feeling mostly calm acceptance, but there’s just a touch of something, else, something Izuku chases and reaches for, a scrap of an emotion Kurogiri may not even feel himself. 

“You question it,” Izuku says quietly, feeling a flash of surprise from the villain, “Only a little, but it’s there. You’re curious about your past, aren’t you?”

Kurogiri is quiet for a very, very long while. Izuku can almost hear his heartbeat in his ears, not missing Kurogiri glance at a television screen in the corner. 

“I suppose it is only natural that I am,” Kurogiri says calmly, “However, it is not my prerogative to search it out. I only wish to fulfill my purpose and help to support Tomura in any way that I can.” 

“I understand,” Izuku says quietly, reaching over to put a hand over Kurogiri’s, “But you can do that and still be curious about your past, they’re not mutually exclusive. You might be a nomu, but you do feel. The other nomu, the one at the USJ, didn’t feel things like you. You’re different.” 

Kurogiri is quiet, looking down at Izuku’s hand on his own before saying, “That is an interesting thought. I admit, I felt…strange during the USJ attack when facing off against the pro-hero Eraserhead. I believe the sensation is referred to as déjà vu. I had the sense it was not the first time I had seen him, although I have no memory of encountering him before.” 

Izuku stiffens. Could Kurogiri know his dad? That could be a good thing or a very, very bad thing depending on who he was previously. Izuku’s completely forgotten about the fact that he’s a prisoner right now, focusing totally on Kurogiri’s situation. He feels a desperate, burning curiosity to help the villain, to unlock his past. 

“You think you knew him…you know, before?” Izuku asks, “My dad, I mean.”

“Possibly,” Kurogiri says, “I wouldn’t be able to hazard a guess. I would like to think that I knew people before. It’s possible that your father was one of them, although it is highly unlikely he would recognize me in my current state.” 

Izuku’s heart hammers. He knows his parents well, much better than most kids, and he remembers stories of his dad’s friends from school. One particularly sad story sticks out in his brain and Izuku has a nagging feeling that he might be onto something. He figures he might as well try to see if Kurogiri and the story in his memory are connected.

“Oboro Shirakumo,” Izuku says experimentally. Kurogiri says nothing, but Izuku feels the strongest flash of emotion he’s felt from the man since meeting him.

“Oboro Shirakumo,” Izuku says again, and the same flash surges through Kurogiri, “Does that name…mean something to you?”

Kurogiri leans against the bar, the mist around him shifting and blinking like static on a television, “I…I do not…know…”

Izuku knows instantly he’s onto something. “Oboro Shirakumo, or Loud Cloud, was Eraserhead and Present Mic’s best friend. He was a UA student who had a cloud quirk. He could create clouds, he didn’t care about following the rules, but he was a fiercely loyal and protective friend. He died in a villain attack during his second year at UA.” 

Kurogiri doesn’t say anything, but Izuku feels something roll through the villain, an emotion close to longing.

“Loud…Cloud…” Kurogiri says with a far-off look in his eyes, “Oboro. I think…”

Izuku doesn’t get to find out what Kurogiri thinks, because in the middle of his sentence, the door to the bar is shattered open. Before Izuku can even blink, Kurogiri has been restrained and removed from the bar by heroes and police. Izuku is filled with nothing but relief when he sees his parents come in next, grabbing him and pulling him out quickly. 

They exit out onto a dirty street in the rain and Izuku sees the place is surrounded by police cars, heroes, caution tape, and curious civilians. Reporters are filming and Izuku just stands in the rain and stares in shock. He’s ushered into an ambulance with Hizashi, Aizawa shouting that he’s needed to contain the villains, and the ambulance doors close.

“Oh god, Izu,” Hizashi says, pulling Izuku into a tight hug as the medic firmly, but gently tells Hizashi to back up so she can check him over.

Izuku’s heart is racing. The League…they were so, so damaged. But how does he tell his parents what he’s just (maybe) discovered? If Kurogiri really was Oboro, then…can he be saved? He’s technically dead, right? 

The panic of Hizashi’s emotions pull Izuku back to reality, listening to his dad’s desperate questions.

“-alright, Izuku?” he asks, blinking Izuku out of his twisted thoughts. He nods, looking up at his dad with exhaustion.

“They all felt so…so broken, papa,” Izuku says softly, gripping his knees, “They need help. I can help them. I can help them.”

“Izu,” his dad chokes out, “Baby, that’s not your job. God, I’m so happy you’re safe, kid. You scared us so much. I’m so glad you’re alright.” 

Izuku lets his dad hold him as they get to the hospital, unable to voice everything he’s thinking. The League is run by a supervillain, All For One. Izuku knows this. They make nomus. Nomus aren’t thoughtless monsters, they’re dead people, warped and mutated by All For One’s quirk. Kurogiri is a nomu. Kurogiri is maybe, probably his parents’ dead best friend. The League is full of young, broken people who have been so, so wronged.

So what does he do now?

“I’m tired,” Izuku mumbles, clenching his fist in his dad’s shirt, “I’m so tired.”

“Sleep, honey, I’m here,” Hizashi murmurs, “I’ll always be here.”

Chapter Text

Izuku melts into the embrace of his dad, who’s hugging him tightly on a couch at the police station. Hizashi is standing next to them, looking exhausted, but relieved. Aizawa has been hugging Izuku for a long time, since he entered the station and saw his son, and Izuku doesn’t have the heart to pull away. Not when he can feel what his dad is feeling.

“And they didn’t hurt you?” Aizawa asks him again, for the fifth time, “They just talked?”

“Yeah, dad,” Izuku says, face pressed in the crook of Aizawa’s neck, “I promise, they didn’t hurt me at all.”

Aizawa finally pulls back after a few long moments and Izuku can feel every painful emotion running through both of his parents. He gets the sense neither of them will let him out of their sight any time soon. 

“Is Hitoshi okay?” Izuku asks, looking at them both, “Compress said he had him, too.”

“He’s completely safe,” Hizashi murmurs, reaching over to rub Izuku’s head, reminding him of when Kurogiri did the same thing hours before, “Not a scratch on him. Your classmates have been hard to contain, though, a few of them almost broke the law trying to find you. Luckily your dad is a giant pushover when it comes to you kids and didn’t expel them.”

Izuku’s touched but not totally surprised to hear that. “Was it Toshi and Shouto?”

“And Iida, Uraraka, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Bakugou,” Hizashi adds, Izuku’s surprised. He had no idea so many of his classmates would go so far for him, but he’s very touched.

“Can I see them?” he asks quietly, feeling love and worry and love love love from both of his parents. It’s almost overwhelming him, drowning in their intense emotions. 

“Soon, you’ll be seeing them more than you may want to,” Aizawa says calmly, “UA’s built dorms. Whole class is moving in. Us, too. You’ll get your own room in the dorms, but we’ll be staying on campus, too.”

Izuku blinks in surprise. Dorms? They’re moving?

“Would we…I mean, what about our apartment? Mochi and Sushi?” Izuku asks, getting a little worked up, “Are we…is it permanent?”

Hizashi sits down on Izuku’s other side so he’s framed by his parents. So much has happened in the last few hours that Izuku feels overwhelmed and wrung out, ready to collapse and sleep for hours.

“We’re keeping the apartment,” Hizashi says gently, “The cats are coming with us, your dad and I will have our own shared apartment on campus and they’ll stay with us. Most of our stuff’s going to get moved out into the dorms, but our apartment’s home kid, we’re keeping it.”

Izuku is reassured by that. He doesn’t want to lose his home. He’s lived there with his parents since he was four and it’s the one place he always feels safe and secure. 

“Maybe now’s not the best time to talk about all of this,” Aizawa says, “Sorry, kid, I just thought you should know. Listen, do you think you’re up for a police interview? Detective Tsukauchi wants to talk to you. And we’ve got to fill you in on some things.”

Izuku nods, ready to talk. “Um, do you guys think you could stay with me? There’s some stuff that I only want to say once.”

He feels their worry and trepidation at that, but they both nod and Izuku is shortly after taken to another room in the station. There’s a table with chairs around it, which the three of them sit in, before the detective enters the room.

“Aizawa, Yamada, nice to see you,” Tsukauchi says conversationally, “Izuku, you as well. Now, I know this is been an exceptionally trying time for you all, so I’ll try to make this as quick as possible. Izuku, I’d like you to walk me through everything that happened, in your own words.”

Izuku explains to the detective as best as he can everything that happened, down to how the League members felt, the strange emotions he had picked up from them, all the way to the bizarre conversation he had with Kurogiri.

“I think I figured out…Kurogiri used to be someone,” Izuku says, not looking at either of his parents, “I can’t confirm it, not a hundred percent, but…I think…I know who he was. Before he was a nomu.”

Tsukauchi waits for Izuku to finish his thought, not pushing or prompting. The man’s emotions are calm, and it helps Izuku keep his train of thought, despite his parents’ anxiety.

“He…I think he was Oboro Shirakumo,” Izuku whispers, feeling the agony that causes in both of his parents, “I…got to talking to him like I said, and I took a guess. He didn’t confirm it, but he reacted…I dunno, I think if you talk to him, there’s a possibility he might remember something. He’s in custody, right?”

“He is,” Tsukauchi replies, “This is…a lot to consider. Thank you for your information, Izuku, you’ve been very helpful.”

Once the interview is over and Izuku is cleared to go home, they go back to the apartment. Izuku immediately beelines for the cats, petting them both before being ushered to take a shower by his parents before they have dinner. 

After they’ve all eaten and relaxed a little, they settle at the table with tea, both of his dads feeling worry and shock.

“Izu, honey…” Hizashi starts, holding Aizawa’s hand on the table, “Do you really think Kurogiri is Oboro? Are…are you sure?”

Izuku nods, looking down at his tea, “Yeah. I’m s-sorry, I know he was your best friend. I think…I think a small piece of him might still be in there. I don’t know if it’s enough to salvage his memories, but…I really do think it’s him.”

Izuku can feel the aching pain of his parents’ loss, but he doesn’t bring it up. They’ve worked through their grief of losing their friend for years and Izuku only hopes that they’ll be able to deal with this new revelation.

“Alright,” Aizawa says calmly, “Thank you for telling us, Izuku. There are some things we need to fill you in on as well before we move to the dorms tomorrow.” 

Hizashi and Aizawa share a look before Hizashi begins to explain. “All Might fought All For One after we got you away from the League. All Might was badly injured in the fight. He’s retired.”

Izuku’s eyes widen. He didn’t know All Might very well, but that was a shock. All Might has been a consistent presence in the hero world for Izuku’s whole life, so he’s hardly able to process the fact that the number one hero is gone.

“Endeavor is now the new number one,” Aizawa says calmly and Izuku’s stomach clenches, thinking of Shouto and how this must be difficult for him.

“What happened to All For One?” Izuku asks, curiosity burning through him, “Did he get away?”

Hizashi tenses, biting his lip. “No, kid. He didn’t. No one really knows why yet, but Shigaraki killed him.”

Izuku stares at his father in shock. “He what?”

“After we got you out, All For One transported the League out of their hideout to a different location,” Aizawa continues explaining, “Where All Might faced him down. All Might won the battle, but just as the police were moving in to detain All For One, Shigaraki stepped forward, and decayed him. The League vanished in the chaos.”

Izuku can’t deny he’s shocked. From everything he had heard, the Shigaraki and the League were devoted to All For One, created to follow his plan. Without All For One…the world’s greatest villain threat was just gone.

“The underworld’s in chaos,” Aizawa says, sounding like exhaustion is seeping into his bones, “Without All For One, different S class villains are vying for the top spot. We’re already seeing infighting all over the map. My work phone’s been going off nonstop. It looks like other than the League, we’ve got the yakuza to worry about now.”

Izuku takes that all in, shaking his head a little as he tries to process everything. “Dad, I know this is selfish, but I don’t want you to go out on patrol right now. Either of you.” 

Aizawa reaches over to squeeze Izuku’s hand with his free one. “I’m not going anywhere, kid. There’s tons of pros on the case and right now my priority is you. Tonight, we’re staying in, getting a good night’s sleep, and moving to UA tomorrow.” 

Moving into UA is an odd experience. His parents have a joint room in a staff dorm nearby with the cats and Izuku moves into the newly built Heights Alliance. It’s a bit weird not living in the same place as his parents, but at least they’re close enough if he needs them. After all, he’ll see them every day in class, too.

Izuku’s pleased that his room is on the same floor as both Hitoshi and Shouto, looking forward to seeing his friends again. 

“Izu!” Hitoshi calls when he sees him and the relief that pours from him actually makes Izuku feel a little wobbly. Hitoshi pulls him into a tight hug stepping back to clamp his shoulder. They’ve talked a lot over text and on the phone since Izuku was rescued, but it’s different seeing his friend in person.

“I’m so happy you’re okay,” Hitoshi says, “Man, it’s been crazy here. Your dad almost killed us when we tried to go find you.”

Izuku smiles, “Yeah, but uh…thanks for that. I mean it, Toshi.”

“It wasn’t all me, it was Shouto’s plan,” Hitoshi grins, “I know he’s dying to see you, too, so after you unpack, let’s meet and hangout in my room, okay?”

Izuku agrees and they cheerfully part ways. Izuku heads into his dorm room, working to unpack all of his things. He’s mostly packed clothes and books, along with some posters and other decor. He puts the photo of his mom on his desk next to another framed picture of him and his parents, and another of him and Hitoshi as kids. The pictures make the room feel a lot more homey, and Izuku relaxes when everything is put away.

After he unpacks, he lays out on his bed, turning on his galaxy light and looking up at the ceiling, losing himself in watching the lights. He reaches for his phone to text Hitoshi and Shouto, but he gets distracted by sensing the emotions of everyone in the dorm. He feels his brain start to go a little fuzzy at the edges, and he feels himself slipping away into the now-familiar fog of dissociation. His last thought before he drifts completely is that nothing feels real, not anymore. 

He’s not sure how long he’s out of it for, but a voice interrupts him after a while.

“-uku, Izuku!” the voice says, someone shaking his shoulder, “Come on, you’re freaking us out!”

Izuku blinks, coming back to himself as two faces come into focus in front of him. He realizes he’s still in his dorm, sitting up in bed as Hitoshi and Shouto look at him worriedly. Izuku recognizes that he’s come out of his drifting state, feeling his friends’ worry.

“Sorry,” Izuku apologizes, voice gravelly, “I didn’t mean to scare you guys. I’m fine, I’m just tired.”

Shouto shares a worried look with Hitoshi before they sit down next to Izuku on the bed. Izuku relaxes when he feels the heat from Shouto’s side and senses Hitoshi’s fond worry. He rests his head on Hitoshi’s shoulder, feeling exhaustion in every inch of him.

“Thank you for what you both did,” Izuku mumbles quietly, “Thank you for coming after me.”

“It’s what you would have done,” Shouto replies, Hitoshi nodding, “And we weren’t going to leave you with villains.” 

Izuku’s heart clenches, thinking of all of the terrible things that he had felt from the League. They were young, most of them at least, and so damaged. He thinks about Oboro, who has no sense of self and was resurrected as a tool. How completely unstable Twice was, the burning anger from Dabi, and all the other terrible emotions. 

“They…weren’t all bad,” Izuku says softly, sensing surprise from the others, “I just…it’s hard to hate someone when they feel broken.”

Chapter Text

Getting used to living with a bunch of emotional, angsty, hormonal teenagers would be a lot for anyone. But for someone with an empathy quirk like Izuku, it’s downright torture sometimes. 

He’s currently trying to finish his homework, but the emotions wafting from what he can only assume is a lover’s spat somewhere in the dorms are distracting. 

“Why is our class so dramatic?” Izuku groans, dropping his head down on the table. He’s in the common room studying with Hitoshi, Shouto, Iida, and Uraraka, and they’re all far too amused at his predicament. 

“What is it this time?” Hitoshi grins, looking at Izuku with mirth in his eyes. 

It’s been a few weeks since his kidnapping and subsequent rescue, and Izuku has to admit that he’s enjoying the normal teenage drama and antics he’s experienced since living in the dorms. 

“Someone’s getting broken up with,” Izuku sighs, rubbing his forehead, “Or they’re doing the breaking up, not sure. Either way, it’s over the phone because I can only feel one person. They’re feeling very self-righteous. Getting the feeling they probably did something wrong.”

“Is this how you analyze us all the time?” Shouto teases lightly, “Careful, Izuku, or you’ll turn into a gossip.”

Everyone laughs at that and Izuku tries not to focus on the emotions of the people around him. It’s hard though, as Bakugou comes in shouting at Kirishima about something-or-other, Kaminari fries the microwave, and Jirou blasts rock music in her room. The emotions and noise and sound are a lot to process, and Izuku thinks about texting his parents to see if he maybe can crash at their place tonight. 

He slides on his headphones, something his friends are used to him doing now. Blocking out the sounds help, and Izuku is able to focus on completing his assignments. 

When it gets late, they all say goodnight and Izuku heads to his room. Since moving into the dorms, he’s become a bit of an insomniac, always treasuring the hours when his classmates are asleep. It’s so quiet and calm, Izuku can process his own emotions without the interference of others. 

He’s getting better at using his quirk to identify specific people; he can pick up on most of his classmates without issue and has started to be able to read emotions in their texts and handwriting, something he’s only been able to do with his parents before. 

As he lies on his bed staring up at the galaxy light projecting on his ceiling, Izuku is grateful. 

Izuku’s not sure what he thinks of his parents’ new place at UA. The staff apartments are in a separate building, strategically located centrally amongst the student dorms. Most staff have elected to move in, but Hizashi and Aizawa are the only ones to share an apartment. Nemuri’s moved in as well, so Izuku figures he’ll see Hitoshi over here a lot, too.

The apartment is about the same size as their old one, a two-bedroom with a bathroom, kitchen, and living space. There’s also a small room for an office and the appliances are a bit more updated than their apartment. The cats seem to be happy there, lounging in a sunbeam and looking out the window at the sprawling UA campus.

It’s a bit weird seeing all their furniture in this new place. UA has offered to furnish the staff apartments, but Hizashi and Aizawa opted to move in their own furniture. Their old apartment stands essentially empty now, but none of them want to give it up. It feels like home because they’re all here together, but Izuku still feels oddly out of place here. He’s not sure why, but he tries to shake himself out of it.

“So, Izu, tell us about all the dorm gossip,” Hizashi grins at him from across the table. They’d opted for a Friday night family dinner, meeting after class to make dumplings together. Izuku’s missed spending quiet time with his parents like this, enjoying being together as a family.

“Papa,” Izuku groans, “Dad definitely doesn’t want to hear anymore class drama. He already has to deal with it eight hours a day.”

“Try ten,” Aizawa deanpans, “Your class is full of demons.” 

Hizashi snorts, amusement flashing through him. He’s in a very playful mood and it’s making Izuku feel lighter, always enjoying when his parents tease each other like this. 

“Shouta,” Hizashi whines, leaning on his hands, “Come on, spill. Someone has to have destroyed something in the dorms by now, right? There’s no way Bakugou hasn’t exploded something.” 

Izuku grins, “Well, nearly. But dad stopped him before he could. You have no idea how pent up some of them are, everyone’s emotions are crazy. I had to feel through two fights, a breakup, and a prank war just in the last week.”

“Everyone’s okay though, right?” Aizawa asks, and Izuku has to smile at his dad’s obvious concern for his class. Even without his quirk, it’d be all too obvious to tell just how much his dad cares about 1-A.

“Yeah, dad, it’s just teenager stuff,” Izuku says through a mouthful of dumpling, “No one’s having any extra-strong emotions, or anything concerning. I’ll let you know if it changes, though. There’s a few people who concern me more than others.”

A flash of worry from both his parents before Aizawa asks, “Who?”

Izuku fidgets. He’s always a bit uncomfortable doing this, feeling like it’s a huge invasion of his friends’ privacy, but at the same time, his dad is in charge of their wellbeing, and if anyone’s in trouble, it’s his job to help.

“Well, no one’s in danger of anything right now I don’t think,” Izuku says quietly, “I mean, I always worry about Shouto. But Iida too, after what happened with Ingenium. And Tokoyami really struggles sometimes, keeping Dark Shadow in line. Bakugou has some serious anger management issues. Hagakure is doing a lot better, though, since moving into the dorms. Kaminari is pretty harsh on himself, so I’ve been keeping an eye out on that.”

“That’s a lot, kiddo,” Hizashi interrupts gently, “I know you’re worried for your friends, but are you getting time to yourself? Your dad and I are worried you haven’t been sleeping enough, you’ve got dark circles under your eyes.”

Izuku blushes. “Well, um, I know it’s dumb, but I’ve been staying up late. It’s hard to sleep with everyone feeling so much all the time, you know? Since I know them all pretty well now, I know who’s feeling what and it keeps me awake. So I usually can’t fall asleep until most everyone else does, and some people in our class are insomniacs.” 

He feels more worry from his parents, wincing a bit. He hadn’t meant to make them feel more concerned for him, but when it comes to his parents, lying and hiding the truth never works. 

“Let’s talk to Recovery Girl,” Aizawa says calmly, although Izuku can feel his dad’s simmering anxiety, “Maybe she can give you something to help you sleep. Of course, you know you can always sleep here, kid. You’ve got a room with us.”

Izuku nods, grateful. His bedroom here is sparse, just the furniture and boxes of childhood knick knacks from home. He likes being in the dorms with his friends, but he also wonders if maybe he should try staying with his parents for a while. 

“Could I stay here tonight?” Izuku asks hopefully, “I just could really use the sleep. I wanted to um, decorate my room more here, too.”

His parents smile and Izuku can feel their relief and happiness at having Izuku spend the night with them. 

“If it makes you this happy, I can spend more nights here,” Izuku teases lightly.

Hizashi barks a laugh and Aizawa just groans, but Izuku can tell how pleased they are. The dinner continues until they’ve cleared all the plates, Izuku texting his friends that he’s spending the night with his dads. Hizashi brings out dessert, some ice cream from the fridge, and they’re all eating it on the couch when the conversation turns towards his parents’ work. 

“It’s been intense,” Aizawa says to them both, discussing his hero patrols, “Of course, I can’t go out much, not with being at UA, but I’ve been requested to handle multiple takedowns over the past month. Since the League killed All For One, the power vacuum at the top of the villain world is causing a lot of problems.”

“Yakuza still?” Hizashi asks, Izuku listening with rapt attention. He doesn’t discuss his parents’ hero work with his classmates, but he always feels lucky that his dads trust him enough to talk about some of their work around him.

“Yeah,” Aizawa groans, “Fuckers. I know, I’ll put a hundred yen in the swear jar. But they’re causing so much trouble and I’ve barely been able to sleep a full eight hours in weeks because of it. The Shie Hassaikai are up to something no good, we’ve been tracking them for weeks.”

Hizashi feels anxious about that and Izuku says nothing, wanting to hear more as his dad continues. “We think they’re the ones behind some of the heroes that have ended up hospitalized lately. The latest intel is they’ve somehow developed quirk suppressant bullets that appear to be semi-permanent, at least. Possibly even fully.”

A silence follows that before Hizashi says, “Fuck.”

“Holy shit,” Izuku agrees, no one even mentioning the swear jar, “Does that mean…are they really taking away people’s quirks, dad?”

Aizawa nods, “I think so. It’s making everyone very anxious about tracking them down, let me tell you. We’re relying mainly on either people who are brave enough to risk their quirks vanishing, or quirkless police officers who are trained in weapons combat.”

Izuku stares at his dad, ice cream all but forgotten. “Dad, you’ll be careful, right?”

“Of course, kid. Didn’t you see me kick ass at the USJ and single-handedly capture Stain? The yakuza are a lot less scary than that, quirk bullets or not.” 

Partnering with Hitoshi under his dad for work experience was interesting. It’s strange, he and Hitoshi have talked for years about being a hero team, but Izuku’s come to find that it’s not all excitement and taking down bad guys. In fact, a lot of being a hero is boring.

“We’ve been patrolling this area for three days and nothing,” Hitoshi gripes, kicking a rock down the sidewalk, “Eraserhead gave us a kid’s job, not letting us help with the yakuza.”

“We are kids,” Izuku reminds his friend, sensing his frustration, “He’s not going to let a couple of average fifteen year olds fight the Shie Hassaikai, let alone us.”

Hitoshi grumbles, “He cares too much. Maybe I should ask my mom, I think she’s been helping, too.” 

They continue to talk and walk, neither expecting to run into anything. Their job had been to patrol the neighborhood and help citizens in need. So far the past three days had consisted of stopping some kids from vandalizing a grocery store wall, saving a cat stuck in a tree, and helping an old lady cross the street (no, really).

Not exactly the type of excitement they were hoping for. Neither of them have even had to use their quirks. Izuku doesn’t blame his dad, he knows Aizawa wants them to be safe, but both he and Hitoshi could help a lot.

Izuku is distracted from his thoughts when a terrible, overwhelming fear rushes through him. He stops, knowing it’s not coming from himself or Hitoshi. He scans the street, which is only lightly populated, but no one appears to be in immediate distress.

“What is it?” Hitoshi asks, Izuku holding up one finger to tell him to wait. Izuku looks, locating the source of emotions before turning to see a tiny, terrified little girl looking up at them. Izuku senses fear, hope, anxiety, terror as if this girl is screaming at him to help. She’s wearing what looks like a hospital gown and is covered in bandages. Izuku is worried.

Izuku softens his features, smiling gently at her and kneeling down. Hitoshi sees the girl as well, knowing Izuku well enough to understand something serious is happening here.

“Hi, my name is Solace,” Izuku says quietly, using his hero name, “Do you need help?”

The little girl walks closer, and they can see her arms covered in scars, her terrified, tear-filled eyes. 

“I’m E-Eri,” she stammers in a quiet voice, sounding so scared that Izuku’s heart clenches, “Can you, h-help me, please?”

Izuku moves closer to her, putting a very gentle arm on her shoulder, sensing her surprise. She’s not scared of him, but she is wary, so Izuku keeps himself as non-threatening looking as possible. 

“Of course!” he smiles kindly, “My hero partener, Siren, and I, we’re patrolling these streets for people who need help. Where are your parents, honey?”

The nickname just slips out and Izuku groans internally, god I'm turning into papa.

Eri twists her hands in the gown, and it’s more anxiety, fear, hope, fear fear fear-

“Solace,” Hitoshi says seriously, Izuku looking up to see someone else at the end of the alley. It takes all his hero training not to flinch at the man’s cold, hard emotions. The only thing he senses is a horrible determination and ruthlessness, a cold-hearted demeanor that serves to make Izuku incredibly wary.

“Eri, darling, it’s time to come back,” the man says and Izuku does flinch. Eri’s emotions are going haywire and Izuku can tell right away that this man has hurt her. He doesn’t need his quirk to see that. He’s trying to think how to get out of the situation. If this person is dangerous (highly likely, given the area of the city they’re in), taking Eri away could anger him, causing more problems. He could use his capture weapon, but he’s not sure of the man’s quirk, or what might happen if he does.

Hitoshi beats him to the punch.

“Who are you?” Hitoshi asks, and Izuku instantly understands what his friend is doing.

The man opens his mouth, “I’m-”

“Sit down on the ground and don’t speak,” Hitoshi orders and they watch as the man’s eyes glaze over, “You will stay in this spot and you will not attempt to follow us.”

When the man stays still, Izuku grabs Eri, and runs. 

Hitoshi already has his phone out as they use their capture weapons to swing through the roofs. Eri is clinging to Izuku, trembling in his arms. He thinks she may be crying.

“I don’t know!” Hitoshi is shouting into the phone, “Seriously, Eraser, you’ve got to pick that guy up, something wasn’t right- you’ll understand when you see the kid.” 

They make it back to the building Aizawa uses for his underground work, and are surprised when they see not only him, but Hizashi, Nemuri, and several police officers. 

“Holy shit,” Hizashi says when he spots the two of them, Eri in Izuku’s arms. Izuku’s not sure what’s going on, but with the way everyone is looking at them, he figures something must be going on.

“You…you found her,” Aizawa gapes, walking over to them and staring at the girl, “Are you all alright? What happened?”

Izuku explains everything that happened in the alley while trying to soothe Eri, who’s still trembling in his embrace. When he finishes explaining that Hitoshi brainwashed the man, the police and most of the heroes are already gone, racing towards the direction of the alley.

“What’s going on?” Hitoshi asks, looking between Izuku and Aizawa.

Aizawa just sighs, rubbing his forehead. “You two are danger magnets. That man, the one you stopped. His name is Chisaki Kai, alias Overhaul. The head of the Shie Hassaikai.”

Eri tenses at the man’s name and Izuku holds her closer, shushing her and rubbing her back.

“It’s okay, you’re okay, you’re safe now,” he murmurs in her ear, “He can’t hurt you anymore, you’re safe with us.”

He feels her calm slightly, and then it’s relief, waves and waves of it. Izuku keeps her as calm as he can as they head into the building, going into his dad’s office and setting Eri down on a couch. She keeps a tight hold of Izuku’s hand, eyes darting between him and Hitoshi every few moments. Eri doesn’t let go when Tsukauchi comes, asking Eri questions she quietly answers. 

After a while, Eri climbs into Izuku’s lap and rests her head on his chest. Izuku looks up at his dad with a determined look on his face. This little girl needs someone, needs a family. She has no one, no one except that awful excuse for a human, Overhaul, and she needs people like Izuku and his parents to help her. He tightens his arms around her, keeping his eyes on his dad.

“Don’t give me that look,” Aizawa says in a bored tone, although Izuku can feel his dad’s protectiveness, “We’re already going to take her in, kid. It’s been planned from the second we found out about her.”

It’s Izuku’s turn to be surprised, but he grins, looking down at the little girl who’s so attached to him. Take her in. Adopt her. His parents have already decided to adopt this little girl, even before they met her.

God, his dads are the coolest.

“Eri,” Izuku murmurs gently, rubbing her arm until she looks up at him with watery eyes, “My hero name is Solace, but my real name is Izuku. You’re going to come home with us. We’ll take really good care of you.”

He can feel relief relief relief at that, overwhelming any other emotions.

“Izu…” she says quietly, fingers curled in his shirt, “I get to stay with you?”

Izuku nods. God, he’s had this kid in his arms for only a few hours, but he’d already burn down the world to protect her. His little sister. 

“Yeah,” Izuku smiles, shifting her so she’s sitting on his lap but can still see everyone else, “With me and our dads, they’re the best. You’ll be really happy there, imouto.”

She tilts her head, a little confused. “What does that mean?”

“Little sister,” Izuku murmurs, reaching over to gently rub her back, “You can be my little sister now, if you want. Which would make me your big brother. Would that be okay with you?”

Her eyes widen before she whispers, “Nii-san?” 

Izuku breaks, then. He’s never been someone’s nii-san. This surge of protectiveness inside of him, to do anything for this little girl, is nothing like he’s ever felt before. It’s amplified by Aizawa and Hitoshi’s emotions, who are feeling a lot right now as well. 

“That’s right,” Aizawa murmurs, walking over to kneel in front of them, “Izuku’s your nii-san and I’m your tou-san, your dad. If you want. My husband can be your papa. We’ll be your family and you’ll never have to hurt again.”

Eri’s eyes well with tears and she reaches for Aizawa, who brings her into a gentle hug. Izuku watches fondly as Erin bundles herself in Aizawa’s embrace. It reminds him of how he used to cling to his dad when he was small like this, recognizing the fond look on his dad’s face. 

Izuku shares a smile with Hitoshi, both relieved. They had saved someone. Their first real hero experience outside of UA. It’s kind of unbelievable. 

“You were incredible, Toshi,” Izuku beams at his friend, “You picked up on everything that happened so fast.”

Hitoshi is pleased, but a bit embarrassed at the compliment. “Yeah, well, it’s been a long time but I still recognize a shitty, abusive parent when I see one.” 

Izuku squeezes Hitoshi’s hand and they sit in comfortable silence for a while as Aizawa soothes Eri enough to where she relaxes. Recovery Girl arrives with some medics and they begin to look her over, helping the girl to heal. Eventually, Eri falls asleep, curled up on the couch in some borrowed clothes, most of her injuries healed.

They’ve been there for a few hours when everyone’s phones go off at once. 

“Shit,” Aizawa curses when he looks at the text, “Izuku, Hitoshi, stay here. Your job is to protect Eri. I’ve got to go help Hizashi.”

“What’s wrong?” Izuku asks, heart hammering, “What’s going on?”

Aizawa slides on his goggles before saying, “Overhaul escaped. He’s currently destroying an entire city block in a rage. I need to go cancel his quirk so they can stop him.” 

“Dad…” Izuku says seriously, “Be careful.”

“Always am, kid.”

As Aizawa leaves out the window, Izuku feels an anxiety rush through him that he hasn’t felt in months. His dad has gone into so many dangerous situations, and Izuku can’t leave him to fight alone. Not after the USJ. Hitoshi will protect Eri, Izuku knows this. 

His dads need help. He can’t leave them alone. 

Hours later, when the carnage of the battle is over, Izuku stands in the middle of a broken street, bloody and with blank eyes. He ignores the motionless body beside him, staring up at the sky and looking at the rain. He hears people calling his name, feeling the anxiety and fear of those around him, but inside of him there’s nothing.

Nothing at all.

Izuku hasn’t shut off his emotions since the USJ and he hadn’t wanted to. But it was the only way to protect his parents, the only way to stop Overhaul. The only way to protect Eri, to protect his new sister. His friends. 

“Izu,” Aizawa coughs to his right, sounding wrecked , “Are you okay, kid?”

Izuku kneels down, pulling up his dad with a firm hand, eyes blank. Aizawa stands on shaky legs, taking in the sight of the carnage around them, missing as police officers and heroes arrive, helping those who have been injured. Izuku thinks someone might be dead as well. It doesn’t matter. None of it matters.

“I don’t feel anything at all.”

Chapter Text

Izuku’s head would be reeling, he’s pretty sure, if he could feel anything at all. 

He might not be able to feel it right now, but he knows that what he did was very, very stupid and reckless. He had followed Aizawa to the fight with Overhaul. What he had seen when he got there he vaguely recognizes as being upsetting. Sir Nighteye, a pro hero, was laying on the ground, either dead or nearly there. Another hero student Izuku doesn’t know had been shot with a quirk-suppressant bullet and was motionless on the ground.

The street was torn up, cars flipped, dozens of police officers looking horribly injured. But what had really done it for Izuku was the sight of not one, but both of his parents fighting Overhaul, alone. 

Izuku could sense his parents’ anxiety and desperation as they fought the villain. Something must be wrong with Aizawa’s eyes, because his dad can’t keep them open and Izuku can see some blood on his dad’s face. Hizashi was using his Voice quirk to subdue Overhaul as much as he could, but Izuku sensed that what they needed was a distraction.

So, Izuku had flung himself into the fight, effectively surprising all of them and terrifying his parents. It gave them enough time for Aizawa to get Overhaul locked in his capture weapon and to cancel out Overhaul’s quirk. Hizashi had snapped quirk suppressant cuffs on Overhaul’s wrists, and he had collapsed to the ground in a heap. 

By all accounts, it had gone as well as it could have. But when Izuku had turned to look at his parents, the sight of them had wrecked him.

Hizashi had a broken arm and possibly a few broken ribs, by the way he was harshly breathing. Aizawa had a gash across an eye, bleeding profusely. He also had a head injury and was only standing up by pure strength of will.

His parents were hurt. They were hurt, and they needed Izuku to help. There was no one close by, everyone was dealing with the possibly dead Nighteye, the motionless hero student, Overhaul’s cuffed body. 

His parents were hurt, and no one was helping them. Izuku had to help them. He was going to panic, he knew that, but he had to help. Had to calm himself.

It wasn’t a conscious choice, but soon after, Izuku completely shuts down the wall on his emotions. He hears Aizawa ask if he’s alright and Izuku responds, confused by the emotions that welled up in his parents. 

Since then, they took a family trip to the hospital and got healed up.

Izuku’s still not feeling anything. 

Eri is brought to them by Hitoshi, who is anxious at his friend’s appearance. Eri doesn’t seem to care, running into Izuku’s arms. It’s odd; Izuku doesn’t feel anything right now, but he still wants to protect this little girl. She is his sister, after all. He files that away vaguely. Maybe he’s not shutting off his emotions as much as repressing them harshly, which would explain why he’s still protecting his family. 

“Kids, come here,” Aizawa says gruffly, and Izuku walks over to his parents, carrying Eri. Hizashi smiles at them both, wincing a little in pain as his ribs shift. 

“Eri, my name is Hizashi,” Hizashi says softly, “We haven’t had a chance to meet yet, but we’re really happy you’re coming home with us, kid.” 

Izuku isn’t happy, he’s nothing at all, but he recognizes that if he could feel something right now, this situation probably would make him happy, too. He can feel his parents’ worry, anxiety, and exhaustion, but he continues to hold Eri, wanting her to be secure. 

“Go…home?” she asks quietly, nuzzling against Izuku, “With nii-san and tou-san?”

“That’s right,” Aizawa says calmly, “Izu, can you give Eri to your dad? I want to talk with you for a second.”

Izuku shrugs, not really caring what happens right now. He hands Eri to Hizashi so they can get to know one another before turning towards his dad.

“Can you switch them back on?” Aizawa asks him bluntly, concern welling up inside of him, “Turn them back on, like at the USJ?”

Izuku shakes his head. “No, it’s not working like it did then. I think I will probably have to do it differently this time. Can we leave the hospital now?”

He can tell his dad wants to say something else, but they’re interrupted then by doctors and the chief of police, answering more questions about what happened.

It takes a couple of rounds of healing with Recovery Girl, but soon Aizawa and Hizashi are well enough to go home. Nemuri and Hitoshi had gone to the apartment at UA, outfitting the office for Eri’s new bedroom, buying her clothes and toys and anything else she might need. Izuku’s told that until his emotions are back on, he’s staying in his parents place. Hitoshi offers to bring some of his stuff over, which he does gladly.

When they get back to the apartment, Nemuri and Hitoshi aren’t there, presumably to give the family space. Eri is curious and a little anxious as she meets the cats and looks around the apartment. Izuku feels her excitement and confusion when she sees her room, eyes widening at the clothes and toys.

“Is this…all mine?” she asks, squeezing Izuku’s hand.

“Yeah,” he replies dully, voice flat, “It is. Auntie Nem and Toshi did it all for you.”

She giggles, running in and exploring everything with wonder. Izuku sits on her floor, watching her touch the toys and books, bouncing a little on her new bed. He watches her for so long he doesn’t realize how tired he is, drifting off to sleep against the wall of her room. 

He’s shaken awake a while later, blinking up in confusion at Aizawa. Izuku looks over to see Eri in pajamas, curled up on her bed sleeping with Mochi. Ah, it’s been hours, then. Izuku stands up, giving her a lingering glance before following his dad out into the living room.

Hizashi’s at the table, three steaming mugs of hot chocolate in front of him. Izuku can see a smaller cup, already finished, that must have been Eri’s from earlier.

“Izu, sit please,” Aizawa murmurs, and Izuku takes a seat. There’s silence for a moment before Hizashi swallows hard, anxiety welling up inside of him.

“Kid, you’re scaring us both,” Hizashi whispers. Izuku nods, he knows this. He can feel it. 

“It was sweet of you to watch over Eri like that,” Aizawa tries, attempting to get Izuku to feel something, he’s sure.

Izuku tilts his head, swinging his legs a little on his chair. “I figured I would care a lot about that, later. Even though I don’t feel anything right now, I still wanted to make sure she was okay.” 

Hizashi and Aizawa both nod, the tension and worry in them dissipating the slightest bit. 

“Izuku, we’re sorry to tell you this while you’re…in this state, but your dad and I have been talking,” Hizashi says quietly, “We’re going to move to UA, permanently. Nemuri is emptying our apartment right now with Hitoshi and a few other people’s help. We’re selling it, and moving here. It’s for Eri’s protection and safety.”

“Okay,” Izuku says dully. He’s not sure why he should care about that. “What’s wrong with Eri?”

Aizawa shifts, sharing an anxious look with Hizashi before speaking. “She has a quirk called Rewind. She can rewind time on living things, make people younger, even completely erase them out of existence. Overhaul was using her body to create the quirk suppressant bullets. He may be in custody now, but her quirk is untrained and she needs constant supervision before she can control it enough to safely leave campus.” 

Izuku digests this before simply saying, “Okay.” 

“You can live here in the summer and on breaks,” Hizashi says, “And in the dorms during the school year. I know we said we were keeping the apartment, but I’m sorry kid, we can’t.”

“Okay,” Izuku shrugs again. He’s not sure why they keep talking about this. He senses his parents feel a little helpless and while he doesn’t exactly care right now, he knows he will later.

“I’ll get my emotions back soon,” he offers to them blandly, “Like before. You don’t have to worry about it so much. Eri should be your priority, she’s a lot more damaged than I am.”

Aizawa and Hizashi feel a lot at those words and it’s almost too much for Izuku to process. He stays silent, waiting for his parents to say something.

“Let us be the judge of that, kid,” Aizawa says firmly, “Listen, Zashi and I aren’t exactly sure what you need right now, so I want you to tell us if anything isn’t okay, alright?”

Izuku shrugs. 

Hizashi tries next. “Izuku, please take a shower, get into pajamas, and go to sleep. Shouto and Hitoshi are going to visit you tomorrow.”

Izuku nods. He doesn’t really care about anything right now, so he might as well follow his dad’s directions.

The next day, there’s a long, awkward breakfast. Eri is staring at food like she’s never seen most of it before, which she probably hasn’t. Hizashi’s given her a pair of kid’s chopsticks, quietly explaining everything to her.

“If you don’t like the way something tastes, you don’t have to eat it,” Hizashi tells her calmly, “It’s okay to let us know what you like and don’t like.”

Eri looks confused and feels very overwhelmed. Izuku can tell she’s not used to having choices. He figures she needs some more directions.

“Rice is good and tastes better when you eat it with the egg,” Izuku offers in his flat voice, sipping some green tea, “You should give it a try.”

Eri nods, looking quizzically at the food in front of her. “Okay, nii-san.”

Satisfied Eri is eating, Izuku turns back to his own food. He doesn’t really want to eat himself, but he figures he should, to refuel his body. He senses how exhausted both of his parents are, from the stress of the fight with Overhaul, their new daughter, and what’s going on with Izuku. 

“Eri, do you want to watch a movie later?” Izuku asks, voice still flat and dull. Eri nods, and Izuku senses her relaxing bit by bit. His parents feel good after he asks the question as well.

“Cool,” Izuku continues dully, “Shouto and Hitoshi are coming over. Hitoshi was the other one who rescued you and Shouto is really nice.”

Eri just nods, eating a little of her breakfast at Hizashi’s gentle insistence. Aizawa’s eyes are locked on Izuku, and he wonders if his parents are splitting the parenting duties. He knows having two kids with varying degrees of psychological trauma must be very difficult to deal with.

Since he doesn’t care about anything, he doesn’t feel annoyed when Aizawa asks him to clear the table. He has nothing better to do, so he cleans the dishes after breakfast, watching his parents help Eri get settled. 

Izuku sits down on the couch, putting on a kid’s movie and getting comfortable, Sushi jumping and snuggling in his lap. Ten or so minutes later, he senses Eri coming up next to him and he opens his eyes. She’s dressed in purple leggings and a green sweatshirt, holding a stuffed bear close to her chest.

“Can I sit with you, Izu-nii?” she asks quietly and Izuku shrugs, patting the couch next to him. Eri wriggles up, snuggling against him. He reaches over her for the blanket on the end of the couch, pulling it over her and setting a hand on her back.

He feels the slightest, tiniest bit of satisfaction when she relaxes at his touch. Interesting. Maybe he does have some access to his emotions right now. He can definitely feel his parents’ love and fondness, letting his eyes droop close. 

When he wakes up next, he can immediately tell there are more people in the apartment. He blinks, looking down and realizing Eri’s moved from his side. He hears quiet giggling and turns to see Hitoshi and Shouto talking with Eri around the kitchen table.

“Your hair is pretty,” Eri tells Hitoshi, “It’s my favorite color.”

“Thanks, kid,” Hitoshi grins, reaching over to ruffle her hair, “Yours is cool, too. What do you think about Shouto’s hair?”

She tilts her head, considering. “It’s pretty, too. I like how it’s two different colors.”

Izuku sits up, yawning and walking into the kitchen without acknowledging his friends. He knows he normally would, but he still can’t seem to access his emotions. 

“Izuku,” Hitoshi says calmly, “Come sit.”

Izuku stops walking, turning and raising an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because we came over to meet Eri and see you,” Shouto replies. Izuku thinks that’s reasonable. He sits down at the table, waiting for them to say something else.

Hitoshi and Shouto both sit in silence for a moment before Eri reaches over and grabs Izuku’s hand.

“Izu-nii, daddy and papa say your feelings are all gone,” Eri says calmly, “Where did they go?”

Izuku considers this before answering, “They go away…inside of me. I can’t access them. I’m sorry if it bothers you, Eri.”

Eri doesn’t seem bothered at all, in fact, there’s only a kind curiosity as she looks Izuku over. Izuku can sense his friends and parents listening in, no one seeming to want to interrupt the conversation.

“The way you are is good,” Eri says calmly, patting Izuku’s knee, “I like you like this and the way you were before, too.”

Three days later and there’s still no sign of Izuku regaining his emotions. Shouto suggests taking him back to the dorms for a movie night, promising Izuku’s parents that he and Hitoshi will call if there are any issues. They agree, primarily to spend more time helping Eri to get settled and spend some one-on-one time with her.

So, Izuku is currently wedged in on the couch in between Hitoshi and Shouto, more than half the class sprawled out around him. He figures his class has been informed of what’s going on with him because no one seems to question his weird, drifting state.

Despite this, there’s still tension in the air, and Izuku wonders vaguely when it’s going to be broken. 

“Oi, shitty nerd, what the hell is this psycho thing you have going on?” Bakugou spits out, breaking the silence. Izuku takes a moment to realize he’s being addressed.

“I don’t have any emotions,” Izuku explains, voice flat and dead, “I can’t feel anything, except for what you all are feeling. I’m guessing normally I’d be touched that you’re so worried about me, Bakugou.”

“Fuck off,” Bakugou spits out, face red, “Last time I try to help you, fucker.”

“That’s a lie,” Izuku says flatly, tapping his fingers on his leg, “I can feel that, too.”

There’s laughter around him and Izuku feels satisfied, pleased that everyone seems a little more relaxed.

Wait…he feels satisfied.

The feeling only lasts a minute before disappearing, but it’s an interesting sign. Maybe he’s getting his emotions back, piece by piece. 

Later that night, Izuku’s back home at his parents’ UA apartment. He explains to them that he felt a little something today, which seems to cheer them both up immensely. Izuku gathers that Eri had a hard day today, and it’s left all of them feeling exhausted. 

He can still feel that his new sister is having a bad day, so he goes over to her room and knocks on the door. He can hear sniffling from behind the door and a tiny, sad voice say, “C-Come in.”

Izuku opens the door, seeing Eri buried in blankets on her bed, looking sad and scared. He feels nothing but exhausted sadness from her, and she’s crying a little.

“Why are you sad, Eri-chan?” Izuku asks quietly, walking over to sit on the end of her bed. He feels something crack inside of him at the question.

Eri sniffles, wiping at her eyes. “S-Scared he’s going to f-find me again. S-Scared I’ll have to go back.”

Another crack. A splinter.

“He won’t find you,” Izuku says calmly, “I won’t let him find you, not ever again.” 

A shard breaks. The glass shatters.

“I will never let anyone hurt you again, Eri,” Izuku chokes out, and the emotions rush back into him like a wave. He feels it all, her pain and sadness, and his own sadness and anger at Overhaul, guilt for his parents, and a surge of protectiveness. 

He pulls her into his arms, letting her cry onto his shoulder. He rubs her back, wanting her to feel safe.

“I’ve got you, I promise,” he says, voice shaking, “I’ve got you.”

Chapter Text

With Izuku’s emotions returned to him, he has a lot to process. Firstly, he has a new sister. A tiny, scared, traumatized sister. His parents have sold their old apartment. They had tried to get Izuku to come and see it before it was done, but since he didn’t have any emotions at the time, he didn’t want to. 

So, Izuku’s childhood home is gone. Their apartment, where he grew up, his safest, most favorite place, is gone. He tries not to be too sad about it, after all their apartment at UA is a bit bigger, nicer. There’s a room for Eri and a room for him, and lots of sunbeams for the cats to lie in. It’s easier on his parents, they can sleep longer in the mornings since they don’t have to commute. Overall, it’s a better living situation for all of them.

But Izuku can’t help but miss their old home, nonetheless. He doesn’t bring it up with his parents, knowing they’re already stretched to their limits. Izuku has caused them a lot of worry and grief over the past few days, plus Eri has had a hard time adjusting to living in the apartment. She’s begun therapy sessions and quirk counseling as well, working on being able to control her incredibly powerful quirk.

Izuku’s trying to be the best older brother he can, getting to know Eri, spending time with her, but also giving her space when she’s overwhelmed. Eri seems extremely attached to all of them, usually clinging to Izuku or one of their dads. She hasn’t met the other students yet, only Hitoshi and Shouto, and Izuku wonders if introducing her to his classmates is a good idea.

On top of everything, their parents are exhausted. In between raising two frankly unstable kids, teaching their classes, and going on patrols, there’s barely any time for them to rest and recuperate. Izuku is very concerned for his parents’ health. 

So, one Friday when he senses Aizawa at his breaking point in frustration and Hizashi past his in exhaustion, Izuku offers to take Eri to Heights Alliance to meet 1-A and have a movie night.

“You two need a break,” Izuku tells his parents firmly, both of whom look like they’re about to keel over, “You’ve been working nonstop. It isn’t your job to fix the entire criminal underworld. You two need to stay here and rest. Spend some time with each other, without us.”

Aizawa and Hizashi share a look, and Izuku just sighs. “Look, both of you love us, and I know you care, but you’re no good to anyone collapsed dead on your feet. Turn off your work phones and sleep until you wake up naturally. I’ll watch out for Eri.”

He supposes his parents must be really exhausted, because they both agree. Izuku goes to Eri’s room, helping her pick out an outfit, an adorable red dress with a white shirt, leggings, and boots. She packs a little bag with some toys and snacks before sliding her hand into Izuku’s.

“Nii-san, are your friends all nice like Toshi and Shou?” she asks quietly after they say goodbye to their parents and head out the door. 

Izuku nods, squeezing her hand gently, “Yeah, they’re all really nice. Some of them are loud, though, so if you don’t like that it’s okay to tell them. Or tell me, and I’ll make them stop.”

“Okay,” she says, eyes widening as they head into Height’s Alliance. Izuku smiles when he feels the familiar rush of emotions from his class, the feelings all settling inside of him like old friends. 

“Izuku, Eri!” Hitoshi calls with a wave, coming over and kneeling down in front of her. She smiles shyly, tucking herself against Izuku’s leg.

“Hi, Toshi,” she says softly, waving a little before gripping Izuku’s pant leg. She smiles again when she sees Shouto, relaxing a little more. Izuku can feel the curiosity of his classmates, but he’s not going to make Eri do anything she’s not comfortable with.

“Eri, would you like to meet some of my friends?” Izuku asks quietly. She nods, still gripping onto him. He can feel that she wants to, but she’s a little scared. He reaches down to pick her up, feeling her relief at being securely held in his arms. 

“Oh my gosh, she’s so cute!” Mina squeals quietly, waving at Eri, “Your hair and outfit and everything, you’re just so adorable, Eri-chan!”

Eri looks at Mina with wide eyes before leaning against Izuku and whispering, “You’re my second favorite color.”

There’s burst of laughter at that, and a lot of them come over to introduce themselves. Eri seems a little overwhelmed, but mostly happy to be meeting Izuku’s friends. He takes note of which ones make her especially anxious and who she feels the most comfortable around, apart from Shouto and Hitoshi. 

She seems to gravitate towards the girls, and Izuku wonders if she has had any female friends in her life. He keeps her in his arms, but he lets her know a few times that she can go down if she wants. 

“Izu-nii can we watch a movie?” Eri asks Izuku, making a few of his classmates coo.

Izuku nods, moving over to the couch, sitting down with Eri on his lap. “Sure, Eri. Are you comfortable sitting next to me, or do you want to stay up here?”

She considers briefly before saying, “I wanna stay with you, nii-san.”

Izuku is flooded with warmth at that. He’s somebody’s nii-san. Big brother. He’s never had someone to protect like this before. Smiling, he lets Eri settle against him as the class sits down, watching a kid-friendly movie for Eri’s sake. Shouto settles down on his left and Hitoshi on his right. Izuku smiles when Shouto makes Eri a little cat out of ice, watching her face widen in delight at it.

After an hour or so, Eri nods off to sleep in Izuku’s arms. He smiles when Iida hands him a blanket, covering her up. Izuku’s never felt so much warmth like this. He wonders if this is how his dad had felt all those years ago when he picked up Izuku from that destroyed building. 

“Izuku, she’s so cute,” Uraraka gushes, looking at the sleeping Eri on Izuku’s chest, “Has she been adjusting okay?”

Izuku smiles fondly. “Yeah, she’s alright. It’s hard though, she’s never had a real home or anything before. Everything’s new to her, so we’re going really slowly. I’m glad she’s asleep, I was a little worried she’d be scared without our parents here.” 

“Can I say it’s still weird to think that Mic-sensei and Aizawa are married,” Kaminari grins from across the room, “They just seem like such total opposites. You don’t really talk about them much, Izuku. Are they like that at home?”

Kaminari’s right, Izuku doesn’t usually talk about his family. It comes from years of practice and keeping things close to his chest, wanting to protect his parents’ identities. But these are his friends, his classmates. They know his parents and they know his sister now. It wouldn’t hurt to talk about them. 

“Nah, they’re sappy as hell,” Hitoshi grins from Izuku’s right, “I tell people this all the time, I swear. Aizawa is gone for Hizashi. Like, a dozen roses and a candlelight dinner on Valentine’s Day gone.” 

Izuku rolls his eyes fondly, saying, “They love each other a lot. Their personalities that you see at school are just a professional version of them. They’re more relaxed at home. They’re great parents, the best.” 

“Wow,” Jirou whistles under her breath, “That’s high praise. Most teenagers butt heads with their parents, you know.” 

Hitoshi scoffs, “Hey, I don’t.”

“Hitoshi, you and Auntie Nem yell louder than Bakugou does sometimes.”

“Oi, what the fuck did you just say, shitty nerd?” 

There’s more good-natured laughter and Izuku looks down, sensing Eri’s waking up. She lifts up her head, blinking a little and Izuku feels a stab of fear from her.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asks her calmly, not missing how the room quiets down. Eri is still scared, looking around the room with fear in her eyes.

“We’re in my dorm with my friends,” Izuku explains softly, “Do you want to go back home, Eri?”

She shakes her head, biting her lip and closing her eyes. “Y-You said daddy and papa needed a b-break, I don’t want to bother them.”

“We’re not going to bother them,” Izuku says firmly, “We come first to them, you know that, right? Do you want to go home?”

Eri nods, burying her face against Izuku’s chest.

Izuku nods, standing up with Eri tucked against his chest. He walks over to the door, sliding into his shoes and grabbing Eri’s bag and her little boots.

“We’ll see you guys tomorrow, okay?” he calls, a chorus of ‘goodbyes’ reaching their ears. Izuku smiles, turning and heading outside, letting Eri collapse against him. 

The walk back to their apartment is quiet. Izuku looks up, mouth opening a little when he sees how clear of a night it is. 

“Eri, look up,” he murmurs, “Look at the stars.”

She picks up her head, gasping when she sees the millions of stars shining in the sky. Izuku wonders with a clench in his heart if Eri’s ever seen the stars like this before.

“What are those lights?” she asks, wonder in her voice. Izuku can feel her astonishment, her awe, her childish wonder, and he melts. He’d do anything for this kid. 

“They’re stars,” Izuku tells her as he walks them slowly back home, “Far away from our planet, they burn like lights in the universe. They’re billions of miles away, but we can see them because they’re so big and bright. They light up the sky for us so we can see at nighttime.”

“That’s nice of them,” Eri giggles and Izuku smiles fondly. He keeps the walk slow so they can watch the stars before using his keycard to scan into the staff dorms. They wave politely to Snipe and Cementoss before heading upstairs to their new home.

Izuku enters the apartment quietly, relieved to sense that his parents are asleep. 

“We have to be really quiet, Eri-chan,” Izuku whispers as he sets his sister down, “Dad and papa are asleep and they’re really tired. Do you need help getting ready for bed?”

Eri puts her boots and bag down on the floor before considering. “Can you read me a bedtime story?” 

Izuku smiles with a nod, taking off his own shoes. “Sure. How about we both change into pajamas and I’ll meet you in your room in a few minutes.”

They both go to change, Izuku slipping into sweatpants and a t-shirt before he heads to Eri’s room. She’s left the door open for him and Izuku walks in, smiling when he see her snuggled under the sheets with both cats curled up on her bed.

“What kind of story do you want, honey?” he asks, the nickname slipping out again. Hizashi’s really rubbing off on him, he can tell.

“Tell me about you when you were little!” she grins, “I wanna know all about you, nii-san.” 

Izuku sits on the edge of the bed, wondering how he can tell her his story without making her sad, or scared. He opts for the truth, but in as gentle of a way as he can.

“Well, a really long time ago, I was little like you,” Izuku says, reaching over to hold one of her hands, “I lived with my mom in an apartment in another part of the city.”

“The lady with the green hair in your picture?” Eri asks, making Izuku’s eyes widen with surprise.

“Uh, yeah,” he smiles a little wistfully, “That’s my mom, Inko. A long time ago, something very bad happened and our house fell down. My mom didn’t make it. Dad and papa saved me, and I’ve lived with them ever since. They’re the best dads in the world, aren’t they?”

Eri nods, feeling sad. “But…your mom. Didn’t you miss her a lot?”

Izuku nods. “Yeah, I did. But now…honestly, I was so young, I don’t remember her very well. But she was kind, and a wonderful mom. I miss her, but I feel so lucky. If that terrible thing never happened, I wouldn’t have met dad and papa. I may never have met you, either. So while it was scary, in the end, it lead to a lot of really good things.”

Eri considers this for a long time. “Do you think…the bad things that happened to me will lead to good things?”

Izuku slides onto the bed so he’s sitting next to her. “Well, it’s good for us. Because if Overhaul hadn’t been such an awful person and you hadn’t been so brave, we might never have met. And I would be really sad if we never met.”

Eri curls against him with a yawn. “Me too, nii-san.” 

Izuku lets his eyes droop closed, not realizing how tired he is. When he wakes next, it’s to whispers and fond emotions.

“Zashi quick, take a picture,” Aizawa murmurs, sounding like he’s close by.

“My heart , Shou, I can’t take this,” Hizashi answers and there’s the sound of a phone taking a picture. Izuku blinks, looking around to realize that he’s fallen asleep in Eri’s room and they’re both sprawled across the bed, tangled up together. Their parents are at the doorway, both feeling extremely fond.

“Morning,” Izuku grumbles, yawning. His chest feels heavy and he realizes Eri’s entire weight is on him. Gently, he shifts her off and she stays asleep, curled in the blankets. Izuku stretches before standing, pulling the blankets over his sister before heading towards his parents.

“Did you two get enough rest?” Izuku asks them, although he can already tell they both feel much better.

“Yeah, kid,” Aizawa says, pulling Izuku into a hug, “Come on, help me make some breakfast.”

Izuku helps his dad cook breakfast while Hizashi takes a shower and tidies up around the apartment. Somewhere in the middle of this, Eri wakes up and cheerfully helps Hizashi with the chores, recounting the entire movie night. 

“Your dad and I went to see Kurogiri,” Aizawa tells Izuku, who nearly drops the egg he’s holding on the floor in surprise. “You were right, it was Oboro. We confirmed it.”

Izuku’s not sure how to feel. He can tell his dad is grieving, but it feels like an old wound. He wonders if his parents have truly processed what happened to their friend. “I’m sorry, dad.”

“Don’t apologize,” Aizawa says firmly, moving to break more eggs into a bowl, “I thought I’d never see my friend again. And we saw a flash of him, just for a moment. He’s in there, kid. Even if it’s just a little piece of him. So thank you for that. Hizashi and I…we’ll keep visiting him. Maybe someday, there will be a way to reverse what was done to him.” 

Izuku smiles at his dad as they make pancakes, enjoying the calm silence between them both. Hizashi and Eri are singing joyfully in the living room, laughing loudly, but Izuku and Aizawa just exist in quiet. It’s nice. 

In that moment, Izuku feels love and overwhelming gratitude for his family. They’ve all gone through a lot, but he knows it’s going to be okay. Everything’s going to be okay.

Chapter Text

The school year comes and goes, and Izuku is facing his first summer in the new UA apartment. It’s a bit weird to be on campus with school not being in session, but it reminds him of when he was a child and would hang out here with his parents. Eri is just as wide-eyed and excited as Izuku was then, enjoying the sights and sound of UA and its staff.

With Overhaul in Tartarus, All For One dead, and the League of Villains vanishing off the map, it’s been a quiet summer. Hizashi and Aizawa still go on patrols, but they mostly deal with low-level villains, robbers and thieves, nothing as frightening as the things they’ve faced throughout this year.

Izuku is feeling better as well. He spends time bonding with Eri and his parents, enjoying strengthening their family unit. Izuku spends hours with Eri, talking to her about their family history, the trips they have taken together. All their inside jokes and all their little idiosyncrasies. He never wants Eri to feel like she’s being left out or lonely, and she eats up everything he tells her. 

As it’s summer, Izuku opts to make it the best summer of Eri’s life. They go to the amusement park, the zoo, see the fireworks at a local festival, and go out daily for ice cream or some other treat. He takes her to the bookstore, the library, the children’s center, and the park. Eri’s still not able to go to school, so Aizawa and Hizashi find a few other pros with children her age, making playdates so she can have some friends her own age. 

One hot afternoon, Eri is off having a playdate with Edgeshot’s niece. Izuku is laying under the shade of a tree with Shouto and Hitoshi, all with ice cream. They’ve been enjoying their day together, spending the morning at the movies before getting lunch and dessert. 

“So, after UA, what’s the plan?” Shouto asks out of the blue, Hitoshi and Izuku looking at him curiously. “I mean, I’ll be a limelight hero whether I like it or not, so I might as well use it. If I made my own agency, would you two join?”

“Hell yeah,” Hitoshi says, grinning, “As long as I can still work underground, I’d be a part of your agency.”

“Me too,” Izuku agrees, a warmth blooming inside of him, “I always thought I’d shadow my dad for a few years, but the three of us…we’d crush it as a hero team. Shou, you’d be so good and engaging and subduing villains, but also rescue. Toshi’s awesome at talking people down, so he’d be an incredible negotiator. And I’ll be a rescue hero, primarily, and work underground and save kids. What would we name the agency?”

They have a small debate then, going over different names. Shouto still hasn’t officially chosen his hero alias, not liking the one he made in class earlier in the year. He’s just been going by his first name since, to everyone’s amusement. 

Izuku thinks for a long moment, wondering if they're okay with the name he’s thinking of. He’s told them the story about Kurogiri and his parents, about what happened to Oboro. He wonders if they’d want to carry that with them.

“What about…Loud Cloud Agency?” Izuku offers, the good-natured argument stopping as they take that in, “Or even just Cloud?”

“Cloud Agency,” Shouto says, trying it out, “I like that.”

“So do I,” Hitoshi agrees, “Cloud Agency, it is.” 

That night when Izuku tells his parents, he pretends not to notice when they both tear up. Eri asks him curiously who Loud Cloud is, and Hizashi gets a fond look on his face.

“Let me tell you about our best friend, Oboro, sweetheart.”

The summer passes slowly, lazily, and simultaneously all too fast. Izuku hasn’t remembered feeling so calm in years. He has endless visits with his friends, seeing some of his 1-A classmates, but mostly spending his time with Shouto and Hitoshi. 

After the chaos of the whole school year, Izuku’s also relieved at spending time with his parents, and Eri. They’re all home a lot more since the villains have quieted down, and it’s one of these nights that Izuku is having now.

Hizashi and Aizawa are sprawled across the couch, Hizashi’s head in Aizawa’s lap as Aizawa casually braids his hair. Eri and Izuku are laying down on the floor doing a puzzle, and the cats are curled up on the windowsill. 

“Izu-nii, do you have a corner piece?” Eri asks, swinging her legs back and forth. Izuku hands her a green puzzle piece, watching fondly as she places it carefully down on the floor.

“You kids are crazy doing a thousand piece puzzle,” Hizashi yawns, “Shou, you’re putting me to sleep.” 

“Good, you need it,” Aizawa murmurs, threading his fingers through Hizashi’s hair, “And he’s right, you two. A thousand pieces? The cats will destroy that puzzle before you ever finish it, you know.”

Eri giggles, “That’s okay! I don’t mind. I just like playing with Izu!”

Izuku feels warmth in his stomach, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “I like this too, Eri. Are you hungry, do you want a snack?”

She shakes her head, swinging her legs again. “No, but I am a little bored of the puzzle.”

Izuku laughs, “Didn’t you just say you liked doing this?”

Eri sits up, rocking a little before flopping on her back and kicking her legs up in the air. “Yeah, but now I’m bored. Can we watch a movie, Izu-nii? Please?”

“You have to ask the dads,” Izuku says, sticking his thumb over his shoulder, “They said we’ve been watching too much tv lately.”

“That’s because you have,” Aizawa says fondly, “But I figure you kids deserve it after the year we all just had. What do you think Zashi, wanna watch a movie?”

Hizashi doesn’t answer, sound asleep on the couch. Aizawa smiles, leaning over to kiss his husband’s forehead before whispering a fond, “Dummy.” 

Izuku smiles, the gentle loving emotions of his family washing over him. He loves this, this peaceful, quiet time he has with them. He thinks he would give up anything for this, even being a hero, if it meant more quiet nights like this with his family.

“I wanna watch the movie with the cats!” Eri exclaims, grabbing the remote and flipping to the movie on the screen. Izuku sighs, he’s seen this movie about fifteen times this summer, but Eri’s obsessed so they put up with it. 

Eri climbs onto the couch, wedging herself against Aizawa’s side as Hizashi snores across his lap. Izuku looks up fondly from the floor, sensing both his dad and sister want him to move up to the couch.

“Well, come on, kid, there’s room,” Aizawa says and Izuku grins, standing up and sitting in the free space on the couch. It’s not perfect, the couch is definitely too small for all four of them, but Izuku feels how happy and calm they all are and it settles him. 

He’s happy.

Chapter Text

“Siren, behind you!” Izuku calls, swinging his capture weapon around the building. He watches as Hitoshi curses, doing an impressive backflip before landing on the top of the skyscraper they’re currently surrounding. 

The villain they’re chasing has robbed three banks and was trying a fourth when they had received the call. At first Izuku had been confused, normally he and Hitoshi were called in for rescue missions or soothing civilians, Hitoshi for hostage negotiations. According to Shouto who was taking the lead on the investigation, this villain has some serious mental health issues, if the crime scenes she’d left behind were any evidence. 

She’s currently fighting both of them, her teleportation quirk making it nearly impossible for them to land a hit on her at all. She was laughing at them, taunting them, but when Izuku scans her emotions, she only feels terror.

Biting his lip, Izuku lands on the side of the building, reaching up to press on his earpiece. 

“Siren, stop engaging,” Izuku says calmly, a little out of breath from chasing her for so long, “She’s frightened of us. I’m going to try Empathic Transference.” 

“Are you sure?” Hitoshi asks over the coms, “You haven’t used that on anyone outside of training yet.”

Izuku nods and says, “I know, just trust me. I can do this.”

Empathic Transference-Izuku’s special move. He had coined it in his third year at UA, when they had started thinking about their hero careers more seriously. After intense training, Izuku realized when he shut off his emotions, he not only was able to feel the emotions of others more keenly, but he was also able to manipulate their emotions.

He was able to calm people down from panic attacks, to bring down someone’s anger, or sadness. The ability was powerful, and Izuku admits controlling someone’s emotions doesn’t make him feel that great, but if helps someone, he can’t not use it.

He chases after the villain, digging deep into himself and imagines flipping a switch. His emotions are instantly numbed and his head clears, able to follow her towards her hiding spot. 

“S-Stay back!” she screams, teleporting a couple of feet to the left. Izuku stops, holding up his hands. He pulls up his mask so she can see his face.

“My name is Solace,” Izuku says calmly, “I’m here to help. What’s your name?”

She says nothing, but the fear she feels floods into Izuku. He latches onto it, pulling the fear down, muting it as much as he can until he feels her relax.

“How…” she stammers, “How are you doing that? What are you doing to me?” 

Izuku floods her with calm, safety, acceptance, trust and watches her settle on the ground, looking exhausted.

“I have an empathic quirk,” Izuku tells her calmly, “We are not trying to hurt you. I am trying to help you. We know you’re having problems, we know you aren’t a bad person. If you come with me, I can help you. I can’t promise you won’t face consequences for your actions, but you can get help.”

The villain looks hopefully at him and Izuku realizes how young she is. 

“Can I see my mom again?” she asks him hopefully, “I…haven’t seen her in a long time.” 

Izuku nods, holding out his hand. “We’ll try, now come on.”

The villain takes his hand and Izuku walks her out of the building down to where he knows the police and other pros are waiting. He walks out with her hand-in-hand, smiling when he sees Hitoshi talking to the police and Shouto to the press. 

There’s an explosion of camera flashes when they exit and Izuku floods the villain with as much calm as he can. She lets herself be handcuffed without a fight, heading into a police car. Izuku sends her one more wave of calm before closing his eyes, digging into himself, and turning back on his own emotions. 

“Solace, you good?” Hitoshi asks, Izuku nodding. “Okay, let’s give our statements, then.”

Later that night, they’re crowded into Hizashi and Aizawa’s UA apartment where they still live with Eri and the cats. Izuku’s moved out into a shared apartment with his friends, but he still comes home for regular dinners whenever he can.

Shouto doesn’t spend much time with his own family, so he’s a regular around their place as well. Nemuri still lives on UA campus, too, and Hitoshi and her also come around a lot. It’s a lively scene, all of them around the table with Hizashi, Aizawa, and Izuku, everyone sharing pizza and talking about their days. 

“I’m telling you, it’s time to retire from patrols, Shou,” Hizashi is saying, shaking a slice of pizza at his husband, “We still have teaching and the radio show. The kids have it now, they don’t need old pros like us.”

“Speak for yourself!” Nemuri pouts, Hitoshi grinning at his mom. 

Izuku rolls his eyes fondly. “Papa, you’re not even forty yet. Stop talking like you’re an old man.”

“Yeah!” Eri pipes up, slamming her hands down on the table, “You’re still young! You and dad can still patrol.”

Aizawa rolls his eyes with a yawn. “Even I have to admit I’m getting tired, I think it’s the teenagers again. It’s always those brats.”

“You love your classes, don’t lie,” Shouto teases fondly, eating a slice of his pizza with vigor, “Besides, Endeavor is still active, and you two help keep him in line. If you bow out now, who’s going to do that? Hawks?”

Both Aizawa and Hizashi groan at that, making everyone laugh. The conversation turns to what everyone’s been up to, sharing stories, and catching up. Izuku looks around at all of his favorite people in the world, all together in one place, and he thinks to himself that he’s very lucky. 

Whatever comes in the future, he has these people. This family they’ve created, pieced together from their own quiet tragedies. Izuku regrets nothing that brought him to this place. He feels the wonderful, loving emotions of the people around him and it’s enough. 

It’s all he needs, or ever will.