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He’d felt weird all day, hot and grumbly and not wanting his snack and then Kacchan grabbed his crayon and Izuku jumped up and hissssed which made everyone look at him all funny and he chomped at them, and one of them giggled and Kacchan said, “What’d you do!”
An Kachan was all tall 'n sounded weird and Izuku blinked and froze, cause his eyes went all the way into his head kinda feeling and he backed up, feet stumbling and trying to tangle and he could see behind him now and in front just by thinkin it and he was puffing big breaths but they tickled his side and he was so scared when Kacchan started popping his quirk and Emmer flashed like a flashy thing and Miko started to cry REALLY LOUDLY and -
He wanted his mummy!
Opening his mouth he tried to say it but his mouth was too weird and strange to make words happen and his sides rumbled and he didn't mean it!
But when Kachan jumped at him, grabbing and yelling Izuku hit him really hard with his own head and he spun in desperation and the door opened as teacher came back at the yelling and....
Running was just as weird as his head was but it was fast too, like a nightmare, and he skidded between the legs of the nice person who brought the post to school and the big safety gate was open for a car to drive through and everyone was yelling and he ran faster faster faster!
Following the safe smell, the good smell, the come to me smell he only had to run in leaps across the road, across the path, across the narrow strip of grass and leap up and over the rushes and cat tails and splash into the canal that ran past the school!
*
The nightmare turned into a great dream at that point, soft and cool and nice nice nice!
His funny feeling butt turned out to be a tail, like a crocodile, and his weird head that he had no idea how it looked was easy in the water, and every now and then his belly went carump and he could see all around him like a ball in the fog, weird but super cool!
Breathing was so different too cause it seemed to only go in his nose, and each time he tried to blow out it do go but not across his paw hand thing he held up to his face but seemed to tickle down out past his sides!
But it was quiet, and calm, and easy, so he just.... swam.
*
"Shit!!" Seeing the alert come in Shouta hated quirk emergencies with kids, especially the ones where the kid was fucking missing now, and he’d diverted to the area for several hours but as there were so many heroes already out, when the armed robbery in progress came in he was sent to that instead of staying to keep looking for the missing child the way he wanted to.
If he was needed at an armed robbery, then he had to go.
Sorted it too.
A few more things on an otherwise uneventful patrol and he was taking the chance to stroll back along the river now, off duty and wondering where that poor kid was and almost tripped when something banged into him, clearly trying to bolt back to the water!
Thinking otter he was about to get out of its way when the shape registered at last, so he blocked, and blocked again, using his height and speed to drive it farther and farther back because, from the description alone it was the missing kid, still in quirk form!
Head low now, tail up in a high s curve, a near constant hissing rumble and every now and then it clomped its jaws at him and his heart melted!
It was so much like a kitten hissing and puffing and smacking the ground with its paws to keep a big dog back, now it was fully on the defensive and not trying to scoot back into the river he went down on one knee and said, “Heeeey sweetheart, it’s okay, I’m a hero, wow, your mummy is super worried about you!”
Shovel shaped head cocked at an angle and Shouta thought he was going to die of cuteness overload, it was the sweetest thing he’d ever seen, like….
Yeah, no likes at all, it was totally unique, so precious, “Oh darling, no now it's okay, here we go, now, no biting.” Only his reflexes got his hand out of danger, but he put it right back again as it ducked in reaction to the mild scold and managed to get under its jaw, ultra soft skin while on top it was all crocodile scutes, but baby ones, little bitty bumps and as if it wasn't cute enough, now its eyes closed and it began to vibrate!
Not a cat purr, but an engine growling and it was just a little bit after that it was on his lap and he was telling the kid, four, so little, all about his own cats because all the kid had to be was relaxed and yep baby monster shifted to tiny child shaped monster and Shouta slowly rose to his feet, tucking the now shivering infant into his jumpsuit as he called it in.
Relieved he’d found the missing kid he was about to breathe a sigh of relief knowing paramedics were on the way when all hell broke loose, lighting up the horizon in all four directions and he said with a fair assumption of calm,” Izuku, or should I call you Izuchan?”
A breathy whisper, an he agreed to what he thought was said, “Izuchan it is, now, how do you feel?”
Already walking as fast as possible without breaking into a run, sounds of battle in the distance and getting closer, he kept his head on a swivel as he looked for enemies, as well as listening to the traumatized infant, “I’s dawk.”
“It is indeed dark, oh, how well did you see underwater?”
Distraction worked with Hizashi, surely it would work on an actual child? And it seemed like distraction worked on actual children as well as childish friends when the baby said, “Good, good good.”
“Really?”
“Nu huh, n’ sometimes my belly’d go boom n I could see all t’ings better’n’good.”
“Your belly would go boom?”
“Nu huh,” a tiny hand waved with the word, “Boooom!” and Shouta wished he could pay more attention to the kid but he could hear voices now, and they were in so much fucking danger, he ducked down under a bush, pressed against a low wall and said softly, “Do you know what I have for very good, very quiet kudos?”
Silent shake of head tickled Shouta's chin with fluffy hair, and he went on, “I have a hero card.”
“Ohh, rewe?”
“Really really, and because my best friend designed it and as he’s a silly billy, it does this.”
Angled as far into shadow as possible, tucked down tight to the base of the wall, Shouta took out one of his hero cards and squeezed the corner, making the yellow goggles light up a dull dim red.
He thought they were stupid really but Hizashi’d been super happy with them so he’d just sighed and taken them, loops of grey scarf, goggles, red glow and all.
Snuggling the kid deeper into his jump suit he fastened it a bit more as he breathed almost silent words, “Izuchan, if you get scared go to the water, okay? Always go to the water, your quirk is amazing and you’ll be safe there.”
Sounds of battle clear to hear he found himself embroiled in a different battle entirely when his armful said, "Kacchan's not gonna like mmmm’quirk, gonna say’ssstupid.”
“Oh,” hot indignation flared behind his breast bone because he and Hizashi both had suffered from shit like this as kids, “what’s his quirk do?”
“Is sparkles, goes boom n lights n pops, is gweat!”
“So, it’s an explosion quirk?”
“Yep yep yeppers.”
“Well, then I think yours is much better!”
“Rewe?”
“Yep yep yeppers!” and the kid giggled at his copying his own words, “It is, because you have so much more than just blowing something up.”
“Huh?”
Wishing to dig into the actual earth now, wanting a fucking bunker or rescue or Hizashi to just fucking save them both Shouta kept going, voice so soft, “Let's start with you having a second form, one that breathes water, so with just that you can be rescue hero, or stealth.”
Rubbing his hand over the kids shoulder to tuck them closer he added, “And your tummy goes boom and you can see differently that way, it's called sonar, dolphins do it too, so you can add espionage oh, well, that's a big word but it just means you could be a spy hero too, but….”
He paused and just breathed for a moment as almost silent feet passed them by. “Your second form is also a cute thing, so you could be limelight too, as well as underground.”
“So that’s five different kinds of hero you could be, which is awesome but, when you get bigger you might not want to be a hero, but if you get big enough you could be a tow boat, rescuing people whose boats break down, or you could be a lifeguard, or - ”
Getting more and more ridiculous with all the things the kid could grow up to be, including a holiday swan boat in disguise he breathed a sigh of relief when, between one breath and the next the kid fell asleep and Shouta simply remained, hidden between a bush and a wall as villains prowled around them, close enough to touch if he just reached out a hand, a huge splash causing the kid to stir and he rocked him in tiny motions, soothing him back to slumber.
It was a very long night, his legs ached and burned with cramps and he was cold to the bone, only the part wrapped around the kid still warm before the stand down notice came through.
Rousing with a groan he stretched himself out a bit and headed for UA rather than any of the rescue lights, he wanted quiet, and to get the baby back to his mummy.
It was a long walk indeed but with the roads blocked, walking was just easier and certainly safer.
*
It wasn't Shouta’s first time being hugged to death by a hysterical person, but it was the first time it was a pretty green haired fem who incoherently told him how wonderful he was, how good amazing fantastic thank you thank you thank you and he finally managed to get unzipped enough for her to reach her baby and…
He didn't want to let go.
Very strange, and only to be blamed on tiredness because he was not parental material, and this kid had a home and loving owner.
Parental.
Not owner, that's cats, like, his cats. Backing softly away, knowing the distraughtly happy mother had plenty of support in the form of Ryou-sensei and no fewer than three of Recovery Girl-sensei’s team, he eased out of the clinic with a sigh of relief, because he was, relieved that is.
Kid turned over to its owner yeah, rubbing his eyes he refused to go through it in his head again, and finally headed home to his own cats and pest of a best friend, sure to be frantic but Shouta’d already checked in to make sure he was okay after the nights chaos, so if Hizashi was okay, Shouta was okay, and the water kitten was okay too.
He remembered getting to his door, something something something Hizashi and nothing else for many many hours!
***
Sniffling as he watched Kacchan yelling Izuku remembered his hero, Ewaserhead, and what they’d said about his quirk, and Kacchan’s quirk, and said nice and firm, “My quirks bettren yers fer hewoes.”
Dead silence and he tipped his head up a bit more as he said, “I c’n swim ‘n see unner wawa, n rescue n be a good hewo, n all yous c’n do is sparklers, so I’m better'n you fer hewos.”
He should have expected to be knocked down and punched but he didn't expect to change and bash Kacchan across the room with his head, and they both got in trouble, so much trouble, but when Kachan yelled “TAKE IT BACK!” all Izuku would do was growl at him and say “NO!”
So much for being best hewos togever, but that was otay, Kacchan would get over it and maybe teacher'd stop being weird.
*
"Oh my gods Shouta, the baby is nightmare fuel!"
Looking again at the picture his chest cam had captured, Shouta shook his head, "No he's not, he's so cute, look, he’s a scaly water kitten!”
“Wow, okay, I always knew you saw the world different but dang,” looking again at the very very strange baby water monster he gave in, “Yeah, he is kinda cute.”
He didn't add in a bug eyed hammer headed crocodile bumpy whippy tail kind of way cause Shouta was so gone on this kid it was adorable!
***
Ewaserheads card was Izuku's special treasure, pride of place right beside his bed where when the dreams got scary he could pinch the corner and it'd light up red and everything would be good again.
Safe, as long as he had the card he was safe.
Because school wasn't much fun anymore, Kacchan never did get friends again, and teacher still said Kacchan was great and Izuku was bad and had an even badder quirk but Izuku had a real hero who said his quirk was good good goodest so he tried to not let the stupid heads at school make him sad.
Holding the card the tiny red lights behind the goggles made him feel much better but he was thirsty, and his water beside his bed was all drunk up, so he slipped out of bed and padded to the kitchen.
He used to be ascarded to do it at night but with his magic card he was safe, even from the dark! Dragging a stool over to fill a big boy glass up he'd only just started drinking and then the light clicked on and mummy said, “Oh baby, good heavens, what are - ”
But then her foot slipped, a jar lid had fallen somehow out of the recycle and mummy waved her arms like a bird but instead of flying she fell backwards and there was a whack thump as she hit the counter and then the floor and she….
Didn't get up
Still on the stool he whispered “Mummy?”
Then he scrambled down and would have shaken her but he’d just read a book at school that said don't do that and he was supposed to call three numbers but he didn't remember them. What was he supposed to do if he didn't know the numbers?
And then he did know what to do, because he had his hero card, and it had numbers on it, so he raced down the hall for the phone and carefully matched the numbers one by one as he pressed them and suddenly the best voice ever was saying, “Yes, who is this?”
*
It was easy to forget the kid, because Shouta was a very busy hero, and it didn't matter that he’d printed out a picture of the water kitten for his wall, or that he had another one as his lock screen too because he liked cute things, his cats were cute, Hizashi was cute, water kitten was cute.
So what if he had pictures and watched his chest cam footage any time he got a bit of down time, he didn't think about wanting to visit the kid more than ten times a day, he was just fine.
For weeks he was just fine, better all the time really, and then his phone rang, and he’d been watching Hizashi getting ready for bed, they’d been out to a party together, because he knew soooo much better than to let Hizashi go alone, bad things happened when Hizashi was unsupervised, weird inexplicable things that usually had Shouta bailing him out of jail at four in the morning.
So for safety's sake Shouta just tagged along to keep it safe, safe for Hizashi and safe for Shouta’s piece of mind, cause he didn't sleep at all anyway when his fool was out unsupervised so he may as well lose sleep with him than pacing the floor waiting for the help me call.
It’d been fun, him lurking as he watched Hizashi dance, and sing, and Shouta laughed at all the people that gravitated to his friend, cause Hizashi was the best.
Every now and then he’d check that Shouta was still there, and Shouta’d lift his glass and Hizashi would beam and go back to dancing and it was good.
Ear plugs in to reduce the volume, back to the wall, tucked in behind a big potted palm tree and yeah, it was good but now he was tired, knew Hizashi was dead on his feet so the phone going off was unwelcome in the extreme.
“Yes, who is this?”
“Ewaswoo? Mummy fellded down.”
Standing abrupty he cradled the phone closer to his ear, “Izuchan, good boy, be nice and calm and tell me about it.”
Waving a hand in the sign for Paramedics he snatched the address from where he’d written it on his contact pad from when he totally just kind of found it in a way certain not to get him lectured as long as no one asked how it was on his contacts list and Hizashi was all on getting them there nice and fast as the baby said, “She fellded down ‘n isn' movin but she's brevin, but b b but she, she isn’ - ”
The sobbing almost killed him as he and Hizashi bolted from the apartment, it was only a mile, two in the morning, almost empty streets, they just ran.
Even running, Shouta kept talking. “It's going to be okay, the ambulance is on the way, can you open the door, kitten?”
“Nu uh, mummy putted a high locks on cause we’s were sleepin, I gotted tirsty is it my faut?”
“No.” Filling the word with rock solid certainty as he was belting down the path was perhaps not the easiest thing but he said it again, “No, this is not your fault! Letting us know the door is locked is helping, stay with your mummy so when they get there it banging open doesn't catch you or hurt you, good boy you are such a good boy we are almost there, just oh, can you count for me?”
“Co-co-count?”
“Yes,” 'Holy fuck count what he’s a baby oh!’ “Put your hand on your mummy’s wrist and count the bumps you feel, okay?”
For about five counts of ten which seemed to be as high as Izuku could go all was quiet but then, only a block out there was a crash and Izuku yelled in shock and then he screamed and a jumble of voices and Shouta sprinted, leaving Hizashi behind as he gave it everything he had because a loud masc voice yelled “Holy FUCK get it away from her!” and a steam kettle screech almost burst his eardrums over the phone and Shouta was only just in time to take the fucker down as he hauled back to kick the baby who’d changed and was trying to protect his mummy, just like a proper little hero!
*
He’d never seen Shouta like this, not even with the entire litter of kittens they’d rescued and bottle fed and had to be rehomed and how he practically haunted the poor new families until he was sure they were doing the job right.
Hizashi still had nightmares about his friend peering in windows and using surveillance gear to “check up on” the kittens.
But this kid, the nightmare baby, Shouta'd been trying to be sneaky about how much he was gone on them but they were in trouble now, unresponsive fem, apartment number such and such and how did Shouta have their address?
Running, faster than waiting for a ride, and then Shouta took off like a rocket and someone was going to die!
Piling on the keep-his-best-friend-out-of-prison speed Hizashi was close enough to prevent any actual death by blocking the second strike and almost yelling, “Shouta, the baby needs you!” as he spun the stupid paramedic fucker like a discus right out of the apartment door!
Fortunately their partner was MUCH more sensible, letting Hizashi keep the stupid fucker away because smell alone might have Shouta attacking again but smart thing that she was she waited for Shouta to calm the kid enough for her to reach the casualty.
*
Izuku was being best helper until the door smashed open, and a huge man was almost running to get his mummy and he didn't even think, danger Danger DANGER was the entire word and he was snapping hissing wailing get away get away get away and they tried to kick him but Ewaserhead was there, his hewo was there an he wriggled and said EEEeEeEeE out his sides where his breaths went out and his head was cupped and under his neck was rubbed and he climbed into safe arms and clutched with tiny fingers and wailed cause it was all so scary and the hands that had been under his jaw were in his hair and holding him close and he buried his face into warm safe darkness and sobbed cause mummy wasn't waking up!
*
Thank gods for Hizashi who got the stupid fucker out of the room, out of sight and let Shouta ease onto his knees to get an armful of wriggling desperate water kitten who changed to Izuchan and wailed like a siren and Shouta eased back and let the sensible paramedic in and kept Izuku turned away so he didn’t see his mother prepped for the trip to the hospital and away she went and someone TRIED TO TAKE the now sleeping baby from his ams and again thanking every god in existence because Hizashi got them away from him!
Talk talk talk and Hizashi’s hero license and he snagged Shouta’s as well and with no clear place to send the kid, no emergency contacts listed anywhere at all, they swung temporary custody and Hizashi bundled them both into a cab and asked for the heat to be turned up high because they’d sweated buckets on the run and were badly chilled now from the night time heat-turned-off apartment.
Having given their contact details for updates they were both now registered emergency contacts of one Midoriya Inko and finally, oh gods he was tired but he finally got them all in the door, fended off the cats, and said, “I’ll get them, you keep hold of Izuchan.”
“No, just lift, good - ” easing Shouta’s shoes off he proceeded to help him get undressed and into pjs without letting go of nightmare child, well, adorable baby really cause “Awwww freckles, gods Shouta he is so sweet good now in you get, perfect, now I'll sleep on this side with him between us so he doesn't fall out that's it now, I’ll leave the bathroom light on so it's not too dark and that's it, just breathe, it’ll all be okay."
Watching Shouta cuddle a tiny kid did things to Hizashi's heart that was totally new and probably needed him to think about but instead he yawned and sighed and wondered how on earth they could find a good place to go from this point, because the kid had people, or, well, a mother at least.
Shouta was going to break his heart over this kid, Hizashi just knew it, because Izuchan had a home and would have to go back.
*
Waking to a med alert ping - he’d remembered to call them both off for four days personal leave - Hizashi had a sinking feeling in his guts that was confirmed as he read - Midoriya Inko had not yet regained consciousness, was still in intensive care although the surgery had gone well, the fracture to her skull was repaired, it just needed time.
Closing down his phone he eased out of the bed, rolled his pillow into a buffer with the blanket so the tiny kid.... were all four years this tiny? but regardless they didn't need him falling out of the bed so he rummaged in the closet and piled on a few coats and jackets as well, impossible to accidentally roll over now.
Kid safe, Hizashi headed for the kitchen, putting rice on and wondering what to do about it all. Well, starting the coffee he did have an idea but was thrown off his own track when Shouta’s low voice from the hall dragged him over to listen.
“Anything, please, name your price and I'll give it to you, she needs Recovery Girl, the operation got the bone fragments out but the kid needs his mum, needs her, please sama…..”
A listening pause and Hizashi found himself holding his own breath in hope.
“…..I can’t speak for him…..”
A ping lit up Hizashi’s phone and he almost laughed at the message, “One kiss by Recovery Girl to Midoriya Inko in exchange for fifty hours EACH used to my own advantage from Aizawa Shouta and Yamada Hizashi.”
“Two kisses!” He said knowing already Nezu sama was listening to Shouta, listening to Hizashi regardless of his phone not being activated, as well as texting, and got (???) so he said, “Kid needs one too, he’s tiny, and this has been terrible for him, if there’s an underlying health problem then we need to know.”
“Just like kittens, right?” He asked as he stepped around the corner and Shouta nodded with a relieved grin, “Yeah, water kitten and mum both, they need all the kisses.”
Meet RG at the hospital in two hours, be certain to eat, shower, dress warmly and keep the water kitten calm, and do not worry, your time with me will be well spent.
“Oh goodie, Nezu sama is gonna kill us for sure.” But Hizashi laughed as he said it cause there were so many worse people to be in debt too, and Shouta was looking so much better now.
So much so that Hizashi didn't expire on the spot when the kid gave them both a heart attack by asking from right behind them, “Wha’s goin on? Is mummy o’tay?”
“Let's get you ready for the day and then we’ll eat and then go see how she’s doing, okay kiddo?”
Oboro was spot on, Hizashi thought with a pang of sadness, Shouta really is great with kids but we can't keep this one!
*
Meeting with the medic hero Izuku shyly clutched Shouta’s hand with one of his and held out the autograph book that Hizashi’d given him with his other one, and she smiled and signed and instead of a simple kiss for his mum she did a full eval, talked to every medic so far involved and finally gave the unresponsive woman a quirk laced kiss and breathed out a sigh, “Good, very good, no, she isn't going to wake up today, or even probably tomorrow even, but she will wake up, her stamina is very low, so I’ll come tomorrow and the next day as well, no extra hours needed to be paid for boys, so don’t worry.
“Shouta, Hizashi, you are both now listed as…." she paused for a moment before remembering the name, "Midoriya san’s emergency contacts, which you know, but as well you are now listed as Izuchan's official foster placement, for as long as this takes you are who he will be with.”
“Now, I need to speak to Nezu, and the three of you need to go have some fun and not to worry right now, oh, I know, how about you take Izuchan for ice cream?”
The wheeeee was expected, but the flavor choice was not once they got there.
Chiyo had come too, insisting it was her mid morning snack time, and she chose strawberry, and Hizashi chose Raspberry ripple crunch but….
Watching Shouta and Izuchan sample all the flavor options, the way Shouta always did when they came to their favorite ice cream parlour, Hizashi hid his reaction to what they both chose but sardine, honesty?
“How is that even a flavor? I mean, Shouta’s the only person I've ever met that even likes it, and now poor little Izuchan wants it too? Ewwwwww!” He whispered to his one time nemesis and always sensei and she agreed with a hummmmm and speculative expression that boded nothing good, Hizashi was sure of it!
Even more sure when the old healer leaned over and tugged three hairs loose from Shouta’s head as he yelped in shock and said, "Right, you boys have fun!” and left.
‘Oh my gods, oh please, do not get more complicated!’ Hizashi prayed to any gods that might be listening, even the Kami of Fools, because if he was right….
*
“How about we get some stuff for the kiddling so they can be comfie dumfie for the time they're with us, like, oh oh oh a bed and clothes and a few games and ooooh....”
Suddenly spotting the ultra glum faces Hizashi laughed and said, “Ooooookay, new plan, you two go back to the apartment for a nap, and I go do a bit of shopping and then this afternoon we go to UA and have a bit of quirk practice in the wild swimming area of the forest quadrant?”
“Oh gods, perfect," Shouta breathed with hearts in his eyes, "you are my hero, you know that, right?”
Giving Shouta a big kiss on his forehead where Hizashi tugged it over to reach, he did the same to a giggling Izuku and headed off, because shopping was life!
*
Looking down at his armful, Shouta copied the fluffy kiss and said, lips still pressed to tickling hair and sweet sweet smell, “Sounds good, lets go sleep.”
Izuchan was asleep before they was even halfway home Home HOME his bones were practically vibrating with how good it was to be holding his kitten and it felt like Shouta was flying, although the stolen hairs were a bit of a conundrum.
*
Other than mummy, Izuku thought Shoushou and Zashi were the bestest people in the entire world!
Zashi’d gotten him a bed that was super duper comfortable with safety rails and loads of covers and pillows and a big fat velvety kitty tucked into it which was awesomest but behind it he’d hung a huge picture of under the water, coral and fish and turtles and dinosaurs and mer people and quirked flying sharks zipping through the clouds and trees with coconuts on them although they had to tell him what they were, cause he only knew them as round brown things and the ones on the tree were huge and green!
But most of all he loved doing quirk practice, cause he got to go under the water, and play time, cause Shouta said quirks should be fun first, he had years for them to be all grown up and serious.
So he’d slid though the sun-shadowed shallows cause there weren't any deeps where he was swimming, and he snapped up a fish and munched it, and something with all legs and claws looked out of a hole and it was fast but he was faster. It crunched nice nice but even as good as it was, sardine ice cream was even better!
Mummy loved it too, and now he had Ewaserhead who liked it so that made two whole people plus Izuku who loved it yummy.
Frowning as he looked up at ducks feet paddling over his head because of the No Eating The Ducks rule from when he had eaten one of them, he wondered if the rumors were true that Gang Orca liked the same ice cream as him, but he wondered even more if anyone would notice if he ate another duck.
Turns out, Shouta noticed and now Izuku was having a sitting in the shade timeout that was the worst thing to ever happen to him in forever!
*
Shouta was convinced Hizashi had the most shit timing on the entire fucking planet because his kitten was swimming and playing and having so much fun and and being so SWEET and then Hizashi showed up and the brown duck who’d been begging bread suddenly had Izuku clamped to it, shovel head and frantic flapping and a solid three flailing slams and all that was left was floating feathers and blood in the water!
Even shallow as it was enough mud had been kicked up to make it impossible to see more than an inch or two deep but blood and feathers, yeah, there was lots of that.
His poor friend had shaking hands and trembling voice when he asked, "Little listener a bit hungry?”
Feeling very sorry for Hizashi but ever so proud of Izuku, even if he had just broken the don't eat ducks that don’t belong to us rule, Shouta nodded and gave what was clearly a badly needed hug.
“Shouta?”
“Ummmmhmmmm?”
“Is he gonna eat all the ducks?”
“Nope, we’ll make sure he has a nice snack first before we swim next time, and talk about absentee owners, so he knows someone owns the ducks, even if he can't see the person, and when he comes up where I can catch him he’ll have another time out cause I did tell him no eating the ducks but I think he needs a real solid reason why to make it more real than being hungry.”
“Will that work?”
“Worked for me.”
“Oh.... good.”
Sitting down he kept an arm wrapped around Hizashi as they watched the water slowly clearing, and eventually the kitten crawled out and Shouta pulled him into the cuddle, not caring they all got wet and muddy, cause that was just fine.
The tears in time out though, Shouta thought he might die from those, but Hizashi held his hand, it was only four minutes, and they all got through it and maybe the rest of the ducks might live.
Time alone would tell on that front.
*
Clean and freshly dressed, they headed to the hospital where his mummy was asposed to wake up soonest, an he held to Shoushou and watched the world go past, knowing he was safe safe safe.
Shoushou n Zashi were safe best goodest ever, and now mummy was gonna be fine, they said so.
And she looked finer, betterer, and he sat really good'n super quiet but it was so long and then Zashi gave him a coloring book of dinosaurs and the biggest box of crayons and it was good again.
Frowning at the tiny feathers he gripped the yellow fiercely and stayed in the lines, which was hardest of all but only right when the dinosaur was gonna be Zashi!
Looking up he smiled, and got smiled back at, and even if mummy was sleeping still it was okay.
*
Mummy wokeded up, and he was in bed with her, curled up as he cried and cried and cried, crayons scattered all over from his jumping and running, but she held him the way he’d been afraid she never would again.
*
Watching his kitten lunge for his mother Shouta had helped him get to her, lifting and swinging him into place and then just....
Watched.
Usually he disliked people, unless they were his, and then he was jealous indeed and he worked to NOT let that quirk of personality get him in trouble or make anyone uncomfortable and so far, so good.
Hizashi didn’t mind Shouta owning him as long as “I get to own you back, dude, cause sharing is caring!”
And Nezu owned him first, so that was okay for Shouta to own him in return!
But Izuku was curled with his mother, sobbing out the fear of the past few days, not of them, but of her having fallen and gone away and him not being with her.
Poor little thing was only four after all, it’d been hard on him, even with good bits like sardine ice cream.
But it felt right, felt good to be here like this, and he didn't really know what to do with that so was glad when a much trusted voice piped up, “Greetings all, I seem to have timed this perfectly.”
“Now, Midoriya Inko, you smell like love of your son and deepest worry, because you are weak right now and have been told you MUST remain in the hospital for at least two, if not three, weeks.”
“And before you even think to argue, you were also told to not exert yourself in any way yet you are cuddling your son and expending energy needed for your system to settle out at a cellular level because yes, your bones are healed and the bruise upon your brain is gone, yet brains are tricky things and you stink of pain.”
“Simply moving your arm is hurting you, yet it is for your kitten, so you do it anyway, because that is what good mothers do, which is what makes them such tricky patients.”
“Yet for your son you need to heal, and up until this moment you have had no family upon which to rely, no close friends either, and you fear for your son's safety if you are not well enough to care for him.”
“Until now?” Shouta frowned, because that was a rather odd way to put it yet Nezu chirrped, “Indeed, until now.”
“Hush though Shouta, while I tell you all a story, the story of a villain and his brother, and the legacy they have left to the world.”
“Not long ago, in many ways anyway, there was a villain called The Dragon, and his brother who went by Dagger.”
“Dragon had a transformation quirk, and Dagger had a slicing quirk, but what he sliced was the quirk connection in his victims, temporarily disconnecting them from their power.”
“They were not nice people, not at all, yet they loved deeply when they did love, but mostly they loved each other.”
“Familyless, homeless, victims of abuse when young, it was no wonder they grew to power broken and twisted, and there are places that still celebrate the date they both died.”
“However, no life is all one thing or t’other, and Dragon met and loved a woman, who gave him a son who never knew his parents at all, who grew to age five in the system because his mother died in hospital of a complication to what should have been a simple medical procedure, they saved the baby but lost the mother and the father died that same day in the way we all know Dragon died.”
“Shouta was that child, and he got his uncle's quirk, or a variant of it, and much of his fathers tenacious and protective love.”
“Now we go to the Blade, who had a hobby, seduction of the innocent.”
“Usually young men, but he turned his attention upon young fems as well, and while he was obsessively careful to not impregnate anyone because it was a game to him, and that was a lose clause indeed, yet all forms of contraceptives sometimes fail, and fail it did, which produced a beautiful little girl, who got her mother's quirk of small item attraction, and much of her own uncle's deeply aggressive loving nature.”
“Travel a bit in time and in this room we have them both, Shouta and Inko, full blooded cousins, and the kitten who has Dragons full body transformation quirk, and his actual form comes from a few generations back, a water dragon of sorts, from a great grandmother, eventually he will be large indeed, and is already dangerous as my poor ducks will solemnly inform you of, yet his very sweetness of nature he gets from all sides, so I have no fear for his ever going dark.”
“Dangerous is not the same thing as dark, as we all know.”
“Had Dragon and Dagger grown up in loving homes they too would have been as sweet as the two of you, yet they are gone and we are now and please Inko dear, do not worry for Izuku’s safety while you heal.”
“Not only are these two lovely boys of mine heroes, but they have had Izuku for three days now and done a very good job indeed.”
“They are listed as your emergency contact and now hold official foster parental status, which will certainly hold good for the time it takes you to heal well enough to take your son back into your care and no Shouta, don’t worry, I am certain all of us can forge enough of a relationship based upon trust and care to move forward amicably, because family is important, wouldn't you say my dear?”
As the poor woman was dripping tears now, clearly too tired and overwhelmed to think, never mind make decisions Shouta leaned carefully closer, phone out, and offered softly, “I have pictures.”
A strangled sound and he smelled her salty tears and tiredness and hope, and found enough words to say, “Of Izuku over the last few days, we had ice cream, he swam, here, I’ll hold it for the video Zashi took.”
It was easy, all he had to do was hold the phone and say what each picture and video was, and eventually he was holding her hand, and she whispered, “Okay, okay.”
Still holding his cousin's hand Shouta smiled at Hizashi, who smiled back, and maybe this was going to be okay after all.
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Izuku doodle! It's not great but good enough, sweet little water kitten!
