Chapter Text
The two middle-aged women sat on their front porch, fanning themselves to stave off the summer heat.
A little bored with the silence, one asked, “Did you know Midoriya-san was divorced?”
Her wife gasped, “Divorced?! I didn’t know she was ever married…”
The woman gestured emphatically as she told the story, “Well, I went over to her place because I had forgotten to buy eggs, and you know how she always keeps her fridge stocked, and would you guess it? There was a man there! Tall, handsome, not well-dressed though.” The last bit was tacked on just as she remembered what he wore. Her wife laughed.
“Honey, are you sure she didn’t just find a boyfriend? Little Izuku-kun can be a handful, always running around, I’m sure she’d be happy to have someone else’s help taking care of him.”
The woman shivered, “Oh, yes, I’m sure. I was only there a couple minutes, but the way those two talked, the atmosphere? I’ve only seen that kind of hostility after a messy divorce. I think the only reason they even meet is because they each have custody over one of the kids-”
“There’s another kid?!” Her wife’s eyes were opened wide, and she’d exclaimed far louder than she’d meant to. After a moment, she coughed and sat back in the rocking chair, pretending to be calm.
The woman laughed a little at her wife’s shock before continuing, “I know! He doesn’t look anything like either of his parents!”
Her wife considered that, brows furrowed, “No, surely that’s not why they had the divorce? One of them cheating? I honestly can’t see it being Midoriya-san. She’s like a…” She paused for a few seconds, searching for the most accurate comparison, “She’s like her son, like those round moss things, marimo balls. Doesn’t seem the type to cheat…”
The woman wavered her hand to dispel that train of thought, “I doubt that’s it. Then the hostility would be one-sided… The tension in that kitchen… I was seriously worried about my safety! Both of them were smiling but… Not with their eyes. It only cleared up when little Izuku-kun came in and asked about lunch. It was like the air was suddenly ten pounds lighter and five degrees warmer.”
Her wife frowned even harder, “Sweet little Izuku-kun is quirkless, do you think that’s why…?”
“Of course not! I’ve never seen him around, so they probably separated before he was even born. Besides, why would he bother coming back if he cared about that?”
All her worries at ease, her wife smiled, “Well, good. Izuku-kun deserves to have a father figure and an older brother who are actually present in his life.”
__________________
While Izuku and Tenko were busy playing the underground hero game that Izuku had tricked his older brother into enjoying, the adults conversed in the kitchen. Somehow, it was where they always ended up. Inko had even managed to get the supervillain to cook once or twice.
With a long sigh as she pulled out the ingredients for tonight’s dinner, Inko started what she knew would be an irritating conversation, “Izuku’s graduating from elementary school this year. Are you going to follow him to middle school as a quirk counselor? Think that might be a little suspicious?”
Hisashi scoffed, as if that was unrealistic based on his past behavior.
“Of course I’m not going to do that. I’ve already fulfilled my purpose of becoming a quirk counselor at Izuku’s school.”
Now it was Inko’s turn to scoff.
“Your purpose? You mean stalking my son?”
Hisashi, pretending not to understand sarcasm, continued, “Precisely. If I was interested in improving the general population’s quirk control, I would have already been doing it.”
Inko took a few moments to comprehend the characteristic outlandishness of this response while chopping the potatoes for curry.
“You’re extraordinarily shameless. So what’s next, then? Another fake career or back to the usual atrocities?”
Hisashi grinned and leaned back lazily against the counter.
“Nothing criminal, I assure you. I would never embroil Izuku in that.”
“Is it ethical?”
The grin disappeared.
“...”
“Heh.”
“...”
Inko threw an apron at him, “chop the carrots.”
There was no better feeling than leaving that bastard speechless.
________________
Inko had rushed to the school as soon as she’d gotten the phone call from administration. Her pantsuit was wrinkled, her face was sweaty, and she didn’t even want to think about how her hair looked. In comparison, that bastard Hisashi looked cool as a cucumber. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Did they even call you?”
Hisashi smiled and did not answer the question. So, that was a no. She had a begrudging admiration for the man’s information network.
“Fine. Let’s go in, then,” and they entered the principal’s office. On the side of the room near the window were two kids with a couple bruises and scratches, accompanied by a man and a woman who were likely their parents, and on the side near the door was Izuku, less bruised, but glaring at the two other kids with a fury.
The principal looked up from her computer, surprised to see two people instead of just Inko, “Midoriya-san and?”
“Shigaraki, I’m Izuku’s father.”
Inko snorted. ‘Father’, he wasn’t even Izuku’s legal guardian. The principal raised her eyebrows.
“Midoriya-san?”
She smiled awkwardly, giving the same answer that she gave everyone.
“.... We’re co-parenting.”
“I see.” She made a note on a little pad, “Many children act out in response to a divorce, so-”
“We were never married.” Everyone misunderstood, Inko really didn’t get it. Izuku didn’t look anything like Hisashi! It was only the obsession with quirks they had in common!
“Is that so… Well, to be honest, I didn’t want to call you in today, but your son got into a bit of a kerfuffle with a few other students.”
The man standing with the other kids decided this was his turn to speak, “Your son beat up our boys for no reason at all, Midoriya-san-”
“Bullies. ‘Your boys’ are bullies, Kurosawa-san.”
Izuku cut in, staring mildly at the man who spoke.
Inko sighed. This was about what she’d expected when she got the call.
The principal seemed very sympathetic when she turned to Izuku, “even if they are bullies, why didn’t you report them first? Or ask for help from a teacher?”
Izuku smiled and shrugged, “Nothing ever happens when I ask teachers. They get a slap on the wrist and then keep doing whatever they want,” he paused, seemingly done, but when Nozaki opened her mouth, he started talking again, brows furrowed with concern, “and you said ‘even if’? Do you not believe that they’re bullies? You think I’m lying to you?”
Hisashi smirked on the side. Inko smoothly elbowed him, while also feeling just a smidgen of pride. Sure, he wanted to be a hero, but if that didn’t work out, Inko was sure he could become a lawyer. The ‘act calm and play on their guilt’ routine had come from both of them.
“No, but let’s hear their side of the story, alright?”
Finally given permission to talk, the boy with a bruise on his face piped up, “we didn’t do anything! We were just talking when Midoriya went crazy and punched me in the face! Ask anyone!”
“Midoriya?” Nozaki turned towards Izuku.
He tilted his head and asked, “What were you talking about, Kurosawa? Wanna say it to the class?”
Clearly, what they were talking about wasn’t anything pleasant because the moment they were put on the spot, they clammed up, looking at their parents behind them in hopes they wouldn’t have to admit what they’d said. Nozaki raised her eyebrows at them, and finally the taller one stammered quietly.
“We were- we were just talking…”
Izuku laughed, but it was mocking. Inko resisted the urge to elbow Hisashi again, “You were just talking- about my brother! How many times have you seen him? What has he ever done to you to make you think you’re justified to say what you did? ‘Oh, have you seen Deku’s older brother’ - and don’t pretend you actually call me by my name - ‘isn’t his face so gross, I bet it’s karma for being a villain or something’. How could you say that about him? About anyone?”
The words came out like bullets faster than the two kids could possibly react to them. After Izuku finished, there was silence in the office, the parents of the two kids looking at them with concern. Nozaki was the first person to ask what they were thinking, though.
“Did you say that about Midoriya-kun’s older brother?”
“...” The silence said more than enough
“But-” The smaller boy spoke up, “he still attacked us out of nowhere!”
Without hesitation, Izuku bowed his head and apologized, “I overreacted, I’m sorry. I lost my temper when I heard you say such cruel things about someone I care about.”
Not expecting him to simply admit his wrongs, it took Nozaki a few seconds to recover, “Well, it’s good that you recognize that-”
Izuku was not done, though.
“But I’ve told the teachers about them before, and they’re not the only ones. Words can hurt just as much as physical violence and they never, ever face consequences for it. I’ll accept whatever consequences come with this, but I want them to face consequences too. Not just for the fight, but also whenever they say things like that in the future. I want it taken seriously.” Izuku spoke slowly this time, looking Nozaki directly in the eyes. Not unreasonable, nor overly meek.
Nozaki sighed and shifted her glasses up, “There is a staff meeting this Friday. I will be sure to bring this up, Midoriya-kun. In the meantime, you’ll be suspended for three days for assaulting another student, Alright?”
Izuku nodded, “Yes, this won’t happen again.”
“I hope not. And you two-” She turned towards the other boys, “you will be suspended a week each, for fighting back when I heard from a teacher you could have left the situation, and for teaming up against Midoriya-kun. Additionally, you will write an essay on the harms of quirk discrimination while you are gone. If it is clear you have put no effort into it, there will be further consequences. Am I understood?”
They looked reluctant, but nodded.
“Alright. You’re all free to leave. I hope that I don’t see anything like this happening in the future.”
And it was over.
They walked out of the school and onto the sidewalk. Inko gently poked Izuku in the forehead.
“How many times have I told you, violence is-”
“A last resort, I know.” Izuku smiled sheepishly.
“So why? You’ve heard plenty of insults, both about yourself and about Tenko, and getting angry is perfectly justified, but I know they don’t send you flying off the handle like this. That’s Tenko, not you.”
“Yeah…” Izuku trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. Yet another bad habit he’d learned from Tenko, in spite of all the skincare Inko tried to lavish him with.
“I just want to hear your logic, Izuku.”
Hisashi was suspiciously quiet, especially considering that he was usually the one who loved to hear Izuku explain his behavior.
“I was basically what I said in the office, minus the part where I lost my temper. Whenever my classmates said stuff like that about me or Tenko, people always treated it like it was no big deal, so I made it a big deal and I’ll continue to make it a big deal if they continue to minimize it.”
“You’re going to continue getting in trouble like this?”
“No, of course not.”
Inko sighed with relief, then choked at Izuku’s next words
“Next time, I’ll do it in a place with no witnesses.”
Hisashi’s “That’s my boy!”
and
Inko’s “Izuku!”
Rang out simultaneously, giving way to a few seconds of silence before Izuku burst into laughter.
“I’m kidding. Next time I’ll just talk to them and make them feel worse about themselves.”
Inko jabbed her finger into Hisashi’s side.
“This is your doing.”
__________________
“Tenko?”
The man looked up from his Switch, “What’s up, twerp?”
“Y’know, I’ve thought about it for a while. Why do you call Hisashi ‘sensei’? Isn’t he your dad?”
“No, he’s my sensei.” Tenko responded, staring blankly at Izuku.
Izuku squinted, bringing up another issue, “and why does he sometimes slip up and call you Tomura when your name is Tenko?”
“Because…” Tenko scratched at his neck and Izuku caught his palm, careful not to touch his fingers without the gloves. They locked eyes, “because they’re both my name, you brat, it’s none of your business what name I go by.” He tried to say it harshly, but it came out quiet and uncertain.
Tenko wouldn’t look him in the eyes. He wasn’t a very good liar when put on the spot. If it was anyone else, he’d get violently defensive, but it was Izuku. Even the word brat always came out like a fond nickname, no insulting weight to it at all.
“Which is your real name, then?” This was what concerned Izuku the most, really. The motive Tenko had for hiding his name mattered less than knowing what name Tenko wanted him to use.
The man thought about it for a few seconds before asking a question of his own, “what do you mean by real?”
“What name do you want me to call you? Tomura, Tenko, either is fine with me.”
Tenko smiled but it was the sort of smile that made Izuku’s heart sink, that made Tenko look older than he was, “You should call me Tenko. Don’t ever call me Tomura.”
Izuku should never meet Tomura.
“Ok, Tenko. Then answer my first question? Sensei?”
Tenko struggled to answer it properly, “when Sensei found me and took me in, that’s what he told me to call him?”
“Hisashi told you to call him that?” That didn’t match with the friendly, loving almost father that Izuku knew, but if he connected with the man’s hatred of heroes, his polite disregard of, honestly, most people… “How old were you? When Hisashi took you in?”
Tenko tilted his head, not really understanding the point of the question, “four?”
Through all the stories and fragments that Izuku had put together over time, he understood Tenko’s backstory to a degree. Tenko’s quirk developed, he accidentally killed his family (this was never told to Izuku but he was not an idiot incapable of reading context clues), and while he was wandering around afterwards, desperately hoping for someone to help him, Hisashi just happened to pick him up.
If Hisashi was a different type of person, if he was like Izuku’s mom, someone who was full of empathy and loved kids, this would make sense. Hisashi was nothing like his mother.
Hisashi did not love Tenko.
Izuku hugged his brother, “I love you, Tenko.”
Without a word, the glossy, high-resolution image of Hisashi’s face appeared back on the dartboard.