Chapter Text
It had been Izuku’s idea to learn sign language. Before Kyoka’s quirk fully developed, her hearing was incredibly sensitive. Any time someone spoke too loud or there was a sudden sound, she would start screaming and clamp her hands over her ears. So, after Izuku learned about sign language from a diagram at the playground, he gushed to his parents about how much easier it would be to reduce the amount of sound to help her. By the time the children were five, the entire family had largely mastered the language. Even after Kyoka’s quirk developed and her heightened hearing siphoned into her jacks, they still continued using the language to communicate with one another. When it was too loud, or someone simply didn’t feel like talking, they could easily speak without words.
Izuku relied on this the morning after the incident. He didn’t speak as he sat with Inko in her kitchen, the small breakfast bar in the one-bedroom apartment barely enough to fit the two. Inko’s grasp on sign wasn’t as strong as the Jirou’s, but she still understood when Izuku asked for more rice or for her to pass something. As they rode the train out to the hospital, he gave minimal response to her probing for conversation. He simply nodded or shook his head, or otherwise barely moved his arms to sign anything more intensive.
Inko didn’t push much, obviously unsure of how to handle the situation. When her attempts at conversation failed, she joined him in his silence, pulling out her phone to check on her job applications and reply to emails. When the train shuddered to a stop, she hopped up almost immediately and gave him a tense smile.
“C’mon, Zu. this is our stop.”
He creased his brow, lifting his hands. No, next one, I thought. He kept his message simple, using signs he knew she could understand.
She shook her head, her smile relaxing slightly as she started dismounting. “For the hospital, yes. But this is the stop for Kyoka’s favorite cafe, isn’t it?”
His eyes lit up, a small smile pulling at his mouth for the first time that morning.
It was a short walk to the cafe, a small two-story shop with cats roaming around. The walls were painted a soft lavender with one being taken up by a floor-to-ceiling chalkboard. The food was always top-tier and the drinks to die for, but Kyoka always loved the ambiance of it more than anything else. Still, a little taste of something familiar wouldn’t do him any harm.
The girl at the register immediately recognized Izuku, splitting literally ear to ear with a jagged grin as her crimson skin got even redder around her cheeks. “Oh, Jirou! It’s so good to see you, where’s your sister?”
He tensed, looking down at his feet. He could feel Inko’s hand on his shoulder as she stepped towards the counter. “She had an accident. That’s why we’re here, actually, we thought something fresh would make her feel better.”
“Oh, god, I’m so sorry to hear about that!” There was genuine worry in her voice. “I assume you’ll want her usual?”
“That’ll be lovely, yes.”
“And… Anything for the rest of you?”
Izuku glanced up, seeing her slitted yellow eyes trained on him. He shrugged, looking back down as one of the cats brushed against his leg.
“That’ll be everything, I think.”
Izuku walked off, following the cat to one of the booths. The moment he sat down, it hopped into his lap and curled up. He chuckled, scratching it behind the ear. From the missing chunk in said ear and sandy yellow fur, he could tell that it was Kyouka’s favorite, Hunter. Inko joined him soon after, slipping her card back into her wallet. She sat opposite Izuku, grabbing a piece of chalk from the table and idly doodling on the board.
Soon enough, the girl at the register called for them. Izuku pushed Hunter off his lap, walking over to grab the chocolate chai and egg sandwich. However, there were two drinks on the carrier and a muffin inside the bag, along with a postcard. Izuku looked up with a puzzled look, but the girl just grinned softly and walked off.
The postcard was from their card turnstile, filled with personalized cards of all the cats. The girl had evidently pulled the one for Hunter that had “You’re Paw-some!” written on the front and handwritten a get-well message on the back. Upon further inspection, he realized that she’d added his usual cinnamon caramel hazelnut latte and blueberry muffin to the order. He looked back up, but she hadn’t returned. Without much other option, he picked up the carrier and bag and returned to Inko. She didn’t question the additions, holding the door open for him.
It wasn’t a long walk to the hospital from the cafe. Izuku’s coffee was still warm when they walked into Kyouka’s room, where it seemed Mika had just gotten off of a phone call. She smiled at them as they entered, the bags under her eyes making it evident that she hadn’t slept much that night.
“Morning. Thanks for taking him, Inko.”
Inko ruffled Izuku’s hair, musing, “It’s no problem. I love getting time with the stinker. You guys take care, alright? I have a shift at the store I got to pick up.”
Mika waved lightly as Inko walked out, looking down at Izuku’s hands as he walked further in. “How was your night?”
He shrugged, placing the drinks and food down on the nightstand to free up his hands. I slept. Not much, but I slept. He noticed how she still fidgeted with her phone. Who was that on the phone?
She glanced down at the device, sighing. She glanced down at Kyouka’s sleeping form, who had at some point rolled to be facing her. Izuku couldn’t see her face anymore, but could only assume she was still as peaceful as before. At least in the new position, she didn’t look so posed.
Mika switched to signing as well. UA called. Apparently, the explosion wasn’t the student’s fault. There had been a gas leak during the summer, and they thought it was fixed. The inspector gave the all-clear for it to be used. It seems that it wasn’t fully fixed, though, so when the student used his quirk, it set off the building. You two were the only ones in the building, so they were the only ones affected.
Izuku lifted a brow. You two?
Kyouka shifted, lifting her hands to sign something Izuku couldn’t see. He shot up from his seat.
“Kyouka! You’re awake, oh my god!” He threw himself onto her, feeling her jump as he squeezed her in a hug. “How are you, are you okay, are you in any pain?”
Mika’s brows creased. “Izuku, honey. Back off her.”
He pulled back, chuckling with relief. “Sorry, sorry, I just-” He stopped, seeing how his sister looked up at him with surprise.
When did you get here?
He stammered for a moment, looking between his mother and sister for a moment. “Wh-what happened?”
Mika pursed her lips, pushing up to her feet. She waved her hand, getting Kyouka’s attention. I’m gonna talk to Izuku outside.
Kyouka nodded, settling back into her bed.
The door snapped shut behind them softly as Mika took a long breath.
“Mom, what’s wrong with Kyouka?” Izuku pressed, folding his arms tightly.
Mika cleared her throat. “The explosion, uh. It shattered her incus and malleus bones, the ones in your ears?” She tapped the side of her head as if it explained further. “It resulted in noise-induced hearing loss.”
His head snapped to the door, as if he could see Kyouka through the wood. “She’s… She’s deaf?”
“Not completely, but… Mostly, yes.”
“But- how- she- Mom, her quirk, how-”
Mika shook her head. “I don’t know. Honestly, I… I don’t know, Izuku. Your father is talking to the doctors somewhere, but… We’re gonna have to take it slow for now. On the bright side, we already know sign, so that should make it easier to start.”
They fell silent, neither wanting to approach the hanging question: How was Kyouka going to be a hero if she couldn’t hear?