Chapter Text
An Overdue Reprieve
For two days, Toshi and Shouta watched on helplessly as their kid spiralled down into a deep pit of depression. He outright refused to eat, slept almost constantly, and drank far less than the bare minimum of water required to keep him alive. He hadn’t felt up to showering, even. And when the boy left his room, it was for only brief periods of time…
At some point, Izuku had even lost the will to communicate. He didn’t speak freely, and responded with minimal words when one of his adoptive fathers asked him a question. His face was an expressionless canvas, too. He didn’t frown, or grimace, and he most certainly hadn’t cried. He was numb on the inside, a hollow shell, and it very clearly showed to anyone who’d have cared to look. Because despite the blank, almost uninterested look, the unmasked torment swimming within the child’s innocent emerald eyes was evidence enough of just how greatly their son was suffering, and it chilled his fathers to the bone.
By mid-morning Saturday, Shouta just couldn’t handle it anymore. He couldn’t bear to see his kid in pain for even a second longer. With a full glass of water and his faithful boyfriend firmly glued to his side he trudged into the child’s room, intent on pulling the boy from the fog that had consumed his fragile mind. He didn’t care if drinking a glass of water was all their kid did today; he was going to lift Izuku’s spirits, one painfully slow step at a time.
He approached the boy and crouched down by his head as Toshi climbed up onto the mattress beside him. The homeroom teacher smoothed the hair off the teen’s forehead with a gentle brush of his hand, and when the dull eyes gazed despairingly up at him, he raised the glass and gave it a tiny wiggle. “Here Izuku, I got you some water…” He offered, trying to tempt him into taking it. But, as expected, the child immediately declined.
“Not thirsty,” Izuku muttered, though his voice was thick, as though he were parched.
Shouta sighed, but not too deeply. It was beyond frustrating the effect a mental illness had on a person, but that wasn’t Izuku’s fault, and he very well knew that. The last thing he wanted to do was give the boy the wrong impression; that he was angry with him, when really, he wasn’t. He locked eyes with the boy, and very kindly tried to coax him once more into taking it. “You’re gonna end up with a headache if you don’t drink…”
Izuku once more allowed his eyes to close, tired of fighting the constant throbbing in his left temple. “Doesn’t matter; I’ve already got one…”
“Kid…” He commented with a saddened exasperation. “That’s because you’re refusing to drink… I’m gonna get you some painkillers, and I expect you to take them…”
Shouta immediately left the room as though he’d just received the world’s most important assignment. Izuku rolled onto his back in anticipation, and found himself staring into the gentle blue eyes intently seeking out his own. The child couldn’t help the ghost of a smile that broke his previously unanimated features as he peered up at the only male figure that had, in his childhood, given him hope. Toshinori Yagi, All Might, his hero, mentor, teacher, and father, had done more for Izuku in his sixteen years than the man would ever realise. He had saved his life on more than one occasion, pulled him through the darkest moments of his life, and given him a family when he was convinced he’d had no one left. He and Shouta were the reason he was still alive and fighting today, and the young hero would always be eternally grateful to them for that…
“Toshi…” He whispered sweetly, never once breaking eye contact, even as Shouta entered the room. “I love you.” And he couldn’t have been any more truthful. Izuku loved both of his fathers as though they were biologically his own. “I love you both…”
Toshi’s eyes glistened with joy as a faint smile blossomed across the child’s youthful face. It may have barely been recognisable, but it was the happiest their son had appeared in over three whole days. Not that he really appeared happy, mind you; maybe just a fraction less sad… “We know, my boy. We love you too. Accepting you into our little family was the single best thing that has ever happened to Shouta and I. I’m so happy that you trusted us to welcome you into our home so we could take care of you.”
Izuku obediently sat up and extended his hand as Shouta offered him two small white tablets and the glass of water, accepting them both without protest. “And part of taking care of you is making sure you’re not dehydrated and in pain,” his younger father added. Izuku nodded his understanding, popping the two little pills into his mouth and downing the entire glass of water. Once he was finished, Shouta once more took the glass into his possession, placing onto the nightstand before returning to Izuku’s direction with an affectionate kiss, right at the location of the ache. “Proud of you kid,” he praised as he pulled back, before a pair of warm arms snaked around his midsection and pulled him back in close.
The underground hero drew his son further towards him, holding him tightly as the boy nestled against him. “You seem a little brighter today,” Shouta commented, pleased by the slight change to the boy’s demeanour. “How you holding up?”
“I’m feeling a little better today,” Izuku answered slowly after taking a moment to do a self-assessment. Yeah, he’d been better, but after the pain of the last few days he supposed that overall, he wasn’t feeling too bad.
“That’s good, kid; I’m glad,” Shouta responded in relief as he pulled back. “Feel up to doing anything today…?”
Izuku’s eyes narrowed as he thought about that. “Watching a movie…?” The boy phrased it as a question as a way to invite his fathers to join him without seeming too forceful. That way, they wouldn’t feel obligated to agree if they didn’t feel like it.
“Sure, Izuku.” He returned easily with a small smile. “I have to run into town and buy a few things, so you pick out a movie and we’ll watch it as soon as I get back.”
“Okay.”
Toshi farewelled his boyfriend with a loving kiss, before once more turning his attention to his absolutely perfect son. “You okay, my boy?” He asked with a kind smile as he approached, noting the way the corners of his mouth once again began to droop.
“Mhmm…” Yeah, he was okay, Izuku supposed… “Guess I just feel a little flat.”
“You know what might make you feel better,” the former hero suggested helpfully; “a nice hot shower, maybe even a bath…”
Izuku looked to his father with wide, hopeful eyes. There was only one bath in the house, and it was hidden away in Toshi and Shouta’s bathroom. A nice, soothing soak sounded unbelievably wonderful right about now. “A bath sounds nice,” he agreed shyly, looking to the man for permission.
Toshi chuckled at his childlike expression, extending a hand out towards him. “Allow me to help you get organised.” With great care, he tugged his child to his feet, and in one fluid movement pulled him into his frail chest. “…starting off with a big warm cuddle for my precious son…” Just as he thought, Izuku melted like a puddle in his arms, gratefully soaking up the offered affection. Even when he was at his worst, it always managed to lift his spirits, if only a little.
Izuku allowed a tiny smile to spread across his cheeks as Toshinori stepped away to find him something warm and comfortable to put on. “Thank you Toshi…”
“Thanks not necessary, my boy. I’m simply caring for you like you deserve to be. Now let’s go get you into a nice relaxing bath…”
~
By the time Shouta had arrived home with a car trunk overflowing with a vast array of groceries, Izuku had bathed, dressed and somehow ended up curled up out in the sun on the silky grass, his other adoptive father right by his side. It was a great relief for Shouta seeing his kid up and out of his room. He’d been extremely concerned for his well-being these last few days, even more so than usual…
The underground hero efficiently stacked his recent purchases away, minus a few small treats he had specially sought out for the child, before proceeding to join them in their cosy little back yard. The door squealed as he slid it open, alerting his two family members to his presence. As he pulled it closed, he felt two pairs of eyes trained upon him, their heads lazily tipped back to smile at him. Immediately drawn to them, he moved forward to crouch down by their heads, stretching his arms out so he could cup their outer cheeks as he returned his partner and son’s adoring gazes. “Hey,” he casually greeted, taking in the pair’s carefree auras. Shouta felt so overwhelmed by how peaceful Izuku looked just now; as though his spirit hadn’t been crushed over and over until he was left a broken and hurting mess…
The hero’s calloused hands traced the flesh beneath his fingers, Izuku’s smooth, youthful skin on his left starkly contrasting against the wrinkled and slightly dry skin that belonged to his partner. But Shouta didn’t care about that; not at all. Presently, he was spending time with the two most important people in the world, and that was all that mattered. Toshi was right; he really was turning into a big old softie…
He glanced between the two a few times, and couldn’t help but smile. The way they stared at him, as though he were the most amazing person in the world; he just couldn’t handle it. It was moments exactly like these that reminded him just how loved he really was, and it made his heart soar… “You still feel like watching that movie, or are you content to lay out here in the sun…?”
“I’m happy here,” Izuku responded calmly, and he looked it, too… But then his expression shifted a little. “Unless…?”
But Toshi halted his line of thought with a reassuring smile. “Its okay, my boy. We’re happy doing whatever it is that makes you happy. And besides, the sun at this time of day is lovely…”
“I’ll be back in a sec.” Shouta sprang to his feet and retreated back inside. Izuku’s eyes trailed after him for a brief moment, before returning to Toshi. But before he could even open his mouth to speak his father returned, placing himself completely down on the grass behind them with an armful of goodies. “Here, kid. I know you prefer to eat healthy, but a few treats every once in a while won’t do too much damage.” One by one, he sat the items over in the boys lap, eyes watering with a mixture of happiness and relief at the pure joy that had broken out on his young features with each presented offering.
“Taiyaki?” Izuku gasped, eyes bulging in excitement. “Mochi…and pocky?!” The teen’s heart was about ready to burst out of his chest. Shouta had gone out of his way to acquire a bunch of his favourite junk food just to cheer him up, a sweet gesture that made the boy love his adoptive father even more than he though was humanly possible… His unconsciously suppressed hunger had suddenly made itself known as though a flip had been switched, his mouth instantly beginning to water. And then, just when Izuku had thought he was done, the homeroom teacher pulled out the big guns… “Bubble tea?! ...Thank you…” Without hesitation the child reached for the offered drink, stabbing the straw impatiently into the lid and taking a big sip. He hummed in satisfaction as the boba pearls burst in his mouth, the taste leaving him desperately craving more.
Toshi and Shouta chuckled heartily in amusement, thoroughly enjoying seeing their son happily animated rather than depressed and miserable. They were far from saving him from the clutches of his merciless mental illness, but this was a small start. Hopefully, in time, they would be able to free him from its clutches entirely… “You’re welcome, problem child.” The underground hero absentmindedly threaded a slender hand through his messy locks.
“I know you haven’t felt like talking about it the last few days, my boy, but I was wondering…will you fill me in on how you went during the exam...? I’m eager to hear every single little detail that led to you obtaining your provisional hero license…”
The child thought about that for a second, and for the first time, he was ready to talk about it. And, even more than that, he was actually starting to feel a little proud of his achievement, too. “Sure!” He readily agreed. Though where did he even start…? “I got to fight against so many cool quirks, and take down a heap of villains, too! You should have been there, Toshi…!!” Shouta rolled his eyes and shook his head in an exasperated amusement as their kid launched into the details of the exam. Izuku really was just like a miniature version of Toshi, even more so than either of them would freely care to admit…