Chapter Text
Toshinori picked up his ringing phone, still a bit confused as to the ending of his son’s last match. He grimaced slightly seeing it was Recovery Girl calling but was unwilling to keep the woman waiting.
“Come down here before your boy sends himself into a panic attack,” she griped before he could even say hello, hanging up immediately afterward leaving him with absolutely no context.
He stared at his phone for a moment before rushing to the infirmary to get to the bottom of whatever was going on with Izuku. He came across his son and Todoroki sitting outside the infirmary. Todoroki was patting his son’s back sympathetically as Izuku sulked.
“Izuku? What’s going on? Recovery Girl called me,” he said, coming to a stop in front of the boys.
Izuku looked up at him with a distraught pout on his face. “Shinso’s my soulmate,” he said miserably.
Toshinori’s eyes widened and he grinned. “That’s great news, though! Why so glum?”
Izuku buried his face in his hands. “I only found out when I knocked him unconscious,” he groaned.
He winced slightly in sympathy but he couldn’t ignore the hilarity of the entire situation. “That’s… not the best timing. But! He’ll be just fine and you can talk to him when he wakes up. Young Shinso is a reasonable person and more importantly he’s your friend. He will understand.”
Luckily that seemed to ease Izuku’s troubles a bit. Toshinori helped the two boys to their feet and gave Izuku a reassuring smile. No matter what, he would support his son in anything he needed. If that included giving him a pep talk after an embarrassing soulmate reveal? Well he would just count that as part of being a parent.
The next match as well as the awards ceremony went by in a blur. Of course he was proud of himself for ending up on the podium, even more proud for taking first. But he could hardly look at Shinso- who shared the third place podium with Kuroiro- without his face erupting into an embarrassed blush.
But beating around the bush wasn’t going to do anything and they agreed to talk after the ceremony. So here he was waiting for Shinso- his soulmate. He was still reeling from that revelation. He was far from disappointed. He adored Purple. He was one of his closest friends. He was more afraid of being the disappointment.
“As if you being my soulmate could ever disappoint me,” Shinso said, a hand coming down to ruffle Izuku’s hair.
Izuku jumped slightly, his face flushing again when he realized he’d been talking aloud and completely missed Shinso coming up to him.
“I’ve been looking for you, you know,” he said.
“What,” Izuku replied, confused.
“I’ve known since after the USJ that someone in class was my soulmate. I just couldn’t figure out who. When I got home I saw the writing on my arm. I didn’t want to bug anyone by asking and making them uncomfortable so I figured I would wait it out.”
Izuku couldn’t help the snort. “What a way to figure it out, huh?”
Shinso grinned widely, looking oddly reminiscent of Aizawa. “It was definitely memorable, that’s for sure.”
He groaned and wanted to hide his head in his hands again. “I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ve seen you take people out in a lot harsher ways during training. Besides, we got something good out of it.”
“You’re too nice, Shinso.”
“Lies and slander,” he said with a smile. “And hey, if you just want to call me Hitoshi… I think I’d be okay with that.”
“Only if you call me Izuku.”
A warm comforting silence settled between the two of them and Izuku couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He should have known that things weren’t going to be awkward, it was Hitoshi after all. He didn’t think it would feel this easy though. It certainly hadn’t been with Toshinori. It took a while before the two of them had learned each other's boundaries well enough for this kind of contentment but it probably helped that they were closer in age.
Of course he knew that things weren’t going to stay that way forever and the peaceful silence between Izuku and Hitoshi was abruptly interrupted as Shouto walked into the room they were sitting in.
“Oh, Shouto. I didn’t think you would still be here,” Izuku said.
“My old man left in a rage after he saw the news once the festival was over. I’m waiting for my sister to come pick me up,” Shouto replied.
“What news,” Hitoshi asked before immediately pulling his phone out to check himself.
It seemed Shouto already had it pulled up though so all he had to do was open his phone and turn it around showing a bold news article titled
‘Number One Hero All Might Adopts His Teenage Soulchild’
before addressing Izuku. “This you?”
This was a disaster. People had already drawn the conclusion of who Toshinori adopted and of course they latched onto the one kid in the sports festival with a similar quirk. Izuku had only used the general enhancement of One For All during the first round and his final fight with Momo, the rest of the time Blackwhip had just been the smarter choice. It was still enough for them to reach their conclusions.
He was currently in the teacher’s lounge trying to fight off sleep while the others- Yuuei’s staff- spoke of what precautions they were going to take from now on. It was a step up from the furious discussion they were having before about what they were going to do when they found out who broke their NDA and blabbed to the nearest reporter about All Might adopting someone. Gran’s… creative solutions were certainly interesting- albeit terrifying to even think about being on the receiving end.
Nevertheless, whoever spoke out just made everyone’s life more difficult than it needed to be and Izuku was silently furious. How hard was it for some people to keep their mouth shut and respect the privacy of minors? That question extends beyond the person who spoke to the press. People weren’t even talking about the sports festival anymore unless it related back to Izuku’s relationship with Toshinori.
Unfortunately, it was something he was going to have to deal with. He was just glad he wasn’t alone while doing so.
He glanced at the group chat he had set up with Hitoshi and Shouto before they left and cracked a smile. They were flooding the chat with memes- probably to cheer him up.
Yeah, he could deal with this.
He could not deal with this at all. Coming back to school on Monday was a nightmare. He and Toshinori had come early just so they would get here before the press and he took that opportunity to hide in the teacher’s lounge until it was closer to time for classes to start. He had even put Aizawa’s stealth training to use and managed to get through the halls without being bothered- probably because he took the vents and dropped out right in front of his classroom but that’s just semantics.
However, no amount of stealth training was able to get him out of being bombarded by his classmates the moment he stepped through the door. He was very thankful for Hitoshi and Shouto’s very blunt intervention.
None of his issues stopped him from noticing Iida’s strange behavior- truthfully he was probably latching onto anything that gave him an excuse to think about something else. When he mentioned it to Toshinori he was informed of Ingenium’s recent encounter with Stain. It was horrifying.
Stain hadn’t left his mind the entire week. Not when Iida started acting strangely. Not when Iida chose to intern with Manual and especially not when Izuku delved into reports on the hero killer and noticed a pattern. A pattern that Iida had no doubt noticed himself. A pattern that dictated Stain would strike again in Hosu without a doubt. An Iida obviously had plans to go there and confront the hero killer himself.
It left Izuku briefly wondering if Ingenium’s injury had somehow managed to take some of Iida’s hard earned brain cells but that was kind of a rude thought. Iida obviously wasn’t thinking straight because anyone who was would know that a highschooler was no match for a seasoned serial killer. The rage had clearly gone to his friend's head or he would have realized that if his brother- who had almost fifteen years of experience- hadn’t been able to beat Stain then he would have no logical chance.
Once he pieced it all together he kept that in his mind and thanked any deity out there that was listening that they had until Friday to turn in the form because he hadn’t pieced it together until Tuesday when Iida mentioned Manual. He had originally gone a completely different route planning to intern with Sir Nighteye but from what rumors he heard Nighteye was rigid and didn’t bend for anyone so that was a complete bust.
If he was going to save Iida’s sorry ass he needed someone more flexible. Someone more likely to listen to a teenager’s concerns without brushing them off. Thankfully there was someone on the list that fit that description. He could only hope he wasn’t wrong.
“Are you sure this is a good idea,” Hitoshi asked.
They were all being supervised by Aizawa at the station early in the morning waiting for their trains to arrive and take them to their internship. Izuku was pretty sure everyone was exhausted, including Aizawa.
“It’s all I can think of to do. I mean, I could have brought it up to the teachers and they would probably believe me but my plan at least has Stain’s victims getting closure,” he responded.
“That’s if your plan works.”
“I am confident that it will but on the off chance it doesn’t I fully intend on calling my dad and telling him. He may be a bit upset at me for not saying anything sooner but I’d live.”
“Alright. If you’re sure. Keep me updated?”
“You know I will, Hitoshi.”
“Better safe than sorry.” Hitoshi ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “Iida’s not making any of this easy.”
“No he’s not. Speaking of Iida, where is he?” Izuku glanced around the station with a frown.
“Oh, I asked Shouto to hold everyone off so we could talk.”
“And that actually worked?”
Hitoshi grinned in response. “I told him to tell them that I personally asked for some alone time with my soulmate.”
Izuku chuckled and shook his head. “Well, that’s one way to do it. Careful, they’re going to start thinking things if you use that excuse too much.”
“We’re teenagers. They were going to think things anyway considering they don’t know where we are or what we’re doing 24/7.”
“Yeah, that’s fair.”
Aizawa suddenly called Hitoshi’s name and he bent down and grabbed his bag, throwing it over his shoulder. “Looks like that’s my train. Wish me luck at Midnight’s agency. I’m gonna need it.”
Izuku snorted but humored him anyway. “Good luck, Hitoshi. Don’t let Midnight bully you too much, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Izuku watched him go before he stood and decided to search out the rest of his friends. He was probably going to be called soon and he’d like to say goodbye.
Izuku had probably been tempting fate's wrath when he took such a chance and went with Hawks for his internship but after observing the hero for a day he was confident in his decision. So the next morning he got up a bit early, got dressed, and headed up to Hawks’s personal office.
Unsurprisingly, the hero was already there. He may put on a certain air of aloofness but he was actually very dedicated to his work. If he wasn’t he wouldn’t be in the top ten at twenty-two years old.
“What’s up kid,” Hawks asked, leaning back in his chair with his legs propped up on the desk.
“I wanted you to know why I came to intern with you,” Izuku said, steeling himself for the conversation he was about to have.
“Okay?”
“The hero killer has a pattern. He’s only attacked once in Hosu which means that as long as he sticks to his pattern he should still be there.”
“What exactly does this have to do with me?” Hawks was sitting up now, throwing away the carefree air he usually had for an uncharacteristic seriousness.
“One of my classmates is the younger brother of Ingenium. Out of all the offers sent his way he chose the only agency stationed in Hosu. I think he’s going to go after Stain himself.”
“Jesus, kid. Why didn’t you tell one of the teachers at Yuuei?”
“Because that ultimately won’t do anything. The only thing that would do is make him angrier. That’s why I came to you. You’re the number three hero and you have one of the most versatile quirks. From what I’ve been able to gather, Stain is a close range fighter. Your quirk is probably the best counter out there.”
“You’ve certainly thought this through.”
“I’ve had time. The question is, are we going to Hosu?”
Hawks snorted and got to his feet. “You think we’re just gonna sit around here after you dropped that bomb? How do you feel about flying?”
“I’ve never flown in my life. Please don’t traumatize me?”
“I’ll do my best,” Hawks said dryly as he pulled open a drawer and took out two pairs of goggles, tossing one over the desk.
Izuku lurched forward and fumbled a bit with them but managed to catch them. “What?”
“You’re gonna want those for the flight. You’re also gonna want that respirator over your mouth. It gets cold in the sky, especially when you’re moving fast. Also, eating bugs isn’t exactly fun.”
Well, he was suddenly glad that he changed into his hero costume before meeting with Hawks.
Hosu was burning by the time they arrived. Night had fallen and fire lit up the city, the crackling drowned out by the sound of screams.
Hawks immediately landed with a serious look on his face. He pulled a feather from his wings and pressed it into Izuku’s hand. “Do not lose this. I want you to go find your friend. With all the chaos now is a prime time to attack. If you run across Stain, break that feather and I’ll come running. I’m giving you permission to use your quirk in defense of yourself or someone else,” he said in a rush before turning around to take down a Nomu shambling their way. “Go!”
Izuku wasted no time. He spun around and took off, green lighting sparking around him the whole time.
‘ Stain usually attacks in secluded places. Back alleys would make the most sense, ’ he thought as his eyes took in everything around him.
He didn’t have to look for long because it was Iida’s shouting that gave away Stain’s location. He veered in that direction and the moment he caught sight of Stain he crushed the feather Hawks gave him to dust with the power of One For All.
He threw a hand out and Blackwhip tore across the alley in a quick second wrapping around Stain over and over again until moving wasn’t an option for him.
“Midoriya,” Iida questions, clearly confused.
“Iida you are an idiot. Like, I had a feeling you would do something stupid but why did you have to prove me right? I get that you’re severely emotionally repressed but holy shit,” he said as he caught his breath. He never took his eyes off Stain. Better safe than sorry.
The sound of someone running up made him tense and glance behind him quickly, reluctant to look away. He only sighed in relief when he caught sight of familiar red and white hair.
“Izuku,” Shouto called as he came to a stop beside him. “I saw you run by me and I figured it was something important. I didn’t think it would be this though.” He eyed the clearly outraged Stain who was unable to do so much as thrash before turning to Iida who was still laid out on the ground. “Are you just going to lie there all night? It doesn’t look very comfortable.”
“It’s his quirk. He cut me and now I can’t move,” Iida bit out.
“Well, that explains a lot. It’ll probably wear off eventually,” Izuku said.
“You don’t have to be bitter, Iida. You got yourself into this mess,” Shouto said.
“I didn’t ask for your help! This had nothing to do with you!”
“If Izuku hadn’t gotten here you would be dead. Or paralyzed just like your brother. You were being an idiot. Your brother is still in the hospital right? How would he feel being released only to find out his little brother died being stupid?”
That seemed to leave Iida at a loss for words, even if it was a little harsh. At least it got the point across. Thankfully a gust of wind followed by an impressed whistle saved them all from the tense silence that was sure to follow that conversation.
“Not bad, kid. Hell, what did you even need me for? Other than cuffs, that is,” Hawks said as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket that were definitely not police issued if the bright red, slightly scorched padding was anything to go by. He seemed to realize his mistake because he shoved them back into his pocket quickly and let out a nervous laugh. “Wrong pocket.”
The three teenagers just stared at him blankly. He was quick to move on after that and before they knew it, Stain was in the back of a police car and they were all headed to the hospital for a routine checkup. Izuku, Hawks, and Shouto were squished up against each other in the front since they had no visible injuries while Iida was in the back with a paramedic.
When they finally came to a stop Izuku hopped out and held a hand out to Shouto, who gratefully took it. The shock that went through them both sent Shouto stumbling out of the seat straight into Izuku’s arms.
They locked eyes and just stared at each other for a minute. Hawks snapped them out of it by clearing his throat, sending them both scrambling out of the way and into the hospital.
Izuku could feel the confused stare boring into him and just barely caught the mumble of, “Why do I feel like I’m missing something,” that Hawks let out.
First he knocks Hitoshi out and now he finds out Shouto is his soulmate after a run in with a serial killer.
He and Shouto were discharged from the hospital after a brief examination, completely cleared to go back to their internships. Judging from what he heard while he was eavesdropping on Iida, they had gotten lucky. Hawks had given Izuku explicit permission and Endeavor must have pulled some strings to keep Shouto in the clear so he wasn’t punished just for being there when he was.
His internship from that point on was fairly straightforward. Hawks was easy to learn from and clearly genuine in his attempts to help people. It was a nice change of pace, not that he didn’t enjoy getting the hell beaten out of him by Gran and Aizawa, he would go as far as to say almost relaxing.
But now he was back home seated in front of his dad Toshinori for what he assumed was going to be a serious conversation.
“I’ve discussed things in depth with the rest of the staff at Yuuei and we eventually came up with a solution to some of the many problems we’ve uncovered this year,” Toshinori started off. “After taking into consideration the issues you and I have had with the press and several different students' family situations we have decided to build a dorm system that will be mandatory in order to continue education at Yuuei. The deadline will be in one month but I was thinking we could get a jump on things. It would make getting to school on time earlier without sacrificing either of our sleep schedules.”
“That’s a great idea. A dorm system would probably help out a lot of people. I know Uraraka has been living in an apartment on her own and her parents don’t have a lot of money. Shouto could get away from his father until the investigation is over too,” he said with a small smile coming to his face.
“We would still be able to come back here for breaks and the occasional weekend. I know it’s a lot of change, especially after everything that’s already happened with you just moving in and then the internships-”
He cut Toshinori off with a shake of his head. “No! It’s a good idea. Pretty practical. Besides, it’s like you said. We can always come home on breaks.”
Toshinori gave him a warm, happy smile and ruffled his hair. “I’m glad you’re not opposed. I just wanted to let you know so this didn’t come up out of nowhere.”
“Thanks for the heads up. The idea of living with some of my classmates is probably gonna take a little getting used to but this gives me time.”
“Anytime, Izuku. Now, how do you feel about helping me with dinner tonight?”
The dorms were definitely strange. It was nothing like the stifling cold of his mother’s apartment nor was it anything like the warm comforting space of his home with Toshinori. It was something else entirely.
That was probably why he was having trouble sleeping. There was something about knowing that everyone in his class was here despite it being almost deathly silent that felt weird to him. He knew there was a curfew but sitting in his bed staring at the ceiling wasn’t doing him any favors so he slipped on his house shoes and made his way down the stairs heading straight for the kitchen.
He was halfway through making some hot chocolate on the stove when he heard the familiar voice of Hitoshi behind him say, “Think you can make enough for three?”
He whirled around, his heart racing, and his eyes landed on Hitoshi and Shouto sitting beside each other, barely illuminated by the light of the cat videos playing on Hitoshi’s phone. He sighed and slumped forward a little bit. “Yeah, I can make you guys some. Just give me more of a warning next time,” he said.
“If you think that will help in the middle of the night when everyone is supposed to be asleep then sure.”
He rolled his eyes and got down three mugs before he finished off the hot chocolate and poured equal amounts into each cup. Instead of taking two trips he grabbed a cutting board- he had no idea where the serving trays were- that was still sitting on the drying rack and set all three mugs on top before making his way to the couch his soulmates were pressed up against. They both made room for him and lifted up the blanket covering them until he was underneath.
“Thank you,” Shouto said while picking up a mug.
“I can’t believe all my soulmates are insomniacs. Here I was worried about being the odd one out,” Hitoshi commented.
Izuku snorted and held the warm mug between his hands happily. “No chance of that.”
Hitoshi pulled his phone back out so they all had a good view and started the compilation back up because there was nothing like cats and hot chocolate to lull you to sleep.
Izuku’s mind started drifting and he couldn’t help but think about how strange it all was. A little over a year ago he would not have dreamed of meeting any of his soulmates but now he’s managed to find all three of them. He’d been given so much over the past year, he’d earned so much and he still had a long way to go. But if he had his family behind him he knew he could make it.
He was swept off to sleep with the warmth of two of his soulmates surrounding him.