Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku had been a vigilante for almost two years at this point and he’s been through his fair share of experiences. He’d seen a lot of stuff that kids his age should never see. Mind you he was turning thirteen today, so he was officially a teenager. His “birthday present” had been an extra long patrol since his birthday landed on a friday this year.

He was currently jumping from roof to roof just happy to be out. Well, that would be, until he heard footsteps come from behind him. It was a hero. Izuku didn’t care for whoever it was. If it wasn't Eraserhead then they’d want to turn him in. He quickly whipped his back, seeing some random hero, and started bolting.

“GHOST! COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!” Izuku didn’t seem to care as he jumped from building to building, never missing a step. It was fun. He loved having little chase. The hero was mumbling some nonsense behind him that Izuku couldn’t understand. It wasn’t long before he’d got off his tail. He’d quickly checked his watch. ’2AM’ it read. Izuku decided to take a seat on the roof he was on. It was pretty early in his patrol so a little break couldn’t hurt. Plus, the moon was really lovely tonight.

Izuku started getting lost in his thoughts, as he always did.

“Hey kid.” Izuku flinched, then relaxed remembering whose voice it was.

“Hey Eraser! How’s tonight treating you?” He said with a grin on his face, though you couldn’t really see it through his mask. The hero took a seat right next to the kid.

“Not bad. Just some minor crimes and robberies. You?” The man had a sort of fondness in his tone. It made Izuku feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“That’s good! My night wasn’t that exciting either.” The man hummed showing he acknowledged what Izuku said as he reached into a small bag that he was carrying.

“You hungry kid?” Eraserhead said, extending his hand towards Izuku. It was just a small sandwich. Izuku eyed it, carefully examining it for a couple seconds but stopped knowing that the man would never try to poison him. He trusted Eraser and Eraser trusted him. Izuku had been careful not to take off his mask as he ate. The hero didn’t seem to care and Izuku was immensely grateful for that. This was the first thing Izuku had eaten during the whole day so it was nice. There were silent but it wasn’t awkward at all, Izuku was happy that on his birthday he could just relax a bit. His day at school though had been the complete opposite...

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Ka- Bakugou had been worse than usual. Izuku had thought that since it was his birthday he’d be left alone but how wrong he was. His day started off as usual, sneaking out before his mom woke up and walking to school. He got to school and like always his desk was full of spider lilies. But today there was something else left on his desk. Messages from his classmates. Not “happy birthday” ones no, they were messages that hurt so bad, Izuku wanted to actually kill himself. ’Do us all a favor and die already’, ’you’re a waste of space’ and ’I hate you’ were all spread over his desk. While he stood there shocked, he could hear everyone laughing behind him. Izuku had sat down when he realized what was going on.

“Settle down everyone.” their teacher said walking through the doors of their classroom. Everyone had now stopped laughing, only a couple giggles still rang through the classroom.

“Today we’ll be talking about your high school choices.” the teacher stated as Izuku stopped paying attention. It was calm, like nothing existed. Though it wasn’t at all dissociation, when that happens it leaves Izuku feeling horrible with his brain blurred and fuzzy. He didn’t wish the feeling on anybody. Izuku was happy staying like that until a call of his name pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Midoriya,” he cringed ever so slightly at the use of his family name, “you want to apply to UA too right?”

And Izuku wishes his teacher hadn’t said that because now everyone, including his teacher were laughing at him. Ka-Bakugou (Get it in your head Izuku) had stood up and made his way over to Izuku, hand already popping with little explosions.

“Listen to me shitty nerd.” Izuku didn’t know what to do so he ran. He ran until he got home and jumped in his window, tears already slipping down his face. Maybe he should listen to them, maybe-

--------

“-kid?”

Oh right. He was on patrol with Eraserhead.

“Yeah?” He answered. He looked beside him and seeing the concern in the hero’s eyes.

“You alright?” the hero spoke softly, all sugar spun. Eraserhead always knew how to help Izuku, after all they’d know each other for almost two years now.

“I’m fine.. Just thinking ‘bout some stuff.”

“Alright.” Eraser spoke, “It’s your birthday today right? I got you something.”

The hero pushed a medium sized box in front of Izuku. It was wrapped in a blue wrapping paper scattered with stars. On top was a neatly written ‘Ghost’.

“Y-you didn’t have to…” Izuku said voice just above a whisper.

“Sure I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. Now, open Problem Child.” the man’s tone was gruff but soft all at the same time. Izuku took the box from him and opened it carefully. Inside was another box filled with knifes ranging from a pocket knife to something almost the size of a steak knife. They were all amazing quality and a lot better than the ones he currently had. They had green accents that glowed in the dark and were so beautiful.

“I- thank you so much,” said Izuku. Even he could hear the tears of happiness in his voice.

“C’mere kid,” The hero said with open arms. Izuku gratefully accepted it.

They sat hugging for a bit as Izuku’s tears eventually stopped falling.

“So, wanna test them out?” Eraserhead said, gently pulling away from the hug.

“Yeah that would be nice,” Izuku said, standing up with a small smile. You couldn’t see it through his mask though. He carefully pulled the knives out of the box and put them into his utility belt.

“They look good. You ready?” Asked Eraserhead.

“Yep!” Izuku exclaimed enthusiastically.

“Right. Follow me, Problem Child.” Izuku nodded and so they were off. Like always, jumping from building to building and enjoying each other’s presence. They’d been at it for a couple minutes until Izuku heard Eraser stop in his tracks.

“What is it?” Izuku asked, curious about the sudden stop.

“Look over there.” The man said pointing at an alley a little far away from them. Izuku looked closely just to see a large man beating a much smaller one.

“Are we going over there?” Izuku questioned.

“Yep. You ready?” Izuku gave the man an affirmative hum, and so they were off to the spot. They got there in a few moments because of how close it. At that moment, Izuku had realized that the guy looked a lot bigger as they got closer. Maybe a strength quirk? That was only based on physical appearance though so they’d wait until they actually started fighting to make some better guesses.

“Hey muscle fuck! Shouldn’t you be picking on someone your own size?” Izuku jeered, plunging off the building they were running on, Eraserhead following suit.

Muscles (as Izuku nicknamed him) whipped his head back, only noticing Izuku.

“Stupid kid, d’you really think you can hurt me?!” Muscles yelled as he swung at Izuku, who was gracefully dodging all his punches. Behind Muscles, Eraser was trying to capture the villain but he kept moving.

Muscles managed to hit Izuku in the abs. He had only striked him once, but like Izuku suspected, he had a strength quirk.He doubled over in pain. Luckily, that was enough to get the villain to stop moving so Eraserhead could capture him.

Izuku wasn’t that hurt. Well, it did hurt pretty badly, but it didn’t feel like any ribs were broken.

Aizawa’s P.O.V:

Shouta was worried about Ghost.

Earlier tonight, the kid had spaced off and looked like he was going to start crying, but when he asked, the kid jut brushed him off saying he was alright. He clearly wasn’t, but Shouta didn’t press. He’d bring it up another night when the kid felt better. Although, he shouldn’t be worried about that right now. No, he should’ve been worrying that his- nope. The kid was hurt.

“You alright? That looked like a pretty hard hit.” He kept his voice soft so as not to startle the kid.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine. Nothing’s broken, it just hurts a bit,” Ghost replied with a small smile on his face. If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have noticed that he had done so, but after knowing the kid for so long, he could see the crinkle of his eyes, indicating he had smiled. Shouta returned the action, a little smaller albeit real, genuine smile.

“Wanna take a break? We can just sit on a rooftop and enjoy the night,” Aizawa suggested. Ghost nodded and stood up, looking a little dizzy but regaining his footing after a couple seconds.

They went up to the nearby rooftop, Shouta going a little slower than usual just in case the kid was hiding an injury from him. Once they had made it to the top and sat down, Shouta was struck with an idea.

“Hey kid. I have an idea. You can ask me any question you want, but I get to ask you one too. Sounds like a plan?” The kid's eyes lit up and he nodded enthusiastically.

“Can I start?” Ghost asked happily. Shouta gave him an affirmative hum and so the kid started talking.

“Hmm..Oh! What’s your real name?”

Shouta answered easily, “It’s Aizawa Shouta. You can call me Shouta off-duty. What's yours?” Shouta asked. The kid looked at him a little confused but said,

“It’s Izuku. So, your capture weapon. It’s made of Carbon Alloy right? How does it work? Does It have your DNA in it? You control it so well I’d guess that it does.” Woah, the kid was smart. It’s not like it surprised Shouta though. He knew how bright the kid was.

“Yeah it does have my DNA in it. You’re very smart, Izuku.” Shouta could see the kid let out the tiniest smile after the hero used his real name.

“Are you safe at home?” Izuku shot him a smirk.

“Digging deep eh? Well, I’ve got a roof over my head and food to eat, so I’m pretty safe.” Shouta noticed the kid didn’t mention his parents but he wouldn’t press any further tonight. And so it went on for the next little while. Izuku asked a question, Shouta answered and asked another. It was a calm atmosphere, almost pretty with the stars that shone like diamonds in the background.

Shouta had managed to get a lot of good information on Izuku which made him feel good, but all good things must come to an end as Shouta looked down at his watch and it read 3:30 AM.

“Kid, as much as I've enjoyed this, my patrol’s about to end. Plus, it’s 3 in the morning. You should probably get home, yeah?” Izuku just looked up at him nodding in understanding.

“Bye Shouta! It was really fun talking!” Izuku said as he stood up and got ready to head home.

“Bye kid. Sleep well,” Shouta said, also standing up. Izuku was already running off to his house. He could hear a muffled shout of “Slowpoke!” from the distance and recognized it as the kid’s voice.

Shouta couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. He really was a problem child, wasn’t he? That was Shouta’s queue to also start heading home. He headed home, the stars winking at him from their place in the sky. Tonight had been a great night and Shouta wanted it to last forever.

(Unbeknownst to Izuku, Aizawa had gone out to buy the kid some more gifts after seeing the reaction it got out of him. His problem child deserved the world after all.)

Chapter Text

Izuku had just gotten home from last night’s patrol with Eras- Shouta. He’d gotten a lot of information on Shouta. For example, he had found out what his capture scarf was made of, the fact that he had three cats and he’d even given Izuku his name! Even though Izuku answered some questions in return, he thought it was a pretty fair trade.

It had taken Izuku a little while to get home so it was now around three thirty. Izuku had gotten to his window, carefully opening it and going inside, not paying attention to his surroundings.

He jumped down and landed gracefully on the hardwood floor. He closed his window and turned to face his room.

To his horror, he wasn’t the only one there.

His mother was standing in the middle of his room, staring him down.

“Izuku,” she said voice laced with hatred, “where were you?” Izuku’s eyes widened minutely before he composed himself.

He opened his mouth and said, “I w-went out with s-some friends.” Stupid, was that really all he could think of?

“Izuku, don’t act like a fool. I know you’re a weak, quirkless ass who doesn’t have any friends. How could you? Everyone hates you after all!” His mother he’d

Izuku sunk in on himself the tiniest bit. Her words stung when she was under the influence. Now when she was in full control of what she was saying, though, it hurt more than usual.

The atmosphere was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Inko grabbed his arm and brought him out of his room.

“Come on honey,” Inko said as if it was an insult, effectively shattering the quietness as though it was glass, “now you’ll know what happens when you refuse to tell me where you were.”

Izuku didn’t really know where Inko was taking him but he knew it was in the basement. The very, very dark basement. Izuku could deal with many things, but the dark was not one of them.

They entered the basement and Inko locked the door behind them. Izuku’s breath started speeding up. Inko threw him down the stairs, and she followed, walking of course.

Izuku took a second to take in his surroundings. It was very dark so he couldn’t make out very much but he did see a knife rack hanging on the wall. Not just with five or six, there were twenty knives on that rack. It kind of reminded him of the knives Shouta had gotten him for his birthday.

God, he wishes he was still out there, fighting crime and spending time with Shouta. It was his birthday and he couldn’t even catch a break from Inko.

He watched Inko walk up to the knife rack and took a pretty small one. “Izuku,” she said making her way towards him, “don’t make a sound. Understood?” It was said quietly but spoken with so much malice. Izuku nodded quietly. He did understand.

She took the knife and pressed it to his forearm, little droplets of blood coming out of the wound. Izuku bit his lip trying not to make a noise. He heard Inko laugh and go grab another knife. This time it was bigger and much sharper.

Izuku eyes darted around the room for any other escape room, there weren't any. Izuku was trapped with his psychopathic mother who was trying to hurt him, and if he moved she’d hurt him even worse.

Inko took the larger knife and took his hand. When the knife and his hand made contact, Inko cut little criss crosses. Izuku closed his eyes and grimaced. He’d be fine- he had to be. Izuku took a couple deep breaths trying to calm himself while Inko was carving x’s into his hand.

Then she stopped, abruptly. Izuku looked up at her, thankful yet curious as to why she stopped. Inko just stood there smiling as if she was proud of what she’d done. Izuku whimpered- He fucking whimpered. How much of a weak loser was he?

Izuku’s mind started getting fuzzy at that point and he didn’t really know what was happening. All he knew is that he wished he was somewhere other than where he was. He couldn’t move, or think really, so he just sat there, mind muddled while being bruised and bloodied.

He didn’t know how long it had been until his mind cleared up. He stood up carefully, wincing at how much pain the small action has caused him. It felt like he’d been hit like a bus. Slowly, he made his way up the stairs of the basement.

When he opened the door, it was light out. ’I must’ve slept through the night,’ he thought groggily as he made his way to the bathroom next to his room.

He quickly checked over last night’s injuries, which thankfully weren’t that bad. He had bruises and scabs and was still bleeding a bit. Izuku cringed looking at his new wounds he knew would become scars. His hands were ruined, all scabbed and bruised and broken. Well, he already had tons of scars so what were two more?

He carefully grabbed some foundation he’d bought the other day and started covering the most noticeable bruises so he wouldn’t cause suspicion. It’s not like anyone would notice, and if they did, they probably wouldn’t care, but Izuku still did this as a precaution.

He did as he did everyday. Covering bruises, cleaning wounds and bandaging. It’s scary how many mornings and nights Izuku has spent doing this, but you get used to it at some point.

Once Izuku was done, he silently tip-toed over to his room. He really didn’t want to go to school today, but he had no choice though because it would certainly leave a mark on his already bad record.

That wasn’t his fault though, he’d never done anything that is listed on his school record. The accusations are there only because the teachers didn’t want to get Ka- Bakugou in trouble, so they blamed everything on him. He was a stupid, useless, quirkless Deku, what did he expect?

Carefully, he pulled on his uniform, wincing when it went over some of his new bruises and soon to be scabs. Izuku slung his bag over his shoulder and left the house ever so quietly.

The rest of the day went through in a blur for Izuku. He regained his senses while he was getting beaten again. Not by his mother this time, but by none other than his childhood best friend. It wasn't long until he fell back into a state of something akin to dissociation.

Izuku walked through the street he’d gone through ever since he was a child. He heard someone say something from behind that he couldn’t quite make out. It didn’t matter though, not like anything would happen-
Suddenly. Izuku felt a drowning sensation come over him.

‘Someone…help’, were the last things he thought before the dark spots in his vision took over.

Chapter Text

Izuku woke up to a slap landing on his cheek.

“Ah, good! You’re awake my boy. Thought I lost you there.”

The voice sounded so familiar, yet Izuku couldn’t quite place it. When Izuku opened his eyes though, he immediately realized why it sounded so familiar. Standing in front of him was All Might. Japan’s number one hero, right there, in the flesh.

"Well, now that you're alright, I'll be on my way! Be careful young man!" All Might exclaimed while getting ready to fly off.

"Wait!" Izuku said latching onto the hero's foot as he took flight.

"My boy," Izuku flinched at the nickname (dark memories of whips and knives and hurtful words swarmed within his brain) "you shouldn't grab onto heroes mid air!" All Might yelled over the cold, whistling wind.

Yeah, it was stupid but sue him. He wasn't about to waste this opportunity. All Might had landed them on a rooftop.

"Hang on, I just have one question! Then you can leave!" Izuku practically begged. All Might gave him a look, which said ‘be quick so I can leave‘.

"C-can someone without a quirk even hope to be a hero?" The hero looked at him, his smile dropped.

"No," Izuku shuddered at the bluntness of the statement, "you would only get yourself killed. Even if you manage to survive, which you wouldn't, you'd only get in the way of your colleagues and be a burden."

Izuku's eyes filled up with tears. He knew it was true, but hearing it from someone he'd looked up to his entire life? Yeah, it hurt just a little more.

"Well I must be going boy. Goodbye!" All Might lept of the roof as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn't just crushed every single dream Izuku had ever had. He slumped against the wall behind him. "Yep, this is it. This is where I kill myself."

When he spoke, his voice was clouded with tears. And Izuku just couldn't breathe. He wanted Shouta. He wanted the hero that had stayed by him for the last two years without fail. The man who had believed in him when no one else had. He wanted.. He wanted his dad.

((An: time skip right here! Izu just doesn't know it))

Izuku was calmer than before, getting his breathing under control (he used a technique Shouta taught him). It was dark out now. He didn't know how much time had passed.

Before he knew what he was doing, he pulled out his phone and dialed the contact ’eraserdad ( ꈍᴗꈍ)‘.

Shit.

He's missing his mask.

Oh well. He trusts Shouta enough not to spill (He hoped Shouta wouldn't, he believed for once). The hero picked up on the first ring.

"Ghost? You're not on patrol.. What's wrong?" Izuku choked on his tears at the familiar voice. "Izuku?" The man's voice sounded almost frantic.

"I-I'm fine. I- just- I'm on a r-rooftop. I-I don't know w-what to do." Izuku sobs only worsened and he coughed. Izuku scared himself, he could feel the slime build up still in his lungs, and you could definitely hear it when he coughed.

"Okay, I'm coming. Can you please send me your location?" Izuku sniffled.

“Y-yeah." Izuku made quick work of sending a ping to his hero.

"I'm really close, just hang on. I'm almost there Izuku." Izuku could see him approaching, see how he hopped across the roofs just like they would do together during patrol. He watched as his hero jumped on his roof and jogged over to him.

"Hi Izuku." Shouta's voice was soft yet gruff, albeit full of unaltered relief and love. Izuku launched himself into his hero's arms and Shouta didn't hesitate to reciprocate the hug. He was saved, his hero is here. Shouta sat both of them down (Izuku being held in his lap) and like always, started carding his calloused hands through Izuku's curly viridian locks.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" Shouta asked with no pressure for answers.

"I-I'm not sure. I was attacked by a villain. A hero saved me a-and then left me here." Izuku felt Shouta hold him a little tighter.

"Alright, that's all good. I'm gonna call Shuzenji so she can check you over." Izuku felt a yawn escape his lips. "Sleep, problem child. I'll take care of everything." With those final words, Izuku let himself be lulled to sleep by the gentle, calloused hand, running through his curls.

———

Shouta didn't know what he was expecting when he got a call from his problem child during patrol, but it certainly wasn't this. He's so very glad the kid decided to actually call for help. So now here he is, still gently carding a hand through his problem child's hair. His problem child who's not wearing his mask. Shouta can see all the constellations of freckles going across his kid’s cheeks and his familiar dark green bush that he calls hair. He reached for his phone, careful not to wake Izuku up, and dialed Shuzenji.

"Aizawa Shouta, do you know what time it is? An old lady needs her sleep!" She reprimanded from the other side of the phone.

"Sorry Shuzenji, it's just that I have Ghost, the vigilante, with me. He was attacked by a villain earlier today and I don't know what happened. He said a hero left him on a rooftop, probably some stupid limelight. He's been coughing pretty violently and it sounds as if there's liquid in his lungs." Shouta could hear a sigh from the other side of the phone.

"Alright, I'll meet you at your house in around ten minutes. Sounds good?"

How would he get Izuku home?

"Okay thanks, Shuzenji, see you soon."

"Bye, Shouta." He shook Izuku gently after the line went dead.

"Hey, Izuku? C'mon kid I just called Recovery Girl, we're going to meet her at my house." Izuku looked up at him, eyes drooping having just been woken up.

"Can you walk, kiddo?" His voice was kind, a change from his normally gruff demeanor.

"Y-yeah I think so." Izuku answered, whilst pushing himself off the ground. Shouta was quick to grab his arm, helping the kid off the ground.

"You remember where I live right? It shouldn't take too long to get there. Then you can go back to sleep, okay?"

Izuku just nodded as they made their way to the door on the roof (Shouta swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to protect his kid).

Chapter Text

Just as Shouta promised, they get home quickly. Shouta’s hand twists the cold door handle and lets the kid take his shoes off before guiding him to the couch.

“Recovery girl should be here soon, kid. You can sleep in the meantime.” Shouta hears him whisper a quick ‘okay’ before falling right back asleep. Shouta lets out a sigh as he sits down next to the young vigilante. Izuku’s so young and hurt. He has so many wounds that were closed, but not healed. Yet he looks so peaceful when he's asleep. Shouta looks down fondly at his kid's face, eyeing every single freckle, every single scar (The most prominent ones being a slash on his forehead and a faded scar of a slit on his neck. It makes Shouta sick thinking someone could do that to his sweet, wonderful, amazing kid).

Shouta hears a knock on the door and weaves his way around Izuku, careful not to wake the young vigilante. Behind the door he’s met with a tired looking Shuzenji, carrying a bag of supplies in one hand and rubbing her tired eyes with the other.

“I’m sorry to call you out this late, it’s just-”

“Shouta, it’s all good. Just let me take care of him.” The healing hero gently pushes past him, entering the appartement. Shouta lets her through with no fuss, closing the door behind her.

"Wake up, Hun. I just have to look you over, then you can go straight back to sleep." Shuzenji helps Izuku up as he rubs eyes lackadaisically. She looks him over thoroughly, sighing and tsking every couple of minutes at who knows what (Deep down Shouta knows that it can't be anything good but he pushes away that thought for the time being, not wanting to interfere with Shuzenji helping his kid). She plants a kiss on his forehead before turning back to Shouta.

"Well it's not very good. He's got some fluid in his lungs-” that explains the coughing "-and he's pretty banged up, but my quirk should fix it all. Keep an eye on him and make sure to keep an eye on him." Shuzenji explains.

"I will. Thanks again for coming, I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem, Shouta." The heroine says closing the front door as she leaves the small apartment. Shouta heaves a small sigh, not of annoyance, but exhaustion, and sits down next to the young vigilante. Izuku curls up into Shouta's side, whispering a quick ‘thank you’ very groggily. Shouta shuts his eyes to join izuku in sleep. As he drifts off, Shouta makes a mental note that he needs to stop taking in strays.

—---------

Izuku wakes up in a house that's not his. Izuku wakes up in a house that's not his. He sits up from where he was laying down to observe his surroundings and find out where the fuck he is.

"Oh, you're up." Izuku whips his into the direction that he heard the voice from.

"Oh." He says aloud, not meaning to. It's Eraserhead, Shouta.

"You alright? Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Shouta makes his way to Izuku, a mug of what Izuku presumes is coffee in his hands. "Can I sit next to you?" He asks gently. Izuku nods and Shouta sits down.

"I- I need to go home" Izuku says, voice shaking in a way that can only be described as scared. He knows Shouta picked up on it by the look he gives him next.

"Kid." Izuku averts his eyes. "Izuku," Shouta repeats, and the use of his first name draws his eyes upward. "If you don't want to go home you don't have to, alright? I'll take care of anyone who forces you to stay with them, I promise."

Izuku's eyes glisten with unshed tears as he stares at Shouta. Izuku's not ever been promised anything before. He searches in the hero's eyes for something, anything to indicate that he's lying. But all Izuku is met with are kind and patient eyes that he knows he can trust. "I-" he takes a deep breath, "I don't wanna go home. I don’t want to see my mom" The words are whispered under his breath, like if he says them too loud his mother would hear and take him away from this paradise.

"Alright, then you don't have to. You don't have to tell me what's going on right now, but I promise, I will do everything I can to keep you away,” the hero says. Izuku bursts into sobs, clutching on to Shouta for dear life. Shouta opens his arms, an invitation that Izuku will gladly take. He jumps right in to Shouta's arms as the hero murmurs sweet nothings to him. Izuku's eyes were slowly dropping shut. "You can go back to sleep now." Shouta whispers to him. This time, Izuku is pulled into a calm and restful sleep, because he knows his hero will be there to protect him when he wakes up.

—----------

Tsukaushi picks up on the third ring.

“What is it, Eraserhead?”

“Tsukauchi, I need you to look into a child abuse case.”

“What for? Or better yet who for?”

“I’ve got a kid with me. You may better know him as Ghost. I suspect something is going on at home and he already confessed to me that he didn’t want to go home.”

“What- you’ve got the Ghost in your home? N-nevermind do you know the kids full name?”

“His first name’s Izuku and I’m not sure about his last. He’s got green hair and freckles if that helps you with anything.”

“Alright, thank you. Give me a minute.”

The line goes quiet for a couple seconds. The keys of the detectives computer are the only noise heard.

“I found someone! Izuku Midoriya. Just turned thirteen, goes to Aldera middle school. His father is listed as N/A and his mother is Midoriya Inko.”

“That sounds exactly like him. Can you look more into his mother?”

“Sounds like a plan. Uh, Midoriya Inko, age 37, works as a nurse at Mustafu General and has a clean record. Doesn’t sound like she could be an abuser. You sure it’s her and not the father?”

“Yes. He spoke about his mother earlier today. Are there no complaints online or anything?”

“Not that I see. Just so that you know Eraser, it’s going to be tough to remove a child from a home with no concrete evidence. You’ll most likely have to testify in court.”

“You have your quirk! Can’t you just ask her, see she’s lying and have it be over with?”

“You know I wish I could. It’s just not possible. I’m sorry.”

“Shit. uh, alright it’s fine. Thanks, Tsukauchi. I guess all we can do now is collect evidence. Oh, and also, i’m using my foster license to take him in my care temporarily. Well, of course until I can adopt him.”

“Right. Good night, Eraser.”

“Night.”

Shouta hangs up.

What the fuck is he going to tell his kid?

Chapter Text

"What's going to happen to me?" Shouta hears a small voice ask from his left. "I know you said you wouldn't let me go back but it's probably where I'll end up. I'm quirkless, and a stupid deku. I know no one wants me."

Shouta looks up from the papers he's grading and looks over to Izuku who's leaning his head on the table. And oh, that hurts him. The fact that his kid thinks he's unwanted, is so horribly wrong.

"Kid," Shouta starts, "you will never be not be wanted. I want you, kiddo. I know it might be hard to understand, but just know that if I didn't want you here, I wouldn't have brought you here in the first place."

Izuku slowly lifts his head from the table, revealing his teary eyes to the hero. All Shouta can do in return is open his arms, with a small smile on his face as Izuku practically jumps into his arms. Shouta starts whispering reassurances before he can even think about it, as tears start to wet the exact spot on his shirt where Izuku is laying. Dammit, he's soft for this kid, but who can blame him? After a long while of this, Shouta whispering reassurances and carding his hands through his kid's hair, Izuku calms down enough to look up at him. "Do you- do you really not mind me staying here?" Izuku asks through puffy eyes and tear streaked cheeks.

Shouta resists the urge to sigh, not wanting to make it look like he was annoyed with him. "Kid, like I said, I want you here. And if you don't want to be here, then I'm fine with that too. But just know, you'll always have a place in my- in our house. Alright kiddo?" Izuku can only manage a nod before the tears start flowing again. Albeit, this time less sob-like and more smiley.

"You hungry, kid?" Shouta asks,

"A little." Izuku responds with a small smile.

"Take-out sound alright?" He feels Izuku nod against his chest. He reaches over to the table grabbing his phone to look at some options and ask his kid's opinion. Shouta doesn't care what they're going to eat, so long as Izuku is happy, so is he.

—----------

Later that night, when Shouta and Izuku are eating take-out from a family owned place that Shouta suggested, he braces himself for the conversation they're about to have. He really doesn't want to ruin the domestic feeling in the room. They both eat on the couch, Izuku tucked under a blanket, cross legged next to Shouta, watching some documentary.

“Hey kid?” Shouta starts off gentle, not wanting to scare Izuku just yet. “Are you alright if we have kind of a serious conversation right now?”

The young vigilante turns and looks at Shouta with a small albeit genuine smile, a signal to go on talking. It's been two days since the phone call with Tsukauchi and since then it's been the only thing he can think about. He needs to say something, he can't leave Izuku in the dark like this.

“Please remember that I want you here as I start talking, okay? Like I said earlier before, you will always be welcome here and I’ll always want you here, but it’s going to take some effort on both our parts.” He watched Izuku’s face fall, as one slow tear fell down his freckled cheek. Shouta grabbed both of the kid’s hands and put them in his, hoping it was comforting. “Hey, listen. Look at me, please.Thank you. This doesn’t mean that you’re going back to your mother. In fact, it means the opposite. It means I will do everything in my power to never let her see you again, and I’m sure she won’t. All this means is that we might have to have a trial. I know it’s not ideal, and I’m so sorry about that. But worst case scenario, is we go to court and Inko gets sentenced, alright?” Izuku nods his head slightly, fear still evident albeit less than before.

"W-what would happen in court?" He asks, voice small and fragile.

"Well, first of all we would talk to Tsukauchi and he would help prepare you. But secondly, we go to the courthouse and you speak to the judge. This is what Tsukauchi would prepare you for by the way. Then I'd speak and probably some other people too. Then we wait for the court to make their decision. I know it's hard, but please try not to worry about this right now alright? It'll all work out and the court date would be at least a month away. Does that sound alright?" Shouta asks, telling his kid a whole monologue as he tries to ease his worries. Izuku manages a small smile. He leans his head on Shouta's shoulder, which is unexpected, but Shouta doesn't mind, not in the slightest.

"Yeah, yeah that sounds alright. Thanks Shouta." The hero also gives a smile at that. Not his usual cheshire grin, but a soft, inviting smile. He cards his fingers gently through his hair as the documentary goes on, like white noise. It was a pretty rough day for both of them, filled with lots of tears and big conversations. But in the end, Shouta is so glad that his kid is here with him. That he's able to card scarred, calloused fingers through his kid's messy dark green curls. Yeah, it sure as hell isn't perfect, but for Shouta, it's enough.

Chapter Text

The following weeks are filled with talks of court, lawyers and many visits with Tsukauchi. Izuku and Shouta are in and out of the police station, Izuku and his lawyer going over all sorts of questions they might ask him in the courtroom. Shouta, having taken time off work, stays with Izuku every step of the way. All in all, it's stressful. But Shouta is here to lift that stress from Izuku's shoulders and take on some of it. It's hard for Izuku to understand. He doesn't think he will ever understand this foreign concept; but for now he will just enjoy it.

On Sunday, Shouta suggests they go out for ice cream and Izuku is elated. He doesn't like to admit it, but the last time he was at an ice cream parlor was when he was four, right before his diagnosis. Before his whole life was in shambles because of something he couldn't control.

Izuku remembers when he first told Shouta he was quirkless. It was a stupid comment that slipped without him realizing. Something about how people 'like him' don't get the luxury of buying proper weapons. Shouta wasn't angry, he didn't pity Izuku like everyone else did. To Shouta, it didn't matter that Izuku was quirkless. Looking back, it seems like it was a hundred years ago.

A knock on his door pulls him away from his thoughts. "You ready, Izuku?" Shouta asks gently from behind his door.

"Yep!" Izuku responds, pulling a hoodie over his head. They may be getting ice cream, but that doesn't change the fact that it's winter. He opens his door and walks out in the living room to find Shouta smiling at him, pulling on his shoes.

“All good to go?” Shouta asks. Izuku nods, and walks towards his guardian. Shouta pulls on his other shoe and Izuku follows suit. They put on a scarf or two and Shouta insists that Izuku 'has to wear a hat' (He wears it with little reluctance). Once suited up, Izuku follows Shouta out the door, to the ice cream parlor.

—————

Shouta doesn’t know if Izuku's ever been to an ice cream parlor, since he knows almost nothing about Izuku’s childhood. But even if he’d been before, Shouta would be sure to make this special no matter what.

The shop they’re going to is nostalgic for Shouta. It brings back memories of laughter and blue hair and the biggest smile Shouta’s ever seen. It’s the first time he’s going back there after the incident. He’s glad it’s with Izuku.

—————

“Woah. This is much nicer than I remember ice cream parlors being,” Shouta hears Izuku say. He looks at Izuku, whose eyes are wide and mouth agape. Izuku’s eyes wander from wall to wall, taking in every flavour they have.

It doesn’t come as a surprise to Shouta that Izuku is amazed. The shop being in a hero neighbourhood means that mostly heroes go there and well, let’s just say most heroes tip well. Shouta puts a hand on Izuku’s back gently guiding him out of the entryway and over to the counter. He waits for a few minutes while Izuku browses through all the flavours they’ve got. He already knows what he’s getting.

“What are you thinking about getting?” Izuku looks away from the ice cream and moves his eyes to Shouta as he speaks.

“I think I want mint chocolate chip.” Shouta smiles. Of course his kid wants mint chocolate chip.

“I think it would match your hair perfectly,” Shouta chuckles out. Izuku looks up at him, clearly offended.

“Excuse me, just because my hair is green does not mean that everything I eat is green! They’re not even the same shade!” A small laugh draws them away from their conversation. A bright flush dusts Izuku’s cheeks when he realizes that they’re not the only ones in there. The lady behind the counter smiles at them.

“So, what can I get for you today?”

“We’ll have one scoop of tiramisu and one scoop of mint chocolate chip, please.” Izuku gives Shouta a look as if to say ‘of course you would get the only coffee flavoured ice cream they have.’

“Alright, and will those be in a cup or a cone?” Shouta looks over to izuku who simply mouths the word ‘cup’.

“We’ll take them both in cups.”

“Great! You can tap, swipe or insert whenever you are ready!” After Shouta pays, they grab their ice cream and make their way to a booth hidden in the back of the shop.

“This is really good, thank you!” Izuku smiles at Shouta who simply shakes his head.

“You don’t have to thank me, kiddo. I do this because it makes me happy." Shouta smiles a little brighter when he sees a huge smile on Izuku's face. It's such a great atmosphere it almost makes Shouta forget about the trial that's happening in the next two days. Almost being the keyword. But Shouta will push that to the back of his mind, because he knows that if he worries about it, Izuku will worry about it.

Instead they make small talk. They speak about nothing and everything. It's pretty light, until Izuku asks Shouta a particular question.

"Is this your first time here?" Izuku questions. Shouta, not knowing how to respond, looks at Izuku trying to find his words. He sighs as he begins to talk.

"Back when I was in high school, I had this really great friend. He was kind and smart and had a heart of gold. This was his favourite place and we would come every Friday, to celebrate making it through the week." Shouta smiles a bit at the memories, though the smile is bittersweet.

"What happened to him?" Izuku asks him, with a small smile on his face. Of course it disappeared as Shouta explained what happened the fateful day of the incident. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Izuku's face wears a pained and panicked expression as he apologizes.

"Don't apologize. You didn't know what happened, so you asked. It's not your fault, you didn't cause the building to collapse." Izuku still looks guilty. Shouta knows that he still feels guilty. But it's alright, it's something they'll work on together. And for Shouta, that's enough.

—————

The judge smacks her gavel against her bench, the sound carrying throughout the courtroom as every conversation stops. You could hear a pin drop in the silence.

"We are gathered here today to discuss and find a verdict for the Midoriya case.” The judge speaks clearly, voice loud and powerful. And in that moment, everything sets in. Everything starts to feel real.

And Izuku…

Izuku is scared.

Chapter Text

The judge smacks her gavel against her bench, the sound carrying throughout the courtroom as every conversation stops. You could hear a pin drop in the silence.

"We are gathered here today to discuss and find a verdict for the Midoriya case.” The judge speaks clearly, voice loud and powerful. And in that moment, everything sets in. Everything starts to feel real.

And Izuku…

Izuku is scared.

Shouta seems to notice because before Izuku can realize, there's a hand that slowly comes to wrap around his own. Shouta doesn't touch Izuku's hand until he moves his hand to Shouta's. He's grateful that Shouta always waits for permission, never pressures him into anything. They listen as the judge starts to speak about some legalities, going over some of the things that will be happening. Izuku doesn't listen to her voice, as she drones on and on, trusting his guardian will relay all the important parts to him.

Izuku thinks he should listen, knows he should listen. But he also knows that listening will make his nerves go crazy and then he’d freak out and ruin the whole day. So Izuku stays in the deepest corners of his mind, just trying to disappear before he has to go up and recount the most traumatic years of his life in front of a huge room of people.

No pressure, right?

————

Shouta looks over at Izuku and doesn’t miss the vacant look in his eyes. Green pupils becoming a much lighter shade as they cloud over. Shouta isn’t stupid, he knows this a lot to take in and it’s no reason why Izuku is dissociating.

He wishes so desperately that his kid didn't have to go through this, that they could just go home and cuddle while Hizashi's radio plays in the background as white noise (Izuku hasn't even met the man, yet he still loves listening to the station).

He looks over at Tsukauchi and Izuku's lawyer who are sitting next to him. Their lawyer is one of Tsukauchi's old friends, which is the first person he recommended even quicker than Shouta could say ‘we need a lawyer’.

Shouta zones back into the judge’s speech. Someone has to listen for both of them, and that person will be Shouta. His eyes flit over to Izuku everytime the judge pauses. He sees some light in them. In Shouta's books, that’s considered a win. He can only hope Izuku will be alright as he gives his witness statement.

————

Izuku feels someone tap gently on his shoulder, becoming aware enough to turn around and face who the tap came from. "Are you alright? You'll have to go up and speak in a couple minutes." Shouta keeps his hand on Izuku's shoulder as he speaks. It's grounding and comforting. It's enough that Izuku can answer clearly without his throat starting to close up.

“Yeah, I-I think so.” Shouta flashes him a small albeit genuine smile that makes Izuku feel like everything will be alright when he sees it, like a warm embrace. Shouta doesn’t show his emotions on his face very often, so it makes it very effective when he does. The smile is pride, joy, gratitude and just happiness as a whole wrapped into one small quirk of his lips.

He hears the judge call Inko up. He feels sick to his stomach as his 'mother' tries to defend herself. Her lawyer’s trying his very best to make Inko sound like the good guy. The worst part is, he's so convincing Izuku thinks if this weren't his court case, he would believe her. He listens as much as he cares to (which is very little), only catching snippets of denial and offence and "How could I ever do that to my little Izuku, he knows that I love him so-".

Izuku could not give any fucks about what happens to his mother. That's bad, he knows it's bad to not care and to wish bad things on someone. Izuku is somehow always in the wrong. But at this specific moment he doesn't care.

————

Scratch that, Izuku does care. Because now his name is being called to stand up and give his statement, retelling his side of the story, you can call it whatever you want. But it doesn't change the fact that Izuku has to go up and speak in front of a huge room of people, most of which he doesn't know. Nobody moves and Izuku doesn't know what to do. He looks to Shouta who starts to speak.

"Izuku, you'll be alright. I'll be right here, okay? Nothing will happen up there and we're all rooting for you. You've got all of us on your side. I'm so proud of you, alright? And I know you'll be fine up there."

Izuku can only manage a smile in return as he makes his way up to the podium.

—------

"Alright, so you are Izuku Midoriya, correct?"

"Yes sir,” Izuku responds, his voice wavering a bit at the end of his sentence.

"Please state your relation to Inko Midoriya," Inko's lawyer's voice drowns out every other noise in the room. You can tell he knows his power in the courtroom. He knows that Inko can win.

"Inko is my mother, sir,” and Izuku's voice is wavering more, if that's even possible.

"Can you please restate what your allegations against Midoriya Inko are?"

Izuku may know what to say somewhat, but the words are starting to catch in his throat.

"Th-that she has been abusing me b-both physically and mentally and has also refused me necessities such as f-food and water."

"Do you have any evidence that she has committed any of the crimes you just stated?"

Izuku's already had enough.

"I have scars all over my body, an-and there's evidence in the basement of our home, bloo-blood on the walls and knives everywhere."

"I'm sorry but what, may I ask, does a room in your house have to do with the question I just asked you?"

"I just said there's blood on the walls, I-I think you understand what I mean fr-from my previous statements."

Izuku wants to go home.

"No, actually, I'm not quite sure I do. It seems like you don't want to tell me. Is there a reason for that?"

Izuku doesn't know what to say.

"Objection! Leading the witness and asking irrelevant questions!"

It's Izuku's lawyer who speaks next. He doesn't know what his lawyer just said or what it really meant, but if it gets him off this topic, he'll be forever grateful.

"Sustained,” the judge says and Izuku thinks it's a good thing because Inko's lawyer steps back the tiniest bit. "Please stay on topic." She redirects her attention back to Izuku and Inko's lawyer at the last part.

Inko's lawyer gives the judge a nod of approval before continuing to speak.

“You claim that Ms. Midoriya has refused you necessities, such as nutrition. Yet when police searched your house, the fridge was fully stocked, pantries were fully stocked and they even found bowls in your room half finished. And yes, they did test them for any illicit substances and they came out clean. If food was as sparse as you are claiming, then why would you waste it?"

No. That- that can't be right. Last time Izuku checked, there was no food in the house. He hid all the food he ate, and never wasted anything. God, he was so starved that Shouta was giving him food on patrol.

"That can't- I didn't leave any food. I didn't even have food in my room. I don't know what you found, but it-it wasn't me who left it."

Inko's lawyer grins. It's not like one of Shouta's, though. Shouta's grin may be tough but it's soft around the edges and has a gentler feel. This man's grin is different. It has no soft feeling. Only anger and some sick sadistic glee that can only be felt when you know you've done something horrible.

"How can we know that you're not lying? Can you please inform us?"

A beat.

He- he can't.

Izuku can't defend himself. He's being cornered.

Stuck in a lose-lose situation and Izuku's not even sure he can get out of this one.

"Not up to answering that one? It's alright. I'll move onto my next question. My client has told me that you come home very, very late at night multiple days a week. Around five a.m, actually. What on earth would a kid your age be doing out that late?"

Now Izuku's in trouble.

Big, big trouble.

Chapter Text

"Not up to answering that one? It's alright. I'll move onto my next question. My client has told me that you come home very, very late at night multiple days a week. Around five a.m, actually. What on earth would a kid your age be doing out that late?"

Now Izuku's in trouble.

Big, big trouble.

Nobody speaks when that comment is made. The room is silent, everyone (bar Shouta and Tsukauchi) must be asking themselves the same question. But all Izuku can do is stand there silently, letting his panic slowly overcome him. 

“No further questions, your honour.” Inko’s lawyer grins as he makes his way to back to his client, both wearing the same look of knowing. They know Izuku’s going to have to go back to her. They know Izuku’s lawyer is going to have to fight tooth and nail to get Izuku to stay with Shouta. 

Izuku walks off the podium, literally sprints past Shouta and runs right out of the courtroom. He doesn’t know where he’s running to, but he’s happy as long as it’s not that stupid courtroom. 

—------

Shouta’s freaking the fuck out. First Inko's scumbag of a lawyer asks Izuku these stupid questions that Shouta has no clue what they have to do with Inko abusing Izuku. Then, the idiot corners Izuku, asks him a question that he legally (even though his vigilante work is technically legal, since Izuku’s lack of quirk, but still) cannot answer. Then just leaves it at that. And to make matters worse, Izuku just stormed out of the damn courtroom and Shouta’s hot on his heels. He hopes Izuku can’t make it too far. It would break his heart if Izuku managed to run away and he couldn’t help him. 

Luckily, as soon as Shouta exits the courtroom, his kid is sitting right there, leaning up against a wall. Shouta barely has to think before he’s on the ground with Izuku trying to coax him out of what’s quickly turning into a panic attack. 

“Hey, Izuku, Zu, kiddo. It’s Shouta. Yeah I’m right here. I need you to breathe for me, okay? Can you feel my breathing? Good. I want you to try and copy it. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight . You’re doing great, I’m right here.” 

Shouta gives Izuku words of encouragement as he tries to get his breathing under control. Izuku doesn’t spiral too much, and manages to breathe at an almost normal rate in about ten minutes. 

“Hey kid, you alright?” Shouta asks in a voice so soft it surprised even him. Izuku jumps into his arms, latching onto the back of Shouta’s shirt, as his tears start to create a small wet spot on Shouta’s shirt. He can’t bring himself to care though, Shouta would let Izuku cling and cry into him even if he was wearing the most expensive garment in the whole world.

“It’s okay. I'm right here, bud. Keep breathing, okay?” At his words, Izuku remembers that he has to breathe and starts using the technique Shouta showed him only a couple minutes ago. Shouta taps the pattern gently onto Izuku’s back, hoping he can feel the pattern and it will help him. 

————

Izuku wills himself to breathe as he’s held in Shouta’s safe embrace. He wills himself to stop thinking about what happened because of he does, he’ll panic again and this stupid cycle will continue. 

“That’s better. How are you feeling” Shouta asks him, as he starts to rub Izuku’s back in a surprisingly soft manner. 

“Like shit.” Izuku barely manages to rasp it out, his tongue feeling so heavy. 

Shouta chuckles briefly at his antics, smile spreading across his features. Izuku doesn’t exactly know how he has the ability to make someone smile, but somehow he always seems to make Shouta smile. 

“Language, kid. But I get why you’d not be feeling the best. I think we’d be fine to leave now since you already have your statement, but I have to ask Tsukauchi-“

A small ring cuts him off and Shouta reaches into his pocket. 

“Huh, speak of the devil” Izuku watches Shouta read the message and smiles at him. “We’re free to go. Anything you want to do?”

Izuku smiles a small smile back at Shouta, “I just want to go home and be lazy. But- um- I had a question I wanted to ask you. Do you know when the verdict will be decided?” 

Shouta gives Izuku a knowing look. He knows exactly what’s going through Izuku’s head. “It shouldn’t take too long. A couple days at most. You don’t have to worry, alright? I’ll make sure everything will work out. I promise. How about we make our way home?” Shouta says it in a mischievous voice and before Izuku knows it, Shouta’s lifting him up over his shoulder and carrying him towards the exit.

“I can walk, you know?” Izuku giggles out. Shouta will always know how to cheer him up, no matter the circumstances. 

“Let me have my fun, okay?” He’s sure Shouta meant to say it seriously but it was plagued with laughs from the both of them. 

Izuku never wants to lose this. Ever. He can only hope with all his heart that the court feels the same as he does. It would crush him if he was sent back to his mother. Absolutely. Fucking. Crush. Him.

————

Shouta and Izuku go home that night and enjoy each other’s company with ice cream and takeout shoved in their mouths and an old pre-quirk action movie playing in the background as white noise as they talk and laugh. They speak about anything and everything and Izuku couldn’t be more grateful to have someone like Shouta in his life. They stay cuddled up on the couch all night long, not having the energy nor the care to move (even though Shouta’s joints are hurting and cracking like crazy because he’s an old man). Shouta keeps a hand carding through Izuku’s hair nearly all throughout the night, a quiet reassurance of his presence. They both sleep well that night. 

————

Shouta gets a phone call the next morning at exactly 10:50 AM from one detective Tsukauchi. He doesn’t hesitate to answer it. Izuku’s laying down on the couch and he’s standing in the kitchen when he picks up the phone.

“Tsukauchi.”

“Shouta, I- I don't know how to say this but, the jury decided that Izuku should stay with his mother.” 

Shouta drops his phone on the kitchen counter.

“Are you alright? What happened?” Izuku asks, craning his head backwards to face Shouta. 

And Shouta doesn’t know what to tell him.

So he just speaks.

“Izuku, I- the jury- they’re sending you back to your mother.”

And the look Izuku gives him is heartbreaking.

No.

It’s soul crushing.

Chapter Text

“Izuku, I- the jury- they’re sending you back to your mother.”

And the look Izuku gives him is heartbreaking.

No.

It’s soul crushing .

When Izuku speaks, the words seem almost small. Izuku himself looks small, with his shoulders hunched, almost trying to make himself disappear as if it would erase the horrible news he was just delivered.

 “ What?”

And just the tone of Izuku’s voice makes Shouta want to steal Izuku forever, and keep him safe from the wicked excuse of a human he calls his mother. But Izuku needs him right now so taking justice will have to come second to comforting his kid. 

Shouta abandons his phone on the counter as he speed walks (read; runs) towards Izuku whose eyes are filled with salty tears about to fall. He leans over the back of the couch, taking Izuku’s head into his hands as he starts to wipe away a few stray tears that are falling down on his freckled cheeks.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay . This doesn’t mean goodbye, not at all, alright? And this doesn’t mean I will stop trying to get you out of her custody. I will never stop. Okay Izuku? Never. We can still talk. We can still talk all the time. Anytime you want, I’ll be there. I’m sorry the way I spoke before was very blunt. But I’m serious when I say that you will not be there forever, okay kid?”

 Shouta cringes internally, remembering the sheer bluntness of his earlier statement, but, sue him. He never in hell expected that Izuku would have to be sent back to his mother, but he is. He’s being sent back and there’s nothing Shouta can do. At least right now, all he can do is pray to whatever fucked up god there is out there that Izuku will be okay and will be sent back to him  as soon as possible. 

Izuku looks at Shouta with utter despair in his eyes,and Shouta almost can’t bear to look at him. 

“When am I being sent back? And- and will I still be able to see you? Or are they saying that I have to stay away from you. Because if- if they are saying that, t-then I have n-no clue what I’m going to do. I mean,” Izuku heaves in a breath pausing in his rant only for a second before continuing, “you know you’re the only way I’m going to get through this r-right? If I can’t talk to you, I have n-no one to confide in. No one . Shouta, w-what, what am I going to do? ”

Izuku has trouble finishing his sentence, as he chokes on his tears, attempting to reign in his emotions but failing miserably. 

Shouta wishes he knew. Wishes he knew how to keep Izuku in his care, how to make sure he never gets hurt again, but he doesn’t. So all he can do is step around to the front of the couch and gather Izuku in his arms.

“ Breathe . Like I said before, it’s going to be alright. I still have to talk to Tsukauchi about the details but, I have no doubt that we will still be able to see each other. As for when you have to go back, I’m not sure. If you’d like, we can call Tsukauchi together and discuss the details.” 

Izuku sniffles, nuzzling his face into Shouta’s chest. 

“Can we do that now?”

Izuku asks gently as Shouta smiles at him. 

“Of course we can. Let me just go grab my phone” 

Shouta let’s Izuku go as he quickly makes his way back to the kitchen, grabbing the phone, then coming back to settle with Izuku on the couch. He makes sure Izuku is comfortable and ready before he dials. Tsukauchi picks up on the second ring. 

“Hey Shouta, sorry for hanging up on you earlier, I just thought you should have some privacy.” 

“It’s alright. I completely forgot to hang up. Anyways, we’re calling just to hear the specifics about the verdict. Tell us everything that could be helpful.”

They hear Tsukauchi pick up some sort of papers on the other side of the line ( they assume it’s a document with all the small intricacies of what the court decided)

“So, the court states that Izuku must be sent back to his mother’s residence by a member of the police force before 2 PM exactly two days from now. They don’t specify who has to drive you so if you really wanted, it could be me. I suggest you start getting your stuff together soon so you’re not in too much of a rush.  The jury decided that you will be allowed to see Shouta in person only once a month but you’re able to communicate freely via texting and or calling. You have a strict curfew of 9:30 PM and if you’re seen outside of your house after the allocated time then you will be ‘punished accordingly’. That’s not ominous at all. Oh, the court also says-“

“Wait, wait, wait. Go back. What do they mean ‘punished accordingly’? Can they even say that?” 

Shouta cuts him off and Tsukauchi hums on the other side of the line.  You can hear him filing through the papers searching for more details.

“Apparently they can. There are no specifications about what this ‘punishment’ might be, but it does say that if you’re caught together outside of the allocated time slot, then Ms. Midoriya can get Izuku a restraining order against you. I think those are all the important details. You’re up to date.”

Shouta looks down at Izuku whose eyes are once again filled with tears. He wishes he could make this all go away. Wishes he could see Izuku happy again, just like he was only yesterday. It’s crazy how much someone’s mood can change in a matter of minutes.

“Thank you, Tsukauchi. I’ll call you again later, I have a couple questions.”

“It’s no problem. Take care you guys.” 

Tsukauchi replies as Shouta hangs up the call, turning to face Izuku. His poor kids eyes are once again welled up with tears. Shouta just holds him as he cries. He doesn’t know what else he can do in this situation. It’s shitty. And it’s even more shitty that he promised Izuku he would never have to go back to his mother. Sobs are echoing through the living room and his shirt is starting to become wet with tears. Shouta feels something he hasn’t felt in a long time. Normally, he’s somewhat optimistic, you have to be when you’re a hero. But right now, Shouta feels hopeless . 

———

Izuku and Shouta start to pack the day after they’re given the verdict. He and Shouta had gone shopping a little while ago for some essentials so  now he has a good amount of stuff to pack. He wishes he didn’t. Packing up all his stuff is just a never ending reminder that he’s being sent back. Izuku can’t help but be on edge as they pack his thing into one of Shouta’s old suitcases, the man claiming that he’d ‘get it back when Izuku comes back to live with him.’ Sometimes it feels like that day will never come. That he’ll be stuck with his mother forever, stuck in a never ending loop of being beaten, insulted, not having enough to eat, not sleeping enough and being cooped up in his tiny room. The more he thinks about it the harder it is to breathe. 

The court decided to take away the one thing in this cruel world that actually makes him happy. The one thing that makes him want to live. 

His dad.

Izuku would never ever say is to his face but that really is how he feels deep down. Now, he might not even have a chance to say it to him. Even if he wanted to say it, he couldn’t, he can’t . 

———

It is arranged that Tsukauchi will come and pick Izuku up at exactly 1:30 so that he can soak up every moment he has left with Shouta, but still get to his Mother’s house at 2:00 on the nose. When Tsukauchi comes to pick him up, lots of tears are shed. Izuku clings to Shouta like he’s a lifeline as he cries and cries and cries. Despite his chronic dry eye, tears are somehow falling slowly down Shouta’s cheeks.

Tsukauchi has to practically tear the two apart. It’s not a pretty scene. Shouta walks out with the two of them, and once they get outside, he’s  holding Izuku in a lingering hug as he whispers a speech, only for Izuku’s ears, stating that he will always answer anytime Izuku texts or calls and will never miss any visits. That he will miss him more than words can express and so on. 

They hug as long as they can until Izuku is being moved into the police car, and Tsukauchi is taking his seat too, when they leave, Shouta’s left all alone. He feels empty. 

He feels like there’s a part of him missing. 

Chapter Text

They hug as long as they can until Izuku is being moved into the police car, and Tsukauchi is taking his seat too, when they leave, Shouta’s left all alone. He feels empty. 

He feels like there’s a part of him missing. 

—-----

The first couple days are hard. Really hard. Izuku and Shouta exchange texts and calls nearly all hours of the day, and for the first time in many years, Shouta makes an effort to keep his phone on him at all times. Izuku couldn’t be more grateful for that. 

At Aldera Middle School, the news that Izuku ‘wrongfully accused’ his mother of being abusive has spread like wildfire. All people can talk about is the fact that some stupid quirkless kid thinks he can try to make his quirked mother ‘look bad’ for attention. Izuku hates the rumor. He hates the fact that the school is treating even worse than before the trial. 

Shouta cheers him up though. After every hard day when all he wants to do is lay down and die, Shouta is there. He helps Izuku feel better, telling him jokes and stories as they call each other all night long. It sucks, but it’s the best they can get.

—-----

Shouta ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ —> Problem Child

APRIL EIGHTH

5:50 PM

Hey kid

!hi

How are you? 

.um

next question

Izuku..

sorry! um im completely okay

(:you do not have to worry about me

You can talk to me, you know?

i know

i know

but sometimes

i 

just

Take your time, kid.

thanks

?i just miss going out yk

like on patrol

it was the only time i could like

let loose and be free i guess

I get it.

I know it sucks to have one of the only good things in your life taken away from you.  

yeah

it just really sucks 

I bet, kiddo. 

On a lighter note, how was your day? 

the usual

get hurt at school

get hurt at home

it’s not a lighter note at all but

such is life

You need to tell me when something like that happens.

I know I’m not able to see you but I can still help you.

Tell you how to tend to your wounds etc.

i can do it on my own

i’ve been doing it for years after all

I know.

Just, please promise you’ll tell me when something is really wrong, okay?

(:i promise

Good.

APRIL TENTH

4:30 AM

Problem Child ---> Shouta  ฅ՞•ﻌ•՞ฅ

i don’t want to go to school today

i just want to curl up in a ball and cry

.It’s okay to cry

.We all need to cry, Izuku

.We’re only human 

yeah 

?Are you okay

🙂um yeah i’m fine just contemplating

?Contemplating what

4:46 AM

?Izuku

nothing

nevermind 

i’m just gonna try and get some sleep

.Okay

,Just

?Remember you can talk to me, alright

got it 

gn

Good night, Izuku 

—----

Shouta hasn’t heard from Izuku ever since that weird early morning text last week. He’s been trying to get ahold of him, sending all sorts of messages whenever he can but he hasn’t gotten an answer. He’s only called a couple times, and he’s thinking of doing it again. Of course he wouldn’t do it right now, in the middle of the teacher’s lounge but maybe he could find a quiet place to-

“Shouta, what’s up with you?” Hizashi asks from behind him, startling Shouta as he tries to maneuver his head around Shouta’s shoulders to take a peek at his phone

“What do you mean, Zashi?” Shouta closes the messaging app as he speaks so Hizashi can’t see anything.

“Shou, I’m your best friend. I can see when you’re stressing out about something. And you’ve been staring intensely at your phone for the past ten minutes. You didn’t even look up when I entered the lounge, and that’s saying a lot Mr. ‘I’m an underground hero and can see and hear everything going on around me even when I’m sleeping.’ ” 

Hizashi mocks him in the deepest scariest voice he can muster up, only earning a small smile from Shouta. Hizashi’s normally happy face turns serious as he continues to speak. 

“You know you can talk to me right? I may not understand, but I like to think I’m one hell of a good listener.” 

“I know, I know.” Shouta says shutting off his phone as he turns his chair to face Hizashi, who’s taking a seat right next to him.

“What’s bothering you?”

“I took in this kid a couple weeks ago. 

“Stop giving me that look, wait until I finish. 

“Anyways, the kid I took in was none other than the vigilante Ghost that I’ve been going on patrol with for the past couple of years. One night he didn’t show up for patrol and proceeded to call me from a rooftop. Turns out he was attacked by a villain and then left all alone on the top of a building. I took him home, Shuzenji came over and looked him over/healed him and he stayed the night.

“The next day he woke up and was adamant that he had to go home but I realized that in reality, he didn’t want to go home because he’s being abused by his mother. I called Tsukauchi, we got a case ready and prepared to go to court. Court was stupid, and the kid’s mothers lawyer took it too far. He ran out of the courtroom, luckily I found him and then we went for ice cream and everything was great. 

“But then the court released their verdict and Izuku, or Ghost, was to be sent back home two days after. And it was so horrible, Hizashi. Now he’s back with his abusive piece of shit mother and I can only see him once a month.

“And last week he sent me this text message at 4:30 in the morning , about how he didn’t want to go school and then he just shut down and said he was going to bed. I haven’t heard from him since then. I’ve messaged, I’ve called, I’ve done everything I can Zashi but he hasn’t answered anything . He’s seen the messages, but he’s gone radio silent. And I don’t know what to do with myself.” 

Shouta looks at Hizashi hoping for answers but the man looks just as conflicted as he is. Hizashi takes a couple minutes to think before speaking, opening his mouth like a fish out of water every couple of seconds as he tries to find the right words.

“So you’re not allowed to go see him in person?” Hizashi asks as Shouta shakes his head.

“If I see him outside of the allotted day, then his mother has the freedom to file him a restraining order against me.” Shouta responds. He can see the gears turning in Hizashi’s head. Trying to figure out something, anything that he can do.

“And when do you see him next?” 

“I get to see him the twentieth of every month, so only a couple days from now.”

“I’d say wait it out. He knows he can call you whenever, so I’m sure that he’d contact you if there were to be something wrong. I can see this is really taking a toll on you, but everything will work out.” Hizashi says, taking Shouta’s hand into his one.

Shouta can only sigh as he intertwines their fingers. 

“I really hope you’re right.”

———

APRIL ELEVENTH 

2:38 AM

INCOMING CALL FROM: 

Problem Child 

“Izuku?”

“Sh-Shouta?”

“Yeah kid, it’s me. Are you okay?”

CRASH  

“I.. I don’t think so. Shouta can you come pick me up?”

“What happened?”

BANG

Sobs can be heard from Izuku.

“P-please Shouta”

“I’m coming, okay? You’re going to be alright. I'm on my way. Are you safe right now?

A scream can be heard from Izuku’s end of line but the voice isn’t his. 

“Is that your mom?”

“She’s really drunk right now. Sh-she’s been going on a rampage . I’m really scared.”

“Did she hurt you?”

“Yes and I’m sc- scared she’s going to hurt me m-more. Are you almost here?”

“Yes! Yes, I’m coming Izuku, okay? Everything’s going to be fine.”

KNOCKING 

“Shouta, I think she found me. W-what do I do?”

“Just hang in there. I’m only a minute away.” 

SCREAMS  

“St-p! -ease!”  

“Izuku?!” 

“Let -e go!”

A crash. 

A bang.

A scream.

The line goes silent..

The call is hung up.

Chapter Text

A crash. 

A bang.

A scream.

The line goes silent..

The call is hung up.

————

“Who were you just on the phone with?! Are you spreading lies about me again?”

Inko says, leaning over Izuku’s shaking frame. It didn’t take her long to find Izuku’s make-shift hiding spot. After all, he’d been there nearly all week after his mother had forbidden him from leaving the house. He’d figured that it’d be safe to stay in one spot unless there was an emergency.

But now that there was an emergency, Izuku didn’t know where to go and now he’s landed himself in this situation. Inko takes Izuku’s moment of silence to grab his phone and smash it to bits. Izuku was planning on calling Shouta back after hanging up so suddenly, but now, that’s out of the question. 

“Say something, I-zu-ku . Or next time it’ll be you , not the phone.” She spits out grabbing Izuku by the collar of his beaten down shirt, seams pulling apart as she does. 

“I-I wasn’t! I was j-just um- talking with.. um.”

“Don’t lie. I’ll know if you lie.” Inko says dropping Izuku back into the ground. Fuck. He can’t lie, he can’t. He knows Inko will know. No matter what he says he’ll be hurt. Either he tells the truth and faces the consequences of his actions or lies and faces the consequences for lying. Either way, he’s not getting out of this unscathed.

“I was talking to Shouta. But! I- I swear that I wasn’t spreadi-“

“You expect me to believe that?” Inko asks when she cuts him off, abruptly ending his rant. “You think I’m stupid now too? I’m your mother, Izuku. I know you better than anyone, and I know damn well that that villainous piece of shit never wanted you in the first place. Izuku why are you forcing him to take you from me? Do you not love me anymore?” 

Izuku freezes at her words. She’s his mother.  No matter what she does, Izuku’s sure some part of him deep down wouldn’t blame her. Izuku just manoeuvres his head around her hand to face the ground.

“I- I still l-love you.”

“Then you know this is for your own good.” Inko says, wearing the same, horrible smirk she wore that day in the courthouse. He’ll be fine. It’s not like she’d hurt him enough to kill him…

——

The second Izuku hangs up, Shouta dials Shuzenji’s number. He doesn’t know how bad the damage will be and he can only hope she won’t be needed (some deep part of him tells him that dream is highly unattainable). He tells her all the details he knows (which is nearly none) in a shaky voice. Relaying everything he ever remembered Izuku say about his mother and how badly she’d injured him before.

The next person he calls is Tsukauchi, where he has nearly the exact same conversation as he did just seconds before. Recounting everything. It’s easier this time because Tsukauchi knows Izuku, knows nearly everything as they needed all the information they could get to make their case. 

But, on the other hand, it makes everything harder that Tsukauchi knows Izuku. His voice sounds strained, almost like he was overridden with guilt. Shouta gets where he’s coming from, if he didn’t, Shouta wouldn’t consider himself a good person. 

They don’t talk for very long as Shouta was only about a minute away when he first called the detective. He hangs up as soon as Izuku’s mothers house is in his field of vision. Leaving Tsukauchi with only a half-assed ‘bye’, Shouta jumps out of his car, not bothering with his parking job, and pounds on the door. When knocking does nothing, he tries the door knob. He turns and turns as aggressively as he can. Pushing his whole weight onto the door. It’s no use, the door is locked. 

Shouta moves backwards and gets into a fighting position. He reels his leg back and kicks right under the handle with all his might.

——-

When Izuku hears a loud crash, he prays to every god in the universe that it’s Shouta. It could be anyone, someone coming to hurt him or maybe his mom called someone to help kill him. He wants to scream, wants to yell ‘please help!’, but he can’t will himself to speak . 

Izuku thinks it’s fear that’s stopping him. 

So he waits. As his mother starts to dissect him, he waits. The pain is excruciating and it feels like it’s never going to end. As if he’ll be stuck in a never ending cycle of pain for the entirety of his life. (He tries to pretend that his life isn’t already that.) 

He can faintly hear doors being opened behind the sounds of blood gushing and skin being sliced. He can hear heavy footsteps that he can always recognize no matter the situation. He can hear Shouta. 

It sounds silly but for a while Izuku thought that he’d left him behind and was never coming to help, but now that he hears those footsteps, he knows he should have never doubted Shouta. Never. 

He faintly registers the door behind Inko being open and the weight on top of him being removed. Though, everything kind of gets fuzzy after that. Izuku knows that once Shouta is there, he can stop fighting; he doesn’t have to be brave anymore. Izuku’s eyelids flutter as he sees a blob of black, yellow and white lean over him. 

“-id, … -ay awake- …. -lmost here-” 

The mix of colours seems safe to him, though in that moment he can’t exactly place what it is. Izuku knows he should know, but his brain can’t seem to register who the blob is. He faintly feels something warm caress his cheek. It feels so good. Izuku has never felt that much love be put into just a touch. In fact, he’s never felt that much love, period. His body leans into to the touch involuntarily. Maybe he can rest his eyes just for a bit. His hero of mixed colours is there to protect him from any harm that comes his way

—---

Shouta curses himself when he sees Izuku’s eyelids start to droop.

Shit.

He’s done enough medical training to know that Izuku could very well never wake up as soon as his eyes close. He knows Izuku’s tired, knows he just wants to rest for a moment, but Shouta is too damn selfish to let that happen. He already killed Oboro, he won’t let Izuku die in his arms as well. He can’t bear another death. He clutches Izuku a hard as he can, as his knuckles start to turn white from the sheer strength. 

“Shouta, you’ve got to move so I can help him.”

Shuzenji gently pushes him off of Izuku, Shouta moves where her arms guide him until he’s on his knees closer to Izuku’s head. It’s funny, Shouta didn’t even hear Shuzenji enter the house, didn’t sense her presence or anything. It’s like His usually biconically perceptive brain was shut down as all his thoughts were taken by Izuku. 

Other people come in and out of the room but Shouta pays them no mind, his eyes only lingering on every new injury that Shuzenji finds on Izuku’s body. He hears sirens and watches as Izuku is loaded onto a gurney and transported into an ambulance. Shouta follows like a dog to it’s owner. Some lady tries to give him shit about getting in the ambulance but Shouta doesn’t care. He can’t care when his kid is so direly injured. Tsukauchi gets rid of the lady before grabbing Shouta by the shoulders. 

“Are you alright?”

It takes Shouta all he’s got in him to not go off on him. He knows that the detective is only trying to help but it feels so stupid to ask that question. As if he’s asking out of spite, because Shouta is clearly, visibly not alright.

“No.”

His answer is short, straight to the point. He sees no point in lying to Tsukauchi saying ‘I’m totally fine! I didn’t just find my kid laying in a pile of his own blood, sweat and tears’ with a fake smile. He doesn’t have the energy to pretend anymore. 

“I- that’s understandable. Sorry for asking.”

“It’s alright. You should go, the ambulance is about to leave.” 

Shouta tries to be as nice as possible but right now he just needs a moment with his kid. Tsukauchi, thankfully, understands that and exits  the ambulance with a small bye, leaving Shouta all alone with four paramedics and Izuku. His poor, sweet Izuku who he failed so badly. His gentle and kind kid who went through too much because of Shouta.

He knew he never should’ve left his kid with Inko, he knew something was bound to happen but he couldn’t do anything about. Fuck the law. Fuck the foster system. Fuck everything in this damned world that ever decides to hurt his kid. 

Shouta decides at that moment that Midoriya Inko shouldn’t be allowed to live after all she’s done. He hopes that jail is a dark, cold, fucking hell hole.

Chapter Text

Shouta decides at that moment that Midoriya Inko shouldn’t be allowed to live after all she’s done. He hopes that jail is a dark, cold, fucking hell hole.

——————

The second that the ambulance pulls into the back of the hospital, Shouta jumps out of his seat and runs after his kid. Some nurse holds him back and gives him a speech about where to go but Shouta only hears “go to the front doors” before he bolts away from her.

The walk (read; run) to where he needs to go is too long. He passes an old couple leaving the hospital, hand in hand with matching smiles adorning their faces. It makes Shouta angry that they have the privilege of being that happy. Shouta can’t be happy, not when his son is dying in a white sterile room without him.

Shouta runs through the doors, pushing away others carelessly. He gets stares and sneers but quite frankly, in this moment, Shouta couldn’t care less about anyone else but Izuku. Shouta thanks god that the front desk isn’t busy before slamming his hero id onto it.

“Oh. You’re with the ambulance that just came in right?”

The secretary asks him with an edge to her voice that scares Shouta to his core. It has to be bad for her to be talking to him this way. He can only manage a small nod before the lady nearly jumps out of her seat and starts walking.

“He’s been asking for his dad, is that you? He’s been refusing any medical attention before ‘his dad’ gets there.”

That almost makes Shouta freeze in his tracks.

Dad?

Is that him?

His walk turns into a jog as he follows the secretary to room 105. His hand is already on the handle and turning it before his guide can even get a word in.

——————

Izuku wakes up with a start.

He peels his eyes open as much as he can, trying his best to figure out where he is. Where did Inko take him?

Everything is white. Why is everything white? He can’t possibly be at ‘home’, so where is he?

A lady walks into the room wearing blue scrubs and Izuku can recognize that she has to be some kind of medical personnel. Why is he in a hospital?

The memories in Izuku’s head are all jumbled, as if someone held him upside down and shook him like an eight ball. Think, Izuku.

The last thing he remembers is being locked away by his moth- by Inko. So how did he end up here? Inko would be dead before she ever let Izuku go to a hospital. He would know.

Someone had to have saved him. Izuku closed his eyes tight trying to remember something, anything. He racked his brain, forcing himself to try and remember who his hero was.

Hero?

In a matter of seconds everything came flooding back to Izuku. Not only about what his mother did to him but also about Shouta, about his dad. The one person in the world who cared for him. The one person in the world who believed in him. The one person in the world to help him.

Where is his dad? Izuku shoots up from his position in the uncomfortable hospital bed. Or at least tries to shoot up before a wave of vertigo hits him hard. Izuku grasps at the sides of the bed trying to keep himself upright.

“Woah someone grab the doctor! This kid is gonna seriously hurt himself if he keeps trying to sit up so soon.”

Izuku’s head whips towards the sound of the voice. Eyes distraught, he tries to reorient himself as quickly as possible. He knows he can’t trust doctors. Doctors hate quirkless people so why would they be trying to help him?

The woman takes a step closer to him but Izuku won’t let himself be hurt. He sits up as much as he can, trying to make himself look menacing enough to scare the nurse away. Though, he’s not doing the best job of it considering the nurse just keeps approaching him with that sickeningly sweet smile on her face. Izuku is smart, he knows it’s all a facade to try and get him to trust her.

“My dad? Where is my dad?”

Izuku’s voice sounds wrong when it comes out, almost as if he’s underwater gurgling out his words. The nurse just keeps approaching him with her stupid smile plastered on her face.

”Sweetie, I know you want your dad but you have to let us help you first and then we can find him.”

”NO. I won’t let you touch me until I see him! I want my dad, stay away from me!”

He all but yells as the nurse finally stops in her tracks as she stares Izuku down. She looks behind her to, what Izuku assumes must be the doctor she asked for, who just shakes his head at her with a defeated look on his face. He looks so annoyed and Izuku knows exactly why. Why would they ever want to waste their resources on some dumb quirkless kid? Bad kids don’t deserve help, don’t deserve love, and deep down Izuku knows that on top of all of that, quirkless kids don’t deserve to live.

Izuku’s breaths become shallow and spaced out and he gasps for air. Maybe it’s for the better that he just stops breathing. Maybe he could finally stop being a burden-

“IZUKU!”

His spiral comes to a halt as soon as he sees that familiar figure in black bursting through the door and rushing to his side. He looks so scared. Izuku has never seen him like this, so upset and afraid. He even sees the tears threatening to fall at the corners of his eyes.

”Dad?”

Shouta envelops him in a gentle hug, careful to not further injure him. Izuku leans into that hug like his life depends on it and before he knows it, he’s sobbing into the hero’s shoulder repeating ‘dad’ over again like a mantra that will make sure his dad won’t disappear.

”I’ve got you kiddo, I’m right here okay? I’m not going anywhere. Dad’s right here baby don’t worry. I’ll protect you from anything, I promise.”

Sweet nothings flood Izuku’s ears as the stress of the day finally starts to hit him and he slumps into Shouta’s shoulder, barely keeping his eyes open anymore.

“Sleep kiddo. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you again. I won’t leave your side.”

Izuku pulls back the slightest bit to look his dad in the eyes and in the tiniest voice asks,

“You promise?”

Slowly, Shouta slowly lays Izuku down in the hospital bed, gently moving down to lay a tender kiss on the boy’s forehead.

“I promise.”

The last thing Izuku sees before he succumbs to sleep is his dad’s smiling face and he can’t help but feel safe.