Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hizashi loved being a Hero. 

He loved everything he did as a Hero. Hizashi’s patrols, while not as often as they once used to be, were always fun. He enjoyed meeting with the people and fans as he protected his home. It was always cute seeing the Littlest Listeners come up and ask him silly questions about his hair, and especially when one of them asked if he was a bird. 

Hizashi also loved his work as a teacher at U.A. His students, once they got used to how pumped Hizashi normally was, were unique, quirky kids, and seeing them bloom as they learned to be Heroes was a great thing. There weren’t as many this year, since Shou went ham on his homeroom class and expelled them all (Hizashi and the other staff members took great pleasure at how tame the students were because of that. They knew it wouldn’t last long, but they were determined to enjoy the peace). 

And then there was his “Put Your Hands Up” radio program. He loved the segments that he held on here, loved how many people listened and called in to participate in his Advice Corner, or just called in to say hello. It was a program that reached thousands of Listeners across Japan, and Hizashi was happy that something he did could bring such joy to so many people.

But what Hizashi was most proud of was his Hello Hotline. Hello Hotline was an outreach program he had come up with. The call-center was staffed with trained crisis professionals who went through stringent background tests and interviews to make sure they were unbiased and didn’t hold any preconceived connotations that would cause irrevocable damage to a caller. His staff were also mandated reporters. It was important, considering who could call in. Whether kids were calling in to talk about problems at home, or people calling about troubles at work or in their lives, it didn’t matter. His Hello Hotline was for everyone, big and small, quirk or no quirk. The Hello Hotline was an outreach program for anyone to call. 

Hello Hotline wasn’t something Hizashi advertised heavily. Yeah, he brought it up on his show and brought it up to some of the people he met while out on patrol, but Hello Hotline wasn’t supposed to be something celebrated, not really. Hello Hotline was a program for people suffering to reach out and get that help they needed. 

Now, Hizashi loved his outreach program. It had taken a few years for him to set it up at his agency, having had to create a specialized room where his Hello Hotline staff could answer calls without the hustle and bustle that came with a Hero agency, and that didn’t include the wackiness brought from his radio station. The system set-up had also been a bit of a doozy, and Hizashi had spent many hours with Himawari Kaoru, the designated head of Hello Hotline, to create a unified set of signals that addressed all of the different needs the staff may need to communicate without them interrupting their calls. The training for that had been difficult, but well worth it, especially since by the end, everyone, including Hizashi, could seamlessly go between the different signs. A peace sign for a potential child abuse, and a fist with the thumb placed in the middle of the middle and ring finger to confirm the abuse; sticking the thumb and pinky out for domestic abuse, and shaking that hand back and forth to confirm it. These were just some of the signs that they’d come up with, and Hizashi was glad they did. Once the program had been up and running, the calls had started trickling in, and when the calls had started coming in regularly, Hizashi and his team had been able to help so many people.

However, for all the love he had for this program of his, there were some things that he absolutely dreaded, and at the top of his list? Answering the phone one day to hear a Little Listener on the line, someone the age of his students, quiet in their suffering and having little hope. The thought of a kid giving up all hope tore at Hizashi’s heart, and he could only hope that he would never have to talk a child down from doing anything.

0o0-0o0-0o0

When Hizashi walked in for his Thursday shift at the Hello Hotline, he’d been having a good day. He had just introduced a song-writing assignment for his third-year English class at U.A., and all of the Little Listeners were super enthusiastic about it! Hizashi knew learning another language, especially one like English, could be really hard, but seeing how engaged his third years were was awesome . And so, walking into the room at seven that night, Hizashi went in with the feeling that everything was going to be just fine tonight.

Oh how wrong he was.

Quietly entering the “Yellow Room”, a nickname based on a silly American greeting he’d heard back in high school, Hizashi walked over to the control center, admiring the calm light-and-dark purple scheme that it had as he always did when he walked in. Desks were strewn around the room, semicircular in shape so that the necessary electronics—the phones, the alert pad (a pad that lit up when the platform-shift operator had acknowledged your sign and was looking into it more), and little nick nacks that allowed the desk owner’s personality to shine a little—and the cushy roller chairs Hizashi insisted they have at each desk. After all, if you were going to have hard conversations, the chair you’re sitting in should be comfortable enough to hold you up and give you strength. 

The control center was a large desk on a platform that overlooked the room, holding a semicircle desk filled with switch boards, call phones, and a two-monitor computer setup to look up important information. It was designed with the thought that the person on platform-shift could look for call staff who were holding sign signals and, depending on the signs received, could look into the situation further. 

On platform-shift at the moment was his department head, Himawari Kaoru. She had proven that she had a sharp mind and sharp eyes, and was, more often than not, Hizashi’s go-to person for research. Right now she was tapping away at the computer, most likely writing a note for one of their case-files. Her eyes would flit over the room, roaming, looking to see if there was anyone who needed assistance. Only every so often would her eyes return to the computer; Kaoru had been doing this for so long that she didn’t need to look at the screen to know that she had made no errors. Like he said, she was sharp.

“Hey Kaoru,” Hizashi greeted quietly, letting the soft voices of the room create a cadence. He was pleased to see that, while everyone was talking, no one seemed to appear upset, which was always a small load off of Hizashi’s shoulders.

“Heya Bossman,” Kaoru greeted, cracking her fingers as she pulled away from the computer to adjust her headset.

“How’ve things been this evening?” He asked, eyes roaming over the room. Each member of staff was trained to look for signs and respond accordingly, and Hizashi did just the same. 

“It’s been all right,” Kaoru said, and Hizashi nodded. That was the closest she would come to saying “things were going pretty well” while on shift. Call them paranoid, but saying things were going well was a sure-fire way for Morpheus to put a wrench in things. “Nothing to report.”

“All right then, I’m gonna go slide in,” Hizashi said, shooting Kaoru finger guns and a smile before walking over to his desk, grinning at the snort Kaoru let out.

Hizashi plopped down at his desk, spinning his chair to face his desk. Hizashi loved his desk, having pieces of merch from his friends; a pair of knock-off yellow goggles for Shou, and a small bundled whip for Nemuri that also doubled as a pen-holder. Stretching his arms slightly to release any tension, Hizashi took off his regular Hage Headphones to put his work headset on, placing them right next to his little tally mark notebook. Every staff member for the Hello Hotline had some way where they kept track of the people they’ve helped without breaking any confidentiality, and Hizashi was no exception. He kept a little notebook to the side, and for every time he helped someone work out a problem, big or small, he gave a small tally. There were little headers that he’d made, such as “Friends” for problems with friends, “Coworkers” for problems with work, and “Parents” for issues with their parents. Hizashi thought that, at that point, he had eight headers in total, including the headers “Partners”, “Quirks”, “Mind,” “Body”, and “Self”. Some of them didn’t have many tallies, others he’d had to tack on new pages. 

Shaking his head, he smiled as he flipped his alert pad on, getting the answering two green flashes to let him know that Kaoru saw him online. Here’s hoping he could help a few people tonight.

0o0-0o0-0o0

Hizashi had already had a few calls for the night. One was a call about quirk advice—the kid, who said his name was Jirou, thought he had a useless quirk since he could only harden his skin, and was pretty down about it. Hizashi had happily told the kid all of the uses that could bring, both in everyday life and Hero work. The kid left the call happier than he was before, and Hizashi was pleased that he could help.

His second caller, a man named Oshiro, had called to ask for advice on how to make up with his girlfriend after the two had gotten into a pretty nasty fight. After finding out what this girlfriend was like, Hizashi suggested some high-end coffee and her favorite food. The girlfriend sounded a lot like Shouta when he was mad with Hizashi, and Hizashi knew that the man was always more forgiving after Hizashi bought him some of his favorite coffee from Italy; it cost a fair bit, but Hizashi valued his relationship with Shouta more than he cared about the small hole in his wallet. 

It was the third call of the night where things took a rapid, downward spin. Hizashi had answered the phone with his usual cheer, though much softer.

“Hello, this is Hizashi from Hello Hotline !” Hizashi began. “What’s up tonight?”

There was no reply at first, and Hizashi thought that he might have been prank-called. It happened every so often, as not everyone believed that the Hello Hotline was an actual program. 

“Y-your voice…” a shaky voice said from the other end of the line. “A-are you P-present M-Mic?”

Hizashi’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Not many people made the connection from Radio Host to Hotline caller. This Little Listener was fairly smart, then.

“Wow, Little Listener! You’re pretty smart for figuring that out.” Hizashi praised. There was no use in hiding it, after all. “Not many people can make that connection!”

“I l-listen t-to your sh-show,” The Little Listener said. “S-so I r-recognize y-your voice.”

“That’s awesome Little Listener!” Hizashi replied, smiling. “How often do you listen to it?”

“M-most d-days,” the Little Listener said.

“That’s great! I’m glad that you find it so interesting.” Hizashi said. “Speaking of interesting, what’s your name Little Listener? I can keep calling you Little Listener, but I’d totally love to learn your name!”

There was silence on the line, and for a moment, Hizashi thought that the Little Listener was going to hang up. However, the kid spoke up again.

“I-Izuku. M-Midoriya Izuku.” The Little Listener, now known as Miodriya Izuku said, and Hizashi hummed.

“It’s great to know your name! Can I call you Izuku, or would you prefer Midoriya?” Hizashi asked. Choices were important with names, and were also telling of what the caller may be asking about.

“I-it d-doesn’t matter,” Izuku said, and Hizashi frowned. That wasn’t a good sign.

“Well then Little Listener, I’ll call you Izuku!” Hizashi replied kindly, keeping his voice the same. It wouldn’t do to make the Little Listener worried.

“What can I help you with tonight?” Hizashi asked.

“C-can you take a m-message?” Izuku asked. “F-for my mom?”

Hizashi sat up straight.

“Of course I can, Izuku, but wouldn’t you rather give your mom the message yourself?” Hizashi asked gently, raising an arm, the sign for the platform operator to be ready to act, a sign used when they may need a Pro Hero to respond. An orange flash on his alert pad let Hizashi know that Kaoru was already tracing the call.

“T-there’s n-no p-point,” Izuku replied. “I won’t b-be here m-much l-longer.”  

Izuku sounded choked up, as if he were crying. The wet breath Izuku took a moment later confirmed it.

“Where are you right now, Little Listener?” Hizashi asked softly, and he heard Izuku sniffle.

“O-on a-a r-roof,” Izuku said.

As Hizashi’s hand formed the sign for immediate support—arm stretched out, the index and middle fingers pointed down with the thumb tucked at the base of the fingers, the sign for a child on a roof, followed by two snaps, the sign for a Pro Hero to be sent out immediately—his stomach sank low, and his heart broke. It looks like he would have to talk a child down after all.

“Hey, Little Listener,” Hizashi said softly, lowering his hand as two flashes appeared on his alert pad—green, to let him know that his first sign had been acknowledged, and purple, to let him know that the platform operator was already on the phone to dispatch the first Hero who could answer the call.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hizashi asked, and Izuku sniffled again.

“W-what’s t-the p-point?” Izuku asked. “I-I’m n-not i-important.”

“Why do you think you’re not important, Izuku?” Hizashi asked, smashing down his initial response of “you are important!”, because the last thing that needed to happen was Izuku feeling that Hizashi was invalidating his feelings when the boy very much needed someone to listen to him.

“...it’s b-because I’m Quirkless.” Izuku whispered, so soft that Hizashi almost asked for him to repeat himself. But he didn’t. The words sunk in, and a heartbeat later, Hizashi’s heart cracked even further. 

“Being Quirkless doesn’t make you any less important, Izuku,” Hizashi said, clenching his hands tightly to release some anger, any anger. Who had told a child that they didn’t matter because they had a quirk?

“Y-you’re o-one o-of the f-first,” Izuku said, surprising Hizashi with how bitter his tone was.

“Do you want to talk about it, Little Listener? Hizashi asked. If he could keep the Little Listener on the line longer, the more time the responding Pro would get to reach the kid and make sure his feet didn’t leave the roof. 

Hizashi almost wishes he hadn’t asked.

Izuku had been horribly bullied at his school. It had started when he was four, when he had first been diagnosed Quirkless, and any friends he had turned on him. It has gradually escalated over the years, going from petty insults and red spider lilies to bruising and scrapes and cuts, with the kids at his school even using their quirks on him. Hizashi had asked what the teachers were doing, and Izuku had laughed, saying that not only did the teachers not do anything, more often than not, they would actually encourage his classmates, enforcing the idea in the Little Listener that “Quirkless people were nothing, were useless, and would never amount to anything.” 

Izuku had dealt with this for years, and while it hurt him, it wasn’t enough to make him want to do anything. At least, not until today.

“What’s different about today, Little Listener?” Hizashi asked, fiddling with a pen to keep himself from practicing harmful habits, like nail biting.

“T-today, Kacc— s-someone t-told me that if, if I w-wanted a q-quirk, I should t-take a s-swan dive o-off the roof a-and pray for o-one in the n-next l-life.” Izuku stuttered out quietly. 

Hizashi’s mind went blank with rage, and he distantly heard his pen snap. Apparently, Izuku heard it too.

“A-are you okay, H-Hizashi-san?” Izuku asked. Hizashi’s victory from their earlier conversations in getting Izuku to call him “Hizashi” was what pulled Hizashi from the rage, and Hizashi pulled himself together. There would be time later to process this.

“I am, thank you for asking Izuku.” Hizashi said. “That was very kind of you.”

“N-not really,” Izuku mumbled, and Hizashi smiled. He really did remind Hizashi of one of his shyer students, Amajiki Tamaki. Painfully shy, but very kind and quite powerful.

“It sounds like you haven’t had a great day, Little Listener,” Hizashi said, but paused when Izuku remained quiet. “Izuku?”

“...t-that’s n-not all.” Izuku said, and the way it was said gave Hizashi an equally bad feeling. 

“What happened, Izuku?” Hizashi encouraged gently.

“I w-was walking home f-from school,” Izuku started, his voice quiet. “And I w-was a-attacked b-by this s-sludge v-villain.”

Hizashi’s heart stuttered, his eyes going wide.

“Little Listener, Izuku, are you okay?” Hizashi asked, clenching and unclenching his hands.

“A-all Might saved me.” Izuku replied, but his voice was flat, making Hizashi frown. Most kids these days would be pretty excited to meet All Might, even if it was because of a villain attack. Had something happened with the number one Hero?

“That’s good, I’m glad that villain was caught.” Hizashi said, neutrally.

“Y-yeah,” Izuku said. “B-but then…th-then All Might w-went t-to leave, but I h-had a question I w-wanted to ask, s-so I grabbed on to h-his l-leg when he left a-and we l-landed on this roof…”

He did what?

“H-he..I-I asked, I a-asked if s-someone like me, s-someone Q-quirkless c-could b-become a h-hero, and, and, a-and All Might s-said no.” Izuku said, and he broke into heart-wrenching sobs. Hizashi wanted to join him, because shit, what kind of person told a kid they couldn’t follow their dream? Hell, what kind of Hero said that to a kid? The next time Hizashi saw All Might, he would have the man’s kneecaps for his sheer stupidity. Hizashi’s sure that Shou would help, he was good like that. Nemuri too, she’d probably help knock the man unconscious.

“Izuku, he shouldn’t have said that to you,” Hizashi said, softly but firmly. Hizashi had to make sure that Izuku understood that.

“B-but I’m Q-quirkless,” Izuku cried softly. 

“Izuku, that doesn’t matter,” Hizashi said, wishing he could pull the boy into a hug. He certainly needed one.

“B-but how can I b-be a-a H-hero w-without a-a q-quirk? E-even A-All M-might s-s-said I-I c-couldn’t.” Izuku was sobbing, quiet little breaths that were heavy and wet as he tried to take in air. Hizashi would gut the man.

“You can be Hero without a quirk, Izuku,” Hizashi said. He thought about Shouta, strong and fierce and renowned as the Underground Hero amongst Heroes, who’s quirk was just to cancel out other quirks. The man had crawled and fought his way to the Heroics program at U.A. and had gone on to terrorize everyone with his brutal efficiency.

“W-what?” Izuku’s voice was so small, and Hizashi almost missed the speck of hope in there.

“You can be a Hero, Izuku,” Hizashi repeated. “Of course, you would have to work hard, because you’ll start behind others who have quirks and have been learning how to harness them since they were four. That doesn’t mean you can’t catch up, Little Listener. Learn how to use weapons like staffs and knives, and train your body; you’re only as strong as your body is. After that, you can look into different support items, ones that will improve your balance, power and flexibility.” Hizashi paused to breather, desperately hoping he was getting through to the Little Listener. 

“You’ll have to work hard, Little Listener, but you can do it. Being a Hero isn’t just having a powerful quirk, it’s the heart behind your actions that makes a Hero.” Hizashi said, and he believed that fully. It’s why, despite having three jobs, he opened his Hello Hotline outreach program. What good was patrolling and chatting and talking if there was no heart behind it? If you weren’t becoming a Hero to help people, what was the point in you becoming a Hero?

“T-thank you,” Izuku said. His voice was quiet, but the relief and happiness in those two words was so strong that Hizashi just wanted to cry. His alert pad flashed purple, and Hizashi nearly sagged with relief; the Pro Hero was waiting where his Little Listener was, and if he somehow hadn’t managed to get through to Izuku, someone would be there to stop anything from happening. 

“A-all I’ve e-ever w-wanted is to h-help people.” Izuku started quietly, and Hizashi’s heart warmed. “I-I want to be s-someone who will make people feel safe, w-who gives people hope because me being there means they’re safe. I m-might not be that much to look at, but th-that would be okay, because I would be there for the people who need help, and that’s all that matters.”

As Izuku spoke, he gradually lost his stutter, and Hizashi heard the makings of what he just knew would be one of their country’s best Heroes.

“If any future Hero is half as good as you, Little Listener, our future’s looking really bright,” Hizashi said, and nearly laughed when Izuku squeaked.

“A-ah, t-thank y-you,” Izuku stuttered out, but Hizashi could tell that the boy was touched by what he said. Hopefully, Izuku didn’t cry again.

“Hey, Little Listener, would you be able to do me a favor?” Hizashi asked. He wanted Izuku to let the Pro on scene help him down and, if needed, get him to the hospital.

“W-what is it?” Izuku asked.

“I’ve got a friend on their way who can help you down.” Hizashi said. “I’m still a little worried about that Sludge Villain incident you talked about earlier, so I was hoping you would let them help you out and get you to a hospital, or at least someone who’ll take a look at you.”

The line was quiet for a bit, and Hizashi sat, holding his breath. Would his little Listener agree?

“W-will they help me?” Izuku asked, and it was a punch to Hizashi’s gut. “E-even though I’m q-quirkless?”

“It would be illogical to do otherwise, kid,” a voice different from Izuku’s said. Izuku eeped in surprise, and Hizashi actually sagged in relief this time. Shouta was the Pro who responded to the call, oh thank fuck. There was no better choice than Shouta to deal with kids in Izuku’s situation, despite that the man's claims that he was awful with kids. Hizashi knew better.

“Oh my god it’s Eraserhead,” Izuku whispered in excited awe, and Hizashi couldn’t stop the wide grin from forming on his face at his Little Listener’s excitement.

“Well if it’s Eraserhead there, then you’re in good hands!” Hizashi said. Hizashi heard footsteps that grew louder and louder, and he figured Shou was approaching Izuku now.

“Hey kid,” Shouta said lowly, his voice the same one he used when talking to frightened kids (Hizashi heard him use this voice with Amajiki-kun more than Shou would care to ever admit to). He really was amazing with kids. 

“Can I help you get off the edge?” Shouta asked, and Hizashi went from somewhat relaxed to tense immediately. His Little Listener had been sitting on a ledge this whole time? God, how had he forgotten this? Hizashi needed a drink.

“...okay,” Izuku agreed, and Hizashi heard Shouta pull Izuku from the edge. Shouta must have lifted the kid himself, if the quiet “meep” was anything to go by. 

“You all right, kid?” Shouta asked, a lot louder than he was before. 

“Y-yeah,” Izuku said. “T-thank you.”

“It’s no problem, kid,"  Shouta replied. 

“Hey Little Listener,” Hizashi called out, not entirely sure where Izuku’s phone was.

“Y-yeah, Hiza-um, Present Mic?” Izuku asked, and Hizashi chuckled at his Little Listener’s attempt to cover up his civilian identity.

“Don’t worry Little Listener! Eraser’s a good friend of mine, he already knows my name.” Hizashi reassured, and he heard Shouta scoff.

“It would be illogical to have you call him a name you’re not comfortable saying,” Shouta said.

“O-oh, okay.” Izuku agreed. There was a pause, and then, Izuku spoke again. “Um, H-Hizashi-san, w-what did you want t-to say?”

“Thanks for reminding me, Little Listener!” Hizashi said. “I wanted to know if you wanted me on the phone while Eraserhead takes you to the hospital.”

“Hospital?” Shout asked, and while most people would believe that his voice was neutral, Hizashi knew otherwise, knew that Shouta was rather concerned.

“I-it’s okay, Hizashi-san, ” Izuku said. “I d-don’t want to b-bother you anymore.”

“You're not a bother, Izuku,” Hizashi reassured the boy. “So if you want me to stay on the phone, that’s perfectly okay, yeah?”

Izuku didn’t speak for a moment, but Hizashi let him have the time to think.

“I-it’s okay, Hizashi-san,” Izuku decided. “I’ll be okay.”

“All right then, Izuku!” Hizashi said. “You were great to talk to today, Little Listener. I look forward to seeing you shine in the future!” Hizashi got a sniffle as a response, hopefully Izuku wasn’t crying again; Hizashi was worried that Izuku would get dehydrated from how much he had cried tonight.

“T-thank you, Hizashi-san,” Izuku said, his sincerity shining through, and Hizashi beamed, even though Izuku couldn’t see him. The Little Listener didn’t have to say anything, because Hizashi knew what the Little Listener was thanking him for.

“Anytime, Little Listener. Any time.” Hizashi replied, hoping that his own sincerity reached through.

“I’ll take care of him.” Shouta said gruffly.

“I know you will,” Hizashi replied, and then the call ended. 

Hizashi sat there for a moment, head leaning on the back of the chair, eyes aimed towards the ceiling, staring but unseeing. A little while later, he slipped his head-set off, placed his Hage headphones around his neck, and got up. He received a nod from Kaoru as he walked out the door, and he nodded towards her. He opened the door to the Yellow Room and closed it behind him with a click. 

His trip home was quick and quiet, Hizashi keeping his head down the whole time. He took the elevator up, and quickly entered his apartment, locking it with another click. Hizashi didn’t bother to turn on the lights as he walked over to his couch and sat down. 

A moment later, Hizashi began to cry.

0o0-0o0-0o0

When Izuku had finally decided to call the Hello Hotline, he had been sitting on the roof for hours. Everything had seemed to blur together in one great blur, and Izuku let it. When he came around, the sky was already dark, and Izuku’s skin was cold to the touch, and Izuku was sat on the ledge of the building. Izuku could only blink at the change.

Sitting on the ledge, it would be easy for Izuku to fall forwards. The building was tall, one of Musutafu’s highest buildings, and at least five stories. Izuku could do it, he could…but what about his Mom? His Mom, who was probably at home cooking dinner, waiting for Izuku to come home. Could he do that to her?

His phone buzzed in his hand, and he looked down to see a news website he was subscribed to flashing an alert for a new article, an article about Present Mic’s “Hello Hotline” program. Maybe Izuku could leave a message for her with them?

Mind decided, numb fingers struggled in unlocking his phone, and Izuku quickly found the number for the hotline. He paused when he saw it, wondering if it was worth it. His mom’s face flashed in his mind, and his thumb tapped the call button.

Izuku was expecting a lot of things when he called this hotline: the phone line being disconnected, the phone not being answered, one of the staff not really caring once they found out he was Quirkless. What Izuku wasn’t expecting was to hear Present Mic’s voice on the other end of the line. And when Izuku had asked if he was the Voice Hero, the man had not only sounded delighted, but had also complimented Izuku. He couldn’t believe it.

The man was so kind to Izuku, always asking Izuku what he wanted to do, what Izuku was comfortable with. Not many had done that before, not outside his mom, and his Auntie and Uncle. And then, when Izuku had admitted that he was Quirkless, Hizashi-san hadn’t hesitated to tell him that he was just as important, even without a quirk. Izuku was stunned. No one, not even his mother, had said that to him. Izuku loved his mom, he really did, but even she hadn’t told Izuku that he was important regardless of his quirk. She would just tear up and tell Izuku she was so, so sorry. That had never helped Izuku; it had made him feel like the burden all of his classmates and teachers told him he was. So when Hizashi-san had talked to Izuku, told him he was important even without a quirk, Izuku was almost disbelieving. And then the man had asked Izuku about his life, and it all just spewed out from there.

Izuku talked about the crushing feeling of being diagnosed as Quirkless, and how all of his friends had left him. He talked about how his isolation and loneliness constantly swept him away, and how being around his bullies was almost better than being alone. Izuku told Hizashi-san how his bullies went from cruel words to physical violence, and how much it hurt him. 

The Voice Hero was quiet throughout his explanation, not really saying anything, but making quiet hums and sounds to show that not only was the man still there, but that he was also listening. So when the man had asked what had made today different, Izuku wasn’t expecting the Hero to get upset at Kacchan’s words. Yeah, the blond hadn’t really said something that cruel to him before, and it was fairly devastating to Izuku, but for someone to get upset on Izuku’s behalf? It was more than a little odd.

Telling the Voice Hero about what All Might had said to him told Izuku that, despite the Hero’s gentle voice on the phone, the man was rather angry. Izuku could hear it in the tightness of his tone, the slight edge of his words. Izuku was a little nervous, as having any kind of Hero angry was not a good thing. Was Hizashi-san going to yell at him for being reckless, clinging onto All Might like that? Was Hizashi-san going to tell him that All Might was right, and that Izuku couldn’t be a Hero?

But, as it turned out, that’s not what Hizashi-san was going to say. He…he said Izuku could be a Hero? Izuku cried quietly, listening to the Hero tell him that he could follow his dreams, that all of his feelings towards being a Hero, towards saving people, were valid, and were wonderful. He shared why he wanted to be a Hero with Hizashi-san, and he did so feeling heard . There really wasn’t anything better.

And then Eraserhead had shown up. 

Eraserhead. The Eraserhead . The number one (unofficially ranked) Underground Pro. Izuku had only seen short clips of him online; everything else had come from first and second-hand accounts on his forums, from his supposed fighting style to his normal appearance. To see him standing there was a dream, one that Hizashi-san proved to him was, in fact, real by talking about how they were actually friends.

And kind. Eraserhead was kind. Izuku could hear it in the tones lining his voice, the way his body language was open but not threatening, the way he asked Izuku what Izuku wanted instead of just assuming. And so, when the Hero asked if he could take Izuku off the ledge of the building, Izuku agreed; by this point, Izuku’s legs felt numb from sitting there so long, and he didn’t think that he would be able to get up without falling. The Underground Hero, while he didn’t look like it, was pretty strong. He supposed that would only be logical (just like Eraserhead!), seeing as the Underground Pro primarily fought Quirkless. Still, it surprised him that the Hero had lifted him up so easily, and he let out a “meep” kind of noise. Izuku was almost sure he blushed at the sound, but the Hero hadn’t said anything, thankfully.

It was pretty cool to find out that Hizashi-san and Eraserhead were friends. Izuku had many questions about this; where had they met? Had they gone to U.A. together? Had they teamed up at some point? So many questions, but it was definitely not the time to ask. Maybe that was for the better, though, because Eraserhead didn’t seem very pleased that Izuku had been attacked earlier and had yet to be taken to the hospital, as was evidenced from his somewhat tightened grip on Izuku. Which was another point: the Underground hero had yet to put Izuku down, and Izuku wasn’t sure the man would put him down. Izuku had thoughts on those, but he would deal with them later.

Eventually, though, Izuku had to end the call with Hizashi-san. He almost didn’t want to; the man was probably the kindest person he had ever talked to, and Izuku didn’t want to give up that connection to the Voice Hero. However, Izuku knew he needed to go get checked out; his lungs hurt a little from the Sludge Villain, and he was sure Hizashi-san was tired too. So he said he would be okay if the man hung up, and was surprised that he actually believed what he was saying. 

Izuku ended the phone call, for once not fearing going to the hospital. Even if the doctors and nurses were prejudiced against him, he was sure that Eraserhead would make them treat him fairly. 

With a hum, Izuku settled against the Underground Hero, idly watching as the man easily grabbed his backpack with his capture weapon to drag and slide over the man’s shoulder. Izuku would have been more impressed if he wasn’t falling asleep. The combination of the Hero’s warmth, the steady gait, and Izuku’s overall exhaustion lulled Izuku into a hazy state. Izuku heard a low, gruff voice tell him that it was okay to go to sleep, and with that, Izuku knew no more.