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Chapter Text

"Ah, Aizawa-san," Yagi says and Shouta sighs and pauses mid-step to stare impassively up at the man.

"What."

"I... I heard from young Mirio that Midoriya-kun will be visiting with Nighteye later today."

Okay, he has Shouta's interest. "What about it?"

Yagi looks strangely fragile, and something Shouta can't quite identify flashes across his face. "I don't think it's a good idea," he says guiltily. "I know I am far from a paragon of virtue myself, however Mirai... our falling out was not a pleasant one."

"Get to the point," Shouta sighs, tapping his foot impatiently. He has a class to get to in five minutes, he doesn't have the time or desire to wait for Yagi to spit it out.

"From what I know of Mirai, he never would have taken on an intern for an entirely wholistic reason," Yagi says, and he looks away from Shouta, shame-faced. "I believe Mirai wanted Mirio-kun to receive One For All, and trained him solely to that end."

"So Nighteye does know about One For All," Shouta muses, even as a low anger flickers through him that Mirio may have been manipulated by the hero. "I suspected as much when he called wanting Izuku-kun to see him. Tell me who else knows, by the way, because we've already been blind-sided by Tsukauchi and Nighteye."

"No one else," Yagi says. "I only ever told Nedzu, Naomasa, Gran, Chiyo and Mirai."

Shouta nods, and tucks his chin into his capture weapon. "I agree with you that Izuku-kun seeing Nighteye is a bad eye, but the kid is willing to give him a chance." He sighs. "Not to mention, Mirio-kun's control over his quirk is, unfortunately, an indicator of Nighteye's impressive tutelage. I appreciate you bringing your concerns to me, however."

Yagi nods, eyes shadowed. "Of course. That's... all I needed to say."

"Hm," Shouta nods, and turns to leave. He can feel Yagi watching him, but dismisses his appraisal.

It seems old dogs can learn new tricks.

Instead of their usual after school training, in which Izuku has been excelling, Shouta is walking Izuku down to the train station. Mirio is meant to be meeting them there, and will be escorting Izuku the rest of the way to the station. First things first though, Shouta has to calm his student down.

Izuku is anxious, eyes flickering constantly to assess their surroundings, and he's tenser than Shouta has seen him in weeks. It just seems to be natural anxiety, though, not the artificial paranoia of Danger Sense - luckily, Shouta has a plan.

"So," Shouta drawls once they're a few hundred meters out of the UA gates, "your kyoketsu-shoge is an interesting choice of weapon."

And then, of course, he has to stick out an arm to stop Izuku from faceplanting into the pavement as he stumbles in shock. "Thanks, Sensei," he mutters, bright red. "I just think it'll be useful, that's all."

"Uh huh," Shouta says dryly, and pretends he doesn't notice the suspicious look Izuku gives him. "You know what this means though?”

“No?”

“Now you train with me.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes,” Shouta says and grins wickedly. “You can learn a lot from your notes and Snipe, that’s true, but I’ve spent fifteen years mastering my Binding Cloth Style. Are you really going to say no to learning from the expert?”

“When they smile like that, I’m tempted to," Izuku snarks, and Shouta actually huffs out a laugh while the kid is busy looking mortified at his own audacity. Teenagers, honestly. It's good to see the teen becoming more confident, and hunching in on himself less every time an adult speaks to him.

It's also good to see some of the tension draining out of Izuku's shoulders, as he gives in and giggles. "I'd love to train with you, Aizawa-sensei," the brat confesses far too honestly, "would it be during our normal sessions?"

"For now, yes," Shouta agrees. "You're doing well with your quirk control, but given the sheer amount of quirks you've manifested recently, I can't see these after-school sessions stopping any time soon." He hesitates briefly and then sighs. "That said, if you do need to miss sessions for any reason - and it can be that you're just too tired or don't feel up to it, don't feel obliged to attend, alright? Just let me know, even if it's right before the session. Because-"

"My health is important," Izuku chimes in unison with Shouta, and he scowls down at that brat.

"It is. Brat."

"Oh, Hound Dog said he talked with Doctor Hariyama, and she's prescribed some medication for me, an SSRI?" Izuku ventures cautiously, and Shouta nods. That's a fairly commonplace type of med for the kid to be put on. "He said that you need to know because you're my on-campus guardian, and that he'd be emailing Mama about it as well."

Shouta hums in acknowledgement, and darts a hand out to ruffle the kid's curls, yanking it back before he can get tossed - the brat is getting extremely good at that throw he taught him. "It might be a bit of a search to find one that works," he reminds the teen, who nods thoughtfully. He doesn't hesitate to add, "It took me a few times before I found one that didn't make me throw up every morning," and is rewarded with one of Izuku's rarer small smiles. The tiny, awed little one he has whenever someone quietly goes out of their way for him. Normally, Shouta sees it directed to Shouto, or occasionally Tooru; the rest of the kid's friends tend to be loud.

The train station is in sight now, but unfortunately that means that all of Shouta's hard-won soothing of the teen disappears as soon as they can see the silhouette of Mirio leaning against the wall outside. He sighs internally, and puts a hand out so Izuku stops walking. He gets a curious look, but keeps his face impassive. "Do you want me to come with you the rest of the way?"

He and Izuku had already decided that he wouldn't be going in for the meeting proper with Nighteye - a decision that makes sense to Shouta's frustration, because there's no way the man would speak freely with him there - but he can still wait at the agency or nearby.

Izuku slumps in relief. "Please," he says quietly. And that's all it takes, of course, because Shouta is starting to reluctantly believe Hizashi when he says he's gone soft for 1-A (and a certain student in particular). He can't deny it, not after his realisation from the morning - and Hizashi had been pinker than usual, and oddly quiet, as they trekked from Heights Alliance to the school proper, although Shouta hadn't called him on it. It's clearly been startling for him, too.

'Our kid ' has been a murmur in the back of his mind all day, and it's... it's a change, now that Shouta thinks about it, that snuck up on them both when they least expected it. Hizashi had joked about it before, but the genuine way he'd dropped it into conversation without a second thought revealed a surprising truth.

That at some point, Shouta and Hizashi had gotten attached.

But right now, Shouta just gives Izuku a tiny smile, more of a twitch of his lips than anything else, but the kid's an observant little shit and won't miss it. "Let's go then."

Ah.

Shouta may have... miscalculated in his desire to offer Izuku even a small bit of reassurance before what will undoubtedly be a difficult conversation.

Because when Shouta, Izuku and a still slightly confused Mirio enter Nighteye's agency, a familiar figure can be seen dropping off a stack of papers with the receptionist. Shouta winces immediately, but can't step back out of the building without raising more questions from Mirio who still doesn't know or understand why he's accompanying Izuku; but the blonde teen is smart , he has to be to have such fine quirk control, and to have piqued Nighteye's interest in the first place, and Shouta knows he's suspicious about something.

And then, unfortunately, Moashi turns, sees Shouta and immediately drops into a deep bow.

"Aizawa-san," the man begins, like he does every time Shouta has seen him since the incident ten years ago, "I once again must deeply apologise for the harm caused to-"

"It's fine," Shouta interrupts, and sure, it'd be rude if this wasn't the millionth time the man had apologised for something that was not his fault. Gods, not even Hizashi holds anything against Moashi, despite everything. "Moashi-san, it's been a decade. You don't need to keep apologising."

Moashi straightens, and then Shouta sees Izuku's eyes widen in realisation as he looks at the man, at his centipede quirk and clearly puts two and two together. Mirio is quiet and polite on the teen's other side, although he doesn't have the external knowledge needed to realise what Izuku clearly just did.

"Still," Moashi continues, and his deep voice is regretful, "please pass my best wishes to Yamada-san when you next see him."

"Of course," Shouta says, and he will because Hizashi is a softy and does like to be kept appraised of the other hero's career and how he's doing. Hizashi wasn't the only one tortured in that basement, after all, and Shouta knows it had taken six months before Centipeder had patrolled again. When Moashi nods quietly and excuses himself, Shouta turns his attention back to Izuku, and rests a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'll be going now, but in the area. Call me if you need anything."

"Yessir," Izuku says, and while he'd been nervous before, it's clear that he's determined and resolved now that he's at Nighteye's agency. "I'll see you soon!"

"Good," Shouta hums. "Don't get in trouble, Problem Child."

And then, with a polite nod to Mirio, Shouta heads back out of Nighteye's agency, lest he come across the man himself and lose his temper.

Self-restraint is a bitch, but it has saved him from many an assault charge.

Chapter Text

"So," Mirio says brightly once Aizawa-sensei has left, and the agency door closed behind him. "Aizawa-sensei's super protective, huh! I never would've picked him to be the type!"

Izuku blushes slightly, but shrugs as he follows his senpai to the elevator. "It's... been a long year," he settles on saying, even though they're barely into the second term.

"That's true," Mirio agrees, hitting the button for the top floor.

Izuku nods, and takes several deep breaths. Luckily, Mirio lets him have his quiet as the elevator hums to life and rises.

He's been nervous about this meeting all day, especially after Aizawa-sensei caught him before school to confirm that Nighteye does know about One For All. Undoubtedly, that's what this meeting will be about, and Izuku is unsettled. Especially given he's pretty sure he knows where Yamada-sensei's bug phobia comes from - which is horrifying, really, in that it makes an awful amount of sense. And Izuku's not dumb, he knows that neither of his teachers are particularly fond of Nighteye, so he had clearly been involved to some extent.

It's not painting a positive image of what may be awaiting Izuku on the top floor of this building. Which they've just reached.

Crap.

Izuku swallows, takes another deep breath and follows after Mirio. It's only a short walk, unfortunately, so Izuku doesn't have time to think, but that's also a bit of a blessing because he also can't work himself up too badly. He wishes Aizawa-sensei could've come with him the whole way, but... Nighteye isn't likely to talk with Aizawa-sensei in the room, and Izuku needs to know what he really wants.

He doubts it's an actual internship.

"Remember," Mirio says as they reach the imposing wooden door behind which Nighteye must be waiting. "Sir likes to smile!"

That's odd, considering from all accounts Izuku has heard, Sir Nighteye is a very strict, no-nonsense man, but he supposes Mirio would know him better than most, being his intern.

But Izuku just nods, clenches his fists briefly for a burst of courage, and enters the room. Danger Sense is quiet, after all, so this fear he has is just his own. Even if his stomach is hurting with it, Izuku will persevere!

Sir Nighteye's office is plain, with grey tiles and white walls. The only bursts of colour are blue, red and yellow, splashed across every surface, with merchandise from All Might's debut until now.

It reminds Izuku of how he used to be.

It's not a comfortable thought.

"You're a disappointment, and unworthy of the gift you have been given."

"You may not have defeated me, but I'll stamp these papers anyway. If only to prove to you just how poor a vessel you are for One For All. Mirio should have been the one to whom the torch was passed."

Izuku has a decision to make. It's like that English poem, he thinks, the one that Yamada-sensei had them going over in class last week. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood," Izuku murmurs to himself in English, and ignores the way Nighteye glares at him for having the audacity to not fall on his knees thanking him for his offer.

"Sir Nighteye," Izuku says, and his voice is shaking despite his best efforts as he lifts his head to look the hero square in the eye. "I'm afraid I must decline."

"You're turning down an internship with me?" Sir Nighteye asks, and he lifts his chin so his glasses flash with reflected light. "I won't make it again," he warns.

"I don't want you to. I want an internship with someone who'll actually teach me something," Izuku continues. "I don't want to work with someone who grooms a child to be a soldier."

"Excuse me?"

"Did you ever tell Mirio-senpai why you accepted him as an intern?" Izuku asks, faux-curiosity drenching his voice. "Or were you just going to spring this on him one day, a legacy too big for any child?" He snorts, and looks down at his shoes, his bright red quirkless shoes. And then, he lets the tiniest hint of disdain into his voice, just like Nedzu-sensei has coached him to. "Or would you have just slipped some of All Might's DNA into his water and then offered to help him with this new mutation of his quirk?"

Izuku walks out of Nighteye’s office and pulls his phone out with trembling hands. It takes a few tries before he can unlock and select a number, but he gets it done.

The phone rings only twice before the call is answered.

“What’s up, pup?”

“I-Inui-san,” Izuku gasps out. “I-I’m having a - a panic attack.”

“That’s alright, pup. I’m so glad you called me. Can you do something for me?”

“I- I can try,” Izuku whispers, and he ducks himself into an alley, hiding behind a pile of soggy boxes. He sees Mirio jogging past the entrance, calling for him, and shrinks himself down even smaller.

“Can you tell me where you are?”

“N-night-eye’s o-office,” Izuku manages. “A-lley-y.”

“Thank you, pup. I’m sending Aizawa-pup your way. Now,” Hound Dog growls soothingly through the phone, “I need you to breathe in for four seconds.”

“O-okay”, Izuku whimpers, and he does just that.

“Now hold for seven pup, one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. Great job. Breathe out for eight now,” and the Hunting Dog Hero counts and counts and counts until Izuku can think again.

“T-thank you,” Izuku tells the hero, and he hears a doggish huff.

“Of course, pup. Now, I’m going to stay on the line until Aizawa-pup gets there, and after that too, if you want.”

“O-okay,” Izuku says, and then he slumps back against the alley wall and listens as Hound Dog talks about how his gardening adventures are going; mostly successful, except he keeps sleepwalking at 2AM to go dig holes which is delaying the work a bit. He’s explaining his raised herb tubs when the sound of a shoe scuffing bricks makes Izuku snap his head up and sigh in relief.

“Aizawa-sensei’s here,” he tells Hound Dog, “I’ll be alright now.”

“Okay pup,” Hound Dog says, “Once again, I’m so glad you called.” And then the line clicks off as Izuku stumbles up to draw his teacher’s attention.

"Izuku-kun," Aizawa-sensei says, and he sounds just as relieved as Izuku is. "Are you alright?"

All he can do is shake his head, swallowing down the tears that are trying to overwhelm him. "He said I'm not worthy," he spits, and he's not sure if he's trembling with rage or with upset. "That All Might should never have given me One For All."

Aizawa-sensei sucks in a breath, and his expression darkens, eyes flicking to the building next to them, looking as though he'd like nothing more than to go inside and yell at the hero. But he doesn't, of course, because he's Aizawa-sensei, and instead he just smoothes his expression, and pulls Izuku against him in a rough hug. It's not often that he's the one initiating the affectionate gesture, although he never pushes Izuku away, and it's that that finally lets Izuku cry.

"He's wrong," Izuku whispers, and from the way Aizawa-sensei hums approvingly, his teacher agrees. "I know he's wrong, that I'm not useless , that I am worthy, but it still hurts. Why does it hurt?"

"Because he knows how to hit you where it hurts," Aizawa-sensei's voice rumbles through his chest. "His fighting style is to be precise and vicious."

"He offered me an internship and I turned it down," Izuku says suddenly. "He said he wanted to show me that Mirio-senpai would be better."

Aizawa-sensei hisses out something Izuku politely pretends to not hear, because it sounds suspiciously like 'that bastard.' He does have to hide a smile in his teacher's jumpsuit, but it makes him feel better, enough that he can release his death-grip and step back from his teacher sheepishly. "I'm proud of you," Aizawa-sensei says quietly, and Izuku flushes. "That was a smart choice, and it must have been difficult. I'm proud that you know your worth."

"Can we go home?" Izuku asks softly, when they're halfway back to the train station, and Aizawa-sensei stops walking to look seriously at him.

"Not the dorms?" he checks and Izuku shakes his head, pink colouring his cheeks.

"I miss Mum," he admits, and Aizawa-sensei's expression softens.

He puts a hand carefully on Izuku's shoulder. "That's fine," he says. "We can't stay long, but we can visit."

Izuku unashamedly steps forward and wraps his arms around his teacher as he shakes. He's so tired and Nighteye had cut open every bleeding wound on his heart that Izuku had been suturing shut over the last few months.

He just wants his mum right now.

"I'm not carrying you all the way there," Aizawa-sensei sighs. "C'mon, Problem Child."

Everything is hazy for a bit, after that, but Izuku is pretty sure it was just a train ride and that Aizawa-sensei would tell him if he drifted through anything important. He's good like that.

And then, mercifully, the door to the apartment opens and Izuku can tumble forward into his Mum's arms.

Chapter Text

"Shouta..." Oboro says quietly, and just the sight of his pale blue eyes is enough to make Shouta tremble. But he's the adult, and not either of the traumatised teens in the room right now, so he inclines his head slightly at the shouldn't-be-younger man.

"Oboro," Shouta returns just as gently, and carefully skirts around the crying mother and son blocking up the hallway once he's removed his shoes. He hesitates briefly, and then shrugs. "Do you want some of Inko-san's tea? Izuku-kun mentioned she's been working on a new one and I'm not leaving without trying it."

Oboro's lips twitch, and he raises a hand to hide his smile; it's a familiar action, one that Shouta has seen Inko do frequently, and it's... cute to see Oboro picking up her mannerisms. "You're not having coffee?"

Shouta snorts. "Nothing compares to the god-tier tea that is Inko-san's creations," he says wryly. "Nothing. I would sell Hizashi to buy some if I had to."

Oboro laughs suddenly, and looks startled, but then he shakes his head and follows Shouta into the small kitchen. It's still as small and cramped as ever, with it's pretty yellow paint and blue trim, but Shouta can't deny how homely it feels.

And... Shouta is passing the fridge when he sees it, a simple lineart of a familiar scene. Three boys on a rooftop, all smiling, even Shouta, as they jostle in front of a camera. "How..."

"I think Nemuri-chan showed him the photo," Oboro says quietly. The quietness is new for him. "And he drew that for me as a gift." He ducks his head shyly. "Nedzu-sensei dropped it off when he came by last week."

Sneaky brat, Shouta thinks fondly, and resists the urge to brush his fingers over the sketch; he doesn't want to risk smudging any of the delicately-drawn lines. "How has... everything been going?" Shouta asks, and then winces at how awkward he sounds. He covers it poorly by turning on the kettle and digging out mugs. He finds the pastel pink cat mug again, and pulls it out along with a pastel green mug with little white daises scattered across its paint. Yeah, Inko definitely buys mugs for people.

Oboro shrugs in response to the question and then unsubtly changes the topic as he grins at Shouta's mug. "Cute," he says approvingly. "Do you have any?"

"Too busy," Shouta mutters, and he's not pouting. "But Izuku-kun keeps two cats at the dorms, so I'm not entirely deprived."

Oboro brightens. "Nekouta and Nikko!"

"...That's them."

"Oh, and this is the new tea," Oboro says and shoves a jar into Shouta's hands. "Inko-chan says it's meant to taste like apple pie."

Oh, now that is interesting.

It’s hard, Shouta thinks, to keep the conversation casual and light, but one good look at Oboro’s face chases away any irrational urges to change that. There’s shadows in his eyes, and frown lines by his mouth that never used to be there, and Shouta can’t help but mourn his innocence. He’s not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse, how little the teen remembers about his time as the base of Kurogiri.

Most days, Shouta thinks it’s a blessing, but on days like today when he can see Oboro doubting every move he makes, and every word he says, he wishes that there’s some way for the teen to magically trust himself again.

“Inko-chan has showed me all the photos,” Oboro continues, and then he he brightens. “And she also told me Izuku-kun named them after you and Hizashi! He’s so cute!”

“He’s a problem child,” Shouta snorts.

“Ah, so were you though,” Oboro says. “Remember when you found that cat and smuggled him into class?”

Shouta doesn’t blush at that embarrassing memory. “Sushi,” he says dryly. “That damn cat. He still scratches me every time I visit Nem, and I swear he’s holding a grudge.”

Oboro’s jaw drops. “He’s still alive?”

“Mm,” Shouta hums. “Little rat bastard has a minor longevity quirk. The vets estimate he has another ten years at least.”

“That’s amazing,” Oboro says softly. “I’m glad.”

Shouta hums lightly and finishes making the tea, setting aside two cups for Inko and Izuku. The two Midoriyas are still crying over each other, but seem to be calming down somewhat, judging by the sudden coing of Inko over how 'dashing' he looks with dark hair and 'is he trying to look like-?'

Shouta stops listening at that point, because he does not want that little theory confirmed. It's been bad enough putting up with Shouto's self-satisfied looks whenever the brat sees Shouta and Izuku standing near each other with their matching dark hair.

"So," Oboro says suddenly, and Shouta does not trust that sudden smirk on his face. "Inko-san has told me some interesting stories about how you and Hizashi started dating-"

"Oh no."

"Aww," Oboro says and pouts dramatically. "C'mon, you can tell me! Surely you didn't do anything too embarrassing~"

"Oh, from what Hizashi-kun says, he definitely did!" Inko chimes in and Shouta groans before attempting to see if it's possible to drown one's self in a mug. At the very least his attempt draws a giggle from Izuku, and that makes his shame entirely worth it, not that he'll ever let anyone know that. Except Inko, of course, because she's a menace and smirks at him with her eyebrow raised that lets him know that she knows.

"I will admit," Shouta says after a moment of savouring the tea, because it is excellent as always, "that there were moments that I wish had gone more smoothly."

"Didn't you push him off the boardwalk when he tried to hold your hand?" Inko asks innocently and Shouta shoots a glare at her when -

"And wasn't that right after you told him he could hold your hand?"

... Ah, Shouta realises too late when Izuku chimes in. This is what betrayal feels like.

It takes less convincing from Inko than Shouta will admit to that gets him to text Hizashi to let his husband know that he and Izuku will only return to the dorms after dinner. He gets a convoluted string of emojis in return, but after a moment of squinting, it seems that Hizashi figured the meeting didn't go well and wants Shouta to give the kid a hug from him.

Absolutely not. Hizashi can save his hug for when they get back to the dorms. And the teen should be grateful if Shouta doesn't intercept and steal it for himself, because he honestly hadn't expected to be... dealing with Oboro today. 'Dealing with' seems harsh, but Shouta isn't sure how else to phrase it, except that he hadn't been mentally prepared to see his old friend again, even as wonderful as it is to see him alive and healthy and smiling.

And teasing Shouta relentlessly, but that's beside the point. Inko has shooed all three of them out of the kitchen, including her own son, refusing any help with a tug of a knife across the counter with her quirk. Shouta takes the hint immediately, and pointedly ignores the two teens giggling behind him.

Look, if they aren't scared of Inko, then they're the fools.

For a good few moments, the silence in the living room is nearly unbearable without the buffer of Inko, but then Izuku giggles and curls up happily on the loveseat, leaving the sofa for Oboro and Shouta. Brat. But Shouta sits anyway, and doesn't flinch when Oboro throws himself onto the couch as well, shamelessly snuggling up under his arm. It's a familiar and yet not position, in that it once was something so instinctive, but now Shouta is out of practice, and instead of being similar in stature, he's so much broader, taller, and Oboro hasn't changed. But he rallies decently enough, and lets Oboro make himself comfortable without even trying to shove him off like he did when they were teenagers.

"Izuku-kun," Oboro says after a moment, and Izuku looks up from his phone where he's presumably been texting one of his friends. Shouta watches curiously, because he's yet to really see the two interacting with each other, for all he knows they've been speaking and texting somewhat frequently. "I wanted to apologise to you."

"Huh?"

Shouta raises an eyebrow and wonders if he really needs to be here for this, but he suspects Oboro wants his moral support. "I... when I said you could keep Cloud, I didn't really think about whether or not you wanted it. And I'm sorry for that."

Izuku blinks and Shouta's eyebrow raises impossibly higher. He knows neither Inko nor Izuku would have mentioned that to Oboro, so he's clearly pieced this together himself, and it's - startling, but honestly Shouta should have expected it. Oboro's always been clever, always been terrifyingly competent at reading people, just like Hizashi. It's how he'd wormed his way under Shouta's skin and into his heart initially, treating him like a stray cat to be tamed and it worked.

“Hey,” Izuku says and he stands to cross the room only to poke Oboro’s cheek gently. “You didn’t choose this. It’s not your fault either.”

“I gave you my quirk and upset you,” Oboro protests, clear eyes starting to fill with tears, and Izuku throws caution to the wind, pulling the seventeen year old up for a tight hug. It's clearly no effort at all, and Shouta snickers at the startled squeak that escapes his old friend.

“Haven’t you heard, Oboro?” Izuku asks into pale blue hair. “That’s what siblings do.”

Oboro clings tight to Izuku. “Okay,” he whispers. “Okay.”

Shouta eyes the teens carefully, and then decides to risk the kitchen as the two start an awkward, stilted conversation that only really gets going when they start chattering excitedly to each other about how cool Eraserhead is. He may or may not make a mental note to make Izuku run laps in homeroom, but that's a problem for tomorrow.

Instead, he gathers his courage and slips into the kitchen with an apologetic shrug for Inko who just snorts and waves at him to take a seat at the kitchen counter. "How are you, Shouta-kun?" Inko asks, and Shouta blinks slowly at her.

"I'm fine."

"Sure," Inko says, and doesn't even try to hide her disbelief. "And I don't have three sons."

Damn, Shouta always forgets how blunt she can be. "I'm coping," he offers instead, and she hums encouragingly, which would be sweet but for the fact that there's three large knives chopping vegetables in unison beside her. Every so often the vegetables themselves are shifted by her quirk rolling and moving under the knives, until they're perfectly diced. It's an impressive display of quirk control, especially because Inko is focusing on the knife in her hand as well.

"He's doing well," Inko says when it becomes clear Shouta isn't going to say anymore easily. "He mostly sleeps through the night now."

"That's good," Shouta manages, and looks at his lap to avoid her knowing look. "Thank you, Inko. Really."

"Mm, no need to thank me," Inko says. Silence resumes only briefly, and then, wonderful woman she is, Inko starts rambling away as easily as her son does, except her talk is less about breaking down quirks to their essentials and revolves around the meetings she's been arranging with other Hero Schools. After she'd taken Oboro in, Nedzu had apparently been more than happy for her to do her work mostly online, only having to come into school once a week, usually on the day that Oboro was scheduled in for therapy and check-ups at the local hospital.

It's interesting enough things that she talks about, especially the talks that are apparently ongoing about starting up some sort of inter-school tournaments focusing on teamwork and strategy. Shouta is also intrigued to discover that when Inko is at UA, it's Emi that stays with Oboro as both company and protection. He hadn't known she was doing that, and resolves to text the Smile Hero his gratitude.

She can be annoying, but she is also one of Shouta's closer friends, and has been ever since they met as newly graduated heroes. Without her cheerful, obnoxious smile and willingness to stick her nose into other people's business, Shouta has no doubt that his first years of hero work would have been much more difficult. He also may have never made it home to Hizashi one cold winter night, but that’s a distant memory now, and the exact sort of recklessness he trains out of his own students.

Emi is, as much as Shouta will never admit it where she can hear, just a damn good hero.

That said, Shouta does see the way Inko blushes lightly whenever she mentions the mint-haired woman, and well. He can't resist poking a little. "So, has she asked you out then?" he drawls when Inko actually pauses to take a breath and she chokes on nothing before shooting Shouta a filthy look when she's startled into dropping her quirk. As none of the knives or vegetables end up on the floor, he doesn't feel bad about it at all.

And then, bright pink, Inko turns her nose up at Shouta and resumes cooking. "She has not," she says coolly, and then can't hide a huge smile that breaks across her face. "But I did ask her out for dinner on Friday. And she said yes."

"I'm glad," Shouta tells her genuinely, and he gets a sweet smile in return. "I'm surprised I didn't hear about this from your son, however."

Inko smiles sheepishly. "He can keep a secret," she says wryly, and snorts. "Sometimes too well, but he's learning."

Shouta also thinks back to the start of term, when Izuku had successfully been hiding his prior quirk status from everyone and bearing the weight of a Symbol on his young shoulders. "He is learning, and very quickly," he says, and huffs softly. "Did he say why we came here today?"

Inko nods, and finally seems satisfied with the truly terrifying amount of vegetables she's been preparing. It makes sense, however, when she hauls out a massive pot and starts pouring in several cartons of stock. "He did. And I'm so proud of him for standing up for himself like that."

"He did well." Shouta hesitates and then sighs, propping his chin on his hand and leaning on the bench. "I'll be setting Hizashi on Nighteye by the way, so if you have any particularly scathing insults you want passed along, feel free to text him."

Inko smiles, sharp and sudden. "Oh, I can think of a few."

It's only after dinner, when Shouta and Izuku have put their shoes back on and have said their goodbyes to Inko and Oboro, the latter three with tears because Shouta is belatedly remembering how much a sympathetic crier his friend is, that Inko pulls Shouta down for a hug. "Take care of our boy," she whispers in his ear, and Shouta has to fight not to choke on his own spit.

Gods, he always forgets that she's the one who passed down her terrifying observational skills to her son.

But Shouta can’t deny the truth of her words, not anymore, so he just gives her an admittedly softer smile than usual and a single nod. It seems to be enough, because Inko smiles back at him even as she shoves a jar of tea into his hands and shoos him and her son out of the flat.

Chapter Text

Look, Hizashi isn't surprised that the talk with Nighteye was a disaster, but he is also relieved that Izuku won't have to spend any time around the man. What a prick.

That said, he is slightly surprised when the next morning, he somewhat impulsively offers for Izuku to come and do his work-study at his own agency. He hadn't been planning on offering until the teen was in his second year, but that was before the school decided to get them their provisional licences, and besides, Hizashi can wriggle things around to focus more on daylight matters for a while anyway. Or at least, that’s what he’s going to have to do once his impulsive mouth runs away from him without his permission. Whatever Nighteye -the absolute prick - had said to Izuku had clearly hit deep so Hizashi doesn’t regret the offer, not when Izuku lights up enormously.

Gods, he's a sap and should probably stop throwing stones at Shouta's glass house. "So, how does that sound?"

"Yesyesyesyes," Izuku says rapidly, and Hizashi snorts when the kid starts hovering above the floor in his excitement. "Ah."

Hizashi gives him a moment to drop back down, and grins widely himself. "I'm glad you're excited," he says dryly, even as Shouta rolls his eyes at their antics. "C'mon, let's go get you fed; can't have you going to class on an empty stomach!"

"Ooh, you're interning with Yamada-sensei?" Tooru asks excitedly, and Izuku nods enthusiastically as he scrambles some eggs, adding extra for his invisible classmate. Adorable, in Hizashi's opinion, and he's only half paying attention as he plots out his very thorough talk with Nighteye. "That's so cool! And your whole two persona thing has really had me thinking! It's so clever! Because obviously my quirk would be super good for underground work - literally no one would see me coming - but especially now I have my mirror technique, I could actually have a decent shot at Limelight heroics too!"

And then suddenly Hizashi has two interns when he hadn't even planned to have one, and he definitely has Izuku's puppy dog eyes to blame. Times two, because Tooru had deactived her invisibility just so she could reflect Izuku's expression at him as well. That said, it's also his own fault for continuing their discussion when he hadn't realised Tooru was already up and brewing two pots of coffee when he started making breakfast for Izuku; he’d insisted that the kid deserved it after having to deal with Nighteye. And of course, he makes the girl breakfast as well, because he’s not rude, even if he does speed up the process more than he normally would for fear of more of the kids descending the stairs with their irresistable puppy dog eyes - Eijirou is a particular menace with them.

Hizashi's Agency Manager might just strangle him before his interns can learn anything, however, because Shouta is suddenly looking thoughtful when Hizashi gives them both a rundown of the schedule he'll have them on at his agency.

“Wait,” Shouta says and his eyes are gleaming dangerously. “If you’re still going to be at the station afterwards, someone will have to pick up Izuku-kun and Tooru-chan.”

“No.” Hizashi says flatly. “Don’t even think about it.”

Shouta smiles in a futile attempt to seem innocent. “I can pick them up after they've finished. I have the time now I won't be patrolling for a while.”

“Absolutely not,” Hizashi hisses. Tooru, menace that she is, continues chugging her pot of coffee - the dorm residents are used to it at this point and actually convinced Yaoyorozu to make them the second one just for her in class the other week - presumably while watching intently. He can't... actually tell. If not for the slurping, she could be asleep right now. Poor Izuku is just looking extremely confused.

Gods, Hizashi wishes he had that level of innocence. He shudders slightly at the memory.

Shouta clearly realises Hizashi won’t budge on this and changes tack, smiling eerily at Izuku. “Would you like me to pick you up after patrols?” Shouta asks and Hizashi nearly strangles him on the spot.

“Um,” Izuku says nervously, eyes flicking rapidly between them, “I feel like this is a trap, and that I don’t want to be involved.”

Smart kid.

Shouta sighs and turns back to Hizashi, eyeing Tooru's frantic coffee inhalation and clearly deciding he doesn't want to deal with that right now. “I promise I won’t do arson this time,” he says dramatically, and Izuku squeaks ‘this time?’ behind him. Tooru chokes a little, but when Hizashi checks to make sure she's not dying, she waves a sleeve at him reassuringly.

Reassured, Hizashi glares at his husband who is so not sneaky right now. “You and Racket are both banned from being in the same building,” Hizashi snaps, even though he’s trying not to laugh. “I’m not budging on that.”

“...I’ll wait outside.”

“It's still a no.”

"Fine, you can pick the kids up but only if you don't enter the building."

"I will not enter the building."

"And Racket can't leave it."

"And Racket can't leave it."

Hizashi squints his eyes at his husband but Shouta looks innocently back at him. Oh, he is definitely planning something.

Fuck it, that's a problem for the future.

"Okay, the paperwork is in here somewhere," Hizashi mutters, and Izuku giggles behind him as he surveys the mess of papers on the sideboard. "Ah, there it is!"

He hands it to Izuku with a flourish, and can't help but ruffle his green curls. "Make sure to get a copy for Tooru-chan before filling it in," he reminds the kid who nods happily. "If you get stuck on any of the questions, ask Shouta, yeah?"

"Lazy!" Shouta snaps without heat from where he's squeezing in some last-minute marking before they all need to leave for class.

'Grumpy,' Hizashi signs at his back, and gets a muffled laugh from the teen as he clamps his hands over his mouth hastily. Which reminds him! Last time he'd signed with the kid, he'd completely failed to show the kid his sign name, so used to already speaking with him that he forgot to go through his usual introduction. Well, no time like the present mic!

“This is my sign name,” Hizashi tells the vibrating student in front of him. Izuku’s eyes are intense as they track his hands as he signs ‘Hi’ and then the universal ‘blah blah blah’ sign, which gets a giggle from the teen. “The man that chose it was my sign language teacher,” Hizashi adds and Izuku perks up at the hint of a story. “He may not have been able to hear anything I was saying, but he sure could see my mouth moving, and picked this as a result.”

Izuku laughs fully at that, and at Hizashi’s put-upon pout, which is the result he was aiming for. It’s good to see some of the shadows chased out of Izuku’s eyes.

“Oh my gosh,” Hizashi says suddenly, and Izuku tilts his head curiously, like a little bird. “What’s your sign name? How have I not asked this already?”

Izuku blinks and then flushes. “Um, I don’t... have one,” the teen admits. “It was only really Mum and I signing to each other, and also...” he trails off sheepishly. “We weren’t given ones by someone deaf or hard of hearing, and we didn’t want to be rude.”

So. Damn. Cute.

“I vote for this,” Shouta says dryly, turning away from his marking just so he can sign ‘problem child’. Hizashi snickers at the offended look on Izuku’s face.

“Good thing you’re not deaf and therefore don’t get a vote,” Hizashi shoots back, and is flipped off in response as Shouta returns to grading.

“Hey, Shouta, what about this?” Hizashi asks after a moment of deliberating and Shouta is rolling his eyes as he spins his chair around again.

“What?”

Hizashi signs his idea to his husband and has to hold in a cackle at the exasperation on Shouta’s face. “Absolutely not,” Shouta says. “Pick a different one.”

“But it’s cute,” Hizashi whines petulantly. “And it suits him perfectly! Especially because the dye still hasn't washed out!”

“No.”

“What does that mean?” Izuku asks curiously, signing the word he’s unfamiliar with, although his positioning is slightly off - impressive for only seeing it once. “I know you’re calling me small, which is rude but fair, but I don’t know the last part.”

Hizashi grins wickedly, and beckons Izuku closer. “Panther,” Hizashi explains, signing the word again and Izuku obediently copies it. His form is perfect this time, and Hizashi pats him approvingly on the head.

“When I sign it like this,” Hizashi says and he repeats the sign but this time directly in front of his heart, “it’s Shouta’s sign name!”

It takes a second for the gears to click and then Hizashi has a front row seat to seeing Izuku turn positively pink and hide his face in his hands.

“I think you should change it,” Shouta says dryly. “Make it this.”

Hizashi snorts and has to cover his mouth to stifle his laughter when Shouta signs his suggestion at him. “You’re so right,” he gasps. “Perfect!”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Izuku announces, face still hidden. Shouta snickers meanly as he once again tries to start marking. But Hizashi can see his husband sneaking peeks out of the corner of his eye, mouth slightly quirked in amusement.

Hizashi waits patiently until Izuku finally reveals himself again. He’s still flushed behind his freckles, but there’s also laughter dancing in his eyes and he looks secretly pleased.

Cute.

Then, Hizashi carefully signs ‘Pink Panther’ again, making sure it’s in front of his heart.

Izuku shakes his head with a smile. “It’s sticking, isn’t it,” he says and Hizashi nods enthusiastically.

“That it is, little diamond,” Hizashi says, and... yep. There he goes again, blushing furiously and hiding in his hands.

So. Damn. Cute!

Honestly, it's a miracle that they all make it to class on time, and by miracle, Hizashi means Shouta shooing them out of the dorms and across campus with a terrifyingly raised eyebrow.

Later that afternoon before he has to go on patrol, Hizashi wrestles Shouta into sitting down onto the couch and then takes up two seats by himself, sprawling out with his feet handing over the armrest and his head resting on Shouta’s stomach. It’s a familiar, well-worn position, and Hizashi doesn’t hesitate to grab his husband’s arm and pull it across his chest, tangling their fingers together and rubbing soothing circles into the skin with his free hand.

“You’re ridiculous,” Shouta informs Hizashi tiredly, but then he shifts slightly, so his head will be more comfortable and he twists so he can beam up at his husband.

“You love me.”

“I do.”

"If you cause trouble with Racket I'm divorcing you."

"That's only fair."

Chapter Text

After the chaos of the morning, Izuku is only mostly surprised that he makes it to class on time. Aizawa-sensei's eyebrow can be very motivating, as it turns out, even though Tenya does scold him for tardiness as he slips into his seat right on the bell. It's only because Yamada-sensei tripped his husband that Izuku managed to sprint past them both, his English teacher giving him a wink as Aizawa-sensei started threatening him and his ‘outrageous cockatoo hair’ surprisingly loudly.

Marriage goals, honestly.

Speaking of - and okay maybe it's a little early to be thinking of lifetime committments when he's only just started dating, but that's not the point - Denki is beaming brightly across the room at him, and when Izuku makes eye contact, he makes little finger hearts and Izuku nearly combusts on the spot from how cute his boyfriend is.

Right in the middle of Izuku’s little breakdown, which Denki is laughing at, the asshole, Aizawa-sensei stalks into the room, looking entirely unruffled and extremely smug; Izuku fears for Yamada-sensei’s hair.

And from there, the day begins and carries on as usual. Kayama-sensei is just as terrifying and exuberant as ever when she critiques his class’s work on their last assignment and then gleefully assigns them their term project the theme of The Show Must Go On. Izuku has a few potential ideas, but decides he doesn’t want to face her rather sharp smile today - he has no doubt that Yamada-sensei will have gossiped to her about him dating Denki, and there are some battles from which Izuku knows it’s wiser to retreat.

Except Kayama-sensei grins wickedly when the bell rings for break and calls for Izuku to stay behind. His classmates send him sympathetic looks - they’ve bonded through mutual terror and respect of Kayama-sensei, and even if they’re aren’t friends they’re certainly friendly , and also Izuku now has an excellent source of gen ed and business gossip. Apparently all the other classes are focusing on the cultural festival already, which Izuku honestly had forgotten about, but he’s also not going to remind his class because he suspects Aizawa-sensei has a Plan.

That is, he just wants to see the sheer terror on Class 1-A’s faces when they realise they have nothing prepared, and Izuku is loathe to steal that small joy from the man.

“Midoriya-kun,” Kayama-sensei says with a laugh, “Earth to Midoriya-kun!”

Oh no.

“Awww,” Kayama-sensei coos, and Izuku is feeling very much like a small fish in front of an eerie light right now. “Does my favourite Trouble Intern not want to talk to me?”

Honestly, her pout is terrifying, but Izuku also can’t help but protest immediately. “It’s not that!”

“Oh,” Kayama-sensei purrs, and scrubs a hand through his hair. “Then what is it? Are you perhaps nervous about something?”

“Kayama-sensei,” Izuku whines. “I’ll be late for physics.”

The woman just cackles and finally drops her sultry act. “Nah, I’ve texted Snipe already, he’s chill,” she says lightly. Izuku tilts his head curiously. “I really just wanted to congratulate you on getting your provisional licence,” Kayama-sensei says, and there’s a genuine pride in her voice that makes Izuku tear up. “And on your new relationship with Kaminari-kun, of course. The joys of young love!”

Izuku can’t help his grin and ducks his head shyly. “Thanks, Kayama-sensei,” he says quietly. “I couldn’t have done it without you helping me with my quirk.” And his confidence, but he doesn’t say that aloud. Not yet.

He hopes she can hear the sincerity in his voice, because he means it. Without Kayama-sensei, Izuku’s quirk would probably still be shattering his bones all the time. Not to mention he wouldn’t have learned her awesome thigh takedown that may or may not have made a spectacular appearance during the initial combat portion of the licensing exam.

“Midoriya-kun,” Kayama-sensei says gently, and Izuku looks up at her, and she gives him a more genuine and less horrifying smile. “I am so proud of you, you know? You’ve come a long way.”

Izuku can feel his traitorous cheeks start to burn, but he meets Kayama-sensei’s gaze squarely. He has so much respect for her, as a hero yes, but also as a teacher , because Izuku knows she knows that there’s something up with his quirk, but hasn’t pushed. All she’d done was make sure that Izuku was getting help from someone, and just treated him like normal otherwise.

Izuku knows that he can trust her.

It’s still a strange thing, trusting adults, but with teachers like Aizawa-sensei, Yamada-sensei, Kayama-sensei and Snipe-sensei, it’s slowly becoming... normal.

It’s nice.

It’s also a credit to Kayama-sensei’s observational skills, that she knows just what to say to soothe the wounds left behind by Nighteye the previous afternoon. As much as Izuku has tried, even with the reassurances of his mother and Aizawa-sensei and Yamada-sensei, he’d still felt... slightly hollow. Like the feeling when he’s on a rollercoaster that’s just crested, and as it races downwards and the sky falls away around him.

“Your hard work and dedication are a credit to your character,” Kayama-sensei is continuing when Izuku scrambles out of his chair and steps into her cheerful embrace. “And you’re going to be a wonderful hero; in fact, you already are.”

“I hope you have tissues, Sensei,” Izuku says honestly as he bursts into tears and she just snorts as she rocks him side-to-side teasingly.

“Of course! Any staff member with pockets carries them around for you these days!”

Izuku doesn’t doubt it for a second.

“You know, when you and Kaminari-kun are ready to take the next step, my office is always open!”

Never mind, Izuku has many regrets and no qualms about shrieking loudly and bolting from the room as Kayama-sensei’s infamous cackle chases after him.

“Jirou-san,” Yamada-sensei says coolly. “Pack your things, and wait outside.”

“What?”

“Move.”

Jirou moves, and Izuku and the rest of Class 1-A watch with wide eyes as she hastily gathers her notebook and pencil case, before rushing out of the class.

Yeah, if Izuku had that cold tone directed at him, he’d leg it as well. Denki is pale, hands clenched into fists as he stares at his desk, and the frown on his face doesn’t suit it.

Denki is made for smiles and laughter, not this.

A sharp, painful pang of anxiety cuts through Izuku’s stomach, but he shoves it down in favour of cautiously approaching Denki. The rest of the class stays quiet, although Yamada-sensei’s eyes are sharp and attentive as Izuku gently guides his boyfriend up and out of the class.

He can’t blame him, not after Jirou nearly pushed him into setting off his quirk again. And she’d laughed when Denki had snapped at her, had stood up for himself before Yamada-sensei even got to the class - he’d apparently had a ‘talk’ with two second years about something, Ishiyama-sensei had explained before he left with a warning to behave themselves.

And worst of all, Jirou had fired back at Denki, calling his lack of quirk control pathetic, and a danger to his friends, because he’s ‘too dumb’ to control it. As if Denki doesn’t already have nightmares about about the way Mineta touched him when he was shorted-out, about the incident a few weeks ago. As if Jirou hasn’t triggered that quirk accident in the first place.

Izuku is just really glad Yamada-sensei got there when he did, and overheard the cruel jabs the girl was saying. He’s not sure he would’ve been able to keep his temper much longer, and he’d seen Mina’s eyes start to burn with rage as well as Eijirou talked her down.

Admittedly, if one puts twenty superpowered and hormonal teenagers in a room, shit is gonna go down. Izuku’s just surprised it hadn’t happened sooner.

For now though, Izuku merely shoots Jirou a filthy glare as he walks Denki out and down the hallway. He can hear Yamada-sensei starting to say something to her, voice icy cold in a harsh contrast to his usual sunniness and feels no sympathy. She’s been mean to Denki all year, always jumping on him with scathing comments about his quirk drawback, his intelligence, his prospects as a hero.

Add that to what Denki had mentioned Mina had heard her saying about Yamada-sensei for being deaf, and well. Izuku doesn’t think Jirou is in for a fun time. She can be nice, and Izuku thinks she's a genuinely good person at heart, but she definitely needs to work on some things.

But that’s not his problem, and Izuku instead focuses on rambling away to Denki, and how excited he is to be doing extra training with him and Aizawa-sensei the next day. It’s mindless nothings, really, but Izuku knows that silence is something Denki can’t stand, can’t stand the oppressive weight of quietness when his thoughts are jumbled and loud. He needs noise to drown it out, he’s admitted to Izuku before, and well. Izuku is always more than happy to oblige.

By the time he gets them to the little alcove near Nedzu-sensei’s office, the private one the Principal had told them to use at any time, Denki is slightly less pale, but no less upset. And when Izuku asks if he wants to talk, he just shakes his head and curls himself against his shoulder, and Izuku doesn’t press.

It’s maybe ten minutes later when Nedzu-sensei himself pops into the little space, the corners keeping them hidden from prying eyes. “Yamada-san told me what happened,” he chirps quietly, and Izuku suspects anyone else would think he was being cruelly cheerful. But Izuku can see the slight ripple of his Sensei’s fur, the edge of tension in his posture - no doubt he’s allowing those things to show, which in itself is a kind of trust - and he knows Nedzu-sensei is worried.

Izuku and Shouto may have been his personal students first, but Denki had made him look , and Izuku is pretty sure he’s the principal’s favourite - the sheer chaos those two plot during their Monday lessons is terrifying. While he may focus on the fine art of emotional manipulation and behavioural analysis with Izuku, and broader crowd control with Shouto, it’s with Denki that he shares a passion for controlling the masses. Be it through media leaks, or the right ‘absent-minded’ words in the right ears, Nedzu-sensei is instructing Denki on how to influence a country.

But Nedzu-sensei never forgets that for all their smarts and hard work, they’re still kids. Hence, him telling them about the alcove.

And even now, he doesn’t push their boundaries, just quietly gives them the rundown, that Jirou has been suspended for a full week, and will be on probation until further notice.

Izuku takes in the information, filing it away for later because he knows Denki isn’t hearing it right now, and thanks Nedzu-sensei quietly. The possum nods, and leaves them with only a few more gentle words, a reassuring tap of his paw on Denki’s knee, and then he’s gone.

“Also, you glow slightly in the dark, have you noticed?” Izuku is saying somewhat absently as he waits for Denki to come back to him. It’s been about half an hour now, and his friend has been quiet and withdrawn as they press close against each other in the alcove. Izuku has no doubt Nedzu-sensei has been keeping an eye on them, and that he will have told Aizawa-sensei exactly where they are. But they’ve been left to their privacy regardless, and Izuku... he really respects them for that.

Denki finally blinks and registers what Izuku is saying. “I thought everyone does that?”

“Denki, no,” Izuku giggles, relieved to have a response from his blonde at last, but also determined not to make a big deal out of it. “Most people don’t!”

“That’s so embarrassing though,” Denki whines and Izuku can’t help but poke him in the ribs.

“It’s cute,” he corrects faux-sternly, and then giggles when his boyfriend squeaks in mortification. “See, this is how I feel when you say you like my freckles!”

And with that, Denki laughs, and tugs Izuku up off the bench. “Alright, alright,” he concedes. “C’mon, we’ve got Heroics soon, and I don’t wanna see Yamada-sensei’s face if we try to go without lunch!”

Izuku snorts and allows his boyfriend to pull him along, although his stomach is still oddly sore, has been since Monday, and resolves himself to stick to a simpler lunch than usual. Lunch Rush won’t mind, Izuku is sure, and even his plain rice and miso are restaurant quality and more than suitable for heroes in training!

Chapter Text

Shouta is curled up on the couch where Hizashi had dragged him earlier, bereft of his husband who’s gone to record his radio show after school. It’s a brief hour of time that they can steal together now, with the dorms, and the exact sort of moment that makes the annoyance of supervising a bunch of brats after hours worth it.

It had also been soothing to play with his husband’s hair, as he idly commented on how well Izuku is doing in his training sessions; he’s making remarkable progress with using Float and Fa Jin in tandem, using gymnastics he’s clearly been learning from Ochako to enhance his technique. He’d given the kid somewhat of an ‘easy’ session, admittedly, not touching on the tinderbox of issues that’s Cloud, or any of the quirks stocked inside All For One. Which, amusingly enough, Izuku seems to have taken to calling Filing Cabinet, with the most sarcastic tone he’s ever heard from the kid.

It's funny, he’ll give the kid that.

But Shouta is enjoying a well-deserved doze on the couch, with Nekouta curled up on his chest, when there’s a frantic banging on the door.

One of the kids is in trouble, and Shouta is on his feet and depositing the disgruntled cat on the couch in an instant, clearing the distance between the living room and door in quick strides. He yanks the door open, and it’s Tokoyami, to his surprise, that’s been banging so desperately on the wooden door.

“Sensei!” Tokoyami says and relief at seeing Shouta clear in his voice. Shouta tenses immediately, because if one of his quietest students is so distressed then -

“There’s something wrong with Midoriya!”

Shit.

“He’s sick!” Shadow cries and she sticks her head out of Tokoyami’s shoulder even as the boy starts leading Shouta immediately to where Izuku must be without him even having to ask. “He’s all pale and sweaty and he won’t wake up!”

Appendicitis, Recovery Girl tells Shouta, is why his student is currently unconscious while Doctor Hariyama performs an emergency surgery on him. It's unusual in this day and age, because the appendix is a vestigial trait that tended not to appear in quirk users, much like the double-jointed pinky toe.

So of course Izuku’s ‘anxious stomach’ had actually been his own body deciding to try and kill him, and they’d all missed the warning signs. Shouta had admittedly groaned out loud when Shuzenji explained the situation because honestly.

Only Izuku would have a vestigial organ become infected and then rupture when the kids were cooking dinner.

And now Shouta has the dubious joy of calling Inko to let her know what’s going on, while Hizashi sits beside him and anxiously reads through the information packet Shuzenji had given them on the physical differences between quirkless and quirked people so they can keep it in mind for the future.

“Shouta-san!” Inko greets, and Shouta can hear the sounds of a TV in the background. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes, actually,” Shouta says flatly, “but first, Izuku-kun is fine.”

“Okay,” Inko says and then with no small amount of resignation, “is he in the hospital again?”

“UA infirmary. He needed a minor surgery because his... appendix... burst.”

There’s a long silence. “Wow, okay,” Inko mumbles. “He’s fine?”

“Sleeping it off now,” Shouta confirms. “He’ll be up as if nothing happened within two days.”

“That’s a relief,” Inko says. “Thank you for letting me know.”

Shouta frowns. “Are you alright?” he asks more than a little awkwardly, because there’s something off about Inko’s voice, even before he explained what’s going on and -

“Oboro-kun had a rough time earlier,” Inko says softly and Shouta closes his eyes in dismay. It’s not unexpected but it still hurts. “We’re both still pretty upset but he’s alright now. He knows where he is, at least.”

Shouta lets out a shaky breath. “Okay,” he says. “Inko, if there’s anything Hizashi or I can do for you, you just need to ask.”

“You’re a good man, Shouta,” Inko says, and she sounds tired. “And so is Hizashi. But you can’t help with this, not right now, I’m afraid.”

Shouta knows she’s right, even though it makes his chest ache with misery for his old friend. “If that changes,” Shouta insists. “Just let us know. And... I’m not offering just for Oboro.”

There’s a brief pause and Shouta suddenly wonders if he’s overstepped when Inko huffs out a tiny laugh. “Thank you,” she says and a fraction of her usual sweetness is back, much to Shouta’s relief. “I assumed, didn’t I.”

“It’s... understandable,” Shouta says carefully and he sighs and leans back on the wall. He’s bad at having friends himself, and at relying on others that aren’t Hizashi, so… he gets it. “Make sure not to run yourself ragged. You’re important too.”

“You’re a softy,” Inko teases, and Shouta scowls because he can feel his cheeks starting to burn. “Alright, I should let you go now. I don’t suppose you’ll give Izu a kiss from me?”

“... I’ll give him your regards,” Shouta says dryly. “Get some rest, Inko-san, or I’ll have to send Emi over to tire you out.”

And then he hangs up to Inko’s startled laughter and ignores Zashi’s knowing look. “Aww, look at my big brave husband making friends,” Hizashi coos and Shouta has absolutely no qualms about flipping him off.

It’s about half an hour later, when Shuzenji has made herself scarce, that Inoue steps out of the operating room, and Shouta snaps to attention, as does his husband. “Midoriya-kun is fine,” he says immediately, and the same words flash across his cheek in deference to Hizashi who’s taken his hearing aids out – seems the nurse took the kid’s suggestion to heart. “The surgery went well, and Hari is singing him back together as we speak. He’ll just have to take it easy for a few days, but he’ll be able to return to his dorm room in the morning.”

Shouta nods while Hizashi slumps onto him, and he can see Inoue’s smile at their evident relief. “He’s a strong kid,” the nurse adds, and his clear blue eyes flash with something Shouta can’t quite figure out. At least, not until the nurse’s next words fully register. “He would’ve had to have been, growing up quirkless.”

Hizashi stiffens against his side, but Shouta merely narrows his eyes. Inoue is still smiling pleasantly, and he doesn’t think the nurse means any ill-will. “Indeed,” Shouta settles on saying, and Inoue nods. “I suppose the appendix is a fairly big indicator.”

Inoue shrugs. “It is,” he confirms, “and it explains why the Uni hospital treated him so badly, if he's a false negative or his quirk manifested under stress. It doesn’t change anything, except that Hari and I now know to look out for a few other health issues, such as if his wisdom teeth will need removal at some point.”

“He has mentioned at least one is coming through,” Shouta says thoughtfully, ignoring Inoue's subtle probe for information, “just after the Sports Festival.”

“That’s normal, considering his age,” Inoue nods. “If it starts causing pain, or shifting his other teeth, send him right to us. I know an orthodontist that’s… infamous, shall we say, for her lack of patience for discrimination. She’ll treat him, no worries.”

Hizashi visibly brightens. “I think I know who you’re talking about, the lady that went viral a few years ago for calling out a colleague for being quirkist, right?”

Inoue snorts, and a butterfly lazily flaps above his next words. “That’s her alright,” he says dryly. “My sister is… certainly memorable.” But then he shakes his head. “Anyway, Midoriya-kun will probably be waking up in about another half-hour. Some confusion and haziness is to be expected, considering he was unconscious and then sedated without waking. He’ll have an IV in, but he can have some water as well. His stomach is likely to be sore even with the painkillers, but it’ll clear up over the next two days. He won’t need bedrest, given Hari’s quirk, but he should still take it easy until Saturday; so no practical heroics or other training.”

“Noted,” Shouta says wryly, “I’ll pin him down with cats if necessary.”

“As long as they’re not on his stomach,” Inoue retorts, and Shouta’s lips twitch in a tiny smirk; he can admit the man’s sense of humour is always well-timed, and his willingness to go to bat for Izuku appreciated. He'd also taken Shouta's dismissal of his prying with quiet grace. “Any questions?”

Shouta shrugs, but Hizashi is already asking, “Can we see him?”

“Of course,” Inoue says, and he turns his head to check on Izuku. “Yeah, Hari’s finished up with the surgery, so once he’s in the general infirmary, go nuts, papa bears.”

Shouta immediately retracts any kind thoughts he’s ever had about Inoue.

“So, we were literally the last people to realise,” Shouta drawls, and Hizashi snickers, even though his cheeks are bright red. They’re sitting at Izuku’s bedside, and his blonde husband is gently petting the teen’s hair. It’s sweat-soaked and no doubt greasy to touch, but it seems to be soothing some of the lines from the teen’s face, not to mention Hizashi’s.

“Speak for yourself,” Hizashi retorts, and Shouta doesn’t elbow him only in deference to the sleeping teenager who’d end up jostled.

“I suppose,” Shouta says, and then grins sharply. He can see Hizashi tensing at his smile; the years have taught him to be wary of this particular one. “You’re the one that called him our kid first.”

“Shut up,” Hizashi snaps without heat, and he unsubtly flips Shouta off with his free hand. Shouta merely huffs and snatches his hand out of the air to hold it with his own, pressing a soft kiss to his husband’s knuckles before lowering their tangled hands to rest on his knees. The simple affection makes Hizashi’s cheeks even pinker somehow. It’s very cute.

“Are you sure about taking on two interns?” Shouta asks and Hizashi nods.

“It’ll be good for both of them,” Hizashi says softly. “My poor manager wants to strangle me for shifting up all the schedules, but it’s worth the effort. They’ll both learn a lot, and I have no doubt Tooru-chan and Izu-chan will benefit from more media experience, even if it’s from a different side than what they’ll experience as pros.”

“You’re a sap,” Shouta informs his husband, who rolls his eyes. At least he doesn’t say ‘and you’re not?’

It’s definitely implied though. Hizashi has very expressive eyebrows.

But for now, Shouta doesn’t push it, and merely holds his husband’s hand as they wait for their kid to wake up.