Chapter Text
Iiko sat on her bed, holding her son for the first time. The small child cooed and reached out for her, patting his hand against her nose. She laughed and reached her finger toward him. He latched onto it, pulling it close to him.
Aside from the two of them, the room was devoid of life. It was bare and dark with minimal decoration. The two people were illuminated by the soft glow of a halo above Iiko's head. The child marveled at it, his small gold eyes reflecting her own. The relation between the two was clear. He shared her eyes and her white hair color as shown by the small whisps on his head. But there were subtle differences. All things he got from his father, like his face shape or tanned skin tone.
He attempted to bring the woman's finger to his mouth, biting down on it with only his gums. She laughed at his attempt and he laughed as well, unsure what was so funny.
"Your father would just love this." She whispered. The child's continued attempts to chew her finger were in vain, but he laughed all the same. "He'll be there when we get home tomorrow, huh Akihiro?" The baby glanced up at the sound of his name, not yet understanding his meaning. Iiko only laughed, gripping the child tight. "But for now, it's just us."
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The news was on in Iiko's living room, broadcasting the most recent news as her small son played in a closed-off area in front of her. Akihiro was barely crawling, still too young to understand much of anything.
But Iiko was glued to the screen. More specifically, a recent news story. The pro hero was gripping a pillow tightly, letting tears fall down her face.
"Today, the infamous villain, was struck down by a team of pro heroes lead by Japan's own Symbol of Peace, All Might. Some say the death of Chaos, nicknamed the "#1 Villain" is a good thing for all of Japan, while others question why heroes, the people meant to protect us, were willing to kill. More on this story next."
"Hisako."
She was all alone now. She'd have to raise Akihiro with no support. She was already imagining years later when she'd have to explain where his father was. She'd have to explain who his father was. A villain who cared for no one. No one but her.
She hesitantly grabbed her phone, selecting a contact with only a moon as the name.
"Nemuri?" She said, trying not to let her voice crack.
"Iiko. I saw the news." She could hear the woman on the other end of the line struggling. She had no idea what to say.
"I need your help."
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A three-year-old Akihiro ran throughout his mother's mansion. After retiring from her job as a pro hero, letting go of her spot as the #2 hero, Iiko decided to buy a large house away from most people with her close friend, Nemuri Kayama. Nemuri had moved in with her, helping her to take care of her young son.
Despite Nemuri's status as "Midnight: The R-Rated Hero", she was surprisingly good with Akihiro. She had grown attached to the child quickly and often told her stories of her life as a pro hero. Of course, Iiko always made her tell the G-Rated versions, but Akihiro didn't notice the difference.
The two had slipped into a comfortable pattern. Watching over Akihiro to the best of their ability. Making sure he didn't become Japan's next #1 villain and suffer his father's same fate.
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"I'm sorry ma'am, but your son is dangerous. His quirk is completely out of control. Since he got it, he's damaged two buildings and injured the three pro heroes who attempted to stop him. We need a solution, and this is the best one."
After Akihiro received his quirk, he learned more about his father. Their quirk shared similar aspects and the still small boy became terrified of becoming a villain. He had run away from home and was still unable to control his quirk. Over the past two months since he got his quirk, he had run away several more times, still desperate to understand more about himself. Of course, a small child running around alone was alarming. Pro heroes attempted to step in and help, which didn't end well.
Now, those in charge of managing quirks thought it best if they found a different home for Akihiro. One with quirk users who could handle someone like him. Iiko and Nemuri were doing everything in their power to stop this. The 'home' being suggested felt more like a science lab than a nurturing environment and Akihiro was her only child. She wasn't about to let him go.
Iiko and Nemuri sat before a government official. He wore a pristine suit and had no clear indications of a quirk aside from slightly pointed ears.
"I'm not letting you send him away to some makeshift prison. Find another option." Iiko said. The tone of her voice was lethal.
Nemuri placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. The dark-haired hero spoke in a much calmer voice. "Are there any other options?"
The official in front of them looked over several papers. "Well, we need someone who can control his quirk to watch over him. He's clearly unstable and with these destructive quirks, we can't take any chances. The kid may not mean to, but he can do a lot of damage. Even though you're pro heroes, you clearly can't keep a leash on him. Sorry, but I don't think so."
Iiko shook, doing everything in her power not to break down right there. She just needed to be strong for just a little bit longer. Then she could cry all she wanted.
"What if we found someone who could?" Nemuri asked, drawing the white-haired woman's attention. "It must take money to run those homes, and you can't pack all those children into one place." The official only looked confused, unsure where she was going. "If we found a hero who could keep him under control, couldn't he be paid and Akihiro gets to stay with us? The house we share has plenty of space for another person and we could get a few people to help clean some days. He could still live with us, just with a sort of babysitter I guess." She suggested.
The official thought it over. She was correct. Admitting children to a home like that was expensive, especially since it wasn't paid for by the parents of the child. "We'll give you a three-month grace period. And any outside help you hired has to be from us. At least until this trial run is over.
Iiko silently cheered, smiling over at Nemuri who cheerfully smiled back. Outside of the glass door, she could see her son sitting with a tablet, a gold halo above his head.
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"Let me get this straight. You want me to spend my free time babysitting some kid?"
Nemuri sat across from another pro hero, an old classmate of hers. She had asked him to meet at a cafe nearby. Both were in civilian clothing, sipping on hot coffee they had recently ordered. The man was cynical, yes, but his quirk was powerful. He could render any quirk useless, the Erasure Hero: Eraserhead.
"It's not exactly like that." She was lying through her teeth. It was exactly like that. He'd move in, watch Akihiro, and get paid. Whenever he wasn't doing hero work, of course. "He's got a strong quirk and until he gets a real handle on it, we need someone with a quirk like yours to make sure he doesn't go off and level a building."
Aizawa's face didn't show any emotion. He only took another long sip of the coffee he was holding. "No." His answer was simple and he offered no reasoning.
"Please?" Nemuri asked, practically begging. "I've really grown to love Akihiro, I know you will too! He's just struggling right now, trying to figure everything out. He's a sweetheart, he just needs a bit of help. With Iiko's health not being at 100% and my pro heroing, we could use the extra hands!"
Aizawa took another sip. "Still no."
Nemuri took a sip of her own coffee, trying to figure out how to appeal to him. "Rent is free and you get paid for living there?" She offered, not convinced he would care.
"...fine."
***
As much as Aizawa didn't want to admit it, Nemuri was right. He really did grow attached to the kid. He had to follow him out more than once and stop him from losing control of his quirk, but Akihiro really was trying. He just didn't seem to know anything about his own quirk. So, he took it upon himself to train the kid. He was still small, hardly strong enough to pull off Eraserhead's harder moves, but he was improving.
"Iiko just called, she's feeling up for a visit today!" Nemuri said, sitting across from him. Akihiro was up in his room with one of his school friends, Katsuki Bakugou. The two had hit it off when Akihiro transferred and Aizawa and Nemuri weren't about to tell him to stop making friends.
"Really? It's been a while, I know Aki misses her." Aizawa said, no longer paying attention to the TV in front of him.
"She hasn't been doing well, Shota. I'm just glad she's finally up for it." Aizawa nodded. Over time, He had gotten used to the odd function of Iiko's house. Nemuri did most of the cooking and helped with homework when she wasn't working, Aizawa trained Akihiro to the best of his ability and tried his hand at assuming a more fatherly role. Akihiro had accidentally called him dad more than once. And to his surprise, he didn't hate it.
Usually, Iiko would take on the more boring roles in the house. Cleaning and doing her best to assist Midnight and Eraserhead from the sidelines. But in recent months, the woman was at the hospital. Her two friends were aware that it wasn't looking good and more often than not she wasn't up for any visiting.
"Aki's just wrapped his head around Hisako's death, how are we going to explain this?" Aizawa asked.
The question elicited a gasp from Nemuri. "Shota! We can't think that way. Iiko will be fine, she's got a healing quirk after all!" Nemuri did her best to look on the bright side, but she was asking herself the same questions. Aki couldn't handle this, not emotionally.
"You know I'm right. He never knew Hisako, but he struggled so much with his death that you guys brought me in. He knows Iiko. He loves her more than anything. You think he can handle that type of thing?"
Nemuri was silent for a minute. "No, I don't think he can."
***
Akihiro was now much more grown. Kayama and Aizawa were surprised to see him evolve into a funny, kind human being. Though he could be quite blunt and tended to anger some people, he still aspired to be a pro hero.
After Iiko's death, he wanted to prove himself. Show the world he was worthy to be the son of a strong pro hero and that being the son of the villain didn't matter. Aizawa and Kayama commended him for this, and when the time came, both recommended him for UA despite the boy's protest.
"Eh?! You recommended me?!" He asked, surprised at his guardian's words.
"Why of course we did!" Nemuri said, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together. "You've been trained by pro heroes since you were a foot tall, your the son of Japan's former #2 hero and you've got a quirk that could give All Might a run for his money!" She said cheerfully. Akihiro rolled his eyes at the woman's exaggeration.
"Really, kid. You deserve that spot." Aizawa said, sipping on an iced coffee.
"So I'm actually going to UA?! I'll get to be a real pro hero, like mom?" Akihiro asked, still in shock at the new revelation.
"Well, you've got to pass recommended tests, but we've got faith in you!" Nemuri said, smiling.
"Yeah, you'll kick ass," Aizawa said, taking another sip of his coffee. He choked on it when Nemuri jammed her elbow into his side, silently telling him to stop cursing.
Akihiro nodded. "Yeah! I'll be a great hero, just like Angel!" He said, smiling at the memory of his mother.
His guardians smiled at each other, though Aizawa's was more of a slight smirk.
The boy had already run off to the house's gym, training himself for his upcoming exams. It would be a tough eight months, but he'd be sitting in class 1-A, ready to be the best pro hero he can be.