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Izuku hadn't spoke about the things that happened that night. It was weird. Right? Of course it was weird. He had never heard of anyone his age needing a pacifier. Or sleeping with their not really parents. It was so weird, and he wanted to pretend that it had never happened.
It didn't matter that he had slept so well. It didn't matter that was the safest he had felt since he had started at UA, being snuggled into Aizawa's chest. After all, it was just a weird thing to have had happen. If he didn't talk about it, no one would have to know that it happened. And if no one knew that it happened, he'd never have to answer any questions.
It didn't matter if he still thought about that pacifier, and the comforting weight it had been against his tongue. It didn't matter if he still thought about being in their bed, with Aizawa holding him so close, so tightly. Like he was the safest person in the universe in that moment.
Izuku thought it was silly for him to even really be afraid of anything. After all, he did have the power of One for All, and that made him ridiculously powered. Even if someone did come in and snatch him, he could blow himself and them up. Problem solved! Ideally, he'd want to survive, but he knew that beggars couldn't be choosers.
“I made katsudon!” Yamada announced as he dished up the meal. Izuku gave him a warm smile. At least no one was trying to offer him a baby bottle or anything. He had been apprehensive about coming for another dinner and movie night with the two of them. He'd even tried to come up with a few excuses! But the raised eyebrow that Aizawa gave him let him know that wasn't an option.
“Thanks so much!” Izuku enthused, eating happily. He missed the look the married couple gave one another. They ate, and the adults talked of work. He didn't need to participate in the conversation, instead he could just let it drone around him and worry about nothing at all. He'd gotten all his homework done and everything.
They went to sit in the living room. Izuku was surprised when a documentary or action movie wasn't put on. Instead, it was an animated film. He looked confused to his guardians. They said nothing. Well, he reasoned, maybe one of them was an animation fan.
He sat on the couch and got sucked into the story of the boy with his brother's robot. His head rested on his hand, his elbow on the arm of the couch. He didn't realize he was picking thoughtfully at his lip until he felt something being pressed to his mouth.
Izuku accepted it and sucked a few times before seeming to jolt out of the dreamy, fuzzy space that had fallen over him. He looked down and screamed at the pacifier in his mouth. He spat it out into his hand and looked with shock over at Aizawa who was sitting next to him.
“We told you that it's not okay to have fingers in your mouth. I don't want you to pick at your lips either. You could hurt yourself.”
“I don't need a pacifier! That's for babies, and I am not a baby.” he knew that he was turning bright red.
“You enjoyed it last time.” Yamada frowned, looking confused.
“Well, that doesn't mean that I will now, or ever again. I'm not a baby, so please don't treat me like one.”
“Okay,” Aizawa shrugged. “We only wanted to make you comfortable, Midoriya. Hizashi and I can tell that you're stressed out. And the things we did that night really made a difference. And we don't have a problem doing them with you.”
“I don't want them.” he insisted. He felt like he was being backed against a wall, even though neither man had made any movement towards or seemed anything other than confused. Aizawa looked him up and down and peered closer at his eyes.
“How have you been sleeping, Midoriya?”
“I've slept.” he argued.
“That wasn't my question.” silence stretched between the two of them. “You need to answer an adult when they has you a question. That's one of the rules here.” he said in a firm, but kind tone. It was enough to make Midoriya feel kind of fuzzy in his head for some reason.
“I haven't slept great.” he admitted. “But it isn't like last time.”
“No?” Aizawa hummed. Izuku wanted to shrink in on himself. Even though his guardian wasn't being meal or anything, there was just something about this whole thing that made him feel intimidated.
“Then what do you think would help?”
“Nothing!” he threw his hands in the air. “I don't need anything, I promise. Everything is fine. Can we please just finish the movie.”
“Of course.” Aizawa turned back to the screen. He hit play again. Izuku focused on the movie, and once again didn't seem to realize when his fingers were heading for his mouth. The pacifier was slipped into his mouth again. He let out a frustrated huff and glared. Instead of saying anything, Aizawa just wrapped the blanket that he had been draped over his lap over his student.
“That's more comfortable, isn't it?”
He couldn't pretend that it wasn't comfortable. He moved to remove the pacifier again, but a big finger came and pressed the little button on it, the shield tight against his lips. He almost went cross eyed looking at the finger. Big green accusatory eyes landed on Aizawa.
“I know, I'm a monster for wanting you to be comfortable and not hurt yourself. Come here, Problem Child.”
He didn't really give Izuku the chance to move on his own. He was scooped up and plopped onto Aizawa's lap. His back was against his guardian's chest. A warm arm wrapped around his waist, and he felt like they were rocking just a little bit, side to side. He huffed again, willing himself to stay stiff.
“Just until the rest of the movie. And then, you can go back to your dorm, and we'll pretend the whole thing never happened.” Yamada bargained. Izuku barely contained an eye roll and seemed to surrender. He relaxed against Aizawa, who rubbed at his stomach absently with one hand. The other one slipped up and began to tap gently at the pacifier. They had read that the vibrations could help soothe a cranky baby.
There it was, Yamada thought, seeing that glossy, dreamy quality fall over Izuku. He was falling into that headspace. He wondered if it was cruel to do to him, when he seemed so resistant. Then again, if he really didn't want to do this, he knew that he could get up and leave. No one was holding him hostage.
The movie was three quarters of the way done, and Izuku was putty in Aizawa's hands. He let himself be manipulated so that he was sitting across his lap his head against his guardian's chest, ear right over his heartbeat. He was breathing so gently and steadily, and his eyes would close for more than a blink.
The spouses caught each other's glances and smiled at one another, the same type of knowing smile that one parent gives another. When the movie was over, he was carrying Izuku again, and this time he didn't even try to put him in the guest bedroom. Instead, he tucked him into bed between the two of them. It wouldn't be so easy for him to scamper away in the morning before they could have a conversation about all of it.
Yamada was thrilled. He wound his arms around the baby, pulling him tightly against him. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled, seeming to relax. Shouta realized that he was just as thrilled to have the baby with them. This really warranted a serious conversation.
***
“Not so fast, kiddo.” just as Izuku thought he had slipped down to the bottom of the bed and could jump off the foot, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. He squeaked and realized that it was Aizawa. His thumb was rubbing the back of his hand soothingly.
“We're not going anywhere until we talk.”
“I don't want to.”
“I know. It wasn't a request, honey. Come up here.” he patted the space that Izuku had previously occupied. The boy had woken up hearing Hizashi snoring and laid still as possible for awhile to gauge if both adults were deeply asleep. Shouta had been awake, but when he felt Izuku moving, he wondered what he'd do and played 'possum.
“Do you need your paci?”
“I am not a baby!” he hissed. “I don't need that.” if looks could kill, Shouta would been heading for the grave. It was lucky that he was so used to dealing with snarky teenagers, as all he gave his ward was an unimpressed look.
“He was just offering.” a sleepy voice said from behind him. “There's no reason to get so worked up.” Izuku nearly flew off the bed, having been started by the blond man. Said man let one of his hands go to Izuku's bath and rub while the teen crossed his arms and looked down at the blanket.
“I'm not a baby.” he repeated. “And even if you're okay with treating me like one, I'm not okay with being treated like one.”
“Why not?” this was genuine curiosity, not Aizawa trying to pick his arguments apart.
“Because it's weird. Heroes aren't babies.” he mumbled.
“It isn't weird. Everyone needs something that helps them process all the things that happen to them, especially in this life.” Hizashi shook his head. “If it helps you and it doesn't hurt you, or anyone else, then it isn't weird.”
“Well how many teenagers do you know that use pacifiers?” he demanded. He wondered where it had gone if it wasn't in his mouth this morning. That was where it had been last night, right? He felt so strange about the whole thing, it was hard for him to know what had and had not happened really.
“I'm sure I've known some, but they wouldn't say such a thing out loud.”
“It's not something a hero would do.” Izuku shook his head. “I appreciate that you think you're helping me. I don't think that's the kind of help that I need.” and if they kept trying, he was likely to either need a lawyer for murdering his guardians, or a psychiatrist when he for real had some kind of episode. He was surprised they hadn't called one for him already.
“Izuku, how much use do you think you'd be as a hero if you had nervous breakdowns on missions?” Shouta asked.
“Probably not much.” he admitted. The thought had crossed his mind. He knew that UA was notoriously difficult because the purpose was to train them to be heroes. And that was nothing but drama and rigor. If you couldn't hack it in high school, then you had no business being out there trying to help people. That was only going to get someone killed, and it might not even be you. It would more likely be an innocent civilian.
“Right. It doesn't matter what makes you feel better, as long as it's as Hizashi said. If it helps you, and it isn't hurting you or anyone else, then its fine. And it is nobody's business but yours.” Aizawa ran his hand through his hair. The kid seemed to melt under his touch, lean towards him.
“You're still tired aren't you, sweetheart?”
“Maybe,” he mumbled.
“Come here,” he opened his arms. Izuku crawled into them tentatively. The pacifer was somehow magiced out of the air by Hizashi. How the hell did they manage to do that? It was pressed to his mouth again, and both of the adults wanted to coo at the blush that rose on the boy's cheeks.
“Close your eyes and rest.”
“Sure, Dad.” Izuku snorted, words slurred by the pacifier. Aizawa rolled his eyes. He could be a little shit even when he was in his headspace. Hilarious, he thought, just what he needed. Someone else that would give him lip all the time.
“Please, he'd be a mean Daddt.” Hizashi laughed.
“If you both don't be quiet, then I'll show you what a mean daddy really is.” he warned. “Go back to sleep, it's early.”