Chapter Text
Tired.
Izuku was so goddamn tired.
Exhaustion had settled into his bones, the air didn’t seem to reach his lungs fully anymore and his shoulder where his friend bully Kacchan Bakugou had burned him felt as if someone had poured acid on it.
On top of his body screaming at him, his mind didn’t stop repeating the words his favourite hero had told him after the entire sludge villain fiasco.
Earlier, Izuku had taken the stairs down to look at what caused the massive fire and explosions. He hadn’t thought twice jumping in to help his former childhood friend. His body reacted, without his explicit consent. Through some kind of miracle, and Katsukis help, he managed to free the other from the villain's grasp.
Just for AllMight to show up, defeat the villain easily and lecture Izuku on National Television. Not even the other Heroes or Police Officers at the scene dared to scold him, thinking that this was punishment enough. AllMight rarely lost his cool, but he was known for having a “stern talk” with civilians endangering themself. It didn’t feel good to be at the receiving end of that.
He didn’t think much after that, on his way back up the stairs AllMight had left him the first time, to sit on the ledge and wait. For what he waited? He didn’t really know. Soon twilight came and Musutafu, the City he was born in, lost in, loved in, lived in, cried and suffered in, was bathed in red light.
Night was his favorite time.
How could it not be?
Everything was so much slower, and so much more intense at the same time.
The bright moon light,
reaching for the poor and unfortunate,
the people living in pain and suffering.
People that understood, didn't care either but at least they knew. He thought about a young sidekick, and his grumpy older hero partner fondly.
Would they miss him if he just up… and left? Would they care if he’d never come back? Or would they think he just went back to school and nothing happened at all? Should he write a note for them?
Izuku didn’t know.
While he remembered past nights, fights, rooftop meetings and coffee, a small smile appeared on his lips. Maybe they wouldn’t care if they found out? They weren’t
AllMight
like everyone else. Eraser fought practically quirkless anyways? And his
Sidekick
, patroul partner Zero relied heavily on hand to hand combat and support items.
Why don’t you take a swan dive off the schoolroof and pray for a quirk in your next life?
Izuku violently shook his head, nearly losing his meager balance on the ledge. “fuck off, go away” he said nearly whimpering and pressing both hand onto his ears. Give up your dreams boy, you’re always a liability, a burden to others. a scream was stuck in his throat, he fell off the ledge, backwards onto the roof scrambling for the earbuds somewhere just to drown out the voices. I am so sorry Iz HEY BROTHER, THERE IS AN ENDLESS ROAD Izuku took a shaky breath, tears streaming over his face. While crying he started to cough violently. It. Just. Didn’t. Stop.
Over all the coughing, dry heaving and sludge spilling from his mouth he didn’t hear the first set of nearly silent thumbs landing on the rooftop. What he registered were the hands on his back. With watery eyes and blurry vision he managed to make out the color scheme or Zero. White/Bluish hair, red eyes and black clothes with lightly glowing blue stripes. “Void, Pipsqueak, can you hear me?”
AND OH IF THE SKY COMES FALLING DOWN FOR YOU
blasted from his earbuds, one of them fell out onto the gravel of the roof.
Izuku tried to nodd, not knowing if the man could even register it. The pain in his chest that had started so suddenly was overbearing and the sludge seemed endless. “Eraser, I need an ambulance here.” The voice of the young hero was full of worry. They had been looking for their small patroul partner earlier than they usually would. Watching him this afternoon, and later in the evening news being chewed out by the number one, didn’t bode well with either of them. “It’s all right, everything will be alright.”
Izuku shook his head, it wouldn’t be, it would never be all right again. Nothing had been since his fourth birthday. But at least the violent coughing stopped. Falling onto his side, beside the pile of bile and sludge, he didn’t feel any better though. THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS WORLD I WOULDN’T DO
Izuku didn’t care as another set of footsteps entered the roof. “I called the ambulance, ETA in 5.” The older underground hero knelt beside the Teen “can you talk to us kid?” he asked but Izuku simply shook his head for a no. His throat felt as if it was on fire, his lungs didn't feel better, neither did the aches and small pain on the rest of his body. “Can I pick you up and bring you down?” The hero asked again and relaxed a little bit at the shaky nod he got from the small teen.
All while Zero gathered the Teens' belongings, he watched his mentor pick the Kid up and it hurt to watch. Somehow the teens shoulder was burned, at least second degree. That compared with the other injuries and scrabs he knew the kid had to have after all the patrolls?
At that moment, Tenko Shimuro promised himself he'd look after that kid, and no one, no parent, guardian or bully would ever lay hands on him ever again.
—--------
Tenko was nervous, they had given Void to the ambulance and while Eraser as leading hero finished their nightshift, he himself drove with them to the hospital. Where everything slowed to a complete stop, at least for him.
He might be a Hero, but that didn’t mean he got more access to unrelated patients than any civilian would. Understandable, but annoying. that however, brought him to call a certain detective at one in the morning. “Tsukauchi…” the very tired voice answered. “Hey Detective, it’s me,c Zero.” he could hear a sigh at the other end of the line and rustling of blankets. “What happened and why do you call me at… ONE in the morning? You owe me so much coffee, kid.” The young man laughed nervously “I’ll pay up, don't worry. Remember that Kid from the news today? the one AllMight yelled at?”
There was silence on the other end of the line that stretched to an uncomfortable degree. “I hope you do, if not… I found him on a rooftop, coughing up sludge from that villain AllMight captured.” more silence followed and the youngest shimura started to wonder if the detective had fallen asleep again as suddenly “Toshinori you Moron! God dammit. I’ll be there, what hospital?” Now he could hear how things were thrown around and more rustling of fabric. “Musutafu General Hospital. There is another thing Detective, the Kid wasn’t wearing any shoes, they stood neatly at the ledge.” a sudden yelp was heard on the other line, not from the detective though “Fuck.” was all he got before the line disconnected.
ZeroToHero: Does Tsukauchi have a wife or smth?
Tired: Husband
ZeroToHero: Oh, I think I woke him up too. Damn.
Tired: He had worse. How’s the kid?
ZeroToHero: Don’t know. They’re not telling me anything.
Tired: Right, you don’t have the emergency forster licence yet. I’ll be there
in 15. Then we’ll find out.
ZeroToHero: What does one thing have to do with the other?
Tired: HJKjlwfaqäf
Tired: I’ll tell you when I’m not running, I nearly dropped my phone between two buildings.
ZeroToHero: NO TEXTING AND RUNNING!!!!!! -.-
Tenko walked up and down in the waiting room, for a long 15 minutes. He had known from the start that they needed to help Void more than just the occasional bento box and coffee, he could feel it deep inside. He had known and ignored the feeling, something he regretted deeply now. “Zero, we can go to the kid now.” Eraser was standing in the doorframe, looking tired and other people could mistake his expression for boredom but Tenko knew better, the worry in his Mentor's eyes was clear as day to him.
“So why exactly are we allowed to know more?” Tenko asked, irritated, was his mentor just that much more of a bastard that they didn’t even try denying him entry? “Easy. I took Emergency Custody over the kid, same as I did with you back then. Which I can only do, as long as his parent’s or guardians aren’t notified or found.” The young Shimura massaged his temples while he followed the other hero. “I'm starting to understand why you recommend it to all your Students now.”
Together they walked into the kids room. He was hooked up to an oxygen tank and looked as if he was sleeping. A nurse stood beside him and checked some vital signs but looked up as they came in. “Is one of you his guardian?” The black haired man nodded “I am. Under the Emergency Fostering Law.” She nodded, accepting the answer. “Do you know the kids' names by any chance? We dubbed him Yamada Taro until we knew more but if…” she stopped speaking as both men shook their heads.
“I see. Well, I will go and get the Doctor then to tell you more about young Yamada.” She left the room with a few fast steps and both made themselves comfortable in the -very uncomfortable- chairs beside the bed. “Those things are just as uncomfortable as last time.” The grumpy underground hero already bemoaned his sleep. He didn’t get any of those the last time around. With a certain glee in his eyes he looked at Tenko. “At least this time, I am not suffering alone.” The young man snorted “you’re a mean man eraser.” he replied jokingly and both fell into comfortable silence.
A nok on the door let both of them look up simultaneously, a doctor entered shortly after the patient room and smiled warmly. “Hello I am Doctor Yamamoto, I took care of young Yamada after he was admitted to the ER.” Another knock on the door and Detectiv Tsukauchi followed by a skeletal looking man entered. “A we found it.” Tsukauchi bowed slightly, “I am Tsukauchi Naomasa and this is Yagi Toshinori, he is All Might's secretary and asked to join me worried about the young boy.” Yagi bowed slightly after the introduction.
—------
Several hours later, Izuku stirred. He awoke slowly and with a sluggish mind. He opened his eyes, irritated to see a clean white drop ceiling instead of the mold ridden leaking wooden beams of the attic he usually passed out in. Looking around, he spotted not one but both of his heroes. Eraser had fallen asleep on a chair, Zeroes head on his shoulder, asleep as well. He smiled, for a second until last night came crashing down on him. Kacchan, Sludge Villain, All Might, Explosions, Sludge Villain, Kacchan, All Might, and the rooftop. And his two heros, finding him. His attempt No, no, no, no. He didn’t do it, he blended the voices out just like he always did. He couldn’t breath, again.
How did all these things repeat and repeat and just go on? “Kid” a hand on his shoulder ripped him from his memories, but breathing was still hard, why was it so hard? It shouldn’t be that hard… but he couldn't. “No it shouldn't, try taking one deep breath, just one.” one breath? He could do that, couldn't he? He took one deep breath, his lungs filled. “Good. Can you release it?” Izuku nodded shakily, letting the air out and taking another breath until his body's automatic breathing took over again. “Great job, Void.”
Izuku frowned. “how?” he asked with a raspy and unfamiliar voice. “We know it’s you pipsqueak?” asked the younger man on his chair while Eraser slowly sat down again and the small kid nodded. “It’s the hair, and your vigilante gear was in your back. Before you get upset, we were looking for an ID to notify your parents.” Zero explained, all while Izuku let out a deep sigh. “Dad’s gone. Mom’s…” probably at this hospital right now. "Gone too.” Izuku looked away, they probably called social services, I need to get out of here.
"Kidd." Izuku looked up again. “I took emergency custody over you, when your parents are gone or abusive you are not going anywhere, but to me. You can stay as long as you wish.” Tears welled up in his eyes. This is a joke, a sick joke. “No Joke pipsqueak, he did that for me too. We’re here to help you, please let us help you.” had he talked out loud again? “Why… why would you, you don’t even know me?” he asked, stuttering. Zero smiled, Eraser looked not nearly as grumpy as usual.
“We want to help you, because we can. Because we like you. Because we care about you.” answered the blue haired man. “Shure we don’t know much about you, but we know you have a good heart, always looking out for other people, being in their corner. It’s time someone finally stands in yours, don’t you think?”
Izuku nearly jumped from the bed, to the shock of both pro heroes, until he wrapped his arms around both of them, and truly started crying.