Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Izuku

"I know how you feel about things like this Izuku, but…"

"Don't say it. Don't. I don't want to hear it!"

"Izuku, you aren't Quirkless."

…..

No. Nonono. They can't have a Quirk. He's Quirkless.

That label has been their entire life, and he finally accepted it.

What right did anyone have to disrupt that? He was happy. He was accepted. He was a Quirked individual, apparently. Tsukauchi couldn't lie. Not without causing himself immense pain. Something most people try to avoid.

Telepathy… not the worst power. But Izuku is suddenly wrestling with the knowledge that he had been hearing conversations he shouldn't have heard for years, and he didn't notice.

How many of them were things people said to him, and how many of them were thoughts? How many times did Izuku unknowingly expose someone because he couldn't tell the difference.

He couldn't keep running away forever. There would come a time that they'd have to accept that sometimes things changed, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He didn't want a Quirk, but it's plausible that he had one, "Can I go now?"

"We still need to talk about what you did to All Might, so–"

"Please? I'm sorry. I will talk to you about it later. But I want to be alone right now." Izuku pleaded, looking at his dad, and his uncle worriedly. They wanted to be alone. They needed to process this Quirk.

"Go on, Izuku. We'll talk about it later," his dad excused him. Tsukauchi elbowed him, and pointed at Izuku, but they just wanted to leave. As soon as the door clicked shut, they heard his dad, and their uncle arguing about him.

"You just let him go."

"They asked for some time alone. We dropped a huge bomb on them today."

"They shot someone, Shouta. He needed to be held accountable!"

"He will. But right now he's not focused on listening to us. I'll talk to him later. And it's not like it was a real bullet. All Might said he hated Izuku, my kid felt threatened, and reacted."

"Shouta, you know as well as I that there are limits to what you can let him do. You enable way too much misbehavior. It counts as neglect, you know. Not stopping indecency."

"With all due respect, you're not the parent here. We need to give him a second."

"Whatever. I'll talk to you later," 

And the door opened. Tsukauchi stepped out of the room, and walked away. Izuku hoped there would have been some kind of greeting, but all they got was a slight side-eye, and his uncle's back as he stormed away.

Moments later, his dad walked out of the room, and joined Izuku, "Still want to be alone?"

Izuku nodded. He didn't want to talk either, so he wrapped his arms around his dad, and gave him a quick hug, and a silent 'thank you', and then he was walking down the opposite hall. 

Was their Quirk a speculation made by several people, or just their dad? Did Katsuki and Shoto know? Did Eri?

Judging by Class 1-A's homeroom teacher being in the teacher's lounge right now, and a glance at the clock reading just after lunch, 1-A was doing a study period. Maybe if Izuku asked nicely, he could help Hitoshi with his homework later, and steal his attention right now. 

He trudged down the hallways towards Class 1-A's homeroom, feeling his situation settling like a bird at its nest on his shoulders, unwanted. He didn't want this Quirk. If they could have lived in blissful ignorance, never learning why he was able to somehow know how everyone was feeling, he would be happy. His uncle wouldn't be mad. His dad wouldn't have argued with his uncle. They wouldn't all be feeling this rolling, endless turmoil. 

Tsukauchi has been mad at him before. This would be fine. 

They flopped at their desk, sighing heavily. Maybe sleep would be nice. Most everyone paid Izuku little to no attention, but he could feel the disheartened and worried stares of his brothers, and boyfriend. He let out a soft breath when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and heard Hitoshi's chair move slightly forward. Soon, he was asleep, and he was plagued by nonsensical dreams about the what-if.

"That's a funny thought," Izuku chimed, smiling at his family.

It was an easy day. Everyone had positive thoughts. Izuku would know.

"Hello!" A knock sounded at the door, and an achingly familiar voice called out for an answer. It was feminine, full of emotion, and pleasant benevolence. 

Izuku's dad walked easily to the door, putting his pencil behind his ears like he did whenever someone interrupted his work, however accidentally.

Izuku and their siblings stayed back on the couch. Everyone was over, filling the house with rambunctious assembly. Even Hawks was there.

"Izuku," the fair-spoken voice from just beyond the door called to him. Again, the pleasantry of the speaking filled Izuku with an aureate warmth that reminded him of a sunny gnoll of blooming flowers. He could not read this mystery person's thoughts like he could most people, but that was alright, because their face gave Izuku all the impression he required.

They were his mother, back from the dead. She was dressed warmly, in a sweater and jeans, and she was smiling. Izuku rushed to give her a hug, determined to get as much affection from the woman as possible, because when she died he felt like he was drowning. The only dry land having been swallowed by the tides of his grief, his anger, his unwillingness to accept help.

Now everything was perfect. They had their boyfriend, their siblings, their parents. All three of them. He even had a Quirk. Everything was perfect.

What he wouldn't give to live in that moment forever…

"Izuku…" a compelling, pleasant, concerned voice gently tugged Izuku from their dream. Lavender's hand was on his shoulder, moving Izuku's sleep-heavy body back and forth in an attempt to resurrect him from his slumber, "Izuku, wake up…"

"I'm… awake.." he mumbled in reply. It couldn't have been a dream. But at the same time, it couldn't have been real. Izuku was happy. His mother was back. His Quirk existed, and Izuku didn't hate it. Everything had been perfect.

"Are you sure?" His boyfriend teased, "you look like you're about to put the other foot in the grave."

"I'm fine," he sighed. Fuck this situation. He can't even fake happiness right now.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lavender asked, face scrunched in real concern, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"More like read the ghosts' thoughts," he sneered at his Quirk, "I'll tell you later. Don't worry about me." 

"I'll worry anyways," he replied, smirking.

"I know, Lavender."

"Ever going to drop that name?" His charming boyfriend asked, voice leveled with careful annoyance.

"Nope," he laughed, "Now why did you wake me up?"

Izuku noted that the classroom was now empty. Not a soul, besides Izuku and Hitoshi, and the hallways held not a single whisper of thoughts or conversation. 

"School's out. The class is all gone. Shoto went to hang out with that support course student, and Katsuki went on his cute little walk with Eijiro. Your dad is in the teacher's office. He came by to check for you, but I told him I'd wait with you," Hitoshi explained, "I was going to let you sleep a little longer, but my mum called me, and asked me to rush home. So, you should go see your dad."

"Okay," Izuku acknowledged, hearing Hitoshi keep going, though his mouth wasn't moving anymore. Whoa… was this really telepathy? He heard Hitoshi mumble about Izuku. Some of it wasn't distinctive, but some of it was.

Izuku hopped up from their desk, stretching his arms, and feeling their back ache with the tension of his nap. Hitoshi also left his seat, picking up his packed back, and his phone.

"You want me to drop you off with your dad?" Hitoshi asked distractedly, putting his bag on his shoulder, and his earbuds around his neck.

Izuku held his hand, and pecked him on the lips, "Nah I got it. You head home."

"Okay, if that's what you'd like," Hitoshi stammered, blushing from the half-kiss. It was a full kiss, but not really.

"I love you too," Izuku smiled, stretching one last time, and waving to Hitoshi, "Thank you for waiting with me. Sorry I took so long."

"No problem," Hitoshi replied wistfully, still reeling from the kiss, it seems.

Izuku thought about it on the way to the teacher's office. It hadn't even been their first kiss. Far from it. They kissed a lot. Why was this one so different?

He knocked on the office door, just to be polite, after what happened this morning, but no one was in there.

So Izuku would wait with the car, then. They walked through the halls, footsteps echoing ominously on the floors. It was so creepy in the school after hours. Izuku finds it hard to believe that his dad used to spend hours here, before Izuku came along, just to avoid going home. It was an escape. 

He caught his dad walking out of the school, on his phone, texting someone.

Suddenly, Izuku's phone vibrated with a message.

::First-Middle Child is Online:: 

Parental Guardian:

Hey zu

I'm going to wait in the car

Meet me out here, and we can go home

Okay?

First-Middle Child:

Five steps behind you

Pay attention

I'm walking behind you

<33333

::First-Middle Child is Offline::

His dad turned around, double taking in surprise when Izuku was right there. He motioned for Izuku to catch up to him, ruffling Izuku's hair when he did. He and his dad were on their own. Aunt Nemuri took Eri to get ice cream, and home after that. Izuku remembered that she had a track record for taking the Aizawa kids off campus to do city activities on Mondays. At least this time his dad was aware of it, unlike with him that year and a half ago.

Soon they were in the car, on the way back home. Today, unlike other days, was super awkward. Izuku did not like the energy in the car. Every sound was either another nail in the coffin, or was sweet relief. A phone call was the former. His dad's phone rang with a tone not unfamiliar. The display screen showed Tsukauchi, and his dad sighed. 

And declined the call. He sent Tsukauchi to voice-mail. Shit. They were pissed at each other, then.

"I'm sorry for driving a wedge between you and Tsukauchi," he apologized, hoping the conversation wouldn't go sideways.

"You didn't. This is happening because he and I have conflicting opinions on how the situation will be furthered. We do need to speak of consequences for doing what you did, but that can wait until everything has settled. All I know is that you shouldn't worry about it too much, and you're not getting the gun back for a while."

"That's fair," Izuku hummed, sheepish, "I'm sorry anyways."

"Well, I'm sorry for having you go to the teacher's office, but I was already gone."

"Why did that happen? It was weird more than anything," Izuku asked. 

"Well, Nezu is bringing in a whole bunch of teachers from Shiketsu, and Kestubutsu for a meeting, and I really really don't want to speak to Joke today."

Izuku never understood their conflict. Was it a sidekick situation? High school drama? Teacher's feud? School rivalry? It was confusing, so they asked.

"Well, she's a really touchy and personal individual. I don't presently want to deal with Joke's marriage proposals, and hand-holding."

"That sounds like harassment."

"It's similar. She doesn't mean anything by it."

"You were speed walking out of the school to avoid speaking to her. You forgot to inform me of the location change until you were almost out of the school because she doesn't mean anything by it ," Izuku pointed out, "I'm just saying it sounds like an excuse, not a reason. You're uncomfortable with it. Have you asked her to stop?"

"Yes," he replied, tightly gripping the steering wheel, "It happens whenever I see her, and my rejections don't phase her, so I just leave it be."

"Dad. That's harassment."

"Either way, I avoid it," he shrugged, "No big deal. It's easy to avoid her."

Izuku sneered, "I wish you wouldn't have to. Anyways. Umm. Quirk?"

"Yep, Quirk. Probably. Like we said, there's a possibility. Don't freak out, it might not be true."

"No, it is," Izuku said, fiddling with their fingers anxiously, "I wasn't aware of it before, but it's definitely there. It's weird, knowing that I'm reading people's thoughts, instead of just having really good hearing. How often do you notice things like that?"

"I usually catch onto something else when you say things completely out of context," he explained, "Sometimes there'll be a lull in a conversation, and you'll start talking again like we never stopped. You always treat it as totally normal, so I assume your siblings just think it's something you do."

"What about you, though? What did you assume it was? Why didn't you ask?"

"Around the time I noticed it, you and I were still kind of… in the learning stage. It wasn't the right time to ask you about a weird thing you do, because it would have had adverse effects on future conversations with me. And by the time we got to the point where I could easily bring it up, we all had a lot on our plates, especially these past few months, with Katsuki, Shoto, and Eri joining the family. Besides, it never mattered enough to bring it up, because it wasn't hurting anyone."

Izuku decided to sit and think about that for a minute. Some of it made sense, but some of it didn't. Izuku was aware that there was a, quote, "learning stage" to his and his dad's relationship, but he wasn't aware that his dad didn't think he could bring up issues like this. Another thing they were confused about was why they cared to begin with. They've already said that they'd rather have lived in the shadows of this stupid power.

He couldn't even have a useful Quirk? No, they were stuck with this one.

"You have time to figure it all out, and now that you're aware of it, ultimately, I think you're better off."

Izuku doubted that.

"You wanna see a Quirk counselor?" His dad asked, seemingly noting Izuku's silence as skepticism.

He hummed, weighing his options, "Can I have a bit of time to think about it?"

"Of course," his dad smiled, "You have all the time in the world."

Shouta

He awoke the next morning with a headache, spiraling thoughts, and not once a thought of peace as he heard three of his kids screeching just beyond his door. He dragged himself out of bed, trying to get dressed as quickly as possible as the slight Quirk withdrawal messed with his head.

Now that he wasn't a hero, there was really no need to use his Quirk so much. He still had dry-eye, but he didn't need to technically overdose on the eyedropper to stave off the feeling. What else came with the lack of Quirk energy is tangled hair, for some reason, and migraines semi-regularly. It was a bitch to deal with, but it was always easier to manage in the morning. 

Eri, Izuku, and Katsuki were all being super rambunctious and vibrant, despite it being way too early. Shouta was a morning person, he really was, but being that peppy this early was bullshit. Maybe that was his headache talking. 

Izuku was already dressed. One of the perks of having a child most similar to himself was that he copied some of those habits. Like dressing as soon as they wake. Super convenient, because Izuku was a stubborn little asshole in the mornings, most of the time, and getting him to get dressed otherwise would make a busy morning worse.

He sent Katsuki upstairs to get dressed, and wake Shoto, while Eri chilled out, and sat in her seat at the table.

Izuku vibrated, like he wanted to either blow up the world, or roll in a pile of dirt to take the edge off his endless energy. 

Shouta was suddenly reminded of a conversation he had with Hound Dog during yesterday's extensively stressful afternoon.

"Aizawa," Hound Dog greeted upon his arrival at the office, "will you tag along to Izuku's appointment today?"

"Sure, I can do that," he replied, "Tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you. Don't worry, it's nothing serious."

"With Izuku, it could be anything. I'll check my schedule, and make room for this."

Another thing to do. It wasn't so bad.

Shouta got out the ingredients for a simple breakfast, hoping his other two kids were doing what they needed to while they were out of his line of sight.

"Izuku, remember you have therapy today," Shouta reminded his kid, taking a deep breath to figure out his workload.

"Okay, thanks for reminding me, mom." Izuku replied on instinct, trying to put little braids in Eri's hair. Shouta had to fix that. 

Then it all stopped. Eri stopped, Izuku stopped, Shouta stopped. Izuku called him Mom.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" He exclaimed, suddenly at Shouta's side, "See, I wasn't thinking, and normally I'd say dad, and you don't like feminine terms, I'm so sorry–!"

"Izuku, it's okay," Shouta smiled, "It's okay, calm down."

"It's… okay? But you don't… I thought you didn't like feminine terms?"

"Normally I don't," Shouta confirmed, "But there's something special about being called "mom" that isn't inherently feminine. You can keep calling me mom, if you'd like. Occasionally. I still like dad, too."

"O-okay. Okay, thank you. And I'm sorry again. It slipped out."

Shouta wasn't sure he got the concept that he was alright with it, but he supposed it was all in due time. He'd probably have to talk to his other children about it, because seriously "mom" was okay. Which was strange even to him.

Izuku gave him a quick hug, melting into the embrace as tension held fast in his shoulders. Shouta could tell how stressed the kid was, and it was a little worrying, even despite the circumstances.

He called for Katsuki and Shoto to stop slacking and get ready for school as he continued trying to cook, and watch Izuku struggle with Eri's short-clipped hair. 

His list was terrifying, but nothing he couldn't handle. Izuku and the boys knew how to get themselves dressed for school, so all Shouta had to worry about was feeding them. Katsuki would likely try to start some kind of fight over who should have cooked today, but luckily, Shouta knew how to shut him down and avoid the conflict. He was super stressed, as he had been for days.

"Kids, get down here!" He shouted again, finally finished with the food, and ushering Eri to her spot, so Shouta can fix her hair while she ate.

Katsuki and Shoto hurried downstairs, both in their uniforms, but one looking significantly more put-together. Katsuki still didn't wear his tie, and his shirt was crumpled. He was wearing eyeliner, though. Shouta should speak to him about decorum, and priorities, and how he should present himself at the school. Even Izuku wore the uniform, even though he hated it. He wasn't even a hero student. He was just there for shits and giggles.

He had a lot on his plate. Have the kids eat, get the kids to school, teach his classes, socialize with his friends, teach more classes, talk to Hizashi about finally getting his shit into the house, and then therapy. Therapy for Izuku, Eri, and himself. But he's only included because Hound Dog needed to speak with him about Izuku. Maybe about the Quirk, and its effects on Izuku thus far? Eri wouldn't usually have therapy today, but she had been having recurring nightmares about Overhaul, so Shouta thought it best to nip that in the bud.

And that's only the stuff he had to do before or during school hours. When he got home, he had to call his own therapist, call Hizashi again to remind him that he needed to move in soon, clean the house, make sure the kids have all done their chores, go out and get groceries, or just order them for pickup, and finally, take care of himself. Because the stars know that he's not going to remember to eat.

Hizashi would probably tell him to, which he appreciated.

He was ready to be done with today. Tomorrow he probably wouldn't have so much to do. 

As soon as the kiddos were done eating, he had Eri go get dressed really quickly, because she was the only one not ready, now. The teens relocated to their respective rooms, to get their bags. Izuku was oddly protective of his bag, and Shouta's mind flashed to the gun he was currently keeping in a lock box in his room, out of the kid's reach. It had only been a few days, but Izuku was still grappling with what happened, and All Might still wouldn't talk to anyone involved in the situation.

He trusted Izuku not to shoot him again, but Tsukauchi apparently didn't, and told Shouta to keep the weapon out of Izuku's line of sight, and attention span. It was like all trust the detective had in his kid flew away like a bird during the conflict, and now Tsukauchi glared when Izuku was brought up in conversation, so Shouta didn't, anymore.

He was probably upset about how easily Izuku actually shot the guy, and didn't seemingly deal with the emotional turmoil side of it. It was just a thing that happened. Shouta knew his friend wouldn't believe him if he told him, but Izuku obviously suffered the effects. He would know. He helped calm Izuku down from numerous anxiety attacks. 

The detective will tire himself out of his anger eventually, Shouta decided in the car on the way to UA, all four of his kids making some kind of noise. Shoto got shotgun today, and Katsuki and Izuku were in the backseat with Eri and her booster seat. He had a brief thought to begin teaching the teens how to drive, even though it'd take them another two years minimum to actually be able to get their own license legally. 

Maybe he can make Hizashi help him teach this, because the blond was the better driver of the two.

They arrived at UA, and Shouta took a deep breath as he checked off three things from his to-do list, including waking up.

Shouta walked Eri to the teacher's lounge, where she'd have to wait until Hound Dog was ready for her. At least Shouta didn't have to worry about attending that meeting. He didn't need another thing to do.

Hizashi was there, and Nemuri stood by, ready to watch Eri while the two men taught their respective classes. 

"Bye dad!" Eri called, moving her small hand from Shouta's to Nemuri, and waving him off. 

Okay, one less thing to do. Now Shouta had to teach Heroics, maybe lecture some of the older classes on something. Seeing a retired pro might be an incentive to actually work on what they needed to do. Maybe. 

For now, he had to worry about Class 1-A. Again. 

Hizashi walked up to him, giving him a hug from behind, "You alright?"

"Just busy," Shouta replied, leaning into the embrace, "Are you going to come back home with me?"

"No, I need to meet up with my mother. Tell her about us," Hizashi supplied, humming against Shouta's back to sooth him.

"You haven't done that yet?" He asked, confused. He couldn't blame him, Ms Yamada is terrifying. Hizashi's adoptive mother, and rest of the family, would likely pounce on any gossip they could about the situation. And that's why Shouta's glad he didn't have to go. 

"No. I've been putting it off. I told my mother last night, and she demanded I come around and tell her all about it. Wish me luck."

"I'm wishing you lots of luck. It's been a while since you've spoken to her, right?"

"Yeah, tell my story."

"I will," Shouta promised solemnly, "I gotta get to the classroom. Love you."

"Bye, Sho."

Classes became significantly easier after he retired. It was always the easiest challenge in his life, because for that hour at a time, Shouta did not have to worry about anything except making sure the students had a basic grasp of the subject. Except yesterday, but that was pretty much the exception.

His class was basically caught between being even more chaotic than would normally be typical, because Shouta's been getting more sleep, and wanting to make the day as easy as possible, because they could tell he was stressed. Izuku seemed to take it upon themself to stick with the class, to keep out of trouble (to avoid All Might), but that had the downside of distracting his boyfriend from his studies. He was tempted to do a seat swap to prevent further interruption.

After class came lunch. His kids, and his kid's tag-alongs all kept a silent guard on Shouta, ominously standing up and taking a step forward whenever he tried to pull out some kind of work. He really really needed to get everything done, and this was a nuisance at best, "What are you all doing? You have to eat. Shoo."

"Exactly. We have to eat. You know who also has to eat?" Shoto asked, a few desks up from his own.

"Eri? I should go check on her."

"No," Izuku corrected, "Well, yes, but I'm sure Hound Dog and Nemuri have that covered. We're talking about you."

"I'm fine. I'll eat later, go away."

"No."

"Izuku, now isn't the time to be this way. I have things to do." Shouta scolded lightly, pulling out his papers, and watching them take another unanimous step forward, raising an eyebrow as they did.

All of a sudden, Izuku had snatched the papers off his desk, away from him, and Katsuki was handing him lunch, "There. Now we're going. You can have the papers back when you're done."

Shouta glared at all of them, gaze locking on Izuku as the kid very deliberately put his paperwork in his bag, away from Shouta, "No, give me the papers. You all need to go, I need to do that work. I'll take the food, but seriously I have too much to do, I'd rather not delay. I don't want to be busy all day, and keep away from you guys."

Was that guilt tripping? Sure. Doesn't mean it was illegal for Shouta to do so.

Shoto, the most sympathetic, and least stubborn, looked seconds away from caving. Shouta decided to target him specifically. He needed those papers.

"No," Izuku interrupted. Damn, foiled again. Shoto's face was suddenly set again in determination, and Shouta knew his attempts at renegotiation were fruitless, "No, you can have these back later. You can work on emails when you're done. That's another thing you needed to do. I saw your list this morning."

Well shit. Fine. Shouta waved them off, promising to take care of himself while they did, and they all left him alone.

He should work on his manipulation tactics, because that should have worked. Ugh, now his paperwork is gone.

Per his kids' promise, he did get the work back later. Later as in just in time for Izuku's appointment.

It was the end of the day. Shouta still had quite a few things to do, and he wasn't entirely sure he could handle it all. One thing at a time, he waved Katsuki and Kirishima off as they started their walk back home, and Shoto gave him a sarcastic salute as he made his way to the side of the school that hosted the general studies, and Support classes. Shouta's guess is the hero hopeful in the support class was going to hang out with him. And Shoto would walk home, just like he always did nowadays.

"Cheap move, going after Shoto this morning," Izuku pointed out, walking next to him, towards Hound Dog's office.

"Yeah, well, you're kids steal your homework, and one of them is persuadable," Shouta replied, "What am I to do?"

"Accept the inevitable."

"No thanks," Shouta hummed, "Complacency is the kiss of death."

"That's super dark," Izuku pointed out, "Why are you following me?"

"Hound Dog asked that I sit in on the meeting. I don't know why. I guess we'll find out."

"Okay," Izuku decided, "Just know that whatever happens should not reflect on my personality. My behavior there is nothing like my behavior here."

Shouta doubted that.

Soon, they made their way to the counselors office, Hound Dog inviting them in immediately.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Izuku was scampering around the room, and up the shelf with various books and fidget toys. He made himself comfortable at the top of the furniture, not at all worried about the distressed creaking of the wood. Shouta stared after his kid worriedly, watching the child act like a little beast in this room.

Hound Dog, strangely, was not at all affected by the behavior.

Whatever Izuku said about this not being regular behavior obviously wasn't true. He was like this all the time, even at home. Shouta had just never seen the kid this open about it. 

"So, are we ready to begin today's meeting?" Hound Dog addressed Izuku indirectly, not making eye contact.

"Yeah sure. Why's my mom here?"

"Your mom?" Inui addressed professionally.

Izuku gestured vaguely to Shouta, and he drew attention to himself. Inui seemed surprised, but didn't comment on it, "He's here so I can get a new perspective on how you're dealing with things in your life. Are you alright with him asking questions, and answering mine?"

Izuku hummed, legs swaying from the edge of the bookshelf, "Whatever. Just know that technically now I'm better at mind reading than you are. Can't pick apart my brain, now, can you? Now that I can expose you."

This was going to be a long day. Shouta couldn't wait for it to be over.

Hizashi

He took a deep breath, in for four, out for six. Today was the day he returned to his mother's house, and spoke to her in person for the first time in months. First time they spoke over the phone for slightly less time. His mother was bound to be pissed at him, especially since he's dropping the relationship bomb on the whole family, and opening the doors to introducing the family to Shouta's kids. Inevitably, they would want to meet the little demons. Except Eri. She was the only angel. 

He clearly remembered the day the family met Shouta. 

"Don't worry, Aizawa, they'll love you."

"You say, like you're introducing your boyfriend." His black-haired friend huffed nervously.

"Maybe one day," Hizashi replied cheekily.

He opened the door, calling out to his family within the walls his greeting. A chorus of hellos answered his cry. He led Shouta inside, gesturing for him to take off his shoes. 

As soon as the door clicked shut, a horde of brunette and redhead individuals gave him a group hug. The taller ones greeted him as 'little hero' just like always. The younger ones smiled and called him Zashi.

"Make way for Mom," an effortlessly powerful presence appeared from around the corner, patting some of his siblings' cheeks, and giving them side hugs, "Welcome home, kid."

"Hey mom, this is Aizawa."

The redhead turned a scrutinizing gaze on Aizawa, looking him up and down. Did his mother not like his friend? Uh oh. She looked him up and down, picking apart his every feature, and it seemed to be making his best friend uncomfortable. Hizashi was about to interject, call her out for making Aizawa self conscious, but she suddenly brightened.

"Yes, yes," she finally said, "he will do. When's the wedding?"

Aizawa stiffened, and Hizashi blushed, "Mom!"

"What? You're telling me you just brought a friend home, standing like that, all nervous, because he's a friend?"

"Well, yeah." Damn. She was right. He never really brought his friends around his house because he was afraid they would judge his big family, "I mean, he's… yeah."

"Hmm. Yeah come back in like, fifteen years. You'll be singing a different tune with that beautiful voice of yours."

Pfft. Hizashi doubted that.

And now Hizashi was here. Fifteen years later. Singing a different tune. Damn.

He knocked on the door, rocking back on the balls of his feet nervously. Ugh, he knew his mother, and siblings would be supporting, but they were all gossip mongers. And they all held each other to promises. Hizashi was bound to be held to this one until the day he died.

His mother opened the door, red hair turning grey in her age, still with a fierce smile playing in her face, "Hizashi. You don't need to knock."

"It's been a while, mom. Just thought it was polite."

"What's polite is calling more often," his mother pointed out bluntly, opening the door, and letting him inside the age-worn house, "We've all missed you here, little hero."

"I missed you guys too. Where is everyone?"

"Oh, well, the baby is in high school now, and hanging out all on their own. Your older sister is in Mexico, right now."

Oh wow. He missed a lot, "That's still four siblings that you didn't mention. Schools out, where are they?"

"Almost all of them are here, or in the backyard. I left your visit a surprise. You should go say hi."

Hizashi smiled pleasantly, feeling tears of joy, and nostalgia building in his eyes. This would be the first time in months that he's seen them in person, so he took off his shoes, and walked through the house to the backdoor.

The old wood creaked with age, still granting Hizashi passage to the children's haven that is the Yamada Household's backyard. Unlike Shouta's, the whole area was filled with playground toys, and old tires. The kids, ranging from late teens to early childhood, all played happily, swinging from equipment to equipment, never aware of pain or discomfort. He watched them play for a bit, smiling somehow sadly at his family, his cousins and siblings, nieces and nephews. Most of the important people in Hizashi's life, all in one place.

Eventually he took a deep breath, and shouted to them, "Who wants a hug?" 

To this house, his voice was unmistakable. Last he was here, his youngest sister admitted to the family tuning into his radio every night it played.

All the heads turned to him, suddenly screaming in excitement to see him. He braced himself for a huge hug from all of them.

And there they were. The teens first, then the late children, and the littles after that. The youngest in the family, around Eri's age, older by maybe two years, wrapped around his leg, after squirming through the large family embrace.

"I missed all of you guys!" He exclaimed lovingly, trying to hug them all individually after the group hug broke.

"What brought on the visit?" His older brother asked.

"Do I need a reason to come see you guys?"

"Usually, yes. You never come visit!"

"Yeah, we only ever hear you over the radio."

This all made Hizashi very upset. He visited Shouta and his kids all the time. He visited Tensei in Tokyo more often than he came home. What was his excuse for not coming to see his family? He was pathetic.

He felt a newspaper whack his head, "Stop it," his mother scolded.

"What?" 

"You were blaming yourself for not visiting again. How many times do I have to tell you that it's not your fault?" She reprimanded him.

"As many times as it takes for it to be true," he shot back, "You know as well as I that I could have visited, but I didn't."

"You have three jobs."

"I also have a boyfriend, and I'm at his house regularly."

"You live there, Hizashi." She pointed out, "I don't want to hear it. Yes, we missed you, and yes we wish you were around more, but we can't change the past," she sighed, "the day you are allowed to blame yourself for your inability to do that is the day I keel over and die."

"We better start planning the funeral, then," he quipped, "Don't worry, I'll give a great eulogy."

"Grounded."

"I'm thirty-one," he reminded her.

"Tell me about this boyfriend of yours. Does he have any kids?" She suddenly changed the subject.

"It's Aizawa," he admitted sheepishly. That kid I brought home fifteen years ago?"

"Ha. I'm always right."

"Yeah yeah," he grumbled. She was always right, "Anyways he has four kids now. All adopted."

"Oh, grandkids!"

"We're not married, mom–"

"Shhh!" She harshly interrupted, "Grandkids."

He should get comfortable. He's going to be here for a while.

Free from his family, with promises to visit soon (with Shouta and his kids), he made his way back to Shouta's house.

He could hear the shouting from the porch, and Hizashi opened the door quickly to find Eri watching cartoons, and splitting her attention between that and Izuku and Shoto wrestling on the floor. Katsuki was shouting for them to stop, Eri just watched on with a juice box.

Shouta was sitting at the table, hands covering his ears, and a pretty tall stack of paperwork in front of him. He looked like he was seconds away from shouting at the kids to stop, and from the looks of it, he was taking deep breaths and counting.

Hizashi walked forward to the kids, asking them to stop screeching. They simmered down for maybe two minutes before they started bickering again.

Shouta continued to hold his ears, and Hizashi decided to fix that issue instead.

He walked up to his boyfriend, and tapped the paperwork, "Need some help?"

Shouta looked at him desperately, tears shimmering in his dark eyes, "No."

"What are you working on?"

"Grades," he said, strained. This was obviously a sensory overload. Luckily, Hizashi knew how to help those.

"Let me take those," he said quietly, trying to drag the stack away from him so he could help, but Shouta snatched them back, at the risk of uncovering his ears, "Sho, I'm a teacher too. Can I please help you?"

"I have too much to do," he said instead of answering, "Can't stop."

"Sounds like you need to take a break. I've got the kids, and I'll take over grading them," Shouta glared at him, but it was half temptation too, "Just for now. You can have them back after you take at least an hour to do you-stuff. And I don't mean go take a shower or eat something. Take an actual break, okay?"

"No," Shouta said, gesturing to the kids, "they need to see that I'm fine. I'm strong. I can do this."

"And seeing you push yourself like this is doing that? They already look up to you, please let me help," Hizashi pleaded, "Come on, give me the papers. Take an hour. I've got this."

"Just an hour?"

"Yes," Hizashi replied, finally taking the papers, and starting work on the marks, "I've got this."

"Okay," he said hesitantly, "are you sure?"

"More than sure," Hizashi smiled, giving Shouta a little kiss on his temple, "Go take a break. I'll see you later."

He left. He called out to the kids that Hizashi was in charge, and he took a walk. Hizashi got this down. He's a middle child, with six siblings. He can handle noise and work at the same time.

Shouta ended up returning two hours later looking significantly better. All four children were calm by the time he did, fed and happy. The schoolwork was all done, put away neatly off to the side.

Shouta told him he was a great parent, but it really was nothing. All he was doing was his very best to care.

Eri

She loved it here! She had three older siblings that loved her, and she had a dad, and a… she had whatever Hizashi was. A step dad? Almost?

Apparently there was a lot of drama with her family these days. Tsu didn't visit on Monday like he said he would. 

She had to entertain herself that evening. Nemi was there, but it wasn't quite the same.

Izuku called their dad a mom, and Izuku almost cried. That was sad.

In the little time she'd lived here, she was already excelling at reading and writing. She wasn't the best yet, but she was getting there! She could read a lot of books for kids a bit younger than her.

Dad was right. She did get along the best with Katsuki, or just Katsu, but Shoto and Izuku were both super cool too. 

Izuku was a little weird, as demonstrated by their dramatic and confused questioning of the others the other day. 

Something about a hedgehog?

Three days earlier.

"Hey, have you guys seen Pic?" Izuku asked, clambering down the worn ladder to the attic in his room, and joining his siblings in the lounge on the second floor. Just an hour earlier, they had been playing hide and go seek, with Eri being the reigning champion. 

"Who?" Katsuki asked, looking up from his book. He and Shoto were reading the same book. Eri didn't know why.

"My hedgehog." Izuku said bluntly.

Katsuki and Shoto shared a long look. Eri didn't know what was happening, but she supposed it would all be explained soon, "You have a hedgehog?"

"Yeah," he replied, suddenly going through the motions of looking under furniture, and behind things.

"Does dad know?" Shoto asked skeptically, playing his well-used bookmark among the pages of the old book.

Izuku hesitated, pausing mid-cushion lift, "I think I forgot to tell him.

Eri took it upon herself to yell for their shared parent, needing a grown mind to be a part of this discussion, so they could go about it civilly. Eri knew Katsu to be chill, and Shoto was basically an energy-matcher, but Aizawa Shouta was the best person to help deal with a rogue hedgehog, "Mom!"

It wasn't long before Eri heard him walk briskly up the stairs to join them, "What's the problem?

"Have you seen Izuku's hedgehog?" Shoto asked calmly, but not without a hint of confused humor.

"What hedgehog?" He asked, sounding slightly worried with the proceedings.

"Pic." Izuku huffed loudly, clearly annoyed at having to repeat himself.

"You have a hedgehog?" And there was that question again. Eri wondered how many times that question would be asked before she could go back to living a life free of missing secret pets.

"I had a hedgehog," Izuku corrected, "I don't know where he went. Case in point, I'm searching for him."

The entire family just froze. The reality of Izuku's missing hedgehog, and the stress of having the pincushion-like animal supposedly loose in the house meant trouble. Eri did not know very much about hedgehogs, but she hoped they weren't aggressive.

"Well, I think it's safe to assume that none of you have seen him," Izuku sighed nervously, "This is awkward."

"Damn right it's awkward, Izuku," Katsu replied, sitting up from the couch, and sitting his book down in a similar fashion to Shoto.

"Will you help me find him?"

Everyone looked at their dad, like he had all the answers to Izuku's problem, "Why are you all staring at me?" He asked incredulously. 

"Because this is stressful, and we always look to you for help," Shoto shrugged, "This is quite the situation."

"Okay, okay. Where did you last see the animal? Pic?"

"Yes, Pic. And in his enclosure, obviously," Izuku answered, "Geez, it's like you think I'm completely irresponsible with this pet."

"Izuku, currently we are helping you find the animal. Obviously you're irresponsible." Katsu pointed out.

"Oh hey! I remember now!" Izuku suddenly exclaimed, not paying Eri or their siblings any mind, "I left him in my bag."

"You…" their dad grumbled, "You keep this hedgehog in your school bag?"

"Well, duh. Can't exactly buy a harness and a leash for a hedgehog, can you? Gotta take him on walks somehow, right?"

"Just– just show me the hedgehog," he finally relented, letting Izuku lead him to their bedroom. Katsu, Shoto, and Eri all watched, left behind to stew in their confusion.

Now she and her family are going on a trip to the mall. Izuku was ultimately allowed to keep Pic, as long as he promised to take care of him. Her sibling huffed, saying he had been taking perfectly good care of him this past year, and the family was reminded that there's no way Izuku had gotten the hedgehog recently. He had to have had that pet for a while. And nobody knew.

Eri thought that was a little bit scary.

Her dad said that he was taking them all to get a surprise, and that they all needed to be here to get it. He said there was a separate surprise for Eri waiting back at home, so she would have to be patient.

This was the same place that they went to a while ago, when Eri got her haircut, and their dad led her along by her hand in the opposite direction from the hair place.

To a pet store!

Eri loved pets. She especially liked dogs. Big dogs. But she was fine with anything.

"We're here to pick out a pet. One that's hopefully chill. Since Izuku has Pic, and they're allowed to keep it, I thought maybe we could benefit from a house pet." Her dad explained, going over the rules of pet browsing. She will stick by Shoto today. They didn't spend enough time together.

Then they were free. Shoto automatically drifted to cats, which Eri could relate to. Shoto held her hand while he watched the cats scratch and play. She could spot Katsu a few feet away, looking at bunnies, and obsessing over their fluffiness.

"What about that one?" Eri asked, pointing to a dainty looking short hair with a graceful strut.

"Cute," Shoto commented, before turning away, "Just looking. Do you want to see other animals?"

"No, I like cats."

"Me too. They're very fluffy." Shoto smiled at her, "Sometimes they're really cuddly."

"I've never had a pet before," Eri returned the smile sadly, "did you? Back when you lived with your old family?"

Shoto looked thoughtful, continuing to span his gaze over countless cats in countless enclosures, "No. Natsuo once found a stray, and brought it home, but we couldn't keep him. We named him Soba."

"That's a cute name. I want a big dog, but dad doesn't seem like one to like pets like that."

Shoto hummed, smiling at her, making her feel warm and safe, "You'd be surprised. He always finds a way to catch you off guard."

It sounded like he knew something Eri didn't, but she paid attention to the kittens instead of furthering the interrogation. Shoto learned down into the area, trying to coax the cats to come play with his warm hand. Eri liked the cold, so she had his right hand. Luckily, cats like warmth, and stole Shoto's other. Numerous cats of different ages, sizes, and breeds all came by Shoto's warm hand eventually, trying to get him to pet them, but his attention was captured by a big fluffy cat with orange markings being a jerk to the others. Eri spotted the cat too, and reached down to pet it. 

Naturally, it went to Shoto first, laying itself out for Shoto's hand to methodically move through its soft-looking marbled fur. 

Eventually it moved to Eri's hand, and she scratched under its chin, somehow like it directed her to.

"Ah!" An employee exclaimed, "You've got the love of the feisty one. We call her Paprika, because she's spicy, but pets are available for renaming upon adoption. Are you interested?"

Eri was startled by the newcomer, throat suddenly closing up around the stranger. Shoto's hand squeezed hers comfortingly, and he shrugged, "No, I think we're just looking. She's very cute."

"Well, if you reconsider, try to keep an open mind for Paprika. It's not often she finds someone she likes."

Eri could tell that Shoto liked her too. Soon Paprika was leaving Shoto and Eri alone, going back to her rowdy behavior towards the other's, hissing and spitting all the while. 

"Come on," Shoto persuaded, tugging Eri along. Eri didn't want to go, because Shoto didn't seem to want to leave Paprika either, but what's done had to be done. Katsu was looking at birds, for some reason, finding endless humor in the way they preened and squacked. He didn't seem to find any more interest in the rabbits and reptiles, Eri noted, sitting next to her dad on the bench, when Shoto directed.

"Didn't find anyone you liked?" Her dad asked them, noting Shoto's slightly disheartened expression.

"No," Shoto tried to say.

"Yes, he did," Eri reported. 

"Oh?" Her dad asked, finding interest in the subject.

"Yeah. Her name is Paprika, and she's feisty and mean. Shoto likes her, but he said he's just looking," she whispered sadly, watching Shoto become embarrassed, "No one else likes her, and Shoto does. But he said we have to go."

Shoto shrugged, trying to dismiss the report as nothing, but her dad wasn't having it, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because she only likes certain people, and I figured a mean pet wouldn't do well at the house," he sighed, drawing his knees in on himself, sitting on the floor, "Katsuki, Izuku, and Eri all have to be happy with the pet we get too, and I'm not sure she's what we're looking for."

"No reason we can get more than one pet, Sho. Izuku has their own, and I'm pretty sure Katsuki's happy with anything. Just look at him."

Eri looked, with Shoto, and saw Katsu walking back and forth from cage to cage, looking like a kid in a candy store with all the different animals and personalities, before noticing that they were all congregated at the bench, "what's happening?"

Her dad spoke up, "Shoto found an asshole cat, but he's not sure the rest of us will love it too."

Katsu scoffed, gesturing to Izuku, "Izuku's an asshole and we still love him."

"Aww, I love you too Kacchan!" Izuku preened at the attention. 

Eri, ignoring Katsu and Izuku, smiled at Shoto, noting his hopeful expression, "It's really okay to get her?"

"Go wild, kiddo. Pick out your dream pet," her dad smiled, turning back to Izuku when her sibling asked a question about bird migration.

Shoto stood up nervously, motioning for Eri to grab his hand, and they could go together, if she'd like. She would.

She hopped down from the bench, and made her way back down the store, holding Shoto's hand, though she could tell it was also for Shoto's benefit, now.

"Wow, change your mind?" The same employee asked upon their return, motioning to Paprika napping under a lamp. She looked peaceful, despite the ardent rage she displayed towards other cats.

"Yeah, he's here to come get her because our mom said he could get him. He's the best." Eri said aloud to the worker, the stranger.

They looked warily at the cat, shuddering slightly, and smiling, "Well, I'm glad she's getting a home. Especially with someone she gets along with. Let me just… get the mitts."

The mitts? The worker went around the enclosure, picking a pair of protective gloves. They had scratches and holes, ready to fall apart at any moment, "Hey, Herupu, come help me round up this cat."

Another employee, with slightly longer hair came around the corner, pensive, until they saw the cat the first one was pointing at, eyes widening, "They're taking Paprika?"

"Sure are. Really connected with her."

The second worker sighed in relief, but didn't say anything more on the subject, "I'll get the treats, and the cage."

"Yeah. Maybe get the spare mitts, you might need them."

"Why are you so nervous about it?" Shoto asked. Eri didn't want Paprika to be in a cage.

"Umm…" one of the workers hesitated, looking at the other, "Hey Kizu!"

Another worker looked their way, and Eri gasped when she saw a big scar over their cheek, "What's up?"

"Oh, just showing these nice kids why we need mitts to deal with Paprika," the first one shrugged, and stiffened, turning at Eri and Shoto, "You're still taking her, right? That didn't scare you away?"

Eri watched Shoto turn to the napping cat, and he smiled warmly, "Yeah I'm still taking her. May I just pick her up? I want to see how she'll react."

"I don't think I'm legally allowed to do that, because if she does something to you, I can't handle being sued," the second worker sighed.

"Don't worry, just because I have access to all of Endeavor's money, doesn't mean I intend to use it for evil. You're an honest worker. I thought I would just try to avoid making you risk turning out like your coworker."

Eri just thinks he wants to be the first person to pick up the cat. But who is she to judge someone else's manipulation attempts?

"Well," one said to the other, "if we just… turned around, and you took the cat while we weren't looking…"

"Herupu, no," the first employee said, "what's a few moments of discomfort against getting fired?"

Their attempts to sway their coworker was interrupted by Shoto leaning down into the cat play area, and stroking Paprika awake, Eri watching the cat perk up at the sight of her older brother.

"Come on," he said, scooping the vicious kitty from her sunspot, letting the white and orange feline melt in his arms, "Let's go home."

The workers paused, staring wondrously at Shoto, like he was a god, "How are you doing that?"

"She just likes him," Eri said, answering for her distracted brother.

"You gonna rename her?" Herupu asked softly, like they were afraid that their voice would startle the feline, and she would pounce.

"I think so," Shoto replied, "Wonton sounds right."

Katsu didn't end up picking anyone out. He said that none of them clicked with him. Especially not like Shoto and Wonton did.

Her dad ended up meeting some of the animals too, and found an unlikely– but somehow very likely– companion in an elegant Somali cat named King. She was super graceful, and now the Aizawa family had two cats (and a hedgehog).

Katsuki didn't mind that he didn't connect with them, evidently, but King liked him, so everyone was happy. Wonton, however, did not. She wasn't angry and spitting like she was with the other cats, but she obviously didn't like anyone but Eri and Shoto. 

They made their way back home, Wonton in Shoto's arms, and King in her crate. Her dad insisted that King was not his, and was a family pet, but they all knew otherwise. King belonged to their dad, Wonton belonged to Shoto, and Pic belonged to Izuku.

That left Katsu and Eri without a pet. 

They arrived at home, her siblings sharing a look with her dad, and they rushed inside. Eri was held back with a question, "So, Eri. You said you liked big dogs?"

"Yeah, they always like me. So cute and friendly," she replied, not seeing where he was going with this. 

Her dad pointed behind her, with a placid smirk on his face. Eri turned to look, and there was a huge dog panting in the yard. Hizashi was with the animal, just laying in the soft grass that accompanied the willow tree.

The dog was calm, not a single ounce of excitement or aggression for Eri to believe was there, and she looked to her dad for an explanation, "Who's that?"

"Your dog," he smiled, "He goes by Miloh, and he's yours, if you want him."

He was big and fluffy, obviously a breed designed to be huge and protective. She was nervous, because she loved this dog, but she didn't know if the dog loved her. Her dad urged her forward to meet the dog in the middle, "Hello, Miloh," she greeted plainly.

The dog looked happy, walking up to her, and sniffing her. Hizashi got up from the grass, and walked forward to Eri, "He's friendly. Loves kids, and other pets. It's a 'friend of mine knows a guy who knows somebody' situation. He can be trusted, I promise."

"Hey, Eri," her dad asked, "Remember when Izuku asked you how you felt about pets the day you came to live here? And you said you loved big dogs?"

"Yeah, I remember," she replied, tearing up, because Miloh was so soft and affectionate, "You got me a dog?"

"Yeah, I figured he wouldn't be amiss here. He's a trained guard dog, but he's super friendly with kids."

Eri surged forward to meet her dad, giving him a huge hug, and welcomed her tears. Miloh stayed put. That was probably a holdover from training. She could help.

"I love him," Eri whispered into her dad's shirt, "I love you. Thank you."

Looks like only Katsu didn't have a pet, now.

Miloh was perfect.

Izuku

Then came the day for Izuku's Quirk eval. He was about to find out what their Quirk is exactly. He was going with their dad, and Hitoshi was coming, at their request.

They sat in the waiting room, feeling just a little bitter with his circumstances. Lavender was petting his hair, and his dad was preoccupied with a form detailing things they've noticed about Izuku's Quirk before.

"Izu, do you know what you're going to name it," Hitoshi asked suddenly.

"Life-Ruiner." He replied, salty.

"Come on, be serious," Hitsohi coaxed, pressing a little kiss to Izuku's wild green curls.

"I am serious, 'Toshi. Quirk's a deadbeat, just like my dad."

His dad looked up, not at all amused, "Excuse me?"

"My birth dad, sorry," Izuku amended, "why couldn't I have something cool, like you, or Lavender, or Da-Tou? No, I'm just the guy that exposes people's thoughts." 

"It's not all that bad. I think your Quirk is pretty cool. Especially since there's a mystery aspect to it. It could be something completely different than Telepathy," Hitoshi reasoned, humming a familiar tune.

Izuku grumbled his agreement, laying into Lavender's side, and trying to ignore the weird looks he and his companions were getting from visiting parents, and young children.

Eventually a consultant came to fetch them, taking the offered clipboard from their parent, and leading them into a room with several Quirk information charts that weren't nearly as detailed as Izuku's notes. They had someone with them. Someone younger. 

"So, I heard you're a late bloomer, Izuku?" The consultant questioned.

"Aizawa," Izuku pointed out, sneering, "Not Izuku."

"Alright, if that's what you'd prefer," they hummed, picking up a sheet from their desk, and handing it to Izuku, "Read this please, and sign the bottom when you're done."

"A permission slip? Should I have it, or my dad?"

"Well, I figure it'll be the easiest way to get this appointment over with. I work a lot with late bloomers, so my Quirk is really handy for kids and teens that have lost that little natural spark that tells them how to activate their Quirks," they handed another form to Izuku's parent, letting him read it over.

"I'm not a late bloomer," Izuku corrected, "I just didn't notice it until a few days ago."

"They had a rough couple of days," Lavender cut in suddenly.

"Can we get started? Please read the form," they directed, going silent until Izuku finished.

"Osoi Buruma, They/Them

Quirk: Impulse. 

User activates other Quirks through skin-skin contact for five seconds. Quirks affected by Impulse are more powerful, and become harder to control in the time frame given. Impulse usually affects a Quirk for an estimated time of two hours before the afflicted Quirk and User return to normal.

Permission to use Impulse on client:

Guardian Signature: ______________

Client Signature: ______________"

"You want to use your Quirk on me to figure out what mine is?" Izuku asked, "Is that legal?"

"It is. I have a license," they said, "do I have permission?"

Izuku looked nervously at their arm, wondering whether or not they should grant the consultant access to his autonomy. 

"In addition, this is Chikara Miru. Her Quirk is called Power," the consultant explained, gesturing to their nervous colleague, "She automatically analyzes Quirks when they're activated in her line of sight, if her Quirk is active. She will help examine all the points of your Quirk."

"Fine. Let's get this over with," he said, thrusting his hand out to them, and feeling a gentle hand press itself to their palm.

In an instant, it was like his energy was revamped, like he was suddenly full of energy, but the energy was taking the vitality he already had.

He heard so many voices, so many private thoughts. They were worried that his Quirk was just that. Telepathy. No extra tips or tricks, no extra bravado. Just hearing people's thoughts. 

"It's fine, Izuku," Hitoshi whispered to him, taking their hand, "Either way, it's perfect."

Izuku was pretty sure he hadn't said that out loud. What the fuck just happened? 

"I think we're hearing your thoughts too? Is that what it feels like?"

"Yes, actually," the younger consultant hummed, eyes dimly glowing coral, "They seem to be using another aspect of their Quirk. They are sharing their thoughts with you, making this an activated two-way telepathy." 

"Izuku is really pretty!" Hitoshi blurted, slapping a hand to his mouth, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that, he is, but this isn't the time."

"Seemingly another factor of this Quirk. Impulsive or Intrusive thoughts. They don't seem to be aware of this, though."

"Stop it! You're all so loud!" Izuku exclaimed, trying to hold their ears shut against this headache. Curious voices, wispy, surreal, turned concerned, and then they all melted away to passive additions to the stimuli.

When they looked up, their dad was holding his Quirk on the entire room. Whether Izuku's Quirk was erased, or Dr Osoi's, it didn't matter. Dr Chikara was still going, passively writing down bullet points of Izuku's few minutes in hell.

"Do you have an idea for a Quirk name?" Dr Osoi asked suddenly, getting up from their chair to check on their coworker. 

"No. I haven't thought about it, because I hated thinking about it."

"Well," Hitoshi interjected, "I have. It's just an idea, and I wasn't originally planning on bringing it up, but how about Open Mind? It's even more fitting with all the cool things that come along with it."

"I like that idea," Izuku smiled, holding Hitoshi's hand tightly, "way better than Life-Ruiner."

Dr Chikara stood, handing Izuku the information on their Quirk, " Open Mind it is,"

"This doesn't change anything, Izuku," his dad said when they arrived at home, all three of them worn out from the appointment.

Izuku collapsed on the sofa, bone-tired. Hitoshi came to cuddle with him.

"Just because you have a Quirk now, or just because you didn't notice your Quirk then, doesn't mean you'll be treated as less or more," he reassured Izuku, "You can ignore your Quirk, if you'd like. You can easily pretend it doesn't exist, and we never have to talk about it, if that's what you want."

"Hmm," Izuku replied, "I'll think about it. Thank you, mom."

And suddenly, everything was perfect again.