Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Inko told Izuku she started seeing someone he was, admittedly, a little apprehensive about it. His parents have been divorced for years, almost a full decade now. But Izuku still talks to his father. He still spends summers with the man in America. It’s awkward, if he’s being honest. His father never really knows how to interact with him and he focuses more of his time on his business than he does his own son.

Izuku can still remember how his parents used to argue. How he’d fall asleep to them yelling at each other and wake up to see his moms strained smile and puffy eyes from a night of crying. Getting a divorce was probably the best decision his parents had ever made, even if it meant their household was even more broken because of it.

So when Inko came home with a bright smile and told her son all about the man she met at a cafe who bought her coffee and gave her his phone number, the teen was rightfully nervous. He doesn’t necessarily mind. He wants to see his mom happy and it would be nice to have a real father figure in his life. But he doesn’t want to see her hurt again. He doesn’t know what he would do if this prospect turns into another life of fighting and tears for his mom.

Still, he agreed to give it a chance. He watched the light re-enter his moms eyes more and more with each date she went on with the mysterious boyfriend. He watched her smile like a schoolgirl in love when she would receive texts at random. He helped her pick outfits for dates and watched her do her makeup before seeing her off when she’d leave.

And really, it’s the least he can do. After all, she sits and listens to him whenever he rambles on and on about his dates with Shoto. She helps him get ready when they go out together, taming his curls and respectfully reminding him that his sense of style sucks. She opens their home to his boyfriend without question whenever he needs somewhere to escape to. So he thinks she deserves the same treatment in return.

But then it comes time for Izuku to actually meet the mystery boyfriend, him having been invited over for dinner. And when there’s a knock on the door, he goes to answer it only to come face to face with his tired homeroom teacher.

“S-sensei?” Izuku questions, tilting his head slightly in curiosity.

“Midoriya. I apologize, I must have the wrong apartment.” Aizawa says.

“Oh nonsense, Shouta. I’m glad you made it.” Inko says as she comes up from behind Izuku and kisses his teacher's cheek.

“What the fuck?” 

“Izuku! Language!” 

“No mom, seriously. What the fuck?” Izuku says in shock.

“I told you I was inviting my boyfriend over for dinner.” Inko looks at him confused.

“YOUR BOYFRIEND IS MY TEACHER!?” 

A blanket of awkwardness settles over the trio after Izuku's outburst. Mother and son stare at each other in equal parts confusion and shock. Izuku's teacher shifts awkwardly at the door as he looks between them. Izuku doesn’t really know what to do. He’s not going to ask his mom to break up with him, not when he makes her so happy. But this is a teenager's worst nightmare.

He knows one thing for sure, if Aizawa hurts her he’s a dead man.

“Maybe I should go.” Aizawa finally says, breaking the tension as he steps away.

Sounds like a great idea to Izuku.

“Oh no. Please? It’s alright Shouta, right Izu?” His mom gives him a look and Izuku can’t help his little scowl.

“Yeah. It's fine. Please come in.” He grumbles.  

Izuku walks off to busy himself in the kitchen, avoiding his mom and teacher like the plague. This can’t really be happening. What will his classmates think? Will Aizawa get in trouble for dating a student's mother? What will it be like in class between him and his teacher from now on? God, this is actually a knightmare.

“Izuku, honey, why don’t you set the table?” His mom suggests as she and Aizawa enter the kitchen.

“Sure mom.” He mumbles, moving away from the stove to grab plates and utensils.

“Mi-er uh-”

“Izuku is fine I guess.”

“Right. Izuku, I want to make it clear that while I didn’t know I would never hurt your mother. i-” 

Aizawa starts. 

Izuku boldly cuts him off. “Save it. I already know. You’re not that stupid.” 

“Izuku, please be nice.”

“I’m not being mean!” Izuku argues. His mom just gives him another look.

“Ugh. Sorry. I just mean that I know you wouldn’t hurt her on purpose. You make her happy. So this is…fine. It’s just, I dunno, weird.” Izuku explains as he sets out three place settings.

“I understand that, trust me.” Aizawa says with a sigh as he sits down.

“What about school? Will I have to transfer to 1-B? Or will you get in trouble?” Izuku asks.

As odd as all of this is, he likes Aizawa. He’s a good teacher. He doesn’t want to see the man lose his job over this. And he doesn’t want to be separated from his friends because of it either. Plus, he’d rather drop out and work an office job somewhere boring than have to attend class with Monoma.

“Nothing at school will change. Don’t worry about any of that.” Shouta says with a dismissive wave of a hand.

Izuku nods and helps his mom serve dinner. “What do I call you?”

“Just Aizawa is fine. Or Shouta if you want. But only outside of school. I’m still sensei when you’re in uniform.” Izuku nods easily. 

Once their food is served and they’ve all begun eating, Inko turns toward her son. “Shouta and I were going to stay in tonight, watch some movies. I know you have that project for your Modern Hero Art History class to finish but when you’re done, you’re welcome to join us if you’d like.”

“Can’t, I’m going out with Sho tonight. He wants to take me to see the re-release of one of those prequirk hero movies. I’ll probably be home late.” Izuku reminds her.

“Oh that’s right. Well why don’t you stay the night at his place then?”

“If I could, I would.” Izuku mumbles, moving his food around on his plate bitterly.

Fuck Endeavor. And his cow.

“Well why don’t you ask him to come ov-”

“Hard pass.” Izuku interrupts, moving bits of food around on his plate halfheartedly.

“Why not? You know he’s always welcome here.”

Izuku glances at Aizawa and bites his lip. “I just…don’t wanna deal with that right now. If he sees you shacking up with our teacher he’ll come up with all kinds of theories. You know how he is.”

“Well honey, he’ll find out eventually. You can’t keep it from him forever. He’s here all the time after all.” Inko says in mild amusement.

“I can try my best.” Izuku mumbles.

“I didn’t know you two were dating.” Shouta says softly.

Izuku shrugs. “We got close after the whole sports festival thing. He’s not great with regulating his emotions. As soon as he realized he liked me he asked me out. Uraraka keeps teasing us because he did it in the middle of training and I was caught off guard.”

“Is that the day he pinned you to the matt and then nearly burned you to death?” 

Izuku goes beet red. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Both adults chuckle softly. Izuku can’t help his small smile. As awkward and weird as this is, maybe it’s something he could get used to.

Chapter Text

The following Monday is a little awkward for Izuku. He spent his weekend making plans with Shoto or his other friends in a valiant attempt to avoid being home. It’s not like he has a problem with Aizawa dating his mom, not really. But it’s a hard concept to grasp. He has this preconception of his teacher, one that promises red eyed glares and running the Hell Course whenever they get in trouble.

Having the hardass image of Aizawa suddenly be altered by coming home to the man cuddling his mom on the couch and smiling softly, no teeth or feral energy behind it, is enough to give him whiplash. If he were a little more petty he’d think that it’s gross. He wonders if his mom knows about Aizawa's ugly ass sleeping bag yet.

It doesn’t really help that seeing his mom and teacher together just makes him think of what could have been. It’s just been him and Inko for so long. His parents never really cuddled or held hands when he was a kid. If his father wasn’t working long hours they were arguing or avoiding each other like they weren’t married and had a kid together.

When Izuku was young, after his parents divorce, he used to wish that his parents could get over their differences. That his dad would come home and he’d have more time for them. That his mom would be happy and they could be a family. But then he spent his first summer in America, only knowing limited English and being largely ignored by his father for the whole two and a half months he was there, and he knew his dreams would never come true.

So yeah, seeing the way that Aizawa treats his mom hurts just a tiny bit. He’ll be the first to tell you that he needs therapy. But they can’t really afford that, so he’ll settle for being a reckless, angsty teenager and do his best to ignore his problems. It’s what he’s good at.

Which brings us back to the original topic. Monday. School. Where he can’t escape Aizawa. To be fair, his teacher keeps his promise. Nothing really seems to change. Aizawa’s normal deadpan expression stays firmly in place throughout the day. Izuku becomes Midoriya again and Aizawa remains his sensei. 

By the time classes are ending, Izuku almost forgets about the weekend he had. 

Almost.

“Midoriya, please stay behind.” Teasing oohs and pitying glances get thrown his way by his friends and classmates as they leave the room. 

Izuku offers Shoto a small smile as his boyfriend leaves with a worried glance. Only once Izuku is alone with his teacher does he turn his expectant stare on the man. Normally he wouldn’t be so blatantly unimpressed in the face of a teacher. But this isn’t just his teacher anymore. And Aizawa’s already seen his moodier side thanks to their current personal life.

“I was…wondering if um you wanted to go get ice cream. Or…something.” Aizawa says awkwardly.

Izuku blinks at him once. He takes a deep breath and scoffs softly as he grabs his backpack. “You aren’t my dad. Don’t act like you are.”

“I’m not. I’m just…I’m trying, kid. I have no interest in replacing a parent. But I also don’t want our relationship to constantly be strained.” Aizawa explains. 

“And you think taking me to get ice cream is the way to win my heart? What am I, six?” Izuku shakes his head with a huff.

“I could do without the sass, Izuku. I am still your teacher.” 

Izuku looks down, watching the way his foot awkwardly scuffs the floor as he shifts around. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Aizawa mumbles.

There’s a brief, slightly awkward, silence that settles between them. Both of them are clearly out of their element. Izuku understands that his teacher is trying. He appreciates it, honestly. It’s just a lot for him. There aren’t many adults in his life that he’ll willingly be alone with and teachers are typically low on the list of people he tolerates. A teacher trying to shack up with his mom seems to be the last person he’d ever want to be alone with.

“Can we do froyo instead?” Because he promised he’d try. 

“Yeah, sure kid. Let me go grab my bag.” 

Izuku follows Aizawa to the teachers lounge. His teacher invites him inside but he silently declines. He leans against the wall as he waits, internally wondering what the hell he’s doing. Is he really going to go get frozen yogurt with his teacher? At least he gets a nice treat out of what will undoubtedly be a tense and awkward outing. Maybe he should’ve just run out of the classroom when he had the chance.

Not that it would matter. Aizawa knows where he lives now.

“Ready?” Izuku turns toward the voice beside him and nods. 

The two leave the school together, Izuku a step or two behind his teacher. They don’t talk as they walk. Aizawa isn’t really the type for small talk and Izuku would rather die than try to talk to a man he just backtalked not even twenty minutes ago. He briefly wonders if he could get away with just slipping into the shadows to disappear. He could run home and pack a few bags.

Maybe flee the country.

He knows New York well enough by now right?

But he dismisses the thought quickly. He’d have to drop out of UA if he ran away. And it would break his moms heart. It’s not worth it. He’ll just have to deal with the slight tension and awkward interactions until he can get used to this new reality. Won’t stop him from fantasizing though.

When they get to the nearest froyo shop Aizawa grabs him a bowl and follows him to the froyo machines. His teacher gets a small bowl of some basic vanilla while Izuku fills his with brownie batter. He adds a few brownie pieces as a topping and only once the treats are paid for do they sit down. Izuku tucks his bag between his legs below the table. 

“I have a question.” Aizawa says as Izuku is bringing a, frankly, massive spoonful of froyo up to his mouth.

“Ok. I’m sure I have an answer.” He says before taking his bite. Nothing will stop him from enjoying this.

“Why do you seem so against this? I can tell there’s more to it than just us being student and teacher.” Izuku sighs. Ok maybe something can stop him from enjoying this.

“I’m not…against it. It’s just I dunno…it’s a long story.” He mumbles.

“Well I’ve got time.” Aizawa says, taking a bite of his own treat.

He looks relaxed where he sits slouched in his seat. His expression is soft, slightly reminiscent of the look he gives Izuku's mom when they’re relaxing on the couch or she’s busying herself with dinner, singing softly along to the radio as she cooks. Izuku hates to admit that it eases some of his nerves.

“My dad left when I was six. The divorce was pretty messy. Mom almost lost me in the custody battle.” He starts, mixing his brownie pieces into the froyo.

“I guess I don’t really remember a time where they were actually happy together. I used to blame myself. I thought maybe if I hadn’t been born dad would’ve made more time for her and they wouldn’t have fought so much.” Of course, he never had any evidence to back those claims.

“It sucked. It sucked a lot.” Izuku says with a dry chuckle.

“I’m sure it did. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.” Aizawa says softly.

Izuku shrugs. “The worst part was having to listen to mom cry every night. I hated seeing her so sad all the time. I felt so useless. There was nothing I could do to make her pain go away.”

He quickly wipes a couple of stray tears and looks down at his lap. “But um, after the divorce it was really just the two of us. My dad still has partial custody but he lives in America now so I only see him in the summer. I’ve never really had a full family before.”

“And now, seeing your mom with someone else hurts. You wish it was like this from the start.” It’s not a question, but Izuku still nods.

“I’m really happy for her. She talks about you all the time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile so much before. But, I dunno. It’s just hard to get over that childish dream. All I ever wanted was for my parents to be happy together.”

Aizawa nods softly. “I can understand that.”

“Yeah. But it’s stupid anyway. I always kinda knew it would never happen.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid to want a normal life kid.” 

“It’s not. But it is stupid to hold onto an impossible dream when all the evidence points to that dream being shattered. It’s hard to have a normal family when your own father can't be bothered with you.” Izuku mutters bitterly.

Hisashi Isn't terrible. He never hurts or yells at Izuku. He’s nice when they hang out. But Izuku spends months with him, traveling to a completely different country for months out of the year. Living with him in his dads apartment. And yet Hisashi is always nose deep in his phone or working long hours at his company. He hardly listens when Izuku talks. The most they do together is tour the statue of liberty once or twice.

Eventually that trip starts to get old. 

Izuku mostly spends his summers wandering around the city. He shops for things to bring home to his mom or Kachaan. This year he’ll undoubtedly come home with something for all of his friends. He tries new foods, or strolls through Time Square. It’s nice, but it’s lonely. He’d like to be able to do those things with his father.

“Izuku, you were a child. You still are. It doesn’t matter if a dream is impossible, it’s ok to want something.” Aizawa reassures.

“I just want him to notice me. Maybe…maybe acknowledge how badly he fucked up. Be proud of me.” Izuku admits, looking up at his teacher.

“When I told him I got into the hero course it took a week for him to respond and all I got was a thumbs up emoji. But he never changes. He loves his stupid fucking job more than he loves me.” He glares down at his half melted froyo. 

“Are you afraid that I’ll be like him?” Aizawa asks.

“I- maybe? I don’t really know how I feel. If things go badly between you guys, I know I can take the heartache. But I can’t handle seeing my mom so broken again. She doesn’t deserve it.” The silent please don’t hurt her rings loud and clear between them.

“I won’t promise that things will work out between us. Our relationship is still new and anything could happen. But I can promise that I would never intentionally hurt either of you. I care about your mom a lot. And I care about you. I don’t expect you to accept this easily, I’m just hoping that you’ll give me a chance.”

Izuku nods. “I’m trying. I don't mean to be an asshole.”

Shouta huffs softly in amusement and reaches across the table to ruffle Izuku's hair. “I know. But I think you deserve to be an asshole every now and then. Just try to keep the sass to a minimum, yeah?”

Izuku offers the smallest of smiles. “No promises, Shouta.”

Shouta rolls his eyes fondly and gets up to clean away their trash. They walk together, this time in a much more comfortable silence, back to Izuku's apartment. His mom should be working the night shift tonight, so Shouta likely won’t stay. He probably has patrol anyway. Still, he walks Izuku up to the apartment and watches him unlock the door. 

“Thanks.” Izuku mumbles as he lets the door swing open.

“For what?” Shouta asks.

Izuku shrugs. “For listening. For trying. It um…it means a lot.”

Shouta offers a small nod. “You can always come to me if you need to talk. It has nothing to do with your mom. You’re a good kid. But you’re still hurting. So if you ever need me, I’ll be there.”

Izuku nods softly. He can’t say that he fully believes it just yet, but he’ll do his best to try. He trusts Aizawa, despite the current circumstances. This is a man who risked his life for his students at the USJ without hesitation. He goes above and beyond for his students. And now, he’s willing to step up and be something for Izuku and his mom that the teen has been wanting for the better part of a decade. 

Aizawa Shouta is a good man. Izuku thinks he might just deserve a chance.

Chapter Text

Izuku is smart, more so than most. He knows that, though he doesn’t like to dwell on it. He doesn’t feel like it makes him special in any way. He’s not Katsuki. His childhood friend loves to talk about himself. His intellect, his quirk, his strength, his quirk. Kachaans favorite topic is himself. But Izuku's favorite topics involve anything other than himself.

He’s shy. And honestly, not used to receiving compliments from anyone other than his mom. And it seems like compliments are all his classmates ever want to give him. He’s not complaining, it’s a far cry better than middle school. But he never really knows how to react past a red face and some flustered stuttering.

Another thing he’s not really used to is the concern he sees when he pushes himself too far. His stomach always twists in guilt when his friends ask him if he’s ok after hurting himself during training. Or when Shoto has to share his lunch with him because Izuku forgot his bento in the fridge on his way out of the house in the morning. 

He doesn’t sleep much. His eye bags could rival Shouta’s most days. His quirk is stronger at night, where the world is basked in shadows that whisper to him at every turn, beckoning him forward and begging him to join them. Sometimes he listens, fading into the darkness if for no other reason than to just get the whispers to stop. He usually uses his weekends to catch up on sleep, often inviting his boyfriend over just to have a cuddle partner while he naps. 

But he had been so busy this weekend, trying hard to stay out of the house, that he never really had much time to catch up on the sleep that he missed during the week. And with internships having just ended, Izuku, his boyfriend and Iida leaving theres with shiny new gag orders following the fight with stain, they’ve spent their week working on special moves and showing off what they learned during their internships. 

This meant a very long and exhausting week for Izuku. He hasn’t gotten more than maybe an hour of sleep a night since his nap before that awkward ass dinner a week ago. The whispers get louder and louder with every passing day, often resulting in migraines come morning. It’s been a struggle to stay awake during classes.

He really should’ve expected it to crash down on him in a catastrophic way. He’s never really had the best luck after all. But he’s a dreamer. He had hope that he’d be able to make it to the weekend where he could just crash for two days straight. But no. Nope! Instead he just had to pass out while in the middle of a quirkless fright with Kaminari.

He’s already in the infirmary when he wakes up. His head is pounding and he feels heavy with exhaustion. He groans softly as he sits up, rubbing his eyes roughly to rid them of sleep.

“Take it easy kid.” He jumps with an embarrassing yelp at the sudden voice.

“Jesus christ! A little warning next time. If you give me a heart attack someday, you’re telling mom it was your fault.” He grumbles.

Shouta huffs. “Yeah yeah. Wanna tell me why you passed out?”

Izuku shrugs. “I don’t sleep much. It’s cause of my quirk. It’s happened before. Usually I just sleep more on the weekends to combat the exhaustion but..”

“But you were busy avoiding me all weekend so you couldn’t” Shouta finishes when Izuku trails off.

“Well…when you put it like that.” 

Shouta sighs softly, tilting his head back to put some of his eye drops in. He looks just as exhausted as Izuku feels. “I’m gonna have to call your mom.”

“What? Please don’t? I’ll be fine! It’s friday anyway. And I promise I’ll sleep all weekend. There is literally nothing else I wanna do.” Izuku says.

“Kid, you passed out during a training exercise. You hit your head pretty harshly. I need to call her.” Shouta deadpans.

“Please Shouta. She’ll just worry. I hate making her worry. I promise I’m fine. Please don’t call her.” Izuku gives his best puppy dog eyes. 

Inko is good at worrying about her son. When your kid comes home with new cuts and bruises on a regular basis from bullying at school, it kinda comes with the territory. And Izuku loves his mom, more than anything. She’s the best damn mother in Japan. Maybe even the world. He hates seeing the tears that prick her eyes and the concerned furrow to her brow whenever he gets hurt.

He’s been trying so hard not to get into trouble at school since he entered UA. The USJ was hard on both of them, with Izuku waking up screaming most nights with nightmares after being released from the hospital. And then he got mixed up with Stain in Hosu and his mother cried for days as she doted over him when he came home. 

Izuku hates seeing his mom cry. He hates being the reason for her tears. He’s used to his body failing him from exhaustion. It’s an unfortunate side effect of the quirk he’s had since he was nearly five. He knows how to handle this without seeing those tears. 

“You realize I have her on speed dial, right?” Shouta asks, breaking Izuku out of his thoughts.

“Already?”

“I added her number as soon as I found out who her son is.” Izuku pouts at that.

He knows he’s a troublemaker. Shouta doesn’t have to be a dick about it.

“Rude. Please, Shouta. Do you really wanna see her cry?” He asks.

A brief flash of pain crosses his teacher's features and Izuku knows he’s won. “Fine. But if this happens again I will not hesitate. Got it?”

Izuku sighs but nods. “Good. Now go get changed, I’ll walk you home today.”

Izuku extracts himself from the tangled sheets around his legs and leaves the infirmary. It’s nice to know that Shouta cares enough. His old teachers never bothered to call home when he’d get injured during fights. They’d just slap him with several days worth of detention, make a note in his file and send him on his way. He allows himself a small smile as he thinks about it. 

“Shouta?” Aizawa turns around at the sound of Chiyo's voice.

“Wanna explain why Midoriya is on a first name basis with you? And why you have his mothers phone number on speed dial.” She asks, arms folded and a narrow eyed glare fixed on him.

Right. Chiyo spends every waking second in this infirmary. And she’s protective of her patients. Shouta sighs softly and slouches in the chair across from her desk. 

“I’m dating his mother. Have been for about a month. I didn’t know at first.” He explains.

“And he’s ok with that?” She asks.

“Sort of. He’s not particularly thrilled about it. But it goes a lot deeper than the typical ‘my teacher is banging my mom’ thing.” He says with a shrug.

He’s not about to share sensitive information about his student. 

“But he told you he’s ok with it?” She asks again.

“He told me he’s willing to give me a chance. Chiyo, I care about his mom but I would never make the kid deal with an unwanted boyfriend. If he tells us that he’s not ok with it then we’re done. It’s something his mom and I agreed on already.”

And it’s true. They’re happy together, obviously. It would hurt them both to end their relationship like that. But Izuku is their first priority. He’s a child. A traumatized child at that. And he needs his mom more than she needs to date. Shouta understands that and he respects it wholeheartedly. 

“Of course. I apologize. I just don’t wanna see that boy hurt by this. He’s a sweet little thing but the signs are there. Just do right by them, Shouta.” Chiyo says softly.

“I intend to. Do me a favor, don’t mention this to anyone yet. Only Nezu knows right now. I don’t want the kid to be embarrassed or anything.” She nods easily and turns back to her work, a clear dismissal.

Shouta heads to the teachers lounge, grabbing his things and avoiding Hizashi and Nemuris pestering about going to a club or something stupid like that. He meets Izuku by the front gates of the school, greeting him with a fond little hair ruffle. And with that, the two head back to the Midoriya apartment. 

Izuku keeps his promise of sleeping all weekend, only ever waking up to use the bathroom or have meals. Watching the kid grumble at his mom half asleep and nearly fall face first in his rice every five minutes is honestly amusing. Inko, bless her heart, just gently nudges him awake each time until he’s sufficiently fed and back in his room to sleep away his weekend some more.

Likewise, Shouta keeps his own promise of not telling his girlfriend about what happened. He gets the feeling that she knows anyway, given the knowing looks she gives her son whenever he’s “awake” and the way she dotes on him like he’s a sick toddler. It’s adorable, and it makes Shouta love her that much more. 

Inko and Izuku may not be his family just yet, but he finds himself thinking he could get used to this new reality.

Chapter Text

Katy Perry:

‘Hey Izu, is it alright if I come over? Enji’s being annoying.’

Void:

‘When is he not are you hurt?!’

Katy Perry:

‘Not hurt, no. But I’d rather not be here right now. Fuyumi said I can stay the night if that’s alright. I’ll remember to bring my uniform this time.’

Izuku bites his lower lip. He’d love to have Shoto over for the night, especially if Endeavor is on one of his tyraids. But Shouta is here, spending the night because he doesn’t patrol and apparently doesn’t have anywhere better to be. Izuku was really hoping to keep this from his friends for far longer than a week and a half. 

Especially Shoto.

He loves his boyfriend, he really does. But he knows Shoto has a wild imagination. He’s a conspiracy theorist in all the most unhinged ways. Watching him look Mirio dead in the eyes and ask if he’s AllMights secret love child was mildly traumatizing for everyone involved. Well, except for Shoto. His mildly autistic, socially constipated, heavily sheltered boyfriend just looked confused as Izuku apologized profusely and dragged him away.

But Shoto isn’t exactly safe whenever his shitstain of a father is around. And Izuku will gladly deal with the exasperation that comes with Shotos theories if it means his weird ass other half can be in a safe, stress free environment. And, of course, it comes with the added bonus of cuddles while they’re sleeping.

Izuku heaves a heavy sigh and wanders out of his room toward the living room. His mom is cuddled into Shoutas side as they watch some random movie Izuku couldn’t be bothered with. He can reluctantly admit that they look cute together. It’s a shame he has to interrupt them. 

“Hey mom?” He asks. 

Inko sits up and pauses the movie immediately. “What’s up sweetheart?”

“I uh was wondering if Shoto could spend the night. I know it’s a school night but he just needs to get out for the night.” Shouta raises an eyebrow at that but doesn’t ask.

“Well, you know I don’t mind. But I thought you didn’t want him to know about Shouta yet?” 

“Trust me, I don’t. But I’d rather deal with the questions and stuff than leave him alone right now.” Izuku says with a shrug.

“Alright. Just leave your door cracked.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He says as he heads back to his room, already texting his boyfriend.

Within thirty minutes, there's a soft knock on the front door. Izuku jumps out of bed and races through the apartment, nearly tripping when he turns a corner. Inko rolls her eyes fondly at him as she reaches to pause their movie again. Izuku swings the door open and smiles at his boyfriend. 

“Hey! Do me a favor, don’t look in the living room. In fact, if you have to leave my room at all, just close your eyes.” He says dramatically.

“Izuku, you can’t be serious.” He hears his mom say from the living room.

“I don’t want to fall though.” Shoto says with a cute little head tilt.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. And if you do, I’ll kiss it better.”

“That doesn’t seem realistic.” Shoto mumbles as he’s tugged inside the apartment.

“It’s not.” Izuku glares at Shouta as Shoto freezes beside him.

“Izuku, what?” 

Izuku groans. The universe really hates him. Or maybe just Shouta does. He’s pouring salt in Shouta’s coffee in the morning. Asshole deserves it. Sitting there with his stupid little smirk as Shoto glances between them in confusion. Izuku can hear the gears turning in his boyfriend's head. 

“Izuku?” Izuku slowly peers up to meet beautiful dual eyes.

“Are you Aizawa-sensei's secret love child?” 

“See what you did?” He immediately asks, turning to glare at his teacher. Shouta only shrugs.

“I have many questions.” Shoto mutters.

“I’m sure you do. But first I need to die. Come on.” He tugs Shoto off to his room, making a point to close his door a little loudly out of spite.

Shoto gently drops his bags on the floor by Izuku's desk. Izuku walks over to sit on his bed, biting his lower lip as he stares up at his boyfriend anxiously. Shoto, for his part, remains calm. He walks over to stand in front of Izuku and gently pries his lip free. He runs his thumb along Izuku's newly freed bottom lip, a gentle reminder not to bite.

“What’s going on, Izu?” Izuku sighs and leans into Shotos warm hand.

“He’s not my dad, so get that idea out of your head.” He says softly.

In truth, he kind of wishes Shouta was his dad. Shouta’s kind and gentle. He always has time for Inko. He even makes time for Izuku. He pays attention to the teens' excited rambles during dinner and helps him with his homework when he needs it. He cooks with Inko, laughing and smiling with her as they work in unison to make delicious meals. 

He’s exactly what Izuku wishes Hisashi was like. He puts in the effort to be a part of their lives. It’s probably why Izuku has random bouts of irritation regarding his teacher's relationship with his mom. Or why he’s quick to get snappy with the man when they talk sometimes. It pisses him off that Shouta is so patient with him. That he understands where Izuku's misplaced anger comes from.

He’s traumatized. I think we made that clear.

“He’s dating my mom. They got together before he knew about me. Nobody else knows.” He explains.

Shoto grunts softly and gently pushes on Izukus chest until he’s laying down on the bed. He crawls over the shorter boy and makes himself comfortable. Izuku chuckles softly and brings a hand up to run through Shotos half and half hair. They cuddle like this a lot, Shoto being touch starved and Izuku just liking cuddles. 

“Are you ok with it?” Shoto asks softly.

“I’m not against it. It’s nice to actually have a decent father figure in my life. I hardly talk to dad even when I’m actually with him. But I don't know. I guess I’m still a little conflicted.” Izuku says.

He almost feels bad. Shotos family situation is horrendous, to say the least. He came over here to get away from it for the night. And yet here he is, cuddling Izuku close and listening to him talk about how he’s angry that he actually has a good father figure in his life. But Shoto doesn’t really talk much about his home life when he comes over. And he asked.

“Because of your own dad right?” Shoto asks.

“When isn’t it because of him?”

“Touche. Not to invalidate your feelings on the matter but don’t you think it’s kind of wrong to take your frustrations about your father out on our teacher?” Izuku sighs.

“Yeah. But I don’t really know what else to do. I’m trying, ya know? I’m getting used to it. I don’t mind having him around so much anymore. But sometimes I just…can’t” 

“I know. I’m sure he does too. But Aizawa-sensei isn’t like most teachers. He’s a good man. You and your mom are lucky to have him.” Shoto says.

Izuku glances down at him with a soft expression. He wiggles around until Shoto gets the hint and sits up. They shift to lay on the bed properly. Izuku laces their fingers together and presses a soft kiss to his boyfriend's lips.  

“Thanks. I love you.” He whispers.

“I love you too.” Shoto whispers back.

The two spend the rest of the night in a tangle of limbs on the bed, trading soft kisses and having whispered conversations. It’s peaceful and relaxing and exactly what they both need. By the time his mom comes to check on them the two boys are sound asleep, Izuku's face pressed into Shotos chest with arms wrapped protectively around his waist.

The next morning he’ll spend his walk to school debunking all of Shotos theories with a smile.

Chapter Text

It’s not uncommon for Inko to work night shifts at the hospital. When he was younger, Izuku would spend those nights at the Bakugou residence. Now that he’s almost sixteen though, he spends those nights at the apartment alone. He doesn’t mind. They live in an area with minor crime and Izuku is confident in his ability to protect himself. So on these nights, he eats dinner alone, does his homework and goes to bed.

But given recent events, it’s also not uncommon for Izuku to wake up in a cold sweat, screams on the tip of his tongue. He’s no stranger to nightmares. But those nightmares terrorize him now more than ever. Images of his friends and classmates, bloody and lifeless, plague him often. Shigarakis' deranged laughter echoes in his head for hours after waking up, leaving Izuku trembling and tugging harshly on his hair.

Usually his mom hears him and comes to sit with him, rubbing his back soothingly and whispering reassurances to her son until he falls back asleep with tear stained cheeks. But on nights when it’s just Izuku, alone with nothing but the whispers of the shadows in his room to keep him company, he’s left to comfort himself until the sun rises in the morning and sleep becomes an afterthought as he starts his day.

Tonight seems to be no different. Izuku’s eyes flash open, his throat raw from his screams and his skin sticky with sweat. He sits up in bed, clutching the chest of his shirt as he tries desperately to catch his breath. He shakily reaches over to turn on the lamp by his bed, hoping to silence the whispers around him. 

“Mom?” He rasps into the silence of the apartment. He doesn’t want to be alone.

“M-mama.” He calls again. 

He stands on shaky legs, wandering out of his room in search of his mother. Tears stream down his cheeks as his nightmare plays on repeat in his head. When his search comes up empty he slumps on the floor next to his bed, knees pulled up to his chest, and cries. His mom won’t be back until morning. He’ll be left alone.

He reaches for his phone, every intent to call Inko. He just wants to hear her voice. Know that he’s safe and loved and everything will be ok. But he can’t really see through his tears as he scrolls through his contacts and clicks on a random name. He brings the phone up to his ear and focuses on breathing as he waits.

“Hello?” That doesn’t sound like his mom.

“U-um…hello? I-I’m looking f-for my mom.” He says softly.

“Izuku? Kid, shouldn’t you be asleep right now?” The voice asks.

Izuku blinks the tears away as best as he can and glances at his phone. Shit. He called Shouta by accident. Oh well. If anyone can reassure him that his classmates are ok it would be his teacher. And at least this way he’s not interrupting his mom at work.

“Nightmare. Didn’t mean to call you.” Izuku says with a sniffle.

“Don’t worry about that. Where’s your mom?” Shouta asks.

“Work, won’t be home till mornin.”

“Alright. If you’re ok with it, I’ll come stay with you for the night.” Shouta offers.

Izuku hesitates. He’s not ok with that. Not entirely. Mostly just because Shouta isn’t his mom. Shouta can’t provide that bone deep comfort that his mom can just by being present. But he can keep Izuku safe. And he’s familiar. Izuku doesn’t want to be alone, and really he shouldn’t right now. That’s just a recipe for disaster.

“P-please?” He whispers softly into the phone.

“Sure. I’ll be there soon. Just sit tight.” 

Once the call ends Izuku tosses his phone aside. He reaches up to the bed to pull his well loved bunny plush into his arms, cuddling it close to his chest and letting his tears fall. He just wants to be held. Maybe it’s childish but Izuku can’t really bring himself to care at the moment. His mom always holds him when he’s upset. She allows him to cry and feel until he’s calm and then she puts him back to bed with a whispered ‘I love you’ as he drifts off.

He tenses as he hears the front door open and footsteps approach his room. There’s a soft knock on the door before it cracks open and someone sits beside him. An arm slowly wraps around him and he leans into it. He’s grown used to Shoutas scent, the smell of coffee and his lavender shampoo clinging to their furniture and his moms clothes. 

“You really came?” He whispers softly.

“I did.” Shouta whispers back. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Izuku curls further into him. He doesn’t. He really doesn’t. But his mom always says that talking helps. And Aizawa was there during the USJ attack. He put his life on the line without hesitation to protect his students. To protect Izuku. He would understand the teens fears.

“It was the USJ. Everyone died. I-I couldn’t save them.” He says, choking slightly on his words.

The arm around his shoulders tightens in a protective, grounding way. “It wasn’t real. Everyones safe. Your friends are all home, hopefully sleeping, and alive. I promise.”

“I know but…it just felt so real.” Izuku sniffles and tilts his head up to look at his teacher.

“I’m sure it did. But it wasn’t. You’re safe Izuku. I won’t let anything happen to any of you.” 

Izuku nods. He wraps his arms around his teacher's middle and practically melts into his side. Shouta just continues to hold him, rubbing soothing circles into his arm as Izuku slowly calms down. He never leaves Izuku's side. He never complains about the uncomfortable position or the lack of sleep. He just continues to be a steady presence and lets Izuku feel. 

“Hey Shouta?” Izuku eventually asks.

His teacher hums softly. “Have you ever wanted kids?”

“What?” 

Izuku looks up again, meeting confused white eyes. “Have you ever wanted kids?”

“Uh…I guess I never really thought about it. Why?” Shouta asks.

Izuku shrugs and yawns softly. “Cause you’d be a good dad.” 

It’s quiet again for several minutes, Izuku beginning to doze off against his teacher. Eventually Shouta shifts slightly, tucking his arms under Izuku's legs and back and easily hefting him into a bridal carry. He gently lays the teen in his bed, tucking the bunny plush into his arms and pulling the blanket over him as Izuku curls up. A gentle hand runs through his curls and he shuts his eyes as he relaxes that tiny bit more.

“Kids aren’t really my thing. There’s only one kid in my life that I wouldn’t mind being a dad for if he let me.” Shouta finally says.

“Mm. Who?” Izuku asks tiredly. 

Shouta chuckles softly. “You.”

Izuku grunts softly, nuzzling his face into the ratty fur of his bunny. Now that he’s calmed down from his nightmare induced panic, he’s exhausted. The gentle hand carding through his hair, tugging out tangles with ease as it goes, easily starts to lull him back to sleep.

“That sounds nice. Sometimes I wish you were my dad.” He mumbles. 

The hand in his hair pauses, only resuming its ministrations when Izuku lets out a displeased whine. “Sometimes I wish I was too. Get some sleep, ok?”

“You’ll stay?”

“I’ll stay.”

And with that, Izuku falls asleep with a hand in his hair and a new comfort at his side. 

Chapter Text

Izuku is used to exhaustion wracking his body at all hours of the day. He sneaks in naps when he can between classes or after school, taking a page out of Shoutas book by carrying his favorite blanket around with him. Granted he only does that around the house where nobody is around to judge him. But this kind of exhaustion, while not new, is the worst.

Emotional exhaustion is debilitating. It leaves you feeling numb. At times frozen in place or quiet through the chaos of the world around you. For Izuku, he shuts down. He stares at everything and nothing all at once. He hardly talks. He doesn’t move. He doesn’t even cry. He just sits and waits until he’s told he can go home where it’s safe to cry.

He was excited that morning when he asked his mom if he could go with his class to the mall in preparation for the summer camp. Before UA, he never went out with friends much. He and Katsuki would occasionally go to the arcade or the park but it wasn’t often. So when Mina had informed the class of the plan to go to the mall he had been ecstatic. 

But then he was left alone as his classmates raced off in their own little groups. And of course, with Izuku being the trouble magnet that he is, he ended up with a deadly hand around his neck. It became clear immediately that he was at the very center of a hostage situation. He remained calm, despite his fear, and spoke with Shigaraki as requested.

He’s never been happier to see Uraraka in his life.

After receiving any medical treatment necessary, he was brought to the nearest police precinct to give his statement. With adrenaline still running through his veins he was able to talk about what happened. How Shigaraki had threatened his life and the lives of those around him. How Izuku then agreed to talk to him in an attempt to keep everyone safe.

He details the conversation about Stain and his ideals. How Shigaraki took Izuku's words as a sign to take down AllMight. He explains how Izuku’s savior was his friend, who showed up as Shigaraki was strangling the boy and the sudden attention from his classmate led to Shigaraki fleeing. It’s a lot. And by the time it’s over and the adrenaline has begun to fade that exhaustion starts to weigh down on Izuku heavily.

“Hey kid, is there a number I can call for you?” The kind officer who took his statement asks.

“Just my mom. But she’s at work so she might not answer.” Izuku whispers. 

“And there’s nobody else? Your dad or a family friend maybe?” 

Izuku thinks about it. They could call Auntie Mitsuki, but she’s a little too brash and loud for Izuku right now. His dad is clearly out of the question. Even if by some miracle he were to answer, there would be no point. By the time he makes it to Japan he will have been picked up already and be home resting. There’s always Shouta. He came to sit with Izuku during his nightmare after all. And as Izuku’s homeroom teacher he has partial custody of all of his students in case something happens.

“I could call my m-er uh my homeroom teacher.” He finally says.

“You go to UA right? That should work. I’ll give you some privacy.” 

Izuku watches the officer turn and walk away. He doesn’t stray far, just far enough that Izuku can make his phone call in peace. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and scrolls through his contacts until he finds his teacher. He heaves a heavy sigh and presses call.

“Izuku. What’s up kid? I thought you were at the mall with the other hellions.” Shouta answers after only one ring.

“I was. Can you pick me up? Mom’s at work for the night again and I didn’t know who else to call.”  Izuku mumbles.

“Sure. Where are you?”

“The police station.” Izuku answers honestly.

A loud silence rings between them for a moment before he hears a soft sigh. “Kid, I love you but I swear to god if you got arrested I am not bailing you out of jail.”

“You l- ya know what. I didn’t get arrested. Shigaraki was at the mall. I had to give a statement.” Izuku explains.

“Are you hurt?” Izuku can hear his teacher moving around, a door opening and closing in the background. 

“Not badly. I have some bruising on my neck but the paramedics said there’s no sign of major damage and the bruising should fade in a day or two.” 

Shouta curses softly on the other end of the call. “Alright. Just sit tight, I’ll be there soon. Text your mom or so help me god kid I will tell her about when you passed out during training.”

Izuku squeaks but agrees. He informs the officer that his teacher is coming to pick him up and texts his mom a brief explanation of what happened and that Shouta is coming to get him. Once he’s exerted all that effort he slouches in the uncomfortable chair he’s been in for about two hours now and shuts his eyes.

He must start to doze off, despite his discomfort in his current position, because he startles awake to a gentle hand in his hair. He looks up at Shouta, who offers him a small smile. His teacher tilts his head slightly, examining the bruises on his neck briefly before releasing him. Izuku sits up and rubs his eyes, waking up more as Shouta goes to talk with the officer from earlier and sign any paperwork needed.

“Come on kid.” Izuku offers the officer a small wave as he follows Shouta out of the precinct.

“If you’re comfortable with it, my apartment is closer. Your mom won’t be home till morning and I’d rather not leave you alone right now. We can head back to mine for the night and I’ll bring you home in the morning.” Shouta offers.

Izuku shrugs. “I don’t have anything to sleep in though.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I probably have something you can borrow.”

With that, they walk back to Shoutas apartment in silence. Izuku stays close to his teacher as they walk. He’s tired, physically and mentally at this point. He just wants to take a shower and maybe cry for a little while until he falls asleep. The Midoriyas are known for their tears. But Izuku often has trouble crying in front of people he doesn’t trust. And crying in the middle of a police precinct is the farthest thing from comfort for the boy.

It’s not long before Shouta leads Izuku up two flights of stairs and up to an apartment door. He unlocks it and nudges Izuku inside gently. He slips off his bright red high tops and follows Shouta into the living room. Izuku can confidently say that he expected his teacher's apartment to be pretty basic. He’s not an overly materialistic person and he seems like the type to say that decorations are ‘illogical’.

Looking around he finds that he was mostly right. The walls are relatively bare, only a TV hanging in the center of one wall. The TV sits directly across from what looks to be a well loved gray couch and a coffee table covered in sheets of paper, pens and a laptop. He spots a bookshelf full of various books and binders. On one of the shelves is a single picture frame housing a photo of a young Aizawa with Present Mic on one side of him and a blue haired boy Izuku doesn’t recognize on the other.

“Here.” Shouta’s sudden voice draws Izuku's attention away from the picture frame.

“These should fit you, they just might be a little big.” He says, handing Izuku a t-shirt and a pair of sweats.

“Thanks. Is it ok if I take a shower?” Izuku asks as he takes the offered clothes.

“I don’t care. I’ll show you where the bathroom is.” Shouta says, gesturing for Izuku to follow him down the hall.

The apartment is a simple one bedroom apartment. Shouta’s bedroom is on one side of the hall with the bathroom directly across from it. It’s simple, much like Izuku’s own apartment, and the homey feel of it helps ease some of the teens' remaining tension.

“Use whatever you want in the shower. My hair’s not too different from yours so my shampoo should be fine for your curls.” Shouta says, shoving a soft towel in his hands.

“I didn’t think you cared enough about your appearance to get special shampoo. No offense.” Izuku says as he lays the towel and borrowed clothes on the sink.

“I usually don’t. Hizashi started buying all my hair products after he touched my hair for the first time in high school and felt how fried it was.” Shouta explains with a shrug.

Izuku chuckles softly. “Is that Present Mic? You guys seem really close.”

“He’s annoying. But I can’t get him to leave me alone so I’m stuck with it. Anyway, let me know if you need anything. I’ll be in the living room.” Shouta says before leaving him alone to shower.

Izuku takes that time to cry. He had honestly been so scared in that moment. For himself, of course. As reckless as he is he’s not suicidal. He doesn’t want to die. But he was mostly scared of what would happen if Shigaraki had killed him. Would he have killed anyone else like he promised he would? Would he have targeted any of Izuku’s classmates?

It’s not something he wants to think about.

He showers quickly, not wanting to use up all of Shouta’s hot water. He takes his time drying himself, hoping the evidence of his tears will be gone by the time he exits the steamy bathroom. The shirt hangs off of him a little loosely but not uncomfortably. Izuku likes bigger shirts anyway and this one smells like his teacher. He can reluctantly admit that it brings him comfort. He does have to roll the waist of his borrowed sweats a few times but he doesn’t mind. At least he won’t be sleeping in jeans tonight.

Once he's dressed and his tears are dry he leaves the bathroom and joins Shouta in the living room. He hesitantly sits on the couch with his teacher, taking a moment to respond to his moms worried texts and reassure all of his friends that he’s alright. He mutes the class chat, not having the energy to deal with all of the spam, and leans his head back on the arm of the couch.

“Feel better?” Shouta asks.

“Mm. Thanks.” Izuku mumbles.

Shouta just grunts, returning to whatever work he’s doing at the coffee table and leaving Izuku alone. He watches Shouta work for a few minutes. He briefly thinks about the night he had his nightmare. How Shouta had admitted that he saw Izuku as a son and Izuku, in turn, admitted that he wishes Shouta was his dad. They haven’t really talked about that since. It’s not like Shouta and Inko have been dating for very long. Shouta doesn’t need to deal with Izuku's daddy issues this early.

But Izuku can’t always help himself.

“Can I ask you something?” He says softly.

“Sure.” 

“Earlier, on the phone, you said you love me. Did you mean that?” Izuku asks.

Shouta turns to look at him, expression soft but serious. “I’ll admit, it was a slip of the tongue. But yeah, I meant it. You’re a problem child, but you’re my problem child. In more ways than one, now.”

“Do you love my mom?” 

“Very much.” Shouta says softly.

Izuku nods. “Um…thanks. For- I mean ya know…for coming to get me and for letting me stay in your apartment and the clothes and stuff.”

“It’s no problem Izu. You can always call me if you need me.” Shouta reassures, turning back to his work and letting a comfortable silence settle over them once more. 

As Izuku begins to fall asleep on his teacher's couch he only has one thought. “I think I might love you too. Just a little.”

Chapter Text

“Oi. You doin anything for your birthday this year?” Katsuki asks as they walk home from their last day of classes before summer.

They’re given a week off of school before the Summer Camp. Izuku will be turning sixteen two days before the trip. 

“Sort of? I dunno, I don’t really wanna do much this year. I’ll obviously have to call Mar since we’re birthday buddies but otherwise I think it’s just gonna be Me, mom and maybe Sho.” Izuku explains.

“Tch. Fine. I’ll drop off your present later then.” Izuku just nods with a small smile. 

A few days later Izuku wakes up to the smell of cinnamon buns wafting through the apartment. Cinnamon buns are his favorite American dessert. The first time he tried one he proceeded to binge more until he was up all night sick to his stomach. When he came home and told his mom about the sweet she learned how to make them from scratch for him.

“Morning mom.” He mumbles as he enters the kitchen, dropping a kiss to his moms head.

“Good morning Izu. Happy Birthday! Inko says with a bright grin.

“Thanks mom. You’re making cinnamon buns?” 

“Of course I am. You love them. Oh! Shouta will be here around noon. He’s at a meeting at the school right now.” Inko says as she pulls the cinnamon buns out of the oven and sets them down to cool.

“Kay. Shoto will be here around then too I think.”

“Alright honey. Why don’t you go call your friend?” Izuku nods and heads back to his room. 

He grabs his phone and flops on the bed. He scrolls through his contacts, looking for the one labeled swiper, and presses call. Mari picks up on the third ring with a loud, drawn out “WHAT’S UUUUUUUP!!!”

“Happy birthday shadow boy.” She says. Izuku can hear the grin behind her voice.

“Happy birthday to you too. Anything special planned or are you just gonna spend your sweet sixteen annoying Damien again?”

“Oh trust me, he’ll have his fair share of torture. But I’m actually going out to dinner with my parents.” Mari says.

“Sounds festive. I’m just staying home again this year.” Izuku says, the English flowing effortlessly.

“That’s so boriiiiing. You’re such a drag.” Mari complains.

“Well my boyfriend will be here at least.” 

“Hell yeah! Get that dick!” Izuku rolls his eyes.

“No. And stop saying that everytime I mention him. He’s emotionally constipated, sex is something he needs to be eased into.” 

“You aren’t denying that you want to.” Mari teases.

“ANYWAY. My moms boyfriend will be here too.” He says, easily moving the conversation past that .

“Oh? Mamadoriya is getting lucky? Since when?” 

“Gross. They’ve been together for like, I dunno, two? Months.” That's about as long as Izuku has known about it.

“Girl boss moment.”

“He’s my teacher.”

“Not girl boss moment,”

Izuku snorts. He loves his friends in America. Mari’s bubbly personality never fails to make Izuku laugh. She knows how to keep them on their twos. Damiens grouchier nature always leaves Izuku in a state of mild amusement as he watches his friend parent them. They may be the youngest of the group but he definitely knows how to be a mom. And a Mexican mama is one to be feared.

“It’s not so bad. I wasn’t too fond of it at first but Shouta’s actually pretty chill. He treats mom good.” He explains with a shrug.

“Well as long as you’re both happy. But if he hurts either of you I will fly to Japan and turn him into a chew toy.” She threatens.

“Uh huh. Well on that note, I’m gonna go. Mom made cinnamon buns. I’ll text ya later, love you.”

“Love you too, broccoli boy. TTYL. I can’t believe I just said that.” Izuku snorts as the call cuts out.

Izuku and his mom have cinnamon buns for breakfast. He helps his mom clean up and goes to shower. For the first time in a long time he actually looks forward to his birthday this year. Being able to spend it with his boyfriend and his mom and his…whatever you wanna call Shouta makes him giddy. He’ll be able to spend it with his whole family.

Well. Almost. 

He’s drying his hair when his phone starts to vibrate. It’s approaching noon and anyone who isn’t already coming over has already sent their happy birthday texts. He picks his phone up as he leaves the bathroom and crosses the hall to his room. He leaves his door cracked as he tosses his pajamas in the pile of dirty clothes by his closet. 

When he finally looks at who’s calling him he sighs softly.

“Hey dad.” He answered softly.

“Hey zuzu. How’s the birthday boy?”

Not even an actual happy birthday? Oh well. At least he actually called. “I’m ok.”

“How’s it feel to be…uh…”

“Sixteen?” 

“Right. I was testing you.” Hisashi chuckles awkwardly.

Izuku echoes the laugh. “Sure. It's fine. Just another day right?”

“Sure. Sure. Any special plans?” His dad asks.

“Nope. Just mom and I like it always is.” Because fuck this man. He doesn’t get to know about Shoto or Aizawa.

“That’s great kiddo. Listen, I got a meeting to get to. I’ll call later, kay?” He hangs up before Izuku can respond.

He sighs softly, staring down at his newly blank phone screen. “Sure you will.”

Izuku heads into the living room, seeing Shouta on the couch with his mom. He smiles softly as he joins them. He wonders why he was ever apprehensive about Shouta, a man who has been there for him more in the span of only a few months than Hisashi has in sixteen years. He’s here, while Hisashi attends a stupid meeting.

“What’s wrong honey?” His mom asks.

“Huh? Oh, nothing. Dad called. He had a meeting.” He says with a shrug.

“Oh. Well at least he called.” 

“He forgot how old I am.”

“Oh.” Yeah. Oh. Izuku’s not sure what’s sadder, his dads attempts at parenting or his moms attempts to cheer him up from said parenting.

Probably tied.

It’s then that Shoto decides to make his appearance. He comes in with probably a whole store's worth of bags. One silent conversation confirms that he stole Endeavors credit card again and maxed it out on birthday presents for his boyfriend. Honestly, pissing Endeavor off is probably the best part of this birthday present.

Shoto gives him a quick kiss and greets the adults before dropping his personal bag in Izukus room. Both of the Midoriya's boyfriends will be staying the night. When he returns, Izuku is quick to take his rightful place on his Shoto shaped throne.

From Katsuki he gets a small book keychain. Most of his boyfriends gifts are clothes or merch, the only exception being a necklace with a little snowflake charm that nearly made him cry. From Shouta he receives new notebooks for his analysis and a white noise machine. From his mom he gets art supplies and a bunny hoodie that matches his plush. 

Once presents have been opened and thanks have been given, Shoto helps Izuku put all of his things away. Izuku clips his new keychain to his backpack and helps Shoto hang up the new clothes in his pocket. He leans into his boyfriends side as they work until arms wrap around his waist and tug him into a firm chest.

“Are you enjoying your birthday?” Shoto asks, pressing his face into Izuku's neck.

“I am. I’m really happy.” Izuku answers with a small smile.

Shoto presses a soft kiss to his neck before allowing Izuku to turn in his arms. Izuku wraps his arms around his boyfriend's neck. It feels oddly domestic, standing here in a comfortable silence wrapped in each other's arms. Izuku has to stand on his tiptoes when he leans up to capture soft lips in a kiss. His hands slip into Shotos dual hair as they kiss.

Izuku is just about to press forward, deepening the kiss just a tiny bit, when they hear a throat clear in the doorway and pull away from each other. Izuku turns to see Shouta leaning against the doorframe with a smirk. He sighs and steals one more quick kiss before pulling away fully.

“Can I help you?” He asks.

“Your mom wants to know if you wanna watch a movie before dinner. But if you two are busy…” Shouta teases.

“Fuck off. We’ll be out in a bit. I wanna finish hanging these clothes up so they don’t wrinkle.” 

Shouta grunts and turns away, leaving them alone again. They quickly finish their task, stealing a few more kisses in the process, and join Inko and Shouta in the living room. The boys cuddle up on the chair, leaving the couch for the adults. They watch How To Train Your Dragon, because it’s Izuku's favorite. They have katsudon for dinner and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Izuku falls asleep in his boyfriend's arms with his mom and teacher in the other room.

Best birthday ever.

Chapter Text

Something is wrong.

Run Run Run.

Protect Protect Protect.

Shhhhhh…let him focus.

Save the child. Save yourself.

We will help you.

We will save you.

Izuku does his best to ignore the whispers around him as he races through the woods with a trembling Kota in his arms. He almost wishes he hadn’t postponed his trip to America for this. When he saw the smoke rising above the treeline he knew immediately that the camp was under attack. He wants nothing more than to just let loose, let the shadows overtake him and put a stop to the attack. With the darkness of night he would undoubtedly be stronger. 

But he can’t yet. He has to wait. Wait until it’s safe. Until Kota is back at camp with his aunt. Until someone gives him explicit permission to use his quirk. It’s infuriating. You would think that the commission wouldn’t care about forty teenagers using their quirks in a life or death situation like this. But corruption is a fickle thing.

Not the point.

“IZUKU!” He whips around at the familiar shout of his name and relaxes just slightly at the sight of his teacher.

“Shouta. Shit. Kota’s ok. I need to find Kachaan. He’s their target.” Izuku rambles slightly as he hands Kota off.

“Kid, no. Get back to the camp.” Shouta says sternly.

“I can’t I have to-” 

Save him Save him Save him.

Go Go.

No Time. 

Run Run Run.

Set us freeee.

Izuku reaches up to grip his hair, willing the whispers to be quiet. “I have to find him.”

“Izuku-”

“Please? He’s my best friend.”

Shouta sighs softly, holding Kota close to his chest. “Alright, just…be careful. If you see Mandalay, tell her to send a message to everyone that Eraserhead is giving all students permission to use their quirks.”

“Does that mean-?”

“Let em loose, kid. Don’t hold back.” Izuku grins.

He finds Katsuki in the center of a circle made of his classmates. Shoto is there, which brings Izuku just as much relief as the sight of Katsuki does. He bursts through the treeline, immediately joining the group. 

“Kachaan! Thank god you’re ok.” Izuku says softly.

“We need to find a way back to camp.” Shoto exclaims as if that’s not obvious.

“I don’t think so little heroes.”

Izuku turns around, spotting a man in the trees. Another with black hair and scars covering him emerges from the bushes with a blonde girl at his side. The group shifts closer to Katsuki, creating a protective wall around him. 

Danger Danger Danger.

Protect him.

Protect them.

Quiet! Let him think.

Noooo he must use us.

Use us Use us Use us.

Set us freeee.

“Do you guys trust me?” Izuku asks.

“Of course we do. Why?” 

Izuku takes a deep breath, the whispers growing louder and more persistent. His quirk thrums violently in his head until it snaps. In an instant, shadowy hands reach out and grasp onto any part of Izuku's body that they can reach. Izuku’s own body seems to fade slightly into the darkness of the night, his eyes fully black and face void of emotion. When he speaks, his voice echoes with the voices of his shadows.

“You didn’t think this through, did you?” 

“Something tells me we did not.” Scar guy says.

Izuku smirks. Shadows swirl around the group of teenagers behind him, effectively providing cover so that they can escape. The blonde girl lunges at Izuku, fading right through his shadowy form and falling to the ground with a yelp. The shadows laugh in whispered amusement around him. Scar guy attempts to counteract Izuku's quirk with fire. But in the darkness of night, it’s easy for the teen to slip into the shadows.

A smokey hand grips the third man's ankle and pulls, sending him to the ground in a painful tangle of limbs. More hands wrap around scar guys mouth and wrists, tugging back into the forest and away from the fight. Darkness surrounds the remaining two villains, taking their sight easily and leaving them vulnerable to Izukus attacks. 

Shadowy hands grip the villains wrists, binding them with a surprisingly firm grasp. The darkness threatening to swallow them whole recedes, revealing Izuku between them still covered in hands of his own. His black eyes flash between the two villains. He doesn’t say a word as he glares unnervingly.

“You’re terrifying. You know that, kid?” The man asks.

Izuku grins. “And you’re fucked.”

With the help of his shadows Izuku escorts the two villains back to camp where they’re properly arrested and kept inside under the watchful eyes of Tiger and Ragdoll. Izuku informs Vlad King of Musculars location and about the fire villain currently being held against his will somewhere deep in the forest. He keeps his quirk active the entire time, not wanting to give that villain an easy escape. 

Only when they’re given the all clear do the shadowy hands fade and Izuku's black eyes turn green once more. He sits with Katsuki, just soaking up the comfort of knowing that his friend is ok. He shuts his eyes and relaxes as they wait for first responders.

Safe Safe Safe.

We helped the boy.

Izuku is happy.

Yaaaaay!

Hush. Let him rest.

Despite the request, the whispers continue. Izuku just smiles. As annoying as they can be, he loves his shadows. They kept him and his friends safe tonight. Without them, who knows what could have happened to Katsuki? Izuku will be forever grateful for his shadowy friends.

“Iz-Midoriya. Are you alright?” Shouta asks, crouching in front of him with a look of concern.

“Yeah. I’m ok. Are you? How’s Kota?” 

“We’re both fine. It doesn't seem like anyone was majorly injured.” Izuku heaves a sigh of relief. 

“I’m proud of you kid. You did good tonight.” Shouta offers a small smile.

“Thanks. Hopefully that’s enough to save us both from mom.”

Shouta pales slightly, looking genuinely afraid of his girlfriend's wrath. “I’ll take the blame. I just might be dead by the time you get back from America.”

“She won’t kill you. She likes you too much.” Izuku mumbles, leaning his head on Katsukis shoulder.

Wait…Katsuki. 

“The fuck?” 

“Shit.”

Chapter Text

“You have everything you need? Your charger. Your medicine?” Inko fusses. Shouta stands off to the side and watches.

“Yes mom. I have everything. I’ll be fine. I do this every year.” Izuku says.

“Oh I know honey but you know how I worry.”

“I know. But I’ll check in every day. And at least you have Shouta this time.”

Inko and Shouta walked him right up to his gate. He only has about ten minutes left before boarding. Flying is the worst part of his trip. He’ll be on a plane for thirteen hours with little to do to keep him company. Usually he sleeps. But he often gets antsy when he flies, wanting to be up and moving. Music can only do so much to ease his boredom.

“Call me when you land, ok?” Inko requests, cupping his cheek with a gentle hand.

Shouta offers him a hair ruffle and the two watch as Izuku gets processed and sent to board. The flight feels much longer than usual. Maybe it’s due to the lack of silly texts from his friends or check ins from Shoto. He mostly stares out the window while listening to his travel playlist. He gets a few hours of sleep before waking up in time to land.

Once he collects his bags he heads outside in search of his dads car. Pick ups and drop offs are two of the only times he sees Hisashi on these trips. He spots the familiar black sedan and walks over to put his things in the trunk before climbing in the front seat. 

“Hey dad.”

“Hm? Oh hey kiddo. Ready to head home?” Hisashi asks.

Home. He just left home. These trips get more and more tiring every year. Izuku tells himself that he only has two more summers of this before he doesn’t have to come to America anymore. He’ll be an adult and neither of his parents will have custody of him anymore. He can just live his best life as a UA graduate, starting his hero career and maybe attending college. 

“Yeah. I'm ready.

The drive to Hisashis apartment is silent. The radio plays softly through the car but father and son don’t talk. Izuku stares out the window, watching the way the morning sunlight glistens off shop windows and skyscrapers. Civilians flood the streets as they head to work or do their weekly shopping. Despite the world being awake, Izuku wants to sleep. Jet lag can be a bitch and with Izuku already being perpetually exhausted at all times it tends to affect him harshly.

Once they arrive at the apartment, Hisashi drops Izuku and his things off and leaves for work. Not surprising. Izuku could care less right now. It just gives him time to call his mom and go to sleep. He’ll be here for close to two months, he can afford to waste a day sleeping. So he heads upstairs to his dad's apartment and uses his key to get inside. He heads to his room, seeing it just the way he left it last year, with just a bit of dust on some of his furniture.

He dumps his bags at random. He’ll unpack later. He flops on his bed and calls his mom. It’s late there, around 10:30, but he knows she’ll be awake. And as expected she picks up on the second ring.

“Hi honey. How was the flight?” She asks.

“It was ok. Long. I'm at dads now though.” Izuku says with a yawn.

“Is your father with you?”

“Mm. He had to go to work. S’ok though, I’m tired anyway.” Izuku explains, putting his phone on speaker so he can curl up more comfortably.

“I bet. You’re usually in bed by now.”

“Yeah. Jet lag sucks.” Izuku mumbles. His mom chuckles and he smiles.

“That it does. You go get some sleep, I’ll talk to you tomorrow ok?” Izuku grunts.

After saying their goodbyes Izuku sleeps for hours. He wakes up in the middle of the night with a groan. If Hisashi is home, he’s definitely asleep. And Izuku is starving. He aimlessly texts his boyfriend as he quietly goes in search of food., smiling in amusement as Shoto goes on and on about Soba. he finds it adorable how much his other half loves his safe food. 

Once he’s eaten, he finally unpacks his bags and cleans the layers of dust from his desk and bookshelves. His room here is much more basic than his room back at home. There's no hero merch or piles of clothes in the corner. No random stuffed animals or pictures from his childhood. His desk is positioned under the window in his room. His bed sits tucked neatly in the corner across from his closet. On the opposite wall is a bookshelf full of stories and sketchbooks.

He prefers it this way, basic and lacking in personal touch. It makes it feel less homey. This apartment is not his home, never has been. He doesn’t want this room to feel like it actually belongs to him. So the only personal touches in the room are the type of content that lines the bookshelves and his bed set. 

Once his bags are unpacked he tries to go back to sleep, attempting to counteract the jet lag that generally plagues him for days when he travels. Of course, it doesn’t work. So as the sun begins to rise, illuminating his room in beautiful oranges and yellows, he heaves a heavy sigh and heads to the kitchen to start on breakfast. 

Hisashi joins him in the kitchen just as he’s flipping the last pancake. He watches his dad as he pours himself a cup of coffee and accepts his plate of food with a soft thanks. Izuku routinely thinks about how similar they look. Hisashi keeps his black curly hair tamed with gel and god only knows what else, always looking like a picture perfect businessman. His tan face accentuates the smattering of freckles that disappear below his shirt, much like Izuku.

Izuku likes to think he’s a perfect mix of his parents. Black roots that fade to a deep green. Wide green eyes to match his moms popping against his darker skin tone, easily showing that he’s mixed. Hisashi was born and raised in a smaller city in lower California. He had moved to Japan in his early twenties for work where he met Inko while she was still in college. 

They dated while she finished her schooling and started her career as a nurse. They got married after two years and had Izuku within the first year of marriage. According to his mom, Hisashi had originally been thrilled to have a child. But when he realized how much responsibility it was he began using his work as an escape. It caused conflict between his parents, who tried to make their marriage work for years until Hisashi eventually threw in the towel.

The custody battle for Izuku wasn’t really much of a battle. Hisashi didn’t want him full time and Inko refused to give him up. But Japan isn’t exactly known for being fair to their female citizens and so the courts wanted to give full custody to Hisashi, who made more money and would be a better provider for a six year old Izuku. Thankfully, both of his parents had good lawyers who worked together to come to a custody arrangement everyone could be happy with.

Everyone except Izuku.

“I gotta head out. I left my card in your room in case you wanna go out with those friends of yours or something. Just be responsible.” Hisashi says as he deposits his dirty dishes in the sink.

Izuku just grunts. He cleans up from their breakfast and heads to his room to get ready for the day. He knows Mari and Damien are probably just waiting for him to text them. They had both been excited when he let them know he was boarding his plane, Mar more so than Damien. So he knows that the minute he tells them he’s available, they’re likely to materialize in his apartment somehow and drag him for a day full of packed streets and thrift shopping.

Broccoli Child:

The father has left. I am available.

Swiper:

HELL YEAH!

Mama:

Mar, tone it down please

Swiper:

Fuck you! And your cow. I’m walking you into a brick wall later.

Mama:

Jokes on you dog, Izu’s the only one allowed to play guide dog when he’s here.

Izuku rolls his eyes with an amused little chuckle. He loves his friends so much. They get him through these trips with little to no breakdowns. They understand his issues with anxiety, always catching the beginnings of panic quickly and taking him somewhere quiet to breathe. They look out for each other like that a lot. Mari tends to get overwhelmed by the sounds and scents of the world and Damien of course needs a lot of help given his lack of sight. 

The trio found each other in their lower moments. Izuku was alone, being ignored by his dad and left to roam the city streets by himself in search of something to do. He had found Damien at the park, shoved to the ground with a group of kids looming over him yelling jeers and discriminatory words at the blind, quirkless kid. He had gotten between them, but not before a hyperactive girl with snow white hair and fox features ripped the walking stick away from one of the bullies and began to growl at them threateningly.

The three became inseparable almost immediately.

Izuku grabs his phone, wallet and a pocket knife he keeps here and heads to the nearest park. It’s their usual meeting point when they get to hang out. Izuku gets there in time to see Damien slip his flip flop off his foot, staring blankly at where an unsuspecting Mari is talking a mile a minute.

“Domestic Abuse is a crime.” Izuku says as he grabs Damiens wrist.

“She deserves it.” Damien grumbles.

“Identity theft is a crime, JIM!”

“See?”

Izuku shakes his head fondly before accepting hugs from his friends.

“So what should we do today?” He asks as Damien grips his elbow.

“One word. Carnival.”

Chapter Text

Izuku, Mari and Damien head to a nearby summer carnival. It’s three days into a week-long carnival set up in Time Square. The area is crowded, more so than usual. Parents chase their kids from game to game and groups of friends, much like Izuku’s own, wait in lines for greasy fair foods that Izuku couldn’t really be bothered with. It’s a lot, but Izuku does his best to ignore the noise and crowd as he guides Damien along behind an excitable Mari.

“Win me a prize at the high striker.” Mari demands.

“Why me?” Izuku asks.

“Because you’ve been training to be a fancy ass hero and plus Damien will just miss all his shots.”

“I will hit you with my shoe.” Damien threatens.

“Why can’t you do it yourself Mar? You know this stuff isn’t really my thing.” Izuku asks.

“Cause I’m just a girl. Be my knight in shining armor.”

Izuku rolls his eyes with a sigh. Try as he might, he can’t resist Mari’s puppy dog eyes. What can he say? He lives to see his friends happy. He guides Damien to a nearby bench so he won’t get hurt and heads over to the high striker. He doesn’t exactly excel at the game, but he does better than most.

Looking at him, you’d never guess he has muscle. Izuku has a lankier build, much like his father. And he prefers baggier t-shirts and jeans or gym shorts. But he’s been doing heavy physical training with Katsuki since they were thirteen and since entering UA his training regimen and diet have changed drastically.

He picks a little wolf plush for his friend and hands it over, accepting the coos and hug from her before directing Damiens hand back to his elbow. They head to a nearby food stand to get drinks in an attempt to combat the summer heat. Mari makes Izuku play more games for her, only stopping when her arms are full of little plushies and both boys refuse to carry any of her prizes. 

“Ok we came, most of us saw, can we go now?” Izuku asks, earning himself an elbow to the ribs for the blind joke.

“No. We have to ride the ferris wheel. We gotta get a picture. I’m gonna show it at your wedding.” Mari says.

“Please don’t.” Izuku mumbles.

Mari leads them to the ferris wheel and they take their seats. Damien sits beside Mari with Izuku on the bench across from them. A little known fact about Izuku, he hates heights. It’s a part of why he hates flying. He feels much safer and more steady with his feet firmly planted on the ground where the only thing threatening to make him fall is own incompetence. So when the ferris wheel begins to move and they slowly raise higher into the air he squeezes his eyes shut and grips the edge of his seat.

“You’ve literally faced villains and survived but you’re scared of heights?” Mari teases.

“Shut up. And spoiler alert, I was scared of the villains too.” Izuku bites back.

“Down doggy. Sorry. Didn’t mean to poke at old wounds.” 

“Well they aren’t exactly old Mar. Leave him alone, he’s allowed to have phobias.” Damien chastises. 

Izuku swallows his fear long enough for Mari to get the picture she wanted. When they’re done on the ride, he’s the first one off.

“Can we go now?” He asks again.

“Lame. But yeah. Whose place we goin to?” Mari asks as they head toward the park exit.

“We can go to mine. Dad probably won’t be back till late anyway. He left me his card so I can order us food if you guys want.” Izuku says.

“Is your dad ever home? I feel like every time you’re here he-OW!” Mari glares at Damien as she rubs the arm he just slapped.

“It’s fine mama. He’s home sometimes but I dunno. He’s just busy.” Izuku says with a shrug.

He doesn’t talk about his dad much. If he does, he usually just ends up going on a trauma dump rant about his childhood and how not much hasn’t changed. Poor Shouta learned that the hard way. So did Izuku’s wasted froyo. He loves his dad. Really he does. He usually calls on birthdays. Sometimes he calls on holidays. He always answers texts, eventually. He still pays child support and at least tries to be a part of Izuku's life. 

But he’s never been there for the important things. When Izuku's quirk came in, working. When he made honors in middle school, in America. When Izuku was accepted to UA, working and in America. When Izuku was in the hospital after the USJ and the Stain incident his dad had called to make sure he was ok both times. He seemed genuinely worried and they were some of the longest conversations he’d ever had with the man. But that was all he got.

And sometimes, Izuku just wants to be noticed. He wants his dad to tell him that he’s proud of his son. He wants gentle hair ruffles and loving smiles. He wants Hisashi to make time for him, to take him out to see the world or even just sit at home and watch movies while they eat greasy ass American food. He wants to decorate his room however he wants it. He wants that apartment to feel like home. 

He wants to look forward to these trips.

The group heads back to Izuku's apartment to hang out. Izuku uses his dads card to order them pizza and drinks. They settle down in the living room to watch shitty American TV. Mari sits upside down with her legs hanging over the back of the couch. She’s drowning in all the prizes Izuku won for her. Izuku sits beside her, curled into the corner of the couch. Damien just sits on the floor in front of them.

“You guys really are my family. I hope you know that.” Izuku randomly says.

Both of his friends turn to look at him. Mari even sits up properly. “You are too, Izu. I’ll always be around to annoy you guys.” 

“Yeah. Even when we’re all adults and doing our own thing. We’ll always have each other.” Damien agrees.

Izuku smiles. “I hope you guys can visit me in Japan someday. It’ll be fun. You’ll get to meet my mom and Shoto.”

“I wanna meet the explosive blonde one. He seems fun.” Mari says.

Damien rolls his foggy eyes. “You would think that asshole seems fun.”

Izuku watches fondly as his two friends begin to bicker. Sometimes they can be a lot. Mari with her loud energetic personality that never ceases to exhaust him. Her lack of filter that always seems to get her into trouble. Damien with his moody demeanor and habit of hitting them with his flip flops. But Izuku loves them dearly and he wouldn’t have them any other way.

Chapter Text

“What should we do today?” 

Izuku glances over at Mari, who’s currently lounging on her couch directly in front of the fan. He’s been here for two weeks now and New York is currently being hit with a heat wave that just makes him want to die. Izuku has been spending most of his time half faded into the shadows. It’s always cold in their world. 

“I say we turn off all the lights and just sit here in blissful silence.” Damien drawls from his spot on the floor.

“So, live a day in your life?” Izuku teases. Damien swats at his ankle, not even seeming to care when his hand goes through it. 

“Seriously though. I’m booooored. I wasn’t made for all this sitting around shit.” Mari whines.

“Mar, don’t you think it’s a little too hot to be going out and being active right now?” Izuku asks.

“That’s a great idea, Izuku. I always knew you were the smart one.” Mari says, jumping off the couch and nearly knocking over the fan.

“What did I say?” Izuku asks. Damien shrugs.

“We should go to a water park. It’ll be fun and a nice way to cool off.” Mari explains.

“Not interested.” Damien says boredly. He grunts when he’s yanked into a sitting position.

“Yes you are. Both of you, up. Now. Get changed.” 

Izuku sighs softly but obliges. Mari is hard to talk down from something once she makes up her mind. And if he’s being honest, it really isn’t a terrible idea. He hasn’t been to a water park in years. It could be fun. And it’s better than slowly exhausting his quirk to combat the heat. Besides, he was getting kind of bored too. He’s not nearly as energetic as Mari but his ADHD has a funny way of countering his general exhaustion in a way that leaves him antsy most days. 

Within an hour the three are changed in swimsuits and t-shirts, towels slung over their arms as they make their way to the nearest waterpark. Izuku hates taking the subway. It’s always crowded as hell and smells like piss. On days like today, where the sky is cloudless and the sun beats down on them harshly, Izuku just wants to fade into the shadows and stay there until the leaves begin to change color.

Izuku uses his dads card to pay the admission for the three of them, making sure to rent a locker as well for all of their stuff. They drop off their phones, towels and wallets at the locker before removing their shirts, leaving them in just their swimsuits. Mari, as per usual, teasingly swoons at the sight of Izuku as they head further into the park. She looks for every opportunity to comment on his build now that he’s filling out more properly. It never fails to make Izuku blush.

It’s crowded. Mostly parents with their children or entire families making the most of their summer vacation. It almost makes him wish Hisashi was here with them. He wants to be able to spend time with his dad, actually be a kid with him for once. But his friends are better company anyway.

“Take me to the lazy river.” Damien says.

“What? Why? We’re here to have fun, not float.” Mari whines.

“So that I can drown myself in peace.” Izuku snorts and shakes his head.

“We’ll go to the lazy river at the end. I wanna go on the Mammoth.” He says with a little bounce.

“Oooooh yes!”

“No. That ride has too many turns and shit. I hate it.” 

“But it’s fun. Besides, you only threw up from it once. You’ll be fine.” Mari reassures. 

“Los odio a los dos.” Damien deadpans.     

“No mientas, nos amas.” Izuku teases back. Damien just offers a glare.    

The group makes their way to the Mammoth, a water ride full of twists and turns that leave you soaked and slightly dizzy by the end of it. Izuku and Mari help Damien into the tube, making sure he knows where the handles are. It probably isn’t super safe for a blind person to do this but they refuse to exclude their friend even if he would think of it as a blessing. 

Once the three are ready, the ride attendant pushes them off. Within seconds, all three of them are soaked and two of them are squealing with laughter. Damien just grips the handles of the tube tightly and keeps his mouth pressed shut the entire time. When the ride is over, Izuku takes his time breathing through the slight dizziness before helping Damien off the tube. 

They go on a few more rides before deciding to look for food. The food court is somehow more crowded than the rest of the park and Izuku subconsciously leans closer to Damien. He follows Mari through the waves of people, only half listening to her excited rambles as they walk. It’s loud and there are too many people brushing against him. He wants to hide away somewhere but the hand gripping his elbow reminds him that he’s needed. That he can’t.

“Mar, Why don’t you just go get a medium pizza from one of the stands? We’re gonna go find somewhere to sit.” Damien suggests. Mari glances back at them, catching sight of Izuku's distress and nodding easily. 

“Just find somewhere to sit. I can feel you shaking.” Damien whispers. 

Izuku nods. He knows his friend can’t see it but it’s all he can offer right now. They make their way through the crowd as quickly as they can and find a shaded picnic table off to the side. Damien sits beside Izuku at the table and immediately removes his hand, knowing how Izuku is with physical touch during a panic attack. 

“Just breathe Izu. You’re safe.” 

Izuku's eyes slip shut as he focuses on his shaky breathing. His chest aches a little but it’s not terrible. Still, he just wants to go home. He wants his mom to hold him and remind him that everything’s ok. He wants to hear the deep rumble of Shouta’s soothing voice and fall asleep in his boyfriend's arms. As much as he loves Mari and Damien, he’s ready for this trip to be over.

“Better?” He opens his eyes to see Mari across from him, a medium pepperoni pizza on the table with bottles of soda and plates off to the side.

“Yeah. Sorry.” He whispers.

“Don’t apologize. We get it. Now eat. When we’re done we can go home.” Damien says, slapping a slice of pizza on a plate and shoving it in front of him.

“But you wanted to go to the lazy river.” Izuku says.

“Izuku, you just had a panic attack.”

“Damien, it’s the lazy river. I’ll be fine.” 

“You exhaust me.” Izuku just chuckles softly and takes a bite of his food. 

Lunch is a bit subdued after that, the trio choosing to eat in relative silence while Izuku continues to calm down. He feels a little bad for dampening the mood (no pun intended). But he knows his friends don’t mind and he appreciates that they’re willing to have a few calm moments for him. 

Once they’ve finished eating they make their way to the lazy river, talking and joking as they relax on the tubes for a bit. It helps to ease the last of Izuku's nerves and by the time they’re drying off and getting ready to leave, he’s mostly back to normal. They spend the night at Damien's house that night, being force fed some authentic Mexican street tacos by his mom and staying up late talking. They all fall asleep together on the floor in Damien’s room, all with small content smiles on their faces. 

Despite the heat and the crowds, today was a good day.

Chapter Text

“This is a terrible idea.” Izuku mumbles as he fixes his shirt collar for the fifth time in just as many minutes. 

He’s wearing a deep, forest green button up, the top few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It’s tucked loosely into a pear of black ripped jeans. He opted for a pair of black combat boots, just in case they end up in some sort of trouble and he needs to run. A sleek chain sits on his neck with matching chains around his wrists. A few rings adorn his fingers as well. He can admit, he looks kinda hot. He couldn’t resist sending a mirror pic to Shoto before putting his phone on silent and tucking that and his wallet into his back pocket.

“Don’t be so dramatic. It’ll be fine. Besides, my brother runs the place. He’ll keep an eye on us.” Mari, dressed in a cute sunset orange cropped shirt and her own faded blue ripped jeans, waves him off.

“Mar, if I get caught in a club I could get in trouble at school.” Izuku says nervously.

“It’s minor friendly. They mark your hand so the servers know not to serve you alcohol.” Damien says with a shrug.

Izuku sends him a halfhearted glare. Damien is dressed similarly to him, a sleek red and black button up tucked into dark red skinny jeans and black hightops. They all look good, in Izuku's opinion, and he couldn’t even be mad about the overwhelming amount of group pictures Mari forced them to take when they all met up at the park.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the voice of reason?” He asks.

“Only when I want to.” 

Izuku sighs softly. Well, he already agreed. And it wouldn’t be the worst thing any of them have done. But he has a sneaky suspicion that this isn’t just going to be a chill night at a minor friendly club. With Mari involved, they’ll definitely get into some sort of trouble. At least he’s in America. If anyone back at UA finds out he’s doing something stupid right now he can just never go back and live out the rest of his days pretending that that life never existed.

Easy. 

Soon enough, the trio make their way to the doors of a loud but unassuming building. There’s a bouncer at the door who allows them entry after tallying each of their hands with a red marker. The noise immediately assaults him as the bass of the music playing rattles him out of his skin and the patrons singing sting his ears. The smell of alcohol is strong but not totally unpleasant. 

Izuku has never been to a club before. He imagined it would be crowded and chaotic like it often is in movies, people flooding the dancefloor with drinks in hand or couples in corners sucking face like there’s no tomorrow. And it is loud and a tiny bit crowded, but it’s not overwhelming. There are a few patrons at the bar. People off to the side talking or watching their friends dance. 

Everyone looks like they’re having fun and Izuku can even spot a few people in their age group, sipping on sodas or mocktails and playing the pinball machine in the corner or going a few rounds at the ping pong table. Maybe he overreacted before. Maybe this won’t be so bad.

“TYLER!” Mari yells, dragging Izuku by the hand and, in turn, Damien, off to the bar where a taller man is cleaning glasses.

The man, Tyler apparently, looks up with sleek ocean blue eyes. Wolf ears sit atop his head, swiveling in the direction of every noise much like Maris tend to when she’s in big crowds. Izuku spots a big gray tail begin to wag behind him. Looking at the matching, wild white hair Izuku can confidently say that this must be Mari's brother.

“Ty, This is Izuku and Damien. Guys, this is my brother Tyler.” Mari introduces as they sit at the bar.

“Pleasure! I’ve heard loads about you guys. Thanks for always looking out for my little sister.” Tyler says with a bright, familiar grin.

“Oh, it’s no problem. Mari’s our best friend. Besides, she looks out for us just as much.” Izuku says with a bright grin.

“Well still. Anyway, what can I get you guys?” He asks.

“Can I have a margarita?” Mari requests.

“Mar, what?” 

“It’s fine, Izu. Come on! We’re young and stupid and in that phase where we’re supposed to do dumb shit like this. You’re on summer vacation in America. Loosen up a bit.” Mari says.

“Mar, don’t pressure him. His concerns are valid. I’ll have a coke. I don’t drink.” Damien says.

Tyler nods and turns to Izuku. He bites his lower lip slightly before sighing. “I’ll um try a shot of vodka?”

“You sure kid? Vodka’s a lot straight, especially for a first timer.” Tyler warns.

“Ty don’t say that, he’ll take it as a challenge.” Mari teases.

“Well now I wanna do it out of spite.” Izuku grumbles.

“Alright kid. Just don’t tell your parents I let you drink. Mari’s one thing.” 

And that’s how Izuku comes to realize that he’s a major lightweight. In his defense, this is his first time drinking. But he thought he handled the first shot pretty well. He felt a pleasant buzz by the second and was sure he could keep going. The taste of the vodka was a little strong but not unpleasant, he just doesn’t like the burn. But Tyler was nice enough to give him a sprite to chase it with. So he kept going until he found himself on the dancefloor, flushed and giggling while an equally intoxicated Mari pressed up against him.

His arm snakes around her waist and he leans down to press his face into her neck. He knows she won’t care. He’s gay and she’s a lesbian. But the three of them have always had this weird little platonic relationship of sorts between them. They like to hold hands and cuddle and Mari looks for every opportunity to flirt with both of them despite her general disinterest in men. But she knows that Izuku would never intentionally do anything to hurt her and he knows what her boundaries are.

“Are you having fun?” She giggles. When he peaks up from her neck he sees her phone out with the camera on.

He rests his chin on her shoulder with a little grin. “Hell yeeah!”

“And you doubted me.” Mari teases. She reaches up to smoosh his cheeks, making him whine.

“Let gooo. Or I’ll stop dancing with you.” He threatens.

“What! Noooo you can’t. Who am I gonna grind on if you leave?” She pouts.

“You could just, I dunno, find a chick to dance with instead of a gay man?” He teases, though he still doesn’t let her go and continues to sway behind her.

“You’re the only woman I need.” 

“I will bite you.”

“Kinky.”

They dance for a few hours, occasionally checking on Damien who is content to chill at the bar all night. Izuku ends up taking a few more shots until he realizes standing is taking more effort than usual. At that point Damien presses a glass of water into his hands and he nearly passes out at the bar. Tyler is nice enough to take the three home when the club closes for the night and Izuku only spares enough effort to take off his boots before face planting in his bed and sleeping soundly.

When he wakes up the next morning he groans at the sunlight peeking through his curtains and the incessant noise of his phone ringing. He sits up, with a great deal of effort, and squints at his phone on the night table. His head is pounding and he feels slightly nauseous but he ignores it to answer the call with a mumbled hello.

“Problem Child.” The familiar voice on the other line relaxes him slightly until he realizes that he hasn’t spoken to Shouta since he was dropped off.

“Shouta? Is everything ok?” He asks. Was there a villain attack again? Is his mom ok?

“You tell me. Your class chat started blowing up yesterday with messages for you that went unanswered.” Shouta drawls out.

Izuku makes a questioning sound and puts the phone on speaker as he moves to the class chat. He skims through the questions about where he is, what he’s doing and who he’s with. He pauses at a link to instagram. He clicks on it, seeing that it brings him to Maris' page where she apparently tagged him in the video from last night with the caption ‘Clubbin it up with the besties!!’

“Am I in trouble?” He asks after a brief silence.

“Depends. Were you being safe?” Shouta asks.

“Yeah. Mari’s brother was keeping an eye on us. He brought us all home. We just kinda kept to ourselves all night.” Izuku explains.

“Mm. Well, I really should tell your mom or something. But you are a teenager. And you’re not under our care currently. So I see no reason to get too heavily involved. Just don’t make a habit out of it.” Shouta says.

Izuku breathes a small sigh of relief. “Thanks. Um…totally unrelated question but, how do you treat a hangover?” 

Chapter Text

Izuku makes his way to the nearest park. It’s early, the sun still rising and the streets relatively quiet in the early hours. But he wanted to talk to Shoto. And his boyfriend is generally only available to call late at night. So with the current time difference between them Izuku opted to wake up early to talk to him. 

Just as he’s sitting down on a bench, his phone begins to chime with the familiar FaceTime ringtone. He smiles softly and slips in his earbuds, watching the pigeons begin to gather on the path in front of him or pecking at bits of dropped food in the grass. He answers the call, his smile widening at the sight of mix matched eyes.

“Hey.” He says softly.

“Evening. Or morning, for you, I suppose.” Shoto responds softly.

“Heh yeah I guess so. How’s everything there?” Izuku asks.

“Japanese. What about you?”

“American.” Shoto chuckles and Izuku melts.

He loves when his boyfriend shows emotion so freely. He had been so withdrawn when they first met, hell bent on not making any friends and suffering in silence at the back of the class every day. Of course, Izuku hadn’t even been trying that hard when he managed to worm his way into Shotos cold heart and warm him from the inside. 

Izuku hadn’t even realized at first that he was falling for the other boy until Uraraka caught him staring one day during training and literally body slammed him into his realization. He only managed to spiral from there. He expected to last a few months at least. To maybe suffer in silence himself while they remained good friends. But one late night study session only a couple weeks after that embarrassing training incident ruined his streak.

“This is the worst. Math is the worst. Life sucks. Put me out of my misery.” Izuku grumbles, shoving away his math homework and pressing his face into his pillow with the hope of suffocation.

“It’s not that bad.” Shoto says, though he takes the opportunity for a break eagerly.

“You can say that because you’re smart.” Izuku mumbles, turning to face his friend.

They make eye contact and Izuku can’t help but get lost in the blue and gray eyes of someone he’s begun to consider a best friend. Shoto is Izuku's picture of perfection. Hair always somehow perfectly messy. His skin always looks so soft, despite the scar across the left side of his face. And that scar, a clear symbol of his strength and all the pain and suffering he survived through his life. 

“Midoriya?” 

“Hm? S-sorry what?” 

“I asked if you were ok. You zoned out.” Shoto asks, a tiny bit of concern leaking through that just turns Izuku's heart to putty in his chest.

“I think I love you.” He blurts out, face turning bright red immediately.

“Oh.” Shoto says simply.

“I- geez I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have said that. Can we just…pretend I didn’t?” Izuku asks awkwardly. He suddenly feels nauseous as the weight of rejection settles in his gut.

“I’d rather not.” Shoto says softly.

Izuku sighs. “Ok. Well, then can you just um reject me nicely at least?” 

“Why would I do that?” Shoto asks, tilting his head in a way that makes this incredibly difficult for Izuku.

“Because I’m really hoping we can still be friends after this and I don’t know if I can move past this if you’re a dick about it.” Izuku answers honestly.

“No, I mean why would I reject you?” 

“Huh?”

Shoto huffs softly and joins him on the bed. “I’m not great with emotions. But I’ve been informed that the way I feel about you is not friendship. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think you felt the same.”

“What?” Izuku asks intelligently.

“I’m saying that I think I love you too.” Shoto says bluntly.

“O-oh. That’s um that’s cool. Er um I mean not cool- I mean it is cool but ya know I-” Izuku groans, covering his red face in his hands.

He looks up at the sound of a deep chuckle. “It’s ok. I get it. I’d like to take you out some time, if you’re ok with that?”

“Yes! I mean, yeah that- that sounds nice. I’d like that, Todoroki.” Izuku says with a small smile.

“Shoto.”

“Izuku.”

“Izu?” 

“Hm? Oh, sorry. I did it again, didn’t I?” Izuku asks.

Shoto huffs softly. “Yeah. It’s ok though. Are you alright?” 

‘Yep! Just reminiscing on how we got together like a sappy little shit. And thinking about how much I love you. Ya know? The usual.’

“Yeah, just watching the pigeons.” He says instead.

“Oh. Are there a lot? I heard New York has a lot of pigeons.” Shoto asks.

“Meh. It’s a  big city. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is where their headquarters is.” Izuku says.

“Headquarters?” Shoto asks.

“Yeah! You know, the birds work for the bourgeoisie.” Izuku answers with a completely straight face.

“They…what?” 

“It’s a meme Sho. Ask Kaminari.” 

“I’d rather not. The last time I asked him about a meme he gave me a headache and fried his phone because he was excited.” Shoto explains.

“I remember that. Shouta was so mad.” Izuku says with a little snicker.

At that moment a curious pigeon hops up onto the bench next to him. Izuku stares at it for a minute, wondering if maybe it really is a government spy and now it’s preparing to slay him down and fly to Japan to hunt Shoto down next. He quickly dismisses the thought. He can’t succumb to conspiracy theories like that. He’s supposed to be the normal one in their relationship.

Without thinking he reaches over and scoops the pigeon up. They both look surprised by this new development as they stare at each other. But the pigeon doesn’t really seem to care that it's suddenly being held. It looks like it’s just curious and probably hungry.

“Are you seriously holding a pigeon right now?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“No idea. But he’s my friend now.” And with that Izuku deposits the bird in his messy hair. 

The pigeon seems confused at first before just getting comfortable. Izuku can only shrug. This is his life now. He is the bird man. Leader of the pigeons. He’s finally found his calling in life and soon he’ll have amassed an army of pigeons ready and waiting to aid him in any of his endeavors.

“Ok drama queen, it’s one pigeon. Calm down love.” Shoto says in mild amusement.

“S-sorry.” Izuku says sheepishly.

“It’s ok. It’s cute.” Izuku whines and covers his face, causing his pigeon friend to fly away.

Izuku pouts and Shoto chuckles. He wishes he was home to hear that chuckle more properly. He misses his friends. His mom. Even Shouta. But he only has a few more weeks left before he’ll be back in Japan and starting his second year as a hero course student. He smiles softly at the thought.

“So about the night you went to the club.” Oh shit.

Chapter Text

“That’s what you’re wearing?” Mari asks.

Izuku looks down at his dark blue t-shirt and jeans. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“Sweetie. You are so Japanese.” She teases. Izuku pouts. 

“Luckily, we figured something like this might happen. Mari raided my closet for you.” Damien explains as Mari throws a couple of things at Izuku's head.

Izuku pulls the articles away and looks down at them, noting the Yankees jersey and the dark blue baseball cap that matches. He sighs and pulls the jersey over his shirt, leaving it unbuttoned so that he doesn’t risk stretching the material. Him and Damien are a similar build but Izuku is a little more filled out due to his training so his friends' clothes tend to be a little tight fitting on him.

“I’m not wearing the hat.” He says in a deadpan.

“You have to. It’s a baseball game. You gotta represent.” Mari whines.

“Mar, it will ruin my hair. These curls don’t like to be restrained.” Izuku argues.

Mari snatches the hat and forces it on his head. “Too bad, so sad. You’ll get over it. Now, you look great. Let’s go. I wanna find good seats.”

The trio takes the subway to the Yankee Stadium and make their way inside. Izuku’s not really sure how he got dragged into this. He’s never been a fan of baseball, or sports in general. He did track and field in middle school but that’s a lot different. But he’s very aware of America's general love of sports and Mari specifically has always been a big fan of the New York Yankees. 

Once they have their tickets for the game and are able to enter the park they immediately head to concessions for popcorn and sodas. Today's game is against the Phillies, so Mari is a bit more excited than usual, spilling popcorn every so often as she bounces excitedly. Izuku also gets some Dippin Dots before following Mari, with Damien in tow, to find their seats. 

When Izuku sees Mari hold her phone up for a picture, he’s quick to smile with a peace sign for the camera. He can’t wait to get home and print off all of the pictures they’ve taken from this trip. He has a whole wall in his room at home devoted to memories with his friends and he’s eager to add to it.

Izuku does his best to pay attention to the game, really he does. But truthfully, he has no idea what the fuck is going on. Mari tries to keep them up to date with everything but she spends most of the game cheering or yelling in frustration. And Damien, being the mood that he is, just keeps his head tilted back and his eyes closed. It’s not like he can enjoy the game like everyone else can anyway.

Halfway through the first inning the crowd around him shoots up and Izuku looks in time to see the baseball heading straight toward an unsuspecting Damien. He doesn’t really think when he shoots a hand out to intercept the ball, wincing slightly at the pain of a baseball hitting his unprotected hand at full force. He just shakes the appendage out a little and passes the ball off to Mari. He could care less about a baseball. He’s just glad it didn’t hit his friend.

The Yankees, sadly, lose. Mari throws a little bit of a fit over the loss as Izuku throws away their trash. He manages to cheer her up slightly by buying her a little bear plush with a Yankees jersey on it and offering to pay for their dinner. She fiddles with the baseball as they walk out of the park and make their way to the nearest McDonalds.

“I can't believe you caught a baseball. Is your wrist ok?” She asks.

“Yeah. It’s a little sore but I’ve had worse.” He says, rolling his wrist only once and offering a shrug.

“We’ll bring a baseball glove next time. But that reaction time was immaculate.” She praises.

Izuku shrugs again. “I have to have good reaction times like that. It’s important to always be ready for anything when you’re a hero.”

“Sometimes I worry about you.” Damien mumbles.

“What do you mean?” Izuku asks.

“I don’t know what it’s like in Japan, but heroics here in America can be scary to hear about. Crime here can be intense. I feel like there's always news reports and articles about heroes getting hurt or killed on the field.” 

“Oh. Well, I mean it’s not an easy job. I’ll probably never be fully safe again. But I have amazing teachers and if I can save even just one life, the risk is worth it.” Izuku explains.

“Yeah but if you die, we’re the ones that lose you. Your mom and all your other friends would be devastated. It’s admirable that you wanna save people Izu but please just remember to save yourself too when it’s necessary.” Mari chimes in.

Izuku stops, Mari and Damien stopping with him, and offers a small smile. He pulls the two of them into a soft, gentle hug. “I will. I promise.”

They stay like that for a few minutes, just basking in each other's warmth and comfort. They’re a little family, only ever having each other for the longest time. Izuku can’t blame them for being worried about him. He knows that they support his dreams but he’d be surprised if that support didn’t come with its downsides. Still, he appreciates them nonetheless. It’s just more proof of how loved he is. 

“So about that next game. There’s another one next week.” Mari says sheepishly.

“I won’t be here. Sorry Mar, you’ll have to find someone else to catch balls for you.” Izuku teases.

“You’re going home already? When?”

“I think I have three days left.”

“Aw man! Well fine, We’ll make the most of it and Damien and I will be there when you leave. It’ll be great.” Mari exclaims.

Izuku smiles. He doesn’t doubt that for a second.

Chapter Text

“MARI! DAMIEN!” Izuku calls with a cough.

They had just wanted to go to the arcade. Izuku leaves for Japan in the morning and they wanted one last chill outing before then. But halfway there a nearby office building collapsed, giving way to a frankly devastating villain fight between a hero with a strength quirk and a villain with a scorpion mutation. On instinct, Izuku had slipped into the shadows to avoid being hurt by any debris. But in doing so he lost sight of his two friends and now he’s panicking.

He wades through the crowd of frantic civilians, trying hard to remember his training. He helps some people stuck under fallen debris or trapped inside of cars and shops. He keeps his eyes peeled for fox ears and purple braids the entire time. The fight is still ongoing and Izuku knows that if he doesn’t get out of here soon he’ll be in trouble.

“MAR! DAMIEN! PLEASE? WHERE ARE YOU?” He tries again. 

He hasn’t felt this kind of terror since the summer camp. He’s never dealt with a villain attack of this magnitude before, not as a hero in training anyway. He’s supposed to be a hero. He’s supposed to be the one saving others. And yet the two people who need him most right now are nowhere to be found. He knows, realistically, that they may have gotten to safety. May be worrying over him the same way he is over them right now. But knowing that there’s a chance that they could be stuck somewhere in the danger zone makes it impossible for him to flee.

He glances to the side as the villain tumbles out of another wrecked building. He doesn’t want to think about how many casualties there must be already. The villain catches sight of something and grins. That's when Izuku sees them. Sitting, curled together under a damaged store front, are Mari and Damien. Mari has Damien held protectively in her shaking arms as she stares up at the approaching villain fearfully.

Izuku doesn’t think. He runs.

The shadows help, making his movements more fluid and allowing him to go where he pleases without hindrance. He makes it between them just in time to intercept the sharp stab of a stinger. The pain sears through his back as he smiles down at his friends. Mari screams his name, tears flowing freely as she watches a bit of blood run from his mouth.

“It’s ok. I’m ok. I promise.” He manages to get out.

He knows it’s a lie.

He makes a noise of pain as the stinger rips from his back and the villain engages with the hero once again. He realizes that the scorpion's sting must be poisonous as he feels himself quickly growing weak and feeling sick. His legs give out, falling forward in front of Mari and Damien. Mari pulls him close, whispering softly to him and doing her best to keep him awake. He offers a small smile as his eyes slip shut and darkness takes him

Izuku wakes up to a beeping sound next to him. He groans and tries to sit up but a gentle hand on his shoulder stops him. “Don’t move kiddo. You don’t wanna aggravate your back.”

He looks up to see his dad sitting next to him. For once, his phone is off and out of sight and Hisashis full attention is on his son. He looks worried, his eyes red like he’s been crying. Izuku doesn’t really know what to make of any of it. He’s never seen his dad cry before, especially not over him.

“Mari and Damien?” He asks softly.

“They’re both ok. After the villain attacked them and hurt you, authorities on the scene were able to get you kids out of there. They’re just worried about you.” Hisashi explains.

Izuku sighs in relief. He had been so worried that the villain would come back for them and Izuku wouldn’t be able to protect them. He thinks about how small Damien looked in Mari’s arms. How Mari was so afraid, but brave, in the face of danger as she did her best to protect Damien, and eventually Izuku. He never thought he’d see a day where they would have to deal with something like this. He feels like a failure for not being able to protect them from the start.

“Izuku…I know you’re training to be a hero and all that but, damnit kid you aren’t one yet. You could’ve gotten killed.” Hisashi suddenly says.

“I know. But if I didn’t do anything my friends would have gotten killed. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.” He argues.

“Yes you could have. Right now, you are under my care. I would’ve been the one to have to bury you.” Hisashi says sternly.

“Yeah right. You would’ve just shipped me off to mama and made her deal with it.” He mumbles.

“Excuse me?” 

“Don’t act like you care. If you cared you’d be there. And don’t ever tell me to stand by and let my friends die. They’re family to me” 

“I’m here right now. And I know I work a lot but that doesn’t mean I want you to die. I understand that they’re your friends, but you’re my son” Hisashi explains.

“You didn’t even want me to be born! You’re here right now, sure. But are you here because you love me or are you here because you’re the only parent I have that’s available to be here?” Izuku snaps.

Hisashi doesn’t answer at first, instead staring at him with a shocked and hurt expression. Izuku hates it. He doesn’t feel like his dad has any right to be hurt. This has been a long time coming in his opinion. All he’s wanted for years is for his father to notice him. To give him any sort of attention. To hear him say that he loves Izuku. And yet it took ten years and a villain attack that nearly killed him for Hisashi to actually step away from his job and notice his son. 

Fuck him.

“I never noticed how much I’ve hurt you. I’m sorry. When you were a kid I made a lot of mistakes. I used my work as an escape and in turn, I ignored the one thing that should be of the utmost importance to me.” Hisashi starts.

Izuku looks at him, pain in his eyes as he fights tears. “I don’t get it. Why don’t you want me?”

“I do want you. I just…I wasn’t ready for kids. You suffered because I couldn’t step up. Because of that, our relationship has been strained. I know that. But I don’t ever want you to think that I don’t love you Izuku.” Hisashi leans forward and hesitantly rests his hand on his sons.

“I love you more than anything. I’ve been shit at showing that but I swear I’ll do better from now on. Think you can give me another chance?” He asks.

Izuku bites his lower lip. “I go home tomorrow.” 

“I know. But there’s always next year.” Hisashi reminds him.

“And maybe we could actually do something together? Aside from the Statue of Liberty.” 

Hisashi huffs softly. “Whatever you want kiddo. You’ll have my undivided attention.”

Izuku lets the tears fall then. It sucks that it took a near death experience for Hisashi to finally notice him. But he sounds sincere. And Izuku is nothing if not forgiving. 

“Ok. It’s a start. I’ll give it a chance.” He whispers softly.

Hisashi reaches up to run his fingers through green curls. “Ok. Get some sleep, Zuzu. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Izuku’s not quite sure if he’ll be cleared to go home in time. But he finds, as his eyes slip shut again and he falls asleep with a gentle hand in his hair, that he might not mind so much if he has to wait a couple more days.

Chapter Text

Izuku stays in the hospital for three days after the attack. Hisashi, surprisingly, stays with him the entire time, only leaving when Mari and Damien come to visit. During those three days Izuku is reminded of just how much the American medical system sucks. The hospital does keep him on some good pain meds though. He spends most of the hours that he’s awake slipping back into Japanese, too tired and out of it to put in the effort for anything else. At least he has Hisashi to translate for him when necessary.

He spends most of his flight home asleep. He’s grateful that school doesn’t start back up for another week. He can just go home and rest for the next week while he heals more from the villain attack. His mom will undoubtedly fuss over him the entire time but for once he doesn’t mind. He’s missed his mama.

His flight lands early, so after collecting his bags he finds somewhere to sit as he waits to be picked up. He doesn’t mean to fall asleep, but he can’t help it. The pain meds he’s been taking make it difficult to stay awake when you’re already perpetually exhausted at all times.

“Oh my sweet baby boy. Sleeping in an airport probably isn’t the best idea.” Izuku makes a soft noise at the hand in his hair and peaks up at the smiling face of his mom.

“I’ll carry him, you grab his bags.” Shouta says softly from behind her.

“Thank you.” 

When Izuku is gently scooped into strong arms he can’t help but curl into the warmth of his teacher. Shouta holds him close, careful of his back. Inko must have told him about the attack. He wouldn’t be surprised if there are clips of what he did on the internet somewhere. At least his phone is still on silent. 

“We goin home?” He mumbles softly.

“Yeah kid. Just relax.” Shouta whispers back.

Izuku grunts and rests his head on Shoutas shoulder. He’s loaded into the back of a car and buckled in. He'd be embarrassed about not being able to buckle himself at sixteen years old if he were a little more awake. But right now all he can do is offer a grateful smile and let the gentle sway of a moving vehicle lull him back to sleep.

He wakes up several hours later at home in his bed. He groans and shuffles over to his duffle bag for his pain meds before leaving his room and heading to the livingroom. He finds Shouta and his mom talking softly on the couch. His teacher, of course, notices him immediately and turns to look at him. 

“Oh, Izu! You’re awake. How are you feeling sweetie?” Inko asks as Izuku comes into the room and sits between them on the couch.

“I’m a little sore but I’m ok.” He answers through a yawn.

“I was so worried. I saw what happened on the news.” Inko explains.

“Y-you saw?” Izuku asks.

“Yeah. I’m proud of you for saving your friends sweetie but you really need to stop giving me so many heart attacks.” Inko says with a strained smile.

“Yeah. I think dad was mad about it. He told me I should have just let them die. I was so mad about it. They’re my best friends.” He says, pulling his knees up to his chest.

“He does care about you sweetheart. I doubt he meant it to hurt you.” Izuku just grunts, thinking back to their conversation in the hospital.

“Yeah, I know. But I’m glad to be home. I missed you guys.” He says with a small smile. 

Inko coos and kisses his cheek as Shouta ruffles his hair. He can’t help but smile softly at the affection. This is what makes this apartment home. His mom, and now Shouta, and the love and affection that comes with them. He’s never lonely when he’s here. Never ignored or invisible. He loves his little family so much.

“So. Am I in trouble?” He asks, turning to look at Shouta.

“You weren’t in Japan when it happened. If the American police system didn’t have a problem with it, neither do I. Just don’t go running around fighting villains in your free time now that you’re home.”

“Believe it or not, I don’t ask for these things to happen. We were on our way to the arcade.” Izuku grumbles.

“Right. Well, Recovery Girl will come over tomorrow to help heal your back more and make sure you’re doing well. I read the report after the attack, I know you were poisoned.” Shouta explains.

“Yeah. but the doctors managed to flush it from my system. Dad said I was throwing up a lot for the first few hours. I don’t know, I don’t remember anything.” 

“Well, all that matters is that you’re ok now. I’m glad you’re home safe.” Inko says with a small, loving smile.

“Me too. New York is fun and all but it’s exhausting sometimes.” 

“Oh, I know. There was once a time when you were too young to fly alone and I had to go with you.” Inko reminds him. 

Izuku chuckles. “Yeah I remember. Dad never knew what to do when I would get upset and wanna go see you instead.”

“No he most certainly did not.” Inko says with a small laugh of her own.  

Izuku tells them about the rest of his trip, showing them his pictures and videos as he does. It doesn’t take long for him to get tired again though so Inko sends him off to bed. It’s a little upsetting, not being able to stay awake long enough to spend any real time with them. But the jet lag alone would have him sleepy right about now anyway and at least he’s home safe with his mom and teacher in the next room over ready to be there if he needs them. 

Man it feels good to be home.

Chapter Text

The morning after Izuku comes home he wakes up to the sound of his door creaking open slowly. He doesn't react, knowing that if he were in any danger his shadows would be loud and annoying and tempting him to just let the intruder kill him so that their whispers can finally be silenced. The fact that they’re relatively quiet right now is alone a blessing.

“Hey love. I know you’re awake.” 

Izuku allows himself to smile tiredly at the familiar voice. His mom must have told Shoto that he was home and recovering. He makes a soft noise and turns over to face his boyfriend, peeking up at him with a tired but soft expression.

“You came? So early?” 

“I wanted to see you. I was worried. How are you feeling?” Shoto explains as he sits beside Izuku on the bed.

Izuku slowly sits up with a soft grunt and a yawn. “I’m ok. Recovery Girl came over last night to give me a healing session and make sure I’m ok. To be honest I don’t remember much of it. But now I’m mostly just sore.”

“Good. That’s really good.” Shoto says softly.

Izuku takes a second to look at him. Really look at him. His boyfriend looks tired, deep eyebags that could almost rival Izuku's own. His beautiful dual eyes look just a tiny bit duller. His lips are chapped and bitten raw. He looks awful and a thick blanket of guilt settles over Izuku when he realizes why.

“You saw what happened, didn’t you? You weren’t just worried. You thought I died.” He says softly, lowering his head.

It’s quiet for a minute. Shoto doesn’t have to say a word for Izuku to know that he came to the correct conclusion. And Izuku doesn’t have to say a word for Shoto to understand just how sorry he is for causing this beautiful boy so much stress and pain. Of course, it won’t stop Izuku from trying.

“I’m so-” 

“Izu I swear on that pigeon if you say you’re sorry we will actually fight.” 

Izuku squeaks and looks up at him with wide eyes. 

“Listen. Yes, I was stressed and upset. And yes I thought you were dead until sensei contacted me to reassure me that you were fine. But I promise you that I am not angry or upset with you. You’re a hero. You were doing what you do best. Just please promise me something?” 

Izuku tilts his head curiously. Shoto reaches over to take his hand, Izuku immediately squeezing just slightly. He’s listening and Shoto seems like he could use the reassurance anyway. He wants to remind his boyfriend that he’s here, alive and well and not going anywhere. Shoto relaxes slightly at the gesture and takes a deep breath.

“Don’t leave me. I-I can’t lose you. Not like that. You’re my world, Izuku. I love you so much. I want to marry you someday, start a family, spend the rest of my life completely and utterly confused by you but loving you all the more for it. I understand we’re still young but please don’t take that away from me before you’ve even given me a chance to prove that I deserve it.”

Izukus expression immediately softens, tears springing to his eyes that don’t fall. Izuku hadn’t ever thought of it like that. Of course he thought about his parents, how they could have lost their only child. And Shouta, how he would’ve never gotten a chance to be anything more than the moms boyfriend. He thought about his friends and how much they’d miss him. And he thought about Shoto.

He thought about how mad he’d be that Izuku left him. How he would be alone again with nobody to go to when Enji starts his shit. He’d revert back to the shell he lived in when he and Izuku first met. Dull. Numb. Emotionless. Izuku remembers, back at the sports festival where their friendship was nothing more than an ember. He had gone home that day, bruised and sweaty and exhausted. But instead of going to shower or sleep Izuku had gone straight to his mom and cried to her on the half and half boys behalf.

But he hadn’t given much thought to what would happen to the future of their relationship if Izuku hadn’t been able to come home. He didn’t realize Shoto was so invested. That he loved Izuku so much. He didn’t think his boyfriend would lose sleep over this or jump to such heartbreaking conclusions. He should have known better.

Izuku scoots closer until their joined hands are settled in his lap. He leans forward, nuzzling their noses together slightly before kissing Shoto softly, lovingly. It almost reminds him of their first kiss, when they were both shy and awkward and didn’t know what they were doing. When their lips barely touched and they both sported deep blushes but smiles nonetheless. 

This kiss is also so soft the touch is barely there. But somehow it’s so much deeper than any other kiss they’ve shared. It’s full of passion and love and promises. The promise to never leave each other. The promise to love each other unconditionally until they can’t any longer. The promise of a future.

“I love you. So much. You know I can’t promise forever, not with our chosen career path. But I promise to be yours for as long as possible. And I promise to find you in the next life. And the next. You can’t get rid of me easily Sho. I will always come back to you.”

And those words, whispered against lips as a smooth thumb rubs calloused knuckles soothingly, bring tears to both boys eyes. They both have a lot to work through. They have traumas yet to be healed. But they have each other and the promise of a future together. They’ll help each other heal. 

“I love you too, Izuku. Always.”

And with that the boys curl up together. Izuku nuzzles into his boyfriend's side, making lazy conversation as he dozes in the early morning hours. Shoto plays with his hair softly, holding him close and keeping him safe. Eventually they join Inko and Shouta in the kitchen for breakfast. Izuku can’t help but smile as he looks around at his family around him. 

This.

This is what he lives for.

Chapter Text

Izuku spends the first few days back from his trip resting. Thanks to Recovery Girl he’s not in too much pain anymore, his injuries mostly being reduced to a large scar along his back that pulls uncomfortably when he moves and a little bit of soreness. But putting that aside he’s still combating a bit of jet lag from his trip. And now that he’s home he can afford to spend all his time sleeping rather than running around a big crowded city trying to keep one idiot in check while making sure the other idiot doesn’t run into any light posts.

He already misses them.

Shouta stays close as much as he can, wanting to make sure Izuku is ok and helping Inko around the house where Izuku can’t. He’s a steady pillar of support for the two Midoriyas. But unfortunately with school about to start back up and new safety measures being put in place after the attack on the summer camp earlier this season, he can’t be around as much as he’d like to be.

“Nezu is instituting a mandatory dorm setup for all classes. If anyone isn’t allowed to move on campus they’ll be removed from UA and given recommendations elsewhere.” He explains one night over dinner.

Izuku lifts his head to look between his teacher and his mom. Inko’s face is pinched slightly, deep in thought. She seems hesitant. Izuku knows she’s very overprotective of him. It’s only been the two of them for a very long time. He’s her world, and in turn she’s his. And regardless of her relationship with Shouta the teen also knows she’s considered removing him from UA a few times now because of the villain attacks.

“Mom?”

“I don’t know sweetheart. I know this is your dream and you’ve worked so hard to achieve that. And I’m so proud of how far you’ve come, really. But you’re my top priority baby. I can’t keep watching you get hurt.”

“You can’t just give up like that mom. You can’t give up on me. I-I’ll be with Shouta a-and I promise I’ll be more careful from now on. Please?”

Something akin to dread settles in Izuku's stomach. This is everything he’s ever wanted. He can’t just walk away from it now. It’s not like he wants to move out. This apartment has been his home for as long as he can remember. He loves waking up to his mothers smiling face every day. Late night cuddles with cocoa and his favorite movies. Laughter and love and blinding smiles.

But this is his future. Everything he’s ever wanted. He’d miss his friends, worrying over them each and every day. He’d miss Shoto. Would his boyfriend fall back to his closed off shell in Izukus absence? And what about Katsuki, only able to be calmed by Izuku's familiar presence. These people are his family now too. He doesn’t wanna walk away from that. He can’t.

“Inko-”

“No. I’m sorry Izuku but this is where I draw the line.”

Izuku doesn’t really get angry often, certainly never at his mother. But those words, so simple yet so infuriating, spark a sort of deep rooted rage in him that he can’t quite describe. Before he can really think he's up, knocking his chair back slightly in his haste. Tears are already brimming his eyes but he doesn’t quite let them fall.

“I HATE YOU!” He screams. The sound of a slamming door follows close behind.

He didn’t mean it. He could never hate his mother. But he’s just so angry. It seemed so easy for her to deny him the one thing he’s wanted since he was a child. And after everything he’s been through does he not deserve this? He just wants to save people. Make his mom proud. Make a difference in this world. Why is that too much to ask for?

He paces his room as the tears fall. He’ll have to apologize at some point, he knows that, but right now he just lets himself feel the anger and disappointment and hurt. His dreams have just been crushed by the one person he thought would never do that to him. Maybe the world was right about him. Maybe he really isn’t cut out to be a hero.

He drops to the floor by his bed. The shadows are quiet for once, leaving him alone to feel this. He almost wishes they weren’t. It would be grounding, in a way, to listen to echoed ramblings or the concerned whispers. As annoying as the shadows can be sometimes, he’s been listening to them for so long that if he were to lose them now it would be like losing a part of himself. I guess in a way, he would be.

“Kid?”

Izuku curls into himself slightly with a sniffle. Great. Now he gets to be lectured and punished for his outburst. As if he isn’t already suffering enough. He doesn’t say anything as Shouta enters his room, shutting the door behind him and sitting at Izuku's desk chair. Nothing he can say right now will make a difference. Might as well accept the consequences of his actions.

“You alright?”

Izuku shrugs. “No. I don’t wanna drop out.”

“You don’t need to drop out, Izuku, there’s no need to worry about that.”

“But you said-”
“Your mother is only concerned for your well-being, rightfully so. But she doesn’t wanna take this away from you. And she certainly doesn’t want you to be hurt by this. I talked to her. We compromised. She’s signing the dorm admittance forms right now.”

Izuku lifts his head to look up at Shouta. He doesn’t seem upset, just concerned. But he’s relaxed, watching Izuku with a soft expression that the teen has grown used to by this point. He’s being honest. Izuku will be able to continue on his path toward his dream. Because Shouta refused to give up on him.

Suddenly he feels silly.

“I’m sorry for yelling. I didn’t mean what I said.”

“We both know that kid. But I think you and I both know I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

He’s right. So after a few more minutes of deep breaths and sniffles, Izuku slips out of his room. He apologizes to his mother and receives an apology in return. They talk to each other, explaining their feelings on the matter. There are tears, as there always is with these two, but they walk away from the conversation with a better understanding of each other than they’ve ever had before.

By the first day of the new school year Izuku finds himself with a new life, surrounded by his second family on the daily and sneaking late night cuddles with his boyfriend every night. His mother waits for him at their apartment, eager to spend each weekend with her boyfriend and son but giving Izuku the space and support he needs to achieve his goals. And he has Shouta, the father he never thought he needed until he showed up on a random Saturday evening for dinner and never left.

It’s not perfect, but it’s enough.

He will be a hero.

Chapter Text

It takes a while for Izuku to get used to dorm life. The first few days were full of questions from his friends about his trip. Thankfully nobody mentions the villain attack, though he knows that most of the class has seen the footage. They know that Izuku can be a bit of a trouble magnet, even on vacation in a different country. So rather than bring attention to it they just offer silent concern and give him space to finish up the rest of his recovery. 

During those days he spends a lot of time in his dorm room. He’s not used to living with so many people or sharing his space with anyone other than his mom and Shouta, Katsuki and Shoto on the occasions they come over to hang out. When he walks into the kitchen in search of a snack or to the common room to watch a movie he still expects it to be relatively quiet and calm. It can be a little overwhelming having the constant stream of actual real life voices overlapping the whispers of his shadows whenever he’s just trying to relax. 

But he slowly opens up to it with time. After the first week Shouta and Izuku return to school from a weekend trip visiting Inko and classes resume as normal. It’s almost boring, having a break from the constant near death experiences and drama, but who can complain? They all know it won’t last so they bask in the peace while they can. 

It’s three weeks into dorm life that Izuku is reminded of how he can never seem to catch a break. Normally, with Izuku involved, one would assume that any drama that could occur would be a villain targeting him for the millionth time on a casual snack run to the store or passing out during training due to a lack of sleep. And if you know him a little more personally you might think that his shitty moods are from a disagreement with his father or the shadows singing the gummy bear song on repeat. Again. 

But no. Not this time. This time he wakes up to a normal Friday morning. No signs of villain activity before school. Rested enough to, realistically, be more awake than he actually is. His phone is empty of notifications aside from a simple good morning text from his mom, reminding him that he’ll be coming home again after school today for the weekend as he’s done every week since moving, and some new hero news posts. And the shadows are, blissfully, silent. 

That should have been his first sign that something was wrong. The shadows are never really silent. Usually there's a soft whispered mumbling or questions about rudimentary things Izuku couldn’t be bothered with. The more protective ones echoing little check ins throughout the day or reminding him to eat and hydrate when he forgets to do it himself. The only time they’re ever truly silent is when Izuku is not ok, whether it be physically or, more often than not, mentally. 

But today he doesn’t think about any of that as he reaches a heavy hand out of his blankets and slaps at his phone until the piercing ring of his alarm ceases. He just drops his hand, letting it hang limp over the side of the bed until an unusual chill leaves him shivering and he slowly slinks the appendage back under his blankets. He’s hot, despite the shivers, and his head is killing him. He went to bed early the night before, trying to get into the habit of fixing his sleep schedule so that his weekends with his mom don’t have to be spent sleeping constantly anymore. But despite the extra sleep he just feels exhausted. 

He doesn’t open his eyes, letting himself float on the edge of awareness for what feels like hours. He sniffles consistently through it all, having to take deep breaths through his mouth every so often as his apparent congestion worsens the longer he’s awake. And then a harsh cough wracks him to his core and leaves him impossibly more tired as he groans and rolls slightly to hide his face in the pillows. 

He’s sick. How inconvenient. 

Izuku doesn’t often get sick. Despite how sleep deprived he is on a regular basis he actually does a somewhat decent job of taking care of himself physically. He eats well and gets plenty of exercise. He takes vitamins and drinks plenty of water. He’s always had a pretty strong immune system, an even better metabolism so go with it. His mama used to tease him about how he never gains any weight, even when his still growing body demands food every other hour. 

The last time Izuku can remember being sick he was maybe ten. He remembers it being bad. Sleeping near constantly to combat the fever and sniffles. Fading in and out of awareness for nearly a full two days before the fever finally broke and he woke to his mother rubbing his back soothingly and medicine being pressed into his clammy hands. He hated it then and he hates it now. 

He doesn’t have the energy to force himself from the coziness of his little blanket cocoon. He’ll be late for class for sure. He’ll likely have to skip breakfast too if he wants to at least try to be there on time. But given the nausea settling in his throat, made worse by the migraine steadily creeping up on him, he can’t bring himself to care. So he ignores the sounds of his classmates preparing for the day to curl up more in his blankets and doze for a few more minutes. 

He doesn’t mean to fall back asleep. In fact, he doesn’t even remember falling asleep. Did he ever even wake up in the first place? There’s a muffled knocking sound from somewhere else in the room but he ignores it. He nuzzles his face further into his pillow, cringing at the sticky feeling of sweat and drool that slicks to his cheek when he does. He feels gross and he vaguely thinks that maybe he should take a quick shower before classes. 

He thinks he hears a door open and shut nearby, followed by a muffled voice beside him. He doesn’t react, just closing his eyes again and hoping for sleep to take him once more. But then a cool hand presses to his sweaty forehead and he lets out the tiniest little whine as he presses against it. He’s so uncomfortably hot and the cold of the fingers pressed just under his curly fringe is nice, despite how it makes him shiver. 

“You’re burning up kid. Are you feeling alright?”

With a great deal of effort Izuku peaks his eyes open and shifts slightly to look up at the deep voice beside him. The hand pulls away and he makes a face at the loss. He blinks sluggishly at Shouta, now seated beside him on the bed and watching him with worry in his eyes as he patiently waits for Izuku's brain to catch up with the conversation. 

“Don feel good.” He finally mumbles with a sniffle before shaking slightly as a violent cough rips out of him. 

“Didn’t think you did. You look terrible problem child.”

“God you’re such a dick.” Izuku grumbles as he shuts his eyes again and curls back into his pillow. Oh right, drool. Gross. 

Shouta just offers a small huff of amusement and stands up. Izuku can hear him rooting around the room, opening drawers in the dresser and moving some things. He vaguely thinks it’s a little rude. This is Izuku’s room after all. Shouta shouldn't be going through his things. But then he remembers that his teacher has never invaded his privacy like that before. He’s been in Izuku's bedroom back home plenty of times in the past and once the teen warmed up to him he genuinely never really minded as long as Shouta knocked first if the door was closed.

He is a hormonal teenager after all. Knocking first has saved them both the mortification plenty of times. 

And really he’s just far too exhausted to care right now. It’s not like he has anything to hide from his teacher. Maybe a barely used bottle of lube somewhere but that’s about it. And he gets the feeling Shouta wouldn’t give a single solitary fuck about that if he happened across it. So he just stays in his little bundle of blankets and keeps his eyes closed until the sounds stop and the weight settles beside him again. 

“Think you can manage a short walk? You can go back to sleep in a little bit, promise.”

Izuku heaves a heavier sigh than he really means to. He’ll have to apologize to Shouta later. He knows he can be a bit of an asshole when he’s sick. Well, a bit more of an asshole than he usually is. He doesn’t try to give attitude, it just slips out. And he doesn’t have the energy to stop himself. But somehow he manages to bite his tongue before he can tell the man to fuck off. 

It takes a minute but he manages to sit up, swaying slightly when he does and allowing his teacher to steady him with a grounding hand on his arm. He leans into it just slightly. The mountain of blankets he had been previously trying to disappear under bunches up around his waist and he takes a second to blink down at them tiredly before reaching up to rub at his face. 

“Where we goin?”

“I’m gonna take you to my dorm where I can keep an eye on you. I already told your mom that you’re not feeling good so we won’t be going home this weekend I’m afraid.”

Izuku offers a deep little pout at that. He was excited to see his mama. He knows, realistically, that it’s probably for the best. He’s in no shape to be taking the twenty minute train ride to his childhood apartment right now. But he can be a bit clingy at the best of times and despite seeing her every weekend, he misses his mom. But he decides not to complain. His head is killing him and he can taste the snot dripping at the back of his throat every time he sniffles. 

He has half a mind to turn around and curl back up in his bed and go back to sleep. But he really doesn’t wanna be alone right now. So he weakly shoves at the blankets until Shouta helps him detangle himself and slowly stands up. The room spins immediately and he has to take a deep breath to quell to sudden nausea. Shouta leaves to do just that as he picks up a bag by the door that Izuku realizes must have some of his belongings in it. 

The short walk to the teachers dorms goes agonizingly slow. Izuku shivers slightly the whole way there, hugging himself tightly until Shouta shifts the bag to his other shoulder opposite of Izuku and gently tugs the teen under his arm to provide warmth, Izuku can’t help but lean into him. They take the stairs up to Shouta's dorm. The teacher had suggested the elevator instead, worried about how visibly dizzy Izuku is, but didn’t argue when Izuku mentioned that the sway of the elevator would likely make him vomit. 

Izuku blinks a few times as he stands in front of Shouta in the doorway. He doesn’t really register his teacher dropping down to untie his shoelaces for him and help him step out of his bright red high tops. The dorm is much bigger than his own. It makes sense, considering Shouta is a grown ass man, but this is more like a small apartment than a dorm room. 

There's a living room off of the entryway about half the size of what Izuku remembers Shouta’s actual living room to be. A newer but no less comfy looking couch sits against the wall with a small coffee table covered in paperwork sitting in front of it. A TV is mounted on the wall across from the couch. Deeper into the room there’s a small connected kitchenette that leads to a short hallway, two closed doors on one side and a bathroom across from them on the other. 

Izuku doesn’t realize that he’s just been standing here until a gentle hand pulls his hair back slightly and he looks up. “Why don’t we get you to the couch kid?”

Shouta gently coaxes him forward and helps Izuku get comfortable on the couch. A blanket gets draped around him and Izuku can’t help but melt back into it. He leans his head against the back of the couch and shuts his eyes for a few minutes. He doesn’t react much past a small grunt when a thermometer slips into his mouth and rests uncomfortably under his tongue. It beeps soon enough and the intrusion is gone. 

“Wha time s’it?”

“Almost noon.” 

Izuku is suddenly very much awake. He shoots up on the couch, groaning slightly as the action makes the world spin and he has to blink rapidly a few times until it passes. Fuck. Fuck he’s so late for classes. It’s almost lunch. He’s going to fall so far behind. How could he just let himself sleep all day? He doesn’t even remember his alarm going off. Gentle but firm hands settle on his shoulders and coax him back again.

“Hey hey. It’s fine, Izuku. I knew something was wrong when you didn’t show up for class earlier and I already excused you for the day. Todoroki is taking notes for you and we’ll get you caught up once you're feeling better. Just relax.”

Izuku takes a deep shuddery breath, coughing into his elbow when he does. He’s very clearly still unhappy about it but he doesn’t argue, choosing instead to offer a tiny nod and curl up into a tight ball on the couch. Shouta moves away again once he’s sure Izuku is calmer and when he returns a cool damp washcloth rests against the back of his neck and Izuku relaxes just slightly. 

“M’sorry I didn’t tell you. I don remember wakin up earlier.”

“I’m not surprised. You have a pretty high fever kiddo. I'll be surprised if you remember much of this come morning. Don’t worry about it.” 

Shouta helps him take some medicine, just simple cold medicine and fever reducers, before sitting beside him and letting Izuku rest. He stays curled up while he dozes for a bit but despite the fog settling over his head and the way it gets increasingly harder to open his eyes, Izuku can’t quite drift off. He feels cold. Not quite from the fever, though that certainly doesn’t help. It’s more of a bone deep chill that settles into him more the longer he sits here with nothing but a blanket to cradle him. 

He’s not sure how much time passes before he finally finds the energy to shift around. He sits up slowly and moves carefully, not a thought in his head aside from the chill and the need to be held. He tilts sideways until his head is cushioned on a thigh and his feet are tucked up against the arm of the couch where he had been residing before. Without much hesitation he reaches up blindly until his warm, clammy hand wraps around a wrist and tugs until calloused fingers are running through his wild, greasy curls. 

And just like that the chill recedes. He tugs the blanket up more around his shoulders and curls against Shouta with a content little sigh. Izuku thinks it might be the easiest he’s ever fallen asleep, though not before mumbling soft words that he himself barely registers leaving his lips. Words he likely won’t remember by the time the fever breaks. Words that open a new door for Izuku and his teacher, one they both silently hope stays open forever.

“Thanks papa. Love you.”

Chapter Text

Both Shouta and Izuku were surprised to find that after the fever broke there were some things Izuku remembered. Izuku was mortified when he realized that he had called Shouta papa, rambling off excuses and apologies with a red face, only barely flushed from the remnants of his fever, until a heavy hand settled in his hair and he was reassured that Shouta genuinely wasn’t bothered by it. And when he hesitantly did it again, more clear minded and shy, the teacher offered the tiniest of smiles and the door remained open. 

After his nap that first day Shouta had shown Izuku to the guest room. Really, it was just meant for Izuku. Apparently it was a part of the compromise he had made with Izuku's mother when she agreed to let him move to the dorms. They both know that Izuku gets nightmares, more often now after the many near death experiences of the year, and Inko wanted to be sure that Izuku had somewhere to sleep where Shouta could be close by if he was having a rough night. 

Though Izuku gets the feeling Shouta would have pestered Nezu for accommodations for him either way. 

Knowing that this dorm apartment is now just as much a home for the teen as either apartment or his own dorm are, he makes a bit more of a habit of coming to see Shouta when he has a bad day or just simply misses home. Of course, with the blanket permission of coming over whenever he wants more of the school staff finds out about his relation to Shouta outside of school. And by the time they’re a month into dorm life nobody ever questions when Izuku suddenly slips quietly into the teachers dorms and makes his way toward the elevator to see his papa. 

He does try not to make a habit out of it though. He knows Shouta is a busy person, what with about 60 students spread out through the school to grade for, 20 to monitor consistently and hero work to do outside of teaching. But Shouta has suddenly become the only consistent parental figure that Izuku has in his life. And he is still a child, even if he’s old enough to take care of himself more regularly now. So sometimes he can’t quite help the childish desire to cuddle up with the man or seek comfort when he wakes up trembling in the middle of the night. 

And by that logic, he also can’t help but turn to Shouta for advice in his day to day life. Usually it’s small things. How to approach Ectoplasm about a particularly hard set of math equations because while he does like his math teacher the man is a little bit intimidating at times. How best to change his diet to work better with his increased training schedule because yes, now that they live in the dorms Izuku trains or works out more often with the sudden unfiltered access to gyms and training grounds. Which then turns into advice about his training itself until Shouta eventually caves and just starts bringing Izuku with him for training with Shinsou after school everyday.

But this is unchartered territory.

Izuku never really considered himself a particularly sex driven person. He’s still going through puberty of course and so his hormones are still fluctuating. And with that he has touched himself before, if the partially used bottle of lube in his nightstand is anything to go by. But when those urges first started he popped a boner maybe once or twice a month and most of the time it wouldn’t take more than some teasing from his shadows for the discomfort to dissipate. He never really had any desire to touch himself and he had even less of a desire to be touched in that way. 

But then he started dating Shoto. And at first not much changed. Sure their relationship itself changed drastically. Suddenly they were holding hands all the time and cuddling whenever possible. Shoto kisses his head at every opportunity and Izuku returns the favor by pressing little kisses to his chin or cheeks. And when they’re alone those lips press to his own so soft and tender and gentle that Izuku often thinks it might rip his heart from his chest. 

But now? He’s getting a little frustrated. 

Why? Because his sweet, loving, gentle boyfriend is Shoto fucking Todoroki. Izuku could go on for hours about how lucky he is to have bagged someone like Shoto. In fact, he has. Bless Ochako and her patience really. Izuku looks at his boyfriend and often wonders how he ended up here. Shoto is amazing. Beautiful in an ethereal kind of way. His skin is flawless and his lips are always soft. He has a gentle aura around him that relaxes even the most high strung. Izuku would know. He is among one of the most high strung. His split hair is always perfectly messy without even trying. And his smile. His smile is nothing short of perfection in Izuku's poor gay little heart.

And then there’s Izuku himself. Surprisingly, he’s never really thought himself to be unattractive per say. But he knows he’s a little plain looking, once you get past all the green. His tan skin and freckles are an odd mix just shy of overwhelming when you consider everyone else in his life is Japanese through and through. He stands out like a lightbulb in a dark room and he knows it. And he’s a bit of a twig, even after his muscle gain after he started properly training. His ever present eyebags stand stark against his blemished skin and despite the recent growth spurt that graciously gifted him an extra inch in height he’s still short in comparison to the other guys in his class. 

The two of them together are like a god and an urchin loving each other despite the odds. 

Not the point. Point is, they started off no different than they ever had before despite the added affections between them. But the longer they’re together the more Izuku's thoughts tend to take a not pg turn when he’s around his other half. What started as dreams that left him sweaty and hard in the middle of the night quickly grew into fantasies during the day that threaten to make interactions with others awkward. He stubbornly does his best to ignore the increased urges but in his moments of weakness, when he sneaks off to his dorm to relieve his frustrations, it’s always the same name whispered from his lips as he works himself to completion. 

So yeah, he’s a little frustrated. And he doesn’t know how to bring it up to his boyfriend. He knows Shoto isn’t entirely innocent. It’s not often, but sometimes in the quiet moments those soft kisses become a little more heated and he finds those tender lips feel just as good on his neck as they do on his lips. But they’ve never gone further. And Izuku wants to feel those lips in other places. But Shoto is a little awkward at the best of times, not that Izuku can judge. He isn’t much better. His boyfriend is learning, coming out of his shell and becoming less sheltered by the day. But Izuku is growing impatient. 

Normally he would go to Ochako about this. Aside from Katsuki she’s easily Izukus best friend. But both of them would tease him relentlessly if he admitted that he desperately wants his boyfriend to ruin him and even if that was something Izuku was mentally prepared to deal with they’re at one of the gyms right now training. That friendship was admittedly a bit of a surprise to Izuku but he quickly grew used to it. Again, not the point.

Which brings us back to Shouta. Because Izuku needs input from someone who won’t make fun of him. And his mom is, well, his mom. Nobody wants to talk to their parents about this kind of stuff. Not that Shouta is a much better option. He is one of Izuku's parents at this point. He’s also Izuku's teacher. So there’s a strong chance he’ll just say something along the lines of ‘not in the dorms problem child’ and that’ll be it. There’s an even stronger chance that this is going to be the most awkward conversation he’s ever had with the man. 

But despite his better judgement, he trusts Shouta. 

He quietly slips into the teachers dorms and takes off his shoes at the door. He offers the staff lounging in the common area a small greeting before making his way to the elevator and up to Shouta's dorm apartment. Luckily, Shouta doesn’t have to patrol tonight. So he should already be here. Unless Kachaan and Ochako broke something in the gym again. He knocks twice in warning before just letting himself inside and flopping on the couch. 

Shouta hardly spares him a glance before continuing to type away on his laptop for a few more minutes. Izuku doesn’t say anything, not wanting to distract, so a comfortable silence settles over them until finally the laptop clicks shut and Shouta turns to look at him. He gives Izuku a brief once over, taking in the slightly uncomfortable body language with narrowed eyes before eventually surmising that Izuku is neither hurt or upset in any way. 

“Coffee?”

“It’s literally almost 8pm.”

“Did I stutter?”

Izuku huffs and shakes his head. He accepts the offered coffee anyway and they both silently agree to just not mention it to his mom. He probably won’t sleep well tonight anyway. Maybe the caffeine will wake him up enough to catch up on some homework before he goes to bed later. Assuming this conversation doesn’t make him bash his head against a wall in embarrassment until he loses consciousness. Once they both have their drinks they settle across from each other on the couch.

“So what’s up kid?”

Izuku suddenly realizes he did not think this far ahead. How does one even start a conversation like this? Shouta is a logical person. He went through puberty once. And Izuku isn’t stupid, he knows that Shouta and his mom have sex. He just avidly avoids thinking about it because…gross. So he knows Shouta won’t necessarily judge him. But it’s not every day that your student, who also happens to be your girlfriend's son, comes to you looking for advice on how to get laid. Izuku huffs softly at himself and shakes his head. There’s no easy way to start this conversation. Might as well just start from the beginning.

“I’m horny.” Way to go Izuku.

A deep flush spreads across his face and he barely manages to put his mug down before he’s covering his face with his hands and whining in embarrassment. 

“I’m not sure how that pertains to me.”

“N-no it doesn’t. Sorry I…I-I didn’t mean to say that.”

Shouta just grunts. He almost looks amused as he stares at Izuku from over the lip of his coffee mug. Honestly, the nerve of this guy. But he doesn’t look particularly bothered by the admission either. So Izuku takes a deep breath and lowers his hands, fiddling with them shyly in his lap. 

“I just meant like in general. N-not right this second. And I know it’s normal cause like puberty and hormones and all that stuff but er-” 

Izuku bites his lip as he tries to sort through his thoughts. Shouta gives him a second to do so but when Izuku doesn’t continue he lets out a fond little sigh and sits up. He puts his mug down and reaches over to lay a gentle hand over Izukus, a silent reminder to stop hurting himself. And wow, Izuku didn’t even realize that he was starting to pull on his fingers. 

“I’m not gonna judge you kid. Whatever this is about will stay between us. But if it’s bothering you enough to seek me out, don’t pull away now. You can talk to me.”

Izuku sighs and nods. He settles for fidgeting with Shouta's hand instead and his papa just lets him, shifting closer to be more comfortable without retracting his hand from Izuku's lap. 

“I’ve just never really felt like this before and I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Felt like what? Horny?”

“N-no. I mean well kind of? I mean I have been before but not toward someone. I don’t know I’ve just never been too interested in things like that before.”

Shouta knows that Izuku is a bit on the asexual spectrum. Not long after finding out that Izuku and Shoto are dating he had just been curious about how Izuku identified. And given that it’s not something Izuku feels ashamed of, he had no issues telling his teacher that he’s gay but demi and that Shoto is his first relationship. Shouta accepted that easily and never pried again. 

“Ok. So now that’s changing and it scares you?”

“Well no. It doesn’t necessarily scare me. It’s more frustrating than anything else.”

Shouta grunts. He sips his coffee again with his freehand and offers a single nod for Izuku to continue.

“Well it’s just…I mean…look at who I’m dating.”

“Gonna have to be more specific kid. He’s just a student in my eyes.”

“R-right sorry. I dunno he’s just attractive. I mean I know he’s my boyfriend so of course I find him attractive but so does literally everyone else. It’s kind of annoying. But he could have anyone he wants and he chose me and I’m so grateful for that but also he’s attractive.”

He pulls his hands away, waving them as he speaks. Shoutas just lays limp against his thigh until Izuku throws his hands up in frustration and then takes his papa's hand in his own once again. He lets out a dramatic little exhale before continuing. 

“It’s distracting sometimes. And we’ve been together long enough now that I know how I feel about him. I know that I love him and I trust him with my life. God how could I not? But now it’s like I’m hyperfocused on every little thing that he does and even if it’s something super minor and innocent my thoughts derail in ways I feel like they shouldn’t and I get myself all worked up.”

“Ok. I hate to tell ya kid but when you’re in a relationship that’s pretty normal too.”

I know.” Izuku says, sounding a little defeated.

“But that’s not really why I’m here.”

Shouta, again, doesn’t say anything. He just offers a barely there squeeze of Izuku's hands in reassurance and nods his head again for Izuku to continue. 

“I know I’m only sixteen. And I should probably be spending my time focusing on more important things like school and stuff. But…” 

He can’t help but look away, another embarrassed flush tainting his cheeks. “I kinda just wanna have sex with him.”

The whispered admission hangs in the air between them for several minutes. Izuku keeps his head turned, staring down at his abandoned coffee mug on the table as he waits. At first Shouta doesn’t say anything. And Izuku is just beginning to think that maybe his papa has decided that this isn’t a conversation he doesn’t want any part of when suddenly the cushion beside him shifts and the hand in his starts shaking. Izuku pouts when he glances over and sees Shouta's shoulders shaking with muffled laughter.

“PAPAAAA! It isn’t funny.” 

“Sorry. Sorry. It’s a little funny though.” Izuku's pout deepens.

“Stooop. What am I supposed to do about this?”

“I don’t know, kid. Have you tried just having sex with him since you seem to want it so badly?” 

“I don’t like your tone.” Izuku grumbles. 

And then he hesitates. Because…what? “Are you seriously condoning this?”

“No. Right now you’re under my care and I don’t particularly want to know that the dorms are potentially being defiled by my son. But as you already pointed out, you’re sixteen and in a relationship. I’m not stupid, Izuku. It’ll happen eventually. So I’m not going to stop you. Doing so would only turn you away from reaching out if you need help.”

Well Izuku can’t really argue that logic. And he’s not dumb. His mom has long since given him the talk. Twice actually. Because for some reason she felt the need to give him an altered version of it when she found out that he was gay. And putting that aside, when he started having these thoughts he did some of his own research for it. Both him and Shoto are virgins. If they did something wrong, one of them could end up hurt. It would be nice to feel comfortable going to Shouta if that happens, as mortifying as it would be. 

“If I had done that do you really think I’d be here right now?”

“No I guess not. I know this isn’t really what you wanna hear, kid but the only advice I can offer is talking to him about it. The worst that can happen is he says he isn’t interested right now.” 

Izuku heaves a heavy little sigh. It’s not what he wanted to hear. Not at all. Though Izuku’s not really sure what he did want to hear. But he can reluctantly admit that Shouta is right. Communication, in any relationship, is important. And with Shoto in particular it’s very needed. His boyfriend can be a bit dense at the best of times. As awkward as that conversation will be, they both deserve to be open with each other. And if Shoto does tell him that he isn’t ready then it’s not like Izuku doesn’t have a perfectly good hand, his imagination and a world of patience to get him through until his boyfriend is. 

“Now I just feel silly.” He mumbles.

Shouta pats his knee and finally pulls his hand away. “Don’t. You’ve never been in this kind of situation before and you already have an iffy relationship with sex. It’s ok to want a second opinion.”

Izuku relaxes slightly at that and reaches for his coffee. He appreciates the reassurance. Shouta has always been good at chipping away at his walls, even when they were just teacher and student. And now that they know each other on a much more personal level it’s even easier for him to pinpoint Izuku's insecurities and break them down before they can root themselves too deeply. 

After making Shouta swear to never utter a word about this to Inko, Izuku opts to just spend the night with his papa. It’s late anyway and while the walk back to Heights Alliance isn’t far it’s not a walk he particularly feels like taking right now. And as per usual, Shouta couldn’t care less. Though Izuku could do without the night full of teases from his papa.

Chapter Text

Izuku lays on his bed, scrolling aimlessly on his phone as he listens to his mom busy herself in the kitchen. It’s Sunday and come morning he'll be back at school and the dorms until Friday. Tonight will just be the two Midoriyas. Shouta had an early patrol but won’t be back until close to midnight. Izuku isn’t complaining. As much as he loves having Shouta around now he also misses spending more one on one time with his mama. 

Which means he should probably stop hiding away in his room. 

“Do you need help?” He asks as he wanders into the kitchen.

“Oh no sweetheart. It’s almost done. Why don’t you set the table though?”

Izuku smiles and kisses the top of her head with a nod. He’s gotten much taller than his mom, standing about a foot and a half taller now. She has to stand on her tip toes to kiss his forehead now if he doesn’t bend down for her. He starts to grab three plates from the cabinet out of habit before correcting himself. Once the table is set the two sit down to eat and Izuku rambles on to his mom about the most recent anime he and Katsuki have taken an interest in. 

Life has been so busy for the little family since Izuku started at UA that having a nice, calm evening with just his mom is a little odd to him now. They don’t need to talk about villain attacks or training or treatment for Izuku’s newest injury. It’s just them, curled up on the couch after a filling dinner watching movies until Izuku is yawning every other minute and quietly excuses himself to go take a quick shower and go to sleep. 

He isn’t expecting to wake up to raised voices in the other room.

At first he wakes up groggy, muffled voices stirring him to consciousness. Initially he assumes it’s just the shadows bickering over something benign but then he realizes that these voices sound very real and that the normal whispers in the dark of his room are quiet. He groans softly and shoves the blankets off of him as he gets up. A brief chill wracks his body and he’s quick to slip on some socks to combat the cold wood of his bedroom floor before he quietly slips out of his room and heads down the hall.

“Damnit Inko, it’s just a few bruises. I’ve had a long night. Can we not do this right now?”

Izuku pauses in the mouth of the hallway. Shouta sounds…not quite angry but Izuku’s never heard him talk to his mama like that. He hasn’t really ever heard anyone talk to his mama like that. No, that’s not true. There’s one person. And suddenly Izuku is six years old again, hiding in his closet in the dead of night, cuddling his bunny with tears streaking his chubby little cheeks as his parents yell at each other in the next room over. 

“I understand that Shouta but you can’t just come home almost two hours late covered in bruises with a stab wound to the arm and not expect me to be upset and concerned.”

“I went to a hospital. This kind of stuff comes with the territory. Maybe if you can’t handle it you shouldn’t be dating a pro hero.”

Izuku makes a choked little noise in the back of his throat. Two sets of eyes immediately turn to him, both regretful and concerned. Izuku doesn’t notice. He’s busy trying to keep from trembling apart at the seams. He feels silly for crying. He’s sixteen. He’s used to this kind of stuff. Maybe not so much anymore but he still remembers his parents' marriage like it was yesterday. And really, that last comment was the breaking point for him. 

Izuku doesn’t want Shouta to go away. He promised he wouldn’t. He promised he wouldn’t do anything to hurt them. He promised. He said that he loves them. And Izuku, despite his initial hesitance, learned to love Shouta too. He doesn’t want to go back to calling the man sensei at all times. He doesn’t want to lose another safe space. 

And what about his mom? If Shouta walks away she’d be heartbroken. Izuku doesn’t think he could handle seeing her so broken again. And what if she makes him leave? What if she realizes that Shouta is right and decides that she doesn’t want the drama of a pro hero boyfriend in her life? They can’t just give up on each other like that. They can’t. Things were just starting to be better again. Their little family was starting to feel like home more than ever. 

“Izuku, baby-”

Izuku doesn’t give his mom a chance to finish. Before he can think better of it, he’s running. He slams the door to his room behind him and slinks to the floor in his closet like he’s done countless times before. It’s a little more cramped now than he remembers it being. He almost feels claustrophobic in the small space. His body fades as he allows himself to slink into the cold but gentle hug of his shadows and heave heavy, heartbreaking sobs. 

It’s quiet in the apartment after that. The yelling stopped the second those eyes turned to him. All that’s left is the warped sounds of his cries and the ticking of a clock from somewhere in the apartment. Izuku isn’t really sure how long he sits in the closet before the door slowly slides open a tiny bit more and he hides further into the darkness. 

“Oh my sweet boy. I’m so sorry.”

Izuku lets out the tiniest little whimper at the sound of his mothers voice. She’s sitting just outside the closet, close enough for him to reach but far enough that if he chose to run, he could without needing his quirk to do so. Shouta is there too, sitting beside Inko but a little further back as he makes sure the option to run is still available. He doesn’t say anything but his expression is a mirror of the same concern and guilt on his mama's face. 

“Izuku, look at me please?” 

Izuku sniffles softly and hesitantly looks up through his bangs. His mom offers a tiny smile and reaches forward slowly, resting a hand nearby. An offering. Izuku doesn’t quite take it just yet, instead staying curled up in the corner of his closet and no doubt looking pathetic as fat tears continue to cascade down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry you had to see that honey. Shouta and I aren’t mad at each other. It was just a small argument.”

“You were yelling. That usually means people are mad.”

“I know it does, baby, but we aren’t. Sometimes people have differing opinions and it can lead to arguments like that. Things get said that aren’t meant. But it doesn’t mean that Shouta and I are angry and it doesn’t mean that anything is changing.”

Izuku wipes at his tear stained face and shifts a little bit. “S-so he’s not gonna leave?”

“I’m not going anywhere, kid. I didn’t mean to say that. I have no intention of leaving you or your mom.” Shouta reassures.

Slowly his cries become a little less warped and when Izuku finally reaches for his moms hand his cold touch is firm and solid. Real. She offers a gentle squeeze before rubbing a soothing thumb across his knuckles and Izuku can’t help how his body relaxes at the touch. He takes a deep shaky breath and fiddles gently with her hand. 

“I’m sorry. I just…was thinking about dad. You guys used to fight all the time and when Shouta said that, I just thought he was gonna leave like dad did. I-I don’t want that.”

“Oh Izu. Your father and I were never going to work out. As harsh as it sounds it’s true. And I am so sorry that you had to be exposed to all the problems between us. I thought I was doing a good job at protecting you from it. I see now that I was wrong.”

Izuku shakes his head and shifts closer until he’s finally sitting with them just outside of the closet. “I don’t blame you mom. I know you did your best. You’re the best mom anyone could ever ask for.”

“I appreciate that, baby, but I am not perfect.” Izuku makes an aborted little noise and Inko chuckles.

“Nobody is, sweetheart. I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes when raising you. I know you’ve spent a lot of time alone. You’ve had to help yourself more often than not and I am so sorry. But I’m also so incredibly proud.”

Inko reaches forward with her free hand to gently cup his cheek, wiping away tears as she does so. Izuku shuts his eyes and leans into her hand, nuzzling it like a toddler seeking warmth. It eases just a tiny bit more of the tension in his body. He loves his mom more than anything and there’s nothing in this world that could ever change that. 

“You’ve grown up so well, Izu. You're accomplishing all of your dreams. You’re so mature and so smart and, lord knows you’re such a little shit but I love you so much for it.”

Izuku looks up when she curses, watching as his mother smiles at him in such an adoring way. 

“That has little to do with me, my love. You are the strongest, bravest, most loving and kind person I know and you are going to grow up to do so many good things. I love you very much. So does your father. And so does Shouta. One little argument isn’t going to change that.”

Izuku looks over at Shouta. He seems relaxed, despite the previously tense atmosphere and the bandages and bruises covering him in many places. He’s still dirty from his patrol and has yet to change out of his hero costume. But despite that, he’s still just as soft and gentle as he always is with Izuku and his mom. He’s not a hero or a teacher right now. He’s family. And he’s staying.

“Promise?”

“I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

Izuku nods and scoots forward until he can curl up against his mom. She easily wraps her arms around him and he shuts his eyes. A callaused hand runs through his hair soothingly and the trio falls into a comfortable silence. Nobody says anything else. There really isn’t anything more to say. And with the late hour and the amount of tears shed it doesn’t take long for Izuku to fall asleep curled into the warm safety of his family.

Chapter Text

Despite how it may sometimes seem, Izuku actually has astonishing control of his quirk. 

Yes. He is perpetually exhausted at all times. And yeah, the shadows can be distracting. One thing his classmates quickly took notice of after moving into the dorms together is how often their favorite little curly haired green bean just seems to drift off into his own little world. It’s not uncommon to see him eating a snack in the kitchen or studying on the floor in the common room and then suddenly he’s just staring off into space with varying different expressions as if silently reacting to a conversation only he can hear. 

They do their best to help. If Izuku is in the room any lights that had previously left dark corners are turned on. If he’s caught staring he’s quickly brought back into awareness with a simple nudge and maybe a question or two about topics class 1A knows he could ramble on about for hours. If he falls asleep cuddling Shoto during movie nights the common room suddenly becomes a giant pile of limbs as the class all settle in for the night, leaving the TV on as white noise for their friend so the whispers don’t wake him. 

And Izuku may not be the greatest at picking up on things. He’s not entirely clueless but when it comes to having friends he can be a bit oblivious at the best of times. But even he has noticed the way his classmates go out of their way to make life a little easier for him. And when he thinks about all that they do for him it warms the ever present shadowy chill in his bones just a bit. He loves his classmates so much. And he’s quickly realizing that they love him too. 

But good quirk control doesn’t immediately mean perfect. It’s hard to have an unyielding grasp on a quirk that’s semi-sentient. Many of his peers, both in class A and class B, saw his raw strength at the summer camp. The way he welcomed the shadows with open, if not eager, arms and allowed them the freedom to become a part of him. The way his eyes faded to black and shadowy hands reached and pulled and grabbed at him in a desperate attempt to protect. To save. 

But that was intentional, if a little uncontrolled. He had made that choice. Because Katsuki was in danger. And even if the void that is a quirk like Nyctophobia had been threatening to swallow him whole he would’ve done it a million more times just to save his best friend. And thankfully the shadows are generally pretty respectful of Izuku's boundaries. They weren’t always. Back when he was a kid with very limited quirk control and the shadows just wanted some freedom. But with plenty of quirk counseling and, admittedly, many breakdowns they had learned. 

They don’t like when Izuku is afraid of them. How could they? He’s all they have. And Izuku spent a very long time being afraid of them. He used to have a fear of the dark, even before his quirk developed. It only worsened after the first time he lost control. It persisted for a long time and even now, every so often Izuku will hesitate when entering a dark room or he’ll dig out his old little bunny rabbit night light. But for the most part he’s grown to have more of an appreciation for the dark.

It is, after all, his element now. 

Izuku hasn’t truly lost control in years. Not at the USJ when everyone's lives were in danger and the Nomu was only seconds away from killing his teacher. Not in Hosu when he and Shoto ran from Endeavor's side and risked their lives to save Iida from the sharp death of Stains blade. Not at the summer camp when the forest was burning around him and villains were desperately trying to steal one of the only people who truly matters to him. Not when Shouta and Inko had their fight and he was left in shambles on the floor of his closet.

No. He never lost control. Not even once. And no matter how much his shadows wanted him to just let go, to just take a step back and let them fight his battles for him, he kept his hold on their tight leash impossibly tighter and he fought with everything he had in him. Because as hard as it is for Izuku to be afraid of his quirk, he thinks it would be even harder to see that fear reflected in the eyes of the people he loves. 

The Monday following the fight between his parents Izuku stands with his class and 1B in front of Shouta, Vlad King and AllMight for joint training. He’s exhausted. The night had been difficult for all three of them. Shouta hadn’t come home until around two in the morning and Inko had stayed up, worrying endlessly until he came home. He had arrived with a smattering of cuts and bruises and a literal stab wound and then Izuku was woken to raised voices and words that weren’t meant and spent the next hour in his closet sobbing his little heart out. 

You already know, it was a chapter ago. 

Anyway. 

So he’s already not in a particularly good mood when they get put in their groups for the training exercise. He scowls when he realizes the enemy group contains Monoma of all people. Izuku doesn’t particularly like the blond. Being friends with Shinsou, and of course growing up the way he did, he can kind of understand Monona's disdain for the “high and mighty”. But what he doesn’t understand is his approach to it all.

For Izuku, growing up labelled useless and villainous because of his quirk led to self isolation. He crafted a thick shell out of his shadows and lived there with only his mom and Katsuki to keep him company for years. And that shell still remains, if a little fractured now. He shies away from certain touches and flashy quirks. He wears his heart on his sleeve but he refuses to be vulnerable. He’s no longer the sweet, caring, ‘will give you the shirt off his back’ child he once was. His personality hardened with time. His attitude became a genuine aspect of his life. And yeah, he’d still give the shirt off his back if he needed to, but not before asking questions first.

For Shinsou, he took a similar approach. But instead of drawing away he put up walls. He grew confrontational and cocky. He began placing everyone in categories. Loud vs quiet. Praised vs undermined. Perfect vs imperfect. Abuser vs victim. He has an intense level of hatred for the former. The people with flashy quirks and egos to match. But he also has an equally intense level of empathy for the latter. The people like him who have had their dreams and their spirits crushed time and time again over something entirely out of their control. He’s not a bad person, like others have tried to label him. He’s just broken by a society that views him as lesser.

And then there’s Monoma. 

He had been told all the same things as Izuku and Shinsou had their whole lives. Labelled a villain for his ability to copy quirks. He grew to resent others for it. But where Izuku and Shinsou have the open mind to understand that not everyone is inherently cruel, Monoma doesn’t seem to care. For him, it doesn’t matter if you have a flashy quirk or not. All that matters is that you’re automatically beneath him. And for someone who detests the egotistical, he himself has the ego to compete with Endeavor. 

Izuku hates it. And so do his shadows. 

And so, to recap, Izuku had a rough night. He’s tired. He’s irritated. He has to fight Monoma. And his shadows don’t like that. 

Izuku's team consists of himself, Shoto, Shinsou, and Mina. They aren’t the first to run through the exercise and so while Izuku watches Katsuki brutally kick ass against 1B he also discusses strategy with his team. Izuku is good at strategy. So for the most part his team looks to him for guidance and he somehow finds himself essentially acting as the team's leader, though he doesn’t mind. They’re all people he trusts. They respect each other and after fighting tooth and nail for their lives all year they also know each other's strengths and weaknesses pretty well. 

They decide to have Izuku and Shinsou use their stealth training and quirks for quick takedowns. They’ll split up, Shinsou and Mina on one side of the terrain and the affectionately dubbed ‘Power Couple of 1A’ on the other. Mina and Shoto will play defense for their partners, having stronger and more powerful quirks in case anything goes wrong. It’s a strong strategy and they all readily agree. But it doesn’t take into account that Monoma is a dick and Izuku is fiercely protective of his best friend.

“You know, for 1A’s golden boy, you are quite possibly the most pathetic of them all.”

Izuku ignores the taunts to vault over a thick pipe. He had been doing good. Great even. He had already taken down Monoma’s partner and was so close to wiping out the blond himself when suddenly the whole area lit up in spotlights. And without the cover of his shadows Shoto was quick to engage their peer while Izuku works on destroying the bright lights rendering him essentially quirkless. 

“It’s astounding how you were even able to save that explosive one at the summer camp.”

Izuku’s pace falters slightly as he slams a fist into the glass of a bright bulb and hops to another pipe. He knows it didn’t really seem like it at the time, but that night had been one of the most terrifying nights of his life. Once the adrenaline had died down and the excitement of ‘What the fuck do you mean sensei is dating Auntie?’ was calmed he had spent the rest of the wait for first responders wrapped up in Katsuki's arms crying and shaking like a leaf over the what ifs.

What if he had been taken?

What if Izuku had been too slow?

What if he had failed?

“Maybe you should have let him go. Perhaps it would have done us all a favor. Throw that dog to the wolves where he belongs.”

The last of the lights shatters as the statement registers. Izuku is frozen where he stands. It starts as just a simple sharp pain in his chest. The mere idea of letting Katsuki be taken, of willingly standing to the side while his best friend goes through who knows what at the hands of villains, is a thought that kills him a little on the inside. But then that pain morphs into a raging fire of rage. Because Katsuki is no villain. And Izuku despises anyone who thinks otherwise.

End him.

Before Izuku can truly process the eerie little whisper his shaking hands lose their hold on the leash and he’s plunged into darkness. It’s cold and neverending. It terrifies him. But it’s also familiar. Safe in an odd sort of angry way. Anger for him. Anger for Katsuki. And there’s a part of him that wants to let that rage come forward. But there’s another part of him, the hero part of him, that desperately searches through the darkness for that leash. He can’t let them do something they’ll regret. He can’t let them hurt anyone.

In the light, Izuku turns. Black eyes bore down on Monoma like a lion hunting prey. Shoto is on the ground off to the side, holding his stomach and panting harshly. Little wisps of fire and crackling ice flow from Monoma as he grins up at Izuku. And Izuku, as they know him, is nowhere to be seen. Instead, his figure fades as if struggling to stay visible. To stay whole. His eyes remain black as his face shows a surprising lack of emotion. And as the familiar shadowy hands begin grasping at him at all angles there are six distinct ones that stay constant.

Two settle on the sides of his head, pressed lightly against his ears as if shielding them from the sounds of the world around him. Two more wrap around to his front, settling over his eyes and plunging him impossibly further into darkness. And the last two overlap gracefully over his mouth, waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity to speak his truth. The rest of the hands that had been previously grabbing at shoulders and wrists and ankles and sides all fade. 

Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil.

Because Monoma is certainly evil in the shadows' dark, warped vision. 

But Izuku most certainly is not. 

The hands on his mouth open as he takes slow measured steps forward. Izuku searches for the leash harder now. Tears slip down his fading cheeks. 

Don’t hurt him.

His mouth parts but no words come out. 

But he hurt you. 

Monoma continues to stare Izuku down, unperturbed by the sudden display of power. Izuku distantly hears Shoto's voice, quiet and muffled but so sure. So confident. So desperate.

Please? Don’t hurt him. 

His voice sounds warped in a way he’s never heard before. At the summer camp it had come out echoed and shaky, the voices of others overlapping his own. But it was still his. When he had lost control like this as a child his voice would still sound higher in pitch. Still childish. And there was never any hate in the inflections of the shadows tones. No intent to cause pain. No intent to kill. Now though it’s deeper. Faded and calm and so so wrong. Now it was hateful, promising pain. This voice is not Izukus in any way.

We’re sorry, Izuku. 

“Monoma Naito. You are no hero. You are no human worthy of the good things you so selfishly desire. You are but a mutt in a world of purebred creatures. And we are the wolves, come to teach you your place.”

His hand reaches forward, fading into darkness as shadows creep along his skin. Another wraps around Monona's throat, his arms, his wrists. Cold arms snake around his chest and Izuku can see how the blond can’t breathe. The flames and ice recede and his blue eyes look frantic and fearful. But he can’t move. Not with the hands crawling across his skin at every angle. And Izuku tries. He thinks he grabs the end of the leash but it quickly slips away again. He hears a buzzer. He hears Shouta's voice promising to come. To put a stop to the rage fueled chaos. 

To put a stop to Izuku. 

But it’s not enough. The grip on Monoma's neck tightens more and Izuku can hear him choking. Can see tears brimming his eyes but stubbornly refusing to fall. Tears continue to streak his own cheeks, his often neverending waterworks apparently the only part of himself he has any control over. And he doesn't like Monoma but dammit that doesn’t mean he deserves to die. Izuku doesn’t want to become a killer. 

Red and White enter his view, skewed by the hands still covering his eyes. Gentle, firm, real hands settle on his cheeks. His tears are wiped away. Shoto looks at him with only concern and love on his features. He’s not afraid. Despite everything, he’s here. He won’t leave Izuku’s side. And when he finds the leash again he’s able to hold onto it this time. Able to tug. The hands at his eyes shift, opening much like the ones on his mouth had before, and wow. Shoto is so beautiful. 

If you hurt him too, I will never forgive you.

“Izuku. It’s ok. It’s over. Come back to me, love. Let him go.”

“I…I am…try-trying.”

“I know, baby. It’s ok. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Izuku nods, though his body doesn’t. He doesn’t deserve Shoto and his neverending kindness. His trust. His love. But he has it. And he refuses to waste it on Monoma of all people. So he grips the leash painfully. He wraps it tightly around his hand, letting it extend up his wrist. It hurts but he ignores the pain as the hands fade. He hears Monoma gasp in a sharp breath, followed by several harsh coughs that go ignored by the pair. Izuku's eyes are still black, face still blank. He can feel himself fading more sporadically now as he grapples for control. But it’s all lost to him as he stares at the ever patient face of his Shoto. 

“Love-”

“I love you too, Izuku. You’re doing so well. Let me see those pretty eyes.”

Izuku grabs the leash in both hands and he yanks. As quickly as the shadows took control they lose it. His eyes squeeze shut for only a brief moment before blinking up at Shoto. His boyfriend smiles and rubs gentle thumbs along his cheeks. He leans forward and Izuku meets him halfway, foreheads touching in a rare moment of vulnerability and intimacy for the both of them. 

“There you are.”

It’s nothing more than a whisper between them, but it’s enough. The fight bleeds out of Izuku instantly and he allows himself to fall forward, knowing Shoto will catch him. He always does. Shouta arrives only seconds later, only relaxing when he sees that the situation is under control. Monoma is taken to Recovery Girl with a fresh respectful fear of Izuku. And Izuku is carried in strong, safe, loving arms back to the dorms. Tomorrow , he’ll wake up with a renewed fear of his quirk but also a stronger respect for his shadows. He’ll find it harder to walk into dark rooms or sleep without his night light. But he’ll also find nothing but understanding and care on the faces of his classmates, people who couldn’t fear him if they tried. 

But for now, he’ll curl up in bed with strong arms wrapped around him, warming him as a gentle hand rubs soothing circles on his back and he’ll smile as he drifts off to sleep in the loving embrace of the love of his life, a silent promise between them. 

No matter what, they will never leave each other.