Work Text:
Izuku Midoriya's good hand is full of All Might memorabilia.
He stares wide-eyed into his bedroom, the walls bare and the floor scattered with his possessions. His mother is huffing in the center, fistfuls of torn posters in her grasp. His arms are filled with teeshirts and figures he collected over the years, two figures of Present Mic and Eraserhead tucked especially close to his chest.
She’s yelling. Her mouth is moving, and she’s yelling at him as he looks around his room. She had flipped the bed, his blankets tossed into the corner of the room. His notebooks are scattered, some of their pages torn out.
And he just stares.
The rest of the night is filled with nothingness.
She goes to her room, slamming the door. He doesn’t move, doesn’t make dinner, doesn’t make a sound.
It wasn’t until hours later, when a knock on the door was heard, that he snapped partially back into it.
Slowly, he rises to his feet, letting go of his possessions outside the two little figures. Yamada had given them to him a week or so after they started training. He didn’t even know who Eraserhead had been at the time, but now he clung to both like a lifeline.
He knew his mother wouldn’t open the door. She never did when she was mad. So he went and pried it open, looking up with big, clouded eyes, and a group of men stood around the door. He swallows as one of them looks at him in surprise.
“Hello. Izuku, I presume?” The closest man, seemingly the leader, smiles down at him.
But he can't muster the courage to respond. Instead, he just opens the door fully, stepping to the side to let these men in. They pause for a moment before stepping inside and taking their shoes off.
“Say, where’s your mother?” The leader asks him, looking around the well-lived-in space. But Izuku just stares back at him, frowning.
The man frowns, looking over the boy. He’s worse for ware, that's for sure. Albeit he already knew that much. The poor thing had only just gotten out of the hospital hours before their arrival. Seeing him now, the man wishes they’d gotten there sooner.
But then he notices something. A little blob of blonde hair on a figure in the boy's grip.
“Mm… What have you got there?”
Slowly, Izuku’s eyes widened as he looked down. Did he not realize that he had it? Maybe not, as the boy slowly shows the man his figures.
His lips seem to unzip. “I-its my action figures of P-Present Mic and Eraserhead…”
The man smiles, “Eraserhead, huh? Not a lot of people know him. You must be pretty lucky to have merchandise of him, huh, kid? Big fan?”
And the boy is fully back, nodding his head vigorously, “Yeah! He’s my second favorite Pro, after Present Mic, of course!”
The man laughed, nodding, “That’s fair, kid! Now… I'm sorry our visit is so sudden, but Present Mic and Eraserhead actually sent us here, you see?”
And the boy frowns, “Yeah…? Then… where are they?”
And guilt emits from the man's chest as he looks at the boy, “I'm sorry, kid… They have things to do, so they couldn’t make it.”
Izukus's smile faded a little as he nodded his head, “I- My mother…”
And all three men perk up.
“She’s in her room… but she most likely won’t answer you right now…”
“And why’s that?”
“She’s mad at me… As you can see… I got in some trouble last night…”
And the men furrow their brows, confused. “She won’t come out? And… she does this whenever she’s… mad at you?”
Izuku nodded, turning down the small hallway and knocking on the first door. “Mom… Someone’s here to see you.”
Nothing.
The men frown even more now, eyes squinting and locked on the door. “Mind if we try, kid?”
He nodded, frowning as the two men who hadn’t said anything yet walked up to the door. Meanwhile, the leader placed a firm hand on Izuku’s shoulder, “Come with me for a second, k’?”
He nods as the two men start knocking on his mother's door.
After being led outside, the man stops, “My name is Tsukauchi, a detective working for the local Police force. I am here with two members of the CGC… Ah, the Child Guidance Center.”
Izuku frowns but nods along, confused.
“We got two anonymous tips that a child, namely, you, were being denied medical attention, on top of everyday neglect and potential abuse. Do you have anything to say about this statement?”
“I- My mom never abused me! I-I’m sorry, but thats just…”
“I should also mention, Izuku, my quirk is called Lie Detector. If you are pourpousfully lying to me… I will know.”
“W-Well! I mean! She does ignore me sometimes, but- I wouldn’t call that neglect! And she refused medical treatment because I deserved it! It’s just… It’s the consequences of my own actions, yaknow?”
And the man frowns, “Depending on what happens today, you may be taken in protective custody. Come on. Why don’t you sit in my car while I ask your mother a few question, okay?”
Nervously, Izuku nodded.
Sitting in the back of a tinted police car had Izuku jittering. All he could hear was his heartbeat as he clutched the figures of his favorite heroes closer to his chest. Had they really sent someone to talk to his mom? Would… Would he be taken away from home?
And his chest tightens as he watches Namomasa walk back to his apartment. The wait feels like ages, sitting there alone as the adults talk. He wished he could be there-- that he could see what was happening and hear his mother try to talk them down.
Could she get out of this situation?
A small part of Izuku hoped she wouldn’t.
Then… then maybe he could go somewhere new. Somewhere, he was treated like a normal kid his age. Somewhere that would let him follow his dream and be his own person.
Unlikely.
The only two people to ever treat him that way… Well, was Yamada and Aizawa.
So when his mother is dragged from their apartment in handcuffs, writhing and screaming, Izuku closes his eyes and covers his ears.
He imagines Aizawa hugging him tightly to his chest, caring for his injuries. He imagines Yamada cracking jokes to lighten the mood. He sees the three of them together. It's a small comfort.
Then, Tsukauchi is in the front seat, taking a handkerchief and dabbing his forehead. “Ok, Izuku.”
And the boy opens his eyes to see the man, waiting for what comes next.
“Your mother was… Uncooperative. Even with a warrant, she refused to speak to us. So she is going down to the station for questioning.” He pauses. “We saw your room.”
Izuku doesn’t move. Tsukauchi turns the car on.
“We saw the wreck it was… We are going to salvage what we can, but for now…? We are going to take you to a temporary home, either until your mother cooperates and we can send your back… or until a more proper… more permenanate arrangement is made.”
Izuku nods his head, his curls– still brushed smooth from Yamada earlier that day– bouncing.
---
Izuku is sitting stiffly in a house he hasn’t been in since elementary school.
At his left is Tsukauchi, asking a thousand questions. Across from him are Mr. and Ms. Bakugou, both looking concerned. And at his right?
Kacchan.
The fiery boy is subdued, either due to the shock of the situation, or due to the detective and CGC members poking around the house. Izuku does his best to be as small as possible, not touching anything he shouldn’t.
The Bakugou’s were nice enough. Ms. Bakugou was his godmother, after all. She’s watched him grow up, being best friends with his mother. Although her eyes shone with disbelief at what her friend had done, a pitiful stare pointed straight into Izuku’s soul.
He only tried to duck his head further as Tsukauchi wrapped up his conversation.
“Ok, I know this is unprecedented and not the best placement for him, but he’ll only be here a week max while we find a more permanent solution.”
“Oh no!” Ms. Bakugou chimes, “We love Izuku! I'm surprised he’s not staying longer… What with guardianship…”
“I understand your concern, ma'am, but Izuku’s situation is a bit different than your normal child. Please understand.”
And there it is. Of course, Tsukauchi knew he was quirkless. He was a part of the police department, after all… It’s a wonder he was so nice. The other CGC members shifted awkwardly, and something clicked in Izuku’s brain.
Right. Yamada and Aizawa sent him. He wasn’t a member of the CGC, but they sent him knowing he’d treat Izuku right.
Warmth spread through Izuku’s stomach. He would have to thank the men…
Oh shit.
Looking frantically at Tsukauchi, he reached out, grabbing his sleeve.
The man pauses, crouching down a little. “What wrong, Izuku? Something I can help with, I hope.”
“M-My phone. I'm supposed to have training with Yamada today… but…”
“Don’t worry about him, kid.” Tsukauchi ruffled his hair, an act that reminded him of Aizawa the night before. “Your mentor already told me that he wants you to rest until your healed up. Can’t go around training with those injuries.”
And as Izuku goes to protest, Tsukauchi cuts him off, “Even pro heroes take breaks after hard fights. I know Present Mic and Eraserhead do, anyways.”
The man winks, Izuku nodding slowly before waving as Tsukauchi leaves with the other men.
He stares out the windows after the cars for a while, ignoring Ms. Bakugou talking to him. He can hear her sigh sadly, turning and walking away. He doesn’t care, though, clutching his figures close.
Everything will be okay, he thinks. Everything will be okay.
---
“Oi, Deku.”
Izuku had been silent since Tsukauchi left, tiptoeing around the Bakugous.
“Don’t ignore me!”
Now, as he is laying out his futon in Kacchan's room, his head swims. Nothing feels real.
“Fucking- Deku!”
A rough hand collides with his back, and Izuku stumbles, barely catching himself before falling over. Snapping his head around with wide green eyes, he shakes.
Terror is all he can feel.
“Deku, chill out- jeez.”
Kacchan, pompous, cool, heroic Kacchan stares him dead in the eyes. His voice isn’t as loud as it is at school. His eyes aren’t as sharp.
There's something so… different about him. Something familiar.
It feels like a sleepover they’d had before. Before the world told them what to do. Before explosions. Before quirklessness.
They were under the blankets with a flashlight. It was past their bedtime. They were swapping stories of the heroes they dreamed of becoming.
“Deku. Stay with me.”
But that's not right.
Before him is Kacchan, taller and snappier. And he looks ready to blow a fuse.
Slowly, Izuku spoke for the first time since arriving, “Y-yes?”
And Kacchan sighs, sagging. Izuku thinks for a second that it might be a relief to hear his voice. But… that can’t be right.
Kacchan sits on his futon on the floor, patting the ground next to him, willing Izuku to follow his orders. The green-haired boy follows.
“What- What happened? With Auntie. And…” Kacchan's eyes traced Izuku's injuries, his voice trailing off.
There was a pit of silence before Izuku slowly opened his mouth, “There was… A man.”
And Izuku frowns. His voice sounds foreign as he speaks, retelling the tale from the last 24 hours. “He was hurting someone… and I couldn’t just sit back. And… He- he-”
Izuku visualizes the pain coursing through his body. The weight of the man on top of him. The look of the woman, passed out by his side.
He choked on his words, fear coursing through him.
Kacchan grimaced by his side, slowly, carefully, placing an arm around Izuku’s shoulders and pulling him close. It’s uncharacteristic. But… it feels… right.
Izuku broke into sobs, leaning into Kacchan’s side, “It hurt so bad… and mom- She wouldn’t answer her phone when I- I was in the hospital! I was so scared!”
He blubbers and cries, Kacchan doing nothing more than hold him close.
If not for everything else, Izuku would think it was a dream, to be treated so kindly by Kacchan. But as he drifts off to sleep, tuckered out by wailing, he hopes that this dream won’t ever fade.
---
Two weeks.
Izuku has been out of school and training for two weeks now.
The Bakugou’s were nice, mostly. They seemed to walk on eggshells around him, not asking questions or prodding too hard. And he hadn’t heard from his mother yet, either.
Still, no phone. Still, no Tsukauchi. Still, only the Eraserhead and Present Mic figures keep him grounded.
Well,… and Kacchan, who was slowly becoming a constant in his everyday life.
The angry boy would come home from school, give Izuku his notes from class, and tell him about his day. Typically, that consisted of him angrily rattling on about the so-called ‘dumbasses’ that followed him around. Izuku would nod his head, glad for the distraction.
It was weird, though. After that first night… After Izuku’s break down… they had been… normal. Almost like friends again. And a part of Izuku was hurt by this.
All it took was his mother… what? Hurting him? Ignoring him? It took a man attacking him? It took him being seriously hurt?
There were days at the Bakugou’s household when he couldn't hold back the tears, remembering something sweet his mother would do. Or, he wouldn’t speak for hours, a flick of Ms. Bakugou’s wrist reminds him of his mother's scratching nails. But instead of yelling at him like he would at school, Kacchan takes him by the hand and helps him.
Even the boy's parents are shocked the first time.
Izuku had burst into tears during dinner, remembering the time his mother had made the exact dish they’d been eating. The adults stood, concerned and confused, Ms. Bakugou yelling something at Mr. Bakugou, and vice versa. But Kacchan… Kacchan just sighed, snapping for the ‘old hag’ to quit yelling and sit back down.
His hand had found Izukus– clenched tightly in a fist– intertwining their fingers together. The sensation calmed the boy down so fast that he was shocked. He clutched the hand tightly as Kacchan barked nonsense at his parents, taking the attention off of Izuku's tears.
Although confused, Izuku appreciated it.
Eventually, though, he couldn’t hide his confusion anymore, reaching out for Kacchan's hand one night.
The blonde took it in stride, clasping their hands together and turning toward Izuku with furrowed brows. There was a tilt to his head, a silent, ‘Are you good?’ Izuku stopped, staring down at the ground with a frown.
“What changed?”
And the world is silent as Kacchan rolls the words over in his mind.
They both knew what he meant. They both knew this wasn’t normal.
“You…”
Kacchan started before swallowing, almost nervously. It was unlike him. But Izuku didn’t mind, holding his hand tighter, something the blonde boy had done for him hundreds of times by this point. He started again.
“You went through so much. You helped someone. You- you’re-!” He grits his teeth, and Izuku comes in closer. “We were going to be heroes- but you were just so-”
“Weak?”
And even though he doesn’t say a word, Izuku can tell he’s agreeing.
“But then we hear that you saved someone and got injured? And- and that Auntie…”
“Kacchan-”
“No, Izuku. One day, I’m going to be the best hero there could ever be, okay? I’ll be better than All Might. And i’ll sure as hell be better than you.”
And his words bite. But not as much as they used to.
“Kacchan. I want to be hero.”
“... I know.”
“Will you help me?”
“After everything I did to you…? Yeah. I’ll help.”
And Izuku looks up, smiling through teary eyes, “Thank you!”
“Yeah, Zu. Of course…”
---
After two weeks and two days of Izuku staying with the Bakugous, Tsukauchi finally returned.
Izuku watched with wandering hands as the man’s shiny black car pulled slowly into the driveway, Kacchan grumbling at his side. Tsukauchi was wearing a suit, like last time, only this one was navy blue instead of black.
Catching their eyes through the curtains of Kacchan’s room, the man waved. Kacchan glared back, pulling Izuku away and closing the blinds. They knew what was coming.
Two days ago, Ms. Bakugou– who was trying her damnest to make Izuku call her ‘Auntie’ again– received a phone call. They had found a permanent foster home for Izuku to go to and would be taking him over in two days. Ms- Auntie had argued.
“Izuku is welcome to stay here with us! We’ve known him since he was a baby! And he and Katsuki get along so well!”
Izuku, sitting at the kitchen table, watched her fight, listening to the muffled voice over the phone, “Yes, ma’am, we understand you have a close relationship with the boy, but due to some… past school records including your son, and the fact that he is quirkless, we decided to place him elsewhere. Surly you understand?”
“Oh! Bullshit!” Auntie huffed angrily, having ended the call. “Izuku, bud, I’m so sorry… I wish you could stay here with us…”
She had made her way over to his side, leaning over and hugging him. He hugged back. She smelt like his mother.
“It’s okay, Auntie… I- I understand…”
“Oh, Izu… Here…”
The woman had carefully let go of him, sliding into the living room and coming back with a small bag, tissue paper sticking out of the top. A gift. Sitting across from him, she slid the bag over.
“It’s not much- but we wanted it to be a… housewarming gift. But, of course, now you're not staying with us…” She smiled sadly. “We still wany your to have it though… We were gonna get you some clothes of your own, seeing as Katsuki’s are a little loose on you… but we thought we had time. Sorry…”
Opening the gift with round eyes, Izuku smiles lightly. Inside were a new phone and a President-Mic-themed notebook.
“The phone has our number in it- so if you ever need us for any reason, you can call. Okay? You’re always welcome here. And the notebook- Katsuki picked it out- said it was your favorite hero or something? I thought it was All Might, but I guess he knows you better…”
Izuku was up in a flash, running around the table to hug her close. She chuckled, rubbing his back as he cried.
“I know what’s happening is scary, kid. But you always have a home with us. Besides, you make Katsuki calmer, which is a massive plus!”
Now, sitting on the floor of Kacchan's room, Izuku can’t help but want to stay. Maybe if he pleaded or if he hid from Tsukauchi- then maybe, just maybe, he could stay right where he was.
And then Auntie got him.
And then he was behind her as she talked with Tsukauchi.
And then he was in the back of his car with his figurines, notebook, phone, and backpack of Kacchan's hand-me-downs.
And then they were on the way to a new house full of people that he wouldn’t know and who would surely hate him for being quirkless.
And then-
Tsukauchi pointed it out with a smile: a bright house separated from its neighbors. Wildflowers and clover littered its large front lawn, decoration around stepping stones leading to a front door. Wow. This house was… big. And secluded
Izuku padded behind him, careful not to step on any of the pretty flowers.
How rich were these people?
Tsukauchi knocked on the door, taking a step back and smiling over at Izuku. “I think you're going to like it here, okay, kid?”
And Izuku isn’t too sure about that idea, but he nods his head regardless as the door slowly peels open.
Green eyes widen. Lips tremble. There was a rush of wind that passed Tsukauchi as Izuku– sweet, kind, brave Izuku– leaped into Yamada’s arms.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
And the world starts turning again.