Chapter Text
Aldera Primary School wasn’t a good school. The teachers knew it, the students knew it; even the principal knew that Aldera Primary School wasn’t a great place. Rampant quirk use, discrimination, negligence; you name it, it was probably happening at Aldera. Izuku Midoriya was one of the most familiar with the failures of his primary school. Being the only quirkless student in the entire school tended to expose people’s darker and more sinister sides.
Even as early as his diagnosis, Izuku had been well aware of the hatred people had towards quirkless people. He doesn’t believe he will ever be able to forget the look in his mothers eye as the doctor crushed his dreams. The look of disgust and betrayal, hidden behind a forced smile. Everyone tends to get that look in their eye, though they no longer try to hide their revulsion behind a smile. Now, at eight years old and in his third year of primary school, some of the teachers have made it a point to make Izuku aware of their hatred for him. Especially his homeroom teacher, Mr. Sakamura.
Mr. Sakamura was the first teacher to put Izuku in a muzzle, though he wasn’t the last. Many of the teachers used the muzzle now; Izuku hardly went a full day without wearing it. If Mr. Sakamura was in a particularly bad mood, he would also lock Izuku in a supply cupboard. Like today.
Today was a bad day. Within five minutes of homeroom starting, Izuku was put in the muzzle. When that didn’t satisfy Mr. Sakamura, Izuku was locked in the supply cupboard under the sink. The cupboard was cramped, and Izuku couldn’t sit up fully. He had been stuck in a slouched, bent position for what felt like hours and his butt had long since gone numb. In the darkness of the cupboard, Izuku sat and dissociated. It was easier to let his consciousness take a back seat and let his body move on autopilot in moments like this.
When the door to the cupboard was finally opened, the harsh light made Izuku flinch. Rough hands grabbed at his thin arms and pulled him none too gently from the cramped space. Izuku’s shoes squeaked across the floor as he was dragged to the front of the classroom.
He was dropped unceremoniously onto the floor, his head cracking against the floor as stars sparked across his eyes. Izuku could feel the metal bits of the muzzle dig further into his cheeks, blood welling under the skin as scars began to split.
“Today we will be beginning our biology and development segment.” Mr. Sakamura began. Izuku continued to lay on the cold tiles, blinking the dizziness from his eyes.
“You see, with the development of quirks, there also came the development or evolution of the human body. Quirks enhance one’s natural abilities and make their bodies better suited for certain tasks. A quirkless body cannot do all the things a Quirked body can. They are weak, intellectually challenged and will always be below their Quirked peers.”
Izuku felt the shame wash over his body in waves as he curled into a fetal position. The teacher continued, uncaring of the discomfort Izuku felt.
“In many ways, they are simply animals, or ‘mutts’. They serve no purpose except as an example of the starting point of our evolution.” Izuku could hear his teacher moving something behind him, but he refused to uncurl from his position on the floor. A few kids began chuckling quietly and murmuring as Mr. Sakamura continued to move about. Izuku heard his teacher approaching and opened his eyes right as Mr. Sakamura gripped his upper arm in a bruising hold. Looking around the classroom, Izuku felt his stomach drop as his teacher dragged him towards a cage. A dog cage barely big enough for Izuku to fit in.
He couldn’t be serious right? He was already muzzled and now they wanted to put him in a cage, for all his classmates to point and laugh at him. Izuku began struggling against his teacher’s hold, trying to pry the fingers digging into his arm. Mr. Sakamura only tightened his hold further as he opened the small lock at the front of the crate and threw Izuku inside roughly. He could feel the thin metal bars digging into his spine, the top of the cage hitting his head from where he tried to sit up.
In a last ditch effort to escape, he launched himself forward, reaching toward the door. The teacher slammed the bars shut, ignoring Izuku’s pained yell as the door pinched his fingers between the bars. Pulling his hands back and cradling them to his chest, Izuku felt blood drip from his fingers from where the skin had been ripped open. His hands burned with pain, tears beginning to stream down his face as he cried. He couldn’t hear what was being said anymore. His head felt cloudy as his eyes burned with tears. His breathing became sporadic as he struggled to take in air from behind the muzzle. Everything was too much, the bars of the cage felt like they were pressing down on every part of his skin. His mind raced with the words his teacher had said: They are simply mutts.
Izuku’s breath hitched and he clutched his chest, he felt like he was suffocating as his mind splintered into a thousand pieces. Dark spots danced across his vision as Izuku arched his back, his lungs begging for air. As his fingers gripped the fabric of his uniform, pain lanced up his arm. Izuku latched onto that pain, letting it ground him as he continued to pull and twist at his bloody fingers. It felt like hours, but the haze of his panic finally began to subside. Exhaustion weighed heavy in his bones as he leaned against the metal walls of the crate.
Looking out at his classmates still seated at their desks, Izuku felt his teacher’s earlier lesson sink in. He didn’t belong among his classmates. He was a deku…an unevolved null…a mutt.
Mr. Sakamura began putting him in the animal crate every day. Izuku started to miss the supply cupboard. Even if the cupboard was more cramped, at least he didn’t have to deal with the stares and laughing of his classmates.
Izuku fought against Mr. Sakamura at first. For the first week when Mr. Sakamura would tell “Deku” to get in his cage, Izuku would fight. He struggled against the bruising hold on his malnourished arms. Mr. Sakamura would shake and slap Izuku until he felt dizzy before throwing him in the kennel. Izuku eventually learned to stop fighting it. The humiliation of being in the dog cage was better than dealing with the bruises and cuts that followed the struggling.
Two weeks after the cage was put in the classroom, Izuku arrived at school to see that someone had attached a nameplate to it. “Deku” was written in precise handwriting across the simple white plaque. Aldera had taken his humanity, his confidence and now they had taken his name. He was no longer Izuku Midoriya. He was Deku, the useless mutt.
After a month of being put in the crate daily, Izuku started to develop a routine. He would arrive early to class where Mr. Sakamura would muzzle and shove him into the dog crate. During class, Mr. Sakamura would crumple his assignments and shove them through the bars of the cage. After homeroom, the teachers would rotate and continue to crumple his given assignments or slip them through the metal bars of Izuku’s cage. No one fought the idea of Izuku being in the crate. They already knew he was a dog, a mutt. It was just Izuku who hadn’t figured it out. During lunch, he wasn’t allowed to leave the kennel, though it wasn’t as if there was a bento for him to eat anyway. He found himself mostly working on his notebooks during lunch anyway. The pain of hunger was annoying, but would eventually subside as the day wore on. The crate was unlocked after all the students had left, and the muzzle was removed before Izuku was allowed to leave.
Three months after the crate was introduced, Izuku realized he had started to see the cage as a security blanket of sorts. If he was in the cage, he couldn’t be hurt. The metal walls of his the cage kept the bullies away, it kept him safe. Why did he fight it so much at the beginning? A twisted part of Izuku was almost grateful for the cage. It meant that the bullies couldn’t torment him during class, they couldn’t destroy his stuff from behind the security of the crate. He still had his notebooks; and if he ignored the occasional taunt and laugh, it wasn’t so bad.
It was a cool September morning, five months after Izuku was given his crate, that something changed. Izuku showed up to school early, put his backpack in the kennel and waited while Mr. Sakamura put his muzzle on. However, when Izuku turned to get into the crate, Mr. Sakamura held him back. The hand gripping his arm pulled him away from the cage, from safety. Izuku was led towards the back of the classroom, towards the supply cupboard.
No! No! Izuku had been so good! Why was he being put in the cupboard again? Was Mr. Sakamura punishing him for something? The door to the cupboard was opened, and for the first time in months, Izuku fought. He wanted his crate!
“So help me Deku, knock it off.” Mr. Sakamura gave Izuku a shake before shoving him into the cramped cupboard. “Be useful for once and keep quiet today.” The door was closed and Izuku heard the lock click, the sound echoing in the small cabinet. Izuku could hear more students arriving, a few asking where Deku was.
“Today we have a student teacher coming to observe our class, so I need everyone to be on their best behavior. To make sure that we are all doing so, I put Deku away so none of us would be distracted. Now, onto today’s lesson.”
Izuku strained to hear the words Mr. Sakamura was saying as homeroom began. He would have to write down his notes later in his notebook once he was let out. Roughly twenty minutes after class began, a knock sounded against the classroom door.
“Ahh there he is! Class, this is the student teacher I was telling you about earlier. This is Mr. Aizawa.”
***
When Nezu originally asked Aizawa to go undercover as a student teacher to find evidence of child abuse, he expected it to be at another high school, or even a middle school. What Shouta was not expecting, was to be sent to Aldera Primary School. These were elementary age children, the oldest being no more than eleven or twelve. The school itself seemed to be crumbling with its water damaged ceiling and cracked pavement. Blatant quirk use in the hallways with teachers ignoring the active bullying happening in front of their eyes. It was only nine am, and Shouta was tired. Arriving at the classroom marked 3B, he approached the door and raised his fist to knock. The door was quickly slid open and Shouta took his time to observe the “teacher” in front of him. Mr. Sakamura was a tall, imposing figure with a strong, muscular build. His once dark hair was streaked with grey and receding. Upon opening the door his angered face quickly shifted into a fake smile once he saw Shouta.
“Ahh there he is!” Mr. Sakamura moved to invite Shouta into the classroom. “Class, this is the student teacher I was telling you about earlier. This is Mr. Aizawa.”
Shouta entered the classroom, his tired, half-lidded eyes taking in the usual chaos of a classroom setting. As he continued to scan the room, his gaze caught on a peculiar item: a dog cage sitting in the corner of the room. Aizawa’s brow furrowed in confusion at the odd sight. The metal cage was medium sized, and was empty except for a tattered yellow backpack. Ignoring the confusing sight for a moment, Shouta stood at the front of the classroom and addressed the class.
“My name is Mr. Aizawa and I am here to observe your class for the day. I won’t take up too much of your time, and I’ll mostly just be sitting at the back of the class watching. You won’t even notice I’m here.” Some students had looks of confusion and interest, but the children seemed overall content with his introduction.
“Mr. Aizawa I have set up a desk and chair for you in the back near the cupboards. If you need anything, just let me know.” Mr. Sakamura clapped his hands, effectively dismissing Shouta to his spot at the back of the class. Shouta slowly made his way toward the back of the class toward the desk, pulling his messenger bag up to lay on the desk as he sat down.
Homeroom passed without much fanfare, a few students taking their time to steal glances Shouta’s way. As the teachers rotated for the next subject, a muffled thump sounded in the cupboard behind Shouta. Writing it off as sounds from the class next door, Shouta continued to write his notes of his initial observation of the school. A few minutes later, another thump sounded, followed by what sounded like a grunt of pain. Were they keeping a student locked in one of the supply cupboards? The noises continued, soft thumping followed by the scrape of something against the floor. His hero instincts screamed at him to get up and help, but he remained sitting, careful to not draw attention to himself. Rage and frustration bubbled inside him, yet his expression remained impassive. He couldn’t afford to react immediately, he risked alerting the very people he was trying to investigate. Without all the details, the full extent of the abuse happening at the school could be lost.
The hours crawled by, more noises and small whines of pain continuing to sound from behind him. His mind was screaming at him to move, to help. The lunch bell ringing shattered the tense atmosphere Shouta felt caught in. Grabbing his messenger bag, Shouta picked his way to the front of the classroom towards Mr. Sakamura.
“Thank you so much for your time today. I have certainly learned a lot.” Mr. Sakamura stood from his desk, meeting Shouta’s gaze.
“Are you leaving already?” He asked.
“Something has come up and I need to meet with my professor as soon as possible. Thank you for your hospitality.” Shouta immediately turned and moved to leave the classroom. Shouta gave a quick nod to the receptionist at the front desk as he left the school. Once Shouta felt he was a safe enough distance from the school, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Tsukauchi.
“Eraser, you got something?”
“How soon can you get a team down here?”
“You’ve confirmed the abuse?” Shouta could hear the sound of shuffling papers and movement in the background.
“They were keeping someone locked in a supply cupboard. I don’t know how long they’ve been in there but I’m not taking chances waiting for this to escalate.” Aizawa’s grip hardened on the phone, his knuckles turning white with the pressure.
“I’ll get a team ready. ETA 20 minutes.”
“I’ll wait out front. Leave the sirens off, I don’t want to risk anything.” After hearing Tsukauchi confirm, Shouta hung up the phone, taking a moment to breathe. Though they didn’t know the full extent of the abuse happening, with what Shouta had witnessed earlier, they would be able to get a warrant for video surveillance. After that, it was only a matter of time before everything was exposed.
Aizawa watched as an unmarked police car pulled alongside the sidewalk, another vehicle just like it parking just behind. Shouta approached the driver side and leaned in the window as it rolled down.
“What’s the plan Eraser?” Tsukauchi asked from the driver seat.
“I want this done fast and quiet. We have confirmation of child endangerment in classroom 3B, so I’ll start there while you and Sansa take the front office. Once we’ve secured the area we’ll move on to the next phase.” Tsukauchi nodded, stepping out of the vehicle with Sansa right behind him. With that, the group turned and began their walk toward the school.
***
Izuku tried to stay quiet, but he couldn’t sit still in the cupboard. His legs had gone numb and his cramped position was starting to strain his back. He adjusted his position, trying to be as quiet as possible. At one point a small whine of pain left his mouth when his movements caused the muzzle to smack the cupboard door. Izuku froze, waiting for Mr. Sakamura to rip open the cupboard and hit him, but it never came.
He heard the lunch bell ring and a few moments later the cupboard was opened; Izuku had to squint as the classroom light burned his eyes. Mr. Sakamura didn’t say anything as he opened the cupboard, standing there with an expectant look on his face. Izuku stood quickly and moved to the front of the classroom where his crate was. Crawling inside, he tucked himself into the corner by his backpack. The door was locked and the older man wasted no time resuming the lesson. Izuku felt the tension in his body leak out as he sat in the crate. Nobody had taken anything from his backpack and Mr. Sakamura hadn’t hit him for making noise in the cupboard. Maybe today wouldn’t be as terrible as he thought.
Izuku was trying to write down all the notes he had missed while in the supply cabinet when there was a loud knocking on the classroom door. With a confused face Mr. Sakamura opened it and Izuku saw his body immediately tense.
“Mr. A-Aizawa…I, uh, didn’t expect to see you back so soon.” Mr. Sakamura shifted to the left, shielding Izuku’s view from whoever was in the door.
“Kento Sakamura, could I speak with you out in the hallway please?” A deep gruff voice spoke. Izuku couldn’t see who was there, but his teacher seemed nervous.
“I’m sorry Mr. Aizawa, I’m very busy right now, could you come by another time, say, after school hours?” Mr. Sakamura replied smoothly.
“I know what you’re doing,” the gruff voice, Mr. Aizawa said, “And it’s not going to continue.” The primary school teacher straightened his back, raising himself to his full height.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you are going to leave. Now.” There was an edge to his voice, an unsaid threat hanging in the air. Izuku could see his teacher’s knuckles turning white with the grip he held on the door.
A tense silence filled the air, both men unwilling to back down.
“If you do not come peacefully I will be forced to arrest you right here Sakamura.”
“Ar-Arrest me? What gives you the right to think you can do something like that?” Mr. Sakamura took a step back, slightly shocked at the threat. With that small movement, Izuku was finally able to see Mr. Aizawa. He had long dark hair that was pulled into a low bun. He had matching dark eyes and when they met Izuku’s, a look of horror spread across the man’s face.
Mr. Sakamura quickly realized what had happened and reached to slam the door closed. In a blur of motion, Aizawa caught his arm and jerked the teacher forward. Sakamura lunged, a desperate flurry of punches aimed at the other man. Aizawa blocked the wild punches, sidestepping the man and delivering a sharp jab to the ribs. Sakamura grunted at the pain and lashed out, trying to tackle Aizawa to the ground.
Izuku watched as Aizawa used Mr. Sakamura’s own movement against him, pulling him forward and twisting before slamming the man harshly onto the ground before wrestling his arms behind his back. A pair of quirk handcuffs were latched onto the teacher’s arms as he continued to kick and struggle. Aizawa pulled his phone from his pocket, sending a quick message off before placing his knee on Sakamura’s back to keep him in place.
A flurry of movement sounded down the hall and Izuku watched as police officers began to pull his teacher up to a standing position before leading him away. What had Mr. Sakamura done? Why had he tried to fight Mr. Aizawa? Was Mr. Aizawa a secret police officer?
Speaking of the man, he was crouched in front of Izuku’s cage, looking at Izuku with a kind and gentle face. Nobody looked at him with that kind of care anymore.
“Hey kiddo, my name is Aizawa, I’m a Pro-Hero. Can I help you get that muzzle off your face?” Izuku reached up to touch the muzzle. Honestly with how often he wore it, he forgot it was there half the time. Maybe Mr. Aizawa wanted it off so he could talk to him? Finally, Izuku nodded and waited as the man unlocked the cage and opened the door. Izuku grabbed his backpack and crawled out. Black spots danced across his vision when he stood up, the excitement of the last half hour finally catching up to him- or maybe that was the hunger. Aizawa held his hands out, not touching Izuku, but ready to catch him if he stumbled.
As the pair walked, Izuku felt exhaustion weighing heavy in his bones. He reached up and tried to rub the tiredness from his eyes. He felt himself stumble a little bit, but a strong hand placed on his shoulder kept him from falling.
“Are you okay?” Aizawa asked. Izuku nodded, waiting for Mr. Aizawa to continue walking. “Do you want me to carry you?” Izuku pondered this for a moment. It had been a long time since Izuku was touched with something other than burning hands and fists. It had been even longer since he had been held. A part of Izuku was embarrassed about needing to be carried like a baby, but another, quieter part begged to be held. So, after a moment, Izuku looked up at Aizawa and raised his arms, asking to be held. Aizawa pulled him onto his hip, and Izuku quickly relaxed, setting his head on the hero’s shoulder. It was hard to smell through the muzzle, but Izuku could make out the distinct scent of coffee that lingered on the man.
The two of them walked out of the school to the parking lot where an ambulance was starting to pull in. Once parked, a paramedic left the vehicle and approached the pair. She had lavender hair and her eyes were yellow slits like a cat. Izuku wondered if she had a feline quirk of some kind.
“Hey there buddy, my name is Ren. Can I help you take that off your face?” Izuku sat up in the hero’s arms and looked to Mr. Aizawa, silently asking for permission. When Mr. Aizawa gave a slight nod, Izuku turned back to the paramedic and nodded. “Thank you so much.” Her gaze shifted to Aizawa. “Do you mind putting him on the gurney? I want to get some vitals established before we head to the hospital.” The hero gave a grunt in confirmation and carried Izuku over to the ambulance. When Aizawa moved to try and put him down, a wave of fear crashed over Izuku. He clutched harder at the man’s suit, refusing to let go. Small whines escaped his lips. Izuku didn’t want to leave the hero’s side. He didn’t know what they would do to him at the hospital.
“Hey, hey kiddo it’s okay. They aren’t going to hurt you. I need to put you down so they can get the muzzle off.” Aizawa tried to reason. Izuku buried his face in the man’s shoulder and shook his head. It irritated some of the scars on his face, but Izuku didn’t care. He didn’t want to let go.
“Okay, okay. You still need to be looked at, so how about I sit down and we let the lady do her job? Is that okay?” Izuku hesitated before giving a shy nod, face still tucked in the man’s shoulder. Aizawa climbed onto the gurney, “Is it okay if I turn you around? She needs to be able to see your face to help you.” Izuku pulled off his backpack and turned around until his back was to the man’s chest. He quickly grabbed one of Aizawa's hands in a desperate search for comfort. Ren explained everything she was going to do before doing it. Izuku tried not to flinch when he felt the large medical scissors touch the back of his head.
Once the muzzle was removed, Ren gave a bright smile, “There you go! That should feel much better! Are you hurting anywhere else?” Izuku shook his head. “I’m glad to hear that. I’m going to ask you some questions just so we can find out a little bit more about you, okay? Let’s start with, what is your name?”
Izuku opened his mouth to speak, though he had to cough several times before he felt confident his voice would actually work. “Izuku,” he finally responded, the sound barely above a whisper.
“Well Izuku, it’s nice to meet you. How old are you?” Izuku held up nine fingers, not trusting his voice fully. “Thanks for telling me Izuku. Just one more question, what is your quirk?” Izuku looked down at where his hands were still playing with one of Mr. Aizawa’s. He didn’t want to tell them. He didn’t want their kindness to end. Once they knew, they would put him back in the crate. Then Mr. Sakamura would yell at him and hit him. Maybe Mr. Aizawa would hit him too for making him carry him outside. Izuku was so selfish. He didn’t deserve the nice way these people were treating him. He was such a stupid, worthless, Deku. He deserved to be in that cage. It was where he belonged, stupid, quirkless mutt.
Hot tears began to drip down his scarred cheeks as he looked down at his lap. His hands continued to play and pull at Aizawa’s large calloused ones. The words, “I’m quirkless” were stuck in his throat and Izuku felt himself choke on a hiccuping sob. Maybe if he went back in the cage everything would go back to normal. Izuku began to weakly pull himself away from the hero’s lap.
“Izuku, I need you to stay on the stretcher.” The paramedic said, reaching out and lightly touching his upper arm. Izuku flinched as panic flooded his mind. Memories of Mr. Sakamura’s bruising grip on his upper arms, shaking him as he yelled at the useless Deku. Izuku felt his breath starting to come in short gasps. More black spots dotted his vision as he felt hot tears begin to burn down his cheeks. His head was full of static, he could hear Ren and Mr. Aizawa talking but the words weren’t making sense.
“Izu-- --- need to brea---” Izuku’s head was so heavy, his lungs were screaming for air but it was like his body wouldn’t listen. “Come on prob--- ---ld,” Izuku’s heartbeat thundered in his ears, he needed air! He was suffocating! Struggling against Mr. Aizawa’s grip, he felt a cool touch on his forehead before the black filled his vision and the world went dark.
***
Izuku’s body went limp in his arms, “What did you do?” Shouta asked.
“I used my quirk, it works like a mild sedative.” She responded, pulling her glowing pink fingers from the boy’s forehead.
“Was that really necessary?” He asked, a harsh bite to his voice.
“He wasn’t responding and I felt that he was at risk for hurting himself if he wasn’t calmed down.” Ren responded, pulling gauze and antiseptic from a nearby kit. “He’ll be fine when he wakes up. In the meantime, I need to get him prepped for transit. Do you mind hopping off for me?” She looked at Shouta expectantly.
Shouta’s chest tightened, his usually stoic expression breaking as his eyes lingered on Izuku’s motionless form. The boy looked so small on the gurney and it was hard to believe that anyone could hurt a child like this. Moving slowly to not disturb the unconscious child, Shouta watched the paramedics begin attaching an IV and oxygen monitor. His eyes were still trained on Izuku’s pale, scarred face, his little chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. The boy’s thin fingers twitched slightly, as if seeking comfort, but his eyes remained shut, oblivious to the world around him.
Before the doors to the ambulance could close, Shouta reached out. “Which hospital are you taking him to?”
Ren met his gaze, giving him a small smile, “Musutafu General. Don’t worry, the little guy will be alright.” Shouta didn’t immediately respond, just continuing to stare at Izuku. Giving an acknowledging nod, he finally forced himself to step away from the ambulance.
Shouta walked back to the school and found Tsukauchi sitting behind the principal’s desk. The detective was focused on the computer in front of him, no doubt reviewing and downloading the security footage. He looked up briefly when Shouta walked in the room. “The kid gonna be okay?” he asked, not looking away from the screen.
“Physically, I think so. Mentally, I have no idea. The muzzling is one thing, but locking the poor kid in a dog cage?” Shouta shook his head at the thought. “It doesn’t look like it was a one time thing either. Kid’s got major scarring on his face that proves the muzzle was used repeatedly.”
Tsukauchi nodded, “Security footage confirms that. I’ve only been able to get a brief look, but the muzzle and the cage have been used for a while. I’ll need to send the footage off to forensics for a more in-depth timeline.” The detective had a dark look in his eyes from where they were trained on the screen in front of him. Shouta felt his stomach drop. How long had they been abusing this poor kid?
“Did any of the teachers give a reason? Why was he the only one singled out?” He asked.
Tsukauchi closed his eyes and briefly turned away from the monitor, a pointed look crossed the man’s face. “He’s quirkless. The only quirkless kid in the school, actually.”
Shouta knew the quirkless statistics. He had seen far too many pairs of red shoes along the edges of bridges and roofs to be unaware. Quirkless kids were few and far between, the number becoming smaller and smaller with each birth year. The treatment of quirkless individuals would also explain the poor kid’s reaction in the ambulance earlier. Izuku had likely assumed that either adult would turn on him the moment his quirk status was discovered.
“I have my suspicions that the poor kid wasn’t only abused at school.” Shouta finally said after a tense moment.
Tsukauchi looked up, “What makes you say that?”
“He’s skin and bones Tsuki. I had to carry him to the ambulance because he could barely walk. The muzzle might be limiting his food intake at school, but this seems like a prolonged issue. At the very least I’d like to do a welfare check on the home to see what his living conditions are.” Tsukauchi nodded as Shouta spoke, noting the information down on a piece of paper nearby.
“I’ll see what I can do. We’re a little short handed right now, but I’ll see about talking to the chief and getting a welfare check put in.”
The hero nodded as he pulled his phone out. “Could you take me to Musutafu General? I wanna check up on the kid and make sure he’s doing alright.”
Tsukauchi stood, gathering some papers and stuffing them into a nearby messenger bag. “Sure. Do you need me to grab any adoption paperwork from the precinct on our way?” The detective asked, smirking as he looked at Shouta. The hero shook his head at the joke and walked out the door, not bothering to reply.
***
Izuku woke slowly. His body felt heavy, like someone had poured concrete in all his limbs. There was a soft beeping of a nearby machine, and Izuku noticed a small clip attached to one of his fingers. The walls were painted with various heroes from All Might to Best Jeanist.
Izuku didn’t know why he was in the hospital. He really wasn’t hurt too bad, not like when Kacchan and his lackeys used to burn and kick him after school. The door to his left began to open and Izuku watched as a man with two ram horns sticking out of his head entered his room. “Hello Midoriya, my name is Doctor Nishida. How are you feeling?” Izuku dropped the man’s gaze and shrugged. He didn’t think he could talk right now.
“That’s okay, I understand you went through something kinda scary. We called your mom so she should be here soon, alright? If you need anything, you can just press that red button next to your bed and a nurse will come and help you.” The doctor left the room, unaware of the panic that was consuming Izuku.
Tremors shook his whole body as fear seeped into his bones. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to. They had called his mom; Izuku was going to be in so much trouble. Izuku couldn’t remember the last time the two of them had spoken, it must have been weeks by that point. If Inko showed up to the hospital, she would yell at Izuku for causing trouble, for making the doctors waste their time on someone worthless like him. She would hit him and take him back home and lock him in the closet. Izuku clutched at the sheets on his lap, nuzzling his face into them in search of some comfort.
He didn’t want to go in the closet! He was so hungry and he knew that if mom put him in the closet he wouldn’t get food for a few days. Izuku didn’t think he could last a few more days.
Izuku was shocked from his spiral as the door to his room opened again. Inko Midoriya stood in the doorway, her skirt free from wrinkles, her blouse perfectly buttoned. To anyone else they would see a loving mother coming to spend time with her son. But Izuku knew better. Izuku could see the look in her eye, like a predator approaching their prey. He held his breath as he watched her close the door and walk quietly to Izuku’s bedside.
“Izuku. What did you do.” It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation. It wouldn’t matter what Izuku said, he would be at fault.
“I don-don-don’t know-” His face whipped to the side with the smack.
“What did you do.” She said in a low voice. Izuku didn’t know how to respond. He genuinely didn’t know what he did wrong! Did she want him to come up with a lie? Izuku didn’t know what would be better, to lie or to continue to tell the truth.
“I don’t know-w! The policeman didn’t say-”
“Police? You got the police involved, you useless shit? Are you fucking kidding me?! Did you call them? What did you tell them?” Inko’s voice grew as she reached out and gripped his hair. Izuku reached up and grabbed her wrists, trying desperately to decrease her hold. Inko’s grip only became tighter as she pulled him from the bed, the needle in the back of his hand pulling tight before ripping from his skin.
As Izuku fell to the ground beside the bed, he could feel blood begin to drip down his arm and across his palm. He raised his hands to cover his head, hoping to protect it from the more vicious slaps he knew were coming. Inko wasn’t slapping him this time though, as her fists made contact with his raised arms and shoulders, Izuku knew he would be covered in bruises.
“You piece of shit! What the fuck did you do?! What did you do?!” Each question was punctuated with another slap or fist hitting skin. Izuku was caught between the bed and his mother, and with no place to go, he began to sob. He didn’t want to be here anymore. There was a loud swishing noise before the hits stopped abruptly. Izuku, looking from behind his raised arms, was confused at the sight: his mothers arms wrapped in long grey bandages.
“Step away from him. Now.” A gruff voice said. Wait. Izuku knew that voice-Aizawa! Izuku lowered his arms and peered around his mother, making eye contact with the hero. He came back!
“I’m only teaching the null his place! I’m not doing anything he doesn’t deserve!” His mother screeched. Izuku lowered his arms and looked down at his lap. Oh no. Now Mr. Aizawa would know that he was a stupid-
“I said step away from him. If you do not comply, I will be within my right to use force. Now step back!” Aizawa’s loud voice was followed by another swishing sound. Inko’s raised arms were tugged back and she was forced to stumble backwards toward the open door. Izuku hesitantly raised his eyes, watching the material constrict and float in the air, the strands linked back to a scarf that Aizawa was wearing. It seemed to hover around his head and his eyes glowed red from where he glared at Inko.
Wait…Red eyes, and a floating scarf…”Eraserhead,” Izuku whispered. The hero met his eyes and Izuku quickly looked away, embarrassed. Once the woman was close enough, Aizawa tugged her arms behind her back and led her out of Izuku’s room.
Now alone, the events of the last half hour seemed to crash into him like a tidal wave. Tucking his face into his knees, Izuku felt his breath hitch as he began to sob. He didn’t know how to fix this situation. He didn’t know how to make his mom not mad anymore.
As Izuku began rocking back and forth on the ground, he heard the door to his room open again. Maybe it was Eraserhead coming back to yell at him for lying about his quirk status? Maybe the hero would arrest him too for wasting everyone’s time. Izuku gripped his hair and began pulling. Stupid, quirkless, dumb Deku! You ruin everything! Everything was fine before you had to go and ruin it!
Through the loud swirling thoughts in his head, Izuku faintly heard Aizawa’s low voice. “Hey now, you need to be gentle with yourself bud, come on. Izuku, are you okay if I rub your back?” With his face still buried in his knees, Izuku gave a hurried nod. He flinched in surprise when the large hand first touched him, but soon relaxed into the feeling of soothing circles being rubbed into his back. “There you go, you’re doing great Izuku.”
The praise was a balm on Izuku’s frayed nerves. “I’m sorr-hic-sorry I messed everything up.”
“You don’t need to apologize Izuku, you have done nothing wrong.” Aizawa responded. Izuku wanted to believe the hero, he wanted to believe that nothing was his fault.
“But I’m quir-quir-quirkless,” he said, locking eyes with the man beside him. Izuku waited, searching the man’s face for the anger, the disgust that usually followed that statement. But the hero’s face didn’t change. If anything, Izuku thought he could see sadness grow in the man’s eyes.
“Izuku, it doesn’t matter whether or not you have a quirk. You deserve to be treated with love and respect.” Aizawa said, his voice soft.
Izuku’s voice wavered as he shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“Just because you were born without a quirk does not mean you deserve to be treated any differently than other kids.” Izuku’s breath hitched as Aizawa continued, “You don’t deserve any of what has been done to you kid. No one deserves to be treated like that. Your worth is not tied to your quirk status. It never should have been.” Aizawa barely finished the sentence before Izuku lunged into his arms. Gripping onto the man’s jumpsuit, Izuku buries his face into the fabric, no doubt leaving behind tears and snot.
“Why does everyone hate me?!” Izuku cried. He felt the hero tuck him into his chest and begin rocking back and forth on the floor. The man’s warm hands rubbed up and down Izuku’s back in a calming gesture.
“I don’t hate you,” Aizawa said. A minute of silence passed before he continued. “People hate what is different, they fear what they don’t understand. I think people are scared of what you could become. They are scared that someone without a quirk could become someone far greater than themselves.”
Izuku continues to sniffle in the man’s lap, but the words hit something inside him. A flicker of hope sparks inside him. “Do you think…someone like me…could become a hero?”
Eraserhead doesn’t hesitate. “I think it will be hard. You’ll have to work ten times harder than everyone else. But if anyone could do it, it would be you kiddo.”
It’s quiet for a moment, Izuku taking his time to process the hero’s words. Finally, after several long minutes, he whispers, “Thank you Eraserhead.”
***
It doesn’t take long for Izuku’s breath to even out as he falls asleep. Shouta waits a few minutes for the kid to fully settle before gathering him into his arms and standing. His knees crack loudly in the quiet room, protesting the movement. Shouta leans forward to place the child on the bed, but Izuku doesn’t let go. Even unconscious, the boy has a death grip on the hero’s jumpsuit. Shouta sighs and lowers his head in defeat, pulling him back into his arms and moving to a nearby chair.
Once settled, he leans his head back against the wall and closes his eyes. Now is as good a time as any to try and get some sleep. The small weight against his chest provides a grounding comfort and Shouta quickly succumbs to sleep.
He wakes to a gentle shaking of his shoulder some time later. Opening his eyes, he is met with the lime green eyes of his husband, Hizashi. “You weren’t answering your phone so I asked Tsukauchi where you were.” Hizashi says in lieu of greeting. “Who’s the little listener?”
Shouta peers down at Izuku, plastered to his chest and drooling slightly in his sleep. The kid looks at peace for once and Shouta is hesitant to move at all. “His name is Izuku. Remember that undercover op I was doing for Nezu? It was to get evidence of abuse at a primary school,” Shouta hisses. Hizashi, the wonderful man that he is, starts to slowly work his fingers through Shouta’s hair. Scratching at his scalp to relieve some tension.
“We don’t even know the full extent of the abuse, but from what we’ve seen and witnessed, it’s bad 'Zashi. I walked in to see the kid’s own mother physically assaulting him.” Izuku snuffles slightly against his chest before settling again.
“It sounds like he’s had a bit of a rough day. I’m glad you were there to help him, Sho. I know you’ll do everything you can for the green bean. But for now-” Hizashi pulls his fingers from Shouta’s scalp. “What can I do for you?”
Shouta loves his husband, he loves Hizashi Yamada so much it overwhelms him sometimes. Moments like this only make him realize how lucky he is to have his sunshine in his life.
“Coffee?”
Hizashi gives him a knowing smile and pulls a thermos from the side table by the hospital bed. “Anything else?”
“Can you call Tsukauchi? I want to get the interviews done as soon as possible.”
Hizashi nods and pulls his phone out to send a message to the detective. After receiving a confirmation, the two men sit in a comfortable silence, basking in each other’s presence.
“How old is he?” Hizashi asks after a moment.
“Nine,” Shouta responds after taking a long sip of coffee.
“No way, he’s tiny Sho! I would have guessed maybe six or seven at the most.” Shouta grunts in agreement. Hizashi leans on Shouta’s shoulder, getting a closer look at the face of the sleeping boy. “Sho…are those-”
“Muzzle scars, yeah. I found him locked in one when I got to the school. It wasn’t just a muzzle either. 'Zashi they…they had him locked up in a dog cage…” Anger begins to bubble as he recalls the scene he found Izuku in. “He was locked in a supply cupboard when I got there so I didn’t even know what was going on at first. It wasn’t until after I left and came back that I found him in the cage. Kami, 'Zashi, they just-it was dehumanizing.”
Hizashi raises his head from his shoulder as Shouta begins to become more heated. “Hey, you got him out. He’s not there anymore.” His hand reaches to gently cup Shouta’s cheek. “You did everything right. He’s not going back there.” Aizawa leans into the touch.
Izuku finally begins to stir on his chest, nuzzling into the jumpsuit for a minute before reaching a hand up to rub at his eye. It reminds Shouta of the fostered kittens he used to bring back to the apartment.
“Mr. ‘Raserhead?” Izuku says sleepily before opening his eyes.
“Hey kiddo, did you have a good nap?” Shouta says, keeping his hand on the boy's back as he sits up. The child nods, rubbing with both hands at his eyes.
“Izuku, there is someone I’d like you to meet.” He says softly. Izuku, now fully awake, meets Shouta’s eyes before looking at Hizashi.
“This is my husband,” Shouta says softly. The small child cowers slightly into Shouta's chest when he sees the other man.
“Hey there little listener, my name is Hizashi. It’s very nice to meet you.” The man's normal boisterous personality is subdued as he introduces himself.
“Are-are you Present Mic, Mr. Hizashi?” Izuku asks in a quiet voice.
“I am! Rockin job, little listener! Not many people recognize me when I’m outta costume. Though, you don’t need to call me that. We can just stick with Hizashi or 'Zashi if that’s more comfortable for you, ya dig?” The man’s natural cadence begins to shine through as he speaks with the kid, and Shouta can’t help but smile at the relaxing of Izuku’s shoulders.
“I um, I listen to your radio show sometimes. I like it a lot. You’re one of my favorite heroes.” Izuku sits up in the Shouta's lap.
“Thank you for saying that Izuku, I really appreciate it.”
“Mmhmm. And I like watching your hero videos where you use your quirk. Your quirk is so cool Mr. Zashi, you can use it for so many different things!”
It’s the first time Shouta has seen the kid’s personality shine through. He thinks he falls in love with Hizashi that much more as he brings a bit of life back into the child’s eyes.
“I’ve seen you use your quirk to take down villains and incapacitate them and I wonder if you could use your quirk like a bat and use echolocation? You could help rescue heroes and find people that are lost-oh! Or what if you used your quirk like interference and silenced villains or other noise by matching wave levels and creating dead zones?” The kid looks at Hizashi like he hung the moon and stars, his hands clenched in fists by his chest in excitement.
“Whoa there listener, that is some pretty rad analysis you got going on there.” Hizashi compliments.
Izuku's face crumples as he drops his hands and looks down at his lap. “I’m sorry for talking about your quirk without your permission, it won’t happen again.”
The words sounds rehearsed to Shouta, as if Izuku has repeated the exact sentence before.
“Hey now, none of that! I think your ideas are pretty rockin’! I’d love to test out some of your theories!” Hizashi exclaims.
Emerald eyes look up in disbelief. “You really think so?”
“Absolutely!" Hizashi fingerguns. "You’ve got a real talent there kiddo! It takes some serious brain power to dissect a quirk like that.”
Izuku pulls at his fingers nervously. “Everyone always tells me it's creepy.”
Shouta cuts in. “You are observant, not creepy. In fact, dissecting a quirk can be very useful. You see something that others can’t and give constructive insight, that’s exactly something a hero would do.”
Izuku lets out a meep! as he blushes and looks away. “Thank-thank you.”
A loud knock at the door startles Izuku and the kid jumps slightly in surprise. The kid looks at the door nervously, twisting his fingers again. Shouta gently pulls the boy's fingers apart and offers his own hand.
“It’s okay, we aren’t going to let anyone hurt you. We are going to stay right here, okay?” Green hair bobs as Izuku nods quickly.
The door to the room opens to reveal Tsukauchi. The man removes his hat and long tan overcoat, setting it on the abandoned hospital bed.
“Hello Izuku. My name is Detective Tsukauchi. Eraserhead and Present Mic asked me to come and ask you a couple of questions. Is that alright with you?” Izuku nods and Tsukauchi pulls up a chair, sitting a comfortable distance away.
“Thank you for that,” Tsukauchi says, pulling out a recorder and setting it on his knee. “Now, I do need to record this interview. Is that okay?”
Izuku nods and Tsukauchi chuckles.
“That’s great. Now, when I turn on the recorder, I need you to say your answers out loud so the machine can pick them up.”
The man presses a button and a red light begins flashing, “This is Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, ID number, 2018215. It is September 15, 2XXX, the time is 16:35. With me is Izuku Midoriya, Shouta Aizawa aka, Pro Hero Eraserhead as well as Hizashi Yamada, aka Pro Hero Present Mic. Izuku do you consent to the recording of this interview?”
Izuku nods again before hesitating. “Oh! Ummm, yeah it’s okay with me.”
Tsukauchi smiles before continuing. “Izuku, can you state your name for the record?”
“Iz-Izuku Midoriya.”
“Thank you, and how old are you, Izuku?”
“Nine.”
Tsukauchi shuffles a few papers. “Izuku, where do you go to school?”
“Aldera Primary School.”
“Who is your homeroom teacher at Aldera Primary School?”
Izuku pulls Shouta’s hand closer to his chest, looking down at their joined fingers. “Mr. Sakamura.”
“Thank you Izuku." Tsukauchi's voice remains calm. "Now I need to ask you some difficult questions, but if you don’t think you can answer them, just tell me and we’ll move on, okay?”
Izuku's voice is much quieter. “Okay.”
“What was the first thing that you did when you got to school today?”
Izuku traces the lines of Shouta's palm. “I changed into my indoor shoes and then went to Mr. Sakamura’s class.”
“Good. What happened when you got to Mr. Sakamura’s class?”
“He put the muzzle on.”
Shouta could see Hizashi wince slightly at the answer. It sickened both men to hear the acceptance in Izuku’s voice, like there was nothing wrong with a torture device being attached to a child’s head.
“What did he do after that?” Tsukauchi continued.
“Um, well he normally puts me in my-um in the cage.”
“Did he put you in the animal cage this morning?” Tsukauchi pressed.
Izuku shook his head, “No, he put me in the supply cupboard. He told me to be quiet and then locked the door so I didn’t know what was going on.”
“I’m sorry to hear that Izuku. That doesn’t sound like a very nice place to be. What happened after you got put in the cupboard?”
“I was in there for a while. Um, I heard the lunch bell ring and then he opened the door and let me out.”
“Where did you go after he let you out, Izuku?”
“I went in the cage.”
Hizashi turned his face away, trying to hide the frustrated tears pooling in his eyes. Shouta began rubbing Izuku’s back, though admittedly it was more to comfort himself than Izuku at that moment.
“Why did you get in the dog cage?”
Izuku’s eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. “It’s where I belong. I’m a quirkless mutt, so they put me in the cage ‘cause it’s where I’m supposed to be.”
Three collective hearts shattered at the words the boy uttered. Izuku didn’t see anything wrong with the treatment he experienced. He truly believed that what was done to him was justified.
“Izuku,” Tsukauchi cleared his throat. “You do not deserve to be treated like a dog. What Mr. What Sakamura did to you was wrong. You do not deserve to be muzzled or locked in an animal cage.”
Izuku shook his head. “But I’m quir-quirkless! I’m a quirkless mutt! I’m a Deku, that’s what they said! I’m not evolved like the other kids!”
For the first time since the interview, Hizahi was the one to speak up. “Izuku, none of that is true, okay? No one should care whether you do or don’t have a quirk, you are supposed to be treated like everyone else. You are not a deku, you are not a mutt, you are Izuku.” The blond man reached up to cup Izuku’s cheeks as tears began to fall from the kid’s eyes. ”You matter, Izuku. And not just ‘cause you are smart, or because you want to be a hero. You matter just because you’re you. That’s it.”
Two thin, boney arms reached out towards Hizashi, and the voice hero was quick to pull the now sobbing child to his chest. Izuku wrapped his arms around the hero’s neck and buried his face into the man’s neck, loud sobs wracking his thin frame. Shouta turned to Tsukauchi and watched as the man turned off the recorder and stood to gather his things. Hizashi continued to coo and rock the child in his arms, and Aizawa felt something burn in his chest. Standing quickly, Shouta followed Tsukauchi just outside Izuku’s room. Closing the door, the hero met the other man’s gaze.
“What’s going to happen to him?”
The detective let out a long sigh. “I’ll be honest with you, Eraser. He’ll most likely be put in foster care. His mother lost custody after the assault this morning, his father has been out of the picture for some time, and he’s got no living relatives from either parent.”
“We’ll take him,” Shouta said quickly. He didn’t think Hizashi would mind too much.
“I had a feeling you’d say that.” Tsukauchi smirked as he pulled some forms from the messenger bag on his shoulder. “Get these filled out and send them to me as soon as possible. I’ll start the process on my end to get you temporary guardianship so the kid can be discharged.”
Shouta took the forms from the detective, giving the man a grunt of appreciation. Turning back toward the room, he felt his lips tick in a smile at the sight that greeted him. Izuku was still perched in Hizashi’s lap, two little hands on either side of the hero’s face from where he looked at the matching muzzle scars. The soft look in Hizashi’s eyes as he peered down at the child, their child, only solidified his earlier decision.
Taking a moment to look through the cupboards he found a packet of antiseptic wipes, bandaids, and a pen before sitting next to the pair.
“-but your quirk is so amazing and cool! Why would they do that to you?” Izuku asked as he traced the small raised lines on his husband’s face.
“A lot of people said my quirk was villainous when I was born. I deafened the doctor and both of my parents when I was born because of it.”
“But you couldn’t control it, you were just a baby!” Izuku argued.
“That’s true kiddo. It took me a long time to learn to control my quirk, and it wasn’t until I was much older that I learned to be confident in what made me different from everyone else.”
Izuku lowered his hands and grabbed one of Hizashi’s own. “I don’t like being different from everyone else.”
“We’ll figure it out together, green bean.” Hizashi looked away to finally meet Shouta’s gaze.
Aizawa opened the antiseptic wipes and raised his hand, palm up towards Izuku. The child was only confused for a moment before giving the man his right hand. It had stopped bleeding some time ago, and most of the blood had been wiped away when Izuku had grabbed his jumpsuit. The hero still took his time to clean the IV site and the dried blood that had settled in the creases of the small hands. He finished by putting an All Might themed bandaid on the back of the boy’s hand before standing and disposing of the trash. As he sat back down, he looked at Hizashi briefly before meeting Izuku’s green eyes.
“Izuku, how would you feel about staying with Hizashi and I for a little while?”
Izuku continued to fidget with Hizashi’s fingers. “Is it because my mom got arrested?” The boy asked in a small voice.
“That’s part of the reason, yes. Some things are going to happen in the next couple of weeks and we want to make sure that you have a safe place to stay.” Shouta answered.
“I don’t want to be-be a burden on you and Mr. Zashi. I can just stay at my house, my mom isn’t home very much anyway.”
The two heroes shared a look at that statement before Hizashi placed a gentle hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “You could never be a burden on me and 'Sho little listener. You deserve to have a safe place where you can be protected and looked after properly.”
“Um,” Izuku sniffled. “I think I would like that.”
Shouta let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “We’ll be glad to have you kiddo.”