Chapter Text
Hizashi winced, feeling a spike in their chest and marked wrist. They pushed the feeling to the back of their mind as they walked towards the rubble, lightly thumbing at their soul-mark to relieve the intensifying feeling. They thought of the cryptic call from Shouta’s detective friend that had summoned them as they stared at the demolished building that was the aftermath of a battle.
“Songbird. What’s happening, Tsuka?”
“Songbird. Thank f-Kami. I need your help with a distressed child. I’m pretty certain only you could help.”
“Send me the location and I’ll be there quick. Why ‘only me’, though? Kids love Sansa.”
“It…just trust me on you being the only one that could help. I’ll text you more details to prepare yourself.”
All Might was hurt and had been transported to a hospital, but a child on scene refused to let go of his mother’s dead body, practically screaming in pain anytime someone got close enough to try.
Why he had chosen them when there were plenty of police on scene to talk to the kid was beyond them, but if Tsukauchi said he needed them, then Hizashi would go. They trusted the detective’s judgment enough to question while they complied instead of before.
As they approached the building, the cries they could just barely start to hear racked through their soul, freezing them momentarily in their tracks. Their soul-mark’s spike had grown violently in intensity at the sound, their hand clutching it to relieve what almost felt like they were being burned, demanding they take care of the child.
They knew immediately that the burning and existential pain were related to the kid, if not caused by him.
He can’t be- Can he?
Tsukauchi walked around a wall of the rubble as they felt the urge to run to the child intensify, halting them with eyes full of worry and guilt as he glanced at the hand wrapped around Hizashi’s soul-mark.
“He’s-" Hizashi started, their chest squeezing itself as a particularly bad sob left the kid.
“He is,” Tsukauchi confirmed, talking quickly as if he could feel the pain Hizashi was feeling. “I didn’t know how to tell you over the phone. I thought it might be inappropriate to tell you that way. I would have had I known that…well I’m not sure what’s happening.”
“It hurts,” Hizashi explained honestly. “I’m going to talk to him.”
“Wait,” Tsukauchi grabbed their shoulder to stop them. “When I arrived, All Might was screaming at the kid,” Hizashi turned to look at the detective, his hand leaving their shoulder. “Interrogating him, almost. From what I could get out of him, that kid is the son of the villain that had been here,” he explained, a scene painting itself in Hizashi’s mind. “He might not trust you after what All Might did. He even has an All Might pin on his jacket,” Hizashi took a sharp breath. “From what I understand, it’s safe to say that kid feels like his world has ended, and I’m hoping you can help him. If you make it worse for him I might have to fight you myself.”
“You might have to keep me from killing All Might,” Hizashi responded honestly. “Not fight me. That kid is not his father.”
Tsukauchi nodded, letting Hizashi walk around the fallen wall to reach the kid.
Right away, Hizashi felt that he was too small. The kid had to be barely ten, his green hair ashy as he clutched his mother’s bloody-blue cardigan, sobbing hoarsely. Hizashi got as close as they dared, noticing the child stiffen when they kneeled down. They saw the woman’s eyes were open, a dead gaze staring up, maybe having been looking at the boy as she passed. They could see the yellow bar-line around the boy’s right wrist, a perfect duplication of their own, ignoring the fact that theirs was on their left wrist.
They could see the way the boy’s ankle looked as if it was twisted wrong, and a stain of blood was on the boy’s white shirt. They hoped it was a result of clutching his mother’s body and not because he was horribly injured.
“I didn’t know,” the boy pleaded, his voice rough as he trembled. “Mom told me not to go look but I wanted to know. I didn’t know- I don’t know- Please-“
“Hey, hey,” Hizashi interrupted softly, feeling guilty as he flinched. “I am not here about him. I am not here on behalf of him. I am here to help you.”
The kid’s eyes finally left his mother’s face, peeking up through his bangs to peer at Hizashi. The sobbing halted for a breath as he fearfully looked at them, his confusion and curiosity distracting him as he tried to figure out who they are.
“Why is Present Mic here to help me?” the kid asked, looking scrutinizingly at Hizashi’s face before shock filled it as he lifted his head. “Oh, you’re here as Songbird-“
Hizashi couldn’t help the shock that appeared on their face, trying to wrap their head around the kid knowing their underground persona as he started panicking.
“You infiltrate to get information on villains so you can help the heroes attack correctly but I don’t know anything about my dad you have to believe me,” Hizashi wanted to interrupt the kid, but he was curling in on himself, his head nearly touching his mother’s as he started sobbing again and kept going, “I just wanted to meet him at least once I didn’t know this would happen I don’t even know his villain name other than what I think I heard All Might yelling and-“
“I’m here because of this!” they exclaimed loudly, shooting their arm towards the kid, their sleeve rolled up to reveal their soul-mark.
The kid flinched harshly and pulled away, attempting to drag his mother’s corpse as he looked at the offending limb. Hizashi could see the moment he processed the soul-mark, freezing as he stared, tears slowly rolling down the boy’s face. The boy’s right hand lost some of its tension as Hizashi spoke quietly.
“I was called because my soul-child was in distress and needed help. I am here to ensure that you are taken care of and safe,” Hizashi explained carefully, holding still as his hand started to let go of his mother’s arm. “I don’t care at all about your father. I care that your mother’s soul is resting easy knowing you’re being taken care of. I want to make sure that your ankle is taken care of and that that blood isn’t because you’re hurt,” Hizashi finished, carefully trying not to react too much to the kid reaching out to their wrist.
The boy’s hand faltered, retracting as he looked back down at his mother. The kid spoke, but Hizashi couldn’t hear it. They felt bad asking the kid to repeat himself, but they worried about the importance.
“I couldn’t hear you, I’m sorry,” Hizashi stated honestly, slowly putting their arm down. “What did you-“
“Even if you are here to make sure I’m okay, you aren’t gonna care about me anymore when they tell you my quirk status,” the boy repeated with venom lacing the words, his face cold as he met Hizashi’s eyes despite the tear marks still wet on his cheeks. “I’ll just be hurt again later. Let me go with my mom,” the boy’s voice trembled as sobs built up in his chest, looking back down at the woman. “It’ll be easier that way.”
“But your mother would be sad, I’m sure,” Hizashi tried. “That you never got to live a full life-“
“We both knew with my status that life wouldn’t be very long for me,” the boy whispered, just barely loud enough for Hizashi to hear. “She wouldn’t be surprised.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that she would be sad,” Hizashi repeated softly, the boy’s face screwing up painfully as tears welled in his eyes. “I am certain that no matter what quirk-“
Realization struck Hizashi as they realized the kid’s phrasing of ‘quirk status’ and not ‘my quirk’. They felt anger fill them, struggling to speak for a moment as they processed.
“I could care less that you’re quirkless,” Hizashi stated matter of factly, the kid tensing as Hizashi continued. “I have never understood the mistreatment of the quirkless community. I care more that you are taken care of,” the boy looked up at Hizashi with tears streaming down his face, Hizashi slowly offering their left hand again. “I want to help you, quirkless and all. Will you let me?”
He stared at Hizashi's hand for a few quiet moments before glancing at his mother.
“I don’t know if I can let her go,” the boy whispered, Hizashi managing to catch the words just barely as the boy turned back to Hizashi. “How do I…”
“Letting her go doesn’t mean that you’ve forgotten her,” Hizashi assured. “It's so desperately hard to move on, but it's not important when,” Hizashi explained, wincing a bit as the boy looked at her again, not liking what they were going to say next but feeling it was needed. “The first step will probably be letting her physically go,” Hizashi said softly. “Let her be put to rest, and let us take care of you.”
The boy looked sadly at his mother’s face, his hand moving to lightly touch his mother’s soul-mark, a green braid with blue streaks running through it. A moment passed, then his hand lifted to her face, closing her eyes as he sobbed. He tensed up, his shoulders shaking as Hizashi recognized what he was trying to do.
Hizashi gave the boy a few more moments, unsure if they should help or give the boy his time, before he carefully laid his mother on the ground softly. He turned to Hizashi, looking at the hero’s offered hand with an emotion that they couldn’t comprehend.
Hizashi saw sobs starting to rack the boy’s frame again, and lifted their other hand, opening their arms in a silent offering. The boy fell into their arms, clutching their shirt as his hurt came out in a new wave of tears, assured by the strong embrace of Hizashi’s arms and words.
“I’ve got you. Its o- I’ll keep you safe. I promise. I got you.”