Chapter Text
1
9:23 am- April 21
Monday Morning
Izuku’s Room
Waking up was surprisingly quiet. At least, more so than normal.
The past couple of weeks had been loud, with Kacchan always slamming doors, or yelling at his mother, or blasting music as he went about his morning routine. Not that Izuku minded. After all, Kacchan made sure that he ate and brushed his teeth before he left.
It helped with the loss of motivation he’d found himself with lately.
So to suddenly wake up with the sun well past the horizon and a new ceiling overhead, Izuku’s brain-foggy mind struggled to piece together where he’d ended up. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his good hand, Izuku looked around the bland room for hints, too tired for panic.
A soft meow was what reminded him of his current predicament. Rocky, big yellow-green eyes blinking back at him from his side, stared intensely into his soul. Ah, yes, he was at Yamada and Aizawa’s place. Because they were fostering him. Because… well, he didn’t know quite why they chose to foster him, but he wasn’t complaining.
Sliding himself out from the covers and stepping lightly over to his cracked door, he peered out into the dark hallway.
It’s quiet. Like. Way too quiet.
As Izuku reaches the stairs and makes his way down, he’s careful not to make too much noise himself. It feels like even his breathing is too much, and he worries for a moment that they’d all left him alone. Which wouldn’t be so bad… maybe. He’d just go sit in his room until someone was home. He’d be hungry, maybe, but it wouldn’t be that bad.
But he’s proven wrong, as when he finally reaches the bottom of the stairs and sees Yamada.
The man, hair a mess and cuddling with a sleeping Soysauce, looks over to him with a soft smile.
“Hey, kiddo, good morning. How’d you sleep?”
And for a second, Izuku freezes, not expecting the sudden question, let alone a conversation at all. He stutters for a minute, face heating up in embarrassment, before finally getting the words out.
“I- I slept fine! Good morning, Yamada!”
“Calm yourself, you’re okay. Say, I didn’t wake you, did I?”
Carefully, Izuku shakes his head, an awkward smile flitting across his lip. “No… Actually, it was so quiet, I thought I was the only one here for a moment…”
Yamada laughs a rich belly laugh at this, Soysauce not waking up as she bounces from the force, “You kidding? We wouldn’t just leave you alone on your first full day here! Aizawa and Shinsou both left, sure, but! We have plans!”
The man grins this wide grin, going and scootching Soysauce off his lap before standing up. Carefully, he folds the blanket he’d been using before heading to the kitchen, beckoning a confused Izuku to follow.
“First, breakfast. Any preferences?”
Izuku shakes his head as he sits at the table, watching Yamada with a tilted head and wide eyes. The man nods back before bustling around the kitchen, pulling out two pans and some ingredients.
His hair is down, Izuku notes. It’s not unusual; Yamada sometimes came to their training sessions with his hair down, but this time is different. It’s messy, snagged in some areas, and sticking up in others. He also notices that the man is wearing hearing aids. Which… if he thinks about it, makes sense for the voice-quirked hero. His pajamas are also interesting, a plain T-shirt being the most normal thing about the attire. His Hello Kitty bottoms and bunny slippers, though… Well, Izuku has to hold back a laugh.
The man hums as he works, and Izuku can see bacon, eggs, and pancakes being flipped and cooked. The smells waft through the air, and Izuku’s stomach gives an unsightly growl. Yamada chuckles at him from the stove, turning to face him with a twinkle in his eye.
“Almost done, Izuku!”
And he wasn’t lying, as a minute later, a plate was laid out in front of him and Yamada.
The two gave thanks and began to dig in, Izuku happily taking large bites and expressing his gratitude toward Yamada for the delicious meal.
The food didn’t last more than 30 minutes before it was gone, and Yamada was washing the dishes.
“Hey Izuku,” He said as Izuku wiped down the table (the only job Yamada would let him do).
“Hm?”
“What do you say we bring Sho some lunch?”
“W-what?”
Izuku, pausing in place, gapes at Yamada, mouth wide open and all thoughts paused.
Yamada turns around with a grin, “Yeah, I think we will! He only grabbed jelly packets this morning and needs something more than that. Besides, we need to take a trip to Recovery Girl for that arm of yours!”
And that’s how Izuku finds himself in Yamada’s car, dressed in one of Kacchan's old shirts, satchel over his shoulder, on the way to UA, his dream hero school.
—
“Aizawa works at UA!?” Izuku nearly screeches as the car pulls up to the oddly shaped building.
Yamada only chuckles, pulling up a driveway of sorts.
The entrance to UA is less grand than he’d expected. Though, to be fair, they had entered a back way; at least, that's what Yamada had said. It was an underground entrance. Yamada had used an ID of sorts to scan in before a gate had opened, letting his car pass through, and then all it took was an elevator trip to make it to the first floor of UA.
And while the entrance was more normal than Izuku had imagined, the fact that he was now standing inside his dream school was nothing short of amazing. His grip on the pink, cat-printed bento box was crazy tight, knuckles turning white under the force. His eyes were bright as he looked every which way, causing Yamada to laugh from behind him.
He was here! Maybe not as a student just yet, but he was here! Standing in UA!
He stopped himself from running in the nearest direction to explore. He also tried (and failed) to stop himself from bouncing on his toes in excitement.
Looking back to Yamada, the man grinned back, “You sure are excited to be here, huh?”
“Of course!” He burst out, “This is the top hero school in the country, if not the world! Most heroes that come from UA make it super high in the ranks, and-! And-! -live longer than heroes coming from other schools! Not to mention that its staff is made up of top pros! It's insane! It’s my number one high school choice!”
Yamada, still smiling, albeit more fondly now, ruffled his hair. “Good choice, and, of course, we’ll help you achieve that dream. But for now…”
Izuku looks down at the bento in his hands and gasps, “R-right! Sorry!”
He bows as the man laughs, waving Izuku forward, leading him through the building. Izuku does everything in his power to stay focused. Which, might he add, is an incredibly hard feat that he somehow pulls off.
When they eventually reach the teachers' lounge—which, wow, that door is massive—and enter, Izuku nearly falls over face-first.
There, sitting in a mostly normal teacher's office, are several pros. Which he should have expected, but it still shocks him to his core. He starts vibrating in place as he looks over the group. Midnight, Ectoplasm, Snipe, Vlad King, Power Loader, Centamoss, and Hound Dog all sit around at differing desks, most eating and chatting.
He doesn’t realize he’s started muttering until a hand is placed on his shoulder, and he’s flinching away. It's just Yamada. Not his mother. The man even looks apologetic, with wide eyes, as he slowly retracts his hand, offering a reassuring facial expression.
“Sorry, Izuku… Wanna say ‘hi’?”
And suddenly, all the wind is gone from Izuku’s sails as he freezes in place, face heating up. He forgets about his momentary scare; his grip on the bento is back to being knuckle-white as he slowly glances over at the teachers. They are glancing at him now, though it’s clear they are trying not to let him see. At least they aren’t yelling or swarming. Wait, was he even supposed to be here?
Sweating, he looks back to Yamada for reassurance, placing some of his trust in the older man. If he were here, maybe it would be okay? He takes a breath to calm his nerves. There’s too much happening.
Yet, he nods his head and takes a tentative step toward Yamada’s side, giving a small smile and a wave to the teachers. They perk up at this motion, Midnight grinning wildly back. Yamada relaxed a bit, too; maybe he’d been nervous himself.
The two start approaching the teachers, Yamada greeting them all happily, when something catches Izuku’s eye. A yellow sleeping bag, barely moving, slouched on the ground across from the teachers' desks. And the head poking from the top of the bag, eyes closed, was Aizawa.
The sight of his hero and guardian on the floor in the brightest sleeping bag around shocked Izuku so hard that he nearly dropped the bento. That is, until he started laughing. All the nerves that had built up in his body from seeing the other heroes dissipated in seconds, and he hunched over, giggling.
It didn’t help that the moment the laughter left his mouth, Aizawa’s eyes shot open in an intense stare, making him laugh even harder.
Forgetting the other heroes, Izuku pried himself from Yamada’s side, crouching down by Aizawa’s side, the man's stare now softening as he unzips the sleeping bag from the outside. How cool, he’s wearing his uniform!
Izuku mutters out a half-choked apology with a small smile and flushed cheeks as Aizawa only nods at him, standing. Without a word, and somehow without Izuku flinching away, the dark-haired man ruffles his fluffy hair.
“Why are you two here?”
Izuku is a little miffed at why Aizawa is asking him of all people, but responds in time, “Uhm, Yamada said we should bring you some lunch… Ah! He said it was because you only grabbed jelly packets to eat?”
“Ahem!” Yamada calls over, “You forgot the bit where we’re also seeing Recovery Girl for those bones!”
“Ah!” Izuku stutters, “That too!”
Aizawa, deadpan, nods, “Good. Then you can get back to training…”
Izuku nods, and the three sit in a comfortable silence as Izuku hands the bento over to Aizawa.
Well, it’s a comfortable silence until a shrill voice groans, “Is no one gonna explain what’s happening!?”
Jumping and whipping around, Izuku sees Midnight grin at him. “This kid is too cute to be so close with you, Shota! Did you kidnap him? You need to stop doing that! It’s back for your tough-guy image!”
Aizawa rolls his eyes, stepping between the startled Izuku and the R-rated hero. “He’s our newest foster placement. Leave him alone.”
“Ohh?” Her eyes swing around to Yamada. “Long term?”
The blonde nods, “It seems to be that way! Not that we mind! Izuku is a good kid, actually…”
He trails off, looking at Izuku as if asking for permission. Not that Izuku knows why.
Yamada doesn't get a chance to finish his statement, though, as Vlad King’s eyes widened. “Oh! Is this your trainee? The one you haven’t been able to work with for a few weeks?”
Izuku’s ears burn as he looks at Yamada with wide eyes. The man only chuckles and nods sheepishly.
“That’s enough questioning,” Aizawa interjects. “His case is a bit sensitive, but because we knew him and had our foster license, we took him in. End of story.”
Izuku whispers a ‘thank you’ to Aizawa under his breath as they step closer to the group.
“Alright, alright! No need to get so worked up!” Midnight grins, “So, you’re this Izuku we’ve heard about! It’s nice to meet you! I’m—”
“P-pro hero Midnight!” Izuku finishes, back to being in awe of the heroes, “You're the R-rated hero! Your quirk is amazing! And the way you handle it is super impressive as well! I mean! Honestly! The way your hero outfit is designed to easily break away and let your quirk work is a super creative way to manage its drawbacks! Although! It does have a few flaws! Like how after you break away part of your outfit, you then can't stop your quirk from spreading continually! M- maybe you could rework it so you can piece your suit back together with a sticky solution! Or- or you could have some sort of top layer you could take on or off- I mean! Not that I wanna control or dictate how you use your quirk or anything—I’m so sorry—I—”
“Ahem.”
“Yes!?” Izuku jumps, turning toward Aizawa, who gives him a small smile. Oh, he was rambling. How embarrassing...
“Wow!” His head whips around back to Midnight as she grins at him, “You’ve sure got a good brain in there! I’ll have to take that into account!”
“I—I’m so sorry, Ms. Midnight!”
“Don’t be! I can tell you're a fan! And I’ve always loved meeting my fans!” She grins, a look of mischief in her eyes. “How would you like an autograph?”
And suddenly his eyes are sparkling as he looks to Yamada and then Aizawa for permission.
“Don’t look at me, kid, do what you want.”
“Go for it, listener!”
And so, single-handedly, and with a bit more effort than he’d be willing to admit, he swings around his satchel, opening it and taking out his newest hero journal, the one Auntie had gotten for him.
He expects Midnight to sign it and hand it back. What he doesn’t expect is for the woman to sign the notebook and pass it over to Hound Dog. He, in turn, signs it and hands it to Ectoplasm, and so forth. By the time he gets it back, the two pages are filled with new signatures from the pros. And Izuku is over the moon.
Using his good arm to hold the notebook close to his chest, he beams brightly at the group, “Thank you all so much!”
“Of course, Izuku, anything for such a big fan!” Midnight cheers back, giving him a thumbs up.
By this point, lunch period for the first-year teachers—which, that's what they were, the first-year teachers—was coming to a close, and if Izuku and Yamada wanted to beat the rush of students, they had to start heading out.
So saying goodbye to the teachers, Yamada and Aizawa exchanged a chaste kiss, and the two left, Yamada leading Izuku towards the Recovery Girls' office.
Opening the door to her office, Izuku can see the staunchly old woman, dressed in her hero uniform. His eyes once again begin to sparkle. He’d admired Recover Girl for a long time, as heroes that didn’t take the limelight always had a harder time gaining recognition. Yet, she’d still managed to find herself in the spotlight, helping anyone she could whenever she could.
“Good afternoon, Present Mic, Izuku.” The woman looked at them both with discerning eyes, beckoning them both in.
“Chiyo! Hello!”
“Um, hello, Ms. Recovery Girl!”
“Oh, come now, no need to be so formal towards me,” She smiled. “Here, come sit on this cot and let me get a look at you.”
Nodding, Izuku walks over, propping himself onto the cot, legs dangling. Recover Girl nods, coming close and having a once-over of the boy. It takes a few moments before she nods and looks into his eyes.
“I’m going to run a few tests, but it looks like I can heal most of the damage today.”
Nodding, Izuku keeps himself quiet as the woman gathers a few materials.
Izuku flinches the first time she touches him, apologizing as he does. Yamada and Recovery Girl exchange a look as the man leans over.
“He only lets Sho touch him, from what I’ve seen.”
Nodding, she looks back at him, apologizing herself, to which Izuku’s eyes widen. He tried momentarily to tell her it's fine, that it’s a him issue, and not her fault. But she shut him down just as fast.
After, she starts to explain every step out loud, always asking before touching him. The appointment goes more slowly, but Izuku feels an intense sense of relief. Recovery Girl checks his blood pressure and heart rate. She then checks his respiration; thank god his lung was no longer bruised. Then his height and weight. He was both smaller and lighter than expected for someone of his age, which he knew. To be fair, he thinks, he has gained weight over the last few weeks at the Bakugous’ and now Aizawa and Yamada’s.
He doesn’t say this out loud, of course, in fear of setting the pros off. Instead, he just stays quiet as she goes about her tasks.
By the time she goes in to heal his bones, he’s just started to relax.
“Now, dearie, my quirk is based on physical contact and takes from your energy supply to heal you up. I can heal both your nose and collarbone, but you will feel quite tired afterwards. Because of this, I recommend you stay here for a bit to rest before heading home, alright?”
As she speaks, she also gives Yamada a knowing look, “Lucky for you, Present Mic, as I know you have some coursework to grade.”
The man groans but nods as Izuku chuckles.
“Izuku, dear,” Recovery Girl pipes up, “The contact I must administer is a kiss. I typically do this on the forehead. Is that alright?”
Thinking for a split second, Izuku nods his head, “Y-yeah, that’s fine. Thank you…”
“Of course. Now lie back. You will feel the effects almost immediately, and we don’t want you collapsing.”
Nodding, Izuku lies back on the cot, watching as Recovery Girl uses her quirk to slowly heal him.
It’s amazing. Where there had once been a dull ache before at his shoulder and collarbone area, there was now a feeling of release and comfort. A soft tingling over his skin. And where his nose felt stuffy and irritated, now he could breathe easily, without worrying about hurting himself more.
And yet, as soon as his body felt completely new, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
Slumping a little, he gives a sheepish grin to Recovery Girl, “Your quirk is so cool, Recovery Girl…”
The woman chuckles at his slurred speech. “Now, now, don’t try and butter me up, young man, it won’t get you anywhere. Now, here.”
Reaching into her lab coat, she pulls out a variety of gummies and a lollipop, handing them to the boy. This makes Yamada snort. Clearly, flattery did get you somewhere, not that the man said it aloud.
Now healed and put on temporary bedrest, Recovery Girl shoos Yamada out. Though the man doesn’t leave before making sure Izuku is okay being alone, first. But Izuku just nods, giving a weak thumbs up.
Recovery Girl also leaves him be, telling him to nap and yell for her if he needs anything. Then she retired to her office, most likely to do some work as well.
Izuku, now alone, covered by a thin blanket, and so, so tired, closes his eyes.
He thinks of his mother, how she would have never taken him to get this help, and his heart aches, pounding rapidly in his chest. Even in his half-asleep haze, he wonders. Would she ever treat me so kindly? Like Auntie, or Aizawa, or Yamada? Or maybe Toshi or Kacchan?
And he takes a breath, deep and relaxing, as he pushes the thoughts from his mind.
Maybe when he went back to her, she’d change.
And he tries to ignore the way guilt worms into his chest when he thinks it, before slowly drifting off to sleep.
—
“I’m home!”
Izuku jumps from his spot on the couch, trying not to look sheepish as Shinsou makes his way through the front door.
“Welcome back.” Aizawa welcomes from the kitchen. Izuku gave the boy a curt nod as he toes off his shoes and hung up his bag and coat.
The purple-haired teen sighs, making his way over to the couch and plopping down next to Izuku.
“Izu, nice to see you with your cast off,” he starts, looking at the notebook in the boy’s hands. “Whatcha got there?”
“I-I, uhm!” Izuku smiles nervously, tilting the book so his foster brother could see, “Yamada took me to UA today… I got a bunch of the teacher’s autographs…”
He traces the page, pointing out specific signatures, including the one Recovery Girl had given him after he’d woken back up. A small smile spreads across his lips as he shows Shinsou, pride running through him.
“That’s cool, you must be a huge hero fan.” Izuku nods. “I didn’t help set your room up, for privacy reasons, but I saw some of the hero merch that got brought in. You wanna be a hero?”
“I—yeah. At least, that’s the goal, yaknow? Save people, and smile while doing it!”
“Like All Might?”
“Mhm! He’s one of my top favorite heroes!” Izuku grins, “I mean, during his Golden Age, he was able to save hundreds of people from the Saika Landslide incident, all while seriously injured himself! He refused to leave anyone behind, and he kept a smile on his face the whole time to try to reassure the victims! He’s so cool! I really hope that I can be like him one day, yaknow! Even if my skill set is different!” The boy thinks back to his training with Yamada.
Shinsou laughs. “He must be your number one, then, huh?”
“Well,” Izuku glances to the kitchen, where Yamada and Aizawa are talking together, “not quite.”
“Mm, I see.” Shinsou smiles, handing back the boy’s notebook.
“You do?” Izuku looks to him with a questioning gaze.
“They’re my favorite heroes, too. Saved my life.”
“Ah.” Izuku mutters, a small smile spreading across his face, “Yeah… Same.”
There’s a brief silence that passes over the two. It’s comfortable, and Izuku wonders if it was always this easy to talk to people his age. Well… Not that Shinsou knew he was quirkless.
He tried to wrestle the feeling of sadness and regret bubbling up in his gut. Was this considered lying? To omit the fact that he was quirkless? But he and Shisou had such an easy dynamic that he didn’t want to ruin it! Ugh, how annoying!
As he tries to come to terms with this, Shinsou suddenly looks over, nerves in his voice, “Um, Izuku- I need to tell you—”
“Boys!” He gets cut off.
The two on the couch jump, Shinsou letting out a quiet groan.
Izuku nervously looks to Yamada. “Y-yes!?”
“What do you say we all go out to train for a bit?”
And the moment was lost.
—
“You want to go to UA too!?”
Izuku, filled with boundless energy, is doing his stretches with vigor.
Shinsou, next to him, tries to keep a steadier pace, leaning deep into the stretches, breathing through his nose. He nods his head.
“That’s so cool! Maybe we’ll be classmates! Or, or! If we aren’t, we can be rivals!”
“Yeah?” The purple-haired boy questions, “Izu, I don’t think I want to be rivals with you.”
“Friends then?”
And Izuku says it without hesitation, immediately covering his mouth after. “Ah! Sorry, sorry!”
After all, he hadn’t made a friend since… well, Kacchan. And even that was more like having a built-in friend rather than making a friend. The idea was novel, to say the least.
Shinsou blinks, eyes wide, as if the concept is foreign to him too. “Uh, no, it’s fine. Sure, we can be friends, yeah.” He nods, finishing his stretches. “I’d like that.”
Izuku, embarrassed and aggressively finishing his own stretch, nods, “O-okay! Good!”
Then the two, grinning awkwardly, make their way towards their mentors.
“Well, since it’s Izuku’s first day back to training, we’re going to split off, okay?” Yamada explains.
“Yes!” Izuku complies, excited to get back to work.
Shinsou nods.
“Good! Now, listeners! We’re going to do a mile run to begin, then we’ll split. Hitoshi with Sho, and Izuku with me!”
So the group of four lines up and starts their run, Izuku struggling for the first while to catch up.
But, as he looks ahead, his heart soars. Aizawa and Shinsou are talking, with Shinsou very excitedly moving his hands as he runs. Aizawa nods back with a soft smile. They really do look like father and son. Shinsou even glances back to Izuku at one point, giving a happy wave. It’s the most excitement Izuku has seen out of him over the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Yamada is keeping pace with him, shocking Izuku.
The man isn’t speaking, just looking ahead to his husband and son, with intermittent glances back at Izuku himself. He wonders if the man is keeping quiet for his sake so he can think or focus. But whatever the reason, it’s clear Yamada is keeping an eye on him to make sure he’s doing alright, without letting the others get too far ahead.
It’s the perfect combination.
When they finish their run, coming to a complete loop, Izuku sits on the floor. He’d been out of practice for nearly 3 weeks, and now, panting heavily, he feels the rush of joy once again. Working towards his goal, finding out what he can and can’t do, and finding out his weaknesses! It was all a part of reaching his dreams!
And, he had people to help him! Not just Yamada! But Aizawa and Shinsou, too!
A brief thought of, ‘Am I getting in their way? ’ fills his head, but as a cold water bottle is pressed into the side of his neck, with Shinsou grinning at him, he knows better.
He has a family. His mother. Maybe Auntie and Kachhan.
And they were a family. Yamada, Aizawa, and Shinsou.
And, yes, he was with them, but they were their own unit.
And that was okay.
And, apart from it all, Izuku stared at the world before him.