Archive of Our Own

Shouta hated the rain.

It was impractical. First of all, it made using his quirk a lot harder, since the rain would find a way to get into his eyes. Second of all, it caused the ground and rooftops to get slippery, making it difficult for him to travel around the city inconspicuously. Lastly, it made it almost impossible for quieter sounds to catch his attention.

The last point usually wasn't a problem; at least, not something Shouta would have thought about. Until now.

Shouta was keeping to the alleyways and the shadows. It wasn't his preferred method of patrolling, but being able to adapt to unusual situations was important as a hero.

Although, rain was hardly unusual. Hizashi would definitely laugh at him and say I told you so when Shouta came back from patrol that night. He was the one to warn him about the heavy rain in the first place, and Shouta disregarded it.

To his defence, the sky had been perfectly clear when Shouta started.

The night had been relatively easy-going so far, a blessing for underground heroes. More often than not, he arrested petty criminals and low-ranked villains. They could be more annoying to deal with than high-ranked villains.

Just as he rounded the corner, a meow caught his attention. He only heard it because he saw the cat more than he heard it. It was a calico, and bigger than average. Its fur was also drenched. Shouta kneeled and took out a treat he always kept in his pockets for moments like this.

"C'mere," Shouta coaxed, though he was skeptical if the cat heard him over the rain.

Instead of walking towards him, however, the cat meowed at him again before trotting off in the opposite direction.

Shouta sighed. Not every cat can be as willing as Potato…

He was going to call it quits when the calico came back, meowing more fervently. Shouta cocked a brow as the cat tilted its head, as if waiting for something.

Shouta stood, wincing when his knees popped. I'm only twenty-three for god sakes…

The calico walked off again, but this time, Shouta followed. Was he crazy for thinking the cat wanted to show him something?

"Hey, kitty, where're you taking me?" Shouta mumbled. While he loved cats, he didn't want to be taken on a wild goose chase.

When they ended up in a different alley, Shouta sighed. "I'm sorry, kitty, but I gotta—"

Shouta stopped dead in his tracks, his heart dropping to his stomach. There was a kid.

He almost didn't notice him. The kid was huddled next to a dumpster, shivering, a piece of cardboard covering his head in a weak attempt at shielding himself from the rain. The rest of him was soaked.

It didn't seem like he even realized Shouta was there. He used that as an opportunity to take a full look at the kid.

He had messy, dark green—at least, he thought it was green in that light—curls that were likely matted from the looks of it. He was wearing an oversized t-shirt with a few holes and long sweatpants. Definitely not suitable for the weather. He couldn't be more than five years old.

The kid was also holding onto his side, likely injured.

As Shouta got closer, he could hear whimpering cries coming from the child. A sound he wouldn't have heard over the rain.

Shouta approached, kneeling a good couple of feet away from the kid. "Hey," he said, voice a bit loud to be heard over the downpour.

No matter how gently he tried to speak, it still startled the boy badly. His head whipped to the side to stare at Shouta in fear. His bright green eyes were shimmering with tears. He pushed back against the wall, trying to get away from Shouta and failing.

Shouta raised a placating hand. Just his luck. He was terrible with kids.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Shouta reassured. "I'm a hero."

The kid's brows furrowed in disbelief. Okay. Hurtful. But he didn't really blame him—he wasn't exactly dressed like a typical hero, and he doubted that the kid knew about underground heroes in general.

For that exact situation, Shouta kept his hero license in convenient reach. He took it out and presented the card. The boy flinched, but after seeing that he wasn't raising a hand to hurt him (and god, a kid should never be scared of something like that), he tentatively leaned forward to get a better look at it.

After seemingly verifying that Shouta was, in fact, a hero, he leaned back. He wasn't cowering, but he did still seem terrified. Which was… a worrying reaction to meeting a hero.

The hand never left his side. Shouta wished he could tell if the injury was fatal.

"What're you doing out here? You could get sick."

The kid flinched at his voice, but he didn't respond. His eyes flickered out to the street, then back to Shouta.

"Do you live around here?" Shouta asked, also keeping an eye on the street to make sure no one else was around to hurt the kid.

More silence. Shouta was getting a little tired of having to wipe the water from his face.

After a few more seconds, the kid lifted a shaky hand, his finger pointing out towards the street. Shouta followed the direction, though he couldn't see any distinct housing in the area. Only a few buildings, one of them being a bar with a lit-up neon sign.

Shouta glanced back at him, confused. "Can I walk you back home? I'm sure your parents are worried sick."

That got a reaction. He shoved himself back against the wall again, his head hitting it in his haste. Again, he looked frightened.

"Okay, okay," Shouta said, raising his hands in a calming gesture. "No home, then. That's fine." It wasn't. The situation was not painting a pretty picture.

"How about I take you to the station, then?" Shouta suggested. "We can at least get out of the rain and—"

"Izuku?"

A voice was yelling from the other side of the street. From Shouta's viewpoint, he could see a man standing outside the bar. He was staying underneath the awning. His vision wasn't the best, but he could make out a slightly muscular build on the guy with black hair. His hand was resting just above his eyes so he could cover them from the rain.

Shouta peeked back at the kid—Izuku?—who was now hiding his head against his knees. He pulled them up to his chest, trying to make himself look smaller.

"Izuku, come out! You can only throw a temper tantrum for so long. If you don't come back in five minutes, you're staying outside," the man yelled again, his tone edging on annoyed.

Shouta hummed quietly to himself and focused back on the kid. "Stay here, okay?"

He wasn't sure if his words even reached the boy, but he stood up anyway. This could either be a horrible or a great idea.

Shouta waited a couple of seconds before emerging from the alley. He stayed out of the man's eyesight until he was closer.

"Is there an issue?" Shouta spoke up once he was a safe distance away, and the man startled. He couldn't help but notice that the man's bright, green eyes held a similar resemblance to the kid's.

"Oh," the man breathed, a relieved smile on his face. "Hey, you haven't happened to see a kid around here, have you? Small, green curls—you can't miss 'em, seriously—and probably crying? He's a bit of a crybaby, you see."

The man chuckled as if the situation were funny. That was the last thing Shouta would describe it as.

"No, haven't seen him, sorry. Is there a reason he'd be out so late?" Shouta asked.

"Ah, he's a tricky one. Got into a fight with another kid and ran off when I was reprimanding him."

Shouta took another look at the bar, trying to get a glimpse of the inside of the building, but he couldn't see much.

When the kid pointed in this direction, surely he didn't mean that he was living in a bar…

Shouta decided to risk it. "Why'd you bring a kid to a bar, anyway?"

"His mom works late nights. Wanted to come here, couldn't leave the brat alone, obviously." The man's response came a little too quickly, but Shouta didn't voice his concerns just yet.

Shouta nodded, pretending that he understood the reasoning. "Right, of course. I didn't catch your name?"

The man smiled charmingly. "Hisashi."

That was a bit too close to his husband's name for comfort. And familiar, but Shouta couldn't put a finger on it.

"Yours?" Hisashi asked.

Right… He should probably try to be natural here.

"Haru…to," Shouta responded, completely naturally.

Hisashi's smile strained. Damn.

His eyes roamed over Shouta, as if he were just processing his appearance.

"Right, well," Hisashi started, placing a hand in his pocket. "If you see him, bring him back, will ya?"

"It's raining pretty hard out here," Shouta pointed out. "Shouldn't you be a little more… worried?"

Hisashi's eyes narrowed. "How about you don't worry about my parenting and get lost."

Shouta wasn't sure if he could make the situation any better.

Just as he was about to go back to the kid, the door to the bar opened. A head covered in… mist?… popped out. "He needs you."

Hisashi scoffed. "I'm looking for—"

"Now."

Shouta was already walking away, acting as if he couldn't hear the conversation. He remembered where he had recognized the name 'Hisashi' from.

With a glance over his shoulder, he could see the bar door closing, Hisashi already inside. He made his way back to the kid.

He didn't look good. The kid's hand had dropped from his side, and Shouta could see darker liquid that definitely wasn't rain dripping from the area. Izuku—he assumed that was his name—was barely conscious.

"Kid?" Shouta kneeled again, ignoring the way his knees protested the movement. "Hey, kid."

Shouta knew that the kid didn't like to be touched, but he had to make sure he was okay. He reached a hand slowly towards his shirt, in case Izuku was awake enough to sense his movement. He lifted the boy's shirt, and his breath caught in his throat.

The injury on Izuku's side was strange yet horrifying at the same time. It looked like the skin had crumbled away. The layer beneath his skin was exposed.

Izuku whined and tried to move away from his touch, but he didn't get far.

"I know, kid. Hold on," Shouta muttered. He took off his capture weapon and set it gently on top of Izuku's head. He should've done that a while ago.

Next, Shouta took out his phone and immediately dialled Tsukauchi's number. He had made quick friends with the guy when he became an underground hero. He was efficient, reliable, and good at his job. The detective answered quickly.

"Eraser, what's—"

"I need a unit to my location. Now. And an ambulance."

"Okay. Care to explain?"

Shouta let out a frustrated breath. "Hisashi Midoriya. He's been hiding out in a bar on X street. I don't think he recognized me or knew that I was a hero, but tell them to be quick. He could've escaped by now."

"Shit," Tsukauchi cursed, and he could hear typing. "You were in contact with him?"

"Barely. Couldn't arrest him on my own; there were more people inside. Possibly villains."

"Tell me you're not standing in plain sight in front of the bar?"

"Give me some credit," Shouta grumbled. "No. I'm in an alleyway, trying to keep a kid from getting hypothermia."

"… That's what the ambulance is for?"

"Yes. Is there any record of Hisashi having a child? Or a wife?"

There was some more typing. Tsukauchi replied after a few moments, "No record of a kid, but there is a wife. Or… was a wife."

Shouta clenched his jaw. "She's dead?"

"Yeah, killed in a house fire a couple of years ago. Inko Midoriya. She was a nurse. If the kid is hers, there's no mention of them."

He would have to unpack that later. Izuku's shivering was getting worse.

"How much longer on that ambulance?" Shouta grit out.

"Shouldn't be more than a minute."

Thankfully, Shouta could hear distant sirens. He stepped closer to Izuku, trying to warm him up with his body heat.

"Thanks, Tsukauchi. Talk to you once this is all cleared up," Shouta managed to say before hanging up.

"Kid? Izuku?"

Izuku stirred slightly at the sound of his name, but he didn't respond otherwise. Shit.

"Okay, sorry about this…" Shouta said before he maneuvered his hands underneath the kid's arms to pick him up. He was too light.

Shouta brought the kid to his chest and stood up on shaky legs. Izuku instinctively wrapped his arms around Shouta's neck and his legs around his waist. The kid was still whimpering quietly.

The ambulance was parked in front of the bar alongside numerous police cars. He focused solely on getting the kid medical attention.

An EMT was already waiting for him near the back of the ambulance.

"What's the situation?" the woman asked as soon as Shouta walked up to her.

"He's been sitting in the rain for I don't know how long. Possibly hypothermia or a fever. Has an injury on his right side that could've been caused by a quirk. I haven't been able to get answers from him," Shouta explained.

He set the kid down on the stretcher that was then loaded into the ambulance. At least he was finally out of the rain.

Suddenly, though, Izuku reached out a hand towards Shouta. His whimpering cries were getting louder.

He didn't know what to do. He hadn't planned on going with the kid to the hospital; he wanted to assist in the raid. The EMT was giving him a pointed look.

"You can ride in the back to the hospital," she offered.

How could he say no? Plus, the kid still had his capture weapon looped around his head.

"Alright." Shouta sighed before getting in, sitting next to the kid's bed. He quickly sent a text to Hizashi to let him know his whereabouts.

The EMT climbed inside and shut the doors behind her, causing the ambulance to finally start driving off to the hospital. Izuku's eyes were fluttering shut, and Shouta's heart skipped a beat. "Should he be losing consciousness?"

"It's not ideal," the EMT muttered. She lifted the kid's shirt to get a better look at his injury. She quickly placed gauze over it, using pressure. Izuku flinched and whined, his breath coming out too fast.

"I know, hunny," she cooed in a soothing tone. She lifted a palm to hover over the kid's chest, and it was glowing faintly. Shouta watched her use her quirk in mild fascination.

And he wasn't the only one—Izuku's eyes were open, and he was staring at the glowing palm in wonder. Shouta almost felt fond of the fact that the kid was keeping himself awake to watch the EMT use her quirk.

"His vitals are a little unstable. His body temp is lower than normal… Any longer out in the rain, and he might've had more severe hypothermic symptoms. Good job, Eraserhead."

Shouta hardly felt accomplished.

Izuku's shivering had thankfully lessened, but it was still worrying.

They finally arrived at the hospital after what seemed like forever. The EMT wheeled Izuku out of the ambulance, and Shouta, for some reason he couldn't name, followed.

The stretcher was handed off to a team of nurses and doctors, leaving the EMT in the lobby. She turned to face Shouta.

"He should be fine. The injury on his side will need to heal, but will most likely leave a scar," she explained.

"And his hypothermia?"

"Should be fixed in no time. He just needs to get out of the wet clothes and warm up."

So, Shouta didn't have a reason to stay with the kid anymore. It gave him mixed feelings.

"Is there anyone we can contact to come for the boy?" the EMT asked.

Shouta shook his head. "No. We suspect that his father is a villain, one we've been after for a while. There's no real record of the boy, either, but I believe his name would be Izuku Midoriya."

"Oh, that's a bit troubling," she remarked with a frown. "We may have to get social services on this, then. Thanks for the info."

The EMT was walking away, and the dread in Shouta's chest grew with each step she took. It didn't feel right, leaving Izuku's case in a random person's hands, to leave him with a corrupt system that would most likely overlook his trauma. Shouta couldn't risk it.

"Wait," Shouta blurted before his brain could catch up to his mouth.

She turned back, her face scrunched in confusion.

"Take this." Shouta walked over and handed her his agency card. "It has my number. Have them call me if anything happens with Izuku."

"Are you sure?" she asked, taking the card after a moment of hesitation.

No. "Yes."

She nodded and pocketed the card. Shouta left the hospital, glad he would be updated on the kid's well-being, but also unsure if he was really the good choice to be looking after him.

Shouta finished the rest of his patrol in a bit of a daze. Luckily, nothing major happened, because then he would've been put in the hospital alongside Izuku. He also got no update about the raid.

When he got back to his and Hizashi's shared apartment, he slipped his wet shoes off in the foyer. The rain had let up, so his clothes weren't soaking anymore, but they were still a bit wet.

The first thing he noticed was that the light in the kitchen was on. Shouta knew he had turned off all the lights before leaving, so it only meant one thing.

"Shou!" his husband called, emerging from the kitchen with a mug in his hands. "Hey."

"Zashi, why are you awake? You don't have to stay up for me," Shouta said, repeating a common argument they had.

"I know, I know," Hizashi huffed and waved his hand. "But you had me worried with your text. Why were you going to the hospital?"

Oh, yeah.

Shouta sighed, the weight of the night getting heavier on his shoulders. He reached to take his capture weapon off, only to find the space around his neck empty. Hizashi noticed the movement and furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Shou, hun, are you alright? Your capture weapon almost never leaves your sight."

"Yeah," Shouta said and rubbed a hand over his face. "That's part of the hospital thing. Are you sure you don't want to talk about this in the morning?"

"I know you won't be able to sleep after a stressful night. That's why I made you this."

Hizashi pushed the mug he was holding into Shouta's hands. The comforting smell of coffee hit his nostrils, and he slumped in relief. "You saint," Shouta muttered before taking a sip.

"Mhm. Now, before we sit down, go shower. I told you it was going to rain," Hizashi fussed, pushing Shouta in the direction of the bathroom.

Shouta snorted but didn't protest. He happily stripped off his wet hero uniform and got under the hot spray of the shower. Afterwards, he almost felt like a new man.

He joined his partner on the couch, going back to sipping the now lukewarm coffee. Shouta didn't mind, though. He had learned to appreciate all forms of coffee.

Hizashi wrapped an arm around his shoulders, focusing his attention on him. Before Hizashi could ask, Shouta said, "I think I made a mistake."

"Okay," Hizashi said simply. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"

Shouta swore he would marry the man again if he could.

"Do you remember that villain with the fire quirk? Hisashi Midoriya?" Shouta started, only continuing after he saw Hizashi nod from the corner of his eye. "I think I found his kid. He was in an alleyway, injured and shivering in the rain. He would've died from hypothermia if I hadn't found him."

Now that he thought about it, he also didn't remember seeing the calico cat he encountered after finding Izuku.

Shouta shook the thought from his head and resumed speaking, "I saw Hisashi outside a bar not too far from where the kid was sitting. I recognized him and called Tsukauchi about it. I don't know what the situation is yet. He hasn't called me about it. But I rode with the kid in the ambulance to the hospital and… Without thinking, I gave the EMT my number so they could update me on him. I don't know why I did it… I just couldn't let him be lost to the system, 'Zashi. He was clearly traumatized."

Hizashi listened, rubbing Shouta's shoulder as he spoke. He hummed when Shouta finished his story. "I'm not sure I see where you went wrong."

"Giving the EMT my number. I can't care for a kid, 'Zashi. I'm only twenty-three. The kid needs someone a lot more stable to look after him."

"Well, that doesn't necessarily mean we have to foster him. I think you did the right thing. Social services won't always have the kid's best interest in mind, so we could probably find him a more suitable living situation if we had to," Hizashi reassured.

Shouta relaxed into Hizashi's side. "You always know the right thing to say."

Hizashi grinned and kissed his temple. "Of course I do. Now, how about some TV to get your mind off things?"

He put on some reruns of a show they loved to watch together, and Shouta almost forgot about his worries.

Shouta was startled awake by the sound of a buzzing phone.

He groggily opened his eyes, lifting his head from Hizashi's shoulder. He groaned and rubbed his stiff neck. Never doing that again.

Hizashi's position couldn't have been much better. Potato, their stray kitten Shouta rescued a couple of months ago, was lounging on the back of the couch. She was a small brown cat, aptly named by Hizashi. Her tail was swishing back and forth as she watched Shouta scramble to pick up his phone from the coffee table.

It was an unknown number. He answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Is this Eraserhead?"

Shouta frowned. Why would somebody be calling for him this early?

"This is he. What's going on?"

Hizashi was stirring behind him. He must have fallen asleep without taking out his hearing aids.

"This is Dr. Ikeda. I was given your number to inquire about an Izuku Midoriya?"

Shouta sat up straighter. "Yes, that's right."

"Right, okay, he is… Ah, how do I say this? He's not reacting well to the nurses. He's panicking and won't let anyone near him. There's no visible sign of quirk use, but we don't know what he's capable of if his outbursts become worse. He could hurt himself; he's already ripped out his IV."

"No one can calm him down?" Shouta demanded, already getting up to change into more presentable clothes.

"Unfortunately, no. If this continues, we might have to physically restrain him."

"Do not do that," Shouta hissed, pulling his shirt on over his head. "He is a traumatized child. It will only make things worse."

Dr. Ikeda sighed. "I don't want to do it either, but we don't have many choices here."

"Tell your nurses to leave him alone. I'll be there in ten." The hospital was at least a good twenty-minute drive from there, but Shouta would make it ten.

"Shou?" Hizashi's sleepy voice sounded from the living room. "What happened?"

"It's Izuku." Shouta emerged from their room, fully dressed. He was going to slip on his shoes when Hizashi stopped him in his tracks.

"Whoa, okay. Hold on. Is he okay?"

Shouta shook his head. "No, he's freaking out. I'm going to try to help calm him down."

"Alright. How long do you think you'll be there?"

"I— I don't know. Hours, maybe? It depends on the kid."

Hizashi nodded. "I'll make food for us and the Little Listener. I can bring it later, so I don't stop you from getting there now."

"What? 'Zashi, no, you don't have to—"

"I want to," Hizashi said with a small smile. He leaned in to give Shouta a peck on the lips. "I know hospital food can suck."

Shouta melted in his embrace. "How're you gonna get there?"

"I'll take the bus."

"I don't know if the kid'll want to see you… He barely trusted me."

"That's fine. If he doesn't want to see me, I'll wait in the lobby."

Shouta gave him another kiss. "You're the best."

"I know. Now go before something happens."

Shouta nodded and rushed out the door. He felt naked without his capture scarf, but he would have to get over it.

Once he got into the car, he drove off. He narrowly avoided getting into a couple of accidents, but otherwise made it to the hospital unscathed. Shouta took care of parking and walked into the hospital.

He made his way to the front desk, ignoring the protests of people in line. "I'm here for Izuku Mid—"

"Eraserhead?" a familiar voice said to his left. It was Dr. Ikeda.

"Come with me," the doctor said once Shouta confirmed his identity.

He led him to an elevator and up a couple of floors. Once the doors opened, Dr. Ikeda brought him to a room. Shouta could hear the wailing cries.

Dr. Ikeda's eyes widened at something in the room, and Shouta followed his gaze.

"Take your hands off him," Shouta growled, his quirk activating. More for the intimidation factor.

The nurses in the room gasped and let go of Izuku. They had his arms in a tight grip, trying to restrain him.

"He was—"

"I don't care," Shouta cut off the nurse as she tried to excuse what she was doing. "Unless he was using a quirk on you, there was no reason for you to be handling him that way. He's a child."

Seriously, how much damage could a five-year-old do?

They looked like they wanted to argue, but Dr. Ikeda must have given them a look. The two of them left the room in a hurry.

Shouta deactivated his quirk and sighed, rubbing his eyes. He knew he should've brought his eyedrops with him.

"I'm deeply sorry, Eraserhead. I told them not to do that," Dr. Ikeda apologized.

"It's fine." It wasn't, but he couldn't take his anger out on the doctor when he clearly didn't know what was happening.

"I'll leave you two alone, then. Call for me if he needs anything." With that, the doctor left him and Izuku alone in the room.

Shouta didn't rush forward right away. Instead, like the night before, he catalogued the state of Izuku. He was curled up in a ball on the bed, looking far too small and frail. He was holding his arms close to his chest, crying softly. Shouta's heart ached at the sight.

He took quiet steps up to the chair next to Izuku's bed. He sat down, and Izuku stilled.

"Hey, kid," Shouta said softly, keeping his tone light. "You're safe now. Nothing like that will happen again."

Izuku didn't budge, but his crying was slowing down. His body shuddered every so often, and Shouta wondered if his body temperature had risen at all.

"Do you remember me? From last night?" Shouta tried again, hoping maybe he could at least get one word out of the kid.

No response. Shouta wished he had dragged Hizashi along with him. He would've probably gotten the kid to speak.

He sighed softly but didn't leave. He could be patient.

After a little while, Izuku finally moved. He uncurled his body and situated himself into a sitting position, wincing slightly when he pulled at his injury. He still wouldn't meet Shouta's eye, though.

"Everything alright?" Shouta asked anyway.

Izuku nodded. It was barely a tilt of his head, but Shouta caught it.

"I'm sorry you were left alone. That was probably pretty scary, huh?"

That time, Izuku shrugged. His head was still bowed, staring at his lap.

Shouta could see the start of bruises on Izuku's wrists. Another flare of anger erupted inside him, but he shoved it down. He couldn't afford to scare the kid.

"How old are you?" Might as well try to get some confirmation on the kid's age.

Instead of speaking, though, Izuku held up six fingers. His hands were shaking.

Six? He was way too small. Even for a six-year-old.

Then, a realization hit Shouta in the face. "Can you not speak?"

It came out insensitively, he knew. Especially by the way Izuku flinched and ducked his head further against his chest, as if waiting to be hit for something like that.

Shouta internally cursed his lack of social awareness.

"Sorry, kid. Didn't mean to say it like that. It's fine if you can't, you know. There are other ways for us to communicate. Here," Shouta said before leaning forward to grab a hospital notepad off the bedside table. There was a pen sitting next to it. He gently set it down on the bed next to Izuku.

Izuku stared at it unblinkingly. Shouta frowned. Can six-year-olds write? Shit, Shouta should've thought of that…

After another worried glance at Shouta, Izuku picked up the notepad and pen with trembling hands. He wrote something down, though it took him a minute.

He spun the notepad around so Shouta could read it. Thank you, it said. It was pretty well written for his age.

"For what, kid?"

Izuku wrote, Saving me.

"That's my job."

Izuku shook his head a little before writing down some more: Came back.

Shouta gave a one-shoulder shrug. "You needed help. I couldn't leave you here alone and scared."

Tears welled up in Izuku's eyes again, and Shouta tried not to freak out. He didn't do well with crying children.

No one helps me.

And wasn't that just heartbreaking?

Izuku wiped his eyes with his arm and wrote something else down. Sign?

Shouta frowned. "Sign?" he asked, confused.

Izuku put the notepad down and used his hands to sign Hello. The kid knew JSL? Just where did he learn all of that?

"You can use sign language? That's pretty impressive, kid," Shouta praised. Izuku blushed and shrugged off his words.

Learned in a book.

"By yourself?"

Izuku nodded.

"Hm. Still, it's a valuable skill. My partner is partially deaf, so we use sign language to communicate a lot of the time. I also use it sometimes during my patrols when we need to be silent during raids or arresting villains."

Izuku listened to him, his eyes shining a bit in interest. Then, as if remembering something, he turned to the side and reached to grab whatever was beside him. He held out Shouta's capture scarf.

Again, he had forgotten the kid had it in the first place. It was neatly folded.

"Oh, thanks, kid. You kept it nice and safe for me," Shouta said and gently took it from his hands. Izuku looked shy again, and he wondered if the kid had ever been praised for anything in his life, if that got him flustered.

Was nice and warm, Izuku signed.

Shouta hesitated, then said, "Why don't you keep it, then? It'll help you recover from hypothermia."

Izuku shook his head before Shouta even finished his sentence. Too nice. I'll ruin it, he frantically signed.

Shouta doubted that. He had kept it all night, and there was barely a wrinkle in it. "I insist."

He placed it back in Izuku's lap, and the kid looked conflicted. Something must have convinced him, though, because he only nodded without any more protests.

Izuku wrapped it around his own neck—maybe to copy how Shouta had it—and half of his face was buried in it. Adorable, Shouta couldn't help but think.

"Do you—" Shouta was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. He took his phone out, expecting Hizashi's name, but it was Tsukauchi.

"Will you be okay if I take this?" Shouta asked Izuku. "I'll be just out in the hallway."

Izuku nodded and looked away. Shouta couldn't tell if he really meant it, but he assumed the call would be important.

"Hey," Shouta said as soon as he pressed accept.

"Eraser, hey. Sorry I didn't call you last night. Things got… hectic."

"What happened?"

Tsukauchi sighed. "When the officers got there, there was no sign of any villains. They raided the place anyway, and found some… worrying stuff. Below the bar are some living quarters, but they were bare of any personal items. We couldn't tell if they were for one person or a family.

"In one of the rooms was just a mattress and a dirty blanket. There were some notebooks scattered, but none of the officers could decipher them. Next to that was an almost identical room minus the notebooks."

Shouta rubbed his temple. "Do you think one of them was for the kid? Izuku?"

"Is that his name?" Tsukauchi questioned.

"Yeah. Sorry, forgot to tell you. Izuku Midoriya. Hisashi was calling the name outside the bar."

"I'll look into it."

"The other room…" Shouta trailed off. He remembered Hisashi's words from the previous night. "Hisashi told me Izuku got into a fight with another kid. That's why he ran out. Was there any evidence of another child?"

"No. That's really concerning."

"Agreed. What else was down there?"

"A medical room. Kind of like a hospital room with a lot more sharp instruments and a metal chair in the middle with arm and leg restraints. There were journals in there, writing that looked like recorded logs. I haven't gone through them yet.

"Apparently, Hisashi was trying to burn everything in another room, but the officers caught up to him. He had an accomplice, someone with a head of mist. It had some teleportation quirk, because once they were cornered, the mist turned into a portal and they were both gone."

Shouta blew out a breath. "Jesus. Any casualties?"

"No, thankfully."

There was a pause, and Shouta had a feeling he wouldn't like what Tsukauchi was about to ask.

"Do you think the kid would be up for—"

"Absolutely not," Shouta scoffed.

"It'll happen sooner or later, Aizawa."

"I know. But the kid doesn't speak. At all. I don't know if it's selective mutism or something damaged his vocal cords."

"Shit…" Tsukauchi cursed. "That'll make things harder."

Shouta rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"C'mon. Would you rather have me or someone less sympathetic do the questioning?"

"You know my answer. Just give him some time."

"Fine, fine."

"Send me what you find once you look in those journals."

"Will do. Bye, Eraser."

Shouta hung up and went back into the room. Izuku was lying down again on his uninjured side. It looked like he was trying hard not to fall asleep. His eyes darted to the doorway when Shouta walked back in.

"Hey, kid," Shouta greeted. "Why don't you get some rest? I'll be here the whole time."

Izuku gripped the blankets, his lip wobbling. He signed a quick, Not tired.

Shouta huffed a quiet breath of laughter. "If you say so."

It didn't take long for Izuku's eyes to flutter closed, losing the battle of keeping them open. Soon enough, his breaths evened out, indicating that he fell asleep.

He kept his promise, staying by the kid's side as he slept. Shouta didn't even leave when Hizashi texted him that he was in the lobby. He just sent Izuku's room number for him to find.

Hizashi walked in with bentos and a tumbler mug that Shouta assumed was full of coffee.

"How's the kiddo doing?" Hizashi whispered after handing him his lunch.

"A little worse for wear but nothing too bad," Shouta replied and took a bite of his food.

Hizashi glanced at Izuku in the bed and squealed. Shouta flashed his quirk at Hizashi.

"Sorry, sorry!" Hizashi whispered, bringing his hands to his mouth. "He's just so cute!"

Shouta snorted and went back to eating. The kid didn't wake up for a while.

Sometime later, Izuku started to squirm in the bed, whimpering softly. Shouta sat up, his eyebrows furrowing in worry. "Kid?"

Hizashi turned his attention to him, frowning. Izuku thrashed a bit before waking up with a gasp. He immediately clamped his jaw shut and curled up under the blankets.

"Izuku, hey, you're safe. I'm right here."

Izuku couldn't hear him. He trembled under the covers and hid his face further into the pillows.

"Breathe, kid," Shouta said, trying to get him to calm down. It took a while, but eventually, Izuku's breathing calmed down, and he looked up at Shouta.

"There you are." Shouta offered a small smile. "You okay?"

Izuku nodded. There was movement behind him, and Izuku's eyes darted to something over Shouta's shoulder.

"Ah, that's my partner. Hizashi Ya—"

The kid froze and scrambled backwards, almost falling off the bed. Shouta startled and stood up straight, wondering what he had said wrong. Did the kid really not want anyone else around?

Hizashi placed a hand on Shouta's shoulder. "Hizashi might sound a lot like Hisashi," he whispered to him.

Shouta's eyes widened slightly. Shit, obviously!

"Not that Hisashi. Sorry, I'll call him Yamada, okay? That man won't come near you again," Shouta said firmly.

Izuku was still breathing a little erratically, but he didn't seem too scared anymore. It probably helped that Hizashi looked nothing like Hisashi.

"Hey, little one," Hizashi said softly, a smile on his face. "Sorry to startle you! You must be Izuku?"

The kid nodded hesitantly, his eyes sliding to Shouta's. Shouta gestured for him to respond. "He knows sign," he reminded.

That made Hizashi happy.

The two of them hit it off pretty well, if Shouta had to guess. Izuku didn't seem as tense anymore around them, which was good.

Shouta regretted leaving the hospital at night, but he wasn't allowed to sleep over. Izuku begged for him to stay, and his heart broke when the kid looked resigned as he left, as if he knew he wouldn't come back.

He always went back.

Izuku didn't seem to be sleeping well overnight, if the clear exhaustion and bags under his eyes were any indication. He would take small naps whenever Shouta visited.

Dr. Ikeda pulled him aside during one of those visits.

"I just wanted to let you know that Izuku is doing quite well now. His injury is healing as best it can, but it should stay covered for a while to keep the tissue from being irritated. My only worry is his weight. He's pretty under average for height and weight at his age, and there are old scars on his skin. Healed, but indicates some trauma that his body went through.

"He also has no damage to his throat or vocal cords. At least, none that we can outwardly see. It may mean that he isn't speaking for any other reason than that he is not physically able to."

Shouta had been worried about that. He wondered if Izuku would ever be comfortable speaking again.

"When is he allowed to be discharged?" Shouta asked.

"Any time he's comfortable, and you have the means of getting him into a safe home. Do you have a place for him to go?"

Shouta hoped the doctor didn't see how he faltered. "Yes."

Dr. Ikeda inclined his head. "Good."

Shouta didn't go back to the room right away. He lingered outside, watching as the kid slept soundly while Hizashi read to him from one of the children's books he bought the other day.

He didn't know his decision.

"'Zashi," Shouta whispered, but loud enough to catch the man's attention. Hizashi stopped reading and looked over.

"Come here."

Hizashi closed the book and joined him in the hallway.

"What's up? Is Izuku alright?"

Shouta made a so-so gesture with his hand. "His main injury is healing fine, but he has some other issues like his weight and past scars that he likely obtained when he was younger."

"So what's the problem?"

"He—" Shouta cut himself off and cleared his throat. "He can be discharged anytime."

Hizashi's expression softened. "Oh."

"What're we gonna do? I know you said we could find a home for him, but is there really any way to one hundred percent know a home is safe? A-and we've been here with him for days, he's been sleeping around us, he needs stability, 'Zashi. What did I do? Why did I get into this—"

"Okay, okay," Hizashi shushed, placing his hands on either side of Shouta's face. "Let's breathe. That's it, come on."

Shouta matched Hizashi's breathing, calming himself down. He placed his hands on Hizashi's arms.

"Are you okay?" Hizashi asked.

Shouta nodded.

"I, for one, would love to bring the Little Listener home."

"Hizashi—"

"Shh, let me finish. I know it's early. We can go over many reasons why this would be, as you would say, impractical. But look at him, Shou."

Hizashi turned his head gently so Shouta could see Izuku sleeping peacefully. It was the most relaxed he's looked since he found him.

"Like you said, he needs stability. And it's not like we're alone. We have our friends to help, and I know my parents will if we ask them. With our salaries, we can afford it. Especially if I keep up with the radio show. My patrol is in the morning, yours at night. At least one of us will be there with him."

Shouta sighed. "So, what? You're the logical one now?"

Hizashi chuckled. "For this, yes."

"Do we even have a room for him?"

"I can convert the office into a spare room. We were barely using it anyway."

"But there's no bed—"

Hizashi kissed him to cut him off. "Why don't you let me worry about that?"

Shouta blushed and narrowed his eyes at Hizashi half-heartedly. "Was that necessary?"

"Of course. Now go, I think the baby is waking up."

After Shouta informed Tsukauchi that Izuku would be discharged soon, Tsukauchi insisted that he should question the boy as soon as he could. Shouta didn't like it, but it would have to happen.

"Hey, Izuku?" Shouta said, causing the kid to look over at him curiously. "A friend of mine works for the police, and he wanted to come and ask you some questions."

Izuku's shoulders hunched a bit. About what? he signed the question to him.

"About Hisashi and the bar."

The kid looked scared. He brought his legs to his chest, shaking. Do I have to?

"I'm sorry, kid. You're the only one who knows anything about him. I tried to get them to push it back, but I trust this guy. He won't hurt you, and I'll be here with you the whole time," Shouta said, trying to reassure him.

Izuku sniffled and didn't say anything for a short while. Eventually, he signed, You'll be with me?

"Yes."

Does your friend know sign?

Shouta's lips tugged upwards. "Probably not, but I'll translate for him."

Izuku nodded and rocked himself on the bed. Shouta clenched his jaw, wishing he could do more to make the kid feel safe.

Eventually, Tsukauchi finally made it to the room. Izuku startled at his presence.

"Hey, Eraser," the detective greeted before focusing his attention on Izuku. "Hi there. How are you?"

Izuku looked over at Shouta. For reassurance, permission? He wasn't sure. But he nodded towards him anyway.

Good. How are you?

Tsukauchi looked confused, so Shouta translated.

"Oh, that's good! I'm doing great. Sorry we had to do this," Tsukauchi apologized with a sheepish smile. "I'll try to get this done as quickly as possible."

Izuku didn't say—or sign—anything. Tsukauchi took it in stride, pulling up a chair and sitting down across from the bed. He took out his own notebook and pen. "Firstly, I want to disclose my quirk. I call it 'Lie Detector,' and it's exactly as it sounds. However, I'm not sure it will work with nonverbal communication. I guess we'll see."

Izuku's head perked up, his eyes shining. That's so cool!

Shouta told Tsukauchi what he signed, and the detective rubbed the back of his neck shyly. "Aw, thank you, kid. That's nice of you."

It seemed like Izuku had some fascination with quirks.

"Secondly, I'll be recording the questioning and writing down what you tell me. Does that sound okay?"

Izuku nodded.

"Alright, we'll get started." Tsukauchi pressed something on a recording device. "This is Detective Tsukauchi questioning Izuku Midoriya about the Hisashi case. Pro-hero Eraserhead will be translating the sign language since Izuku will not be verbally answering my questions."

Izuku already looked uncomfortable. Shouta just hoped this would go as smoothly as possible.

"Izuku, is your father Hisashi Midoriya?" Tsukauchi asked first, to which the boy nodded. "Okay. What about your mom? Inko Midoriya?"

The kid stopped breathing then. His eyes were wide, and he looked close to panicking.

Shouta, without thinking, placed a hand over Izuku's. Luckily, the kid didn't flinch away. "It's okay, Izuku. You're okay."

Izuku held up shaky hands. Knew her. H-I-S-A-S-H-I killed her.

Shouta glanced at Tsukauchi after translating the sign language. The detective looked troubled, but he quickly schooled his expression.

"Thank you for telling me, Izuku. Have you always lived in the bar we found you near?"

Izuku shook his head. Moved there two years ago.

"Do you know why?"

Izuku hesitated, his expression crumbling. He couldn't look at either of them as he signed, I'm quirkless. He wanted to force a quirk out of me.

Shouta had to stop himself from saying the words angrily. He didn't want the kid to think he was angry at him. By the looks of Tsukauchi's expression, he was also upset.

"How come you were outside in the rain by yourself?" Tsukauchi asked slowly, trying not to let his tone scare Izuku off.

Izuku seemed shocked that they didn't question him about his quirklessness further. It took him a moment to respond. S-H-I-G-A-R-A-K-I used his quirk on me.

The kid paused to gesture to his side, where the injury sat. Hisashi got mad at me and threatened to burn me. I ran.

Shouta clenched his fists.

Tsukauchi frowned at the name mentioned. "Who is Shigaraki?"

Sensei's kid. He was already living there when I moved.

Shouta was also confused at the mention of a 'Sensei.' Tsukauchi voiced his curiosity.

Izuku, though, shrugged. Never seen him. But that's what they told me to call him.

Pen on paper was the only sound that permeated the room, besides Shouta's breathing. He had to calm down.

"Thank you for the information, Izuku. One more. Do you have any idea where he could've gone?"

Izuku seemed to be thinking it over. Sensei was always in a different location. Maybe wherever he is? But… I don't know the place.

The boy's face scrunched up, tears filling his eyes. I'm sorry, I don't know more.

"Hey, don't worry about it, kid," Tsukauchi reassured. "You gave us more than we had in the first place. You just focus on getting better, okay?"

With that, Tsukauchi packed up his things and said goodbye to both of them. The air was tense when the detective left.

"Izuku… How're you feeling?" Shouta asked, his voice quiet.

Izuku hunched further in on himself and shrugged. The tears dripped silently down his face.

"You know… The doctor said you're free to go whenever. I was thinking—"

Suddenly, a sob left Izuku's mouth. Don't leave please don't leave was being signed desperately.

"Whoa, whoa," Shouta stuttered, walking over to his side of the bed. "I'm not leaving you, kid, I promise."

Izuku didn't look like he believed him. "Hi— Yamada and I would love to bring you home. What do you think?"

His cries slowed down, reduced to hiccups and sniffles. You… You mean it?

"Of course."

Izuku looked like he was deciding something. After a moment, he shifted and held out his arms, silently asking for a hug.

Shouta's heart melted. He leaned down and gently wrapped his arms around Izuku, hugging him close to his chest.

Izuku, even though he initiated the hug, froze a little at the contact. Shouta waited, and eventually, the kid relaxed into his arms.

"Th-thank y-you," Izuku whispered. His voice was a little rough from disuse, but Shouta heard him loud and clear.

"Anytime, Izuku," Shouta replied. No matter how uncomfortable the position felt on his back, he didn't let go until the kid decided he wanted to.

"Here we are!"

Hizashi opened the door to their apartment, showing Izuku inside. Shouta trailed behind, shutting the door behind them.

The kid looked around in awe. He stumbled a bit on his feet, but Hizashi's hold on the kid's hand was firm.

Hizashi had to buy the kid a few sets of clothes. There was no way they were dressing him back in the ripped-up t-shirt and pants he was found in, and any clothes the two had—no matter how old—would drown the kid in fabric. Hizashi found him a Present Mic sweater (because of course it had to be his own merch) and suitable pants. Shoes were a bit of a problem, but they got him slippers for the moment until they figured out his shoe size.

Discharging him was easy enough. It was the process of fostering that was hell. Regardless of his and Hizashi's emergency foster licenses, it was a long back-and-forth. But he would go through it for Izuku.

Izuku took in everything like it was a luxury. Maybe it was to the boy—he'd been living in a bar for the past two years.

A meow directed Shouta's attention to Potato, who was trotting over to greet them. She curiously looked up at Izuku, her head tilted. Izuku stared back in shock. Shouta wondered if he'd ever seen a cat before.

"This is Potato," Hizashi said, kneeling down next to Izuku. "Why don't you say hi?"

Izuku looked unsure, but he lowered down to sit on his knees. He watched Potato come closer.

"You can pet her. She's a sweetie," Hizashi spoke up when Izuku didn't move.

The kid reached out a tentative hand, and Potato immediately went up to sniff him. After a moment, she nudged her head against Izuku's hand. He started to pet her, his touch feather-light. Shouta hid a smile in his capture weapon.

"There ya go," Hizashi praised. "She loves you!"

Izuku looked up at him, wide-eyed. Really? he signed with his free hand.

"Mm. She's very affectionate; she may not leave you alone now," Shouta said.

Izuku didn't seem to hate that idea. He petted her a bit more before Potato found interest somewhere else.

Hizashi asked, "Wanna see your room?"

My… room? Izuku looked horribly confused.

"Yeah! C'mon!"

Hizashi gently guided Izuku to a stand, and he directed him down a hallway that led to their room and the spare. He opened the door with a "Voila!"

It was sparsely decorated since they were on short notice. The bed was covered in a plain green comforter set—something they would most likely replace if necessary—and on the opposite wall was a dresser. The floor was carpeted, and the closet at the end was small but spacious enough for a 6-year-old.

There were no posters or things like that yet, but he was sure that would change soon enough.

"How do you like it, Listener?" Hizashi asked, and Shouta could see he was nervous.

Izuku turned to them with tears in his eyes and, yeah, maybe he had a valid reason to be nervous.

"Oh, sweetie, are you okay?" Hizashi questioned, a bit frantically, but Izuku only nodded.

For me? Izuku signed quickly, as if he couldn't believe it.

"All for you. And we can get more—" Shouta was cut off by a weight on his leg, and he looked down to see Izuku hugging said leg tightly.

His shoulders were shaking with quiet sobs. Shouta immediately kneeled down to get to his level. He patted Izuku's head softly as he cried.

Hizashi was there beside him, and they both let him cry it out. When he was done, he wiped away his tears with his hands. Thank you!

Shouta wiped away any remaining tears with his fingers. "Of course, kid. You deserve only the best."

Izuku didn't respond, only lifting his arms slightly, asking to be picked up. He obliged, standing up with the kid on his hip. Izuku buried his head against Shouta's neck, hands gripping his shirt.

Shouta and Hizashi shared a fond look. "I think he loves it," Hizashi mouthed.

The first night was hard.

Izuku woke up screaming, and damn did the kid have a set of lungs. Shouta and Hizashi spent most of the night trying to calm him down, and he only fell back asleep from crying so hard. Nightmares were a common occurrence, and Izuku rarely slept in his own bed for the first couple of weeks.

He was quiet. Not just from not speaking, but his presence was barely there. He tip-toed around the apartment, giving Shouta a run for his money. He didn't think a child could be so quiet, and he sometimes didn't even realize Izuku would be in the room.

He and Hizashi had to be on top of the kid's health and needs. Izuku wouldn't voice—sign—what he wanted or needed, so they had to learn how to pick up on his tells.

Almost a month after they brought Izuku home, Tsukauchi called him.

"Hey, Aizawa. Do you remember those journals we found in the bar? That reads like medical logs?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I finally had time to go through them all and… It's not pretty."

Shouta frowned. "What is it?"

"I'm only telling you this because you wanted all updates on this case. But if you don't want to hear it, I won't blame you."

"Just get on with it," Shouta said, a little harshly. The anticipation was killing him.

"There were experiments done in that room. When the kid told us they were trying to manifest a quirk out of him, they tried… a lot of methods. Putting him in life-threatening states, drugging him, and other things. If that didn't come up from the doctor's evaluation, they must've had someone with a powerful healing quirk."

Shouta let out a sharp breath. "What the fuck," he muttered.

"Yeah… I couldn't read through everything, it made me sick. How is he doing now?"

Shouta looked over to where Izuku was sitting with Hizashi. "As fine as he can be. Some days are harder than others. He has nightmares pretty often, too."

"Poor kid. I can't wait until we get Hisashi arrested."

"You and me both." Shouta had other plans for when they found Hisashi, but he didn't think he should disclose them at that moment.

Shouta hung up and watched Izuku and Hizashi, wondering if they were the best fit to get Izuku through his trauma.

On rainy days, Shouta was worried it would cause Izuku to have flashbacks or panic attacks, considering he was found alone, shivering from the rain, but it never happened.

Izuku would watch the outside from their windows, completely taken by the rain and thunderstorms. When Shouta asked him about it, all he said was, I like the sounds.

Shouta didn't understand it, but he supposed that he didn't have to. It was nice that Izuku found comfort in something that should've hurt.

When it would rain, Shouta would sit with him. They usually didn't converse when that happened, though he was content with it. He didn't want to give Izuku the pressure of feeling like he needed to talk.

They had a designated seating area by the window now. Potato was slightly miffed at having her cat tree moved, but she didn't seem too upset about it when Shouta gave her treats.

Now, Shouta was sitting with Izuku as it rained. It was nearing late evening, when Izuku should've started to get ready for bed, but he let him stay awake for just a while longer.

A flash of moving hands directed his attention to Izuku. He signed, Do you think I'll be broken forever?

His eyes were shining with tears, his lips wobbling. Shouta's eyes softened. "You were never broken, Izuku. You only need to heal, and we'll be here every step of the way."

Izuku let out a small whimper and got off his chair and walked over to Shouta's. He easily picked the boy up and set him in his lap. Weeks ago, Shouta couldn't envision having such close contact with Izuku; now, he would let him and Hizashi hold him.

Izuku rested his head on Shouta's chest as he watched the rain. He thought the interaction was over. Until, "I-I'm glad y-you s-saved m-me."

Ever since the hospital, Izuku hadn't spoken out loud. He was beginning to think he likely wouldn't again. Shouta kissed the top of the boy's head. "Me too, kid."

The future was precarious, full of healing and learning curves. But Shouta would never regret taking Izuku home.

Maybe he didn't hate the rain that much.