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Izuku was on his way home, his body tense and feeling the after-effects of the Sports Festival. His arms were riddled with scars now, and his right hand permanently disfigured. Recovery Girl's scornful parting words—I won't heal self-inflicted wounds anymore—stuck with him. So did Aizawa's disappointed stare.
It felt like nothing that he did was the right thing. When he was quirkless, he understood: he was useless. But he had a quirk now, so why did it seem like he was always messing up?
He was just yearning to be in bed right now.
They had gone over hero names and internships. For some reason Izuku couldn't explain, he had chosen Deku as his hero name. Maybe he could change it in the future if he didn't end up liking it.
As for the internships, Izuku was disappointed that he had only received one. He knew he didn't place in the Sports Festival, but still… It was a little upsetting. Izuku didn't think he'd heard of Gran Torino before, but supposedly, he used to be All Might's teacher. If anyone could get One for All under control, maybe it would be him.
(And at least it was someone who knew about One for All. He wouldn't have to keep lying to another person.)
Izuku used his key to open the door to his and his mother's apartment. He shut it behind him and slipped off his shoes. "Mom, I'm home!" he announced, as he usually did.
Unlike usual, though, he didn't feel like talking about his day at school. His arm and hand hurt, he had a headache, and he was exhausted.
He undid his mess of a tie and slipped his backpack off his shoulder. "Mom? Is it okay if I—"
"Izuku, honey, can you come into the kitchen, please?"
Izuku paused in the living room when he heard his mom's voice. She sounded a little strained.
After placing his backpack down beside the couch alongside his tie, he walked into the kitchen. What he first noticed wasn't Inko, standing by the stove, but a man. He was tall, with black, curly hair, and bright green eyes. His face was like stone, a ghost of a smile the only thing showing through his hard exterior.
"Mom, who—"
"Izuku!" The man suddenly exclaimed, his features softening. He came around the counter, his arms out like he was about to hug him. Izuku took an instinctive step back, causing the man to falter.
His mom was still standing to the side, her posture tense and her smile not reaching her eyes.
"It's me, Izuku. Your dad," the man clarified, but that didn't make any more sense than when he walked into the kitchen and a stranger was in the room.
"Yes," Inko spoke up, then cleared her throat. "Hisashi decided to come visit us. Isn't that exciting?"
Hisashi. The name was familiar, yet felt so far away in his memories.
"Oh," was all Izuku could say. He swallowed down his saliva. "Is there some special occasion, or…?"
Izuku, though not instantly recognizing Hisashi's name, remembered clearly the day his dad left them. It was the day after he was diagnosed as quirkless. Izuku was supposed to be asleep, but he left his room to go to the bathroom. He could hear his mom and dad arguing about him.
"You don't know that, Hisashi," Inko said, her voice level and only slightly elevated.
"I know enough. It is extremely rare for a quirkless to make it in life, Inko. He will become useless, a waste of space in society. How could this happen? We both have strong genetics!" Hisashi replied, his voice rising near the end.
"I— I don't know. And don't call him useless! He is still your son."
"That is no son of mine. I'm done, Inko. I will not let his disease ruin my life."
After that, the door slammed shut, and Izuku never saw the man again. Until today.
His mom had said he would be gone for only a little while, that he had a work commitment and would be out of the apartment because of it. After weeks of that same excuse, Izuku stopped believing he would come back. They never brought up his name after that, and Inko never told him the true reason he left, even if he had an idea.
The man didn't even send a birthday or Christmas card. When Izuku grew older, he eventually forgot about him.
It was weird to see Hisashi now, looking at Izuku with such… affection, and reconcile that with his parting words.
"I was nearby and thought, 'Why not visit my dear family?' It's been a while, hasn't it?" Hisashi answered, and Izuku could see through the clear bullshit of that explanation.
At Izuku's blank look, Hisashi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Alright, I wasn't in the neighbourhood, per se, but I did want to visit! I saw you in the Sports Festival, and I was so surprised! Who would've thought my quirkless son actually developed a quirk? A powerful one at that!"
Ah. So that's what this was about.
"My coworkers were cheering you on," Hisashi continued, "and we were so upset to see you didn't make it into the last round! That Todoroki sure is a powerhouse."
Izuku nodded along, his exhaustion infecting his mood. Even if he was here because of the Sports Festival, shouldn't he be glad? His father was back. But he couldn't get himself to be excited.
He realized he had let the silence linger a beat too long. Izuku let out an awkward chuckle. "Uh, yeah. Todoroki was a strong opponent… Um, thanks for coming Hi— dad… But I really need to get some homework done. So…"
"Oh, come on! You haven't seen your father in years, and you'd rather do homework?" Hisashi asked light-heartedly. "Why don't we sit down, talk a bit?"
And whose fault was that? Izuku thought bitterly, but didn't say aloud. He glanced over at his mom, trying to gauge how she felt about the whole situation.
"He came all this way, Izu," she said softly. "You can do your homework later, can't you?"
Izuku supposed she wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily, then. Could she really not see through Hisashi's facade?
"Now, while you two catch up, I'll make us some dinner. How about katsudon?" Inko suggested and clasped her hands together. Izuku perked up slightly. He could never say no to katsudon. Maybe that could be the one good thing that comes out of this situation.
Hisashi nodded and left the room, probably expecting Izuku to follow. With a quiet sigh, he walked out to the living room and sat next to Hisashi on the couch.
"So! How've you been? How's UA?" Hisashi eagerly asked, leaning forward from where he was sitting.
"Oh, it's been great," Izuku replied. Despite it all, he was happy to talk about UA. It still felt like a dream. "I couldn't believe it when I got in! And All Might of all people delivered the message! It was so surreal, I—"
"Yeah, yeah, but what about your quirk? When'd you get it? And what does it actually do?"
Izuku wilted, his shoulders hunching a bit at his ears. "I, um, got it on the day of the UA entrance exam, actually. I was training with— myself so I could build up some muscle for the exam. It came in when I decided to take down one of the huge robots they had us fight.
"As for what it does, it's kind of a stockpiling quirk? It's very powerful. I broke my arm when I punched the robot."
He realized that sounded a bit ridiculous without the whole truth, but oh well.
Hisashi, though, seemed intrigued. "Wow. So you really developed one just like that?"
Izuku nodded, deciding to tell him his go-to excuse: "Since it requires a lot of strength to hold it, I think it was waiting until my body was ready."
"That makes sense," Hisashi mused. "It's so strange how it doesn't seem to match mine or your mother's quirk, though."
Izuku laughed awkwardly. "Yeah…"
"Is that why you have these?" Hisashi asked, and before Izuku could ask for clarification, the man roughly grabbed his right arm. Izuku gasped and held back a flinch.
"Th-the scars? Um, yes. I-I haven't gotten much control of it yet."
Hisashi hummed before letting go. Izuku brought his arm to his chest, breathing through the pulsing pain his grip left.
"UA hasn't really gotten you into shape, has it?"
Izuku froze at the harsh criticism. He shrugged. "I-I mean, I just got the quirk… I've been training as much as I can. We start internships next week! I'll be interning with a hero that understands my quirk, so hopefully I'll get a good grasp on it after that!"
Apparently, the urge to make his father proud hadn't left or diminished in the past ten years.
However, he wanted the conversation to end. It didn't feel… authentic. It seemed like Hisashi was just digging for information on his quirk, not actually caring about how Izuku or Inko had been for the past decade.
Still, he wanted to be polite. "How has your, um, work been? Did you go to America?"
Hisashi lit up at the opportunity to talk about himself. Of course. The rest of the time before dinner was spent by Hisashi talking about his work and his trips to America. Izuku felt like he was about to nod off.
"Boys! Dinner!" Inko called from the kitchen. Thank god.
Izuku practically ran to the kitchen, wanting to get out of the one-sided conversation. Hisashi followed close behind, sitting at the head of the table, where his mom usually sat. It made him uneasy.
They said a short itadakimasu before they began to eat. It was quiet and a bit awkward until Inko and Hisashi started small talk. Izuku was glad the focus was off him for now.
The conversation lapsed, and the three sat in silence until Hisashi set his chopsticks down. He clearly had something to say.
"So, I've been thinking," he started, and Izuku felt that earlier unease growing in his chest, "that even before I came here, I wanted to be back in your lives. I know I've been gone for… a long time. I made mistakes. But I want to start rectifying them. So…"
Hisashi paused, looking over at Inko. She seemed just as confused as Izuku was.
"I want to move back in!" Hisashi declared.
Izuku choked on his bite of katsudon, quickly downing a drink of water he had next to his plate. "You— What?" It came out a bit harsh, but Hisashi didn't seem upset.
"Yeah! I thought we could also train your quirk, Izuku, since clearly nothing is happening at UA. I want to be more involved in your life."
Izuku could only stare at him in disbelief. He glanced back at his mom, who also seemed a little troubled, but not as much as she could've.
"Mom, are you really considering this?" Izuku asked her, and she startled.
"He's your father, Izuku," she reprimanded. Izuku let out a huff, his eyebrows furrowed.
Hisashi looked a little less confident. "I know I left you—"
"So you think you can walk back in here as if nothing happened?" Izuku blurted before he could control his reaction. He was tired, in pain, and his headache was still not gone. He was at the end of his rope.
"Izuku!" Inko said, scandalized. He paid her no mind.
"No, Inko, I understand. He's upset, and that's okay," Hisashi said, though the look in his eyes didn't make it seem like he found it okay.
Izuku clenched his fists. "You didn't just leave us. You left because of me!"
Both his parents were shocked, their eyes wide. Izuku nodded. "I heard you two arguing the night Dad left. I know exactly how you felt about my quirkless status."
"Well, what does it matter now? You're not quirkless," Hisashi said incredulously.
Izuku scoffed. "Okay. So if I were still quirkless, would you even have come back?"
The hesitation gave him the answer he needed.
Izuku shook his head and stood from the table when Hisashi still failed to give a response.
"You didn't come here because you really wanted to 'connect,' did you?" Izuku asked facetiously, gripping the top of his chair. "You saw that I had a flashy, proper quirk and wanted to somehow capitalize on that."
Hisashi clenched his jaw, and Izuku saw the man's real face for the first time since he had walked through the door.
"Fine, you're right," Hisashi scoffed. "I saw my quirkless son on the big screen suddenly use a quirk, and I was curious. Sue me."
"Then why come here asking to move back in? My quirk can't be that fascinating."
Hisashi didn't answer for a moment, and Izuku wasn't sure if he ever would. He was about to leave the room when the man finally spoke up.
"I lost my job."
Izuku's eyebrows raised, shocked. He had not expected that. Neither did Inko, by the looks of her almost identical expression.
"Hisashi, maybe we should talk about this," Inko quietly interjected.
Hisashi shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "Aren't we talking about it now?"
"Privately."
Izuku shook his head. "Mom, no. You can't let him come in here and disrupt our lives!"
"Disrupt your lives?" Hisashi repeated angrily. "I've just about had enough of this attitude. I'm still your father, Izuku."
Izuku let out a hollow laugh. "My father? Really? Okay." He pushed his hands off the chair, taking a couple of steps backwards. "If you're my father, then tell me: When's my birthday?"
Silence.
He should've expected it, but it still hurt. Izuku let out a shaky breath. "How can you call yourself my father?"
"This doesn't matter!" Hisashi cried, standing up with such force that his chair flew backwards, crashing onto the floor. Inko flinched away from him.
Hisashi continued yelling, "Enough with the past. I'm here now, so what does it fucking matter? You have a quirk, you got into UA, for fuck's sake. You couldn't have been doing that badly."
Izuku rubbed his hands down his face. "I was still quirkless for ten years. It was the only thing people cared about me. No one looked past that, especially when you left us. The rumours made everything worse. For me and for Mom, while you got to enjoy your life and travel across the globe. And now that you have nothing, you come back here? Expecting us to just welcome you in?
"You don't even understand how hard it was to survive in a world that hates the quirkless. And you made it harder by leaving. It sucks, having to freeze up anytime someone asks about my dad, having to tell my friends that you're not around. To be waiting for something, anything, even a card! A card!"
Izuku was breathing heavily, but he wasn't done.
"And you couldn't even do that. You're not my father. You couldn't call us, send an email, nothing. You did that," Izuku said, pointing a finger at Hisashi. "I don't want you here. We don't want you here."
He put his hand down, his chest still heaving. A tear dripped down his chin, and he realized he was crying.
Inko was silent, her eyes also shimmering with tears. But she said nothing, not even agreeing with Izuku.
Hisashi was dumbstruck. He didn't say anything for a few moments, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"Get— Get out," Hisashi eventually said. It was a weak request, and in Izuku's eyes, he held no authority in the situation. However, he honestly would be glad to leave. He couldn't be in the same room as him anymore.
With one last look at his mom—who still said nothing, only regarded him sadly—he turned and left.
There were voices in the kitchen, and he heard his name, but Izuku didn't turn back. He grabbed his backpack and left the apartment.
Izuku shivered once he reached the outside. It was May, but the night air was still cool.
Once the adrenaline left Izuku's system, he realized he may have acted a bit impulsively. He had nowhere to go, and what little pride he had left kept him from going back inside.
Maybe All Might could help? Izuku didn't want to bother the hero, but he would understand his position the most. And he did say that Izuku could call him anytime if he needed him…
Izuku sighed and pulled out his phone. He pressed on All Might's contact blindly, then pressed the phone to his ear. When the receiver clicked, he didn't let the hero get a word out.
"All Might? I'm sorry for calling so late, I… I need your help. Can you, um, can you please come get me?"
All he heard was light static. Izuku frowned, bouncing slightly on his toes. "All Might—?"
"Problem Child?" a rough voice came over the phone, and Izuku tensed.
"A-Aizawa-sensei?!" Izuku squeaked, placing a hand over his mouth. "Oh, no, I-I'm so sorry for bothering you. I m-must've clicked the wrong contact! Sorry!"
After the USJ incident, Aizawa had kindly offered his work contact to each of them. For emergencies only, the hero had emphasized after Kaminari joked about sending him memes. This was definitely not an emergency.
"I-I'll let you get back to your… um… your night. S-so sorry again…" Izuku was about to hang up the phone.
"Wait," Aizawa's gruff voice stopped him. "You said you needed help? What's going on?"
"O-oh, it's— it's nothing, really! You don't have to— to worry," Izuku stuttered.
"Midoriya," Aizawa sighed, and Izuku's breath hitched. He hated bothering his teachers. "Just tell me what happened."
Seeing no other option, Izuku started to explain, "My dad came home unannounced… We got into a fight and I— I ran out. I have nowhere to go."
It sounded so childish to his ears now that he said it aloud. He was preparing for Aizawa's uncaring lecture.
Instead, he could hear a rustling sound and muffled voices. Was Aizawa with someone?
Regardless of what was going on, Izuku patiently waited. He ended up sitting down on the steps leading up to his apartment building.
"I'll come get you. Can you text me your address?"
Izuku's eyes widened. "Y-you— What? No, you don't have to—"
"Midoriya. Let's skip this part. You're my student, which means I'm in some way responsible for you. If you don't feel safe at home and have nowhere else to go, it's only logical that I help you out. Now, address please."
Feeling unsafe felt like a bit of a stretch, but he didn't have the wherewithal anymore to argue with his teacher.
"O-okay," Izuku replied quietly, a little defeated. He messaged Aizawa his location. "I sent it."
"Got it. It'll take me about fifteen minutes. Can you wait that long?"
He didn't really have a choice, but he didn't say that. "Yes. I'm right outside," Izuku informed him.
"Alright. Call me if something changes. I'm leaving now." With that, the call disconnected. Izuku put his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. What did he get himself into?
Izuku sniffled and wiped away the remaining tears on his cheeks. He still couldn't believe he had stood up to his dad like that. He never talked back to adults. Izuku must've been really out of it.
Some minutes later, a black car pulled up in front of his apartment building. Izuku hesitated until the driver's side window rolled down, revealing Aizawa. "Get in, kid."
Izuku scrambled to a stand, remembering to grab his backpack before walking around to the passenger's side. He placed his bag down at his feet and shut the car door, buckling in.
"Th-thanks again, Aizawa-Sensei. I'm sorry to intrude on your evening…" Izuku apologized.
Aizawa started driving off, presumably to where he lived. "Don't worry about it. Do you want to talk about what happened? From what I know, your father hasn't been in the picture since you were younger."
Izuku shrugged and pulled at his fingers, letting the pain ground him. "I-I don't know. It's a long story."
Instead of answering right away, Aizawa eyed him for a moment before looking back at the road. "It's your decision. I'm here to listen."
The rest of the ride was done in silence. Izuku stared out the window, his head leaning against it. He wondered if his mom was worried about him.
Eventually, Aizawa pulled into the driveway of a nice-looking house. He marvelled at it until the sound of the car door closing shook him out of it. Izuku quickly followed Aizawa after grabbing his things.
When he stepped inside the house, he muttered a quiet, "Sorry for the intrusion." He slipped off his shoes and moved forward behind Aizawa into what looked like the living room.
A small grey tabby was sitting on the couch, regarding them curiously with a tilted head.
"Sit down, Problem Child. I'll make some tea, and we can talk," Aizawa said and left the room before Izuku could make any protest.
Izuku stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, then finally sat down slowly next to the cat on the couch. His bag sat at his feet, and Izuku fiddled with his shirt. He then realized that he hadn't even had the chance to change out of his UA uniform.
A few minutes later, Aizawa came back with two mugs. He handed one to Izuku. "I hope chamomile is okay."
"Y-yes. It is, thank you," Izuku replied and held the mug in his hands. The beverage warmed them, which felt really nice on his scars.
Aizawa sat a good distance away from Izuku, but close enough to make him feel comforted. The grey tabby immediately climbed onto the man's lap, meowing at him before settling. Izuku couldn't help but smile at the display.
"This is Dumpster," Aizawa supplied helpfully. Izuku choked, his eyes wide.
"D-Dumpster?"
"Yes. I found him as a kitten in a dumpster while I was patrolling a few months back. I couldn't think of a name, so," Aizawa explained with a shrug, taking a sip of his—what Izuku assumed to be—coffee.
"Oh." Izuku held in a laugh, masking his expression behind his mug. Ever sharp, Aizawa sent him a deadpan stare, but didn't comment on his clear amusement at the situation.
Aizawa started to pet the cat, and Izuku could hear quiet purrs. He nodded at Izuku. "Do you want to tell me about earlier?" Aizawa offered for the nth time that night.
Izuku's mood sobered. If Aizawa wasn't interested, he wouldn't keep insisting on talking. The man rarely did things for others' comfort at the expense of his own.
"I-I mean… It's not much of a story, I guess. My father, he… When I came home today, he was in the kitchen with my mom. It was so… weird? I didn't even recognize him at first. When I realized who it was, I didn't know how to feel. He asked about my quirk, said he saw it when he watched the Sports Festival, how I'm doing at UA… but he didn't actually seem interested, you know?
"After I voiced some of my, um, doubts, he finally told us that he had lost his job. I just— I-I don't know what happened. I started yelling at him because it felt like he was only using us, not that he came back because he cared. He told me to get out, so I— I did."
Izuku spared Aizawa the details of the argument.
"What about your mom?" Aizawa spoke up after a moment of silence. "Did she say anything? Try to stop you on your way out?"
Izuku shook his head and looked down at his lap. "No. She… She kept telling me, 'He's your father, Izuku,' and it's like… I know! I know he is, technically. But he hasn't really acted like one for the past ten years."
He huffed out a frustrated breath, then froze when he heard a low chuckle. Shoot… Maybe I shouldn't act so casually in front of my teacher.
"S-sorry!" Izuku said with a hand over his mouth.
Aizawa waved him off. "You're fine, kid. Your frustration is valid. She hasn't messaged you at all…?"
Izuku checked his phone just in case that maybe she had, but no notifications showed up on his screen. He said so to Aizawa.
"Hm. That's concerning," the hero grumbled under his breath, taking another sip of his coffee. "Well, you're welcome to stay here for the night. If things aren't settled by tomorrow, I can go talk to them. How does that sound?"
He bristled a little at the offer, not wanting to burden the hero any further, but he thought about it. It would be nice if his teacher could take control of the situation… He didn't want to fight again with Hisashi and his mom.
Izuku nodded. "O-okay. Thanks, Aizawa-Sensei."
"Only Aizawa outside of work hours," the man replied.
"R-right. Thanks, Aizawa."
Izuku thought maybe that was the end of the conversation, but Aizawa wasn't leaving. It seemed like he was contemplating something.
"Why did you call All Might?" Aizawa eventually asked. "I know you two were closer than normal, but calling him makes it seem like the situation is different from what I thought." The mug froze inches from Izuku's mouth at the observation.
"Oh, um…" Izuku stuttered, not knowing what to say. For a split second, he thought about telling Aizawa about One for All. All Might's warning of keeping the quirk a secret rang through his head. However, he remembered him also saying that if he were to tell anyone, to make sure they could be one hundred percent trustworthy.
And… He trusted Aizawa. He acted a lot better than any other teacher Izuku had—literally putting his life on the line for him and his classmates—and maybe it would be better if his teacher knew about the quirk so that he could train it better. …Why didn't Izuku do this in the beginning?
Gran Torino was obviously someone All Might trusted about the quirk, so why couldn't Izuku trust Eraserhead?
"It's… kind of a long story?" Izuku ultimately decided to say.
Aizawa checked the time, then shrugged. "We got all night."
So, Izuku told him. Pretty much everything.
From the day he met All Might—skipping the 'Can I be a hero' question—to choosing Gran Torino as his internship opportunity because the hero knew about One for All. (Also because it was his only offer.)
Aizawa never interrupted him during Izuku's story, only mildly reacting to certain things. The man usually held a good poker face, so Izuku was a bit concerned about what he could have been reacting to.
"There's a lot to unpack here."
Aizawa rubbed his temple, and again, Izuku felt a little guilty at unloading all of this onto the man.
"All Might's an idiot," Aizawa said once he was done thinking. Izuku straightened, a retort on his lips, but his teacher held up a hand. "I understand he's been your mentor through this, Midoriya, but giving a child a powerful quirk with a supervillain attached to it is reckless at best."
Izuku swallowed, his throat dry. He could see what Aizawa was saying.
"Still, he… he's helped me a lot, A-Aizawa. I don't think I… I would've even gotten into UA without his help."
"Yeah, that's another thing I need to ask you about. Before the exam, you were quirkless?"
There was no judgment in his tone, surprisingly. With everything, Aizawa learning he was quirkless was what scared Izuku the most. He nodded.
"That makes a lot of sense, actually," Aizawa sighed, placing his head in his hands. "And All Might didn't think to tell me, your teacher, about this? We've been going along with your training in all the wrong ways."
"What, um, what do you mean?" Izuku asked nervously.
Aizawa lifted his head, staring straight at him. "This whole time, I thought you've been unnecessarily reckless with your quirk—which is still kind of true. I didn't know you had just gotten this quirk, Midoriya, let alone having it been passed down to you. My view was that you hadn't had proper control of it your entire life, which is, to be blunt, not a good look."
Izuku winced, looking back down at his lap. "I— All Might told me to k-keep it a secret."
"I understand that now, Midoriya. I'm not mad at you. I think I need to have some words with All Might after this."
Izuku wasn't sure if he should be scared for the hero or not.
"And for what it's worth, kid, I think you would've passed without a quirk."
His head snapped up, his eyes wide. "But… How? I w-wasn't… Even with All Might's guidance, I barely got through the exam!"
Aizawa inclined his head. "It's true, you would've had to work a lot harder to get to that point, but you still had a good amount of rescue points. It wouldn't have been impossible."
Izuku looked away, trying to discreetly wipe away building tears. Aizawa kindly didn't comment on it.
He was grateful for All Might's help, he really was—but if he had said those words to Izuku when he needed them the most, he couldn't help but think things would've turned out a lot differently.
"If I may ask, Midoriya, is that why your dad left? Because of your quirklessness?"
Aizawa worded his question carefully, but Izuku's shoulders tensed anyway. He still couldn't look him in the eye. "Yes," Izuku whispered in response. "He said… He said that he wouldn't let my, uh, 'disease' ruin his life."
"What an asshole."
Izuku spluttered, looking at Aizawa in disbelief. He only shrugged. "No father should say that about their child."
He could agree… yet the way Aizawa said it, swearing so casually in front of him, was unnerving, but kind of funny at the same time.
"So, when he said he saw you at the Sports Festival," Aizawa continued without a care, "he saw you using a quirk he didn't remember you having."
Izuku nodded in confirmation. "He actually offered to train me, if you can believe that."
"I really can't."
Izuku let out a laugh, and he swore he saw a smile on Aizawa's face. It was gone before he could process it.
The moment passed, and Izuku sighed softly. "I don't know what I'm gonna do if he's still there," he admitted quietly.
Aizawa tapped his finger on his thigh, thinking. He said, "Well, like I told you, I'll go with you to talk to him if he is. We can figure something out if he refuses to leave. Don't worry, kid. You've got a lot of people on your side here."
Izuku teared up again. The stress of the past few days and the emotional turmoil were catching up to him.
"Th-thank you, Aizawa, r-really. No one's ever—" Izuku cut himself off, swallowing a lump in his throat. He didn't finish the sentence, but it seemed like Aizawa understood what he meant all the same.
"No problem, kid. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"
Izuku shook his head. "N-no. I think that's all."
"I'm always here if you change your mind."
Aizawa stood from the couch, much to Dumpster's chagrin. He meowed offendedly and stalked off down a hallway.
"Unfortunately, the spare rooms we have are unavailable. One's an office, and the other is a mess of storage. You'll have to stay on the couch tonight," Aizawa offered.
"O-oh, that's okay! It's more than enough, really."
"I'll get you some pillows and a blanket. Be right back."
With that, Aizawa left the room. Izuku placed the now-cold tea on the coffee table, letting out a deep breath. He talked a lot today, and his throat felt a bit hoarse.
Aizawa came back with a couple of pillows, a blanket, and clothes. Izuku tilted his head at the last items.
"Your uniform most likely won't be comfortable to sleep in. These are the smallest clothes I have for you, sorry. We can put your uniform for a quick wash in the morning."
"Thank you," Izuku breathed, feeling weirdly warm inside at the action. He knew Aizawa was probably just being polite, but still… No other adult had gone to such lengths for him.
"The bathroom is just down there," Aizawa said, pointing to the hallway Dumpster walked down a few moments prior. "Our room is upstairs. If you need anything, just knock. Though try not to need anything."
Izuku would've laughed at that if he weren't stuck on the our in that sentence. Did Aizawa have a partner? He remembered another voice on the phone when he called him earlier.
He thought it would be disrespectful to ask. Even though the hero had let him stay over, that didn't make him privy to Aizawa's personal life. He would say something if he wanted to.
"Goodnight, Midoriya," Aizawa said as a parting, leaving after Izuku said Goodnight as well.
Izuku went into the bathroom to get dressed, leaving his uniform folded on the counter. Once he got to the couch, he lay down with a sigh. Despite the emotional rollercoaster of a day, he fell asleep easily.
He woke up the next morning to the smell of delicious food.
Izuku blinked his eyes open, groggily taking in the room he was in. For a moment, he didn't know where he was, until he saw Dumpster staring at him from the floor.
"Hey," Izuku whispered, reaching his hand out for the cat to sniff. He did, then nudged his head against Izuku's hand. He smiled and petted him for a bit until the cat trotted off towards the kitchen.
Izuku sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He wondered if Aizawa would let him shower here…
The blanket pooled onto his lap, and he pushed it aside to stand up. He stretched, then looked around to see if Aizawa was nearby. He could hear humming coming from the kitchen.
Izuku walked over, fully expecting to see Aizawa. It was not Aizawa.
"Morning, Listener!" Present Mic greeted with a grin on his face. Izuku stood still in the doorway, shocked.
"M-Mic-Sensei?!" Izuku gasped once he recovered his bearings.
"Yo, Midoriya! I hope you slept well?"
Izuku nodded. "I-I did."
"Good! I put your uniform in the washer and dryer for you, which should be done any moment. Feel free to refresh in the bathroom, take a shower, whatever. There's a spare toothbrush in one of the drawers. Breakfast should be ready soon!"
"O-okay. Thanks."
As Izuku was about to leave, Present Mic said, "Oh, one more thing. Please keep this a secret?" He gestured to himself and outwards, probably meaning his relationship with Aizawa.
"Of course!" Izuku was quick to agree, miming zipping his lips.
Present Mic breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Listener!"
Izuku walked out in a daze, still perplexed. He had a small suspicion that Present Mic and Aizawa were close—but not that close.
He waited for the dryer to finish before grabbing his uniform, then went into the bathroom to freshen up. Izuku walked out and almost bumped into Aizawa.
"Oh, good morning, Midoriya. How'd you sleep?" the man asked him.
Izuku smiled slightly. "R-really good!"
Suddenly, he felt a hand in his hair. Aizawa was ruffling it. "Did you even try to dry your hair?"
Izuku blushed in light embarrassment. "I-it air dries fine."
Aizawa grunted and continued walking, probably to get some coffee.
"Breakfast is ready!" Present Mic exclaimed, and Izuku hurried over to sit down at the dining table.
It felt a little surreal to be sitting at a table with both of his teachers casually eating breakfast. Izuku pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
As he ate, Izuku took breaks to rub his right hand and arm. He must've slept on it wrong.
"You should probably see Recovery Girl for some painkillers," Aizawa said, pointedly looking at where Izuku was massaging his arm.
"Oh, no, i-it's okay. It's not too bad…"
Aizawa sighed. "Midoriya, I'm not going to let you be in pain when you can easily fix it. See her first thing when we get to UA."
Izuku frowned, biting his lip. "She… She told me she wouldn't heal w-wounds related to my quirk. It's… I can deal with it, Sensei, really."
The heroes froze simultaneously. Izuku would've found it funny if he hadn't been confused by their reactions.
They shared a look, and Aizawa looked infinitely more tired. "She said that?"
Izuku nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. After my surgery."
Aizawa rubbed the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath. He said aloud, "You're going, Midoriya. I'll come with you. Looks like I'll have some words with her as well."
It didn't seem like the man would tolerate any objections, so Izuku only nodded and went back to eating. The atmosphere was a bit tense, but it didn't seem like they were mad at him, so Izuku tried not to worry about it.
"Ready, kid?" Aizawa asked once he finished eating. Izuku nodded, and they got up, each putting their dishes in the sink. He grabbed his backpack and put on his shoes, ready to go.
Thankfully, they got to UA early enough that none of his classmates saw him arrive with Aizawa and Present Mic. They stopped by Recovery Girl like Aizawa said, though he stayed behind when Izuku left to go to class once he was done. He wondered if those 'words' were being had now.
Izuku tried hard to pay attention in class, but his focus kept drifting. He continuously wondered if Hisashi was still home, or if his mother would ever text him. Was she really not worried that he didn't come back inside the apartment?
"Midoriya, stay back, will you?" Aizawa's voice shook him out of his reverie. Was the day over already?
Some of his friends sent him concerned glances, but Izuku waved them off with a shaky smile, indicating he'd be okay.
Once the classroom was empty besides them, Aizawa walked around his desk. "Still no message from your mom?" the man asked.
"No…" Izuku sighed sadly.
"Hm. Alright. I just need to grab my things from the lounge, then we can go."
Izuku nodded and followed Aizawa to what looked like the staff room. He waited outside patiently for him and probably Present Mic to get their things.
"Young Midoriya!"
Izuku startled and looked over to see All Might coming down the hallway towards him.
"H-hi, All Might!"
"Aren't you supposed to be going home by now? You'll miss your train, my boy!" All Might asked with a pinch of concern in his brow.
"A-actually, Aizawa-Sensei is taking m-me home."
All Might tilted his head in confusion. "Why—?"
"All Might."
Aizawa's voice came from behind him, startling Izuku again.
I should really work on my spatial awareness… Izuku thought.
"Eraserhead! I hear you're taking Midoriya home? May I ask why? Is something wrong?" All Might rushed to ask.
"There is. But not something we can discuss now."
"I'm sorry? What do you mean?"
Aizawa crossed his arms over his chest, giving All Might a narrow-eyed stare. Izuku could feel sweat beading on his forehead.
"Uh, w-why don't we t-talk later?" Izuku asked, chuckling nervously. "I-I really should get home…"
Aizawa sighed and uncrossed his arms, not giving the number one hero a death glare anymore. "You're right. C'mon, kid."
He started walking down the hallway, Mic close behind. Izuku didn't realize the other hero was listening. All Might still seemed terribly confused.
"Um, s-see you tomorrow?" Izuku said to All Might, waving and scrambling to catch up to the other two heroes.
"How was your day, Listener?" Mic asked him once they got into the car.
Izuku buckled himself in before answering, "I-it was alright! I admit I… Um, I was a little distracted today… Sorry, Senseis."
He was sure they caught onto his drifting focus, though luckily for him, neither called him out on it.
"Mm. Usually, I would give a lecture on how paying attention is crucial for heroes, but I'll let you off just this once," Aizawa remarked.
"Ah, r-right."
"Shou," Mic admonished playfully, nudging him. "Be nice."
Izuku stifled a laugh and looked out the window. The closer they got to his apartment, the more nervous he felt.
Aizawa drove into the parking lot of his apartment that time instead of parking on the street. He turned to look at Izuku in the backseat.
"Do you want me to go in with you?" Aizawa asked.
Izuku shook his head. "I-I'll go in. If he's there or… Or I need help, I'll call you."
"Okay. We'll be here."
He felt slightly better at Aizawa's reassurance.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Izuku got out of the car and went up to his apartment. He took a few deep breaths before using his key to go inside.
Izuku opened the door slowly, trying to see if he could hear any indication that Hisashi was still inside. He slipped off his shoes and walked further into the apartment.
"Mom?" Izuku called out tentatively.
"I'm in here, Izuku."
Happy to hear her voice and not Hisashi's, Izuku hurried over to the kitchen, where she was sitting at the table, a cup of tea between her hands. She looked tired.
"Mom… Um, where's His— Uh, Dad?"
Inko sighed and took a sip of her tea, then said, "Gone. I told him to figure out things on his own."
Izuku's eyebrows raised in shock. "Gone? You… You really told him to leave?"
His mom offered a small smile, then gestured for him to sit. He did. "I was thinking about the things you said to him, and you were right about a lot, Izuku. I was too blinded by his false niceties that I forgot how he affected us when he left. I'm sorry… You must've thought I was taking his side."
Izuku fiddled with his hands, unsure how to feel. "Then how come you… Why didn't you ask if I was okay? You let me leave for a whole night."
"I knew you needed your space. I admit I should've at least checked in on you, but I assumed you had somewhere to go."
It wasn't what Izuku was expecting to hear. He decided to leave it alone to think about later.
"So he's gone… Just like that?"
Inko nodded. "He is," she confirmed. After a moment, she frowned. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
It is what he wanted. Hisashi would've ruined their routine and made it uncomfortable to live in his own home. But… Something about the man leaving so easily, without fighting to be a part of their family, left a bitter taste in Izuku's mouth.
"Yeah, yeah. It is. I'm still a little out of it, I guess. He really surprised me yesterday," Izuku managed to say.
"Me too, honey. Are you hungry? I can make an early dinner."
Izuku nodded, still feeling a bit dazed. "Um, yeah. I-I'll be right back."
His mom seemed confused, but ultimately left him to do what he needed.
After putting his shoes back on, he quickly went down so he could tell Aizawa and Mic that everything was okay. At least, that was his plan.
As soon as he got outside, tears were building in his eyes, much to his mortification. When he walked closer to Aizawa's car, the man must've noticed. He quickly got out and strode up to him. "What happened? Is he still inside?"
"N-no," Izuku said, his voice wobbly. "He— He left."
"Oh." Aizawa paused, unsure of what to do. Izuku could tell the man was trying to comprehend why Izuku was upset while simultaneously being confused. "Isn't that… good?"
Izuku shrugged, some tears dripping down his cheeks. "Yes? I… I don't know. He left… again…" His voice trailed off at the end, not sure how to explain why he felt so conflicted.
"Ah." Aizawa seemed to understand then. He ushered the boy closer, and Aizawa… hugged him? "It's perfectly okay to be upset about it, Midoriya. Even if you wanted him to leave."
The words unlocked something within him, and Izuku started to cry. He returned the hug, even if it felt a bit awkward at first. It turned out to be remarkably comforting.
Aizawa didn't say anything, even as Izuku got his shirt wet from his tears. He eventually pulled away when he calmed down. "S-sorry…" Izuku apologized.
"Don't worry about it, Problem Child," Aizawa assured and patted his head. "Your father may have left, but you have a lot of other people who are willing to look out for and care for you. Don't forget that."
Izuku nodded, feeling a bit reinvigorated. "Th-thanks. Um… Are you still going to talk to All Might?"
"Absolutely," Aizawa said with no hesitation. "He won't be getting out of that."
"O-oh, okay," Izuku let out a nervous laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Sensei?"
Aizawa tilted his head down in confirmation. "I'll see you tomorrow. Remember, you can call me if you need anything."
The two said goodbye, and Izuku waved to Mic in the passenger's seat. He waited until the heroes drove off to go back up to his apartment.
Despite the rocky start, Izuku felt that he could breathe a little easier the rest of the day. He wasn't alone anymore.