It hadn't taken long for Izuku to reach the tree line and Izuku was slightly glad because he was worried he was going to start boring little Kaoru with his rambling " Oh, I'm sorry for not asking earlier but what were you doing in the forest Kaoru-Kun?" Izuku inquired, the boy might have some resistance to the cold from his quirk, but Izuku doubted any half-decent parent would just let their kid run around without shoes.
And he would know considering how many "questionable" parents he's come to know in his work in red-lights, Kaoru buried his face in Izuku's shoulder " I was on a class field trip." He answered " A field trip huh, let's go find your group then. Your teacher must be worried after you disappeared." Izuku responded as he reached the other end of the clearing.
Kaoru didn't say anything in reply but Izuku's attention was caught by one of his many rabbit-quirked people following him, Izuku normally didn't interact with the Vespas outside of when the younger Vespas joined his lessons, but the woman would no doubt either know where Kaoru's class was or could at least help him find them.
" Excuse me, miss." Izuku called out moving to meet the woman halfway, the woman had already seemed to be looking for him so he hadn't needed to do much to get her attention " You doing alright Deku-Sensei?" She asked skipping formalities and she seemed just as concerned with the child he was carrying.
" Yeah, a bit cold but I'm more concerned about getting him back to his class, have you heard anything about that?" Izuku questioned walking along with the woman, one of her ears flicked as she hummed back " Might've heard the group you're looking for earlier but didn't hear anything about a missing kid." She commented and that made Izuku frown.
As much as he adored children he wasn't naive to how mean kids could be, his time in school was an excellent example of how cruel people could be regardless of age, and considering how Kaoru was when he found him and the lack of concern was painting an unfortunate picture for him.
" Well, that sounds like a great place to start, mind leading the way?" He requested " Not at all, Deku-Sensei." She replied leading him away, Kaoru hadn't spoken much though Izuku still tried to keep an eye on him and help him stay calm so he didn't accidentally trigger his quirk again.
Izuku couldn't say that his unease went away when he did find Kaoru's class, the two women he believed to be supervising the trip weren't as worried as he expected considering they had a child missing for half an hour at least, how could they be so calm? Kaoru was not an easy child to overlook or lose in the winter with his mutations.
He glanced at his Lepus companion and she looked at the group before returning his gaze with a raised eyebrow, Izuku nodded then the two approached the group of around eleven " Hello! Ma'am, are you missing one of your kids?" He questioned getting just about everyone's attention, the women both seemed to jump when he spoke and turned towards him abruptly.
" Oh no, not at all." The first woman assured with a dismissive wave of her hand " So Kaoru-Kun here isn't one of your kids?" Izuku pressed one of his hands coming up to ruff Kaoru's hair, in an instant both women paled " W-wha...?" The other said turning around to check the kids, the first woman quickly walked over to Izuku an apology slipping from her lips " I'm so sorry, I don't know how he could've gotten away from us. I hope he hasn't caused you that much trouble."
The woman held her arms out as if she expected Izuku to just hand the boy over to her, he just gave her a tight-lipped smile back and softly tightened his hold on Kaoru " One of you has the number for Kaoru-Kun's guardians right?" He asked, his voice purposely kept neutral not wanting to accidentally upset Kaoru.
Kids were easily affected when adults started arguing and Kaoru was already gripping his jacket, Izuku did not doubt that Kaoru wanted to be swallowed up by the ground from how he tried to make himself as small as possible in Izuku's arms " W- What, why? This isn't the first time Ito-San has run off before and I can assure you that his mother will be informed of this once she comes to collect him." The woman responded.
Izuku did not like the way the woman said that and he could now feel Kaoru's claws digging into his sides, as sharp as his little claws were they were hardly painfully enough to phase him and he didn't so much as flinch " Well I'm sure she'd like to know about Kaoru-Kun's new quirk development right away, don't you think?" He sweetly replied with his head tilted and his hand going back to playing with Kaoru's hair to distract him.
" Q-quirk development?!" She sputtered and Izuku grinned back at her " I know, only a fifth of mutation quirk develop special abilities! So we need to call his mom now so I can help her take the proper steps to help little Kaoru-Kun." He gleefully told her " So if you would so kindly tell me Kaoru-Kun's mother's number?" Izuku prompted slightly readjusting his hold on Kaoru so the boy would be more comfortable.
The flustered woman balked and fumbled over her words to the point Izuku could only make out syllables " Well, ma'am if you can't give me her number I'm sure we are more than capable of finding Kaoru-Kun's mom ourselves, I'm sure a smart boy like Kaoru-Kun can remember where he lives." Izuku interrupted and quickly turned his back on the woman.
The second woman backtracked hard and prattled off the mother's number, Izuku smiled nodded back at her, and continued to leave ignoring both women's protests, honestly if he didn't have Kaoru in his arms or a Vespa by his side Izuku was sure he would have crumbled in front of them, however, the way Kaoru relaxed in his hold as soon as they left was enough to crush any doubts Izuku had about his actions.
" Those women aren't very nice to you, are they Kaoru-Kun?" Izuku asked and the boy nodded " Not really... " he muttered into his shoulder, Izuku raised Kaoru higher up and encouraged him to wrap his arms around his neck, which the boy hesitantly did before returning his face to Izuku's shoulder " I'll have to mention that to your mom when we discuss your lessons." Izuku mused.
Kaoru raised his head and blinked " M-my what?" He questioned staring up at the greenette confused, Izuku nodded with a soft hum " Of course if I'm going to help you learn to use your quirk I need to talk to your mom about how to go about it." Izuku responded and Kaoru gapped at him. " You're going to help me? Just like that?" He asked shocked.
Izuku just smiled back at the boy " Uh-huh, your quirk is going to need a lot of work so you'll need all the help you can get Kaoru-Kun, I'll only be here Saturdays but you and your mom will be able to call me if anything happens." He answered simply enough leaving the boy speechless, Izuku then focused on calling up Kaoru's mom and explaining the events of the last hour.
Meeting Kaoru's mom was thankfully uneventful and she was rightfully furious when he explained the supervisors' lackluster actions, Izuku was also glad that Kaoru's mental quirk wasn't some random evolution and she'd get him help from his grandparents, he still offered to help when he was in Heiwa and he was able to get permission once he told her about his degree.
Izuku made his goodbyes to the two after working out when he'd come by and sneakily patching up the cuts from Kaoru's claws in their bathroom, he went on to finish his rounds in the districts of Heiwa before making his way to the docks, Izuku knew he was behind his schedule by over an hour but he held out hope that he just might make it to the last ferry before it leaves.
However, upon reaching the closed terminal that hope was dashed and he sighed, Izuku sat himself down on a bench and opened his phone to search for a hotel for the night while calculating how to get home as fast as possible once he takes the first ferry in the morning, he was about to book a room when a voice called out from behind him " Мидория?"
Izuku squeaked jumping to his feet and taser in hand as he whirled around towards who spoke, upon seeing the familiar tall pale figure his shoulders slumped and he lowered his taser " Oh God... Yuri-San what are you doing here?" Izuku asked putting away his weapon " I had business in Hakodate and thought I might be able to catch you before you left." He answered and Izuku found that to be a reasonable explanation considering his "job".
" But when Valentine informed me you missed the last boat... I became worried." He explained concern lacing his tone " Oh, that. I got caught up helping a boy that discovered his quirk and well... " Izuku replied gesturing to nothing particular " I see," Yuri-San said walking around the bench to stand beside him " Would you perhaps like to join me on my boat back to Aomori then?" He softly offered his hands behind his back.
Izuku blinked and brought his hand to his chin as he pondered the option and whether or not he trusted the Russian enough to take a cruise with him, jumping onto a mobster's vehicle for an undetermined amount of time shouldn't be so tempting, but if he was being honest Yuri-San has had plenty of opportunities to get rid of him if he wanted to.
Izuku put his phone away and told Yuri-San " Yeah, that sounds okay. Lead the way, Yuri-San." Then he followed the man to a ship that was easily fifteen meters in length " Yuri-San, that's not a boat... That's a yacht." Izuku pointed out, the man shrugged with one shoulder " Yacht, boat, they both float. And commercial vessels aren't quite, made for people such as myself." Yuri-San replied brushing it off.
Well Izuku couldn't argue with that, Yuri-San's quirk aside he was an easy nine and a half feet and he had the money to pay for the comfort of not ducking his head to enter, so he just nodded and followed him on board " Come, I'm sure you've yet to have dinner, we can eat in the cabin Мидория." Yuri-San said hand hovering behind Izuku's back.
Izuku was going to turn him down but the rumbling of his stomach betrayed him " T-that would be great Yuri-San." He responded both resigned and a touch embarrassed at his own body outing him, letting the man guide him below deck and sitting beside Yuri-San, well he was within two feet of the man which was the closest he managed so far so Izuku counted it as a win.
Yuri-San was presumably texting whoever was making them food, he rarely paid attention to anything other than Izuku when the boy was around which was always something that made Izuku feel... off for lack of a better word, Izuku never specifically felt unsafe around Yuri-San but anyone that had a clear interest and focus in him in particular always set off alarms in his head.
" Yuri-San," he said getting the man's attention " Yes, Мидория?" Yuri-San responded turning to him " What do you want from me?" Izuku asked in a rare moment of brazenness making Yuri-San blink staring at him in what Izuku believed was confusion " Pardon?" He questioned and Izuku ducked his head rubbing the back of his neck, Izuku generally glossed over this looming feeling but the closer they seemed to get made it all the more glaring for him.
And maybe it was a side effect of the years of bullying and isolation but the idea of anyone wanting to be around him was something he just couldn't understand. His mom the Bakugous were family and families were supposed to love each other, the people in the red-light districts tolerated him because they had a mostly symbiotic relationship, where he helps them and they let him do what he needs to so he can help.
But he couldn't think of anything that Yuri-San could possibly gain from associating with him, Izuku himself hadn't been that close to Anya-San and Yukiko-Chan so Izuku couldn't blame it on that, and with how well informed Yuri-San was he severely doubted the man wanted Izuku to teach him anything. Yuri-San simply had a hundred different resources he could blatantly take advantage of and an international "enterprise" to run so he seriously doubted Yuri-San had the time to waste entertaining some kid.
" You've got a lot of things to do so why do you, hang out with me?" Izuku rephrased his question " Do I need a reason?" Yuri-San asked and Izuku felt one of his eyes twitch at his deflection " Yes!" He exclaimed, " People don't just... talk to me 'Just because'!" Izuku countered feeling that it was a valid argument, Yuri-San did not agree with that sentiment.
Yuri-San face twisted in an emotion Izuku couldn't quite identify as he exhaled and leaned back into his seat more lightly rubbing his forehead " Мидория, for all I am... I'm still as human as you are." He told the greenette " And for as long as I've been around most of my life hasn't always been so... Kind to me," he confessed getting a distant look in his eyes before his eyes focused on him again.
Yuri-San huffed " I can confidently say the last fifty or so years has mostly been the best of my life, because I've never had anyone I could consider as... family before." He further admitted being oddly vulnerable with Izuku, which made Izuku unsure of how to feel.
On one hand, he wanted to comfort Yuri-San regardless of the risk of frostbite but on the other hand, Izuku wanted to question why Yuri-San would share such personal information with him, friends or not they were simply not at the point of revealing things like that.
" And personally Мидория... I'm not ready to let go of that feeling, and while we're not blood... After everything you've done for my child and my little вну́чка, I do consider you something like family." Yuri-San said leaning forward his elbows on his knees, Izuku's heart stopped and his mind stalled.
His chest was uncomfortably tight from the idea, Izuku had come to terms with Yuri-San being his "friend" but the man actually having some kind of attachment to him? That straight-up did not compute in his mind, it was even kind of scary... And not because of Yuri-San's job.
If Izuku still had a serious problem with that Izuku would have tried to cut ties as politely as he could months ago, no it was just the fact that someone outside of family genuinely liked him enough to want him around. Izuku also found himself heavily questioning himself because this had come completely out of left field in his perspective, normal people don't declare others family for no reason.
Izuku was even about to fall into a downward spiral of whether or not he needed to completely revaluate all of his relationships with, well everyone when an icy cold hand brought him out of his thoughts, Yuri-San had removed his hand only a few seconds later but it certainly long enough to leave Izuku rattled.
" I understand that you do not think of me that way Мидория and that is fine, I am still mostly a stranger to you and it would be very presumptuous of me to just insert myself into your life." Yuri-San calmly told him which was oddly reassuring, mainly in the fact he wouldn't be expected to play "house" with Yuri-San.
" I also understand this information might make you uncomfortable and that you probably don't want to keep seeing me." he added sympathetically but Izuku despite his inner turmoil rejected the idea, Yuri-San, regardless of his career choices was someone who Izuku had come to think of as a good friend.
He understood not wanting to let go of a good friend, his rapidly deteriorating relationship with Kacchan was an excellent example of his inability to let go of people, so perhaps that is why Izuku was about to entertain the devil's advocate option and quietly asked " W-what if I did? Have a r-reason?"
Yuri-San's eyes locked on Izuku " What kind of reason?" He questioned eyes narrowed and Izuku awkwardly twiddled his thumbs " Well... Like i-if we had a deal? I come to s-see you and you teach me m-more Russian?" Izuku tentatively suggested, mentally fumbling as he was the one taking charge for once, well other than seeking out the Urarakas it probably was.
Yuri-San stared at him making him doubt himself " Is that what you want Мидория?" He pressed and Izuku timidly nodded making him raise his brow " I-I'm certain Yuri-San." Izuku assured his hand going to rub some heat friction into the joint to counter Yuri-San's lingering chill, it didn't work but it never hurts to try.
Yuri-San brought his hand up to point at Izuku's affected shoulder and twirled it somehow drawing the cold out of his body condensing it to a small marble of ice, Izuku watched on transfixed having never seen Yuri-San use his quirk like that before " I believe we have a deal then Мидория." Yuri-San said dropping the shiny little marble into Izuku's hands.
Izuku shakily nodded before turning his eyes to the marble and he examined it in utter fascination, his concerns over his friendship with Yuri-San weren't completely nullified, but he wasn't quite in the right frame of mind to process the full implications of this development.
So for now he would just go with the flow and wondered if he'd be able to get the marble home before it melted.
Мидория
Midoriya