Tsukauchi's POV
He watched in amusement as Izuku prowled around the apartment. He had been circling the couch for the better part of half an hour now. Yagi was understandably nervous about the wolf that had pounced on him. Naomasa knew he should have called his friend to warn him but that reaction was priceless. It would be a memory he cherish forever.
Naomasa said as he made them tea, "Not that I'm not happy to see you Yagi but I have to know. What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in Tokyo until the end of the month."
Yagi looked sheepish as he replied, "The case I was working on finished earlier than expected. So I thought I would drop by for a visit. I didnt expect to be run over by your new pet."
Naomasa saw the way Izuku's lips curled in a silent snarl. He had to nip this in the bud before Yagi said something he couldnt take back. Or something that couldnt be excused due to ignorance. His friend was a kind man but he was ignorant of a lot of things.
He said trying to avoid the confrontation that was brewing, "Yagi he is not a pet. In fact he is human who is more comfortable in this form. His name is Izuku Midoriya. To keep from getting bit, use his name."
Izuku glanced back at him. His bright green eyes carefully considering him. Naomasa tried to give him a reassuring smile. All he got was a head turn in response.
Naomasa continued after a moment, "Yagi just try and be cordial with him. Izuku unless he hurts you dont bite him."
There was a silent huff from the boy before he left the room. Well that was one way to get Izuku to leave. He wondered if he would be angry with Naomasa later. Hopefully not.
Yagi asked watching Izuku leave, "How did you meet him? Why didnt you tell me you adopted a child?"
"I havent adopted him," answered Naomasa honestly, "Right now I have emergency custody over him. Tsuragamae and Sansa are helping me build a case."
"An abuse case?"
"Not by the foster parents but their kid is hurting him," admitted Naomasa, "Its more than just a childhood rivalry. Izuku has a lot of scars and I'm sure he is hiding more than the few I've seen."
Yagi whispered, "Poor child. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
As much as he would like his friend's help there wasnt much to be done right now. If it went to court then he would need character witnesses. He and Yagi had been friends for years almost as soon as he joined the force as a detective. Most people didnt know about their friendship. If it ever got out to the news outlets he knew he would hounded for information. For now they had things under control. He just needed time to earn Izuku's trust.
At the kid's age who he wanted to stay with would have a lot of weight in court. So if Izuku wanted to stay with him and he could prove it wasn't at his current residence then he most likely would get custody. Custody was the goal. Adoption that would come if Izuku wanted it. He wouldn't force the issue however.
For now he shook his head and replied, "At the moment there is nothing you can do, Yagi. If it goes to court I will probably need you as a character witness."
Yagi said with a nod, "I can do that for you. Do you have any plans for tonight?"
Naomasa shook his head as he said, "Not really. I was hoping to let Izuku relax after spending the day at the station."
With that said they fell into a comfortable conversation. Naomasa worked on dinner for the three of them. For Izuku it would be more chicken and rice. Easy on his stomach and would help him gain weight. For him and Yagi it would be spaghetti and beef.
Unsurprisingly Izuku did not come out of Naomasa's room. Instead he left the bowl of chicken and rice at the door. While he and Yagi were eating Izuku somehow had taken the ble without them noticing. It was empty when he went go check on the boy later.
When he poked his head into the room Izuku was asleep on the bed. He was curled up with his tail right up against his nose. Naomasa decided against distrubing him and headed back for his dinner with Yagi.
The two men stayed up well into the evening talking about different things. It wasnt until almost 2 am that Naomasa crawled into bed. As he settled a warm weiv he curled into his side. He curled an arm around the boy swearing that he would get a room set up for him tomorrow. His office was pretty much cleaned up to the point where it wouldnt be too difficult to put a bed in there.
The next morning he woke up to the scents of breakfast. It was still warm from where Izuku had laid down so he couldnt have been gone for long. Stretching he made his way into the living room and then the kitchen.
Izuku stood in front of the stove with a look of concentration on his face. Eggs were scrambled in the pan and it didnt smell as if they were burning. Izuku turned to face him a hand raised in greeting. Then green eyes found where his shirt had been pulled down from his shoulder.
Naomasa saw that his soulmark was revealed. It was a green wolf laying on the stomach of a black bear. In the background it was almost like a starry sky. The mark had appeared right above his heart.
Why was he... oh there was only one wolf he had come across much less a green one. So this child was his soulmate. It wouldnt be the most ridiculous age difference he had ever heard of. Naomasa was 27 years old making him 13 years old than Izuku.
As long as it was consensual then there wasnt a problem in the eyes of the law. He had no intentions of forcing any issues. Soulmates werent meant to start a romantic relationship right away. . The boy was still very much a child and he just wanted to look after him. There wasn't any other feelings there.
Naomasa asked wanting to be sure, "Do you have the same mark?"
Izuku raised a shaking hand to pull down his shirt collar. Sure enough the boy had the exact same mark over his shoulder. His breath caught in his throat at the sight.
Slowly he moved closer to the child and pulled him into a hug. Naomasa said in a low whisper, "I honestly never thought I would meet my soulmate. Nothing will happen for awhile. You're too young and we dont know anything about each other. This will however will make it easier for me to get permanent custody of you."
Izuku pushed back slightly so that he could sign, 'Permanent custody? I thought you were just allowing me to heal. Then you would return me to the Bakugo's.'
"No! You're not going back to them," Naomasa barked.
Immediately Naomasa regretted the bark as Izuku flinched away from him. Right no yelling around the child. Even if he was surprised he had to keep calm.
He whispered quietly, "I'm sorry for yelling. I was just surprised by the statement. You are not going back to the Bakugo's. I know what the youngest has done to you. You're not safe there."
Izuku signed, 'I can stay with them. No one else really cares about what happens to me. They dont know anything about my wolf side.'
Naomasa denied, "No you're not safe there. I do care about what happens to you. I want you to be happy and healthy. Which is why after we eat our breakfast we will be going to the store for clothes and stuff for your room."
'My room?'
Naomasa smiled softly as he replied, "The office. It was originally my office but I dont mind turning it back into a bedroom. My extra work can be done at the table."
'Are you sure?'
"Yes, kiddo," he said.
An hour later they were fed and ready to go. Izuku was wearing one of his sweatshirts with the pants he wore to sleep. They were baggy on him but at least he wouldn't have to worry about tripping on the pants. Naomasa changed into a black long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans and his trenchcoat. Given the time of year, no one would think twice about it.
That reminded him, Izuku was going to need a jacket. The fur of his wolf form would keep him warm but his human self needed warmth. So he would have to find a jacket.
They took a train to the shopping district. The first place he took Izuku was a mattress store. At first, his young soulmate tried to choose the cheapest mattress. It wasnt until Naomasa moved towards the more expensive mattresses did he accept that cheap wasnt the way he would go.
They ended up compromising on a mid-range priced mattress. It was soft and made out of memory foam. They set it up that it would be delivered to his apartment tomorrow.
From there they went to a clothes shop. Compromises once more had to be made. Izuku seemed to favor the color black more than anything else. They picked out long and short-sleeved shirts that were in black, grey, and grey. The color scheme reminded him of Eraserhead. If he didn't know better he would say the kid spent time with the Pro Hero. From there they moved towards the jackets.
He watched his soulmate from the corner of his eye. The boy was standing by a rack of jackets. The jackets themselves had bunny ears as hoods. If he remembered correctly they were part of a new anime's merchandise. Izuku seemed to be favoring a one green jacket. Until he saw the price tag and immediately moved to another rack.
Naomasa moved to check the price for himself. It was a tad expensive more than he would normally pay for a jacket but the quality was good. So he stuck it under the shirts they had chosen. He would give it to Izuku as a present. The kid didnt seem like he ever had one before. So this would be a start.
He smiled faintly when he saw Izuku come back with a warm looking black coat. It was a few sizes too big but Naomasa would make sure he grew into it. While he was buying the shirts and jackets he sent Izuku along to find jeans. It would take slightly longer than the previous two since he wasnt sure what size the boy was.
Or so he thought. By the time Naomasa had made his way to the jeans Izuku already had four pairs. He cautiously held out each pair for inspection. He barely withheld a sigh as he checked them and their prices. They were all at appropriate prices and of good quality. An approving smile crossed his face. It was tentatively returned by the kid.
Their second to last stop was the toy store. It had taken quite a bit of convincing for Naomasa to get the boy to agree. He insisted that he wasn't a child. He denied that and reminded the boy of his age. That he wanted to make the boy's life better. So with some grumbling the boy had entered the store.
For his part, Naomasa watched him carefully as Izuku moved about the store. He was careful to avoid the children running about. There was no small amount of annoyance in his body language. Too many children and unfamiliar scents. Maybe this wasnt the greatest idea. For now he could only watch and wait.
As he walked through the back aisles he found something of interest. A pair of golden goggles made out of plastic. They were just like the ones that Eraserhe wore. Eraserhead wasn't a well-known hero and his merchandise was rare. To find it here was a surprise but a welcome one. He picked it up with slight trepidation. Would Aizawa really allow him to have it? It would be obvious who he was favored by if he did.
"Did you find anything?" Queried Naomasa startling the boy.
Turning he found Naomasa standing there. One hand in his pocket and a relaxed stance that made Izuku mirror. Onyx eyes widened with surprise at the sight of the goggles.
Naomasa questioned, "You know Eraserhead?'
Izuku signed, 'Hes my favorite hero. Though he isnt well known to the public he basically fights quirkless. It's a symbol of hope for people like me.'
The bookstore was their last stop and had far fewer people and was easier on his senses. Though his stomach still rolled whenever he moved too fast. Reading was one of his favorite pastimes. The library is a safe haven when he hiding from Bakugo. While smart the boy wasnt one to visit the library willingly.
Izuku chose a few advanced mathematics books, two fantasy, and a book on English. They would keep him occupied for a time. He was always learning about something new when he had the time. Fantasy and comic books were his hidden pleasure. They captivated his interest in ways that nothing else could.
Naomasa was happy the kid had such a love for books. Their age was that of technology. Not many people liked books in this way. He was looking forward to learning about this child.