"I don't want to go!" Midoriya screamed, squeezing All Might's pant leg. Tears were forming in the corners of his green eyes.
Aizawa sighed, looking at All Might for help. He really wasn't good with kids.
"Hey, little guy", All Might spoke in a quiet voice, shielding the boy from the two others with his body, "What's wrong? Why did you shout to the nice lady?"
"Cause she is mean!" Midoriya sniffed.
"Why is she mean?"
"She is a police!" the boy screamed, burying his face to All Might's chest. Aizawa had broken his trust. He would never talk to the man ever again. He didn't like this surprise at all.
"All she wants is to ask you a couple questions. You don't need to answer if you don't want to", All Might pet Deku's hair, "I'll be right with you. Come on, let's go inside."
The boy whined loudly but let the man lead him inside the brick building. All Might had to carry the boy to the interrogation room as he refused to take another step. He was like glued to the place.
Aizawa and the police officer lead the two into the room, the woman leaving them together. She'd have to go fetch some papers and such. She also wanted to give the boy some time to calm down and get used to the new surroundings.
It was clear that Midoriya was upset, fearful even. His body was rigid and his eyes huge. He kept close to All Might, only sparing a couple quick glances around the room.
Aizawa was uncomfortable. It was clear that the boy hated him now. He didn't even want to look his way.
"It's alright. Look. Look at all the toys", All Might tried to coax Midoriya off of his lap. He might as well have spoken to a rock, telling it to grow legs and run. The boy didn't move.
"I'll go talk with the officer", Aizawa finally decided. He was of no help in the room.
The raven head left the room, closing the door behind him with a small click.
"He won't talk with me", the female officer massaged her temples, "I don't want to make him. I don't want to cause any trauma. He hates us as it is."
"I'm sorry. I thought that this would work", Aizawa agreed. They were sitting behind a one way mirror. They could see what was going on in the interrogation room.
The room was fit for children. It looked nothing like the other rooms in the office. The table and chairs were sized for the smaller customers and painted colorful. There were also bean bags and pillows on the floor, which was covered with a playmat. It showed the city. A treasure chest of toys sat next to a wall by the mirror.
"No. I'm the one sorry here", the officer made some notes. She was reading the boy's behavior. Having had the training to become a child psychologist, she could make some conclusions based on the boy's body language and behavior. Of course, she would've liked to speak with him face to face but this would have to do for now.
"Have you contacted the Child Protective Services for any information on the family?" Aizawa asked the officer. They watched as Midoriya slowly begun to calm down.
"I have. That's the disappointing part. There is absolutely no proof of anything serious enough to investigate", the woman looked disappointed. She really would've wanted to help.
"The house looks bad, but is nothing too serious. It is to be expected of this area. We have suggested fixing the front door as it looks like it'll fall off. The father is a polite man. And although he can't share with us what he does for a living, he has showed us that he has the finances to take care of his family. The boy is small for his age. There are some injuries associated with playing. The father has told us that the boy is rather clumsy and often comes home with injuries. When asked about the abuse claims, the boy remains adamant that his father would never do such things. We will return again next month to see if there has been any change", the officer read the report she had received.
"It's bullshit!" Aizawa hit a wall. What were the officers doing? Were they blind?
"Have you visited the home?"
"No. Not yet."
"You know we can't do much at this state. We could always examine the boy for any injuries and use that as evidence. We'd need authorization for the search warrant."
"Just give us some time. We'll get the evidence needed", Aizawa ran a hand over his face. It was frustrating. He was a hero yet he couldn't do anything to help.
"I'll talk with my superiors. I'll call you tonight. We need a plan."
"I don't like this surprise", Midoriya mumbled. He was still sitting on All Might's lap. He had the new toys out and was playing with them quietly.
"I know", All Might nodded, "You know Aizawa just wanted to help."
Deku nodded slowly. He understood but couldn't appreciate it all.
The Midoriya family's hatred for the police was rooted deep. A single act of kindness wasn't enough to change that. You'd need much more than that.
The little boy had actually suffered in the hands of the police in the past. At least that was what his father had made him believe. It was partly true though. Midoriya really had suffered because of the police's decisions.
Hisashi Midoriya had been caught once. He had been robbing a jewelry store when a group of cops had burst in and caught him. Apparently they had gotten an anonymous tip and decided to act. Hisashi had been held at gunpoint. Using his Quirk in a small, closed space wouldn't have been wise so he surrendered. Not without punching one of the officers though. The old man was hopefully still missing his front teeth.
Hisahsi could breathe fire, but he wasn't immune to it. He had burn marks from his failed experiments as a kid. Well, his old friends had gotten the worst of it.
The man had gotten off easy. He had some information of other Villains that he traded off for a shortened sentence. No hard feelings. He still stayed in for three months though.
The officers hadn't gotten the information about the boy, so nothing was done to make sure that the then three-year-old Midoriya Izuku was safe. The child was basically abandoned for the three months, left to fend for himself in the messy apartment.
Midoriya had always been independent for his age but couldn't survive on his own. He hadn't had a source of fresh food in the house and the couple coins he had found around the house hadn't been enough for anything.
He had been alone for around two and a half weeks when Kurogiri and Shigaraki had visited. They had noticed that their regular hadn't showed up in quite some time. They had wanted to know if something had happened to the man.
They had found little Deku sitting on the living room floor, eating a piece of moldy pizza. His clothes were soiled and the boy was emaciated. His collarbones looked like they could burst free from inside the greyish skin anytime.
Needless to say, the two had taken the boy back with them. They gave him a bath and fed him a proper meal. Midoriya stayed with them until his father came to pick him up after the three months.
The man hadn't been happy when he arrived to pick up Midoriya from the bar. His son had been a burden to someone else when he hadn't been around.
The boy had limped for weeks after the beating he had got back home.
Aizawa joined the two in the interrogation room. He looked visibly deflated.
The two adults shared a knowing look. Though this didn't work, it didn't mean that the war was over. They'd just have to try another approach. Justice would prevail.
Midoriya had fallen asleep at some point, still on All Might's lap. He was hugging the new toys like they were the softest stuffed animals in the world. They weren't.
"She'll check out some things and call me later", Aizawa explained as he sat next to the other hero, "Sorry about this. He looked so happy when you arrived."
"It's alright", All Might smiled sadly, "You just wanted to help. Midoriya knows that too."
"Thanks."
They stayed still and quiet until the boy showed signs of waking up. Only talking in hushed whispers if they had to.
Midoriya stretched his arms up in the air before bringing them to his face and rubbing it. He looked like a little kitten. A fluffy kitten. The little sounds he was making were also absolutely adorable.
The day had tired him much more than the two had expected. This was his second nap of the day.
All Might didn't mind. He had read from somewhere that children needed a lot of sleep and that naps were healthy for them. If Midoriya wanted to, he could sleep whenever he wanted to. All Might would take the job of a bed anywhere.
"Hello again", All Might took a napkin and wiped drool off of the boy's cheek where it had stuck to.
It took a minute or two more until Deku was fully awake. He seemed keen on leaving the place when he did. He wouldn't stay in this room even a minute more.
"Midoriya", Aizawa carefully crouched in front of the boy, "I'm sorry. I really am."
The boy faltered for a while before putting his hand onto the man's raven hair and petting it a couple times. Aizawa was forgiven. No words needed. Midoriya knew that he had only wanted to help.
"Come on. Let's go home", All Might told them when the sensitive moment was over.
The two nodded. They couldn't agree more.
Aizawa and All Might still didn't get to walk the boy home. They had offered him to stay at their place for the night too, but the boy had declined that too.
The two had briefly thought of just following Midoriya, so that Aizawa too could see the place the boy was living in. They had decided against it though. They wouldn't become stalkers.
"I'll see you again tomorrow", All Might told the boy. It was a half question since it was always unsure whether either one of them could actually come. All Might could have sudden work he had to attend to while Midoriya wouldn't be able to come out at all.
"N-No", the boy had to mumble. His father wanted him to clean up the whole apartment. He wouldn't be able to go out tomorrow.
"It's okay", All Might pet the boy's head again. He had noticed that such a simple gesture meant so much to the boy. It was a hand that didn't hit, a hand that showed love and not pain.
Aizawa nodded. They'd go with the boy's rules.
Midoriya let the raven head pet his head too before running off again.
He had left his new toys with All Might, telling him to keep them safe. He couldn't possibly take them back home with him. If his father found them, they would surely be destroyed. His father would think that he had stolen them from somewhere and punish him accordingly. Midoriya didn't want to take that risk.
"They'll be safe with me", All Might had promised and Midoriya believed him.
"What are you doing out?" a voice surprised Deku as the boy was nearing his home. He was walking slow so that he wouldn't need to face his father just yet.
It was getting dark already and the neighborhood more and more dangerous by the hour.
"Shigaraki", Midoriya spotted the man dressed in a black hoodie and sweatpants. He ran to the man, smiling up at him.
The boy was already feeling better. Aizawa had apologized. The officer had too, telling him that she didn't mean to upset him at all. Midoriya had forgiven them.
People often wanted to help him. Doing more bad than good when doing so. His father was sure to find out sooner or later.
Suddenly, a huge creature tackled Midoriya to the ground. Grunts and heavy breathing could be heard.
"Noumu!" Midoriya laughed.
"Off. Get off", Shigaraki aggressively tugged at the leash he had in his hand, "This is why I never take you to walks."
The boy got up from the ground, wiping his face to his sleeves. Noumu had licked it thoroughly, greeting Deku happily.
Noumu was a Villain as well, an artificial human. His body was very large and black, his brains exposed on his head and his mouth was a beak with teeth in it. Noumu had superhuman strength as well as shock absorption and super regeneration powers.
Despite all his powers, Noumu didn't speak or think much for himself either. He was a puppet, a pet for the Villains. He lived for taking orders.
"It's okay", Midoriya assured, petting the creature as it purred in response, leaning to the touch.
Shigaraki huffed in annoyance, "Come on. Let's go. I'll walk you."
Midoriya got the leash and the two walked together, Noumu walking beside them. Shigaraki took the boy home, waved him goodbye and left.