"We need to go to the hospital", Aizawa was holding his head in his hands. He was clearly stressed out by the sudden situation at hand. Beads of sweat gleamed on his forehead. His hands were beginning to shake.

This situation wasn't good. Not good at all.

"How will we explain this all to Deku? He will have to know eventually. We can't just not tell him and act like nothing has happened. He'll notice", Aizawa continued.

"The boy seems mature for his age. Maybe he'll understand", Mic suggested. He was getting nervous seeing his old classmate so nervous. Aizawa was supposed to be the calm one in the bunch.

"How could he understand? His father just tried to kill himself", the raven head sighed once more, "The same father who beat him until his body looked like a piece of modern art! Why would he ever do something like that?"

"Shh, Sho-chan, calm down", Mic came closer, lowering a hand onto his friend's shoulder. He didn't know enough to give an opinion or anything so instead he decided to try and give all the support and comfort he possibly could. He was loud and obnoxious. He wasn't fit for a situation like this.

"We can't take Izuku with us", All Might joined the conversation.

First of all, he, or Aizawa, didn't have the heart to wake the boy up from the lovely nap he had going on. Second, the boy had gone through enough stress for one day with the check-up and the psychologist.

In the end, All Might didn't want to explain the situation to the boy either. Aizawa would have to be the one to do all that. All Might could never do it delicately enough. He would only end up making this all so much worse if he tried.

"You know. I could watch after the boy", Mic mumbled, "I could stay here and look after him. Meanwhile you two could go to the hospital."

Both heroes turned to the loud blond sitting on one of their sofas. Both were dumbfounded. Present Mic would look after their boy? Seriously?

"That would never work", Aizawa found his voice first, "Never."

All Might seemed to have a different opinion, "You've taken care of children before?"

"Didn't I tell you that before? Of course I have! They loved me!" Mic nodded, looking rather proud with himself.

"Of course they liked you. You were as loud as them and acted like one too", Aizawa mumbled. He didn't like where this was going.

"Could you really look after the boy?" All Might asked. All he seemed worried about was if the man was serious about his offer or not, rather than his skills. He also wouldn't dare to bother a fellow hero. He if someone knew how busy a hero's schedule could be. He had given up on keeping paper calendars after one literally blew right open because of the many post-it notes and other papers stuck in between the pages.

"Anything for my buddies!" Mic assured the two, "I'll look after the little rascal. I can feed him, bathe him, play with him, whatever you want me to do."

"I'd rather you don't do anything", Aizawa mumbled again. He was furiously writing something down. The two couldn't quite see what it was exactly.

"Aizawa, don't be such a pessimist. Mic is offering us his help and we should take it. It's not like we can leave Izuku here all alone. What if he wakes up and starts looking for us?" All Might huffed. Of course, he had his worries as well but it wasn't like they had a choice. Mic was the best choice they had.

"So, you remember everything we told you? The snacks are in the upmost shelf in the kitchen. The toys are in the trunk in Izuku's room", All Might revised their new babysitter. He was pulling on his long jacket as he did so, trying his best to come up with a disguise in the short time they had.

"No more than two hours of TV a day and no sugary snacks before bed. Make sure he brushes his teeth and washes his face", Aizawa continued. The tone of his voice was much more threatening than All Might's. His eyes were hard and cold like ice.

"I know. I know!" Present Mic laughed nervously. These two were really giving him a very different image from what he was used to. The pro heroes he knew had turned into overprotective parents in just a couple weeks. This Izuku kid really was a powerful one. Mic would have to be careful around him or he'd be wrapped around the kid's chubby finger.

"Besides, you left me with enough post-it notes to cover the whole fridge with! There's no way you missed a thing", Mic added. It was true. Aizawa had been writing those for the past ten or fifteen minutes while All Might had gathered some stuff they'd need at the hospital.

Aizawa seemed doubtful still. He kept glaring at his old classmate. Which was a feat in itself seeing that his eyes were so dry all the time. He did stop for maintenance, dropping some drops in at times before continuing with the staring.

"Come on! Don't you believe in a fellow hero?" Mic pouted.

"Of course we do. Don't get so upset", All Might sighed, this was turning out more difficult than he had though, "We're just stressed. This situation is very difficult to us. We're new to this all. I hope you understand."

Mic quit his pouting and instead smiled, "Of course, daddy bear. I'm just wondering why you aren't out of the door yet."

"I'm sorry. We'll get going right away", All Might nodded, taking the large stack of papers and other stuff he would take with them to the hospital. They needed to fill out some documents still and the older Midoriya would be needed for those.

Aizawa was harder to get out. He kept threatening Mic all the way to the door, telling him how he'd skin him alive if he found as much as a papercut on the boy. He'd interview Izuku when he got back to make sure that Mic didn't leave anything out of his report. Yes, the man would be doing a report on his time with the boy. Five pages at least, writing on both sides.

Mic knew to take the threats seriously and crossed his heart promising to take care of the kid. The two could take it easy. As easy as they could considering where they were going.

"Good luck", Mic said solemnly.

"Thanks. We'll call you when we know more."

Mic listened to the footsteps get quieter before they went away completely. He placed his phone right next to him and cranked the volume up to the max so that he wouldn't miss a call or a mail. It would mean his death if he did.

He found himself sitting on the sofa again and decided to check what was on the TV tonight. He kicked his feet up onto the armrest and lied down very comfortably. He liked how the piece of furniture smelled like Aizawa. He took a pillow and held it close to his chest.

There was some really basic romantic comedy movie playing. Mic decided that it would do this time. He cracked his neck a couple times before finally lying still. He made sure that the TV's volume wasn't too high. The boy was still asleep and he wouldn't want to wake him up.

Mic had made himself some coffee as he had investigated the contents of the kitchen cabinets and the huge fridge. As he had guessed, the contents were a mixture of American food and health food. The two really had such different taste. Aizawa must've also stepped his game up a bit with the boy in the house now. His diet had always been good or medicore in the least but this was a new record. The whole fridge looked like a modern piece of art with all the colorful veggies and fruits in there. Mic had been thrilled when he found a box of double chocolate cookies. He'd have those with his coffee. It'd be a favor to All Might. The man had a form to take care of.

Mic had lied back down with his drink and snack. The movie was really boring. He honestly only watched it with one eye. It was one of those movies where you'd know how the ending would be after watching five minutes of the thing. And that five minutes could be right in the middle of the running time. It didn't really matter where you began.

Mic was beginning to nod off when a small sound got him up again. He bolted upright on the sofa having realized what he had been doing. He made a weird snorting sound as he was spooked awake. He knew he had sounded like a pig. Good thing no one had heard.

The blond tried to sharpen his hearing the best he could to hear what the sound had been. He couldn't pinpoint where it had come from.

Then there it was again. It was like a mouse. Not that Mic had ever heard one going around in an apartment but that was the best metaphor he could think of at the moment.

"Little Izuku? Is that you?" Mic got up and sneaked into the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

Could it be a burglar? Mic hoped not. He didn't have a weapon with him. Only the sofa pillow he still held for some reason and that wouldn't help much.

Now he could hear the rattling of a doorknob. He could tell by the many colorful posters taped onto the door that the room behind belonged to the newest member of the household. The handle was moving ever so slightly. Someone wanted out.

"Izuku? Are you awake?" Mic opened the door only to come face to face with the boy. Well, more like face to air since Izuku's eyes reached Mic's hips at most. He really was short for his age.

Mic crouched down to the boy's eye level, shyly petting his hair. It was so soft, like the wool of a little lamb. Izuku had quite a bedhead even after such a short nap. Mic was wondering how All Might and Aizawa had ever managed to tame it before. He would have to try something. A wet comb maybe? He might have his hair gel with him in his jacket pocket.

"Hello little guy. Slept well?"

Izuku seemed to still be half asleep. His eyelids were heavy and he swayed a bit when he stood there in the doorway. He didn't hear or register the question at first so Mic had to ask again.

"Hm", Izuku finally mumbled with a small nod. He rubbed his eyes with a yawn.

"Are you hungry at all? Would you like something to drink?"

"Thirsty."

"Alright. Let's see if we can find you something from the kitchen. Come on", Mic took Izuku's hand so that the two could walk together.

But Izuku didn't move. He stayed glued to the place.

"What is it? Did something happen? A bad dream maybe?" Mic asked. He was asking a lot of questions tonight. Usually he was the one bombarded with questions from reporters and such. Izuku really did bring out new sides out of everyone.

The boy mumbled something, looking away. He preferred his toes over Mic's eyes. He squeezed the hem of the T-shirt he was wearing. He had worn it to bed. The pants had been easy to take off but the shirt had been a different case. All Might had ended up giving up on it and just putting the boy to bed with the shirt on.

"What is it? Speak up. I can't hear you", Mic tried to sound as kind as he could. He also tried to remember to control the volume of his voice with the kid around. It was hard with the Quirk. Being loud was literally in the man's blood.

"I-I had an a-accident", Izuku repeated, a bright blush on his cheeks. It was clear that the boy was very embarrassed with the situation. He seemed frustrated even.

"Wet the bed?" Mic noticed the wet spot on the front of the boy's shirt and pants. He should've spotted those before and saved the boy from the embarrassment. Mic himself could remember how hard it had been for him to tell his parents that he had wet the bed during the night. Yes, he had been a bedwetter in the past.

"Will you hit me?" Izuku asked. His voice was very quiet, only a little over a whisper.

"Why on earth would I ever hit you?" Mic asked.

He was unnerved by the question. The boy had asked that like someone would ask what's for breakfast.

"I wet the bed."

"Yes?"

"You're not going to hit me?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because there's no need to do that. Come on buddy. Let's get those sheets off and cleaned up."

"But I deserve it", Izuku really couldn't understand the man and his logic. He had done something bad and should be punished for it so that he would learn. Finally, the boy gave up on the thinking and followed Mic into the room.

Mic and Izuku went to the room and removed the stained sheets. Izuku struggled with the large pile as they walked to the washroom to get them cleaned. He had insisted on carrying them. It had been his fault that they had to do this all in the first place. Izuku thought that it was only fair.

"I can still remember when I had my last accident", Mic broke the silence as they searched for a clean set of clothes for the boy, "My mom was furious. She had just washed and ironed the sheets and I went and ruined them again. I guess she was tired. She didn't usually get that mad and loud with me. Believe me, she was even louder than me."

That earned a small smile from Izuku. He couldn't imagine how Mic's mother could've been like. How could he? He didn't even know how his own mother had been like.

"Here, you can pour in the detergent", Mic told Izuku and handed him a cup of powder, "But remember, this is not edible. Never put this stuff in your mouth. I know it looks like sugar but it's not. It tastes real bad."

Izuku carefully poured the stuff into its slot and even got to push the buttons to start the machine.

He then nodded to Mic's lecture, showing him that he had understood.

"No, no. Aren't you supposed to shake your head? You don't want to eat detergent, don't you?" Mic asked.

Izuku shook his head.

"Alright. So you're not going to eat that ever?"

The boy nodded his head.

Mic sighed. Fine enough. As long as the boy understood.

After the sheets were in the machine, the two decided that it would be a good time to get that drink. They walked into the kitchen hand in hand. The atmosphere was a ton calmer already.

Mic ended up making them both a cup of hot chocolate. He poured in a handful of mini marshmallows as well. From All Might's hidden stash. A little sugar couldn't hurt. It wasn't that late either. The two spoiled the kid too. Mic wanted to try too.

"Where is everyone?" Izuku finally opened his mouth and asked the feared question. He took a huge gulp out of his drink after.

Mic froze. He knew that the boy was going to ask that eventually but he still hadn't come up with a good explanation in his mind. How could he explain something like that? 'Oh, yeah. Your father tried to commit suicide and they went to check him out at the hospital. Nothing much.' No, that wouldn't work. He couldn't say that.

"T-They went out for a bit. You're out of milk. They went to buy more", Mic said nervously. He stared at the wall behind Izuku's back like it would offer him the answers to this situation. It kept quiet. Mic was on his own.

"Why? We still have milk. A whole carton. I saw it this morning."

"Really? Then I don't know. Maybe they wanted to get some fresh air. The weather outside is real nice."

"Why didn't they tell me? Why did they leave without me? I wanted to go too."

"You were asleep when we returned. They didn't want to wake you up."

Izuku had finished his drink already and was now staring into the empty cup, a frown on his face. It would've looked cute if not for the situation.

"I would've wanted to go with them", he repeated, "I really wanted to."

"But you were asleep, no use thinking about it now", Mic offered, "You can go out together again tomorrow."

There was a minute or two of complete silence. The boy was clearly thinking hard. Had he thought any harder, steam would've surely come out of his ears. His brain was working on overdrive.

"They abandoned me, didn't they?" Izuku finally concluded.

"What? No! Of course not! What made you think like that?" Mic actually stood up from his seat. That was just how shocked he was of the boy's sudden statement.

"They all have to leave eventually. I know that. I've seen them go", Izuku mumbled. He was crumbling and smoothing out a napkin he had taken over and over again.

"They will come back! I promise! They will surely come back!"

Mic couldn't help shouting this time. He just couldn't control his voice anymore.

It seemed to work as Izuku turned his eyes to him, staring him with his huge green eyes. There was fear deep in those pools. Fear of being abandoned again. Left alone.

"I don't want them to leave", Izuku whispered. His voice was strained.

"No, no, no. Don't cry. There's no need to cry!" Mic came to the boy's side and crouched down.

Large tears rolled down Izuku's cheeks already. There was snot coming from the nose too. They'd definitely needed a pack of napkins.

"Oh, my little man. Come here. Give good old Mic a big hug", Mic gathered to boy into his arms, the dirty cups on the table forgotten. He'd take care of those two later.

"You're not old", Izuku sniffed.

"Guess not. Let's go lie down for a bit", Mic hushed and bounced the boy as he walked into the living room and sat down onto the sofa. He then took a blanket and wrapped it around them so that they were all cozy and warm.

Mic had turned the TV on as well, choosing to watch the evening's news. The steady stream of noise provided a nice and calming white noise for the room. Izuku seemed interested with the hero news section as well, quitting his crying when he heard the familiar jingle and the voice of the announcer.

Mic lazily played with the boy's hair as they watched the news. It was like a little massage as well and seemed to calm Izuku down somewhat. The boy was getting tired again. With the warm drink and all the crying, it would've been a surprise if he hadn't been. Izuku yawned and snuggled deeper into the blanket as Mic continued. He listened to the unfamiliar heartbeat, letting it slowly lull him to sleep.

Mic smiled to himself. Izuku wasn't running away from him. He had quite liked the crazy fan moment in the restaurant but this side of Izuku was adorable too. There was still wonder in the boy's eyes whenever he looked at the Pro Hero but he had settled down quite a bit. Mic would still want to see his page on the notebook. Izuku had promised to show it to him. They would update it together and have so much fun.

'Oh my little buddy, if only you knew', Mic smiled to himself. The boy was living with two Pro Heroes and was so amazed meeting Present Mic. The two were so much more famous than Mic had ever been and would be. He couldn't imagine what the family would do when the boy finally found out. How would Izuku react?

'I bet they're browsing the internet for help', Mic smirked, 'I can totally see that one happening.'

"Would you like another cup of cocoa?" Mic asked Izuku.

No reply.

"Little guy?" Mic leaned over to check the boy's condition. He had gone quiet and the man was worried something had happened.

Nothing was wrong, luckily. Izuku had fallen back to sleep. A steady stream of drool dripped down onto Mic's arm. The tears and snot were drying up. Mic carefully wiped those off with a moist tissue.

"Off to bed with you", Mic whispered.

He carefully lifted the boy up. Izuku stirred up a bit but settled back down very quickly.

Mic had forgotten about the sheets. The bed was completely bare, the pillow and blanket were tossed onto the floor during the previous rush.

'Damn', Mic huffed as he looked around the room for the new sheets.

'This calls for multitasking', Mic held Izuku with one hand and took the sheets into the other. He'd attempt to change the sheets with one hand. Never done before but possible, maybe.

It took at least three times more time than a normal change of sheets. Sweat and tears were also sacrificed to make this all happen but Mic made it though.

"Present Mic saves the day once more", the hero whispered, "The crowd cheers."

He did a mock bow before putting Izuku to bed.

Mic fluffed the pillows and tucked Izuku in. He checked the toys around the bed and picked the Godzilla plush to put next to the sleeping boy. The figures went to the bedside table.

"A bedtime story", came a sleepy voice from the bed just as Mic was about to flip off the lights.

Mic had honestly thought that Izuku was fast asleep. He personally would've been completely knocked out if he had been in Izuku's situation. The day had been so action-packed.

"A bedtime story? Where are the books? Let's pick one and I'll read it to you", Mic smiled. The boy was just barely awake. He hadn't even opened his eyes and he yawned after almost every sentence. Mic knew he wouldn't have to read for that long.

Izuku pointed to a small shelf. It wasn't filled but there were many books still.

"Mr. Aizawa said that he'd take me to the library to pick up some more", Izuku mumbled. He would like that. The lady in the library had always been so nice to him in the past. She would surely want to see him again as well.

"Really? Do you have a favorite in here?"

"The Ugly Duckling."

"I know that one", Mic realized. He searched for a while before he came across the slim book. He quickly flipped through the pages, looking at the beautiful illustrations. This was how kids' books should be like.

"Read it?" Izuku meekly asked, "Y-You don't have to."

The boy watched Mic eye the book. He thought that the man didn't like the idea. He must've thought that Izuku was asking for too much. Mic had already made him hot cocoa and cuddled him on the sofa. He had done so much already.

"Of course I'll read it to you. I was just looking at the pictures. They're really good", Mic whispered. He returned to the boy's bedside and sat down on the floor, making sure that Izuku could peek over his shoulder to look if he wanted to.

"It was lovely summer weather in the country, and the golden corn, the green oats, and the haystacks piled up in the meadows looked beautiful. The stork walking about on his long red legs chattered in the Egyptian language, which he had learnt from his mother", Mic began. His other hand was resting on Izuku's back the whole time.

He could see the painful irony in the book's main character and the kid next to him. An ugly duckling who was teased by everyone around him only to grow up into one of the most beautiful birds there was and get to join its friends who loved it. Mic had only heard a short explanation as to what Izuku had gone through but he could see the parallels. He was just hoping that this story would have a happy ending as well.

As Mic had expected, Izuku didn't last even to the midpoint. Mic could feel the boy's body relax and his breathing slow down under his hand.

"We'll continue this later", Mic took out a bookmark and slid it between the book's pages. He placed the book gently on the bedside table and stood up. He stretched

Mic turned the lights off but put on a small nightlight in case the boy woke up in the middle of the night. He watched the stars it reflected onto the ceiling.

"Goodnight. I'll be on the sofa if you need me. Let's hope your buddies are back home when you wake up in the morning. Meanwhile, I'll protect you."