Author's Note:

A guide to 1920s slang used in this chapter:

Peterman = a safecracker

Kraut = a derogatory term for Germans, especially used for German soldiers during World War I

Sharper = a swindler or sneaky person

Close your head = shut up

FChapter Five:

Hikage hovered while Izuku ate his omelet. It was an unfortunately very obvious sort of hovering. When Izuku lifted his fork to his mouth, Hikage would step forward. But when Izuku set down his fork and started to speak, Hikage would suddenly turn around and stare at the glass cabinet full of Japanese hand-painted porcelain bowls as if he found them fascinating.

It was triggering Izuku's anxiety, even though he thought he knew why. After finishing the last of his breakfast, he cleared his throat. "Did you want to talk to me?"

Hikage jumped nearly a foot in the air. He turned around, wringing his hands. "I'm very sorry about ruining the baseball game."

As Izuku had suspected, this was the source of the hovering. "You didn't ruin anything. How do you feel?"

Hikage ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine. Better. Embarrassed."

"You've got nothing to be embarrassed about. I get anxious sometimes. I'd never judge." Izuku chuckled awkwardly. "Ask Toshinori, he got front row seats to me having a meltdown at the mall. Uh, of course, I'm sure my problems are nothing compared to yours. I can't imagine what you went through during the Great War."

It had been the wrong topic to bring up. Hikage turned so pale that Izuku feared he might have another panic attack. "I'm fine," Hikage said, very unconvincingly. "The war is over, what do I have to be afraid of? I feel like such a coward."

"You're not," Izuku said firmly.

"I should have known better than to go to a baseball game. Too many people, too many loud noises. But you always loved baseball, and I really wanted to come along on our first family trip. I thought I was doing better." Hikage hung his head. "Nana taught me how to meditate, and that was helping me a lot. I wish I could get rid of whatever is wrong with my head. The doctors gave me electric shocks until my left leg got partly paralyzed. That didn't help at all, except to teach me not to talk about the nightmares."

Izuku winced. He'd assumed Hikage's limp came from the war. It felt even more tragic to learn that the people on his own side, people who should have helped him, had hurt him. No wonder Hikage had reacted badly to the word "doctor" during his attack.

"I'll never be better." Hikage's hand shook. "I ruined the game for you. I'm sorry."

"Please don't talk like that. I had a great time at the game. Here, let me show you. Follow me." Izuku led Hikage to the safe in the living room. Quickly, he spun the dial to the password that Toshinori had given him. The safe held currency, gold bars, a baseball, and the family photo of Izuku's birthday. Even though Izuku still preferred to take his locket with him everywhere, he had seen the wisdom in keeping the second surviving photo of Kaiji in a fireproof safe.

Izuku held out the baseball. "Babe Ruth hit this baseball. The real Babe Ruth! And I caught it because I was standing on the stairs after following you out of the box. If I'd been in my seat, I would never have caught the baseball. It's a total coincidence, but the very best part of the game happened because of you. You have nothing to apologize for."

With a rueful head shake, Hikage said, "Don't count on a surprise miracle every time I get off in my own head. I'm glad I didn't ruin the game, at least. I won't risk attending another one."

Izuku tossed the ball in his hand. "Do you want to play baseball with me in the backyard? We can enjoy our own game, without crowds."

Hikage smiled slightly. "I'd like that. After I get back from work, let's play before dinner."

"Work?" Izuku shouldn't be so surprised. Of course most adults had work. The mansion was mostly empty at this time of day.

Hikage said, "I volunteer at a soup kitchen. It doesn't pay anything, but I have my pension to live off. Toshinori lets me stay here for free…I couldn't afford rent anywhere in New York…I'm useless at most jobs…I do help him out with his detective work on the side but I don't know if it's enough…especially with my shell shock making me useless…"

It sounded like Hikage was spiraling again. Izuku put his hands on his hips. "Enough of that, we've got plenty of room here. The soup kitchen needs people to help out. You earned that pension serving your country and it probably ought to be higher given how badly the doctors mistreated you. Go on, I don't want to make you late."

For the rest of the morning and early afternoon, Nana helped Izuku catch up on his studies. She was the only person at home, since she'd taken time off from her college job. He asked her what everyone else did. It turned out that Banjo was a bartender at a speakeasy, En was a college student, and Torino owned Stonewall. Nana danced around the topic of Sanzou's job before eventually admitting that he was a labor union organizer who traveled around the country. Izuku thought that was seriously cool, especially the part where Sanzou had been arrested a dozen times.

After Hikage got back, Izuku fetched two baseball gloves and a less valuable baseball. Nana pleaded out on the grounds of her pregnancy, but she set up a chair on the lawn to watch them play while she read a book.

The children had played with a red rubber ball at the orphanage, so Izuku had never had a proper baseball or gloves. From how fast he picked it up, he must have played before his parents died. The muscle memory came back to him with each toss.

Through the open window, Izuku saw a figure in black leaning over the safe. He whirled around and threw the baseball by instinct. A pained cry came from the living room.

Nana leapt to her feet. Hikage moved faster. He vaulted through the window, then pinned the intruder to the ground with professional skill.

Izuku rushed forward. Nana stuck out an arm to hold him back. "Stop! It's too dangerous," she cried.

Hikage said, "It's okay. The kid already knocked him out. Izuku, you've got an arm worthy of Babe Ruth." Hikage kept a knee on the intruder's back to pin him down just in case he awoke.

Izuku scrambled over the window sill and into the room. A man in a butler uniform lay sprawled on his face, unconscious. Izuku paled. "I knocked out a butler trying to dust the safe? Oh, no!" Toshinori was going to throw Izuku out. No, Toshinori wouldn't do that, but he'd be disappointed.

Nana said, "No, you were completely right. Look." She pointed at black case on the ground. "Those are safecracker's tools. He's a Peterman."

Hikage lifted up the unconscious man by his hair to show his face. "I don't recognize him. He doesn't work here."

But Izuku did recognize the man—Atsuhiro Sako. "He's a butler, but not for this house. He works for Hisashi." Izuku's hands clenched into fists. "He must have been after the picture of my dads in the safe!"

Nana and Hikage exchanged glances. Nana said, "Yoichi and Kaiji's will is in the safe."

Izuku's blood ran cold. "The will granting Toshinori custody of me?"

Nana nodded.

Yes, that did seem like a more likely target. Izuku froze in place. In that moment, he realized just how badly he wanted to stay here, with Toshinori and the rest of the family. Izuku wasn't sure exactly when he'd made up his mind about the custody battle. Maybe when Toshinori had come after him to the burned orphanage. Maybe when they'd visited the speakeasy. Maybe when he'd uncovered Hisashi's lies about what had happened to his parents. Maybe it hadn't been any one event, but rather a feeling. Izuku felt safe with Toshinori. In this house, everyone respected his boundaries and listened to him. No matter how much Hisashi spoiled Izuku, he'd never made Izuku feel safe. That mattered more to Izuku than any flimsy blood connection.

But at the same time, Izuku realized he didn't get to choose where he stayed—it would be decided in a court case. And Hisashi didn't fight fair.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Izuku tried not to cry. "We've got to call the police. If we can prove that Uncle Hisashi is trying to sabotage the court battle, then won't that hurt his chances at custody?"

"Hisashi is too good at wriggling out of everything," Nana muttered. "But you're right. It's worth a try."

Hikage said, "Someone bring me rope."

They tied Atsuhiro to a chair. Nana went to the kitchen phone to call the police. Hikage insisted on escorting her in case there was another intruder in the house, and neither of them wanted to leave Izuku alone, so they all went together.

But that proved to be a mistake. By the time they returned to the living room, a pile of rope rested on an empty chair. Atsuhiro Sako was gone.

Toshinori came straight home as soon as he heard the news. He ran toward Izuku with his arms extended, then stopped.

"You can hug me," Izuku said, holding out his arms.

Toshinori lifted Izuku off his feet in a crushing hug. "My boy," he said in a broken voice. "You're all right? You're not hurt?"

"Not in the slightest. You should see the other guy. Well, you can't, because he pulled a Harry Houdini," Izuku joked. "But before that, I brained him with a baseball."

Toshinori muttered, "I never should have let this happen…your parents would be ashamed of me…"

"I was in no danger," Izuku said. "Hisashi never would have ordered one of his people to harm me. We think he was after the will."

"I'll move the will." Toshinori set Izuku back down on his feet. "I'll hire guards all around the mansion."

"I think that would be wise," Izuku said. "You should hire a bodyguard."

Toshinori said, "I'll obtain bodyguards for both of us. You might be a target for kidnapping."

The notion didn't thrill Izuku, but he saw the wisdom in it. He nodded.

Damn Hisashi for ruining a great game of baseball.

After that, everyone took turns sleeping on the floor in Izuku's room. No one wanted to leave him alone. Toshinori had hired guards for the mansion. But apparently hiring a bodyguard with real skills and training instead of someone just paid to hold a gun took time. Toshinori had showed Izuku the resumes of Shouta Aizawa and Vlad King, who looked like a ninja and a vampire respectively just based off their pictures. Izuku couldn't wait to meet them.

But the end of the week and the day of the court case came too quickly.

Izuku dressed up in a dark blue suit. Toshinori helped him fasten his tie. Izuku's eyes felt grimy. He'd barely been able to sleep last night, and he had the bags under his eyes to prove it.

During the car ride to the courtroom, Izuku blurted out, "I don't know if it will make a difference, but I'm planning to pick you. It wasn't much of a competition, Hisashi is rather dreadful and I won't forgive him for how he treated my dads. Uh, that isn't to say that I'm picking you by default. You're a great guardian. My parents would be proud and happy that they chose you."

"That means a lot, my boy." Toshinori's voice sounded a little broken up. He jittered with nervousness. He wore a yellow pinstripe suit. The color didn't look great on him but Izuku wasn't going to make him more anxious by pointing that out.

After they got out of the car, Toshinori hugged Izuku one last time. He whispered, "No matter how the custody case ends, I'll always be there for you. I'll come to help you any hour of the day, for any reason. I promise."

"Thanks," Izuku said, his throat choking up too much to speak more than one syllable. He had a lot he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to put any of it into words. If only he could find a way to express that he'd never really trusted any adults for as long as he could remember until he'd met Toshinori. That just the little things like not hugging him until he'd given permission had meant so much. But his tears blocked his throat. Then his moment was gone. Toshinori strode off into the courtroom, meeting a lawyer with a briefcase. And Izuku was left alone.

The bailiff shuffled Izuku off to a plain white room with half a dozen unused armchairs. Apparently Izuku was not allowed to watch the court case. He could understand why—most children of divorcing parents probably didn't want to listen to their parents savage each other in court. Though from what Izuku could tell, the rule was mostly based on his age.

It was agonizing, sitting there while his fate got decided and not knowing what would happen. Izuku tried to read, but he couldn't concentrate on the words. He bit his nails until they bled.

Despite Izuku's anxiety, boredom and his lack of sleep the night before caught up with him. He drifted asleep.

In Izuku's dream, his fingers turned stubby and small. He rode on Father's shoulders, gripping the spikey hair. They were walking around a lake at a park. The whole world looked distant from the height of his magnificent perch.

Even through a dreamlike haze, Izuku knew this was a memory. This was the same scene from the locket. Excitement filled him. Could he finally be getting his memories back? It would mean the world to him, to be able to remember his parents again.

"Ouch," Father said as Izuku yanked on his hair.

Dad laughed. Izuku's second father had long white hair and green eyes. He'd apparently won the coin toss to be called the less formal name of 'Dad.' To this day, Father insisted that Dad had cheated.

Father snorted. "Mocking my agony, eh? Izuku, go yank on Dad's hair. It's better looking than mine."

"Not the hair!" Dad protested, raising his hands.

The soft, white hair did indeed look tempting. Izuku grabbed a handful and yanked. "Fluffy hair!"

"You're forgiven because you're cute," Dad sighed. "Anyone else who touched my hair would die." A smile tugged at his lips.

Izuku yanked on the fluffy hair again.

Ahead of them on the path, Toshinori laughed. He looked younger and his face had less lines. He held up a camera. "That's perfect, let me take a picture."

"Determined to immortalize my humiliation?" Dad joked.

Father said, "It's to show our son triumphant, as if there was any doubt who rules this family."

Dad chuckled. He stood still as he smiled for the camera. Izuku smiled, too, holding up a lock of white hair (still attached to his dad's head) as his trophy. The camera flashed.

The vision shifted. This time, little Izuku was sitting at the dining room table. Dad cut a photograph into an oval shape, then slipped it into a locket. Holding up the locket, he said, "This is for you, Izuku."

Izuku hung the necklace around his neck. "Like a medal!"

Dad laughed. "A medal for being number one in this family." His expression sobered. "I've never told you this before, but there's one other member of our family. You have a biological uncle."

"I do?" Izuku asked. "Will he get me presents for my birthday?" That seemed to be the main purpose of uncles.

Dad said, "I'm sure he would, but you can't see him at the moment." Dad's face turned sad.

Izuku didn't like that. He pushed on his dad's cheeks, trying to make him smile. "It's okay, I don't need a bio-something uncle. I've already got five uncles and one aunt and Grandpa Torino."

That brought back a smile to Dad's face. "But if you ever do meet your uncle again, I have a magic charm that you need to remember. This charm will protect you."

The world turned blurrier. The surroundings faded away, leaving Izuku standing in a void. He was in his teenage body, now. Dad was a ghostly figure, white hair hanging over one eye. He winked. "Tell Hisashi that—"

A sudden sound jolted Izuku from his slumber. The door opened. Izuku's head shot up. The judge strode in, weariness drawing even deeper wrinkles than usual on his elderly face.

Sitting down in the chair across from Izuku, the judge said, "I've come to listen to your preferences on the custody case." He spoke the words by rote, as if he'd said them many times before.

Izuku swallowed nervously and looked at his hands. "I'd like custody to go to Toshinori Yagi."

"Why?"

Wait, Izuku had to justify his choice? He hadn't realized that. He should have prepared a speech. This needed to be convincing. A sweat drop fell from his forehead onto his hands. "B-because Toshinori listens to what I want. He doesn't force me to hug him. I feel safer around him. A-also, I'm certain that my parents would have wanted me to stay with him."

"Those are some very good reasons, young man. Thank you. I will take your opinion into account." The judge's tone became even more serious. "I promise to hold whatever you say to me in confidentiality."

Izuku's head shot up. "Is that normal? I thought children testified before the court during custody cases."

"They do, but I've judged that would not be in your best interest." The judge wiped a hand across his forehead. "Both of your potential guardians hate each other more than the Krauts and the Brits, if you'll pardon my language. I'm concerned that one of them might retaliate against you for anything negative you say if he gets custody. Particularly that uncle of yours, who has already tried to put his thumb on the scales of justice by offering me a very insulting bribe. The sharper was subtle enough about it that I didn't have anything to report to the police."

Izuku knew he was lucky to get a chance to speak his case at all. The best interest of the child was still a new court doctrine. But he couldn't help saying, "I thought you promised that you'd let me pick. Why would the person who I didn't pick get custody?"

The judge sighed. "That's what I promised you, and that's what I'll deliver. I'll settle on Toshinori Yagi as your guardian. This damn court case is complicated enough with all the fake identities and who might be involved in what crime that I can find a way to justify it as if you didn't say anything. But it's fairly obvious to me that I won't be making the final decision. Whoever loses this case will definitely appeal. Both of your possible guardians are rich enough to keep throwing money at this battle for years. Your custody case will probably make it all the way up to the New York Supreme Court…or even the national one."

Izuku full-body shuddered. This day was already stressful enough. He couldn't imagine years of unending court battles, of being shuffled around, of dealing with Hisashi's underhanded tricks. It made him want to break down weeping.

The judge cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I thought you had the right to know. I wish I could do more for you, young man. This business is disgraceful. Parents ought to look out for the best interests of their children."

Just like that, Izuku remembered what his dad had told him in his dream. The bolt of inspiration hit him so fast that it left him breathless.

Izuku straightened. "I have an idea. Please give primary custody to Toshinori Yagi, and split my weekends and holidays between him and Hisashi Shigaraki."

The judge's eyebrows rose. "Split custody with two guardians who hate each other? Are you sure?"

"Hisashi would never accept no custody," Izuku said. "But I think I have a way to make him accept this. Besides, there's a horse to think of." Izuku did not care about bribes, but he cared about what might happen to his horse if he didn't return. He cared about all the lives that might be affected if his uncle decided to fight this battle to the bitter end, possibly using violent means. "Can you arrange for me to speak to Uncle Hisashi alone before the court case ends?" This conversation would be better had in a neutral, safe location like the courthouse.

The judge was clearly humoring Izuku, but he said, "I'll let you try your tricks, young man. You may have better luck than I did when I reported that bribe to the police."

"Thank you," Izuku said. "Seriously, I'm glad that you were willing to listen to me. Please keep doing that during custody cases. It means a lot to kids when someone listens to them."

"You're a well-spoken young man," the judge said. "Remember, no matter what happens, when you're an adult you can do anything you want. No one can tell you what to do or who to live with. You seem like a strong enough person to hold on until then."

Nodding, Izuku took those words and tucked them away in case he needed them. He hoped this would work so it wouldn't come to that.

Hisashi entered the room at a brisk pace, his hands swinging at his sides. "The judge said that you wanted to speak with me. Don't worry about anything, Izuku. I have confidence that I can prove Yoichi wasn't in his right mind when he made the will, and if not, I have an appeal prepared."

Coldly, Izuku said, "There was nothing wrong with my dad's mind. I know all about your dirty tricks to discredit him. And I know that you lied to me about how my fathers died."

"Whatever they told you—"

"I saw the police testimony! Stop lying to me!"

Darkness flashed across Hisashi's face, quick and vicious. "I didn't lie about it being Toshinori Yagi's fault."

"I know about that, too." Izuku glared. "It wasn't his fault, but I don't expect you to understand that. I expect you to respect my dad's will and my choice. I want Toshinori to have custody, but I'll still visit you on weekends. If you can accept that without committing any more crimes to obtain me, then I'll forgive you for lying to me. I will not offer such a chance again."

Hisashi shook his head. "You don't know what you're saying. You're too young to know what's best for you."

"Close your head," Izuku snapped, slipping into street slang in his anger. Sheer surprise closed Hisashi's mouth long enough for Izuku to continue. "My dad once told me that when he was just a toddler, you promised to protect him. And in the end, you successfully protected him from everyone except yourself."

"You remember Yoichi now?" Hisashi's eyes gleamed, staring at Izuku as if this made him an even more rare and valuable treasure.

"I remember enough to know what he would have wanted you to do," Izuku said. "My dad told me that if I ever met you, then I should tell you that he used to love you more than anything in the universe, until you crossed his bottom line. You tried to take me away from him. You've always valued family above all else, but you still tried to keep my dad from his own son." Taking a deep breath, Izuku repeated the words that Yoichi had told him to say in what might have been a memory or might have been a dream. "My bottom line is the same as my dad's. The same as yours too, actually. I guess all three of us are alike in that way. Don't try to take away my family. To me, Toshinori and everyone else in his house are all my family. If you hurt them or try to remove them from my life, then you'll lose my love forever. Don't make the same mistake again."

A muscle clenched in Hisashi's jaw. Slowly, reluctantly, he said, "I won't do anything to harm the blond oaf. And I won't challenge the court outcome. Not until you want me to. Once you see what I can offer you, I'm sure you'll change your mind."

"Thank you." Leaning forward, Izuku hugged Hisashi willingly for the first time. Izuku did not hate Hisashi. A big part of him pitied his uncle's loneliness, even though Izuku knew that pity could prove dangerous if he didn't keep his wits about him. This was not the end of the fight. It was the opening salvo of a war. Definitely, Hisashi still planned to persuade Izuku and would use whatever tricks he could get away with. Every step of the way, Izuku would have to fight for his independence. By the time Izuku turned eighteen, either Hisashi would learn to change or Izuku would limit contact.

Hopefully, Hisashi would not cross the line and they could remain family. But Izuku would survive either way. He came from a family of survivors.

As Izuku stepped out of the courtroom into the sunshine, Toshinori waited by his car. His eyes lit up when he saw Izuku. As soon as their eyes locked, Izuku felt a rush of memory come back to him. Tiny moments flashed across his mind: Toshinori making waffles for a much smaller Izuku, Toshinori giving him a baseball card, Toshinori chatting with Yoichi. It left Izuku breathless, dizzy, and full of a painful hope that the rest of his memories would slowly return. He could not speak, only stare.

Toshinori cleared his throat. "I won primary custody. I'd been hoping for full custody, but Hisashi said he wouldn't appeal. That's the best possible outcome we can hope for, if the bast—if he's telling the truth."

"I think he is," Izuku said. "I talked to him."

"I should have known you can work miracles. You get to come home with me, my boy." Toshinori spoke the words as if he barely believed them.

Izuku said, "I already have two dads. It wouldn't be too hard to add a third one. Dad and Father are already taken. How do you feel about being called Papa?"

Toshinori threw his arms around Izuku and wept.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: The Subplot I Decided Not to Use

Inko: Hi, I'm Izuku's new nanny.

Hisashi: And I'm a big believer in employer-employee romances. Who cares about power imbalances? Not me, not if they're in my favor.

Toshinori: Excuse me, I was planning to ask Miss Inko out on a date.

Hisashi: Ah, I see it's time for our World War Two.

#

Omake: Alternate Final Confrontation

Hisashi: Izuku, I don't like how you're talking back to me. It must be your bad blood coming out, making you act like Kaiji.

Izuku: I really hate it when you assign all my negative traits to Father, but this is just ridiculous. We both know Yoichi Shigaraki had the most sass in the family. If you insult my other father one more time then I will go feral and rip your throat out.

Hisashi: Now that's just like Yoichi!

#

Omake: All for One's Downfall Version One

Hisashi: I'm being arrested for tax evasion? Not all my other, more magnificent crimes?

Toshinori: You wanted to be Al Capone, so you went down like Al Capone. By the way, I paid all my taxes and even checked off the boxes for all the optional charitable donations.

#

Omake: All for One's Downfall Version Two

Hisashi: Wait a minute, after the Roaring Twenties comes the Great Depression! Oh no, most of my money is in the stock market.

Toshinori: I kept a fortune in cash hidden under my bed because I was raised to distrust all institutions.