...

The next morning Izuku awoke to the scents of breakfast. It made his stomach growl in hunger. He sat up slowly trying to remember where he was. This wasn't Kaito's place nor was it the bar that Jii owned. Did Kaito move them somewhere else? Panic was making his chest tighten with fear.

Then he remembered the night before and the revelations. Oh fuck he was in his soulmate's apartment. The tightening in his chest eased with the realization.

Eraserhead was his soulmate. That was not what he had been expecting when he agreed to stay with the hero. He was unsure of how to act around the man now.

The sound of movement came from the other room. It was quiet and he only recognized it from his time on the streets. Eraser... Aizawa? he wasn't sure what to call the man moved into the kitchen and living room.

Soon the scents of breakfast made his mouth water. Izuku stood and considered his options. Should he change? He was still swamped by the clothes but he doubted his other clothes were clean.

Shrugging he decided to stay in them and shuffled out of the bedroom. The scents grew stronger and his stomach rumbled in response. There was no avoiding his soulmate.

When he entered the kitchen Aizawa greeted without looking up, "Good morning, Izuku. Did you sleep well?"

Izuku mumbled, "I did. You?"

Aizawa answered easily, "I did. Aiden appeared at the window last night after you went to bed. He's over there."

Aizawa waved in the general direction of the living room. Sure enough Izuku could see his partner in a makeshift bed of soft towels. At his name Aiden looked up and made an acknowledging sound before going back to sleep. Izuku smiled softly at his partner. It was good to know that he didn't have any problems following them.

"Tsukauchi is coming over in a little while," said Aizawa startling Izuku, "Are you okay with that?"

Izuku froze. Was he ready to face Tsukauchi? No, no he was not. Would he face the man anyways? Even inside his mind he hesitated before admitting he would. Tsukauchi was kind to him and he should at least hear him out.

Softly he said, "I'm okay with this."

Aizawa turned slightly to assess him and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

The bruise had darkened considerably overnight. Aizawa would definitely be sore from it for awhile.

Izuku took a slow breath in, considered the question then released it as he said, "Yes I'm sure."

Aizawa's dark eyes searched his face and nodded.

...

Later that morning he, Aizawa, Tsukauchi sat at the table. All three of them were sipping on coffee. It had been silent since they sat down and it was beginning to get uncomfortable. Izuku just didn't know how to broach the topics that were weighing on each of them. Izuku opened his mouth to break the silence only to be beaten to the punch.

"I owe you an apology, Izuku," confessed Tsukauchi startling Izuku, "I was so afraid of scaring you off I never considered that you might actually want to be adopted. I should have tried to talk to you about it. So I'm sorry."

Tsukauchi bowed his head with the apology. At first Izuku had no idea what to say or how to react. Under the table Aizawa nudged him trying to break him out of his reverie.

It startled Izuku into too loudly stating, "No!"

Tsukauchi's head shot up confusion and pain in his dark eyes. Here he needed to take a calming breath. He had to articulate what he was feeling otherwise there would be more misunderstandings.

Quieter Izuku said, "No. You don't have to apologize. I shouldn't have assumed based on what I was eavesdropping. We had never really talked about it."

That didn't mean his words and implications hurt less. Izuku did want it. No matter how much he tried to bury the feelings he did want to be adopted. To have someone to call family that wouldn't hurt or abandon him.

Trying to articulate this always made his throat close up. The lump was already beginning to form in his throat. It made him want to run for the window and escape back onto the streets. He wasn't good at this.

Tsukauchi let out a breath before he gently said shaking his head, "No I should have been more communicative. I've lived alone for the entirety of my adult life. Sometimes it's hard to remember that I'm not alone anymore. I have to look after your well-being both physically and mentally. Which means communicating my thoughts."

Izuku opened his mouth then closed it again. The lump in his throat making it impossible for him to speak. This was not going at all how he expected it to go. He expected to be told off for running away. For breaking the promise he had made along with Katsuki.

Why? Why was this man so kind?

Aizawa ordered suddenly, "Go take a break, Izuku. You look like you could use some fresh air."

"But..." He tried to argue.

"Go. You're overwhelmed. It's written all over your face. Take a moment to get your head on straight then come back."

Izuku wanted to argue more. He didn't need to take a break. They had barely started. But then he looked at Tsukauchi who still was as ragged if not more so than the night before. He had caused this. Maybe he should just leave again. He didn't belong here. Nor did he deserve it.

As Izuku stood from the table his face closed off from all emotions Aiden flew over landing on his left shoulder. He slipped on his shoes and headed outside. What he did not see was the concern in the men's eyes.

...

Once the door had closed behind Izuku, Tsukauchi turned on Shouta, "What the hell, Shouta?! We were getting through to him!"

Shouta shook his head and said, "No we were backing him into a corner. I could see it in his eyes."

Tsukauchi glared at him for a moment but then turned his eyes back to the door. Worry made his dark eyes shine. Things had certainly changed from when they first took in the Children. Most of the worry had been about them running. Now it was about how they felt. Finding the comfortable balance between helping them and backing them into a corner. Out of all the Children Izuku was the most difficult. It was always as if he was on the verge of disappearing again. Then he disappeared and it sent them into a panic. Now that he was back they were reluctant to let him out of their sights.

Oh how things changed. From the corner of his eye he could see Tsukauchi's bouncing leg. The man was worn and ragged yet he still found the energy to worry about the kid. There was no stopping this confrontation. Was there? The two needed to work it out for themselves.

"Go," he whispered as quiet as a mouse.

Tsukauchi didn't need anymore prompting. He didn't even look back at Shouta as went straight for the door. The hero wished the detective the best of luck. This might be their last chance at convincing Izuku to stay. Thief Lord had made his position clear. He wanted the boy by his side and would go against them in order to achieve it.