1. Recovery Girl (Lunch Rush)
"H-Hey, Midoriya?" Uraraka's hesitant voice called to Izuku. Izuku blinked, forced out of the delicious bliss of eating Lunch Rush's food to see her looking at him quite strangely.
"Hm? What's up?" He dabbed at the sauce that dripped onto his chin with a napkin, taking a moment to scratch an itch on his cheek.
"Eh- You've got something...here?" She said, motioning to his chin.
Embarrassed, Izuku took his napkin and wiped at his chin again. "Did I get it?" Uraraka's glance grew more worried as she shook her head. "Are you feeling alright?" Confused, Izuku tilted his head. "I feel fine. Why? Have I seemed off?"
Iida leaned over from his own tray of food. "What I think Uraraka means to say, Midoriya, is that your face is starting to break out."
But Izuku didn't heed his words, instead taking a moment to scratch his cheek again as the itching came back 10x worse.
"Midoriya, are you allergic to something?"
"Not that I know of." Izuku huffed, taking another bite of his mango chicken bowl before it was taken from him. He gave the offender, Iida, a look of disbelief. Now his other cheek had started to itch and he scratched it feverishly.
"Don't eat that! You're clearly allergic to something in it!" Uraraka gasped, standing quickly.
"She's right, we need to get you to Recovery Girl before you stop breathing!" Iida was already attempting to pull Izuku out of his seat and the boy was dragging his feet the entire time.
"But I feel fine!" He excused. Besides the itching, of course, but I'm sure that'll go away soon. I can breathe just fine!" He took an exaggerated breath to show them, but they didn't listen. Izuku felt bad for bothering Recovery Girl, especially with how resigned she looked when he stepped into the room. "Oh, dear!" She sighed. "Another one!"
She motioned Izuku further into the office and straight to one of the beds. "Lay here, Sonny. I'll get you some medicine and something to soothe that itch." She fretted.
"Oh, sweet merciful heavens, put me out of my misery!" A familiar voice whined from the other side of the divider curtains. Izuku hadn't known anyone else was here what with his preoccupation with his itching. The blotches of red, irritated skin had started on his arms now.
"Snipe?" Izuku asked.
There was silence for a moment before a hand reached up to yank the curtain aside. Snipe's unmasked face was revealed to Izuku and immediately the 25th-ranked hero winced at the sight of him. "Yeesh, that don' look too good, kiddo."
Recovery Girl returned with a small cup with two white pills inside, a bottle of water, and a tube of some kind of ointment. "Did you just come from lunch, deary?" She asked as Izuku took the pills
without question.
"Yes, ma'am."
"That explains it. You're allergic to mangoes aren't you?" Izuku shrugged. "Not as far as I know."
Recovery Girl put on a pair of gloves and started to wipe the strong-smelling cream on his cheeks, much to Izuku's distress. "I know, I know, but this is the only way to get this to stop itching. Is your mother allergic to Mangoes?"
"Not that I know of."
Even though the cream smelled horrible, it soothed the itch on Izuku's skin enough that it wasn't so unbearable. Izuku was instructed to lie down and rest until the reaction stopped while Recovery Girl called his mother.
"Can't believe our bad luck, Bucko," Snipe sighed. "The one day I offer to guest lecture, Lunch Rush cooks up the only thing that can knock me on my tush."
"You're allergic to mangoes too?" Izuku asked, a fond note taking over his voice.
Snipe nodded. "Yeah, a heck of a thing too. One minute I drop my bowl on my lap, the next it's like I done sat in a fire ant mound." They both give sympathetic winces of pain to each other's plights; Izuku more on Snipe's behalf. Recovery Girl returns not long after.
"Midoriya, I called your mother. She said she has no mango allergy, but there's a very good chance you inherited it from your father. She consented that you stay here until you feel better and return to class if you feel up to it. If not, I'll have someone take you home after the final bell." She summarized.
"I can take him home," Snipe offers. And it's settled.
Izuku manages to nap the majority of the day, only waking when a frantic whispering starts to take place on the other side of the curtain that had since been pulled to obscure Snipe from view.
"-am so sorry, Snipe," Lunch Rush's voice is quiet but full of anxious energy. "I had no idea you were on campus. And I didn't know he was your kid. I mean, I'd heard about him, of course, but nothing that pointed out that he was yours. If I'd known I would have changed the menu last minute-!" He was shocked out of his frantic apology by Snipe's shushing.
"Don't wake him, alright? And it's fine. It ain't your fault either. He's not mine, biologically speaking. I'm just his mentor." Snipe explained as he'd had to do plenty of times before. "It was just a bunch of bad luck."
"But Recovery Girl said in her email that he got the allergy from you and that since we had a student in attendance with it, mangoes are to be stricken from the menu permanently."
Snipe gave a wry chuckle, and Izuku heard a shuffled noise. Maybe he shrugged? But then he spoke again. "Well, that's appreciated, but he didn't get the allergy from me."
"Right..." Lunch Rush sighed, and Izuku could tell he didn't quite believe Snipe. "I'll leave you both to your recovery then. Since he isn't your son, I supposed you wouldn't know his favorite food so I can make it for lunch tomorrow as an apology?"
"Oh, actually, his favorite food is katsudon," Snipe answered quickly and there was silence as Snipe seemed to disprove his own argument.
"Right." Lunch Rush repeated. "See you around, Snipe."
Izuku forced himself to pretend to sleep again as Lunch Rush left. The sound of the curtain opening again was much quieter. "...Oh, Bucko..." Snipe said mournfully. But he didn't continue. He took Izuku home at the end of the day as he promised. Izuku's mother was frantically trying to ensure
he wasn't still itching.
The next day, Lunch Rush made katsudon as promised and Izuku slipped the 'Sorry about the mangos... - Lunch Rush' handwritten note into his hero journal.
2. All Might
It was only a little stab wound. Just a graze more than anything! And if it weren't for the simple fact that the shard of shrapnel had flown at him at such a high speed, it wouldn't have even embedded itself into Izuku's thigh. And, really, it wasn't even that embedded. It was a cut more than anything. And Izuku tried hard to explain that to All Might as the man frantically carried him into Recovery Girl's office. Recovery Girl's eyes widened behind her visor at the sudden entry- haha much like Izuku did at the sudden entry of the shrapnel- Now was not the time for jokes.
Blood had started to seep around the edges of the shrapnel and Izuku was sat down on the bed that he had started to hate more and more each time he made his way onto it.
"It was a simple demonstration, you see?" All Might started to explain. "I had thought the wreckage would remain behind the barrier but there was a car that apparently had some gasoline still inside and caused it to explode. Really it was my fault for not checking the decommissioned vehicle but-"
"Now isn't the time for making excuses. I have to make sure this hasn't nicked anything vital. I will most likely need to stitch it as well. Start making the necessary calls, please All Might." Recovery Girl ordered and All Might practically bolted out of the office.
"That man is so squeamish. He acts like he's never seen a bit of blood before," Recovery Girl sighed.
The wound wasn't that bad, just as Izuku expected. And with only a few stitches, he could be healed up the next morning. Recovery Girl didn't like healing open wounds immediately if she didn't have to. And with the local anesthetic being the worst part of the whole process, Izuku was right as rain by the time Snipe rushed into the office.
"Where's Izuku?!" The hero demanded and didn't wait for Recovery Girl's response before he bolted to the area with beds. He found Izuku lounging, even posting a selfie to the class group chat. He sighed but didn't relax as he went over and immediately started to assess the damages. There really was no damage other than the leg of his suit being cut open into a weird boot/shorts combo that would take a while to patch up. For lack of anything better to do, he took to running his hand, devoid of a glove, through Izuku's tamed curls. "How you feelin', bud?"
"Fine," Izuku shrugged. "I can't feel my leg because of the painkillers. I think All Might was more
upset about it than me."
Speaking of, the man himself barged back into the office before the words finished leaving Izuku's mouth, most of the tension leaving his shoulders when he saw Snipe. "Ah, good to see that you've made it. I was just informing Aizawa about the incident and reassuring the students that Young Midoriya was alright."
Recovery Girl gave them both the rundown of the admittedly minor injury and said that Izuku could leave whenever he felt well enough, but it would be best that he go home immediately. Snipe turned to All Might, pulling his mask off to address him fully. "Did his mother say she would be home to take care of him?" He asked.
All Might looked confused to Snipe. "His mother? Did you not call her?"
Izuku's jaw dropped. Snipe's eyes widened. Even Recovery Girl had to cover her mouth at the sudden news.
"You didn't call his mother?!" It came from both Snipe and Recovery Girl at the same time. Immediately, All Might grew defensive. "I only knew your contact information, Snipe! I assumed
you'd call her while I was informing Aizawa!"
"The student's emergency contacts are publicly posted for all teachers!" Recovery Girl gasped.
"Why is it my responsibility to tell Inko that her son was stabbed?!" Snipe scoffed but turned to Izuku. "Not that I would mind doing so, Bucko. I'd do it in a heartbeat, but," He turned back to All Might. "That's your responsibility as the teacher in charge at the time of the incident."
All Might sputtered, at a complete loss for words for a, frankly, comical amount of time. "I assumed she'd want to hear the news from her husband rather than myself-"
"Woah!" Snipe cut him off immediately. "Inko isn't my wife- we aren't married!" He turned to Izuku quickly. "Your Ma is a very kind woman I'm sure she'd be a delightful wife, but-" He turned back to All Might. "What would possess you to-"
"Ex-Husband then! Or maybe Ex-lover? I don't presume to know your relationship with the mother of your child, alright?!"
As a spectator of the interaction, Izuku couldn't help but find it extremely funny. He wasn't getting offended by Snipe's denial of marriage to his mother, but it was very funny to watch him try as well as All Might to understand what their relationship was.
"All Might," Snipe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You were there when I met the boy...The sludge villain...Remember? This is that same boy!"
All Might's confusion mounted as he pointed to Izuku then Snipe and then himself. "Well, yes I remember you helping to apprehend the villain...and...huh...there was a civilian there wasn't there...So...you aren't the boy's father?"
"Biologically, I am not the boy's father. I am his mentor. Which is why you need to call Inko and tell her that her son was stabbed in your class this afternoon!"
"Right! Right! I'll go do that," All Might bolted out of the room just as quickly as he had entered. At his hasty exit, Snipe looked down at Izuku and gave him an exasperated look. But he didn't look too bothered. He was more concerned with Izuku's ability to walk in the future. Which, of course, he'd be fine. As he tried to tell All Might, it was a light stab wound.
Snipe didn't seem to believe him any more than All Might did.
3. Aizawa
Izuku maintained the opinion that he had been set up somehow. It was a huge conspiracy that he was sure he could get Todoroki to collaborate with him on if he really wanted to. But Aizawa set him up from the very beginning.
He has spent many days over at Shinsou's home (Also considered Mic and Aizawa's home but oh well). He and Shinsou were great friends. And most of these trips led to him eating dinner with the trio. After the second or third time, the hero worship wore off and they started to have actual conversations rather than Izuku just answering with one or two words at a time. Each time, Aizawa would ask the usual questions.
"How's your mother doing?"
"Snipe into any new projects?"
"Does your mother know about [insert school event] coming up?" "Is Snipe coming to [Insert event] too?"
It was an easy rhythm to follow. Which was why Izuku didn't immediately notice something odd.
"How's your mother doing?"
"Oh, she's doing great, she just got promoted at her job. She's really excited about it." "That's nice. Is your father working on any projects?"
Izuku heard Shinsou snort into his bowl but assumed it was an accident. He didn't think about it as he continued eating and talking. "Not at the moment. He's focused more on updating my armor in a way that doesn't impede my movement but gives me good protection."
"That's a good thing. Does your mother know about the UA Reception coming up?"
"Mhm," Izuku muttered. "She's gonna be working that day though, so she can't come. But I'm going."
"Is your father coming to the Reception too?" "He should be."
It wasn't until later on when Izuku was packing up his study materials that Shinsou informed him of the details he was missing during that whole conversation. And when he did, Izuku nearly ripped out his hair.
"I can't believe he called Snipe my dad and I agreed with him!" Izuku hid his face in Shinsou's pillow.
"Well, I mean, he's basically your dad, right?"
Izuku made a sad noise on the pillow. H mumbled something Shinsou couldn't understand before he pulled his face out. "I said: I wish he was. But he's not. He's my mentor."
"But he treats you just like a dad would. I'd know...I have two of them..."
It actually made Izuku quite upset to think about it. Here he had a role model, one that cared for him when he was hurt, cared about him when he was upset, comforted him, and nurtured him. And yet, he wasn't his father. In the space where a father should be, he had nothing but a man he never remembered seeing the face of other than in photographs. If he had it his way, Snipe would be his dad. Hisashi Midoriya would have no place in Izuku's life.
"...Have you talked to him about it?" Shinsou pushed.
Izuku shook his head quickly. "No, no I could never ask him to be my dad. My mom would kill me. And he wouldn't want to be around me anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because I'd gotten too attached..." Izuku looked down at his hands, noting the callouses from where he loaded each shot into his gun.
"He cares enough about you to drive you home when you get stuck in Recovery Girl's office. He talks about you all the time. And my dad wouldn't pull the stunt he did at dinner if he thought Snipe only saw himself as your mentor."
It was only then that Shinsou seemed to realize Izuku was crying. Fat tears dripped down his cheeks and into his hands. "H-Hey...I'm sorry I didn't-" He rested a hand on Izuku's shoulder to reassure him, but it broke the dam that was holding back Izuku's tears. He sobbed, letting the noise shake his shoulders and dislodge Shinsou's hand.
"I wish he was my dad."
"...I know..." Shinsou sat down on the bed beside Izuku and let him cry into his shoulder. It seemed that Aizawa had been listening at some point as, a bit later when the quiet sobs dissipated,
Aizawa knocked softly on the door.
"Izuku," He said even softer. And he'd never spoken so gently to Izuku before. "It's time for me to drive you home before your mom gets worried."
And usually it's 'Before your mom and Snipe put a bounty on me for kidnapping,' or some other such playful banter. Izuku stood without a word and shuffled to the door. Aizawa's hand landed on his shoulder comfortingly all the way to the car and shut the passenger door for him. Aizawa started the drive quietly, but Izuku could feel the words he wanted to say as if he were a telepath.
"I wish he was my dad, Mr. Aizawa. I really do..."
"...I know...I guess my mind saw all of the signs and just decided that was the truth..." "Signs?" Izuku asked quietly.
Aizawa nodded. "A mango allergy is extremely uncommon to have. And food allergies are mostly genetic. So is the quirkless gene...Your age puts you at right around the time Snipe was getting his foundation of hero work started...he was kind of...well...they knew him in a lot of social circles." Aizawa put it delicately. "You do share some physical resemblance too. It's easy to get the idea even without seeing how much he cares for you..."
It wasn't as comforting as Izuku hoped it was. It wasn't confirmation. But...maybe...just maybe... it could be true?
4. Snipe
Izuku was showing Snipe his baby pictures. Snipe was ecstatic to see each and every one of them. He was even able to abscond with a small photo of Izuku with half his teeth missing in the throngs of youth for his wallet. And hearing each story behind them gave him an attachment to them. Maybe he wasn't there to witness Izuku's first time riding a bike, but he could envision it in his mind now.
He leafed through the stacks of photographs and stumbled upon one that looked significantly older
than the rest. It was what looked like a fancy meeting. Everyone dressed up in their best. Snipe scoured through to find Izuku's familiar head of curls, but they were nowhere to be seen. What he did see, however, was Inko. She was young looking, less motherly if that made sense. She was skinnier then and stood tall in a group of other people. There was a man standing next to her with his hand on her waist. Looking up at the woman herself who sat on the couch, Snipe turned the picture for her to see.
"Oh! How did that get in there?!" She balked, laughing nervously. "Mom, when was this?" Izuku asked, spying the picture.
"Oh, that was the year before you were born, sweetie. That night...well that's the night I met your father." She said honestly.
Izuku peered at the photo and hummed as his eyes caught the man standing next to his mother. "Ah...What party was this?"
"It was a benefit. I can't remember the actual name, but it was for first responders and the like to get recognition from heroes. There were quite a few people there if I remember actually." Inko mused.
And at once Snipe remembered the benefit. It was one of the first events he went to after his debut. He was young and cocky then. He felt like he was the cat's meow. It was a bit embarrassing to think about, really.
"I was there too!" He announced, looking through the photos to see if he could find one with himself. He couldn't of course, because he had way too much to drink and his career manager forced him to avoid all the cameras. He didn't remember how he'd gotten home that night, only that it was with a beautiful woman he couldn't remember either that left before he could ask her name the next morning.
"I was quite the partier back then," Inko blushed, putting a hand on her cheek to hide it.
They continued to flick through photograph after photograph, but Snipe's mind was still occupied by that one. He wondered if he had met Inko back then. But judging by Inko's embarrassment and the rather quick timing of her meeting Hisashi Midoriya and giving birth to Izuku, he could read between the lines to see that her night ended much the same as his. But looking at the photograph,
Snipe couldn't quite see the resemblance between Hisashi and Izuku. Izuku took after his mother quite a bit. Hair color, eye color, smile...Snipe didn't want to insult Izuku, even in his mind, but it seemed like he had only inherited Hisashi's worst qualities. His mango allergy, his quirkless gene.
Then again...it was all a lot of coincidences, wasn't it? Nowadays, quirklessness is inherited directly from a quirkless parent. The quirkless parent has inherited it from their quirkless parent or grandparent. The bottom line, there was always a clear trace of quirklessness in families. Quirks were a dominant gene, but quirklessness was resilient in the fact that it wouldn't completely disappear at least for not a good long while. So it was odd that Izuku's quirklessness apparently resulted from 4 generations of quirked people on either side...
But...Snipe's quirklessness could be traced to his paternal grandmother who received the gene from her mother who got it from her father from his grandfather, mother, grandmother, father, father, mother, etc. He was allergic to mangoes...He resembled Izuku quite a bit now that he had thought it over. He attended the same party that Inko had in the appropriate conception window before Izuku was born.
Was he... could he be Izuku's biological father?! _
5. Inko
Snipe showed up on Inko's doorstep out of the blue when he knew Izuku was busy with training at UA. She had answered the door curiously as Snipe tended to invite himself inside often, except this time he knocked and politely waited for her to answer.
"Snipe?" She asked curiously.
"Inko," Snipe bowed his head. "Is now a good time? I needed to talk to you about something... important."
"Of course, I was just making some tea," The fretful woman stepped aside to allow him entry and shut the door behind him. "Is Izuku alright?"
"Oh, yeah, Bucko is just fine," Snipe mentally kicked himself for not prefacing with that. Worrying the woman unnecessarily was counterproductive. "I just had something I needed to ask you..."
Inko nodded, leading the way to the living room and motioning for Snipe to sit. "I'll get the tea for us. Just wait one moment."
She returned much quicker than Snipe was prepared for, having been going over just what he wanted to ask her over and over in his mind. After all, there was no easy way to go about it. He would basically be calling the woman unfaithful to her husband. His hands shook as he took the mug of tea.
"Is everything alright, Snipe?" Inko asked, setting a worried hand on Snipe's arm even when he flinched.
Deciding that it was better to rip the bandaid off, Snipe shook his head and set his mug on the table. "Inko, I gotta ask you somethin', and I want you to know beforehand that I don't think negatively of you in any way. In fact, I think you're very strong and should be proud of all you've accomplished as a single mother–"
Inko's cheeks flamed red before she cut him off. "Snipe, the flattery is nice, but I feel like you're stalling. I know you don't think badly of me, but what is this about? Have I done something?"
Snipe wished he'd brought his mask to hide behind and forced himself to sit still rather than reach for the mug of tea once more. "Is there...is there any chance...That...Is there any chance that I could be Izuku's biological father?"
Silence stretched between them. Snipe chanced a look up at her from where his eyes were trained on his lap. She looked confused...then humorous?
"Oh, Snipe," She chuckled. "What in the world would give you that impression?" "He's quirkless from two fourth-generation quirk users-"
"It's rare but not unheard of-"
"He's allergic to mangoes-"
"Uncommon but not rare-"
"The hero benefit."
Inko paused in her denial, confusion once more tainting her face. "What about it?"
"Who did you go home with that night?"
"I hardly see how that's relevant-" Inko's face switched to anger. But Snipe looked to her pleadingly.
"It wasn't your husband, right? It was a stranger, and you disappeared the next morning before you could give your name to them?"
Inko's jaw dropped. "How...How did you- I was drunk!" "So was I..."
She pressed her hands to her face. "This can't be real."
"I don't know for sure," Snipe stressed, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, pleased as she leaned into it rather than away. "But I was hoping that you'd let me...collect samples for a paternity test."
Tears filled Inko's eyes and her lip quivered. Snipe immediately moved closer to comfort her. He held her close, whispering the same assurances that he didn't think less of her and that he only wanted the best for Izuku.
"Oh, what am I going to tell him?!" Inko gasped. "He's going to be so upset!" "Shh, shh," Snipe shushed gently. "We don't have to tell him anything-"
"But he should know-"
Snipe was very gentle as he took Inko's face in his hands and wipes the streaming tears from her cheeks. "We don't have to tell him anything unless the results come back saying Hisashi isn't his biological father. Just let him live life as usual. I'll continue to be his mentor and keep him safe." he swore. "I just...I have to know if he's my boy, Inko."
If possible, that made her break down even harder. But Snipe wasn't deterred. Sure, he might have shed some tears of his own, but that didn't stop him from being there for Inko. In the end, she let him into Izuku's room and allowed him to take a single hair from his comb and seal it in a small sealable bag. Then, tearfully, she brought him into her own room and removed a box from her closet, and gave it to him.
"This has Hisashi's coat in it. Maybe you can get DNA from it. I'd like for you to test his as well. Just...just to be sure." She forced her lip to stop quivering. "Y'know...Hisashi and I aren't even together? We're married, of course, but he's wanted nothing to do with Izuku or me since he was a baby. The life of a father just wasn't for him, he said."
Snipe felt anger burn in his chest at the callous disregard for having something so precious as a family. A son. A caring wife. If he ever met Hisashi in person, regardless of the results, Snipe didn't think he could be civil. "Selfish," Snipe started muttering obscenities under his breath as Inko led him back to the main room. "Listen, I'll get these tested ASAP and I'll be here with the results. I won't know until you know." He promised. Inko herded him out the door and Snipe practically ran all the way back to his hero agency and down to the lab where they tested his gear and ammunition. It was unorthodox to ask them to test for DNA matches, but it was more secure than any lab he knew.
1
"I asked Izuku's mother for a paternity test."
Izuku stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing the words. He went to Aizawa's office to ask the man about personal training with Hitoshi, but right before he could knock, the words floated through his ears like a whisper.
"And she agreed?"
There was a quiet shuffling that Izuku couldn't discern as a nod, shake of the head, or shrug.
"I got my own lab guys working on it, but even with them prioritizing it, it won't be ready till Wednesday afternoon." That was Snipe's voice.
Izuku's chest clenched at the mention that...he asked Izuku's mom for a paternity test?! For what?!
"Have you mentioned this to Izuku?" Aizawa asked, and Izuku could practically see his unimpressed look through the door.
There was another shuffle. "We decided that we wouldn't tell him unless the results came back contradicting what he already thinks."
"And that is?"
"That Hisashi Midoriya is his father," Snipe said as if he had a gun to his head. "I hope he's mine, Shouta." His voice was soft, honest, and open. And Izuku hoped for the same thing. Deciding to disregard to request for personal training with Hitoshi for now, Izuku rushed back down the hallway. Perhaps. He wanted to be there when the truth was revealed. He couldn't wait for it.
So, Wednesday afternoon, he left campus early. Snipe only said 'Afternoon' so Izuku waited until after lunch to go up to Aizawa and say he had a 'family emergency' and had to leave. Assumingly, Aizawa thought he was talking about the paternity test, but that wasn't an incorrect suggestion. He ran home and snuck into his room through the fire escape. He had left the window unlocked that morning and it was nothing to squeeze back in. It was a matter of time til then. He stayed quiet, anxiously waiting til the front door shot open and the jingle of Snipe's spurs was heard as he stomped in.
"Inko, Inko! It's here!" The man panted as if he had run all the way from his agency. He most likely had.
"Oh my god, let me make some tea-" Inko scrambled into the kitchen, needing to immediately be busy. Snipe was pacing the length of the living room the entire time until the kettle hissed and Inko presumably carried a tray to the living room. "So...this is it, then?" She asked.
"Mhm..." Snipe stopped his pacing, and Izuku heard him flop down on the couch. "Here." "You want me to open it?!"
"You're his mother."
"But you could be his father!"
They fought over who was going to open the envelope and Izuku almost ran out of his room to open it himself. The anticipation was killing him.
"I don't know if I can handle this," Inko sniffled.
"I can open it then." There was a shuffle of paper, assumingly the envelope being traded off. It was dead silent for a few minutes before Snipe growled in frustration.
"To hell with all this," And the sound of an envelope being ripped open. There was paper being unfolded. Again silence.
"What does it say?" Inko asked after a second. Another moment of silence. "Snipe..." Izuku was so close to just flinging the door open and demanding to know.
"So that's that then..." Snipe muttered sniffling. And wasn't that vague?
"Does this mean..."
And then an ugly sobbing sound. His mother had been crying for quite a bit already, but her emotions were as easily triggerable as his own. But Izuku had never heard Snipe cry before. But the man was crushed. It made tears spawn in Izuku's eyes and he couldn't help but cry as well. He pressed a hand to his mouth, smothering his sobs to hopefully not be heard by the two adults in the living room.
"I wish he was mine. I was hopin'- But I guess I just- I dunno Inko. I just wish he was mine-" Snipe heaved a shuddering breath that had Izuku almost ready to burst through the door. He felt his heart drop through the floor and into the Earth's crust down to its core. So he wasn't his dad? It hurt. It hurt quite a bit. He had been hoping since he found out it was a possibility. And now here he was with the truth black and white and it was nothing like he'd hoped. "Y'know- I had- I had this whole plan. I was gonna take him on a joyride; both of you, actually. And I was gonna tell him he was mine and-" Snipe couldn't finish through his tears and Inko wasn't much better off.
But still, she tried. "This doesn't mean anything. It's just the same as before!" She tried to assure. "But I wish-"
"He can still be yours." Inko sniffled and Izuku heard her run down the hall. For a moment, he thought she knew he was there and was going to burst into his room, but she ran past into her own room. It didn't take her long to rush back to the living room.
"I always knew Hisashi didn't want to be a part of a family. Even before Izuku was born. He promised he'd try but-" There was a shuffling of documents and boxes before Snipe gasped through his tears. "I never let him sign it."
"Inko, you don't mean-"
"I do. I do!" She pleaded. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but it can still be official. In the way that you were hoping?"
"What would we tell him?" Snipe questioned and Izuku could picture him holding something (his birth certificate presumably) and wanting so badly to sign it, but still holding off because he cares about Izuku's feelings so much.
"We tell him the truth," Inko insisted.
"What if he doesn't want me like that?"
And Izuku had enough. He nearly ripped the door off its hinges as he opened it and rushed down the hall. It was as he had imagined, his important documents scattered on the table with Snipe
holding his birth certificate. He'd never seen it himself. And he supposed it was designed by his mother so he wouldn't know that his father wasn't listed on it. Both adults looked at him with surprise, fear, and confusion.
"Izuku-?" His mother tried to ask, but Izuku could explain later.
"Please sign it," Izuku begged. "I don't care if you aren't my dad biologically."
"Are you sure?" Snipe asked, wiping at his ever-pouring eyes. "I mean once I do this there ain't no goin' back..."
"You're my dad," Izuku swore. "Regardless of anything else. You're my dad." That sent a new round of tears down Snipe's cheeks and he nodded.
"O-Okay-" He sniffled, looking around the table for a pen only for one to be pushed into his hand by Inko. He signed it with a shaky hand, barely managing not to drip tears on the page.
Inko took the birth certificate and slipped it back into the envelope delicately. "I'll file it tomorrow morning as soon as I can."
"I'll go with you," Snipe swore. He put the pen aside and reached for Izuku who wasted no time in flinging himself into his arms. "C'mere, kiddo."
He hugged Izuku tighter than ever before and Izuku didn't even mind that his breathing was constricted. "You're my dad." He reiterated.
"You're my boy," Snipe promised. "I'll do everything I need to make sure it's official."
"I'll tell my friends at UA," Izuku chuckled and it spread into Snipe.
"Guess that means I gotta tell Aizawa. Golly, wonder what the media is gon' spin about this."
"I don't care what the media thinks." Izuku couldn't keep the smile off his face then.
"Aw, bud, taking after me already."