Chapter 22: The Reaction

Katsuki

Katsuki was going to lose his mind in this dumbass police station. They wouldn't let him back to see Izuku and he might actually blow the entire place to bits if someone didn't let him see his nerd. Hitoshi sat next to Aizawa in the waiting room watching the angry blonde pace with his hands buried in his hair. Katsuki was tugging it every time he felt the urge to murder the recptionist denying him entry, he honestly might be bald when he left the building.

Aizawa was on the phone still, trying to speak to someone at the commission who could tell them what the fuck was going on. After Tenko dropped the bomb the day before Izuku had been put in holding while the cops tried to figure out what to do with him. The commission would end up making the decision probably, with two well known heroes speaking up in support of Izuku during the broadcast and several more taking to social media to do the same after, they couldn't sit back and let the cops handle this.

Almost immediately after the broadcast ended the protests started. Thankfully for them, this time it was in support of quirkless people and Izuku. The media around him during their first year had shifted to either strictly factual or supportive by now and his very public relationship with Todoroki made many people love him. Sure there were those on the internet yelling to lock him up but the commission couldn't ignore the thousands of people protesting outside their headquarters and police stations in every city across the country.

Katsuki didn't give a shit about any of that right now though, the only thing he cared about this minute was seeing Izuku for himself. He couldn't have any visitors right now, not for another hour because it was so early in the morning. Katsuki had wanted to come the day before, but everything had gone down in the late afternoon and they had the dorms on lockdown until the morning in case any riots took place since two hero students had been involved in the broadcast.

They could have waited at the dorms until visiting hours, but Katsuki had been driving Aizawa up the wall so he'd relented and brought him here to wait. Finally tiring of pacing, Katsuki collapsed in the chair next to Hitoshi and laid his head down on his boyfriend's shoulder. "You sure you wouldn't rather go visit your dad, Toshi?"

Slender fingers started running through Katsuki's hair, "No, I talked to him this morning and he wants me to keep my distance in case he gets arrested or protesters show up."

He huffed, tugging at the hem of his shirt. "And you really aren't pissed that he never told you? That we never told you?"

"For like a second I was, when I first saw it. But I've heard the stories from you and Izuku and I read the stuff on the website. I know how bad it must have been for him before and obviously he wouldn't have told me when he was just fostering me. Then I called him to ask why he never said anything after I was adopted and he said he was…he was scared that I wouldn't want him to be my dad."

Katsuki could hear the tears in Hitoshi's voice so he kept his eyes off the teen's face. They both hated being so vulnerable and he could give him the space he needed to do it. "I get it, I mean if anyone understands how messed up hearing nothing but negative things about yourself your whole life will make you, it's me. I wish he hadn't kept lying, but I'm not going to get pissy about one secret when he's the only adult that wanted me. He's my dad and I wouldn't want to lose him over this."

Katsuki nodded against Hitoshi's shoulder. "What about me and Izuku? You mad we didn't tell you?"

Hitoshi used gentle fingers to raise Katsuki's head up so they were eye to eye. "I don't want to have to repeat this so listen closely. I'm not mad at either of you. It wasn't your secret to share and I get that. Telling me about this would have been worse than if you outed a gay person after they trusted you with that information. You were protecting him and I love you for that."

They smiled softly at each other and Katsuki gave Hitoshi a small peck on the cheek, neither boy was fond of PDA. He rested his head back on his boyfriend's shoulder until Detective Tsukauchi came to bring them back to see Izuku.

Aizawa

Standing against the wall with his hands in his pockets, Shouta watched Midoriya reassure Bakugo and Shinso that he was fine. Shouta hated seeing his student here. Sure, they'd taken off the cuffs and he was in holding instead of actual jail, but his problem child didn't deserve to be locked up at all. He'd known from the minute they'd found out Midoriya knew something about the missing people that they weren't in any danger. Had he been alone with his student when that came out none of this would have happened.

Unlike Tsukauchi, Shouta knew there were times the law should be bent if not fully ignored for the good of people it was failing. He knew Midoriya wouldn't have sat by if anyone was in danger and he knew about it, so he would have told the detective it was a dead end and stalled the case until it went cold. But now his problem child was locked up and the country was holding its breath while they waited to see what would come.

Sighing, Aizawa pushed himself off the wall. "Problem child, try not to get into any more trouble while I go make some calls about getting you out of here."

Midoriya smiled brightly at him as he left the students to talk. He dialed Nezu, surely the chimera would have some plan cooked up.

Tsukauchi

Naomasa hated this. He'd only brought the kid in because he thought he knew something about people who needed help. If he'd known the truth even he would have acted differently. Yeah, he believes in the law and following it for the proper justice, but he isn't an idiot. What Midoriya had done was illegal, but those people were better off for it. Now he couldn't get the look off the teenager's face when he'd put him in holding the night before out of his head. Midoriya had looked proud of him when he told the boy, "As a detective I can't condone breaking the law. As a human being, you did good kid."

The boy whose future he might have ruined looked proud of him . God, he'd never wished for a time travel quirk this much. All he could do now though was try to get the boy out. He had friends at the commission and he would call in every favor he had to ensure they made the right decision here. First though, he had to call Yagi. He'd used several favors to ensure the man wouldn't be brought in. He may have ruined his chances at a relationship, but he wouldn't let the man he'd come to care about go down for trying to have a better life.

Nezu

Humans could be such stupid creatures, he'd found. Dragging their feet and ignoring the best solution to a problem that was right in front of them seemed to be a common trait in the species. When Nova had contacted him for his video as soon as Midoriya called for a lawyer, he knew he had to be involved in the original statement made by the network. The commission as a whole was normally smart enough to know better than to go against Nezu. Time and again he'd proven that standing on the other side of a battlefield from him was detrimental.

Apparently, some of the higher ups at the commission hadn't gotten the memo and were stalling the pardon he knew Izuku was going to get. After his call with Aizawa, Nezu decided he couldn't wait any longer. He listened to the line ring twice before the president of the HPSC picked up. "Hello, I am sure you have been expecting a call from me. I have decided to give you two hours to get your house in order. If Izuku Midoriya's unconditional pardon and the pardon for every quirkless person he relocated has not been announced by then, I will no longer be satisfied with the position of principal. How does Nezu HPSC president sound to you?"

He set the phone down with a click and folded his paws. His intentions were clear now and if the president knew what was good for her she would heed his warning.

Hawks

Keigo knew they knew he was out here, even if they didn't carefully track their hero prodigy there was no mistaking his bright red wings among the crowd of protestors outside the HPSC headquarters. After the video yesterday, he'd posted a video renouncing his support of the commission unless they freed Izuku Midoriya and gathered his hero friends to join the masses in protesting.

His phone hadn't stopped buzzing in his pocket since, but he wouldn't be answering the calls of his desperate handler. The ball was in their court now. He just hoped they wouldn't fumble it.

Izuku

Katsuki and Hitoshi were sitting against the bars of his cell trying to keep him distracted when Katsuki's phone started blowing up. He pulled out and as soon as he registered wht he was seeing, his eyes went wide. Clicking the link Mina had sent, he pulled up the video and turned the phone so all three boys could see it. Izuku watched the video on the news site in shock.

Tears gathered in his eyes as the president of the commission stood next to the prime minister and announced his pardon. The tears fell down his grinning face as they continued on to say every person who had committed a crime to relocate quirkless individuals would also get a pardon. When they said they would be drastically reforming laws and cracking down on quirkless discrimination, Izuku started full on sobbing.

It was going to be a long road, and they would have to work hard to ensure they kept their word, but his people were on the path to freedom. He could become the hero he wanted and make sure people like him were safe.