Chapter One:

Izuku Midoriya grew up in a beautiful clay-walled house resting on top of a cliff. The western windows overlooked the ocean. A forest spread out to the east. Neither the ocean nor the forest had a name. Izuku simply called them Ocean and Forest. There was no need for another name. In Izuku's books and movies about fantastical worlds and space adventures overflowing with exciting characters, the universe was big enough to name places. But his entire world ended at the glowing black boundary drawn through the forest and forming a circle around the house. Izuku had never been far enough across the water to reach the other end of the circle, but his tutors had told him it was there.

Izuku had seven teachers who lived with him and looked after him whenever his father was away. He loved them all very much. They had been by his side ever since he'd been a baby. Hisashi Midoriya often vanished for long periods of time. Izuku did not ask where his father went, because the first rule of the house was that no one questioned his father. In his notebooks, Izuku had written up theories that his father could be a dimension traveler. That must be how he sustained their tiny world, bringing back food and other necessities. Perhaps when he grew up, Izuku would be old enough to be let in on the truth. As much though he loved his family, someday he would like to meet more than eight people.

Every morning, Izuku woke up to his Uncle Yoichi knocking on his door. Yoichi used to help Izuku through his morning routine, but as Izuku had gotten older, he could brush his own teeth and comb his own hair. Even so, Yoichi always sat next to Izuku and watched him do it. It had nothing to do with not trusting Izuku. It was Yoichi's job. Everyone in this place had a job, except Izuku, who was too young.

Not all of the family ate breakfast, some preferring to sleep in and/or skip the meal. Only Izuku and Yoichi were reliably at the breakfast table every single morning. Yoichi would open the kitchen cupboard and retrieve whatever food had been arranged by Hisashi.

On this particular day, Izuku and Yoichi ate croissants with strawberry jam. Over breakfast, they discussed books. Yoichi was Izuku's literature teacher. Though actually the class included comics and movies as well. Most recently, Izuku had finished reading The Fellowship of the Ring. It had been just to his tastes: an epic tale with brave and kind heroes. (And a bit of a welcome break from analyzing the enjoyable but more complicated hard sci-fi Usurper of the Sun last time.)

Bouncing in his seat, Izuku asked, "How many more books are there?"

"Two more books, then three movies," Yoichi said. "I recommend reading the books first. Tastes may vary, but personally I always prefer the original material."

Izuku asked, "Uncle Yoichi, are hobbits real?" Although Izuku could not question his father, he could ask his teachers whatever he liked.

Yoichi shook his head. "They're fantastical creatures. Or at least they don't exist on this world. Who knows? Maybe there's some other world populated by hobbits." His gaze became dreamy. "Wouldn't that be amazing?"

Even though Izuku's teachers always answered his questions, they were not as helpful as he'd like. They did not seem to know anything more than Izuku what lay outside their own small world. Izuku had trouble believing in spaceships and wizards, or at least that both could exist at once, but those were the only books he had. He'd never read a story about a normal life such as the one he lived with his family. Once he'd been given The Hunger Games, but that book had made him ask a few too many questions about dystopias and if his world had once been bigger. After letting just one question slip around his father, he'd never even gotten to read the sequels.

Gnawing on his lip, Izuku grumbled, "I wish Dad would at least tell me about other worlds, even if he can't take me along. He won't even let me read books that are too much like our world!"

Yoichi smiled gently. "Everything Hisashi does is for your own good. Your father has dedicated everything to protect us. You must believe in him."

Of course Yoichi had answered like that. It was his job.

Izuku's first tutor had the duty of teaching him literature and to always trust his father.

After breakfast, Yoichi cleared away the dishes and placed them in the cupboard, where they always disappeared. Then Izuku's second tutor arrived. Kaiji pecked Yoichi on the lips, then drank his leftover orange juice. A grin creasing his scarred face, Kaiji asked, "Are you ready for class, kid?"

Izuku smiled in return. Science was his second favorite class, after literature. "Of course, Second."

On exactly one occasion, Izuku had addressed Kaiji as Uncle Kaiji, assuming they were related because Kaiji loved Yoichi. In his books, that would make him Izuku's uncle. But his father had been furious, so Izuku had stopped. Hisashi addressed all the tutors except Yoichi by numbers, and insisted Izuku should do the same.

Morning lessons took place in a sunny room facing the ocean. Izuku's desk looked small compared to the high walls and cream carpet. Kaiji stood at a podium next to the floor-to-ceiling window, the waves crashing behind him. Currently, they were studying physics.

Waving his hand in the air to interrupt the lecture, Izuku asked, "Do you think speed-of-light travel is possible?"

Kaiji shrugged. "No one knows, but I lean toward no. Once you accept faster than speed of light, time and other concepts get wonky. It would mean I'd gotten a lot of science fu—fuc—" Sometimes Kaiji started to swear, but he always stopped himself. Once he'd stopped talking so fast he'd bitten his own tongue. Hisashi didn't like swearing, especially not in front of Izuku. Coughing, Kaiji finished, "It would mean I'd gotten a lot of science dratted wrong."

"There's the hyperdrive in Star Wars, and warp speed in Star Trek, and wormholes in Stargate."

"None of those stories ever explain how the technology works in a replicable way," Kaiji pointed out. "Early science fiction wormholes involved people driving spaceships into black holes, before we understood how black holes actually work. I wouldn't recommend flying into a black hole unless you want to end up like this." He crumpled up a blank sheet of paper in his fist.

Izuku nibbled on the tip of his pencil. "Does that mean Star Wars isn't real?"

"I can't answer that one. Jeez, you're throwing hard balls today." Kaiji chuckled. "Your dad treats Star Wars like a religion. Who knows, maybe he has a hyperdrive textbook he hasn't shared with us."

"Well, that's not fair," Izuku muttered.

Kaiji ruffled Izuku's curls. "Your father has his reasons, kid. He knows a lot more than you or I. You must always listen to him, or you might find yourself in danger."

As Izuku had grown older, he'd started to chafe under his father's secrecy and restrictions. Kaiji had always been there to calm his fears and persuade him.

Izuku's second tutor had the duty of teaching him science and to never rebel against his father.

Sanzou arrived after the lesson had finished, wearing cameos with his blue hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Just like every day, Izuku made a face and turned away his head when they kissed. Uncle Yoichi, Kaiji, and Sanzou were all part of a triad. In Izuku's books, love triangles usually turned messy and the odd one out frequently died. He was glad his family had come to a more sensible solution. He just wished he didn't have to watch their displays of affection.

"It's a bit rainy outside," Sanzou told Izuku. "Do you still want to go out?"

"I need to go outside, Third," Izuku insisted. He only got to leave the house once a day, when Sanzou came for P.E. class. Originally, Physical Education had involved Izuku spending a lot of time running around the race track in the mansion basement. Yoichi had pleaded with Hisashi long and hard for Izuku to be allowed to learn martial arts and take hikes in the forest outside. It was very, very rare for Yoichi to persist after his brother said no. But then, it was also rare for Hisashi to deny Yoichi anything he wanted. Izuku had the same powerful puppy eyes, and he'd aided in the pleading. As usual, Yoichi had gotten his own way in the end. Izuku had vowed not to waste his uncle's year-long campaign and enjoy sunshine at every chance. He'd even enjoy rain!

Before they went outside, as per the house rules, Izuku put on tall rainboots and raincoat. Sanzou fastened his hood close to his face. Fidgeting, Izuku grumbled, "You don't need to be so careful. Even if a little rain falls on me, it won't do me any harm. I shower every day! How is rain different? Dad is too overprotective."

Sternly, Sanzou said, "You must never speak against your father." He pulled off Izuku's hood. "You're staying indoors today, young man."

No matter how Izuku pleaded, Sanzou didn't relent. He was stuck inside. At least Sanzou let him go a few rounds at the punching bag to work off his frustration. Mostly, Izuku blamed himself. He knew the rules. He'd picked the wrong person to break this one.

Izuku's third tutor had the duty of teaching him P.E. and to never speak against his father.

All the exercise helped Izuku work up an appetite by the time Hikage arrived to take him to lunch. Hikage was in charge of cooking lessons. The family had no need to cook, because unlike in Izuku's books, food simply appeared in the kitchen. But Hikage enjoyed cooking, and so did Izuku. The food tasted better when he added his own spices to his personal tastes. Hisashi encouraged cooking lessons because he loved eating Izuku and Yoichi's home cooking, though he had never once eaten anything made by the other tutors. That was a shame, because Hikage was an amazing chef.

On this particular afternoon, Hikage showed Izuku how to make Spaghetti Carbonara. They'd been working their way through an Italian unit for a while. The egg came out a bit overcooked, but Izuku barely noticed. Hikage promised they'd make the dish again until it was fit to serve Hisashi. It always made Hikage happy when Hisashi ate his recipes, even if the master of the house turned up his nose at his cooking.

In fact, Hisashi seemed to have a particular disdain for Hikage even compared to his general disdain for other people. Hikage loved long walks outdoors, and Izuku had begged to come along for an excuse to get fresh air. But Hisashi remained convinced Hikage would get Izuku lost, despite being the best naturalist of the tutors.

After they cleared away the lunch dishes, Izuku asked, "Can we make cookies?"

Hikage glanced at the clock. "We still have time before your next lesson." It went without saying that they had ingredients. The silver kitchen was huge, large enough to serve the banquets from Izuku's stories, with cupboard full of anything they could ever want, always restocked fresh every day.

"I'm in the mood for chocolate chip cookies," Izuku said, going to the cupboard and getting down the chips.

"If you don't mind me saying so, you seem down," Hikage said. "What's wrong?" He was a giant man, but soft and gentle. Though he did not speak much, his words were invariably kind. His big hands moved delicately as he measured out flour.

Izuku had always felt that he could confide in Hikage. "I said the wrong thing and angered Third."

Hikage hummed under his breath. "I doubt Sanzou was angry. He's your teacher—it's his job to enforce the rules. We all love you."

"I know." Izuku bit his lip. "I just need to do a better job keeping my frustration hidden. It would upset my father if he saw."

Hikage whirled around, the measuring cup slipping from his fingers. "No, Izuku! You must never, ever hide anything from your father."

The frenzied light in his eyes scared Izuku a little. He'd never seen Hikage like this. Izuku apologized and helped clean up the spilled flour.

"I know my reaction was a bit much." Hikage fidgeted with his hands. "You weren't talking about hiding. You only meant keeping your words to yourself. I overreacted. It's just, this is the only safe place. Everywhere outside this world is dangerous. If you hid, your father wouldn't be able to protect you. I love you. I could not bear if anything happened to you."

In the back of Izuku's mind, he filed away the interesting tidbit that there was definitely a world outside this one. But he did not let it show on his face. He smiled. "I understand. I love you too, Fourth."

Although Hikage was not normally physically demonstrative, he held out his arms, and Izuku hugged him.

Izuku's fourth tutor had the duty of teaching him cooking and to never hide from his father.

"How's my favorite student doing today?" Banjo cried as he swept Izuku off his feet into a hug.

Unlike Hikage, Banjo loved physical affection. His voice muffled against the muscles, Izuku said, "I'm your only student."

"Fortunately, because I'm not that great a teacher," Banjo said cheerfully. He winked. "That's why they let me have the easy subject."

Banjo taught art. The art room had everything Izuku could ever want: easels, paints, oils, sketchpads, electronic tablets for drawing, and even a clay wheel and kiln. Currently, Izuku was working on sculpting a Darth Vader figurine. It would be a gift for his father. Hisashi loved everything Izuku had ever made for him, from lop-sided crayon drawings to a coffee mug with a handle that had quickly fallen off. Izuku believed his skill had finally progressed enough to allow him to make more complex clay creations. Darth Vader's lightsaber was a headache, though. It was too slim and kept sagging.

"At this rate it would be faster to build a real lightsaber," Izuku grumbled, staring at his latest failure. He dipped his fingers in water.

Banjo laughed. "I bet your father would love that!"

"Do you think Dad would ever take me to a world with real lightsabers?" Izuku asked.

An awkward silence filled the room. Banjo cleared his throat. "I don't know. I wouldn't be allowed to tell you even if I did know, but I don't. All of that is far over the head of someone like me. Only your father is smart enough to understand. I'll tell him that you asked—uh, actually, I'm required to tell him whenever you ask about anything outside our world."

"Sometimes I wish Dad didn't give all of you so many rules," Izuku muttered.

He'd kept his voice low, but Banjo overheard. "Don't be angry at your father." He planted a kiss on top of Izuku's head. "Your dad is a great man! Whatever he says must be the best."

"I know," Izuku sighed. He'd given up on that old argument. None of his teachers would speak a word against his father. Even Yoichi, who sometimes liked to playfully tease Hisashi, still treated his big brother's word like divine revelation.

Izuku's fifth tutor had the duty of teaching him art and to never be angry at his father.

En was the only teacher Izuku could look down on due to his short height. That seemed to irritate En a little, because he taught math standing on a raised podium. Equations spread across the blackboard behind him. En was a good teacher and methodical at explanations. His only weakness was a slight tendency to mumble. Izuku dragged his desk a little closer to listen. As a fellow mumbler, he completely understood. Once En and Izuku had a four hour long mumbling session talking about the intricates of The Locked Tomb series.

Out of all the tutors, En was the closest in age to Izuku, and Izuku thought of him as nearly more of a friend than a teacher. For a long time, Izuku had longed for friends who would be ride or die like the ones from fictional stories. Although, when push came to shove, he knew duty and rules came first for En just like the others.

Setting down his math textbook, En asked, "Is something on your mind? You don't seem to be listening to today's lecture."

"I'm sorry." Izuku sat up straighter.

"I didn't say it out of anger." En pulled over a chair and sat next to Izuku. "You're always an excellent student. Something must be up."

Izuku knew that anything he said to En would make it back to his father. That was simply the way it had to be. It was an undeniable truth: just like how the Earth orbited the sun, this house orbited around Hisashi Midoriya. Even so, Izuku had no other peer to ask for advice except En. Clearing his throat, Izuku said, "You know I've been grating under Dad's rules."

En snorted. "We all know. You've been under a storm cloud since those Hunger Game books got taken away."

"I really did want to know how the series ended…but that's not the point. Maybe it's kind of the point." Izuku swallowed. "Do you think it's better to tell my dad that I'm bored of the same routine and ask him if he'll take me along on one of his trips? Or would I just risk getting even more taken away?"

"You should always be honest with your father," En said. His eyes glazed over. "Even if that did result in the master removing another book, it would be for the best. The master always knows best."

The answer was entirely unsatisfying. En wasn't even normally rigid or fond of rules. Sometimes En let entire classes get derailed from math to talk about movies. In stories, he rooted for rebel characters. But when it came to Hisashi, En shut down just like all the others. Izuku should have known better than to ask.

Izuku's sixth tutor had the duty of teaching him art and to always be honest with his father.

The lessons of the day ended with music. Nana had been teaching Izuku how to play the piano ever since he'd been old enough to reach the keys. Once Izuku had asked if he could learn guitar instead, but it turned out Nana only knew how to play piano. Hisashi had been perfectly willing to get Izuku a guitar, and he'd tried to teach himself from reading a book, but he hadn't gotten very far. Some lessons needed a teacher in-person. So Izuku had gone back to the piano.

Nana leaned over as Izuku played, checking the position of his hands. She wore a yellow sundress and a light floral perfume. "You've gotten amazingly good! Soon you'll know more than me." Nana laughed. She was always smiling or laughing. But despite her laid-back attitude, she worked hard. Izuku knew that Nana had been secretly staying up late at night teaching herself the piano so she could continue to stay ahead of him.

With a twist of his wrist, Izuku finished. He panted. Playing the piano was more work than it seemed. "I've been thinking about composing my own music. It seems like fun." Mostly it seemed like something new to try in a world that always remained the same.

"What a lovely idea," Nana said warmly. "Your father loves listening to you perform. He'd be even happier to hear a piece you created yourself."

"Is Dad's opinion all that matters?" Izuku sighed. His frustrations, building up all day, had popped out again.

"You matter the most to your father, so he should matter the most to you," Nana said. She brushed back Izuku's hair. "Nothing is ever more important than family. I hope you never know the pain of losing yours." Her hand went up to cover her mouth. She looked surprised and maybe a tad confused at what she'd just said.

Izuku sat up straighter. This was new and interesting. "Did you ever have a family, Seventh?"

The lines smoothed off Nana's face. Her usual cheerful smile returned. "You're my family, of course, little Izuku." She tapped his nose. "You and the others." Her smile widened—maybe becoming a little too wide? Or was that just his imagination? She continued, "You'll never, ever lose your family, because your father will always protect you. Just the notion is silly. I don't know what I was thinking."

Izuku's seventh tutor had the duty of teaching him music and that family should always come first.

Hisashi Midoriya could not be relied upon to come home for dinner. He was away at least half the time, and lately it had become more like two-thirds. So the family considered it a pleasant surprise when Hisashi appeared out of nowhere, sitting at the head of the table. No one else had such supernatural powers except for book characters. The throne-like seat was always reserved for the head of the family.

Hikage had been setting the table. Without hesitation, he went to grab another plate. "I'm glad you could make it, Master."

"It's been too long," Sanzou said, bowing his head.

Hisashi ignored them both, running past to swoop Izuku up into a hug. "Ducky! Oh, just look, I would swear you've grown taller again." He mussed Izuku's curls. "You're only getting cuter, of course. Come, sit down and tell me about your day."

"I'm glad to see you, Dad." Izuku returned the hug. And he meant it. In spite of his current, unusually grumpy mood, Izuku loved his father.

The other tutors filed into the room. Nana said, "We're all glad you could make it, Master. Izuku has a new piano piece to share with you."

Banjo added, "And the kid has a surprise gift—oh, but we won't talk about that until it's done." He mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key.

En said, "Izuku has been acing all his exams. He's a joy to teach."

Hisashi ignored all of them, not even looking at them. This did not seem to bother them or discourage them. When Hisashi came home, everyone in the house hung on his every word. His smile was a cause for celebration. His slightest whim was treated as an order.

Kaiji beamed as he entered. "Yoichi will be happy to see you, Master."

"I knew already." Yoichi stepped out of the kitchen, dusting off his hands on his apron. "I made my signature lasagna for dinner."

"Little brother!" Hisashi swept Yoichi up into the next bone-crushing hug. "Did you miss me?" He pinched Yoichi's cheeks.

Smiling indulgently, Yoichi said, "Of course I missed my big brother."

"Do you love me?"

"I love you more than anything and anyone in the world." Over Hisashi's shoulder, Yoichi mouthed "Except you." Izuku smiled behind his hand.

Hisashi hummed in satisfaction. "Who's the best brother in the whole universe?"

"You, big brother." Even though Yoichi said this every single time Hisashi came to dinner, he repeated his lines with the same vivid adoration. "You always protect me and look after me. I don't know what I'd possibly do without you. I love you."

Hisashi laughed and spun Yoichi in a circle, sitting him down in the chair to his right. As always, Izuku sat in the chair on the left. "Here, I brought you both gifts." Hisashi pulled out two packages wrapped in silver paper from his coat, then placed them in front of his brother and son respectively. Without looking at the others, Hisashi ordered, "Someone serve the food."

Hikage leapt to obey. Although Yoichi started to rise to help, Hisashi kept his little brother seated with a hand on his wrist.

Izuku could not possibly fail to notice how his father treated him and Yoichi differently from the others. It had bothered him constantly when he was younger. (It still did bother him, he'd just learned not to say anything about it because it upset his teachers.) The other six tutors all treated Hisashi with such great love and respect, but he shunned them. He brought back gifts for Yoichi and Izuku, but never the others. If one of the other six wanted something, they asked Yoichi to request it. Usually Hisashi would exclude the other six from the dinner table—it was a rare treat that he'd allowed them to stay today. Izuku feared trying to help Hikage set the table would break the spell and get them all banished.

Nana said that Hisashi loved Yoichi and Izuku because they were blood family. Izuku didn't really understand what that meant. In his books, being brothers equaled coming from the same parents. But to Izuku, childbirth was as unreal a concept as faster-than-the-speed-of-light spaceships. He had trouble believing any world existed where women pushed out something the size of a baby from down there. It just seemed unlikely. Besides, Izuku clearly didn't have a mother. He'd speculated that he might have been created in a test tube like in some of his science fiction stories. Izuku had noticed he looked more like Hisashi and Yoichi than the others. He had his father's curly hair and his uncle's eyes. But besides that, he didn't see what difference blood relation made. His other six teachers treated him like family, with unconditional love and caring. Why couldn't Hisashi see them as family too?

It would only spoil the mood to make a fuss. Izuku had learned that lesson the hard way. He pulled the paper off his gift. Inside were two books, the one on top titled Catching Fire. He noticed the author's name. "The sequel to The Hunger Games?"

Hisashi chucked Izuku under the chin. "You've been grumpy since I took those books away. I didn't realize you wanted to read them so badly. There, now you have no need to be upset."

Yoichi nodded. "That's right, big brother. Izuku already learned his lesson about asking questions."

Izuku stared down at the books. He ought to be happy to receive them. He was happy, he'd wanted to know how the story ended. But he felt uneasy at how blatantly obviously his tutors spied on him and reported back everything he said to his father. Hisashi had known about Izuku's bad day since long before he'd arrived in this home. Privacy also sometimes felt like a fictional concept only in fairy tales.

The silence stretched on a little too long. Izuku knew what reaction was expected of him. If he didn't quickly deliver, then his books might be taken away. Likely his uncle had gone to bat for him to get his books back. "Thank you, Dad!" Izuku chirped. He threw his arms around his father's neck. The hug also let him hide his facial expression.

"You're welcome, ducky." Hisashi chuckled and patted his back.

Next to them, Yoichi opened his gift. "Oh, more of my favorite shampoo. You always know what I like, big brother. I don't know what I'd do without you. Have dreadful split ends, probably." Leaning over, he kissed his older brother on the cheek. Hisashi beamed.

Sometimes Izuku had a little trouble telling just how seriously his uncle meant his praise. It was over-the-top, that was for sure. Yoichi certainly didn't act sweet and helpless around anyone else. But on the other hand, it was true. The entire world depended on Hisashi completely. Without him, the food would stop coming. That had worried Izuku after he'd first read about starvation. What if one day his father met danger and never returned? Would they all die? He'd asked his tutors, but they all insisted the food would never stop because nothing could ever happen to the invincible and perfect Hisashi. Although the answer had not satisfied Izuku, he'd had no choice except to live with it.

Over dinner, only Hisashi, Yoichi, and Izuku talked. The others remained completely silent. That was definitely uncharacteristic, especially for Banjo. But that was how it worked in his father's little kingdom. Hisashi asked Izuku about his day. Izuku spoke effusive praises of his teachers, perhaps overcompensating for his unease at how they were currently being treated. As usual, Hisashi only listened with half an ear. Probably too busy with more important matters that he wouldn't share with Izuku.

Reaching for a bread roll, Hisashi asked, "What have you been reading lately?"

Izuku replied, "I've been working my way through the Stormlight Archives."

"You've got a lot of good content left to go," Yoichi said, his eyes excited. He bounced in his seat.

Izuku continued, "I just finished the book where Shallan is the hero—"

"Hero?" Hisashi looked up, frowning, his eyes becoming sharp and focused on the conversation for the first time.

Yoichi rolled his eyes. "It's an epic fantasy series, big brother. Izuku means hero as in the protagonist."

"Oh, right." Hisashi relaxed. "I've never read those books."

In a joking tone, Yoichi whispered to Izuku, "Far too long for him. He can't even finish a novella."

Izuku looked between them, a bit confused at the turn in the conversation. As far as he knew, hero meant the main character in a book. A few of his science fiction stories had referred to war heroes. Heroic meant brave and capable. But war heroes were not real, any more than magic or warp drives were real. Wars did not exist. Izuku had no idea what about the word had provoked such a tense reaction from his father. Although Hisashi had always favored villain characters. He only finished stories where the villain won.

After dinner, Izuku shared the leftover cookies he'd made that afternoon. Since he was full, he only had one himself, nibbling on the edges. Hisashi ate four cookies, then dabbed the crumbs on his mouth and cleared his throat. "It was delightful to eat dinner with my precious family." He put his arms around Izuku and Yoichi. "I'm pleased to announce that I will be attending dinner regularly from now on. I've become less busy." A smug light gleamed in his eyes. "Not coincidentally, Izuku will be receiving a new tutor."

This provoked gasps and wide eyes around the table. Banjo even dropped his fork. No one broke the rule against silence, though. The rules were unbreakable.

"Whoa, that's amazing, Dad!" Izuku gushed.

Hisashi tugged a lock of Izuku's hair. "I know, I'm happy to spend more time with you, too. You must miss your father so much."

Actually, Izuku had been excited about the new tutor. His very tiny world contained only eight other people. A new person was a source of great excitement. There would be so many new conversations to be had. There would be new lessons. The experience of getting to know someone new would break up his monotony.

Izuku had more mixed feelings about his father being at every dinner. Although Izuku genuinely wanted his father around more, dinners became quieter and always focused on Hisashi when he was present. It made Izuku feel bad for his teachers. On the other hand, Hisashi's presence would be a chance to grill him for more information about other worlds. Perhaps given enough time, Izuku could even wrangle his way to a trip outside. That thought filled him with good cheer.

"You lot can leave now." Hisashi waved his hand, clearly having completed his announcement and not planning to give out any more details about the new arrival. He did not look at the tutors as he ordered them. "Yoichi, Izuku and I will be playing games."

The tutors stood up and filed out of the room. Kaiji briefly put a hand on Yoichi's shoulder and squeezed, but there was none of their usual demonstrativeness. Whenever Hisashi was around, Kaiji and Sanzou did not show affection to Yoichi. In fact, Yoichi had a separate bedroom that he only slept in when Hisashi was home. Usually he shared a bedroom with his lovers. Their relationship was not a secret, though. Izuku felt sure of that. Nothing in this house was ever secret from Hisashi.

Izuku was so distracted during game night that he lost every time. Winning put Hisashi in an even better mood. He was already effusive tonight, showering Izuku and Yoichi with hugs. Something good seemed to have happened—the new tutor, perhaps.

Normally Yoichi watched over Izuku's bedtime routine. But when Hisashi was home, he took over helping Izuku (unnecessarily) and then tucking him into bed. Hisashi planted one last kiss on Izuku's forehead before turning off the light and closing the door. Yoichi's voice came from the hallway, then footsteps. The two of them generally stayed up later, then Hisashi would put Yoichi to bed, too. It made Izuku feel a little less embarrassed to know his dad treated his uncle like a kid, too.

Izuku tossed and turned in bed, too excited to immediately fall asleep. A new teacher! When would the new person arrive? What would they be like? Izuku's other tutors had taught him so much. He wondered what the eighth one would teach him.

Author's Note: Thank you to Goofy_Boss for this neat prompt, I won't say which one for fear of spoilers.

The beautiful cover art for this fic is a commission from Makeshift Moth. I just adore the creepy atmosphere of the three marionettes. Delete the spaces to get the link to the full-sized image:
tumblr.
com/
makeshift-moth/732904971182440448/eight-tutors-chapter-1-katydid

I'm delighted to announce my fanfic writing/art contest Three Weeks of Trioholders has begun. Check out the details on my tumblr:
tumblr.
com/
aimportantdragoncollector/732575500565970944/on-the-stroke-of-midnight-i-officially-open-three