Izuku liked to think he could deal with a lot of things. He could deal with sleepless nights where his thoughts were too loud. He could deal with the way his uniform felt tight and suffocated him on the bad days that seemed to occur daily. He could deal with the ripped-up notebooks and the shoves in the halls. He could deal with the taunts and teasing. He could deal with the punches and bruises.

It couldn't last forever.

But this, Izuku wasn't sure he could deal with this.

He kept his eyes trained on the car window and watched the buildings as they passed by. He idly poked at the brace on his wrist.

"I know it's a big adjustment Firebug, but I think you'll like it here. It's quieter than the city, but it's not dead. It'll be like that for a few weeks, since school here is still in session. But hey, that gives you plenty of time to practice some English."

Izuku dared a glance over to his father when he heard the nickname. It had been ages since he had heard it. He almost forgot about it entirely.

It had been jarring when Izuku saw him. He saw pictures of his father, sure, but it was different to see the real thing. Everyone would say Izuku looked a lot like his mother. He had her round face and green eyes. But when he saw his father, he knew he looked more like him. He didn't have his yellow eyes or tall height, but he had his messy, black curly hair, albeit with a strange green tint. And similar to Izuku, or vice versa, he had a mess of freckles around his face and neck.

Hisashi…his dad, kept his eyes on the road but looked his way every now and again.

Izuku looked away. "Y-Yeah…I guess."

"I can help you out, if you want. Learning English was a pain. Believe me, I know."

"I can imagine."

An uncomfortable silence began to settle in the car until Hisashi coughed.

"So, uh, you finished your last year at middle school, right? You've got a good couple of months until the new school year starts here, so there's plenty of time to get into the rhythm. Maybe you can meet some new people over the break."

Izuku shrugged.

"High school here lasts for four years, as opposed to Japan, which has three. And better yet, you don't have to apply to get in. Well, I mean, I still have to register you, but…you get it."

"Yeah…"

With how the conversation was going, Izuku was half tempted to open the car door at the next red light and make a sprint back to the airport, back to Japan, and back to his mom. Instead he gripped his sleeve and suffered through the ride.

Every now and again, Izuku looked to the side to see his dad looking as awkward as he felt. He supposed this was new to him too. Actually having to be a parent and dealing with someone new in the home. A home he probably had to himself for years.

"So. uh, since tonight is mostly unpacking and stuff, how do you feel about some takeout? There's a pretty good pizza place not too far from the house."

"I'm not that hungry…"

"Ah, right. Jet lag making you feel sick?"

"Kinda."

"I'll pick some up anyway, just in case you get hungry later. That sound good?"

"Yeah…sure…"

He wasn't sure he could stomach anything right now.

-.-

"This is your room." His father opened the door to reveal a bare room. There was a simple bed in the corner and a decently sized desk next to it. Above the desk was a cracked open window. At the far end of the room were a closet and a small dresser.

"I know it's a little bare right now, but I'm sure you'll find stuff to fill the space. Posters and pictures and…posters…"

Izuku hesitantly stepped inside and looked around. There wasn't much to it. It was just a small room that he'd be calling his own for the next year…or maybe longer.

"Thanks." Izuku put his bag down on the bed. "I uh, I'm gonna unpack."

"Yeah, okay. Pizza's on the counter if you want any."

Izuku nodded, and Hisashi left to leave him alone.

Izuku followed him and watched him walk around the corner. Once he was gone, Izuku quickly shut the door and pressed his back against it. It was a small room, but it was his now. Starting from now, this was his safe space, whether he liked it or not. He preferred his room back home. Lined with posters of his favorite comic book characters and pictures of him and his mom.

Maybe there was the occasional postcard his dad sent him, but those came infrequently.

He slowly sank to the ground and brought his knees to his chest.

He hadn't cried yet, which was weird for him. He thought he'd be in tears before boarding the plane or even on the flight itself. Even in the crowded airport, where he got lost in the crowd, he didn't cry.

Maybe it hadn't hit him yet?

It should have. He was thousands of miles away from his mom and his home. The one familiar place he had.

"This will be good for you, I promise. You'll get away from all of this, and you can have a new start."

She had said it so earnestly; she believed it so much he couldn't bring himself to object. To say that he'd be fine staying at home. All the bad stuff would pass. It had to. Doing this, going to another country to stay with his father, of all people?

It felt like running away.

His face burned in shame.

He shouldn't have run away. He could have dealt with it. It would have gotten better eventually…it had to.

-.-

"I have no idea what I'm doing."

Hisashi stared at the unfinished work on his desk and fiddled with a pen. After he left Izuku to settle in, he tried to get some work done. He usually enjoyed it. He could breeze through it in no time…but now he couldn't.

Am I doing this right?

He slumped in his chair and stared at the wall. It had been as awkward as he was expecting it to be. He wasn't sure how to talk to his son or what to talk about. However, it seemed like Izuku was in the same boat. They were pretty much strangers, but that was Hisashi's fault.

He rubbed his eyes and checked his phone. He had no idea what time it was for his wife, but it probably wasn't a good time. She was probably busy or sleeping. He looked toward the door to his office and dragged himself up to make his way to the kitchen. He was going to have to start cooking. He couldn't make Izuku live off of take-out food like he did…or forget to eat. Like he did...frequently.

He wasn't the best cook, Inko could attest to that. When they were both living in the tiny apartment, when it had just been the two of them, he had a tendency to set pans on fire when trying to do anything.

There was a reason he lived off of take-out.

But for Izuku, he'd master that damnable stove.

Preferably without setting the house on fire.

Hisashi glared at his old nemesis before hearing a door open. He straightened up and looked around until he caught sight of his son walking through the house. He smiled to himself and watched him wander, he looked around at some of the pictures and decorations he hung up on the wall.

It was like watching a cat settle into its new home.

Izuku's momentary peace broke when he stepped into the kitchen and saw his father. He looked like a deer in headlights.

Izuku looked at anything but him. He kept his eyes averted and walked over to the counter to grab a slice of pizza. He took a bite, then paused to stare at the slice as if it offended him.

"Need some spice, kiddo?" Hisashi asked.

Izuku kept his eyes forward before finally looking at him and nodding.

"Yeah, I find it lacking too. Hence why I have a bunch of these." Hisashi pulled open the nearest drawer and looked over the organized plastic utensils and stacked packets.

Yes, he spent hours painstakingly opening each packet of wrapped-up utensils and condiments. Yes, he organized them and put them away neatly. No, he was not ashamed. And no, it wasn't a waste of time!

Hisashi would die on that hill.

He grinned as he found the packet of pepper flakes and tossed it toward him. He almost slapped himself when he remembered Izuku was using his good hand to hold the pizza slice. He watched Izuku move to the side, and the packet smacked against the wall.

"Uh, sorry kiddo." He grabbed another packet and put it on the counter. "I can open it for you if you need…or not."

Izuku still didn't look at him, instead he placed the pizza slice down and grabbed the spice packet. He tore the packet open with his teeth then sprinkled the pepper flakes over the pizza slice. When satisfied he picked up the slice and bit into it. He stared at it and nodded, and continued to eat.

Hisashi smiled and continued to eat.

It wasn't until they had nearly finished the entire box that Hisashi spoke up again.

"Hey, Firebug. Izuku."

He looked up.

"You know you live here too now. You don't have to walk on eggshells. You're welcome to pretty much any room in the house, it's not like I'm going to just make you stay in one room."

Izuku stared at him, he didn't say anything except nod in agreement. Hisashi still tried to fill in the conversation.

"I know this is all new, and unsettling. You just had the rug pulled out from under you and you've been put in this weird place you know nothing about. It's gonna be an adjustment period, but I promise it'll be a good change. Just give it a chance, please?"

Izuku looked down, eyeing his brace.

"...I can try."

Hisashi tried to smile. "And…if you need to talk about what happened, my door is-"

"I'm fine." Izuku stopped him. "H-Honest."

The man stopped and watched his son. He could see him take a step back as his shoulders shook. He was stiff, and refused to look up at him. Hisashi wanted to hit himself as he tried to reach out, but Izuku turned away.

"I-I'm going to head to bed. I s-see you in the morning."

"Right, good night Firebug…sweet dreams."

-.-

It was weird, learning to exist in this new space. Izuku knew he could essentially go wherever he wanted, but he still felt limited to an extent. His dad was usually in his home office, scribbling away on paper or typing on a computer…Izuku actually wasn't sure what he even did.

After he made himself something to eat with whatever was in the pantry and fridge, he'd retreat back to his room. He'd either watch videos on his phone, or practice English with some app he found. He really had nothing better to do. There were no friends to talk to and check in with, and he didn't want to bother his mom while she was at work or asleep. She'd usually send a good morning or goodnight text, and he'd respond to those with well wishes.

If he wasn't doing any of that, he was just lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Occasionally Hisashi would knock on the door, startling Izuku, before coming in. Usually he'd ask if he ate or was hungry, how he was doing, or reminding him the house was also his. He could go to the living room and watch some TV if he wanted.

It would always be an awkward exchange, with Izuku nodding and his father unsure what else to say.

Even so, as strange as it was, it was some kind of routine. Izuku would do his own thing while Hisashi did his. Neither was sure what to say to the other. Even at dinner all they could muster was some kind of small talk. The most engaging conversation they had thus far was about groceries.

They'd eat, get ready for bed, say goodnight, and go to sleep.

It was a weird routine, but one Izuku could live with. It would eventually get better. It had to.

He thought it'd be like that all the time, and it was. At least until the weekend came.

Izuku had been trying to get through a quick English lesson, but found himself struggling. It was beginning to get frustrating. He was learning to read English pretty well, the issue was with speaking it. While he was on his third read through of the lesson, trying to properly pronounce a sentence, Hisashi knocked on his door.

"Uh…c-come in." He said.

Hisashi slowly opened the door and smiled when he saw Izuku. "Hey kiddo, whatcha up to?"

"Pra-practicing English." He responded in English. His accent came through, and the pronunciation was not how he would have preferred.

"Oh? That's pretty good."

Izuku's face burned in embarrassment and he looked away.

"Do you need something?" He defaulted back to Japanese.

There was a moment of silence before Hisashi held up his keys. "I was thinking we should probably go grocery shopping. And while we're out I can show you more of Arcadia. How does that sound?"

Izuku looked up at that. It was one thing to get used to the house, it was technically his safe zone. He wouldn't be bothered by anyone from the outside, he was safe and hidden away. Stepping outside meant exposing himself to the world, where he wasn't safe. Where there was nowhere to hide.

Still, he said he was going to try wasn't he? He told his mom he would, same with Hisashi… He supposed he could give it a shot. It wasn't like back home. These people didn't know him, it was a new start.

There had to be some kind of blessing in that.

Besides, this is his dad reaching out. He's trying to make some kind of connection with Izuku, invite him out. It's all weird, it's a new environment. He doesn't like it here very much, but…he'd try. He could do that much at least.

"Sure." He nodded. "That sounds…good."

-.-

Stepping out of his comfort zone meant leaving the safety of his new home, being exposed to the outside world. Looking back, yes, this is something Izuku could deal with. He said he'd try, and he's willing to keep that promise.

However, that doesn't mean the dread of being around people just ups and leaves.

Izuku couldn't help but look over his shoulder as people passed, just to make sure no one was watching him, or following.

There's no reason for anyone to be doing that. Just calm down, nobody here knows you. Nobody here cares. You're just some random kid out grocery shopping on the weekend like others are.

Izuku couldn't help but bring his hand up to his face and bite whatever he had left of his nails.

"Hey, Firebug. You okay?" He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Hisashi giving him a worried look.

"I'm okay." He looked back down. "It's just…crowded."

"Well it is a weekend and everybody needs to get their shopping done. But don't worry, we just need to grab a couple more things and then we can go. I've never been a big fan of crowds either."

I guess we have that in common.

"Maybe after this we can grab some lunch, there are some pretty good eating spots here in Arcadia."

"What about the groceries?" Izuku eyed the milk, eggs, and other various cold items. "Won't they spoil?"

Hisashi paused.

"Ok, go home and drop off groceries then lunch. That sound good?"

Izuku nodded, he could live with that.

As they went down another aisle a voice stopped them both in their tracks.

"Well, well, there's a face I haven't seen in a while."

Izuku slowly looked up at his dad to see the man momentarily frozen, before sighing and looking at the speaker and Izuku followed his gaze.

It was a woman, with orange-brown hair and glasses. She looked rather worn down, from the looks of it she was probably a doctor of some sorts. She had a pretty full cart in front of her.

"Dr. Lake, long time no see." Hisashi gave a dry smile, he didn't miss the look Izuku gave him.

"I told you, you can just call me Barbara when I'm not working." She shook her head. "Anyway, it's nice to see you out and about. You're usually cooped up in your house. I take it there's some special occasion."

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad." Hisashi waved a hand. "And I needed groceries, nothing too special. I'm more surprised that you're out shopping. Don't they usually call you for every little thing? I'm surprised the clinic let you go long enough to get any shopping done."

"I just got off a shift." She sighed. "I'm almost expecting them to call me again any minute now. Though I'd prefer it if it happened after I got home to drop some things off. Speaking of the clinic, I haven't seen you in some time. I assume you're actually looking after yourself now?"

Izuku wasn't the best at English, but he could still catch some things. And from the sound of it his father had seen this Dr. Lake a few times. They seemed to know each other…well? Or were familiar enough with each other.

"Yeah well, I've got things to do. Can't exactly go collapsing every other week anymore, now can I?"

"Collapse?" Izuku asked.

The adults stopped, and Hisashi nearly smacked himself.

"Oh." The woman, Dr. Lake looked at Izuku as if she just realized he was there. "I'm sorry, who is this? I didn't see you, I'm sorry.."

Well at least I'm successful in not being perceived.

Hisashi smiled again, though this time it seemed more genuine as he put a hand on Izuku's shoulder.

"Sorry, that was rude of me. This is Izuku, my son. He's going to be staying here in America with me for a little while. Izuku," he switched to Japanese. "This is Dr. Lake. She's one of the best doctors in town. Why don't you say hi Firebug? I promise she won't bite."

Izuku gave him a wary look, then looked up at Dr. Lake. He looked conflicted on what to do until he settled on holding out his one good hand, as shaky as it was. "N-Nice to meet you. I am Midoriya Izuku." As he spoke he felt his face turning red from embarrassment.

Dr. Lake smiled and took his hand with a gentle shake. "Nice to meet you too, welcome to Arcadia. I hope you like it here."

"Thank you."

Hisashi smiled as Izuku stepped back and not so subtly tried to hide behind him.

"He's still learning English, and he's a little shy. It's a pretty big change from what he's used to."

"No, I understand and I don't blame him. I'd probably be a little shy too, it really is a big change. Still, change can be good, and at the very least I hope living here will be a good experience."

"Me too."

"Anyway, I should probably get going. I said I'd meet Jim in another aisle, he can go a little crazy buying groceries."

"Same here. See you later Dr. Lake."

They give each other a small wave and go their different ways. As they leave Izuku looks up at Hisashi to see the man slump forward. He stays that way for a moment before he shakes his head and straightens up.

"I was kinda hoping that nobody was going to recognize me while we were out."

Izuku stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "You know Dr. Lake?"

"Yeah. I do." He looked at Izuku and saw the expression on his face. "I met her a couple of times when I had to go to the emergency clinic. I had a tendency of overdoing things and didn't take care of myself, so I got shipped off to the clinic a few times. If your mother found out she'd probably give me a scolding of a lifetime."

Izuku continued to stare at him before nodding to himself.

I guess not knowing how to take care of ourselves is another thing we have in common.

"Don't you worry kid, I've stopped that. Can't exactly take care of you if I'm not taking care of myself, right?"

"...Right."

-.-

Izuku looked at his phone blankly, he gave up on the English lesson a while ago and instead decided to blankly scroll through some social media.

There wasn't much happening that he paid too much attention to. So far the only things that caught his eye was the delay of the next volume of one his favorite comics and some kind of conspiracy post.

Izuku was more than happy to be home after the outing. It was frustrating to an extent, doing something so minor like going to the store or eating lunch out drained him. He should be able to do more, get more done, and instead just a few things drained all his energy and left him unable to do much else.

After a small rest all he really managed to do was move from his room to the porch outside, sitting on the floor behind the wooden railing. It was the most time he's spent outside, just quietly existing. He was outside, sure, but he was still on home turf, and it was starting to get dark so he was less noticeable.

His father opted to stay inside, saying he needed to take care of some things. Which was fine, He was okay with some more quiet time.

Izuku looked up from his phone as he heard a shout from down the street. He stiffened up and looked for the source, only to see some kids laughing and screaming as they ran around.

He sighed and continued to look around. The street lamps were starting to turn on, and the lights from houses stood out from the darkness of sundown. There were other voices calling the younger kids inside, that it was time for dinner.

For a place that made him feel uneasy, there were a few moments of peace he enjoyed. Moments that left him in a small bubble where he could shut out the outside world. He brought up a hand to grip the wooden railing and leaned against it.

He listened to the world around him. Hearing more people calling out, people running in the distance, the wind, trees rustling, and the buzzing of street lights.

It was nice.

Until a loud ring popped the bubble.

He jumped as his phone went off, ringing loudly. He fell over as he scrambled to get his phone, and nearly dropped it again as he saw who was calling.

He quickly pressed the answer button and held the phone to his ear. There was a moment of silence, and he was afraid the call failed.

"Hello? Izuku honey, can you hear me?"

"Mom! H-Hi!"

He swore he could hear her smile.

"Hi honey. It's been a minute, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it really has."

"I've been wanting to call you for a while, but I was always afraid you'd be in the middle of something. I figured now would be as good a time as any."

"What time is it over there for you?"

"It's about noon, don't worry. Oh, I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"No, no it's okay. I'm just…sitting here. On the porch."

"You're not eating dinner? It is around dinner time, right?"

"Yeah but, neither of us are really hungry yet."

"I see."

Izuku went quiet, just listening to the world and his mom.

"So, how was your first week in America? You getting along okay with your dad?"

"Uh, sort of. I-It's okay, I'm uh, still getting to know him."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…"

"You know, it's weird not having you around." He could hear her smile drop for a moment. "Whenever I'm out late and go home and every time I expect to hear you welcoming me back. Or I wait for the front door to open and to hear you say you're home, or to hear you bustling around in the morning getting ready for school."

Izuku kept his head down as he listened to her, fighting the tears that burned his eyes.

"I didn't realize how empty it would feel here without you."

He slapped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from crying. He swallowed down his tears and took a deep breath.

"I-I miss you too mom. It's just as weird…not having you around. It's a big change."

"I know sweetheart, but change can be good sometimes. Is there anything interesting that happened while you were over there? Other than settling in?"

"Uh…" Izuku thought back on the week he's spent with his father so far. "Dad is…nice? He's busy, but he checks on me a lot. We just went shopping today for some groceries. I saw some interesting shops on the way. Maybe I'll walk through town and check them out? Try to get more used to this place. O-Oh, and I'm still practicing English. It's kinda hard though."

"Yeah?"

"Y-Yeah! On the way to the store I saw a bookshop or two. Maybe they sell the comics I like, or I can find something new to read. I'm…I'm trying. It's weird but I'm trying."

"And that's all I ask honey."

Izuku wiped the tears from his face and sniffed.

"Have you made any friends yet?"

"N-Not really, no. I've been getting used to things here. A-And school is still in session so…"

"Oh, that's right. Well, maybe you can make some friends when school lets out?"

"Maybe…" He rubbed at his eyes again and stared out at the street. It was darker now, with the streetlights being the only thing keeping the darkness away. He was safe in the porchlight's glow, and the door was just a few inches away. He was safe.

"How have you been doing mom? Anything interesting happening on your end?"

"Not really. I think the most interesting thing I've seen is a cat that's been wandering around here lately. She's adorable. I've thought about taking her in. Oh look at me, I'm becoming a crazy cat lady."

"Don't say that about yourself mom."

He smiled as she laughed.

"I think one cat is okay, maybe two. But I think if you reach five or more then there's a problem."

"Oh, so you're saying I have the potential to be a cat lady. Hm, that might suit me."

"Mom no!" He laughed.

She laughed again and he leaned back. It was so nice to talk to her again, all the tension from the day left as he talked with her. She always found a way to set him at ease, even when she wasn't trying.

It was nice, but like all good things it couldn't last.

"I should probably let you go now honey, you should go eat even if its just a little. I need eat something too."

His heart stopped for a moment. "Oh, that's right it's about noon. I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to keep you for so long." He frowned.

"Oh no, it's okay. I've been wanting to talk to you all week. I'm glad I was finally able to call you."

"Yeah, I've been wanting to call too. We could do it at the end of every week, around the same time. Tell each other the interesting things that happened during the week."

There was a pause.

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

Izuku nodded, then jumped as he heard a loud thud from inside the house. He looked up, then sighed. "Alright, I'm gonna let you go now mom. You should eat, I don't want to hold you up for too long. I should probably check on dad too."

"Alright then." He didn't miss the tinge of sadness in her voice. "Take care of yourself. Don't stay up too late, and don't put too much stress on your wrist."

"I know mom."

"And don't go skipping meals. You need to eat Izuku."

"Don't worry, dad makes sure I don't skip."

"Good, and your meds?"

"Those too."

Izuku smiles to himself as he hears his mother sigh.

"I know I'm not there but that's not going to stop me from worrying Izuku."

"I know mom."

"Okay, I'll let you go now. Go eat and get some rest, you sound tired."

"I will, you do the same mom."

"Alright. Goodnight honey, love you."

"Love you too mom."

There was a moment before the call dropped, and Izuku sighed. That moment of happiness was over, but it was nice while it lasted.

There was another bang from inside, and he stood up. He had no idea what his father was up to, but he hoped it wasn't anything serious. From what he knew, the man was probably trying to cook something. It wouldn't be the first time he's set something on fire since Izuku's arrived.

As he approached the door a loud clatter made him whirl around. He didn't see anything, not until he caught sight of a neighbor's trash cans from across the street. They had been knocked over, contents from inside spilled out.

Izuku raised an eyebrow and slowly stepped away from the door. He walked down the porch steps and onto the lawn to look around. So far it had just been one neighbor's trash, everyone else's looked untouched.

"That's weird." He muttered. He was about to turn away and go inside when he caught something skittering near the fallen trash can. He froze and watched the spot, waiting for something to show up.

He looked around before inching a little further across the lawn.

"A cat maybe?" He tilted his head. That'd actually be nice, to see a cat. Maybe pet it.

He jolted when there was another crash, further down the street another trash can had been knocked over. Izuku frowned and took a few steps back.

"Okay, maybe not a cat…"

It couldn't have been a person, he would have seen them. Even when people are trying to be sneaky, there's always some kind of giveaway. Besides he doubts anybody would really be able to run from house to house knocking over trash cans unnoticed.

He was about to creep forward again when he heard footsteps in the grass. Before he could turn to look there was a hand on his shoulder and he quickly shouted and pushed the offender away. He scrambled forward onto the sidewalk and whirled around to see his father.

"Izuku! Hey, it's just me, Firebug, it's okay."

Izuku's heart pounded uncontrollably as he looked the man up and down. He was just there, he was just him. Nobody else, nobody that meant him harm.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you kiddo." He leaned down a bit. "I saw you outside, and I called you but you didn't hear me. I'm sorry Firebug, it's okay."

Izuku looked him up and down before nodding. "I-It's okay." He took a few steps forward, back on the lawn. Almost immediately he noticed Hisashi relax, he hadn't realized how stiff he had been.

"How about we get inside? I've started, or rather restarted dinner. It should be done in a bit but I wouldn't mind a bit of help." He smiled down at Izuku, who nodded again.

"Sounds good."

Izuku began to head to the house, and as they walked Hisashi lightly ruffled his hair.

"Hey, so what were you looking at Firebug? What had your attention so much that you didn't hear me?"

Izuku looked over his shoulder at the house across the street, then forward again. "I uh, heard something. One of the neighbor's trash cans got knocked over. I-I thought it was a cat."

Hisashi looked back at where Izuku had, then let out a long sigh. "No kiddo, afraid not. Looks like it was a racoon or something."

"Raccoon?" Izuku walked up the porch steps.

"Yeah, they've been a real pain lately." Hisashi opened the door. "They show up at random, just looking for some food, make a mess, then leave. Don't worry about it."

"Oh."

"Yeah, not a big deal. Just another something to get used to here."

"Oh, alright." Izuku looked back outside as he closed the door. "Just…some racoons…"

Even as he shut the door and locked it up, Izuku couldn't help but feel that something had been watching him.