He had the whole day and night off. It didn't happen often, but when it did, Aizawa accepted it with relish. Padding barefoot through his apartment, cats scurrying about his feet and fresh from a long bath, he stretched his limbs with a happy grunt. Surprisingly Hizashi wasn't home yet, but it wasn't that shocking his husband got side tracked. Especially if Nemuri was involved. Snatching up his phone, he noted he had messages, two from Hizashi and chuckled to himself. What would he be rescuing him from this time? Opening them up, his insides turned to ice.
Zash: SOS! Jumper! Aldera Junior High School!
Sent 16:04 pm
Zash: Heading to Mustafa Hospital. Meet me there. God Sho! It's a mess!
Sent 16:31 pm
Heart in his throat, Aizawa sprang over the couch and toward his bedroom, phone to his ear and dialling Hizashi, even as he yanked on clothing and his favourite boots. The ringing was grating, twisting his nerves, but since it was now seven fucking pm, he had a right to be somewhat hysterical.
"Sho?"
"Zash, baby?!" Relief flooded him the minute he heard his husband's voice, body going boneless a moment. "I only got your messages, I'm so damn sorry…I'm on my way now."
"No panic Sho," Hizashi whispered in response. "The little listener is conked out anyway. All their tests have left him pooped."
"How bad?" Aizawa asked, bracing himself. Nothing was worse in their job than dealing with child suicide, attempt or successful.
"That's where things get tricky…let me step out." He heard movement, the rustling of a coat, the closing of a door and finally Hizashi could speak at a normal volume. "So…I'm walking my ass back to my car when I look up just in time to see this kid, who looks barely a hundred pounds soaking wet, jump from the school roof."
"Oh, Zash!"
"Yeah, I won't be getting it out of my head any time soon." Hizashi scrubbed a hand over his face. "There he is tiny body broken a part and then suddenly he's alive again. Body fixing him and he's confused, I'm confused, because his teachers clearly called him Quirkless…"
"Late awakening," Aizawa gasped catching on. "Oh…fuck…awakened by his death?!"
"Yup, years of therapy right there and that's before we unbox whatever drove him to that roof…though I have my theories. Some of the things these teachers were saying in regard to Quirkless was sickening."
Of course, bastards. Pulling on his jacket, Aizawa grabbed his keys and heading out, he locked up. "Need me to bring anything?"
"Eh…Unfortunately…See that's the other shitstorm." Hizashi cursed colourfully. "Tsukauchi got in contact with his mother, and I won't bore you with the details, but she's surrendered her son. Said she couldn't deal with his Quirkless issues anymore and can't deal with his new 'villainous' Quirk. When we told him…he didn't even react, Sho…just sat there like he expected it."
Closing his eyes, Aizawa held back his fury. "Because a parent who takes issue with their child, you can bet she made him aware of it. What does this mean legally, for her and him?"
"For her, a case will be brought against her, at least for child abandonment…for him," Hizashi sighed. "Sho, the foster system will eat him alive."
Aizawa agreed there. "We talked about kids."
"Yeah...but a baby or toddler...this is a teenager. I feel wrong putting you in this position."
Aizawa chuckled. "Baby, good things come in unexpected packages. It was fate that you found him. So... what name am I putting on the paperwork?"
Grinning, Hizashi practically bounced. "Izuku Midoriya."
"I'm guessing we'll be starting from scratch with his needs?"
"He said there's some things he intends to retrieve from his mother's...if she hasn't destroyed them. Which she better not have or I'm going to be pissed." Hizashi dragged a hand through his hair for what felt like the millionth time. "Damn it Sho, there are laws protecting Quirkless people and yet businesses, schools, the whole damn system finds a way to circumvent it. It's bullshit!"
"Yes. But in this case, it went too far," Aizawa pointed out. "You'll be able to file a discrimination complaint from what you heard, and his mother is facing jail time for this."
That was true. "Shoot looks like he's waking up. I'll talk to you when you get here. Love you Sho."
"Love you, Zash."
...xxx...
Hanging up, Hizashi pocketed his phone and stepped back into the room. Izuku was sitting up, cutely sleep rumpled and watching him like a hawk. The kid clearly didn't trust anyone he didn't know and between everything, Hizashi had yet to introduce himself. Making his way toward the bed, noting every flinch from the poor kid, his heart broke a little. How much had he been hurt? Pulling up a chair, Hizashi decided to go with the easy route and held out his credentials.
Confused, Izuku wasn't sure what to do at first, but after a moment he reached out and took the proffered credentials. Mindful of his newly acquired talons, he opened them up and his eyes blew wide with shock.
"Y-You're Present Mic?"
Hizashi grinned. "That's right, kiddo. No one tends to recognise me outside of my gear and I never got to even tell you about my name during all the chaos…you can call me Hizashi."
Nodding numbly, Izuku returned the credentials, bundling back under the blankets. "What happens now? M-My mom has…um…severed custody. W-Which I don't think you can just do…but I guess it isn't surprising…I've no other family, no one knows where m-my father is…so…do I go to foster care?"
The resignation was astounding. It infuriated Hizashi. The kid had been let down so badly that everything now was just another piece and no point in complaining. It took years to do this kind of mental damage. No doubt from the moment he was diagnosed as Quirkless. "Well, that's what I was on the phone for, little listener. My husband and I…well…we'd like to give you a home."
Wait…What?! Did he just hear that correctly?! He was so used to everyone just putting up with him, including his own mother, but here Present Mic of all people was offering him a home. "Why?" Izuku croaked helplessly, fresh tears welling. "Why would you do that for me?"
Hizashi's eyes softened, and he smiled gently. "Because kiddo, I don't think anyone has offered you a proper helping hand in a very long time. It's completely your choice, but the offer is there."
That moment of pure kindness. Acknowledgement that made him a person, it was enough to have him doubled over and wailing through his sobs. He barely noticed Hizashi climbing into the bed, tugging him into his lap, and when the warm comfort washed over him, he scrambled closer, burrowing in. The whole thing screaming safe.
"I got you, little listener," Hizashi crooned. "Let it out…I got you."
That's how Aizawa found them. Hizashi sat awkwardly on an uncomfortable hospital bed, a snoozing teenager curled up in his lap. Aizawa knew from asking, the child was fourteen years old…almost fifteen and yet…he looked barely twelve. Quirkless children tended not to grow as quick, but this was not that. Poor boy was definitely showing signs of malnourishment. Sure enough, when he took a peek at his chart at the bottom of the bed, all of his levels were in the toilet.
"Sho?"
Looking up at his whispered name, Aizawa smiled softly. "Hey Zash." He whispered back. "He doing, okay?"
"Somewhat," Hizashi sighed. "He sort of went to emotional bits when I told him about coming to live with us. Not quite a yes…but I doubt it was a no."
"Hasn't known much good I'd say," Aizawa commented sadly. "His charts put him at malnourished."
"Noticed," Hizashi grimaced irritably. "Docs reckon he was fed mostly on rice. Missed out on all other food groups, putting his body in the shitter. Damn it Shota. It would've killed him eventually. How he isn't sick all the time is beyond me."
"Doubt he's been feeling a hundred percent either baby," Aizawa said, glancing over the frail boy. "Has to be getting joint pain, headaches, that sort of thing. We'll need to get him on a diet plan. He'll need a lot of nutrient replacement till his body catches up. Hopefully any damage is reversable."
"Y-You're Eraserhead."
Startled, Aizawa looked down and found a pair of the most unique eyes he had ever seen staring up at him. He was a little stunned the kid had recognised him. Very few ever did, since he was an Underground Hero. Smiling warmly, he sat on the end of the bed, careful to keep his distance. "That's right, kiddo…My name is Shota Aizawa."
Scrubbing at his irritated eyes, Izuku sat up and flushed tomato red when he realised where he was sitting. With a squawk, he scrambled off Hizashi, rapid apologies spilling from his lips.
"You're okay, little listener," Hizashi reassured him. "Sho here, is my husband."
Izuku blinked owlishly. "I-I'm being taken in by t-two pro heroes?! …Wait? You're married?!"
Chuckling at his excitement, Hizashi nodded. "Yup. A few years now. It's not something we purposefully advertise. More so to avoid Villains taking advantage."
"T-This…This is so cool!" Izuku gushed, wiggling in delight. "I always suspected…but everyone c-called me stupid! Said t-there's no way!" Watching the kid light up was a breath of fresh air. The deadness had vacated his vibrant irises, and he was giddy like any child…until he copped to his own rambling and immediately shutdown. "S-Sorry…I tend to get ahead of myself."
"No, don't do that," Hizashi said, eyes wet, because God, he knew what it was to be silenced. "You talk as much as you like, little listener and don't let anyone stifle that part of you."
Izuku blinked up at him, noting his sincerity. Realising that somehow, Hizashi understood the pain of it. Had people tried to silence him too? Had they shut him down as a child? All he knew was, the hero understood. Nodding, Izuku yipped when a shadow shifted, nuzzling against his cheek, one patting his hand.
"Easy," Aizawa urged. "Your Quirk is responding to your emotions. Nothing unusual. You'll find it'll happen until you figure out what's triggering it and how to control it completely."
"It's so weird," Izuku commented, watching the shadows go still. "It's nothing like my parents Quirks. Dad can breathe fire, mom has minor telekinesis…so where did mine come from?"
"Late awakening is usually based on certain factors, not all of them known," Aizawa explained. "In your case, it's environmental. You needed a change that kickstarted it and when that happens, the Quirk tends to be respective of the change. Hence the shadow manipulation."
Izuku snorted. "So, a Villain's Quirk."
"No," Hizashi said sharply. "No Quirk is Villainous or Heroic. It all depends on you, kiddo and what you do with it."
Looking down at his hands, the talons curling over the tips of his fingers, Izuku swallowed heavily. "I-I want to be a Hero."
"And there's nothing stopping you," Aizawa promised. "Don't get in your own way. Make your Quirk what you want it to be, and you will be a Hero."
After everyone told him it wasn't possible. After the doctors, teachers, his own mother told him it would never happen, to hear these two practical strangers tell him his dream could be a reality? Tears welling, he bowed his head and let every bit of his pain, his relief wash over him because someone finally told him he could.
…xxx…
It took two days between paperwork and medical testing before they could take Izuku home. The tests showed nothing they hadn't expected. Deficient in Iron. B12, folate, hell, just about everything. His joints were suffering for it, as were his organs, his heart, liver and kidneys particularly under strain, but nothing that wasn't fixable.
When questioned about it, Izuku just fidgeted and said it was the best his mother could afford. Neither pointing out his mother clearly kept herself well fed. Izuku should have been at least a hundred and twenty pounds according to his doctor and was currently weighing in at just about a hundred and five pounds, putting him quite a bit under.
But a diet plan had been written up, along with an exercise routine and a list of supplements to combat his deficiencies. It would take anywhere from three to six months to get his body up to where it needed to be, and it was a possibility his growth would be permanently stunted. They wouldn't know until he started declining in regard to growth percentiles.
First trip from the hospital at Izuku's request was his old apartment. His mother wasn't home, Izuku waving it away that she was most likely at work. But it irritated Hizashi and Aizawa, considering she was let know ahead of time and hadn't the decency to stick around to see her own son.
Izuku's belongings didn't consist of much. Mostly a collection of notebooks, some clothing, toiletries and a plethora of All Might merchandise that he mentioned purchasing over the years, with some of it from his mother. Still, all of it fit into a couple of boxes and a single suitcase, which was so damn depressing that Hizashi was planning a shopping trip pronto.
Afterward, they swung by the pharmacy to fill Izuku's prescriptions, heading to the grocery store while they were being filled. By the time they climbed into Aizawa's car, Izuku was nodding off.
"Tired there, Bunny?" Hizashi asked affectionately. "You catch a nap their kiddo." Izuku had barely nodded, before he was out cold and snoring softly. Chuckling, Hizashi relaxed in his seat. "So…You look into those transfers?"
Aizawa nodded. "There's a few options, some more expensive than others…but I'll be damned if he returns to Aldera. He still hasn't told us or anyone else why he jumped off that roof and something triggered him."
"Agreed…Something pushed him to that moment, and it wasn't his mom or those idiots they call teachers." Hizashi thought a moment, an idea forming. "Online classes are also a choice. We could keep him close, keep an eye, let him do it without worrying about people in his face. Let him concentrate on getting well and control on his Quirk. Nezu would have no issue with it."
"True, especially when we explain. Social skills are vital, but right now, not a priority."
It would also give the poor kid a chance to adapt to the sudden shift in his life and come out the other end all the better for it.
