The beeping of his watch isn't enough to distract him, though it does cause him to curse beneath his breath. He had promised himself that they would be home before midnight tonight. He ducks the burst of fire that lights up the alleyway, rolling and then jabbing upwards into the fleshy bits of the man he is fighting.
It's just a quick swipe of his tongue and the taste of iron, and the man is on the ground. Chizome grins down at the asshole and gives him a solid kick to the ribs. He can feel when bone gives way beneath his steel toed boot. If not for Izuku, who has surely been watching with rapt attention, he would have killed the lowlife while he lay like a worm in the dirt. If he's lucky, a rib pierced his lung and death will follow soon. Preferably once Izuku is out of eyesight.
As it is, he goes the less bloody route and ties the unconscious man up and uses the man's own cell phone to call the police and describe in graphic detail the crimes this asshole was guilty of. When he's done he crushes the phone beneath his boot and scales the fire escape.
As predicted, Izuku is waiting for him. He has his notebooks open and a medley of pens laying within easy reach so he can color code his thoughts as he scrawls them out. His handwriting and spelling are atrocious, but it's easy to see the genius behind his analysis notes. Multiple notebooks, each with a dedicated theme. There's the green one for Izuku's thoughts on heroes, a purple one for villains. The yellow one is dedicated to the Quirks that Izuku has seen, the blue one for Izuku's notes on different fighting styles, things he's learned through lessons and by observing.
The red notebook is dedicated to Chizome. It is filled with the theories Izuku has about his Quirk, notes on his fighting style and weaknesses, and a section dedicated to his likes and dislikes. It is going to have to be destroyed before anyone else can get to it, but for now, Chizome just doesn't have the heart to take a single one of Izuku's notebooks away. He's never seen the kid smile more, now that his interests are being encouraged.
"So what did you learn tonight?" Chizome asks, squatting down beside Izuku.
"That guy's Quirk was so cool!" Izuku tells him, eyes shining. He points to a passage in the yellow book, the writing illegible to Chizome unless he really tries really hard to decipher it. "Even from up here it was easy to see how much trouble he gave you. Skin hardening and fire breathing, right? Every one of your attacks bounced right off of him!"
Chizome ruffles Izuku's hair. There is the sound of sirens growing steadily closer, which is their cue to leave. He glances at his watch again. It is thirteen minutes past midnight, but Izuku doesn't need to know that.
"Let's get home before midnight so we can celebrate your birthday properly, alright? You can tell me more about it on the way."
Izuku goes very still, something painful dimming the light in his eyes. He swallows hard and begins packing his supplies up in his little All Might backpack. Chizome sighs, trying to hide his frown.
"Tell you what, kiddo. When we get home you can tell me what you want for your birthday and I'll make it happen. Sound good?"
"Anything I want?" Izuku asks, a calculating expression on his face. Chizome knows that look far too well. He huffs out a laugh and resists the urge to ruffle the kid's messy curls again.
"You know the rules," he says. Izuku hums, barely acknowledging Chizome's mild admonishment. He finishes packing and holds up his arms to indicate that he's ready to go. Chizome scoops him up in one smooth motion and shifts him to his back. Izuku's warm arms wrap around his neck, and even after months of their patrol routine it still feels strange to allow the child so close to such a vulnerable point.
"Do you ever think about killing me?" he asks, preparing himself to make the leap to the next rooftop over. He feels Izuku's head tilt, wiry hair brushing his neck and rasping against his mask.
"Of course not. Killing people is bad," Izuku answers, and the childish simplicity makes Chizome smile a little. It's as refreshing as ever to have Izuku's pure perspective of the world any time he asks for it.
"You're right," Chizome replies, pretending for a moment like he doesn't have the blood of dozens of people on his hands. "It is bad. Not very heroic at all."
By the time they get back to the apartment, Izuku is beginning to nod off against his shoulder. Chizome puts the boy to bed, telling him to think over his birthday wish and tell him in the morning. Izuku mumbles his sleepy agreement before turning over and burying himself further into the covers.
Chizome waits around for a while, until he knows for sure that the kid is fast asleep and won't be stirring again for a while. He slides his mask back into place and creeps out of the apartment, careful not to wake Izuku up. Killing is bad, but sometimes it is the only way to clean up the stain that is their society. Izuku doesn't need to know that yet, though.
He spends a few hours cleaning up the streets, reveling in the violence that he doesn't use when Izuku is around. The fighting isn't enough to keep his mind occupied, though. His thoughts keep straying back to Izuku, wondering what he'll ask for and hoping that it is something that he can provide.
The night passes quickly and he returns home with the coming dawn, slipping in and heading straight for the shower. When he emerges from the steam filled bathroom a while later, he is surprised to see Izuku sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes and with his hair sticking up in every direction. He frowns when he realizes that this means he won't be getting any sleep for at least a few hours more.
"Morning, kiddo," he says, rubbing his towel through his hair.
Izuku returns the greeting, not bothering to hide his yawn. He rubs at his eyes again, blinking slowly, and for one second Chizome entertains the hope that maybe Izuku is tired enough that he will just go right back to sleep. Instead, out of nowhere, his eyes suddenly go bright and wide.
"It's my birthday," he says, as though only now realizing it.
"Happy birthday," Chizome grunts in return. His eyes are burning a little bit. He's gone much longer without sleep, but it is moments like this one where he is reminded just how much he misses not having a kid to take care of.
"You said I could have anything I want for my birthday," Izuku slowly says, like he is testing the words.
"Within reason," Chizome adds. Izuku nods, then meets Chizome's eyes with steel-set determination in his gaze.
"I want to see my mom," he starts, and cuts Chizome's stern reprimand off before it can begin. "Let me finish."
It is an order disguised as a plea, and though he loathes to admit it, Chizome finds himself a little impressed. Izuku has always had a backbone, no matter how gentle he may seem on the outside, but it is rare that Chizome gets to see it. He tilts his head, silent permission for Izuku to continue. The boy swallows hard and wets his lips before speaking.
"I know I can't talk to her or...or let her see me. I just want to know that she's okay. That's all. That's the only thing I want for my birthday. If I can just see that she's okay, I promise I won't ask again. Please, Stendhal?"
Chizome makes the mistake of meeting Izuku's big, sad eyes. They are wet with unshed tears. His lower lip is trembling ever so slightly. The sight shouldn't affect him at all, but….
"I'll see what I can do," he says with a sigh, and is rewarded with Izuku's bright smile.
All things considered, it actually isn't that hard to grant Izuku's wish. He knows a guy with a surveillance Quirk who owes him a favor. She bugs the house and a week later she hands Chizome a flash drive and tells him not to bother her again. Chizome scans through the footage, watches Midoriya Inko make breakfast for one and go to sleep in her son's bed. She leaves the lights on, as though hoping it will guide Izuku back to her.
Chizome scoffs. If she hadn't wanted to lose her son, then maybe she should have done something about the nasty little shits that were bullying him. She hadn't seen the potential in front of her and had almost allowed the world to ruin the child that would one day become a hero powerful enough to stop even Chizome himself.
He's fast forwarding through the videos of Midoriya Inko weeping and staring out windows and acting generally pathetic. He can feel his frustration mounting as he realizes that there's nothing here he can show Izuku without depressing the kid.
He's about to call that asshole again and demand more footage when the final day begins playing. Inko wakes up and actually looks alive. She does her hair and her makeup, takes her time picking out an outfit. Chizome leans closer to the screen, wondering what the cause of her sudden liveliness could be.
The time stamp reads 0945 when Inko perks up, smiling as she runs for the door. A woman and a small boy are waiting on the doorstep, and Inko embraces the woman. She wraps her arms around Inko in turn, pulling her tight, eyes slipping closed with an expression that seems strangely conflicted. It's gone by the time the embrace is over, replaced by a polite smile.
Inko turns to the boy, ruffling his dual colored hair with a little too much enthusiasm. The boy flushes, turning his face away to hide the pleased little smile that is beginning to twitch at the corners of his mouth. Inko laughs, and while there is no audio, it is easy to see that it is genuine.
Chizome's lips turn up into a wide smile, his tongue bumping at the backs of his teeth.
Izuku watches the video with rapt attention, a hunger that Chizome has not seen since those first weeks of captivity burning behind his eyes. He sees his mother laughing and playing little games with a strange child. He watches as she leans close to whisper things to the woman with long white hair, calloused thumb just barely brushing the back of the stranger's slender hand. Izuku sees how he has been replaced.
The boy is sniffling. Chizome almost feels bad, but he knows that this is a lesson that must be learned. He knows that the anger Izuku feels will fester, but with training it will become his strength. Chizome knows the sting of betrayal all too well, but it is something that Izuku needs to see. It is the only way to move on and let go of the past.
The video ends on the image of Inko pulling the boy and his mother into a hug, smile on her face. Izuku stares at the frozen picture. Chizome can see his shoulders trembling. He sighs, muttering out a quiet, "Kid, listen. I know—"
Izuku turns and Chizome cuts himself off so quickly he nearly bites his tongue. He stares at Izuku, taking in the sight of fat tears rolling down his chubby little cheeks. He stares at the shine of his eyes and at the way the dull glow of the screen casts the bright smile that stretches across his face into sharp angles.
"Thank you, Stendhal."
He can only stare, silent and waiting. Izuku sniffles but does not wipe his tears away, unashamed of the clear display of emotion. Looking at it, Chizome realizes that until this moment, the wavering little grins he had seen had been nothing but pale imitations of the boy's true smile. His eyes dart to the screen, and he recognizes the expression on Midoriya Inko's face.
"I'm happy," Izuku says, and Chizome is surprised to realize that the boy means it. "My mom isn't sad. She's found people she can be happy with. If she's okay...then I can be, too."
Chizome nods and waits for Izuku to turn back to the screen before he allows a wide smile to creep across his face. Any doubts he may have had are gone. He will raise Izuku to be the hero the world needs, someone strong enough to stand beside All Might. He knows that he did the right thing by choosing Izuku.