Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“...take a swan dive off the roof…”

“...be more realistic…”

“...can't be a hero…”

This isn't the first time Izu's found herself on a rooftop. She used to find them incredibly peaceful when everything first happened. Now though… Now she just really wants to get down and go home. Not that she really has a home. Her current fosters are okay, they’ve only yelled at her so far, but it’s a long way from being home . 

She looks over the edge of the roof, considering all her options on how to get down, when her ears catch the sound of soft footsteps. For anyone else, they’d be impossible to hear, but Izu has trained herself to listen for even the hint of movement. It’s the only way to survive. She doesn’t turn around before speaking. “I’m not going to jump if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“You’re awfully close to the edge there.” A gruff voice speaks behind her.

“Just trying to find the best way down. I think there’s a fire escape somewhere around here.”

“How about you step away from that ledge and I’ll help you figure it out.” She finally turns to see the man talking to her.

“Eraserhead?”

The man’s blank expression lets in some shock. “You know who I am.”

“Yeah. Not a lot of heroes fight quirkless. Let’s just say you’re an inspiration for me.”

He looks at her for a while, seeming to analyze her. “You want to be a hero, Kid?”

She lets out a small huff of laughter. “Yeah, I did. Not so much anymore.” She turns back to look down the edge of the building.

“I really need you to move away from the ledge, Kid.”

She looks over at him. “I swear I’m not trying to off myself.”

“Then what are you doing up here?”

She gives him a sad smile. “Wasn’t by choice, I’ll tell you that.”

“What does that mean?”

She shrugs. “It’s not important. What is important is that I’m late for curfew.” She looks back over the edge. “So how do I get down?”

“Have you tried the door?”

“It’s locked. Like I said, I’m not trying to die.” She glances to the left and sees what she’d been searching for. “Found it!” She walks over to the red metal structure and smiles. The fire escape is old and rickety, but it’ll do the job. She turns to the hero. “It was nice to meet you, Eraserhead. Thanks for trying to help.”

—

It’s an ordinary, slow patrol when he catches a glimpse of a small body on a nearby roof. Shouta is quick to make his way over, only to discover as he gets closer that he recognizes the figure sitting on the edge. He lands a few meters away, trying to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible.

“Hello again, Eraserhead.” How does she do that?

“Hey there, Kid. You doing okay?”

She turns a little. “Yeah, I’m fine. Still not trying to off myself if that’s why you’re asking.”

Shouta walks over and stands a little ways behind and to the left of her. “This is the second time I’ve found you on a roof in a week. What’s going on?”

She shrugs, turning her face back to the street below. “It’s peaceful up here. No one’s yelling at me. No one even knows I’m up here. It’s kinda nice.”

Well if that isn’t a red flag… “Are you safe at home, Kid?”

She huffs out a small laugh. “Home? Yeah, it’s fine, I guess. No one’s hit me or anything. At least not yet.”

“What does that mean, “Not yet”? Have your parents hit you before?”

She looks up at the sky. “There should be more stars up there, you know? All the light of the city drowns the sky in pollution so we can’t see them very well. It’s still beautiful, though.”

“Kid-”

She looks over at him, a small bruise by her right eye. “Don’t worry, Eraserhead. I’m okay. There’s more important things for you to be worried about.”

“You’re important, too, Kid.”

She chuckles under her breath. “Hmm, it’s a nice thought.” She moves to stand, rising up and turning toward the slightly open door behind them. “Have a good night, Eraserhead. Thanks for the talk.”

—

She walks back to the apartment building where her current fosters live, her back still aching from the beating she got at school that day. As she walks into the parking lot, she sees a familiar car idling outside. Huh, guess she's moving again.

“It's about time you got here!” Her now ex-foster mom yells. “I'm so glad we're finally done with you. You've been a burden on us for long enough, not even worth the money to keep you. Now get your stuff and get out!”

Izu just nods her head, avoiding eye contact, and heads to the small closet of a room where she keeps her things. She never unpacked, so all she has to do is pick up the old duffle bag and the black trash bag with the holes starting to form at the top. She's out of their home and in her social worker's car in a matter of minutes.

Ms. Mayeda sighs. “You'll have to change schools again. I know you've only been at this one for a few months, but the next family lives too far away for you to stay. At least this one has a house! Maybe you'll even get your own room.”

Izu just nods from the backseat. Ms. Mayeda always tries to keep an optimistic point of view, but she also wears rose colored glasses whenever she picks a family for Izu, never seeing the red flags. Izu's been in enough rough homes to know that her social worker doesn't do her research on the families she places Izu with. 

They pull up to the house about two hours later. It's a nice looking place, and Izu recognizes the neighborhood as one she's lived in before. Maybe this one will be different? 

As soon as Ms. Mayeda leaves, the father of the house throws Izu's stuff in a closet under the stairs and shoves her in after it. She falls asleep hours later, hungry and sore.

—

Shouta hasn't seen the kid in a while, and maybe that's a good thing. But judging by the bruise he saw that plagues his thoughts, it could also be a very bad thing. He's covering the patrol of another hero when he sees a figure on a roof. He's almost relieved when he gets close enough to make out the curly dark hair and small size of the figure sitting on the ledge.

This time he speaks before she can. “Hey, Kid.”

She doesn't turn to look at him, just keeps looking up at the sky. “Hey, Eraserhead. What are you doing all the way out here?”

He moves to sit beside her, about a meter to her left. “Covering another underground’s route. What are you doing?”

“Moved. It’s prettier out here. More stars.” She glances over at him for a second before putting her attention back on the stars. “I’m still not trying to die.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you here?”

He shrugs. “Just thought I’d check on you. See if you want to talk about what makes you hide away on rooftops.”

She laughs. “Not yet.”

“Okay.” 

He sits with her for about an hour in silence before she moves to stand up. “Thanks for sitting with me, Eraserhead, but I better head back now. Can’t let anyone find out I left.” She smiles down at him through a busted lip and a blackened right eye.

—

Ms. Mayeda came to visit today. Her fosters made her lie about how she got the bruises. Said she’s just clumsy. Ms. Mayeda believed the lie. She ignored the way Izu flinched when the fosters’ older son came downstairs. Ignored the look the boy gave her. Ignored the way Izu teared up when she left. Ms. Mayeda ignores a lot of things with her optimistic view of the world.

It doesn’t take long after the family goes to sleep for Izu to make her way out a window and down the street. There’s an empty shop nearby that has a roof access hatch. She found it two nights ago and she needs it tonight. She climbs up and takes her first deep breath all day. The sky is clear and she revels in the feeling of the wind pulling at her. She goes to the edge of the roof and sits down, swinging her legs against the side of the building.

Quiet footsteps hit the roof. “Hey, Eraserhead. It’s been a while.”

He sits beside her, looking her over. “Hey, Kid. You doing okay?”

She tears up a little, a hitch forming in her throat. “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s nice out tonight.” She can feel the hero’s eyes searching her for bruises or other injuries. He’s good like that. He doesn’t ignore stuff like Ms. Mayeda. The thought makes the tears in her eyes start to fall in little streams down her face.

“I know you’re lying, Kid.”

“I’m not. It really is a nice night out tonight.”

“We both know that’s not what I was referring to.”

She laughs through her tears. “I’m not ready yet. Maybe someday, but not tonight. Not yet.”

Eraserhead nods. “Can I ask what’s holding you back?”

“I’m just not ready.” She takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I don’t want it to be real.”

“Okay, Kid.” He reaches out a hand, which she takes. “Okay.”

—

“You’re attached! Just admit it!” Zashi shouts across the teachers’ lounge.

“Will you shut up, you overgrown cockatoo?” Shouta groans.

“Not until you admit that you’re attached to your rooftop kid.”

Shouta drags a hand down his face. He knows he shouldn’t be, that he should just report the kid to social services and be done with it, but he can’t deny the attachment that has formed. Especially after he held her hand while she cried two nights ago. He’s volunteered for every shift that would allow him access to her area for the last three months. He doesn’t always see her, but that only makes him worry more.

“Come on, Sho! Just admit it!” Zashi is standing next to his desk now.

“Why can’t we talk about this literally anywhere else? Why do you have to bring this up here?”

“I will take that as confirmation. So now the question is, why haven’t you just adopted the kid already?”

“It’s not that simple, Zashi.” Sho hisses as Thirteen enters the lounge. “I don’t have any evidence other than witnessing some bruising and a gut instinct. Plus, I don’t even know her name. How do I get dirt on the parents when I can’t even look up the kid?”

“I know you’ll think of something!” Suddenly Zashi’s voice turns soft. “You and I both know you won’t stop until she’s safe in our guest room.”

Shouta rolls his eyes but doesn’t reply.

—

It happened again. It happened again and they beat her for it. She ran from the house without thinking and now she’s lost. She’s lost and crying and she just wants to disappear. To never feel that again. To never feel like dirt again. To never feel used again. She just wants everything else to stop and to be able to get far enough away to breathe. She just wants to breathe again.

She looks up at the building next to her. There’s a fire escape. She climbs.

—

It’s a different building this time. One in the opposite direction of where he normally sees her, but it’s the kid. His kid. He knows it. He makes his way over, landing quietly behind her like always, but this time she doesn’t do anything to let him know that she knows he’s there. She doesn’t speak. Doesn’t move. Nothing.

“Hey, Kid. You okay?” He settles next to her and does his best to take in her appearance with only the moon and stars for light. She’s looking up again and he can see some bruising around her eyes and lips. As he continues scanning her for injury, she pulls her sleeves down, hiding the bruising around her wrists, but that only works to reveal the bruising around her neck and collarbone. Very strange bruising. Very specific bruising. “Talk to me. Please.”

A sad smile appears on her tearstained face. “The stars are so bright tonight, aren’t they?”

“Kid…”

“Izu… Call me Izu.” A sob escapes her lips. “No one else does.”

Shouta reaches out a hand, which she takes without looking away from the sky. “Who hurt you, Izu?”

She laughs. “That’s the question, isn’t it? A better one would be who hasn’t hurt me?” She sighs and then looks at him, giving him a full view of her obviously broken nose and busted lip. “You’ve never hurt me.” She looks away again, smiling. “You’ve been so good to me, and you don’t even know me.”

Shouta thinks back about all the times he’s found her on a roof. All he’s ever done for her is talk to her, sit with her, and hold her hand. He’s done the bare minimum and she’s treating it like he’s a saint. “Izu, who hurt you tonight?”

She sighs shakily. “Foster parents. After their son… well, they didn’t like the riff raff corrupting their perfect offspring, so they decided I needed to be reminded of my place.”

“What did their son do?” Shouta knew in his gut what had happened, but he wanted to hold out hope that they hadn’t hurt his kid that way.

New tears stream down her face. “Touched me. Hurt me. It’s not the first time, but it was the worst.” Sobs begin wracking her chest and Shouta doesn’t even hesitate before pulling her into an embrace. He holds her as she cries into his shirt, stroking her hair and whispering soft words to her.

“I’ve got you now. You’re safe. You’ll never have to go back there again. I’ve got you. I’ve got you, Izu. I’ve got you.”

It takes some time, but she eventually calms down enough to end the embrace. Shouta lets her go, but he stays close in case she needs him again. She wipes at her eyes and avoids his gaze. “Sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He tries to get her to look at him, but she looks up at the sky instead. He decides to give her a moment of silence to collect her thoughts, so he looks up at the sky too. She’d been right when she said it’s a nice night. The sky is clear and full of stars, and there’s a slight breeze that ruffles both of their hair. 

“Eraserhead?”

“Yeah, Izu?”

“I think I’m ready.”

“Okay.”

“What happens now?”

“Now,” he turns to face her and finds her looking back at him. “I make a few calls.”

Chapter Text

Eraserhead made exactly three calls before taking her to the other side of town. They had to ride the train and everything. Izu still isn’t sure where they are going, but she’s too afraid to question the only adult who has been consistently good to her. They walk through a busier side of town, then down a few side roads until they stop in front of a set of townhouses. It’s late now, so most of the street is dark, but as they walk up to the townhouse at the end of the street, Izu can see a few lights on inside.

“I need to warn you. My roommate can be pretty loud, so just let him know if it gets to be too much. He’s a nice guy, just annoying.” Izu looks from Eraserhead to the doorway. After he unlocks the door, Izu takes a deep breath and follows him inside.

“Sho! Is the Little Listener with you?! Where is she?!” A familiar voice travels through the small space.

“Present Mic?” Izu looks down the hallway as a man with long blonde hair rushes toward them. She looks at Eraserhead. “Your roommates with Present Mic?”

“We sure are, Little Listener! Me and Sho have been best friends since UA!” Present Mic answers her question as he slings an arm around Eraserhead. “My civilian name is Yamada Hizashi. Call me whatever seems right to you!”

Eraserhead rolls his eyes and shoves the blonde hero’s arm off his shoulder. “Yeah, we’re roommates. It made sense after we graduated and it’s just stayed that way ever since. My civilian name is Aizawa Shouta by the way. You can call me whatever you’re comfortable with.” He looks at her with soft eyes.

“Uh, hi, Mr. Present Mic. I’m Midoriya Izu, but please just call me Izu.”

“Oh, aren’t you just so sweet!” Present Mic rushes forward and Izu flinches hard. 

When no physical contact is made, she looks up to find Present Mic being blocked by Eraserhead. “Calm down, you overgrown cockatoo. Give her some space. It’s been a long, hard night for her.” Then he turns to Izu. “I told you, he’s a nice guy, just really annoying,” Present Mic gasps in mock offense and it makes Izu laugh a little. “How about I show you to your room?” Izu nods and follows him up the stairs to a long hallway. “My room is at the end of the hall, the bathroom is the door right next to it.” He points to the right where there is in fact a door dead ending the hallway and another door next to it on the right side of the hallway. “Your room will be this one right here.” He gestures to their left where another door dead ends the hallway there.

Izu walks in and finds a full sized bed, a set of dresser drawers, a closet, and a night stand. The bed is covered by a lavender comforter and white sheets. She slowly walks in and sits on the bed. It’s oh so soft and she nearly melts into it. Eraserhead leaves for a moment and then returns with a set of black joggers and a bright pink hoodie with cat toe beans on the ends of the sleeves and ears on the hood. 

“Those are for you to sleep in.” She smiles a little and nods her understanding. “Oh, I almost forgot. Go ahead and get dressed, I’ll be right back.” Confused, she does as she is told, closing the door while she strips off her now bloody shirt and jeans, replacing them with the soft, too-big sweats. When Eraserhead returns, he knocks on the door. Izu opens it to find Eraserhead carrying a large quilt. “My mother used to love quilting.” He walks in and spreads the quilt across the bed. It’s a gorgeous sea glass style quilt, with a white background and patches of random, very colorful fabrics cut to the shape of sea glass. The colors are grouped and organized so that they seem to flow from purple to white to teal to blue to indigo. It’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. “Before she passed, she gave this to me and told me to give it to my first born child.” She turns away from the quilt to look at Eraserhead. “It’s yours now.”

“I-I… I can’t take this! This is something really special! You should save it for-”

Eraserhead interrupts her, kneeling down in front of her and wiping away the tears she didn’t even know were beginning to flow. “ You are really special. I never planned to ever have kids, so this quilt was just going to go unused in my closet forever. Then I met you. Someone who needs a safe place and safe people to go to. Someone who needs a home.” A sob hitches itself in her throat. “I’m ready and able to give you that. I know we’ve only known each other for a few months now, but I already think of you as my kid. This quilt is meant for you. And it will always be yours.”

This time it’s Izu who pulls the larger hero in for a hug. She collapses into his chest and cries for the second time tonight. She lets out all her pent up loneliness and fear. She lets herself feel loved, to feel wanted, even if it’s only for now. Even if it’s only temporary. She knows she will savor this moment for years to come, so she lets herself have this. Eraserhead holds her close and strokes her hair, leaving her feeling so warm inside. When she eventually calms down enough, she pulls away and turns to look at the quilt lying on the bed.

“It’s late and you’ve been through a lot tonight. Why don’t you go to bed?”

She nods and climbs in under the comforter, pulling the quilt up close to her face to breathe in its scent. Eraserhead strokes her hair for a moment before saying goodnight and turning out the lights, shutting the door behind him. She breathes in the smell of this little room and the feeling of love that’s still left over from the hug, and falls into the most peaceful sleep she’s had in months.

—

Shouta hangs up his phone and groans. He needed to make the call, needs the time off to help his new ward settle in, but trying to maneuver through all of the rat’s many questions without peaking his interest in Izu is exhausting. Luckily Izu hasn’t woken up yet, so Shouta has some time to prepare himself for the day ahead. Zashi brings him coffee in his favorite cat mug and Shouta smiles appreciatively at him.

“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Zashi’s too joyful for this early in the morning voice cuts through Shouta’s exhaustion.

He rubs a hand over his face. “The first thing is to get her checked out by Chiyo, and after that we’ll go to the police station to file a formal report. I called Tsukauchi last night, but he needs her direct statement, so we’ll do that today. Then I’ll take Tsukauchi with me to arrest those sorry excuses for foster parents and their slimy son, grabbing her things as well. At some point today I also need to call her social worker to get the foster paperwork settled so she can stay with us. Tsukauchi has already filled out the emergency paperwork, but I want something more permanent, so I have to go through her social worker for that.”

“Okay, that’s a lot. How can I help?”

Shouta raises an eyebrow. “Don’t you have to work all three jobs today? I think you’re a little too busy for what we are doing today.”

Zashi rolls his eyes. “Obviously I took the day off. I still have to go into the radio station tonight, but I called Nedzu last night for today off and Midnight said she’d cover my patrol this evening. So, I shall ask again, what can I do to help?”

Shouta sighs but smiles at his best friend. “I really don’t want to have to bring Izu with me when we arrest her former foster parents. I don’t want her to ever have to go back there. It would be immensely helpful if you could watch her while I do that. Until then, just being here is enough.”

Zashi nods and smiles his widest, goofiest smile. “Then here I shall be. And I’ll watch the Little Listener, no worries! We’ll have a great time, ya dig?”

Shouta rolls his eyes but doesn’t comment on his friend’s use of his hero persona. He sips at his hot coffee and mentally prepares himself for what they might find out today. It takes about thirty more minutes before Izu finally makes an appearance. She walks hesitantly down the hall toward the kitchen, stopping just short of the doorway. She keeps her head down, not looking at either one of them. Shouta shares a look with Zashi before looking back at Izu.

“Good morning, Izu. Would you like some breakfast?”

She looks up, a little startled, but then looks back down at the floor. Wringing her hands together, she asks, “Can I come in?”

Shouta shares another look with Zashi. “Of course you can come in. Have you not been allowed in the kitchen before?”

“I don’t know the rules yet. You didn’t come to get me, so I assumed it was okay to leave my room, but I’m just not sure where to go from there.”

Shouta gets out of his seat and kneels in front of Izu so he can look her in the eyes. Her eyes dart between him and the floor. “Look at me, Izu.” She finally makes consistent eye contact. “You are allowed anywhere in the house, just knock before entering my or Zashi’s rooms. Everywhere else is free to you. You will not be punished for just existing in the house.” 

She chews her lip for a moment. “Are you sure?”

He smiles. “Yes, I’m sure. You are safe here. Okay?”

She hesitates, but eventually nods. “Okay.”

—

After eating breakfast with the two heroes, Izu makes her way upstairs again to get ready for the day. Apparently Present Mic washed her bloody shirt and jeans this morning, because she finds them sitting in front of the door for her. She changes quickly, not wanting to risk upsetting Eraserhead. Even though he’s been nothing but kind to her so far, even though he’s been the only good in her life for months, she can’t erase the anxiety that comes with having a new foster parent. What are the rules? What are the punishments for breaking those rules? 

Once she’s dressed, she makes sure to make the bed as neat as possible, folding the beautiful quilt nicely and laying it at the end. She then grabs up the borrowed clothes that Eraserhead had given her and makes her way quietly back down the stairs. But once she’s down there, she finds herself at a loss of what to do next. She wants to wash the borrowed sweats, but she doesn’t know where the laundry is. Eraserhead said she could go anywhere in the house, but that doesn’t really feel real yet, so what does she do?

“Hey, Little Listener! Whatcha got there?” Present Mic exits a room down the right hallway.

“Um, just the clothes that Eraserhead let me borrow last night. I was going to wash them, but I’m not sure where the laundry room is…”

Present Mic makes his way over to her. “Don’t you worry your little head about that,” he takes the clothes from her hands. “It’s my job to do the laundry. Sho is terrible at it. Always puts too much soap and heaven forbid there’s blood. He would just throw the clothes away if I’d let him.” Present Mic laughs.

Izu lets out a faint chuckle feeling a little weird with this bizarre scenario. She doesn’t want to burden the voice hero, but the fear of talking back to an authority figure keeps her silent. Instead, she decides to find Eraserhead. He’s a safe point. He’ll know what she should be doing right now. She takes a hesitant step down the right hallway and looks into the room Present Mic had come from and finds the living room empty except for a white, long-haired cat with striking blue eyes looking at her from atop a cat tree. They have a cat?

“That’s Kumo.” A familiar, gravelly voice startles her. She turns to find Eraserhead standing behind her. “She’s a sweetheart. The nicest and friendliest cat you’ll ever meet.” Eraserhead turns his head to smile down at Izu. “You ready to start the day?”

She nods at him. “Yes, sir.” He frowns a little, but then his expression turns neutral.

“Good. The first thing on the to-do list is a health check up for you. I don’t imagine your previous homes took you to see a doctor very regularly.” She shakes her head. “As I suspected. I have a doctor friend who will do the check up. She’s the best of the best, so don’t worry too much.”

It turns out that Eraserhead’s “doctor friend” is the hero Recovery Girl. After Present Mic drops them off at a side entrance to UA High School, which is just amazing in and of itself, Izu is led by the underground hero to a small clinic on the first floor. Izu spends the first few seconds of the health visit just marveling at the fact that she is meeting the Youthful Hero.

“Sit on up here, Deary, so I can get a good look at you.” Izu does as she is told. She sits still as Recovery Girl looks at her broken nose and busted lip. She only flinches a little when the woman lifts the side of her shirt to examine the bruising around her ribs and the ribs themselves, being as visible as they are. She doesn’t even complain when Recovery Girl orders Eraserhead to leave the room so she can undress and be examined more thoroughly. The examination takes almost two hours with Recovery Girl documenting each contusion and scar. By the time she’s allowed to redress, it’s getting close to lunch time. When Eraserhead is allowed to reenter the room, Recovery Girl takes a small blood sample and then kisses Izu on the forehead, making her very sleepy. “Rest now, Deary. I need to speak with your guardian.”

Izu doesn’t argue and lets herself slip into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

“I won’t lie to you, Shouta, it’s not good.” Chiyo closes the door to her office after checking once more that Izu is asleep.

“I expected as much. How not good is it?”

Chiyo sighs. “She’s got bruising all over her body at various stages of healing, a broken nose, what I suspect is a broken rib, and a possible fracture in her orbital bone. Someone used this girl as a punching bag and it’s been going on for a while. She has scarring from previous injuries and I suspect a few fractures that haven’t healed properly, but I’d need to get an x-ray for that. Then there’s the concern of just how thin she is. Her weight is on the very low side of things, bordering on malnourishment. I took some blood so we should be able to see what vitamins she is lacking and fix it with a dietary plan.” 

Shouta nods along with the information, unsurprised. “What about the other thing I told you about?”

“The sexual abuse?” He nods. “It’s sad to say, but I wouldn’t be surprised. She flinched a lot when I checked her over. I didn’t want to traumatize her further, but with the pattern of bruising I saw, well, there’s very few things that cause that kind of trauma. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been going on for as long as the physical abuse given the varying stages of healing.”

Shouta can feel his heart breaking in his chest. If only she’d let him help sooner.

—

Waking up is difficult, but Izu eventually blinks her eyes enough to return fully to consciousness. She looks around, taking in her surroundings, and sighs a breath of relief when she spots Eraserhead sitting next to her.

“Hey there, you ready for some lunch?”

“Yes, please.” She whispers as her stomach grumbles. Eraserhead chuckles and stands from his seat.

“Come on then. I know for a fact that Lunch Rush makes the best food.”

She follows him cautiously through the hallways knowing full well school is still in session and there are a bunch of powerful high school students in the classrooms they are currently passing. They make it to the cafeteria right as the lunch bell rings. Eraserhead ushers her into the food line as a mass of larger students make their way into the cafeteria. Izu is silent, allowing Eraserhead to order for her, and follows him to a table by a window. She notices as they walk that students give them a wide berth, almost looking afraid. 

“Don’t worry about them, they know better than to ask questions.”

“Why do they look so…afraid?”

Eraserhead smiles. “I expelled my entire class this year.”

Izu looks up at him in shock. “What? Why?”

“They had no potential. They would have ended up being killed the second they stepped out into the real world of heroics. I did them a favor. They don’t see it that way right now, but they’ll come around.”

“But they probably had really flashy quirks and-”

“Quirks aren’t everything, Izu. Being a hero is about your attitude and ability to work hard. If you think all you need is your flashy quirk, you’ll never make it very far.”

That makes Izu think. Quirks aren’t everything? If that’s true then maybe…

—

After lunch, it’s time to head over to the police station. Shouta glances over to Izu as they ride the train together and he can’t help but notice how tense she is. He reaches out a hand in offering and she looks up at him before softly smiling and taking it, relaxing just a bit. “Once we get to the station, I’ll introduce you to a detective friend of mine. He’s a good man. You’ll tell him everything that’s happened to you at this home and any previous homes you want to mention, then I’ll chat with him about next steps and Zashi will come pick you up to hang out while I go to get your stuff from your most recent foster parents. Does all of that sound okay to you?” Izu nods, relaxing minutely more. 

They get off the train and head down a busy street, Shouta keeping a tight hold on Izu’s hand, until they reach a very busy police station. Shouta doesn’t hesitate to walk right in and straight for the offices in the back. He barely waits for an answer to his knock before barging into Tsukauchi’s office.

“Ah, Eraserhead, to what do I owe this pleasure?” The detective smiles. Then he notices Izu and his expression grows more serious. “This is her, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Izu, this is Detective Tsukauchi. Detective, this is Midoriya Izu.” Izu nods to him, her grip on Shouta’s hand tightening.

Tsukauchi smiles at her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Midoriya. I’ve heard quite a bit about you.” The detective turns to Shouta. “Were your suspicions correct?”

Shouta nods. “We are here for her official statement.”

Tsukauchi nods. “I can do that.” Turning back to Izu, he gestures to the couch and chairs at the corner of his office. “Why don’t we all have a seat and talk?” Shouta and Izu sit on the couch and Tsukauchi takes one of the chairs facing it. “Now, my quirk is called lie detection. I can tell when someone tells a lie, so as long as you tell me the truth, no one will be able to dispute your claims, okay?” Izu nods. “Good, then let’s begin.”

Izu begins her sad story of being abandoned by her mother when she was five and diagnosed quirkless. She glances at Shouta but seems to take comfort in his soft look and continues to talk about how her first few homes were okay, if being ignored is okay which Shouta certainly disagrees with. Then the abuse started when she was ten, at least at home. School has apparently been a warzone for her since her diagnosis. She mentions a friend, Kacchan(?), using his quirk on her a few times before she moved to the next school and the abuse continued only more frequently. Beatings at school were an almost daily thing and then she’d go home and either be ignored, left to treat her wounds on her own, or was beaten more. The first time the abuse turned sexual she was twelve. This news curdles Shouta’s stomach. It apparently started with a foster father touching her inappropriately and moved to more serious stuff at the next home with foster brothers. Her most recent home was apparently the worst yet and she began crying as she talked of the way they treated her. When asked how her social worker reacted, she laughed and stated that Ms. Mayeda was an oblivious woman who was too optimistic for her own good. Shouta is even more sure now that he wants to make this placement permanent.

“Thank you for being honest with me, Miss Midoriya.” 

“Call me Izu… please.” Izu won’t look the detective in the eyes, currently wiping the tears from her own and staring at the floor.

Tsukauchi smiles softly, sadness in his eyes. “Of course, Izu. Eraserhead and I will take care of this. You won’t ever have to see these people again.”

Izu finally looks up and smiles at the detective. She turns to Shouta. “What now?”

“Now we wait for that oversized cockatoo to get here and take you home.” Her grip tightens. Shouta kneels down in front of her, catching and holding her gaze. “I will be going to that terrible house while you have fun with Zashi. He has some fun plans for the two of you if his texts are anything to go by. I will be back at the house as soon as I can, okay?” Izu nods and Shouta squeezes her hand.

“Where is my Little Listener?!” A loud voice calls from within the station. Shouta groans but can’t hold back his smile. The door to the office opens and Zashi walks in with a huge smile. “There’s our girl! You ready to PARTY?!”

Izu giggles and nods. Zashi smiles, taking her hand as she releases Shouta’s for the first time since the train. They walk out hand in hand and Shouta smiles after them before a serious look takes over his face and he looks over to Tsukauchi. The detective nods and the two head out to the detective’s car with two officers following so they can arrest the parents and son that hurt his Izu.

—

Eraserhead wasn’t kidding when he said Present Mic had plans for her. They went from the station to an ice cream shop where she got a melon and vanilla swirl, then to a small arcade where they played some games together and won a Mirko rabbit plushie. After the arcade, they went to a hero merch store to get the newest Mirko figure and poster set. Izu was ecstatic and couldn’t help but hug the voice hero. How he knew she was one of her favorite heroes, Izu doesn’t know but she isn’t gonna complain. They eventually went back to the two heroes’ house to start on dinner. Izu ran up to her room and carefully set her new things on her bed before cautiously heading back down stairs and to the kitchen.

“Hey there, Little Listener! Wanna help me with dinner? I’m cooking Sho’s favorite!”

Izu nods, a soft smile on her face, and walks over to where Present Mic is at the stove. He hands her some veggies and she begins chopping them very carefully, making sure they are all perfectly sized and consistent. Present Mic laughs and tells her she’s  doing a great job, which makes Izu blush. 

The sound of the door opening gets Izu’s attention. A few moments later Eraserhead walks in looking exhausted, but he smiles when he sees her and she smiles as brightly as she can back at him. “We made your favorite!” Izu rushes over to Eraserhead and hugs the man.

He chuckles, hugging her back. “I’m looking forward to it. It smells amazing. How was your day?”

“Good! Present Mic got me the new Mirko figure and poster set! And we won the limited edition Mirko rabbit plush in a claw machine at an arcade!”

“That girl is a master at claw machines, Sho. She was analyzing the whole thing and talking about the mechanics and skills required. It was amazing!”

Izu blushes. “It wasn’t that cool. It’s just a simple calculation of angle and waiting for the correct round of play to measure the claw’s grip strength to plushie weight ratio.”

“That sounds immensely complicated, Kid. I’m glad you had fun though.” 

Izu smiles and they all sit down to eat. When she’s almost done eating, Eraserhead clears his throat, gaining her attention. She looks up at him and he gives her a soft look. “I’m going to call your social worker so I can get your placement with us to be more official. Do you want to listen in? I’m sure you haven’t had a whole lot of control over your wellbeing before.”

Izu thinks for a moment before nodding. “I think Ms. Mayeda is a nice lady, so I don’t think it will take too much to get her to agree.”

For some reason, Eraserhead frowns at that. He covers the frown soon enough with a more neutral expression and pulls out his phone. After dialing the number, he puts the phone on speaker.

“Hello, Mayeda Yumi speaking.”

“This is Aizawa Shouta, pro hero Eraserhead.”

“Oh, how can I help you sir?”

“I have one of your kids here with me. Midoriya Izu. I have taken her in under my emergency foster license and I wish to make it a more permanent placement.” Izu’s eyes go wide at the mention of permanence, but she doesn’t dare interrupt.

“Oh, is she okay? I just had a check in visit with her a week or two ago and she seemed fine!”

Eraserhead grows tense, his face becoming like stone. “No, she is not okay. In fact, she was being abused and molested at the placement you made and I took her in after she ran away. She is now safe and happy and I want to keep it that way. What do I need to do to keep her here with me officially?”

There is silence for a moment before Ms. Mayeda’s voice comes over the speaker softly. “I’ll get the paperwork together and do a home visit this weekend. Is there anything else?”

“No, that is all we need.”

“Okay. I’m so sorry this happened. Please let Izu know that I will do better for her.”

“I doubt that, but we’ll see. Goodnight.” Eraserhead hangs up the phone and sighs, twisting his head to pop his neck. “That woman is a mess. I don’t know how she keeps her job.”

“She’s okay. She just doesn’t want to believe people are bad.” Izu tries to defend her case worker even though she herself doesn’t much care for the way the woman treats her.

Eraserhead looks at her seriously. “She has done wrong by you and put you in harm’s way. That is unacceptable and I need you to know that.” Izu just nods. Eraserhead sighs. “Well, that’s out of the way for now. Next order of business.” Izu looks up at him. “You have barely anything to your name, so it looks like I will be taking you shopping tomorrow.”

Izu’s eyes go wide. “No! I don’t need anything, I swear! Don’t spend your money on me.”

“Izu, you have a single duffle bag and a trash bag to your name. You need way more than that. We will go shopping tomorrow and get you clothes that fit and anything else you want or need. You deserve to have things you like that fit you. Okay?”

Izu looks at him stunned, but nods.

“Looks like I need to take off tomorrow too!” Present Mic shouts with a smile. “Can’t miss an opportunity to shop!” He winks at Izu.

Eraserhead groans. “Aren’t you late for your show?”

Present Mic curses and jumps up from the table, heading straight for the door. Izu laughs with Eraserhead before she finishes her meal. After dinner, Eraserhead gives her the old duffel bag and trash bag and she heads upstairs to change into her pajamas, happy and content to sleep in her room once more. With her quilt nuzzled up to her chin, she sleeps happily.

Chapter Text

The mall is huge, but mostly empty given it’s a work day for everyone else. Izu is nervously following behind Eraserhead as he and Present Mic lead the way. They’ve been here for all of five minutes and Izu already wants to leave. What if Eraserhead changes his mind after he buys her a bunch of stuff? What if he buys her more than will fit in her bag? What is she even supposed to get? 

“Okay, time for Operation: Teen Style. What’s the plan?” Present Mic turns to look at Izu and she freezes up.

“We’re just here for some clothes and anything else she wants or needs. Why do we need a plan?” Eraserhead looks exhausted and Izu feels bad that he had to wake up so early to come here.

“Because we need to know which stores to go to and which to avoid. We need to know Izu’s sense of style so she can get the right clothes and then we need to find the stores that sell that style of clothes. Plus, what if she wants things for her room? We’ll need to find the stores that sell home goods. Plus, I know there’s a hero merch store around here somewhere. What if we want to stop there? Or, what if-”

Eraserhead puts a hand over Present Mic’s mouth. “Okay, we get it. We will make a plan for finding the clothes. Will that make you happy?”

Present Mic nods and Eraserhead drops his hand. Present Mic again turns to Izu. “So, little Listener, what is your style? What suits your fancy? Where should we start?”

Izu looks up at him with wide eyes. “Um, I don’t really know. I’ve never had a choice in my clothes before. You can just buy me some basics and we can go.”

“Nope, that won’t do! Your clothes should show the world who you are! Clothes can be your armor against the world, or a freedom to show off. Your style matters and you should own it. Now, where would you like to start?”

Izu looks around where they currently are for a moment before something catches her eye and she points hesitantly toward it. Present Mic smiles and leads the way. They enter the store, its dark walls, floor, and ceiling giving it a cool atmosphere. Izu walks over to some of the shirts on display and smiles, touching the fabric of one of them. She looks to the next one and laughs. It has a picture of a possum with the words “The Vibe is Feral” written in light blue around it. She picks it up and holds it up to her body before putting it back for a larger size. She’s never liked when clothes fit her perfectly, it always made her feel like she was trying too hard to fit in, like she was trying to look good for her abusers. She then grabs a few more shirts in darker colors, all in sizes much too large for her and all with funny or dark humoured graphics on them. She walks over to the pants and finds some black skinny jeans with holes in the knees, some distressed denim shorts, and a checkered patterned skater skirt. Then she goes over to the accessory wall and grabs several packages of tights, some fishnet versions, some with a floral pattern, and some just plain ones, but all of them black. As she walks around, grabbing things she likes, she misses the way her guardians are smiling softly at her.

The next few stores follow the same pattern, a grunge-y and softly punk kind of style beginning to form. She gets some chunky belts at one store, some chokers at another, and a black denim jacket at one more. Then they stop at a shoe store. Izu grows quiet and hangs back a little. Eraserhead notices her hesitance and stops, kneeling down in front of her.

“What’s up, Kid?” His voice is soft as he gets her to look him in the eye.

She wrings her hands together before softly speaking up. “Quirkless shoes are expensive. The less expensive brand is what I always get and they are bright red. I don’t like them. But the good kind are too expensive…” She looks away from him toward her feet.

Eraserhead lifts her chin so she’s looking at him again. “We will get whatever shoes you want. I have plenty of money and Zashi works three jobs, so if they’re really expensive, we’ll just make him buy them.” She smiles a little at that. “So don’t worry your big brain about this. We’ll get you good shoes that aren’t bright red.” When she nods her understanding, Eraserhead stands back up and leads her into the store.

She goes straight to the small quirkless section and, finding the expensive brand, looks through the various shoe designs. There’s sneakers and boots, ballet flats and heels, all kinds of shoes that she’d never dared to hope for before. She’d always been forced to wear the same bright red sneakers and now she has options. She looks through them until she finds what she’s looking for. She glances up at Eraserhead, needing one more confirmation that this is okay, and he nods with a small smile. She turns back to the shoes, a small smile on her face, and grabs the combat boots she’d been eyeing, as well as some checkered slip-ons and a pair of dark green hightops. She’s never had shoes that she liked before and now she has three pairs!

The next store they make a stop at is full of hero merchandise. Izu nearly squeals with delight at all the various figures and things decorating the walls and shelves. She hesitates only long enough for Eraserhead to nod with a smile before she’s roaming the shelves looking for her favorite heroes. Eraserhead stays by the doorway, but Present Mic gets into the spirit with her and they look at the various merch together. She makes sure to grab a Mirko crop hoodie with bunny ears on the hood and the newest action figure of the rabbit hero doing her ultimate move Luna Ring. She gets a Present Mic radio, which the hero promises to sign when they get back home, and a poster of Ryukyu. She gets a Fatgum hoodie and an Edgeshot keychain. She finishes the new collection with an Ingenium lunchbox that is styled after the hero’s costume. Izu bounces on her feet as Present Mic laughs, paying for her new hero merch collection with his platinum credit card.

They end their shopping day with lunch in the food court, and Izu can’t help the beaming smile plastered across her face as she looks over all the bags filled with things for her. She’s so grateful and she has no idea how she’ll ever repay Eraserhead, but she’ll do everything she can to let him know that she appreciates what he is doing for her. 

—

Shouta watches as Izu runs up the stairs to put her things away, carrying far more bags than should be physically possible. He can’t help the small grin that appears on his face. Zashi elbows him in the ribs, getting his attention.

“You are so attached.” His best friend smiles.

Shouta rolls his eyes. “I am fostering her.”

“Yeah, but it’s more than that and you know it.” Zashi turns serious. “You want to adopt her, don’t you?”

Shouta doesn’t respond, just watches as Izu runs back down the stairs to grab the next load of shopping bags.

—

Izu stands up to put her plate in the sink when Eraserhead takes her hand, gesturing for her to sit back down. Present Mic smiles at her and takes the plate for her, leaving Izu with Eraserhead.

“We need to talk about something.” Oh no, she did something wrong. She asked for too much. She knew this was too good to be true! “Stop spiralling, Izu. It’s not a bad thing. We just need to talk about where you’re going to school.”

“Oh. Well I’m currently at Nakamura Junior High. I’ve been to most of the public schools in the area, so I don’t mind moving to wherever.”

Eraserhead sighs. “I’m not going to just dump you into any old public school. I want to make sure you’re safe during the day, and your past experiences at schools in the area leave me less than confident in their abilities to do that. I’ve decided to enroll you in Somei Private Academy. They have an extremely good track record of keeping their no tolerance policy when it comes to discrimination and bullying. I also know of several hero families whose kids attend, so you should be safe there.”

“A private school? But those are expensive! I can just go to a public school! I can handle it, I promise! I’m not good enough for private school…”

Eraserhead lifts her face so her eyes meet his. “You are more than good enough for Somei Private Academy. You deserve the best education in a safe environment free from people who would look to hurt you. Please let me do this for you.”

Izu looks him in the eye, searching for any doubt. When she sees none, she nods. “Okay.”

Chapter Text

Izu puts on her new uniform, pulling at the edge of the skirt and adjusting the sleeves for the third time, before heading downstairs for breakfast. Present Mic smiles at her and fills her plate with two pieces of grilled mackerel, a scoop of steamed rice, and a couple pieces of tamagoyaki. She smiles and nods her thanks before sitting at the table where Eraserhead is nursing a cup of coffee. She says her thanks and carefully digs into her meal, only looking up when Present Mic sets down a bowl of tonjiru in front of her with a big smile. “You’ll need your strength for your first day.” He winks at her and she gives him a small smile in return.

She’s almost done eating when Eraserhead speaks up for the first time. “We need to leave in about ten minutes. Is your backpack packed?” Izu nods, swallowing her last spoonful of soup. “Good. Then wash up and we can head out.”

“I packed your lunch already!” Present Mic calls to her as she washes her dishes in the sink. 

“You didn’t need to do that! I could have just taken some leftovers or something.” Izu looks at her hands as she wrings her fingers together.

“And leave you with a subpar lunch on your first day?! Unacceptable! Plus, it was my pleasure to do it.” He smiles softly at her and she can’t help but smile in return.

“Let’s go, Izu. I want to talk with the principal before classes start.” Izu hurries to finish washing up and then grabs her bag and pulls on her combat boots, following Eraserhead outside. They make their way to the train station, boarding the train right before it leaves the station. The ride is quiet, but nice. When she starts wringing her hands Eraserhead places his hand over hers and she smiles, taking the offering for what it is. They hold hands all the way to Somei. When Izu sees all the people her own age walking into the building, she unconsciously squeezes Eraserhead’s hand and he squeezes back, reassuring her that he’s there. Together they walk up the steps to her new school.

—

Shouta has Izu wait outside the office while he walks in to talk with the principal. The principal is a short man with thinning blonde hair. Shouta knows from his research that he has a sensory based quirk, allowing him to see and hear better than the average person. A good quirk for a principal to have, but not the strongest. In a weird way this comforts Shouta as it means the principal is less likely to judge based on quirk strength.

“Ah, Aizawa Shouta. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I was delighted to get your call about a new student joining us.” The principal, Mr. Eguchi, reaches out to shake Shouta’s hand. “I understand you wanted to talk with me before her first day?”

“Yes. I wanted to check a few things before entrusting her in your care.”

“Perfectly understandable. Please, have a seat.” He gestures to a chair across from his desk and Shouta sits. “I received her records from her previous school this morning and I can understand why you’d want to discuss her placement here. The records do not shine a pretty light on her, but when I saw her quirk status I became inclined to assume that most of her record may be the result of discrimination. Am I correct in this assumption?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Mr. Eguchi nods, a frown on his face. “It’s a true shame. From her grades alone I can tell she’s a bright girl. And if I’m right about those grades being doctored, then she’s smarter than they want us to believe. But you already know this, so let’s talk about your concerns. How can I help?”

Shouta leans forward, placing his clasped hands on the desk. “As you have correctly surmised, Izu has been the victim of quirk discrimination as well as severe bullying. I want to be sure that she will not face the same fate here. What assurances can you give me as to her safety?”

Mr. Eguchi nods. “I completely understand your concerns. I assure you that we here at Somei Private Academy are serious about our no tolerance policy when it comes to discrimination and bullying. I’ve unfortunately had to fire a teacher or two before due to things like what I saw in Miss Midoriya’s record, but I was swift in those decisions. I have also expelled students for less than what was done to her. If any discrimination or bullying takes place, the culprit will be suspended immediately and if it persists, then expulsion will take place. I promise you that any problems will be swiftly and severely dealt with.” He looks at Shouta and sighs. “I don’t tell many people this, but my son is quirkless.” Shouta raises his eyebrows but doesn’t interrupt. “He was just diagnosed last year. It’s been tough to find a preschool that will accept him and I find the treatment absolutely despicable. I promise you I will treat Miss Midoriya with the same care as I would want for my own son. You have my word.”

Shouta nods. “Thank you. I appreciate your honesty. If there are any problems, please call me immediately.”

They both stand and Mr. Eguchi reaches out for another handshake. “Of course.”

As Shouta leaves the principal’s office, he lets himself take a breath of relief. Izu will be taken care of. He smiles softly at Izu when he sees her conversing happily with the secretary about her mutation quirk. This will be good for her.

—

Eraserhead left a few moments ago and now Izu is being led by the kind secretary to her classroom. She’d left her boots in her new locker, so she’s feeling a little uncomfortable in the school issued shoes. Eraserhead said they would get her some quirkless versions, so she only had to last today in discomfort. 

The classroom appears before Izu feels ready for it, and soon enough the secretary is knocking and opening the door. “Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Handa, but your new student is here.”

“Oh, please show her in.” A sing-song voice calls from inside the room. A voice quirk maybe?

“This way, Dear.” The secretary smiles at Izu. She gulps down her nerves and enters the room. She’s immediately met by fourteen different faces all looking at her. She blushes and turns her head to look at the teacher. The woman is tall and lithe, with pale skin and bright red hair. She smiles at Izu and gestures for her to come stand beside her.

“Everyone, this is Midoriya Izu. She is our newest class member and I expect you all to be kind and welcoming.”

Izu bows. “Please take care of me.”

Ms. Hanada turns to Izu once she stands up again. “You can have the empty seat behind Yaoyorozu.” She points to a girl with black hair who smiles and waves at her. Izu moves swiftly to the empty seat and keeps her head down, pulling out her notebook and a pencil.

Class moves quickly, and Izu is delighted to find that she’s actually challenged by the work. She’s smiling and writing in notes at top speed, drawing diagrams and making personal study notes for herself. It’s all going great and then the lunch bell rings. Everyone begins talking as some leave to get their lunches and others gather with their friends to eat in the classroom. Izu picks up her Ingenium lunchbox and quietly opens it.

“Hi, I’m Yaoyorozu Momo. It’s really nice to meet you.” The girl she sits behind smiles at her. 

Izu hesitates but tries for a smile. “H-Hi, I’m Midoriya Izu.”

The girl’s smile brightens just a bit. “If you need anything or any help, please let me know.” 

“O-Okay… Thank you.” 

They eat quietly for a few minutes, Izu marveling at the beautiful lunch Present Mic made for her. Two takana onigiri, apple slices cut to look like rabbit ears, and spinach salad with sesame dressing. Izu feels tears welling up in her eyes at the care that he must have put in to make this for her. Their quiet lunch is interrupted a moment later when a tall boy with blue hair and glasses steps up to them.

“Sorry for the interruption, but is that an Ingenium lunch box?” The boy is looking at her lunchbox with wonder.

“Um, yes? He’s one of my favorite heroes.” Izu isn’t sure what to do. The boy sits down in an empty seat next to them with his own lunch.

“He’s my brother. I also think he is a magnificent hero.” He chops his arm down as he speaks. “My name is Iida Tenya.”

“Midoriya Izu. Is Ingenium really your brother?”

“Yes. I’ve looked up to him my whole life.” He smiles.

“He has one of the lowest civilian casualty rates in the country! And he’s known to work with various charities for those with undesirable quirks or the quirkless!” Izu lights up. “I saw an article where he raced up the side of a building to catch a thief, then convinced him to turn himself in without much of a fight! It’s crazy that he’s not higher in the rankings given his capture rate is over ninety percent!” Izu stops to take a breath and notices that Iida is smiling even wider at her, a kind of shine to his eyes. “Oh, sorry for rambling. I’m sure you already know all of this…”

“No, it’s impressive how you know all of this. I too find his rating to be much lower than he deserves. It is nice to hear someone else’s positive opinion of him given I’m rather biased.”

Izu’s face heats up. “Well, you should be proud of him. He’s a really good hero.”

“Thank you, Midoriya.” Iida nods to her, his smile unwavering. “I want to be a hero just like him. I plan to attend UA just as he did.”

“Oh, me too!” Yaoyorozu speaks up. “My mother is working on the paperwork to submit me for the recommendation exam.” She turns to Izu. “What about you? Are you going to try to be a hero?”

Izu’s face falls. “Oh, um… I’ve always wanted to, but…um, I’m, uh… I’m quirkless, so… um…” She tenses, ready for one or both of them to make a scathing comment and turn away from her. Just because Ingenium is kind to the quirkless doesn’t mean his brother will be.

Yaoyorozu speaks up immediately, her voice soft and kind. “That doesn’t mean you can’t be a hero.”

Izu looks up and is surprised to find neither looks disgusted or angry. Instead, they both look… genuine. “What?”

“That’s right. My brother always says it’s not the quirk that makes the hero, but the heart!” Iida chops his arm as he speaks. Izu feels tears brimming in her eyes. Iida looks at her a little panicked. “What’s wrong?”

She smiles at them both. “No one’s ever said that to me before…”

“Well they should have.” Yaoyorozu states matter-of-factly. 

“Yes. While one should feel confident in themself, it is always nice to have others believe in you too.” Iida adds.

“Thank you. Both of you.”

—

Shouta can’t stop tapping his foot as he glances at the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes. Izu’s school lets out at four o’clock and he wants to be there as soon as he can. It’s almost three-thirty and he needs to leave no later than three-thirty-five to get there in time. He glances at the clock again. Three-twenty-nine. So close.

“Relax. Time won’t move faster just because you keep looking at the clock.” Zashi has the audacity to laugh at him.

“It’s her first day.”

“I know that as well as you do, but staring at the clock and daring it to move faster won’t guarantee how her day goes or make you feel any less anxious for her.”

“I have a good reason to be worried. I promised her that she would be safe.”

“And she will be. We both know that Somei is a good school and you said so yourself that the principal gave off good vibes.”

Three-thirty-one. “I never said anything about vibes.”

Zashi laughs. “I was paraphrasing. That’s not the point. She’s gonna be okay, Sho.”

“How do you know that for sure? Anything could have happened.”

“Because if something bad happened, you would have received a call about it.”

Three-thirty-two. “Shut up with your logic.” Shouta groans.

Zashi laughs. “Someone needs to be logical when Mr. Logical Ruse can’t keep his head on straight because of a teenage girl.”

Shouta whips his head around. “Don’t say it like that! She’s basically my kid!”

Zashi smiles like the cat that caught the canary. “Glad to see you finally admit it.”

“Oh, shut up.” Shouta is not pouting.

“Hey, Sho?”

“...”

“Sho.”

“...”

“Shouta, you’ll have to answer me eventually.”

He glares at his best friend. “What?”

“It’s three-thirty-six.”

Shouta is out of his charity and down the hallway in less than thirty seconds. He moves through the crowds easily and shoves his way out the front door. The walk is only twenty minutes, but it feels like hours pass. What if someone was mean to her? What if she’s crying right now? What if…?

His thoughts are halted when he reaches the gates of Somei Academy and he sees Izu talking with two other students, a black-haired girl much taller than Izu and an even taller boy who looks like his friend Tensei in miniature. When she looks over to him, her face brightens and she says goodbye, running straight for Shouta.

“How was your day, Kid?”

She beams at him. “It was the best day of school ever! The work was so interesting and I met two people who were nice to me even after I said I was quirkless! Yaoyorozu and Iida even said I could be a hero if I want to!”

Shouta reaches out and ruffles her long curls. “That sounds like a perfect day. You ready to go home?”

Her smile grows softer, but no less bright. “Home sounds nice.”

—

Ms. Mayeda is coming today. She’s coming and everything needs to be perfect! What if she doesn’t like that Eraserhead isn’t married? What if she doesn’t like his and Present Mic’s house? What if she says that she can’t stay because a hero’s schedule leaves no room for children? Izu may have overheard Eraserhead talking to Present Mic last night and he mentioned that last thing. Now Izu is spiraling and trying desperately to make sure that her room is nice and neat and that everyone is happy.

“Izu! Your social worker is here!” Present Mic calls up the stairs for her. 

She wastes no time running down the steps and out into the living room. She finds Eraserhead standing there glaring at Ms. Mayeda, who is sitting nicely on their couch next to Present Mic who is happily chatting with her. Izu does her best to slow her breathing and focus on making sure Ms. Mayeda lets her stay. She feels soft fur against her leg and looks down to see Kumo rubbing up against her. Izu smiles, reaching down to lift the sweet cat up into her arms. Everything will be okay. It has to be.