Chapter Text
Something was wrong. Apollo knew something was wrong. There was a relentless itching under his wet skin and his typically clear mind was clouded like it never had been before. It wasn’t just that something was wrong, Apollo realised, everything was wrong. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by bright artificial hospital lights. The people around him, the people holding him, were speaking Japanese. More concerningly was how long it’d taken him to place the language through his clouded mind and muffled hearing.
His eyes had closed again without him realising it and the next thing he knew he was pressed up against the familiar warmth of bareskin. Vague memories of his father’s anger come to him slowly, sluggishly followed by his punishment’s details. A mortal. Apollo was a mortal. More than that Apollo was a mortal child.
However, that wasn’t quite right. He could still feel his familiar power, lessened as it may temporarily be, humming and dancing within him. His domains were still within his reach, no matter how loose his hold on them currently was.
His mind slowed once more as the voices around him started to pick up in both speed and urgency. He didn’t need to sleep, he was Apollo, God of the Sun.
He opened his eyes again. Hm. They were in a car. He held his hand in front of his face, his pudgy fingers flexing as though his command had travelled through molasses. His skin was the familiar deep tan he typically chose for himself, but no matter how hard he tried to focus the colour didn't shift at all.
The sunlight streaming in through the car window felt heavenly against his skin. Following its path he saw his Sun peaking through the otherwise overcast sky. His light caressed his skin once more before the clouds hid his sun from mortal eyes once more. Not even a second later, a soft rain started to hit the car's window.
Apollo reached out trying to gauge his father's emotions. Apollo inhaled harshly. He'd expected dismissal, anger, perhaps hatred but instead he was greeted with nothing. The rain had no trace of his father, it didn’t even hold a hint of the time it spent in his uncle's domain! Nothing at all. Just… water. His Sun still felt like his, the light still held him, the soft music coming from the car radio carried the touch that came with anything within his domain.
He was in a car. He was travelling. Yet there wasn't even a fleck of his brother to latch onto. He desperately called on his brother, but he didn't show. Didn't even come just to taunt Apollo. Nothing.
Apollo had been all around the world at varying points in time, he'd never felt this before. Even in Atlantis traces of his father could be felt, even in Hades he could feel whispers of his family, even on Delos he could feel the other Gods.
Most concerningly he couldn’t feel Artemis. He was in the body of an infant, and one who'd so recently been born. He should be cloaked by his twin's domain. Yet he wasn't.
—
Apollo is 8 months old when he accepts that the reason he can't feel his family isn't because they're all petty little shits, no matter how true that may otherwise be, but because they don't exist in this world. It was a harsh realization, but a necessary one.
Apollo is 8 months old when he finally pieces together what's up with the strange little bits of unfamiliar divinity running through most people's veins.
Apollo is 8 months old when he realises that he can’t remember what his new mother looks like. His actual mum's face comes to him with ease, as does Zeus' ugly scowl. But Apollo, the God of Knowledge, cannot for the life of him picture what either of the elder Hinatas look like. Sure, it's probably something similar to him, but he doesn't know. By Hestia he couldn’t even put a name to the title his father held, let alone a face! The only reason he was sure he even had one was because all of his still stunted divinity was his own, making both his new parents mortals.
Apollo is 8 months old when the realisation hits him that if it weren’t for his divinity that bitch who gave birth to him would've killed him from negligence! Apollo is fine living off the tiny amounts of milk he gets every few days because he spends the rest of his time in his Sun, his Sun that would never let him get hurt like that. Apollo is content not having that truly unworthy mortal's hands all over him because she shouldn't even be allowed to look at him, but only because he's Apollo and his divinity keeps him from such mortal things as need to clean himself or defecate.
Apollo is 8 months old when he sees a ‘hero’ on TV getting fawned over for something so minuscule and makes up his mind.
—
Apollo is 19 months old when his temper runs out. His bitch of an insult to the word mother, a horrific woman who makes Hera look good, truly the most insufferable, arrogant, vile mortal he's ever had the displeasure of knowing, attempts to hit him for humming a truly angelic tune. He'd reluctantly put up with her because the room he stayed in had a large south-east facing window that allowed Apollo to bask in his Sunlight from dawn till late afternoon. Before the unworthy hand can taint him the mortal's skin is blistering from the scorching heat, a delightful scream ripping from its throat.
Apollo is 19 months old when a quirk specialist looks at him as though he is the beginning of the end. He… persuades the lady into naming his quirk 'Sun's Wrath’, it seems fitting.
Apollo is 19 months old when a social worker looks at him with such pity that the only reason the mortal doesn't burn is because the man is a protector of children. Apollo does give him a nasty burn on his arm though, don't want to let him get off too easily.
Apollo is 19 months old when he is brought into a new household, the lady of the house is unaffected by quirks and the man of the house can freeze people when he looks at them, their son can turn quirks of through sight. None of this would truly stop Apollo of course, but apparently these people specialise in kids with dangerous quirk.
Apollo is 19 months old when he meets the Aizawas.
—
Shota stares at the infant. The infant stares back. The nearly 2 year old had been with his family for a few months now and the child was odd. Shota had seen a lot in his 17 years, but he'd never seen an infant manifest a non-mutation quirk before 3. Sure, Tomoya's quirk had mutation aspects but the emitter aspects had manifested. At 19 months!
His parents taking in a child had been a surprise, they hadn't fostered anyone since Emi had moved out when Shota was 5, but he understood that this was a special case. All three of them had excellent quirk control and Shota was old enough to understand the situation, not to mention that he spent most of his time at UA. But… it was so soon after it that the first few weeks Shota worried he'd be a horrid foster brother.
In the end it turned out that his mother was right, as per usual, and if anything Tomoya helped Shota work through… it. Unknowingly, of course, but it still counted.
It was a bright weekend despite it being the rainy season, the sun always seemed to shine on Tomoya and the kid sure soaked it up. He was bright in every sense of the word. From his glowing golden eyes and hair, to the way his skin radiated heat and the tiniest bit of light, to the fact that the 2 year old would talk in full grammatically correct sentences. And haikus. The little sunshine poet Shota now had as a brother loved haikus. And music. And talking. Shota was putting off letting Hizashi meet the kid at this point mainly as a joke, but also because the kid may try and replace Shota.
Look, it was a genuine concern. Shota was quiet and harsh and all gloomy, Tomoya would surely like Hizashi more! They were both all sun-like. At least Hizashi didn't glow and at least Tomoya wasn't too loud.
—
Apollo clung to his new new mother who might actually deserve the title. As much as a mortal could. Apollo enjoyed the new apartment, his room was just as sunny, the living room was more sunny, and his new new mother cooked decent food. His new new mother had the radio on a lot and Apollo always chose the channel. Honestly, the only thing missing was more nature, but Apollo could settle for the house plants.
All in all, Apollo didn't want to go to preschool. The windows looked small and his room's faced north.
“Tomoya.” His new new mother said, “look over there.” She gently pointed to the shelf filled with children's instruments.
“Those are used to make music.” She instructed as though Apollo wouldn't know. The trips to the park every weekend saved her from being smited this time. “I'm sure you would be wonderful with instruments, you have a talent for music darling, I'm sure of it.”
“If I put up with… preschool then we'll go to the park on both Saturday and Sunday.” Apollo instructed. His mother's laugh was lyrical, a pleasant sound that Apollo had potentially encouraged, he was the one who had to listen to it, okay?
“Sure thing, darling.” The truth of the statement was as pleasant as always.
“Before my Sun sets, you shall free me from this cage, so farewell till then.” Her laugh was far louder this time, having unfortunately gotten used to his haikus. Perhaps he could teach the children in this place about them?
“Goodbye my sunshine, we'll reunite before long, I'll miss you greatly.” She didn’t often use haikus, she claimed she was no good at them, so she must have had this one prepared. He'd wondered what he'd felt tugging on poetry on the walk here. Her’s wasn't as good as his, but her attempts were improving.
Without further fanfare Apollo turned and walked into the classroom. The kids were tiny. Apollo often forgot that children were tiny, really only seeing them once they got to Camp Half-blood. Before he could make his way to the instrument shelf the teacher called everyone to attention.
After she'd successfully herded the swarm of 3 year olds to their allocated spots she began introductions. Apollo didn't bother paying attention, instead focusing on the bright pink girl sitting next to him. The way she was shifting slightly as though to music no one else could hear was fascinating.
“I'm Ashido Mina!” She said when it was her turn, “I love dancing! I wanna be a dancer and a hero!” Then her head whipped round to face him, despite having only listed one interest rather than three.
“Hello everyone, I'm Hinata Tomoya, I like many things, sunny days and poetry, I also enjoy dancing.” He directed the last line at Mina and her face lit up. Unfortunately none of the children understood that he'd just made his introduction a tanka.
The day went by rather quickly. Apollo focused on assisting Mina with the activities they were given, he refused to acknowledge how he kept seeing her with the blonde hair and blue eyes his children typically possessed out of the corner of his eye.
—
Mina had been best friends with Tomoya for years now! 2 of them! They were 5 years old now. Tomoya was a great friend! He went to dance lessons with her and she went to music lessons with him. Tomoya was also super smart! He knew everything.
That's why Tomoya's expression weirded her out so much. He was staring at the task sheet they'd been given his face was twisted with confusion and frustration. Mina had already completed her task easily, she just had to fill in the boxes with her family's names. She knew those!
“Do you not remember their names?” Mina asked.
“Of course I know their names.” Tomoya said, “I just… Don't live with my… biological family.”
“Bioliedgacel?”
“Biological. It means that my mother, the one I live with, didn't give birth to me. Your uncle is biologically related to you because he's your mother's brother, but your aunt isn't biologically related to you instead she married your uncle.”
“But you call her mum? So that means she's your mum, doesn't it?” Mina only got like half his explanation, but she latched onto the most important part.
“It's complicated. I have another mum I also call mum, and another father, and other brothers and sisters. I have the Aizawas, who I live with. But I also have my other family who… I don't live with.” Tomoya seemed sad at that last bit.
“Why don't you live with them?”
“I can't.”
“Why not?”
“Just can't.”
“Are they dead?”
“Might as well be.”
“How's that different?”
“They're alive, I just can't see them.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
“That's not an answer. And if you don't see them then why do you still call them your family?”
“They are my family.”
“But you never see them? My mum says that family should always make time for you.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Okay.” Mina watched as Tomoya filled out the sheet with the Aizawas names. “If you want a second mum we can share mine.”
“It's not the same.”
“How would you know? If you never see your other family, are they really family? At least you'd see my mum.”
“Just because I don't see them doesn’t mean they're not family.”
“But family loves you. How can you love someone you never see?” At that Tomoya paused, his brow furrowing and a grim expression taking over his usually cheerful face.
“I can love someone I don't see very often.” His voice had a weird edge to it and his shoulders got all tense.
“I love my mum and dad more than I love Akari. I see my mum and dad all the time, I've only seen Akari once, and that was a long time ago. She lives in a different country.” Mina didn't really know her aunty, all she knew was that her mum loved her because she was her mum’s sister, but Mina didn't love her. “I don't think she loves me either.”
“Did she do something?” Tomoya's eyes were suddenly sharp and he was looking at her all intensely. “Did she hurt you or say something?”
“Huh? No, she was nice.” Her aunty had been nice; her smile was really pretty.
“Then why don’t you think she loves you?” Tomoya seemed genuinely confused.
“Because she doesn’t know me? I've only seen her once?”
A strange expression crossed Tomoya's face and he started rapidly muttering in that weird not-Japanese he used sometimes.
Her friend was weird.