Chapter Text
“Come here,” Burnin whispers heatedly, dragging Izuku into a tight hug and he lets her. Aizawa had told him what happened to her after they were separated. He’s glad she’s doing okay, mostly healed up by now. “I’m so sorry, Izuku,” she whispers. “I should have never let you go off alone.”
“You couldn’t have known,” he points out. “I don’t blame you for anything,” he adds, pulling back with a small smile.
“Yeah, well, the Commission doesn’t see it that way and I got in some trouble. I deserve it. I made a horrible mistake and if he had taken you and we never found you, I never would have forgiven myself. So I’ll take my punishment and learn from this,” she says pointedly and slowly Izuku nods, getting it.
As he pulls away from Burnin, he sees Todoroki standing off to the side and walks over to him, letting the taller teen give him a look over before hugging him. “I’m okay now,” he reassures him.
“I should have been there,” he mutters.
“I’m glad you weren’t,” Izuku says with conviction. He never wants Todoroki to face what he did.
“They’re recalling all of us from our work studies,” he tells Izuku softly as they walk towards a couch to sit.
“Really?” he asks.
Todoroki nods. “Apparently, the LOV was involved with the Dragon. They were the ones who took you and handed you over. It’s a safety precaution until they can be sure there are protective measures in place to keep us safe,” he explains.
“Jeez,” he mutters. What is it with their year and the LOV? “Everyone else is safe, right?” he asks.
“They’re all accounted for and safe. The others wanted to come visit, but they were told they would have to wait until we got back to campus to see you,” he explains. The only reason Todoroki was being allowed to see him is because Izuku needed to get his stuff and so Aizawa and Yamada could escort him back to campus, too.
They sit there quietly while they wait for Aizawa and Yamada to finish up with what they’re doing and can head out. Finally, Todoroki speaks up. “I met your mom,” he admits and Izuku looks at him in shock. “She was with Aizawa-sensei and Mic-sensei when they arrived with that police detective and some other woman.”
“I…,” Izuku swallows around the lump in his throat. “How did she look?” he asks quietly, afraid if he talks louder it will cause something bad to happen.
“Tired,” Todoroki finally settles on. “Resigned,” he adds.
“Oh,” he whispers. He’s honestly not sure what he expected his mother to be doing after she left him behind. Part of him assumed she was living a better life now that he wasn’t around to hold her down. Was it better though? Aizawa had hinted that there were other things going on about why she left him, about why she did everything to him. Does he want to know? Will any reason she gives change the fact that she did this to him?
Todoroki’s phone going off breaks him out of his circling thoughts and when he pulls it out, it shows a call from Uraraka. He answers it. “Todoroki-kun, is Midoriya-kun there?” she demands as soon as he greets her.
“I’m here,” Izuku reassures her.
“Oh thank goodness,” she says with a sigh. “We’ve only heard bits and pieces and all they would say was you’d been taken,” she explains. “Are you alright?” she asks.
“I’m okay,” he says and it’s mostly true.
“When will you be getting back to campus?” she asks and he can hear Tsuyu in the background asking a similar question.
“Aizawa-sensei and Yamada-sensei are finishing up some things here and then we’re heading back,” Izuku explains to her.
“We’re catching a train in a bit with Hado-senpai, so we’ll be there this afternoon,” she explains.
“We’ll see you then. Any word from Iida-kun or Shinso-kun?” he asks.
“They’re expecting to be back around the same time,” she informs him.
“That’s good,” Izuku says.
A voice calls on the other end and Uraraka sighs. “We’ve got to go. We’ll see you soon, Midoriya-kun, Todoroki-kun,” Uraraka says, Tsuyu adding her own words.
“Bye, see you soon,” they both say and then the line goes silent.
“Come on you two. We’re done here,” Aizawa calls out and they both stand, Izuku picking up his bag of stuff and his costume case and Todoroki copies. They follow the two teachers out of Endeavor’s agency to a waiting car provided by the number one hero to take them back to Yuuei.
The ride back is quiet, everyone in their own thoughts. Izuku silently watches the world go by and can’t keep his thoughts from returning to his mother…and his father. He excuses himself to his dorm to unpack once they get back and no one stops him.
~*~
The rest of winter break is fairly anticlimactic compared to the start of it. After the initial worry and anxiety from 1-A and 1-B due to another LOV attack on their year, the classes settle down. Considering their work studies ended early, they instead call in a few local heroes from different fields to lecture and lead exercises on campus. The 1-A eventually mellows out and while the attack is not forgotten, it is behind them.
They do get Izuku in a couple of sessions with Hound Dog, the poor kid suffering from a few bouts of nightmares, one of them having to go into his room to wake him least he wake Eri and set her own triggers off. The fact that he’s spent almost every night in the apartment rather than the dorms is a little telling, but they don’t point it out. Whatever helps him sleep and feel comfortable again.
Shouta keeps appraised of the trial and sentencing of the Dragon. They don’t take long to follow through with him, the internationally infamous villain wanted in multiple countries. Due to his extensive dealings in the US, he’s eventually extradited to their government to be dealt with.
Whatever Izuku’s quirk did to him had a lasting effect. He recovered…mostly, but had a lingering weakness about him that the doctors aren’t sure will ever fade. Whatever it was, it makes it easier to keep him contained, so Shouta isn’t expecting any trouble from him, though he does call in a small favor to be kept abreast on him…just in case.
Eventually, Izuku does come to them and asks quietly about his mother. They’ve kept it all hushed while he recovered, but he seems to want to know, so they tell him. They lay out everything she told them, about why she did what she did. Perhaps there are some details missing that she could tell him, but he doesn’t seem to want them. They inform him about her upcoming trial, the woman not fighting the police or the courts. It seems she’s willing to take the punishment given.
Afterwards, he avoids them for the rest of the day, lost in thought. Shouta has to keep Hizashi from searching the teen out. Izuku needs time to think everything over and come to his own conclusions. They can’t have a hand in that or he might regret something later.
Instead, they make dinner, Eri helping a little, but mainly glancing worriedly at the door every few minutes. She’s been made aware some about what happened and what is going on. They didn’t want to overburden her with too much.
They’re just done making dinner and setting it out when the door opens and Izuku slips in quietly. “Hungry?” Hizashi calls out and he nods with a faint smile, settling next to Eri.
“Are you okay?” Eri asks quietly, grabbing his wrist a little.
Izuku smiles down at her. “I’m okay,” he reassures her and she eyes him for a second to make sure he’s not lying and then smiles herself in relief. They eat and talk about inconsequential topics. They don’t mention the elephant in the room, but they know eventually Izuku will come to them.
He waits until later that night, after Eri has gone to bed. They’re in the living room, going over case files in Shouta’s case and paperwork from the studio in Hizashi’s case. When he settles on the couch near them, they easily set their stuff aside to give their full attention.
Izuku suck in a breath before speaking. “I…I want to see her…at least once,” he finally says.
“We can arrange that,” Shouta agrees easily. Part of him doesn’t want Izuku near his mother, afraid it will just undo all the good work they’ve done healing her handiwork, but this is his decision so Shouta doesn’t say anything.
“And…I’d like to meet my aunt, too. I don’t really have much family and I’d like to know that side of it,” he adds.
“Of course, little listener,” Hizashi agrees with a smile.
Izuku nods and then frowns. “What happens now though?” he asks.
“What do you mean?” Shouta asks.
“I just…I was placed with you two because I had no family, but now I have an aunt, and probably cousins as well. Do I…do I go with them now?” he asks anxiously.
“This is a difficult situation,” Shouta admits softly and Izuku’s shoulders fall a little. “Akatani-san has said she won’t ask for custody of you unless that is what you want. So really, that is something for you to decide,” Shouta explains.
“What?” Izuku asks hesitantly, looking up at them.
“She said she’s aware she’s a complete stranger to you and considering everything with your mother and her own hand in helping that…she understands if you want nothing to do with her. As well, her work has her going all over the place, not a very stable living situation for someone dependent on her,” Hizashi explains. That had been an interesting talk they had with her in the police precinct where Inko was being held. The woman had been sincere though and had promised not to fight for him if he didn’t want her to.
“So, you’ll stay here with us unless you’ve changed your mind,” Shouta says lowly.
Izuku shakes his head with a relieved grin. “No, I’m fine here,” he says quickly.
“Good, then you should head to bed. It’s been a rough few days. We’ll let you know when we have the meetings arranged,” Shouta adds.
“Okay, good night,” he says and heads for his room, looking lighter now that he’s back on solid ground with his living situation.
~*~
Izuku finally meets his aunt a few days later in one of Yuuei’s private conference rooms. Yamada is with him, Aizawa called away for something. He’s glad at least one of them is with him for this meeting.
Akatani Naomi is a somewhat intimidating woman, tall and thin. Her red hair is pulled back in a loose bun, golden eyes eyeing Izuku behind a thin pair of glasses. She’s dressed business casual, a briefcase resting against the leg of her chair. Izuku’s not sure what to make of her. She doesn’t look anything like his mom or him for that matter.
“Well, I’m sure you have questions,” Naomi says with a thin smile. “Ask away.”
Izuku frowns to himself before asking his first question. “How are we related?” he asks.
Naomi smiles again. “Your mom and I are cousins. Our fathers were brothers. We grew up fairly close when we were younger, but after high school we lost touch when I was recruited to the IPS and Inko went off to college, eventually going abroad to America where she met your father. We didn’t reconnect until she called me asking for help,” Naomi explains easily.
“You…um…you don’t look related,” he finally says with a frown, trying to phrase that better.
Naomi actually laughs at that. “Yeah, no, I’m the odd one out unfortunately. Most of the family is similar to you and Inko: dark hair and eyes. I inherited grandfather’s looks, your great grandfather,” she explains. “I…I have some family photos, if you’d like to see,” she adds.
Izuku nods quickly and Naomi grabs her case before dragging her chair closer so he and Yamada can see. Pulling out a thick photo album, she opens to the first page. “Here they are, Grandmother Kaede and Grandfather Ishikawa,” she points to a photo and Izuku looks closely. It’s a wedding photo, the two dressed in traditional clothing and smiling at the camera. The woman looks a lot like his mom, long dark hair pulled back from her round face, short, compared to the towering figure her husband is. He stands at what must be six feet or more, built on lean lines, hair cut short and blurred as it moves in the photo, colored like flames. His eyes as well are golden, glowing with their own inner fire.
“Grandfather was…unique, I guess you would say,” Naomi explains as she turns the page to show them more photos of the two, one showing one child, another showing two, their sons. “He was far older than most people assumed,” she explained. “His quirk has a unique property. Fire couldn’t harm him, no matter the temperature and so long as he absorbed enough each day, he didn’t age,” she admits with a faraway look.
“What?” Izuku asks in shock.
“That’s a pretty powerful quirk,” Yamada says aloud.
“It is and it’s why he never advertised it. He was born many decades ago, closer to the first generation of quirks. I don’t know what year exactly. He liked to change it every time we asked just to mess with us. Grandmother knew. He never kept it secret from her. He named is Phoenix Soul, a little poetic, but we liked it. He was sad when his sons inherited Grandmother Kaede quirks, telekinesis, or various forms of it at least. When I was born, he was excited that someone finally had his quirk, or something like it,” she explains.
“Are you like him?” he asks, interested by quirks as usual.
Naomi shakes her head. “Not exactly. I have heat resistance, like he did and his coloring, but I can’t absorb anything like he did. Still, he was glad to know someone got his quirk. And now you do as well. He would have been ecstatic,” she explains, flipping to another page and it shows a large gathering of them all, his mother standing next to his grandfather, so tall compared to her and holding a small bundle in her arms.
“Is…is that me?” he asks in shock.
Naomi nods. “After I got Inko out of America, we stopped to visit the family briefly. She knew, once she went into protection, she wouldn’t be able to see them for a long time…if ever. So we wanted to have a photo one last time of all of us together,” she explains. “They were all happy to see you and sad to see you go.”
“Are…are they…,” he can’t finish the sentence.
“Not all,” she admits sadly. “Around your third birthday, Grandmother got sick, really sick. The doctors did what they could, but she eventually passed away. Grandfather didn’t take it well. Eventually, he stopped absorbing fire and extending his life. Six months after she passed, he did as well,” she explains and Izuku swallows around a tight throat.
“Inko’s parents were killed in a villain attack when you were eight. My mother passed away a few years ago, but my father, your great uncle is still alive. I’ve a brother and there are also the cousins from the other branches of the family. We try to keep in touch, but life is busy and we can’t always get everyone together. Though, I’m sure if you wanted to meet them, they would all come to say hi,” she adds.
“Me?” he asks in shock.
“Izuku, you have been a sore spot for all of us. We hated that we couldn’t have you in the family, though we knew why. Now that Hisashi is in prison, you are free to do what you like without fear of him coming after you,” she explains.
Izuku looks down and flips the page and stares at the photo of his mom, it must have been the same day as the group photo since she’s in the same outfit. She’s holding him tightly to her chest and crying. She probably doesn’t know someone took the photo.
“Can I think on it?” he asks.
“Of course. We will respect your decision, no matter what it is,” Naomi reassures him and he smiles wanly.
~*~
Shouta leads the way down the long hall of the jail, Izuku a quiet shadow following behind. They had finally arranged for a meeting with Inko. Her trial had already gone through, Inko not fighting it, though her lawyer fought to lessen her sentencing. They were still waiting to hear back from the judge on what her sentencing would be.
They’ve kept Izuku abreast of the trial at his request, though they don’t go into great detail, not that there is much detail to give. He’s heard the gist of everything once already. They had informed Hound Dog, just in case things went badly and he was needed for Izuku to parse through everything professionally.
A guard is waiting outside the meeting room and he nods at them before unlocking the door and letting them inside the room. Inko is waiting for them, dressed in tan scrubs, her hair down out of its usual hairdo. She’s pale, shadows under her eyes, but she still smiles at them when they enter.
“Hello,” she greets softly, though she doesn’t try to come closer to them. “Please, sit,” she motions to the two chairs across from hers.
Slowly, they both come in and take a seat, Izuku tense as he stares at his mother for the first time since everything came out. “You…you look good…healthy,” she finally says with forced cheer.
“No thanks to you,” Izuku mutters and Inko flinches at the blow before Izuku frowns. “Sorry,” he says quickly.
“No…you have every right to say that. What I did…,” Inko buries her face in her hands for a moment before looking back up, eyes red with unshed tears. “I don’t expect forgiveness or anything close to that. I’m just glad you’re okay. When they said he’d taken you, I feared the worst. Now…now that he is in prison, you’re free to live your life as you want. Neither of your parents will hold you back. But…if you have questions, I will answer what I can. No more lies,” she promises.
Shouta glances between the two, holding his own comments back for now. This is Izuku’s show and he’ll let him make the decisions here. As the teen starts to tentatively ask questions, Shouta mentally prepares for the fallout that is sure to come.
~*~
The ride home is silent between them, Izuku looking a thousand miles away in his own thoughts. Shouta texts Hizashi to tell them they’re coming back and a few choice comments on his thoughts about that meeting. Hizashi, anticipating that things might be bad once they got back, asks Nemuri to watch Eri for the evening, just until Izuku has gotten passed the worst of it.
They make it onto campus and into the apartment before he starts to notice Izuku breaking. He tries to hide it, going so far as to head to his room, but they’re not fooled. Shouta taps on the partially opened door, looking in on the hunched figure on the bed as he tries to stifle his sobs into a pillow.
“Problem Child,” he murmurs, Hizashi right behind him as the step in.
Hizashi reaches him first, gently pulling the pillow away before letting the teen latch onto him, crying into his shoulder. It takes a while for Izuku to calm down some. Shouta steps out briefly to grab the box of tissues from the living room and a bottle of water for the teen before he comes back to Hizashi still humming softly and rocking him.
“She was never going to trust me…was she?” Izuku asks huskily, the two having to strain to hear him. Neither knows what to say to that comment and decides to let him keep talking while trying to sooth the angry hurt in him. “I was four years old,” he gets out angrily. “She was supposed to help me and all she saw was him when she looked at me!” he finally gets out. “Every day, over and over, all she saw was him, not me. That’s…that’s not fair,” he barely gets out of a tight throat, tears streaking his face.
Hizashi sighs softly and slowly pushes Izuku back enough to wipe at his tears. “Adults…we may seem like it, but we don’t know everything, are barely getting by with all our ducks in a row, little listener. Your mom made a choice, the only choice she felt was right at the time. Was it the right choice, no, and I’m not excusing her actions either, but sometimes, even adults make mistakes, panic and do something that is far worse than we originally intended,” he finally says. “And right now, she’s paying for her mistakes,” he continues. “Whether you should forgive her or not, I can’t make that decision, only you can, but I will says this.”
He shifts until he and Izuku are looking eye to eye. “You are not your mom or your dad. You are Izuku. What that means, only you get to decide, be that as a hero, an ordinary person, or something in between. We will support you, no matter what, okay? We just want what’s best for you and you get to decide what that is.”
Izuku surged forward to hug Hizashi and the blonde wraps him up tight, Shouta resting a hand on his back as he cries some more, though it sounds less gut wrenching and more cathartic. Eventually, he pulls back with a sniff, wiping at his eyes. Shouta holds out the tissue box and he snags one to blow his nose on.
“Here, you should hydrate,” he murmurs, holding out the water bottle and he smiles gratefully, taking a sip from it.
“How about we have a night in, just some movies, some dinner and some peace and quiet,” Hizashi offers and Izuku nods. It’s quick work to put it into action. Shouta texts Nemuri to bring Eri back now that the worst is behind them and Hizashi gets to work making a quick and easy dinner for them all.
Eri arrives and quickly beelines for Izuku hugging him tightly, sensing his turbulent emotions. Eventually, between the two of them, a blanket and pillow fort is built and somehow, they manage to get him and Hizashi in it as well.
It’s a good night, despite how emotionally fraught it was earlier. They leave the two sleeping in the fort rather than try to get them to bed. They still need to see if he wants to talk with Hound Dog in the morning, but for now, all is well.
~*~
Izuku quietly tapes up the last box of hero merch. Most of it is going to a merch shop that he sold it to. Only a few pieces remained with him, tucked away in another box in his closet, keepsakes from his childhood he just couldn’t let go of, despite everything. It feels cathartic to finally make a decision about everything. To no longer have the glaring reminder sitting there staring at him. It helps that he’s already gotten a few pieces from Yamada to restart his collection, the Present Mic poster and figure sitting proudly on his wall and shelf. Too bad unders don’t have merch or he’s sure he would have some of Aizawa’s stuff as well.
Setting the last box aside to be taken, he looks around his room. The letter from his mother’s lawyer rests on desk, sent to inform him about what had been decided for her. The judge finally sentenced her to two years in a low security prison with the chance for early release with good behavior, though all communication to Izuku was cut off. They got it lowered considering who she was hiding from. She also lost all parental rights to him.
The letter also said, if he wished, he could ask for a restraining order to keep her away from him, if he wanted that. Only if that was something he wanted. He’s not sure what he wants. He hasn’t forgiven her, that much is sure, but two years is a long time. Maybe he’ll change his mind. He’ll think on it.
Sitting at the desk, he opens his laptop and brings up a familiar website. He’s been on it a lot here lately, venting and just talking with others in situations like his. He pulls up a new post screen and starts to type.
I’ve spent a long time hating myself, hating society, hating others. When I was quirkless, I was nothing and now that I have a quirk, I am suddenly somebody important. It’s a fucked up way of doing things.
But everyone forgets that quirks have only been around for a few centuries now, a blip in the history of our race. There’s no guarantee that in another century, they’ll be gone as quickly as they came. We’ve placed so much emphasis on quirks that we’ve forgotten the most important thing.
We’re all human. Whether we have a quirk or not, we’re human at the end of it all. We live, make mistakes, love, cry, and die, all as humans. We are not our quirks, or lack of them. They do not define us.
This quirk does not define me.
At the end of the day, it is not my quirk that drives me. It’s my heart, my dreams, my goals, my friends, and my family, both found and blood. I want to help people. I want to help my fellow humans because it is the right thing to do. I won’t let a quirk or lack of one persuade me to not help someone. Everyone deserves help.
So I am signing off from here, not as a quirkless person, or a quirked person.
Merely, as a human being, worthy of help, love, and understanding.
Izuku reads over it one last time before hitting send on the screen and smiles a little.
“Izuku, we’re ready!” Eri calls out.
“Coming,” he calls and shuts his laptop. Bending down, he grabs the two boxes of items and the small backpack bursting with posters, and heads out to where Aizawa, Yamada and Eri are waiting for him. “I’m ready,” he says with a grin and they all nod, Aizawa taking one of the boxes from him while Eri grabs the backpack and shrugs it on.
“Maybe we can get some stuff to replace this while we’re at the store,” Yamada says offhandedly.
“You just want to get him more of your merch,” Aizawa mutters as they leave and Izuku laughs as Yamada tries to defend himself, feeling lighter than he has in a long time.
End.