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Chapter Text

Shouta sat back and watched his class discuss. A couple of students had already headed out for the night to search for Midoriya. The rest stayed back and planned a “welcome back” party to help him readjust to dorm life, and hopefully also prevent him from running off again.

It had been a couple of weeks since the kid ran off. No one knew what prompted him to. Aizawa just got a call in the middle of the night from a panicked Aoyama, explaining that he’d heard a loud crash in Midoriya’s room, only to find the room in disarray and no sign of Midoriya. There were also notes posted on everyone’s doors, explaining the nature of One For All and Midoriya’s relationship with All Might. No one could get ahold of Midoriya, and his phone was later found outside the UA gates. Abandoned and cracked beyond repair.

Bakugou was the most worked-up about Midoriya’s disappearance. He was also the first to piece together that this vigilante, self-proclaimed anti-hero, figure that the news kept talking about was Midoriya. The description of the person’s outfit matched Midoriya’s hero suit, and a couple of witnesses who claimed to get glimpses of his face even said he looked far too young to be doing such work, with green hair, green eyes, and freckles.

Ever since, Todoroki and Ashido had spent hours each day working out any pattern between sightings and trying to figure out where he’d be next. Sero, Yaoyorozu, and Jirou joined them shortly after. Meanwhile, everyone else took shifts looking for him. Shouta never joined any of the search teams, as he had to stay behind with the rest of the students and keep an eye on them, making sure no one else ran off unannounced.

It had been surprisingly easy to convince Principal Nedzu to agree to let the class join the search party. Everyone had prepared for it to take enormous amounts of convincing. But in the end, all they needed to do was pitch the idea, and he agreed.

Shouta wasn’t going to complain, though. They needed anyone they could get on board to search for the kid.

The police already had an investigation ongoing to locate the kid, but the class was persistent about doing their own investigation to find him. Shouta was proud of them. They were committed and worked hard, even those who had been endlessly tired out by each day’s training.

“Sensei!” Bakugou, already in his hero outfit, walked over to Shouta, dragging Uraraka along behind him. She looked confused about what was happening. Shouta took a sip of his coffee.

“I’m taking Uraraka and heading out to look for Izuku.” Bakugou let go of Uraraka’s wrist. “I’m telling you, so you don’t think I ran off as well.”

Shouta nodded. “Stay safe.”

Bakugou scoffed. “I’m not stupid.” He turned to Uraraka. “Hey, round face, go put on your suit. We’re leaving in 10.” Uraraka was about to protest, but Bakugou just walked off before she could say anything. Uraraka just sighed and left to get her hero outfit.

Shouta turned back to the rest of the class. It didn’t take long for someone else to grab his attention.

“Aizawa-Sensei!” Ashido called, hand waving in the air. Shouta walked over.

On the living room table, Todoroki, Ashido, Sero, Yaoyorozu, and Jirou had spread out countless papers with various notes and quotes from news reports.

Ashido was the first to speak.

“We think we’ve finally pinpointed his next location,” She said, bouncing enthusiastically from where she sat. Shouta took a seat.

Bakugou wasn’t super enthusiastic about being told where to go, but he obeyed anyway. It wouldn’t be a particularly quick trip on foot, so Shouta contacted some heroes in the area and told them to keep an eye out. He had planned to drive them over there himself, but Bakugou was persistent about getting over there on their own.

Everyone said goodbye, and Ashido immediately jumped up to start prepping for an early movie night. Shouta found himself a spot on one of the sofas and took a nap.

***

Yaoyorozu was preparing tea, Sato was baking a cake, a few others were cooking, and Aoyama was helping Mina pick out movies and set up the living room for their de-stressing movie night. Jirou had already texted the class group chat to let those already out searching know of their newly pinpointed location. Maybe they didn’t have anything exact, but they had a general idea, and that alone narrowed down the search by a large margin. Mina was so excited.

It didn’t take long to get everything set up and prepared, and Mina couldn’t help starting a mini celebration at the end.

Once everyone was settled down, she turned on the first movie. Everyone was still too frazzled by the potential return of Midoriya to sleep or even focus on the movie, so they ended up sitting about and discussing, rather than relaxing. She was surprised Aizawa slept through all of it.

Everyone, even Aizawa, had been aware of how empty the dorms felt without Midoriya there. Even with how upset he’d been lately, he still managed to be exactly what the class needed. Without him, it was just… empty. In a way it never was before. Even Bakugou seemed off. No one talked about it, though. The empty room no one would look at, the vacant spot at the table that no one acknowledged during meals, the silence that would follow any mention of Midoriya, or what he’d say about some news story someone shared. Even the way Bakugou would stall and stare at the empty pillar where Midoriya would’ve been practicing ultimate moves. It was never talked about, but they all knew.

The conversation kept coming to abrupt halts. It was clear everyone was thinking about Midoriya’s return. No one was going to bring it up or talk about it, but they were all thinking about it. That buzzing anticipation that doesn’t leave until you reach the result. Eventually, all conversation seemed to fizzle out completely, as everyone anxiously watched the movie, trying to distract themselves from what was to come.

Aizawa’s phone rang, waking him up abruptly. Everyone was startled. Mina saw the call was from Bakugou.

***

Shouta wasn’t fond of being awoken suddenly, especially not by his phone. But since it was his student, he wasn’t too mad. It was likely about Midoriya.

“Aizawa,” he answered.

“I need you to get the fuck over here. Right now.”

“Bakugou, what happened.” He could hear the boy panicking through his tough composure. The kid was terrified. This wasn’t going anywhere good. His class started running around to gear up.

Chapter Text

Things hadn’t been the same since All Might’s death. Izuku had watched it happen, watched All For One kill All Might while he stood there, helpless to do anything because he had already run from the battlefield. He was sure the media hadn’t meant for it to be shown, but no one had expected the fight to go down that way, not even Izuku.

Crime rates were still rising with every passing day, and Izuku no longer had any mentors to guide him. In the past, he would have had Gran Torino help him since All Might was gone, but after That Day, it’s not like he could ask Gran Torino either. Not like it mattered anyway. No one knew where he was. He’d run off in the middle of the night maybe a month or two ago, and no one had managed to locate him yet. His phone was dead and left outside the UA gate. Hopefully they’d found it and weren’t stupid enough to try and reach him that way. They’d probably also seen his notes. And the news. He’d seen the reporters taking photos and videos from afar.

Izuku almost slipped as he landed. Probably should learn to pay more attention to his surroundings when he’s thinking. Although, how much would it really matter if he died, right here, right now? No one would know. No one would be around to see. People would only know the mysterious anti-hero figure they’d seen around was suddenly gone. No one would look for him. He probably wouldn’t be found for days.

Maybe his class had figured out it was him. Maybe they hadn’t. He wasn’t sure if he cared or not.

That’s when Izuku noticed Shigaraki. He was sitting on his lonesome atop a roof, just three buildings away. Didn’t look like any of his crew was around. Perfect. Izuku could swoop in and knock him out with ease, then take him to the police. Except, Shigaraki noticed Izuku as well. This wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped it would.

Shigaraki was fast. It was kind of annoying, But Izuku was faster, so it didn’t matter. Only, Izuku couldn’t maintain his usual speed for long periods of time right now. He’d had little sleep and hadn’t brought much food along with him. The only source of energy he had with him right now was a soda in his belt, but it’s not like he was able to drink that right now. He was running low on energy, though, and needed to get out of here fast. Shigaraki mostly had him on the defensive, so as to avoid disintegration. He didn’t have many openings to utilize for running. Shigaraki had apparently come into this with a lot more energy than Izuku. Izuku wasn’t sure he could make it out of this alive. He finally landed a good hit on Shigaraki. And then he fell.

***

Tomura pushed Midoriya off the roof, smiling. If he couldn’t catch him long enough to disintegrate him, then he’d just find another way to kill the brat. It wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying, but it would have to do. Tomura couldn’t have that brat keep disposing of his men like this. He needed him gone.

But Midoriya was a quick thinker who stayed all too calm in life-threatening situations. Tomura felt his sleeve pull, and, before he could react, he was yanked down off the roof with Midoriya.

And Midoriya laughed.

Tears flew from his eyes, but he laughed. Grin wide and maniacal. He was laughing.

Tomura panicked.

This wasn’t part of the plan, and he had no way to save himself. No one else was around, so he couldn’t call for help. He was going to die at the hands of his archenemy, as he laughed on their way down. Tomura didn’t know what to do. He was completely helpless. He tried desperately to think of some way to save himself. There wasn’t anything in reach for him to grab onto, though. And he was getting too close to the ground. He tried to reach over to Midoriya, not wanting to go down without a fight, but the brat unleashed some dark, misty, whip-like material from his fingers and seemed to save himself just in time for Tomura’s world to go dark.

***

Izuku was hysterical. He really just did that. He killed Shigaraki. He hadn’t even intended to. He just wanted to knock him unconscious and take him to the cops. But he killed him. He really killed him. But he caught himself. How did he catch himself? He wasn’t holding onto anything; his arm was just dangling upwards above his head. He could feel...something. He wasn’t sure what. Did it matter?

Izuku couldn’t see the ground below him. He was kind of glad. He didn’t really want to see Shigaraki’s body on the concrete. Everything was blurry through the tears. The thick, endless tears. His laughter was slowly turning into sobs. He dropped onto the ground. Whatever was holding him in the air must’ve let go. Not like it mattered. Shigaraki was dead, and he was the killer.

***

Ochako was in shock. She just watched her best friend kill a man. A villain, but still a man. Villains were people too, even if not good ones. And Izuku just killed one. He killed someone. And she was a witness. Ochako could feel her heart beating. She saw Bakugou on the phone, probably calling their teacher, but she couldn’t hear. Her ears were ringing too loud. The world felt like it was turning beneath her feet. Everything was a chaotic mess of ringing, spinning, and blurry figures. She was gonna be sick. Was that Bakugou shouting something at her? She wasn’t sure. Everything was too much. It was just too much. But then it was nothing. She felt the world give out beneath her. Everything went black.

***

Katsuki was fucking stressed. He just watched his best friend kill Shigaraki. And Uraraka looked like she was about to pass out.

He grabbed his phone and made a call.

“Aizawa,” The man picked up.

“I need you to get the fuck over here. Right now.” Katsuki rushed out, keeping a close eye on Uraraka. She looked like she was about to faint.

“Bakugou, what happened.” Katsuki overheard his teacher telling the class to stay put.

“Izuku killed Shigaraki.” He heard Aizawa drop something, probably his keys.

“What? ”

“Izuku. Killed. Shigaraki. Do I need to say it in a different language or some shit?” Katsuki saw Uraraka stumbling around. “Fuck. OI! ROUND FACE!” He rushed over to her. She collapsed into his arms.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Aizawa demanded. He heard a car engine start.

Katsuki looked at Izuku, who was now also on the ground. He looked defeated, sobbing on the concrete like that. Katsuki laid Uraraka down gently. “No time. Just hurry your ass over here. I’ll send my location in a moment.” Katsuki hung up before Aizawa could protest. He sent his location and rushed over to his friend.

***

Izuku wasn’t aware of anything around him until he felt warm arms wrap around his own. He heard a voice but couldn’t process what it said. It sounded like Kacchan, but that was impossible. No one should have been able to find him out here. Yet, clearly, someone had. But it couldn’t be Kacchan, he’d never hug Izuku. Especially not after something like this. But… just maybe…

Izuku clung to the small hope that it could be Kacchan, eyes too blurry with tears to make out anything anymore. He sobbed into the person’s shoulder, regret taking over and filling every vein in his body. He hadn’t wanted to kill Shigaraki. He hadn’t wanted to kill anyone. But he hadn’t been left with any choice. It always turned into a life-or-death fight, and he was only one kid. He didn’t have the ability to create distractions that would allow him to knock the person out, and they always refused to go down unless they were dying. He never wanted to hurt anyone. He never wanted any of this. He just wanted things to go back to how they were. Before Gran Torino died. Before All Might was killed. Before he ever knew who the League of Villains were. When he was just another kid attending UA and chasing his dream of becoming a hero. That’s what he wanted. That’s what he longed for. But he knew it could never happen. Not anymore. The Symbol of Peace was dead, and it was all his fault. If he had just been a little faster…

Izuku felt lightheaded. All this crying was making him dizzy and creating a headache.

“Just breathe, Izu. It’ll all be okay soon. I promise.” Kacchan spoke gently. Izuku let himself melt into his best friend’s hold. He did his best to breathe, though it wasn’t easy. Emotions flooded over him and forced their way out, no matter how hard he tried to repress them. His head pounded, but he couldn’t stop himself from crying. Kacchan kept whispering gentle affirmations to him, though, and he let himself soak in the comfort. He wasn’t sure if any of this was even real. Maybe he was simply dreaming, and he’d wake up back at the dorms as if nothing had ever happened. Maybe, just maybe, it would all be okay.

Izuku woke up in a cold sweat and sat up quickly. His chest heaved with heavy breaths. His mind raced with memories of a nightmare that was already slipping from his mind. That’s when he realized where he was.

“Hey, hey, breathe, it was just a dream,” He heard a voice beside him speak. Was that Katsuki? Why would he be comforting Izuku? And why was Izuku back at the dorms? What happened? He had so many questions, and his head pounded the more he tried to recall what happened the night before.

“What…” He wasn’t sure what words he was searching for. He didn’t know where to start or what to ask first. There were so many questions. But when he felt his best friend’s arms wrap around him, he decided it didn’t matter. He may not understand why Katsuki was being so nice, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t alone anymore. He was home and he was safe. That’s all that mattered.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean it’s only been a couple of weeks?” Izuku struggled to understand how such little time could’ve passed. He could’ve sworn it’s been at least a month and a half, maybe longer. But just a few weeks? That didn’t make sense. Had he really lost track of time so easily?

Shinsou sat beside him. “Going by the news reports, you were pretty active. And you look like you haven’t slept in weeks. Your mind probably got confused between the countless hours awake and all the activity. Made it feel longer than it was.”

It made sense. Or, well, it would. But Shinsou was right. Izuku hadn’t slept in weeks. More specifically, he hadn’t slept since he ran away. He’d had power naps here and there, but not sleep. Paired with the little food he’d had; his mind wasn’t quite working well enough to logic its way through what Shinsou said and really understand him.

“You’re looking at me like I just spoke to you in a foreign language, so I’m gonna assume I’m right.” Shinsou grabbed one of the many blankets strewn about on the sofas, presumably from the movie marathon Izuku had been told they were having. Shinsou then had the audacity to throw it over Izuku and tell him to sleep.

“I don’t need sleep.”

Shinsou looked at him like he was insane. “You haven’t slept since you woke up from your nap on the way here, which was three days ago. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how the light in your room never turns off, or the continuous sounds of writing and typing. On top of that, your reaction times keep getting slower during training, and you’ve been tiring out faster than ever before. I know you haven’t slept. We all know.”

“I’m fine. I don’t need sleep. I can function just fine.”

“You tripped over nothing this morning.”

“…”

“Exactly. You’re going to sleep.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I don’t need sleep.”

“Don’t make me get Bakugou in here.”

“…Fine.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Izuku wrapped the blanket around himself and half-debated with himself before just leaning on Shinsou’s shoulder and closing his eyes. He felt Shinsou shift to make it more comfortable for the both of them. Izuku knew he’d probably never live this down, but he was too tired to really care. He positioned himself comfortably and drifted off.

***

Hitoshi wasn’t exactly expecting Midoriya to lean on him, but he didn’t mind if it got the boy to sleep. What he did mind, though, was the fact that it ended in both of them sleeping. Meaning Mina had free range to get as many photos as she wanted. Which was annoying. There’s no way Mina would ever let him forget this. She’d probably already shown the entire class.

Hitoshi was hiding in his room. He didn’t really want to risk the confrontation from Mina. He’d rather forget it ever happened. Being embarrassed by his class wasn’t exactly his favorite pass time.

Unfortunately, someone just had to knock and ruin his peaceful silence. He quietly walked to the door and stood behind it, waiting for the person to announce themself. There were a couple of seconds of tense silence before Bakugou spoke.

“Could you stay with Izuku for a few minutes? Aizawa needs my help with something, but I don’t want to leave him alone.” Hitoshi was… confused. For starters, Bakugou was unusually quiet. And second, why was he asking Hitoshi to stay with Midoriya? Wouldn’t it make more sense to put him with someone a little closer, like Todoroki? Or maybe Kirishima? They always seemed pretty close.

Whatever. Bakugou wanted Hitoshi to stay with him, even if he didn’t understand why. And with how hellish things had been, saying ‘no’ wasn’t really something he’d consider anyway.

Hitoshi opened the door, surprised to see Bakugou with his arm around Midoriya, but he kept his face neutral and let Midoriya in.

It was very silent. Hitoshi played puzzle games on his phone and Midoriya just doodled in a notebook. Hitoshi kept glancing over every now and then but couldn’t get a clear view of what he was drawing. It looked like people, though he wasn’t sure who or what they were doing. The ground looked light and fluffy beneath them, like clouds in the sky.

“Didn’t know you could draw,” Hitoshi spoke absent-mindedly, trying to figure out a particular puzzle in his game. Midoriya’s response was quiet.

“I don’t really draw often anymore. Usually just when adding someone new to my notes.” Izuku didn’t look up from his notebook, but his voice wavered. It was almost too subtle to miss. Hitoshi put his phone down.

“Hey, are you okay?” Izuku paused but didn’t look up. Hitoshi shifted to get a better view of his face and realized he was crying. No wonder he was so quiet. It was also scary how quiet he was staying. Hitoshi never would’ve known he was crying if he hadn’t said anything.

Hitoshi wouldn’t really consider himself very good at comforting, but he couldn’t just let his friend cry. He carefully took the notebook and pencil from Midoriya and pulled him into a hug. Neither said a word. The only sounds in the room were Midoriya’s soft sobs and Hitoshi’s careful breathing. The quiet stretched on for multiple minutes, even after Midoriya calmed down. They just sat in a hug, not a single word exchanged between them.

“I’m… sorry… I didn’t mean to just… break down on you…” Midoriya’s breathing was still somewhat haphazardous, making his words shaky and uncertain.

“I’m worried more about you being okay than the fact that you cried.” Hitoshi kept his breathing even, hoping Midoriya would use it as a guide for his own breathing. “I don’t care if I have to sit here for hours while you cry. As long as you need me, I’ll be here.”

It felt a little weird to comfort someone. Definitely not something he was very used to. He’d have to find someone else who could help him figure out better ways to handle it.

Midoriya took an audible deep breath, albeit a shaky one, and exhaled slowly. Hitoshi helped him keep a steady pace.

Eventually, someone knocked on the door.

“Food’s ready,” Bakugou said from the other side. Hitoshi didn’t say anything, just kept guiding Midoriya through deep, even breaths. Bakugou invited himself inside.

“Shit, everything okay?” Bakugou was careful walking over, but still quick to check on his best friend. Midoriya rubbed his eyes and looked up at Bakugou, attempting a soft smile, but it was a weak effort. Hitoshi gave him one last glance before looking at Bakugou.

“He got upset and cried a bit, but I think he’s calmed down. Though, I will admit that I barely know what I’m doing, so I know I’m not doing a great job at helping. I mean, it’s the thought that counts, right?” Midoriya smiled a bit, so he took that as a win. Even if he had no idea how to help, at least he managed to get a small smile.

Bakugou pondered for a moment and pulled Midoriya up and into a hug. He whispered something too quiet for Hitoshi to hear. Whatever it was, it got Midoriya to nod and hug back. They stood there for a few seconds before Bakugou pulled away, declaring they couldn’t let the food get cold.

They were all silent as they walked to the kitchen. No one said anything about Bakugou sitting beside Midoriya, or the way Hitoshi kept an eye on Midoriya the entire meal. No one said anything when the three all retreated to the same room for the night, or when they emerged from the same room in the morning. No one said anything. They never even brought up Midoriya and Hitoshi’s nap on the couch. And honestly, Hitoshi preferred it that way.

Chapter Text

Izuku wasn’t sure what to do. He was antsy. His mother was supposed to come to visit him today, as he wasn’t allowed off campus alone anymore, and his classmates all had their own families to visit for the weekend. He felt kind of bad forcing Aizawa to stay behind with him, even with the reassurance that Aizawa had no family to visit.

So Izuku sat. Restless and alone, save for the man across the room. The news was playing on the TV.

Initially, Izuku just turned it on for background noise, something to fill the silence between him and his teacher. But as time passed, it seemed he had nothing better to do than to watch the news. For the most part, it was just your typical news reports. Nothing particularly interesting, but it was better than just sitting around.

He checked the time.

12:25 pm

He sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his chin between them. Aizawa came over and sat beside him.

“She should have been here by now,” Izuku spoke softly. It’s not like he expected her to be exactly on time, but it was past noon, and she was supposed to be here at least two hours ago. They had agreed to 10 am so all the students had time to get ready and head to their parents’ houses, while also giving Inko plenty of time to arrive. Izuku knew it didn’t take two hours to get from his house to the dorms, so he wasn’t sure what could’ve held her up for so long.

Aizawa said nothing, just ruffled Izuku’s hair and offered a drink. He took the drink and tried not to focus on it too much. Choosing instead to look at Aizawa with a confused look for the hair ruffles, but his teacher simply watched the news report. Izuku decided to join him.

Ten minutes passed.

Then twenty.

Thirty.

An hour.

Two hours.

Still nothing.

And then he got a call from Katsuki.

“Hello?”

There was silence for a moment.

“This… There’s no easy way to put this.”

“What happened?”

“It’s about Auntie.”

“What about her? Is everything okay? What happened?”

Katsuki was silent for a moment.

“She’s dead, Izuku.”

Izuku’s heart stopped.

Dead?

What the fuck happened?

Katsuki stuttered. Aizawa stared at him.

Shoot, did he say that out loud?

Well, too late to take it back now.

Katsuki took a moment to collect himself.

“I don’t… We’re not sure what happened yet. The police are still looking into it. But…” Katsuki fell silent again.

They both sat in silence.

Aizawa’s phone rang. Izuku didn’t look over.

So that’s why she never arrived.

She’s dead.

Izuku wasn’t sure what to do. His mom was all he had. She was the entire reason he had the courage to keep chasing after his dream. She was everything to him.

Izuku didn’t even notice the tears running down his face.

***

Katsuki could hear Izuku crying on the other end, but he wasn’t sure what to do. All he could provide from here were words, and he knew those wouldn’t do much. He could try anyway, but would it really help?

“Izuku. Hey. Focus on me. We’ll be okay.” He would not be okay. He still had nightmares about Izuku jumping off a roof because of the stupid shit he said in middle school. He had nightmares about watching All Might die every fucking night. He was not going to be okay. Not after seeing her like that. But he didn’t need Izuku to pity him. He needed to get him to calm down. He didn’t exactly want Izuku’s crying to make him start crying too.

“You remember those breathing exercises we did the other day? Seven beats in, eight beats out. Follow me, okay?” They walked through the breaths together. In for seven beats, out for eight. In seven, out eight. Minutes passed with the two of them just breathing together. Eventually, Izuku spoke.

“Do… Could…” He fell silent again.

“What is it?”

“Nevermind. It… I’ll be fine.” Katsuki heard Izuku get up and start moving around.

“Izuku. Talk to me. What do you want.”

Izuku was silent.

“Izuku. What is it.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll… I’ll call you back, promise.”

“Izuku–” He hung up before Katsuki could respond. “Goddammit.” Katsuki groaned and set his phone down.

This was going to be a very difficult week.

Chapter Text

Aizawa’s Problem Children [Class 1-A]

02:42 pm

TheSupervisor: Earlier today, I was informed that Midoriya’s mother has passed. Until further notice, he will be under my guardianship. Please keep this in mind as you interact from here on out.

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: @BTSDynamiteButReal come look at this

BTSDynamiteButReal: I already know, dumbass. I was the one who told Izuku.

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: not my fault you never told anyone else :p

BTSDynamiteButReal: because it’s none of your business. now shut up and let me sleep.

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: it’s 2 pm tho??

BTSDynamiteButReal: does it sound like I care?

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: you do you, ig

FloatyKirby: Oh no, I hope Deku’s okay...

DaddyIssues: Wait, how did Bakugou already know?

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: omg i forgot i changed your name to that, i can’t believe you kept it

FloatyKirby: He has a point. Who told Bakugou?

PanicAtTheBlackParade: It’s possible he or his family were the ones to find her.

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: suspicious, but possible...

BigSisKaeru: it’s probably best not to budge, kero.

IfIWasARichGurl: Tsu’s right. It’s very possible that it’s a touchy subject for both of them. We should refrain from asking anything related to it.

Dwayne: That sounds tough, I hope they’re okay.

DiscountPikachu: Yeah. I can’t imagine what would happen if I lost my parents.

Dwayne: Maybe we could do something for them? Like what we did when we got Midoriya back

FloatyKirby: Oh, that’s not a bad idea! But what should we do?

Dwayne: Hm. I’m not sure.

TurnUpTheMusic: If we’re going for something to destress, maybe a movie marathon?

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: but we always do moviessss why not change it up?? how about a game night

Dwayne: Oh yeah! We haven’t had one of those in a while!

DiscountPikachu: Wait, but didn’t Bakugou try to kill Midoriya last time they played together? I don’t think that’s a good idea

Dwayne: Maybe we could have them play different games? You know, split into two groups and let them play separately.

BTSDynamiteButReal: I’m not going to attack him. he just lost his mom. I’m not a fucking villain.

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: hey, weren’t you going to sleep?

BTSDynamiteButReal: shut up

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: so rude

***

The drive to Shouta’s apartment was silent, aside from the radio playing some random pop song. Shouta had offered to take Midoriya back home with him since he didn’t have anywhere else to stay and Shouta could keep an eye on him easily. The boy accepted a lot more eagerly than Shouta expected him to.

As soon as Shouta showed Midoriya where the guest room was, the boy retreated like a cat running to take shelter. Shouta chose not to bother him, instead opening his laptop and emailing Nedzu. He’d technically broken the “not allowed off campus” punishment that Nedzu implemented for Midoriya, but the boy didn’t really have anywhere or anyone else to go to. He finished the email and sent a quick message to his class, informing them about the situation, before calling Hizashi for emotional support.

There was no way he was going to survive this next week on his own. Babysitting one problem child from time to time was fine. Babysitting another one full-time on top of that? Not his forte. Not when he was also practically parenting an entire class as well. Hizashi was most likely to be free and willing to help. Shouta would just have to set up a place on the couch for him to sleep.

One phone call later and Hizashi was on his way. In the meantime, Shouta made a second call to the police to discuss the situation with them. It was one thing for Shouta to be Midoriya’s guardian until they found somewhere permanent to put him, but dragging Hizashi into this was another thing. And they still needed to discuss whether the Bakugou household was a viable place for Midoriya to stay.

Shouta was still on the phone with the police by the time Hizashi arrived. He stood in front of the kitchen sink and talked with them about the matter while Hizashi attempted to coax Midoriya out of the guest room for dinner. From the sounds of it, it wasn’t going in Hizashi’s favor. The door was locked, so Hizashi was stuck in the hallway, and Midoriya had Hizashi playing a game of yes or no questions using the one-tap, two-tap system. Shouta knew the kid didn’t want to talk, but he hadn’t expected it to go this far. He'd have to see if Bakugou had ever run into the same issue with him.

It didn’t take long for Hizashi to come into the kitchen, no sign of Midoriya behind him, and a defeated look on his face. Shouta wasn’t surprised, but it did make things difficult. He’d have to see if Midoriya would respond to him, or if the kid just planned to hide all night.

Shouta was not fond of how long the call with the police took, and he was even less fond of having to end it by immediately turning around to email back and forth with Nedzu about the situation. He was thankful to have Hizashi around, that way he could work on dinner while Shouta worked on lengthy phone calls and emails. It wasn’t exactly fun, but it was practical. Eventually, Midoriya made his way out of the room, cat in hands, and sat silently on the couch. Shouta finished his emails and put away his laptop. Midoriya made no attempt to join Shouta at the table, but the cat did. Moe was a sucker for Hizashi. And Hizashi was a sucker for spoiling the cat.

The apartment was silent all night. Shouta waited awake in the living room for the inevitable knock. Hizashi had taken over his bedroom as soon as it was mentioned that he’d be staying up. And Midoriya waited until they finished dinner to take his plate into the guest room and continue hiding for the night. Shouta decided to let the kid be. It had been a long day for the both of them.

A random history channel played quietly, just barely audible above the AC. One of the cats jumped onto the sofa, soft fur rubbing against Shouta’s hand. He pet it absentmindedly.

The knock was soft. Shinsou must have assumed Midoriya was asleep. Shouta got up, prompting the cat to hop off the couch and skitter off to the back of the apartment. Shouta opened the door and walked the muzzled boy inside. This was a common occurrence, but Shinsou’s parents never seemed to care enough about the fact that their child would go missing every night they muzzled him. They hardly cared at all, from the looks of it. As usual, the muzzle had a lock preventing the wearer from taking it off. As usual, Shouta took out his lockpicking kit and picked the lock. As usual, Shinsou gasped for air as Shouta grabbed a glass of water for the boy. It was their weekly routine.

This time, though, was different. Shinsou, unlike ever before, asked Shouta to stay. Permanently. Shouta wasn’t sure about it. He already had one problem child he was looking after. Two could be a bit much. Shinsou looked desperate, though. Shouta sighed.

“You’re in foster care, correct?” Shinsou nodded. “It won’t be an issue if you’re really sure about this.” Shinsou nodded again.

“I’ve been thinking on it for a while,” he said. “I wasn’t going to ask originally, since my sister—er, their daughter—wanted me around and I wanted to be there in case they started hurting her too. But from the looks of it, they seem to favor her too much to ever do anything. So I decided I’d rather be here than there.” Shouta sighed again.

“I’ll ask Hiz—Present Mic to grab the air mattress out of the closet so you have somewhere to sleep. Unless you’d rather sleep on the couch.” Shinsou snorted.

“I’ll take the air mattress, thanks.” Shouta nodded.

***

Izuku sat quietly in his room. He was still thinking about that dream— No— That conversation from the car ride to the dorms. He couldn’t get it out of his head. His survival instinct had kicked in and saved him from falling to his death. He hadn’t even meant to unleash it, he didn’t even know it existed as a part of his quirk. It confused him. If All M—… If he were still here, he’d probably have answers. But he’s not, Izuku reminded himself. It doesn’t matter, because he’s gone. He’d just have to figure this out on his own. Maybe he could find some way to trigger another to come out, that way he could try to ask questions and find out something new. Maybe, just maybe, if he pushed himself far enough, he wouldn’t have to wait for answers.

Izuku spent the afternoon using the one-tap, two-tap system to talk to Present Mic. He didn’t really have the energy to speak. He tried, but it didn’t work. He just felt tired. Eventually, Mic stopped trying to coax him out of his room and left him be. Izuku sat on his bed, listening to music and drawing. He wasn’t hungry, but he wasn’t sleepy. He tried to sleep, but it ended in him just lying there and thinking about the experience with blackwhip. It didn’t take long for him to get restless and give up trying.

Izuku watched TV silently. He’d gotten bored of his room, mainly due to the inability to tell the passage of time. Sometimes, he regretted trashing his phone like that. It wouldn’t be until tomorrow that Aizawa would take him to get a new one. He wondered what the rest of the class were doing. He wondered if they knew. Someone had probably said something about her.

Eventually, Aizawa and Present Mic finished their food. Izuku took this chance to take his plate and retreat the his room again. He set the plate on the bedside table and continued drawing. Maybe he’d find somewhere to discretely throw out the food without anyone noticing, that way he wouldn’t have to worry about—… about that.

Izuku tried multiple times to sleep. It wasn’t getting him anywhere. He was restless. Too restless. He needed somewhere to go. Something to do. He couldn’t stand holing up in a room anymore. He’d gone too long without running around the state trying to fight. He’d gone too long without a fight, period. He needed the rush of adrenaline. Something to do to satisfy his mind and distract himself. Time passed slowly without the constant adrenaline of being on the run. His stomach eventually began to turn. He hadn’t even eaten this time! Izuku got up, hoping to find the bathroom without being noticed. Present Mic happened to walk out of the other room at the same time as him.

“Hey, little listener! Everything okay?” Izuku tried to respond, but no words came out. His stomach turned more, just from standing. Izuku felt horrible. He hadn’t had any of his safe foods in a while, and eating was getting hard again. Now his stomach was turning, and the world was dipping beneath him. When had he last even eaten? It had to have been hours… Too long… Slowly, his thoughts faded out and Present Mic tried to get him back in reality. Izuku felt tears forming in his eyes. The ground grew unsteady beneath him. He was trying not to fall. It was too unstable. Everything felt like it was moving around him, swaying, shaking, and moving in every way possible. That was when he felt himself lifted off the ground. Black spots danced around his vision. His head felt like it was full of clouds. Slowly, Izuku faded into the void.

Chapter Text

Aizawa’s Problem Children [Class 1-A]

08:00 pm

TheSupervisor added PresentMic

TheSupervisor: Until further notice, Mic is in charge. If I hear anything bad, nobody’s taking the provisional license exam.

PresentMic: Hello, little listeners!

BTSDynamiteButReal: what happened

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: NOBODY DIED

BTSDynamiteButReal: WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF REASSURANCE IS THAT?

PresentMic: Unfortunately, I have been advised not to share what happened until we’re certain things are okay! That includes you, Shinsou.

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: understood

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: a second emergency in the same day?? i hope everything’s okay

DiscountPikachu: Hey, why does Shinsou know what happened but not us?!

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

BTSDynamiteButReal: so you saw what happened

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: yeah

DiscountPikachu: How were you even there?! You should be at home!

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: mind your business???

PresentMic: Shinsou, please be nice

***

Shouta was out of his element. It had turned out that he was not just dealing with two problem children, but also dealing with a problem child with a habit of fainting. Hizashi was in the passenger seat while Shouta drove. Shinsou was in the back seat with Midoriya. If Shouta was driving over the speed limit, Hizashi wasn’t saying anything.

By the time they made it to the hospital, Midoriya had woken up. He shivered in Hizashi’s arms. Shinsou stayed beside Shouta’s side as they walked inside. Shouta explained the situation the best he could. They waited only a few minutes before Midoriya was taken back to a room.

Even though they couldn’t visit, Shouta and Hizashi waited to get word that Midoriya was stable and not in any danger. Shinsou slept in the car while they waited. Shouta missed out on his night patrol waiting for the kid.

***

Izuku struggled to fall asleep that night. Thoughts filled his head about how stupid he had been to have let that happen in front of his teachers. Too many thoughts passed through his head at once. Thoughts of what would’ve happened if he’d just stayed in the guest room. Thoughts of what would’ve happened if he’d chosen to eat instead of staring at the TV the entire time he waited for something impossible. Thoughts about everything he could’ve done differently—Maybe if he’d eaten with his class the day before, or if he’d eaten dinner at Aizawa’s. Maybe if he’d just had a snack while waiting for… or maybe, maybe if he’d just not been born in such a useless body—he hated all of them, but thinking was the only thing he had to do, outside of pretending to sleep when the doctors came to check on him. Izuku breathed, trying to mimic the breathing exercises Katsuki taught him.

The night was long. But Sensei and Shinsou came to visit in the morning. Present Mic was out buying Izuku a new phone. Apparently, the rest of his class still hadn’t yet been told what happened. Izuku wasn’t sure he even wanted them to know. They’d probably try forcing him to eat again. Not like that’d work very well. He always ended up purging after eating. It was hard not to.

Sensei and Shinsou kept Izuku entertained during their visit. They stayed as long as visiting hours would let them. Present Mic only stayed for a little while after dropping off Izuku’s new phone and helping him set it up since he had patrol that day.

Slowly, Izuku regained his energy. And the ability to sleep. He wasn’t in critical condition, but they still made sure he was administered nutrients and vitamins.

When Aizawa-Sensei and Shinsou were gone, Izuku went ahead and texted his class. Present Mic had gotten him a new SIM card as well when he bought the phone. Izuku was glad, but also slightly not. This meant his class would now be able to check on him, even when he didn’t want to be bothered.

***

Aizawa’s Problem Children [Class 1-A]

09:45 pm

Midoriya changed their name to Deku

Deku: I’m alive

DiscountPikachu: Midoriya! We were so worried about you!

Dwayne: Midobro! How are you?

FloatyKirby: Deku-kun!!

DaddyIssues: Midoriya. Welcome back

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: Mido-babe! hope you’re well!

✨Kim’sLostEarring✨: Welcome back, mon ami

OffbrandLightningMcQueen: I understand everyone’s enthusiasm, but please, let us not overwhelm him

IfIWasARichGurl: Iida’s right. We should understand that Midoriya may still be under a lot of stress and give him some space

Deku: I appreciate the concern, but it’s not an issue, really

OffbrandLightningMcQueen: Very well then

Deku: By the way, uh

Deku: I’m in the hospital right now

BTSDynamiteButReal: what happened.

Deku: That was fast-

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: is Baku-babe concerned??

BTSDynamiteButReal: shut the fuck up

BTSDynamiteButReal: Izuku, what happened.

Deku: I mean, it’s nothing bad!

Deku: I just got too dehydrated and

Deku: Well, I should be out soon!

BTSDynamiteButReal: you’re lying.

BTSDynamiteButReal: what happened.

FloatyKirby: Maybe we shouldn’t push?? Deku-kun probably has a good reason not to tell us…

PanicAtTheBlackParade: She’s right. There is little reason Midoriya would lie.

BigSisKaeru: i don’t know, kero

BigSisKaeru: Midoriya’s never been the type to lie unless he’s hiding something

ComeGetYourDeadlySlime: maybe he’s not comfortable telling us?

DiscountPikachu: Isn’t that just more reason to be concerned?

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: it’s kind of a sensitive situation

DiscountPikachu: How come you know?!

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: uhh, long story?

PanicAtTheBlackParade: It would seem we have two liars in our class. What a mad banquet of darkness.

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: seriously, why do you always say that

BTSDynamiteButReal: Shinsou.

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: it’s not my place to tell what happened, it’s not my disorder

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: fuck

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: mistype I swear

BTSDynamiteButReal: DMs. right fucking now.

InsomniacsToTheCatParade: shit

***

Izuku’s phone had vibrated a couple times since he’d put it down, but it stopped pretty quickly. People were definitely concerned about him. But he didn’t really want to be bothered. When the silence got too much, he texted Aizawa. Then Shinsou. Then Present Mic. He wasn’t really in the mood to log into his socials right now. But it seemed like that might be his only choice. He hadn’t gotten any replies yet, and there wasn’t a whole lot to do, trapped in a hospital bed.

In the end, Izuku got no replies and didn’t log in. His phone buzzed with a few goodnight messages from the rest of his classmates, but that was it. He decided it may just be better to sleep.

Chapter Text

Upon returning from the hospital that weekend, Izuku was tired. He’d missed the provisional license exam. He was also on a mandatory school break. That day, he wished he’d not been found like that and could fall back into his old habits. But with how often Shinsou or Aizawa or Present Mic checked on him, he doubted he could get away with not eating.. He could always try something else. The thought felt like venom in his veins. But he failed to push it away.

One small thing they didn’t know about wouldn’t hurt them, right?

***

“Midobabe! We missed you!” Izuku was pulled into a tight hug by Ashido. He appreciated the concern, but this was really hurting his arms.

“Ashido! We shouldn’t jump straight to hugging! He may still feel uneasy! Look at him, he’s clearly uncomfortable!” Hagakure jumped in. Izuku was grateful.

“Oh! Sorry Midobabe!” Ashido immediately let go. Izuku resisted the urge to rub his arms.

“It’s alright,” was all he said.

He was quickly ushered into the common room for questions.

Izuku was offered cake and hot tea. He took both. His arms still hurt. He tried not to focus on it.

“Midobabe! We were so worried about you!” Ashido was the first to speak up, followed by Kirishima.

“Yeah, dude! You scared us back then!” Kaminari butted in next.

“Yeah! What was that about? You’ve gotta tell us! We’ve been waiting for a whole week to know what happened to you!” Izuku was quickly becoming uncomfortable with the questions. As more people joined in the conversation, he felt himself grow more worried about how he was going to tell them. Should he even tell them?

***

“Shut the fuck up. All of you.” Katsuki cut in above everyone else.

“Bakugou! Language!” Iida shouted.

“I said shut up! And stop yelling!” Katsuki made his way over to Izuku, ignoring Iida’s protests. He held a hand out for Izuku. He took it. Katsuki sat down in front of him and walked him through the breathing exercises they’d been practicing. It was a slow process, but it worked. And it got the rest to shut up as well.

They walked through the breathing long after Izuku had calmed down.

“Better now?” Izuku nodded. Katsuki stood up and let go of his hand, taking a seat near Izuku and pulling out his phone. Everyone was silent for a moment. Dumbasses probably didn’t even realize they were overwhelming him. Izuku played with his hands idly. Shinsou took a seat on the other side of Izuku.

Questions continued eventually. Katsuki made sure they weren’t pushing boundaries and stayed off the topic of why Izuku had gone to the hospital.

The rest of the week went by with little issue. Katsuki or Shinsou would stay behind in the dorms to make sure Izuku was okay, with teachers checking on them every now and then to make sure everything was okay. It was a slow week. But it was better than a bad week.

By that weekend, Katsuki had offered Izuku to stay with him and his family. Permanently. Izuku refused. He couldn’t blame him. He knew they had a shrine up for his mom, and Izuku probably didn’t want to pass by that every weekend. So, Katsuki sent a text to Sensei of whatever he could think of. Izuku’s safe foods, grounding techniques that he knew helped Izuku, anything that he deemed important.

***

That weekend, Izuku moved some of his stuff into Aizawa’s apartment, mostly spare chargers for his devices. Anything he didn’t want in his dorm that was easy to move for when Nedzu finally got a new apartment set up with room for all of them. And since there wasn’t another spare room, they got a bed moved in for Shinsou, leaving the two to share a room. Sharing a room with Shinsou, he felt a little less lonely. The two mostly just co-existed in the room together, but it helped Izuku focus a bit better. It was kind of nice to not be so lonely.

Izuku quickly caught on to the fact that Present Mic and Aizawa were close, seeing as Mic was always at the apartment during the weekends. Izuku was honestly kind of glad to have both of them. It didn’t help how he felt, but it did help to feel a little less alone.

As most of his classmates delved into their work studies, Izuku was offered a chance to take the provisional license exam with those in his class who failed. He spent a few days deciding. Izuku wasn’t sure he wanted to. He could take it and get the license, continuing on his path to be a hero… though, he hardly had the motivation to do that anymore. Or he could decline, wait another year, and see whether he felt more willing by then. Or even decline and drop out of the hero course. Izuku wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.

In the end, Izuku declined. He wasn’t sure he wanted to stay in the hero course, but he knew he didn’t want to commit to something he was unsure about.

***

One day, Aizawa went out for a mission. Leaving Izuku in his dorm while the rest of the class huddled around the tv, watching the news. Nothing was particularly interesting about that day. What was interesting was when he came home with a child a few days later. Izuku was… confused.

“This is Eri. She’ll be staying with us.”

“Wh- This is short notice. When’d she come into the picture?”

“She was rescued during our mission a few days ago. Treat her with respect.”

“Uh, yes sir?”

Izuku wasn’t sure what to do. This was weird. Though, he didn’t expect to get answers at the moment. Mic cooed at Aizawa, something about having a soft spot for kids. Izuku wasn’t paying attention. Eri seemed just as unsure about what to do with herself as Izuku was. Izuku, regrettably, turned on his phone for the first time that week. It had hundreds of notifications from the class group chat. This was going to be a long day. Before he could read any of them, though, Shinsou, grabbed his arm and dragged all three of them back into the guest room. Although, he offered Eri to follow them, rather than dragging her along. Izuku felt this was very unfair.

Shinsou had them all sitting on a bed, playing a game. It was a simple guessing game, something to learn more about each other. Izuku felt very out of his element. Eri seemed to be enjoying herself. Shinsou was definitely enjoying himself. All in all, they were bonding. Kind of. It was the best you could get out of three children who were recovering from all different states of sorrow.

Chapter Text

A few days passed.

Hitoshi was tired.

He hadn’t slept much the night before. But it was almost time for the school festival, so it didn’t matter how well he slept, but rather how well he performed. They had a whole day planned out. Hitoshi was on the dance team, as much as he didn’t want to be. But he was, and it was now the day of, so there was no room for complaints. Everyone was buzzing with energy. Except Hitoshi. Even Midoriya seemed a little high in spirits. Hitoshi was considerably… not. Well, it’s not as if he was low in spirits. He just didn’t feel super energetic thanks to his nightmares. Much like Hitoshi, Midoriya was waking up from nightly terrors. Also like Hitoshi, Midoriya had initially been chosen to be on the dance team. But unlike Hitoshi, someone suggested they move him to special effects so that he wasn’t at risk of getting overwhelmed on stage. The class agreed, and he was switched, much to his seemed relief.

Midoriya and Bakugou had gone out to buy a new rope for the festival. They took a little while to get back, but when they did, everyone got straight to work. Hitoshi kept his eyes on Eri the entire time they performed.

***

Eri was amazed. Hitoshi was glad. He thought they did pretty well.

As the students cleaned up their mess, Midoriya quietly disappeared. Hitoshi tried to ask if anyone knew where he had gone, but nobody knew. They hadn’t even realized he’d left. Hitoshi tried his best not to let the concern get to him, but based on Bakugou’s confusion when he’d asked, Midoriya had run off without even telling Bakugou where he was going. There was little way this could be good.

As the school festival came to a close, Midoriya reappeared with a small bag of items. He handed the bag, as well as a candy apple, over to Eri, saying to look inside when they got home. According to Midoriya, it was a small bag of little trinkets he’d found and thought she might like. As well as a candy apple he and Bakugou made for Eri so she could try one. It was sweet. But Hitoshi didn’t miss the way Midoriya kept tugging at his sleeves before they left. Something was definitely wrong.

***

It was time to go back to the apartment. Hitoshi was glad. It’d been a long week at school, and he was tired.

As soon as they were home, Midoriya was hiding in their shared room, typing rapidly on his laptop. Hitoshi decided to leave him be, instead hanging out with Eri and Present Mic in the living room. Eri seemed quite happy with the little things Midoriya had gotten her. The three of them stayed in the living room that night, watching movies and playing simple games. He got a little concerned when Midoriya was late leaving the room for dinner, but was relieved to see he had come out at all. Hitoshi didn’t miss the way Midoriya kept hurled in on himself and played with his sleeves, though.

***

Days were passing like flies now. Izuku wouldn’t be able to tell you the month if it wasn’t currently Christmas Eve. Still, he sat on the floor working on the story he’d started writing. It was a simple story, more something to pass the time than anything, but he had begun to enjoy writing it nonetheless. Eventually, food was ready, Aizawa arrived with Eri, and everyone gathered around to eat and talk. Izuku kept mostly to himself. He didn’t miss how people tried to include him in conversation, but he didn’t really feel very up for talking.

As the day went on, he felt like something was… off. Very off.

But the day went by like normal. Nothing weird or particularly notable. It was just a normal Christmas.

But something was definitely wrong.

He just had to find out what.