Chapter Text
The Downfall of the Public Schools was all anyone could talk about over christmas break. The trial had started off hidden. A hush hush back door affair that was never meant to go public. After seeing the first school district on the docket Izuku had a good guess as to who leaked the drama. His guess included white fur and too smart eyes.
The proceedings were long and drawn out, a panel of judges listening to the prosecutors and defenders for no less that thirty different school districts. All of them were accused of neglect or discrimination. Or both.
And as the head chairman for the board of directors at Aldera stepped up to the podium the world watched. And judged. And, for the most part, cheered the largest overhaul of a public school system in the world in over fifty years.
____
Izuku sold the patent for his first hero grade hearing aids about a week before he finished his upgraded designs for his new ones. These included a slimmer more discreet profile and a whole butt load of new features. Including an AI he had written entirely from scratch as a project in his private lessons with Nezu.
He kept his testing of prototypes discreet for the first month after that. Working out bugs and making sure SARI, Self Activating Resource Interface, worked correctly and did everything he wanted her to do. The only ones who knew of the project were Power Loader, Nezu, Mei, and Hitoshi. The first two because he needed their sign off to use school resources for his build, and the last two because he needed help with his tests on occasion.
By the time he was ready to put in for a patent he had a whole slew of extra sets built. A main and a spare for himself and Hizashi as well as ten more pairs he was donating to first responders who'd had their hearing damaged in the line of duty.
The charity had been Mia's idea. Well, in a way. The woman had been regaling Izuku and Mei over dinner of her days in the support course with Power Loader. And one of her stories had been of a charity drive they had done in their third year to get their names out to the public. They had taken all of their old prototypes, spruced them up, and then given them away to 'heroes in need'. That had been the move that really got them scholarships to colleges and other programs for higher education.
Little did she know that story had inspired a monster of a project. Within two days Izuku and his sister had a whole, well drawn up, folder worth of plans and projected numbers to give to their principal. And the rat, ever willing to support the creatives under his care, agreed. The fact that it would look good on UA as a whole as well was just a bonus.
It only took a week for the project to be announced to the rest of the support students in all 3 years. Unexpectedly, though in retrospect he really shouldn't have been surprised, when the outreach project was announced to the news Mei and Izuku's names were all over it. The two teens were asked to make statements for fluff pieces across Japan. Most of Mei's lines didn't get used, her over the top personality being too much for most people and resigning her to a few short usable clips. But the sweet stuttering hero student stole the watchers' hearts. And he soon found himself as the face of the project.
And this was to be the first large scale donation. There had been a few other small donations, a finished prototype here, a bit of support gear for a sidekick there. But this was the one that would be all over the news.
The morning he was meant to give over the goods was the morning he told his dads anything. Having successfully kept his actual designs quiet. The men were surprised when Mia showed up on campus that morning, barging into the teacher's dorm and the breakfast the kids had come over to share with their dads and Eri.
"You ready kiddos?!"
Yamada and Shouta shared confused looks at her excitement and the mischief in the air. The feeling only thickened when their little greenette reached down to grab a box from his backpack. Scarred hands held it out to his blonde paternal figure with a sweet smile. "I-it only feels right if y-you're the first to get them. After all, you were my first customer."
Hizashi blinked before taking the box. He opened it slowly, only to gasp and immediately pop his hearing aids out so he could slip the new ones in. The freckled boy laughed. "I have them configured to the same settings as the ones on record in your files, but you will probably have to make some adjustments on the sound…. SARI. Run opening diagnostics."
Mic jumped, probably surprised by a woman's voice responding an affirmative in his ears. Izuku went on, "We can rename her in your system so she wont get confused when I give my own version orders. I was going to but I figured it would be better to give you a choice on the name you'll be yelling out in battles and stuff…"
He trailed off as he switched his own hearing aids out, finally able to wear his now that the surprise was over. He was just sliding the second one home when he was blind sided by a hug. Mic blubbering about how happy he was and how cool the lady sounded. All while firing off questions on what she could do. Izuku giggled and watched as Shouta snagged the instruction manual from the box to flip through while his husband calmed down.
Later, in the gym set aside for the afternoon for the small event, the three parents and a whole slew of support and hero students would stand to the side and watch in pride. Izuku going around a large circle of fire fighters, police officers, EMS, and heroes thanking them for their service and handing each of them a matching box. A line of tables nearby set up with the gear needed to make any adjustments.
The boy happily giving others back the sense he'd had to regain for himself.
___
Izuku giggled as Hitoshi and Denki wrestled, going after each other's hair as they all walked down the sidewalk. Mia had requested they all visit the shop after school that Friday, saying something about her work space being too quiet for her to design anything new. So a small group of their friends were all showing up in the name of free food and a space to hang out without the pressure of school for an evening. Kuroyama was walking by the greenette, showing him pictures on his phone.
The large support student had just finished his prototype design for a small time sidekick's image overhaul. All he needed now was to do a final fitting and then he could make the real thing out of actual hero grade fabric.
Izuku gushed over the red and orange clad mannequin excited and raving over how clean the lines looked and how it really played off the sidekick's quirk. They chatted about the gear upgrades that were also being made for the rest of their way to the shop, occasionally pausing to laugh at the antics of the other teens around them.
Eventually they all trickled in through the back entrance, a riot of greetings from the other teens to the adult they all expected to be there… and the ones that most of them expected to be there.
The only one not in the loop paused in confusion at the doorway. Absolutely taken off guard at the unexpected guests.
Mia stepped in quickly, rushing over to give her two kiddos a hug and drag them a few steps over in the name of unblocking the doorway. "Hiya Izuku. Sorry, I hope you don't mind that I invited them? I thought it would be nice to catch up? Your dads will be here soon too."
"I uh. Yeah. That's ok. Just surprised." With that he offers the redhead a smile before wandering over to the Mirokumas to say hi. He had stopped going to his after school classes slowly after his introduction into the hero course. He just had too much to do and honestly with the amount of physical exertion he dealt with during both hero and support lessons he really did need the after school breaks.
And then the summer camp incident happened and suddenly he had way too much to think about to remember to call and talk to his first martial arts teacher. His daughter stepped forwards to meet the younger teen first, scooping the greenette into a hug with a cheerful hello and an admonishment for having gotten into so much trouble recently.
He giggled and hugged her back, signing an inside joke one handed and making her laugh. Her father rolled his eyes at their antics before reaching forwards to rest a bear-like hand in tousled curls. "You had us worried for a bit there kid. Glad you made it out alright."
The small teen smiled up at him before shifting into a grin. "Yeah well, I had this teacher who made sure I knew how to do a proper O Soto Gari. He was a real bear about it. Had us practice the throw for weeks."
Both of the Kurokumas blinked in slight shock at the easy confidence behind the joke, before Kuma-chan howled in laughter. Patting him on the shoulder, pointing at her dad's face and setting herself off even more. It took a minute but eventually the man himself snorted and ruffled green hair roughly. Shaking his own head before wandering off to chat with the other adult in the room.
Tsume caught her breath before pointing over to the teens who were standing off to the side, specifically the four who had been watching their exchange closely. "So. Friends?"
Izuku glanced over to see who she was pointing out and flushed when his gaze met Hitoshi's. "Not exactly. The girl is Mei. Her mom is adopting me. And other three… they're my boyfriends."
Her squeal caught the attention of everyone in the room, though most of them figured out what was going on and went back to their own conversations fairly quickly. Only sparing a chuckle or two at Izuku's embarrassment as the closest thing he had to a childhood friend dragged him over to his partners in a demand to be introduced.
The Yamazawas showed up a bit later with a backseat filled with takeout. Enchiladas and tamales in large foil trays. And large styrofoam buckets of spiced rice and beans, both charro and refried. Izuku helped the other teens unload the bounty from the SUV and settle it in a spread on one cleared workbench.
Everyone dug in with gusto, cheerfully fawning over the well balanced verde sauce and the sides of salsa. The small greenette found himself settled on a stool beside the elder Mirokuma, giving the man an in depth rundown of his recent combat training. Explaining his decision to opt for a more sneaky style.
The giant beside him hummed along as he munched down a chicken tamale. Commenting occasionally and giving small tidbits of advice on training methods. The teen filed those away to run by Aizawa later. Knowing the suggestions were worth a try.
After about an hour the food was mostly gone and a bit of weird anticipation seemed to seep into the room from between the shelves of parts. Izuku felt his stomach twist in discomfort, uncertain about what was happening. Obviously out of the loop. At this point of the evening most of their friends would have to be heading home. They should be packing their backs and comparing train schedules. Instead they were all slowly turning their attention to the center of the room. The center of the room where he just so happened to be sitting.
Before he had time to overthink Mia stepped into his line of sight. And the large folder in her hands clued him in on what was happening. He launched himself from his stool and into her arms, happy tears already slipping down his cheeks.
She chuckled as she hugged him close. "It's official kiddo. You're now Hatsume Izuku." There were cheers from all around them as Mei joined in their hug. Izuku did the best to commit the moment to memory. Especially the feeling of being wrapped up in the warmth of his mom and sister. He wanted to be able to look back in this moment with the fondness it deserved after all.
___
Green eyes twinkled as Mei paced frantically around her messy dorm room. Izuku laughing at his sister's antics as she half panicked trying to find a shirt without some sort of grease stain.
"Mei. C'mon. You act like the two of you haven't been hanging out after school nearly every day for the past two months. She knows exactly what you look like and she's ok with it. So take a deep breath and chill." He reached out and snagged her wrist as she went to walk back past him yet again, pulling her to a stop.
Though stopping her physical pacing didn't stop the mental marathon. "Izu. I can't just go see her for a DATE looking like I always do! She deserves better than that! She's so pretty and fun and CLEAN and pretty! And she should date someone who isn't some grungy freak!" She was almost hyperventilating by the end of her rushed speech and her brother quickly sobered as he caught on to the deeper stressor she had just let slip.
"Is this… about what the kids at your old school used to say? But you always said you didn't mind?" Golden eyes dodged his concerned look. The young woman frowning and rubbing at her arm a bit.
Izuku let her work through her thoughts patiently. Knowing well how hard words could be at times. Eventually he was rewarded with a dramatic groan and his sister flopping down on her back on her bed beside him. "I thought I didn't? But then I just- she's so fashionable. And I'm… me. What do I have to offer someone who's so… her?"
Izuku sighed. "Mei. I really don't think she cares about how you look. Whenever we hang out all she can talk about is how fun you are, how smart you are. She really likes that about you I think. And speaking from personal opinion, your best feature is how genuine you are to yourself. I'm sure she really likes that too. So just wear what makes you comfortable, yeah?"
His sister pouted, but seemed to let his words play back in her head a few times. Eventually he huffed out a breath in irritation. "Ok. But, what if none of these clothes make me feel comfortable today?" Izuku hummed in response before grinning, obviously struck with an idea.
He hopped up from his seat and sifted through one of the piles of clothing that had been tossed around. Coming up with her newest overalls and a pink tank top. Once he had what he wanted he snagged the pinkette by the hand and led her out of the support dorms and to 1A's building across the way.
They went upstairs to his own dorm and he started sifting through his own closet, though in a more organized way than Mei had done just minutes before. After a moment he handed his sister one of his red button up shirts and a pair of his simple black tights. "Ok. Put all of this on and we will go from here." With that order he slipped out into the hall to give her privacy, texting one of his boyfriends as he went.
She looked a bit uncomfortable when she opened the door to let Izuku, and the newly arrived Denki, in. She had buttoned the shirt up all the way and had everything strictly the way it was intended to be worn. Both boys observed the outfit for a moment before Denki clicked his tongue decisively. "Ok. You look good. But not like you. Lets fix that." He stepped forwards and with permission started in on buttons and straps. Undoing the top four buttons of the shirt so it sat open loosely. He then unhooked one of the overall straps and slipped it around so it went under her arm before hooking it back into place. Then he rolled the sleeves up to her elbows.
With that he stepped back, giving her another once over before nodding in approval. "Much better. Now. Sit at the desk. I brought some of my makeup and hair stuff so let's have some fun!"
They tried several things, Denki having never styled locs before, and eventually settled on a simple metal beret holding her bangs back. And for makeup they kept with the simple theme. Eyeliner, a bit of concealer over dark circles, and a tinted chapstick just a shade or two darker than her natural lips.
By then Mei's phone was chiming with an alarm to let her know it was time for her to go. The girl hopping up and giving both of the boys a hug in thanks before she shook the nerves out of her hands and made her way to meet up with Mina.
Izuku grinned up at his blonde and gave Denki a quick peck of his own thanks, before asking if the other boy needed help with the essay he was putting off. A sheepish smile was all he needed in response.
___
Now that all of his personal problems had been dealt with, Izuku realized that an issue they had pushed to the wayside really needed to be addressed. Endeavor.
The man had reportedly chilled out a bit after Shouto started using his flames in combat. But he was still a demanding bastard. Shouto spent most of his weekends at his family home, slogging through extra training and coming back to the dorms last Sunday evenings exhausted and grumpy. Not at all ready for the week of heavy classwork ahead.
Endeavor was running his son into the ground. And Izuku wouldn't stand for it.
Lucky for him computers were his friends. All it took was a week of not really sleeping in the name of eking out every extra minute of computer time he could get. He hacked several government sites and several of Endeavor's own files, taking what he needed and compiling his evidence.
It was 5AM on the 8th day of hyper focused plotting when he finally had everything ready to go. He hit the enter key, said a quick prayer, and then passed out on his desk.
Aizawa was the one to come and find him a few hours later when he didn't show up for homeroom. He had noticed Izuku was distracted by something for a few days by that point and wasn't surprised to find the boy slumped over his computer. No, what made him raise and eyebrow was the report on the teen's screen.
After reading a few lines the pro sighed and texted his boss. Nezu texted back a gleeful reply that he had already received a copy, causing the tired hero to groan before accepting his fate and stowing his phone so he could pick up his kid and put him to bed.
Later that day the report would hit the news. By the end of the week Shouto would be under the custody of his sister, his father under investigation for corruption and abuse. And by the next month, Todoroki Rei would be a free woman with a home of her own for her and her kids should they wish to join her.
Shouto himself was quietly relieved, happy to be able to take breaks without someone breathing down his neck. Happier still to have the weekends for himself, whether he wanted alone time or wanted to go on dates with his partners. It was his choice and that was a luxury he would forever cherish.
___
And so they settled in. Getting used to their new lives. Preparing for their futures. Futures full of creating and helping and saving. Full of excitement and happiness, and yes, fear and sorrow.
Because life is more worth living in the bright spots after you've dragged yourself through the dark spots. And now none of them would have to go through the dark spots alone again. Because the best family is the one you make for youself.