Chapter Text
From the moment the hero enters the room, Izuku is on high alert.
Eri’s huddled close against his chest, breathing slow and heavy. Eraserhead—or Aizawa Shouta, as he introduced himself to Izuku—eyed Eri in his lap and he itched to bring out his wings to cover the bleary-eyed girl. She’s tired and it’s his fault since he fed the moment the detective fled the room to find the hero currently sitting across from the two of them, but Izuku was just so hungry . Eri had nearly burst into tears when he had refused to eat and he didn’t need a doctor passing by their room to cause a commotion that would surely cause her to spiral into a panic attack.
He had fed and now that his stomach was satisfied, Izuku felt so much better. Under his skin, his wings mend themselves together at a faster pace and his senses are heightened. Izuku can hear the detective’s footsteps receding down the hallway. He hears the nurses chatting amongst themselves at the desk near the elevator that opens with a high-pitched ding that leaves Izuku wincing and gaining the hero’s attention. It’s all too much yet so little at the same time and just that leaves Izuku reeling, arms wrapped around Eri and pulling her closer to his chest.
He hadn’t felt this great in years .
Izuku is so distracted by both his energy restoration and the hero in front of him that he’s internally scolding himself for not noticing the detective returning sooner. His eyes morph into their demonic appearance as his incisors grow, hissing at the new person standing next to the detective behind the glass pane. He pushes closer to the cold sterile wall behind him, inching Eri over to his side, doing his best to keep the sleepy girl out of the new person’s sight.
It fails miserably. The blonde man’s gaze is captured by his movement of Eri and green eyes with flecks of red seeping in land on Izuku’s sister. Aizawa notices his immediate discomfort and spins around in his seat, hands heading straight for his scarf. Izuku watches with hidden fascination as the hero’s hair starts to lift into the air. It’s faint for the eye to see but he does, and questions about the hero’s quirk start to form.
Before he can ask a single one, Aizawa turns back around and situates himself in his chair. His arms returned to their original position, his hands tucked in his pockets as his hair falls and red eyes return to their normal color. And oh, Izuku has so many questions regarding that but the hero speaks up first.
“You don’t have to worry about him,” Aizawa says. “That’s just my husband. I asked him to bring some clothes that might suit you better with your whole situation, along with a little gift for Eri if you’ll allow it.” Izuku examines the blonde man behind the glass again and realizes that the hero is right. A bag is tossed over his shoulder and there’s a stuffed animal in his other hand. The boy can’t make out what type of animal it is but he moves his gaze to Eri, and the sight of the sleepy girl steels his resolve.
“What’s his name?” he asks Aizawa, returning his focus to the man. “His hero name, too.”
The pro-hero cocks an eyebrow but answers nonetheless. “Hizashi Yamada. We don’t share a last name on paperwork due to our career field. He’s the Voice Hero: Present Mic.” Aizawa gestures in the direction of his husband. “How’d you know he was a pro?”
Izuku chuckles. “ You are a pro hero. Statistics from years ago should still be the same now in regards to heroes, not including property damage and funds. Pro heroes are more likely to find partners within the same career field due to the unfortunate casualty rate of heroes. It allows them to be more… open to the idea of a relationship with the possibility of their partner dying in the field. Heroes are more accepting of the fact that their partner could die and respect that. Civilians, however, probably aren’t as accepting.”
Aizawa nods his head. “Pretty smart for a kid your age. How old are you?”
“Fifteen. How come Present Mic or the detective hasn’t entered the room yet?”
“Because it’s obvious you aren’t comfortable with them, more so my husband than the detective because you haven’t met him. We’ll wait for you to make the first move, kid. How long have you been with Chisaki?”
“The bastard stole me from my parents as soon as my quirk came in. Wanted to experiment on heteromorphic quirks but couldn’t find a test subject not well taken care of. It was my mother and I on our own with my father overseas, and then my quirk came in and it was just—it was terrible timing. So, nine years, give or take. What will happen to Eri and I?”
“If you’ll allow it, my husband and I will take you in. My quirk, Erasure, will be able to protect you two more significantly than any other hero should Chisaki send people after you. Along with that, we have an apartment on the grounds of U.A.. Students training to be heroes and heroes alike will be able to keep the two of you safe. If you would rather go to another hero you might recall, that is also fine. However there is no guarantee that you and Eri will remain together.”
As soon as Aizawa finishes with what he says, Izuku jumps the gun with another question. “Why are you helping us?”
The hero in front of him doesn’t answer right away. The boy tightens his hold on his little sister just a smidge, and there’s a quick upturn of his lips when she burrows closer into his chest. Izuku lets Aizawa take his time forming an answer (he can see the pro hero deep in thought) and focuses his attention on Eri.
She’s tired, that much Izuku knows right off the bat. Her energy is drained from the day’s events and he wouldn’t be surprised if she fell asleep shortly. She seems to be clinging onto the idea of being awake, though, ear pressed to Izuku’s chest as she stares up at him through sleepy eyes. Eri’s horn is digging into his skin but he simply pulls her closer, and the little girl lets him.
“I’m sleepy, Izu,” Eri mumbles.
Izuku exhales softly, placing his chin on top of the girl’s head. “Take a nap, Eri. I’ll be right beside you when you wake up.”
Her words slur and her grip on his shirt loosens. “D’you promise?”
“I promise, Er-Bear. Go to sleep.”
That’s all it takes for Eri to fall asleep in Izuku’s arms and he holds her tenderly, knowing what it must look like from an outsider’s perspective: a horrid monster with a fragile girl encased in its arms. But still, Izuku promised that he would be by her side when she woke up and he intends to keep that promise with every fiber of his being. Aizawa’s words from earlier echo in his mind. With his little sister tucked under his chin, Izuku stares at the hero.
“You really care for her, don’t you?” he asks when he notices that Izuku’s attention is now on him.
“You didn’t answer my earlier question,” Izuku remarks instead of answering. “Why are you helping us?”
This time, Aizawa seems ready for the repeated question. “You asked for me,” he starts, moving so that he’s leaning forward on his knees, hands clasped together in front of him. “I heard from Detective Tsukauchi that you asked for me by hero name and I intend to honor your request by being here. But being here , in the hospital with no guarantee of what would happen to you and Eri? I’m going to look out for you two. If you’ll allow it, my husband and I will take care of you. The two of you will be able to grow up in a safe environment, surrounded by all the support you could ever need. I’m not one to make empty promises.”
Izuku shifts, arms still latched around Eri’s waist. “What about our quirks? Chisaki was using Eri for her’s and mine is…” He inhales quietly before settling with a slow exhale. “We hate our quirks. What will you make us do with them?”
“Nothing if you don’t want anything to do with them. The only thing I could think of would be mandatory quirk training just to make sure the two of you understand the cause and effects of your quirks and aren’t deemed a hazard to the public but aside from that, if you don’t want anything to do with them, we won’t have you do anything.”
The older man seems genuine from what Izuku can tell: his heart never raced while speaking to them, no indications of lies, and he’s been honest in regards to the situation revolving around their quirks. Yes, he wouldn’t make them use them if they didn’t want to use them but there might be some training the two would have to do in order to keep others safe. He’s honest, he seems to have a husband respectful of their space, and while the two of them didn’t have anywhere to go, Izuku knew the man was right. If it were anyone else, he and Eri might be split up and the boy could already picture the havoc caused should anyone try to separate them before they were ready.
All in all, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Eri slumps deeper into Izuku’s chest and he freezes. When she doesn’t move again, he removes his chin from the top of her head and stares down at her sleeping figure, biting the inside of his cheek.
She deserved the world. Izuku on the other hand…well, he would be okay. But for Eri, he would do absolutely anything to keep her safe from more harm. The longer he stared, the harder he thought. In the current situation with their captor just now heading to jail, Aizawa was probably right: the Erasure quirk he bore would be the best thing keeping him and Eri from returning to the Shie Hassaikai’s clutches. It would be the safest place for Eri to stay and maybe even remain in order to give her a proper childhood.
Eri would be safe .
Izuku’s eyes drift back towards the hero in the chair. “We accept your offer.”
Aizawa smiles softly.