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Midoriya Izuku let his legs dangle freely over the side of the UA main building's roof, closing his eyes as he leans backward on his hands. A content smile adorned his baby face when a breeze ruffled his curly green hair. It was lunchtime on a Friday and the teen had ditched his friends to eat on the roof (yes, he felt bad about it and would definitely make it up to them later. Right now he just wanted a few minutes alone.
Well, alone might not be the right word here).
Something about how the wind moved around him, pushing and pulling as if trying to get him to go somewhere, almost seemed to the teen like someone who wasn't completely there was attempting to hug him.
Hey, mom, He thinks with a little sigh. Does he have any proof that the ghost of his biological mother was there manipulating the wind to comfort her son? No. Was he going to pretend she was anyway? Absolutely. Izuku lets his mind empty of all thought (not something he can do regularly) and smiles as he feels himself relax. This was nice.
And then there was a noise.
It started as a whisper, merging with the whistling wind that surrounded him, and steadily grew until the greenette could hear distinct voices calling out, and even though he couldn't identify the voices, he could pick out a common tone; concern. He frowned. What were they saying? Was someone hurt? Maybe he should check it out. The boy opened his eyes and made to stand when a familiar voice called to him,
"My boy!"
Izuku nearly jumped off the ledge from the suddenness of the sound of his mentor. Luckily, Ectoplasm was ready with one of his clones to grab him and pull the teen away from the ledge.
Izuku turned towards the adult to thank him but the words caught in his throat when he saw the shocked faces of three of his teachers. All Might's skeletal face radiated guilt and concern. Midnight, the Rated R Hero, was white as a sheet, as if she'd seen a ghost. He couldn't see Ectoplasm's face, but the man's body was rigid. Tense.
Shit.
The ninth holder of One For All felt his heart sink as he realized what his teachers' were thinking. What they thought he was thinking. If only he could tell them they were wrong.
The clamoring of voices below finally made their way to his ears and he caught his breath when his brain deciphered the words.
"The teachers got them!"
"Oh, thank goodness!"
"I hope they'll be okay!
How many people saw him up here, he wondered as All Might grabbed his arm in a death grip and along with Ectoplasm led him to the elevator. Midnight followed a few paces behind them. They entered the elevator in silence and Izuku opened his mouth to try to tell them he was fine, but the words got stuck in his throat. This was just like what happened before. Someone saw him on a roof and called the police because they thought he was suicidal and he had to spend the rest of the day in the hospital. He wished he could tell them that, no, he wasn't depressed or suicidal and he was just up there to feel closer to his dead parents.
Okay, that- that didn't sound right. Maybe it was a good thing his voice chose not to work right then. His adopted mother, Midoriya Inko, was a great mom and he didn't want her to know that he knew she wasn't his biological mother.
When he'd found the adoption papers, he'd been shocked. He had wanted to go straight to his mom and demand answers, but after thinking it over he decided to wait for her to tell him the truth just in case she just wasn't ready to talk bout it.
He didn't think it'd take her so long to say anything about it, though. He was getting tired of waiting.
The boy stewed in his thoughts as the elevator descended. The doors opened and Izuku startled when he saw a sea of students and the woman who'd raised him standing on the other side. Izuku knew there were other people here, but... his mom... Why was she here? Did UA call her? Had she come for a visit? Why? She was wringing her hands and her eyes were red and puffy like she'd been crying. The sight made the teen feel guilty. He hadn't meant to be caught up there. He didn't think anyone would see him and let his guard (and his legs) down.
I'll be more careful next year, he thought.
Because you better believe he'd be up there again. Nothing could stop him from trying to feel closer to his biological mom.
"Hey, isn't he from the Hero Course?"
"Yeah. Class 1A!"
"All those villain attacks must be getting to them,"
"Class 1A is full of babies,"
Teachers were trying to herd the students away from him, but their voices reached his ears anyway. Izuku shoved his hands in his pockets and put his head down. He was so frustrated with himself. He hated when people worried about him.
He was led through the halls until they reached the Staff Room and Midnight stepped forward to open the door so All Might and Ectoplasm could keep their grips on Izuku's arms. Once inside, he was gently pushed onto a couch next to his mom. All Might and Midnight sat on the other couch and Ectoplasm stood between the greenette and the door. He didn't know how long they sat there in silence each of them trying to think of something to say.
Izuku waited until he was sure his voice wouldn't betray him before he spoke, "I wasn't gonna jump,"
That must've been the wrong thing to say because Inko tensed up and looked at him with a new wave of tears threatening to flow down her cheeks.
"I thought you were over this, Izu," She said. "I thought the last time you were going to do this was three years ago," Yeah, that was the last time he got caught. "If you need to talk to someone about whatever is going on, we can find you a therapist," He didn't need a therapist. At least, not for this. "I just don't understand why you keep lying about this," A spark of anger lit in his chest. Why wouldn't she believe him?
"My boy," All Might spoke, "I'm sorry I didn't see how much you were hurting," This conversation was starting to hurt more than all Izuku's past broken bones combined. "I should've been there for you," All Might was there for him. "I'm here to listen to you if you want to talk," That sounds nice.
Izuku decided to try again. "I wasn't going to jump," he said with as much conviction as he could. It wasn't much.
The elder Midoriya sighed, exasperated. "Why else would you be up there?"
The spark became a small flame, easily fanned by the ignorance of the adults. She really believed he wanted to die? Even after everything he'd done? After he got into UA? The school of his dreams?
"I let you come to UA because I thought you were over this," the woman said as if reading his thoughts. "I thought you were doing better. But now I see the real reason you want to be a hero," Wait, what? "You're just trying to get yourself killed," No. "I'm sorry," Don't say it. "But I'm pulling you out of UA,"
The teen felt his heart constrict. He was barely aware that he'd stood up and he looked at his adopted parent with wide eyes. "Please don't," his voice wavered, barely a whisper.
"Then tell me the truth."
Izuku blinked.
Tell the truth. Tell the truth? Why did he have to tell the truth!? She should be the one who needs to tell the truth! He's waited years for her to tell him about his biological parents! Even though every inch of him yearned to know where his little quirks came from! He'd been waiting for so long and now she wanted him to tell the truth!? Well, the truth was-
"-I know you're not my mom,"
Inko gasped. The teachers startled.
"How did you find out?" The woman who raised him asked.
The small flame grew bigger, spreading through his body much like the quirk that got him into UA. But unlike when he'd used his mentor's power in the past, there was no one around to take it out on He didn't want to hurt anyone here. Izuku had to hold his anger back, and by doing so he let another feeling take control. Misery was quick to make all emotions drain from his face as he stared at his mother. She didn't apologize for not telling him. She didn't make excuses. She didn't even try to deny it.
How did you find out?
Those words echoed in his brain.
How did you find out?
He couldn't breathe. He could feel the air filling his lungs, but he felt like he was drowning. His vision was getting blurry. Had it always been hot in here? He needed to get out. He needed to think. He needed- He needed-
How did you find out?
Subconsciously, he called on One For All and bolted out of the room, successfully maneuvering himself around Ectoplasm. He didn't have an exact destination in mind, but he wasn't surprised when he found himself running into his Heights Alliance dorm. As soon as he burst through the door, he noticed a dark figure move towards him, but he avoided them and ran to his room, taking the stairs so he wouldn't have to wait for the elevator. With more power than necessary, he yanked open the door and threw himself into his room. His All Might posters smiled down at him and he dove onto his bed, burying his face in his pillow to keep his whimpers from being heard.
He didn't hear the door open. Didn't sense the student from seat 14 approach. Didn't feel Tokoyami's eyes watch him as his body shuddered with repressed sobs.
Eventually, Midoriya Izuku fell asleep.
"I shouldn't have said that," Inko cried into her hands. "I shouldn't have tried to keep this from him! I-I should've told him years ago!" She was frantic. Her baby was upset because of her. With his yearly trips to the top of skyscrapers, she thought it would be best to ask UA that, if they should find him on top of a tall building, they contact her immediately. She knows she should trust Izuku, but... She just wants to keep him safe.
"Midoriya-san," Midnight said. She and All Might stayed in the room with her as Ectoplasm ran after the kid. "What did he mean when he said you're not his mom?"
Inko sighed. It was high time the truth came out. She'd been a fool for letting the lie last this long. "Izuku..." Damn. Why did it have to be so hard? "Izuku is my nephew. His parents, my brother and his wife, died when he was very young in a car crash. Izu was the only survivor." She took a breath, the memory of her brother's untimely death flooding into her mind. "None of my sister-in-law's family wanted anything to do with him and I am... was the only family my brother had. He was going to be put in the system, so I..."
"So, you adopted him," All Might finished for her. Inko nodded.
"Yes, I did. Hisashi and I had been trying to have our own kid for years, so when they-" She choked on a sob, wanting to get the rest of the story out before her emotions took over "-When they died I--we--thought that we could raise him as our own. I- I didn't mean to keep this from him. It just... happened," the last part was barely whispered, but everyone in the room heard it.
Midoriya Izuku was adopted.
Tokoyami wasn't close to the green-haired boy, but he still considered him to be a good friend. When Midoriya stopped shuddering, the Dweller of Darkness decided to exit the room. He closed the door and was about to leave when a thought stopped him.
If Midoriya was here, weeping his eyes out, something really bad must've happened. Especially if he decided to come to his room, where he could be alone, instead of going to a teacher, like All Might, or one of his friends, like Uraraka or Iida. Midoriya cried often and in the open. This was different.
So, that's how he came to the decision to stand guard outside his friend's door and make sure no one disturbed him.
A few minutes later, All Might, Midoriya's mother, and a very tired looking Aizawa drew near the young teen.
"Step aside, Tokoyami," Aizawa said in his monotone voice.
"No," The teen folded his arms. Aizawa studied him.
"Please," Midoriya-san spoke. "He's suicidal. We need to check on him,"
Something inside him told Tokoyami there was more to the story than that, but he was still concerned. "Dark Shadow," He called forth his familiar. "Check on Midoriya,"
"On it!" Dark Shadow slipped under the door and the four humans waited with bated breath. When Dark Shadow reemerged from the room, he casually said, "He's sleeping,"
"Then I'm going back to class," Aizawa turned around, heading for the stairs. "Tokoyami, have Dark Shadow keep an eye on him. I'll have your classmates take notes for you,"
"Yes, Sir,"
All Might and Midoriya's mom stayed with him for a few hours, trying to get him to open the door and let them pass, before going to get Aizawa again.
Shouta was in the middle of a lecture when they burst into his classroom demanding he let them bother the boy. He knew it probably didn't look good to leave a teen in charge of a potentially suicidal student, but the way Tokoyami was standing told the pro hero that something more was going on. Also, he didn't believe Midoriya was suicidal. The kid didn't exhibit the behaviors of one who wished to end their own life. But some people are better at hiding it than others. Having Tokoyami stand guard wasn't just to keep the parents at bay.
If only Shouta had thought of a way to keep them out of his classroom.
"He won't let us see him!" Midoriya-san exclaimed as she burst through the door. "Please, Aizawa-san, let me see my son!"
"Is he dying?" Shouta droned.
"No, but-!"
"Is he dead?"
"No!"
"So he's still sleeping?"
"Yes, but-"
"Let him sleep," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "The longer the Problem Child is unconscious the longer I go without a headache." And with that, Aizawa closed the door on his colleague and the worried mother and turned back to his class to continue teaching. Some of his students looked like they wanted to ask questions, but one show of his quirk had them all silent.
When classes ended Aizawa went straight to the 1A dorms with his class was trailing behind him. He'd already told them to stay in the common area and that Midoriya would come down later. Surprisingly, no one tried to argue with him.
"Iida. Yaoyorozu." He turned to the Class Representative and Deputy. "I'm going to check on Midoriya and send Tokoyami down here. Share your notes from class with him. I need to talk to Midoriya for a bit, so he'll join you later,"
"Yes, Sir!" Iida said, always eager to help his classmates with schoolwork.
"We'll do our best," Yaoyorozu smiled confidently. Shouta would never admit to being proud of her newfound confidence after her exam. Because he wasn't.
(He was.)
He climbed the stairs to the second floor and groaned inwardly when he saw the former #1 Hero and the Problem Child's mom pestering the student guarding Midoriya's room. Adopted mom, he mentally corrected himself. He'd heard the full story from Midnight in between classes. Or, rather, he heard Inko's story. He still needed to hear the teen's account.
Midoriya-san was muttering something and wringing her hands. All Might was pacing back and forth. At first glance, Tokoyami looked bored, but Shouta could see his eye twitch and his hands clenching his folded arms. Parents, Shouta thought with a frown. There was always at least one student with a mom or dad or both who thought they knew what was best for their kid. More often than not, they were totally wrong.
"Tokoyami," The three figures turned to look at him. "How's he doing?"
The teen called his familiar back to him for a status report.
"He's starting to wake up," Dark Shadow told them.
"Okay," Shouta nodded. This was perfect. "Please escort All Might and Midoriya-san down to the common area. Iida and Yaoyorozu are there with their class notes for you to go over. I want to have a word with Midoriya alone,"
"Yes, Sir," The hero-in-training replied, having no trouble guiding the two adults towards the elevator. As soon as they were out of sight, the pro hero took a deep breath and knocked twice on the door before slowly entering. The first thing he noticed about the room was that the former number one's smiling face was everywhere. It was unnerving. Shouta forced himself to focus on his student and ignore the creepy feeling the room's decorations gave him.
Midoriya was kneeling on his bed, his head down so his teacher couldn't see his eyes. His body tremored slightly and the man could hear him taking slightly ragged breaths.
"Problem Child," He said. The boy made no indication he heard him. Shouta sighed and grabbed the desk chair, bringing it to the side of his student's bed. "Midoriya," he tried again. Green eyes met his dark grey.
"Care to tell me what's going on?"
The teens' eyes narrowed. "Didn't they tell you already?" he spat out.
"They told me their version of the story," Shouta shrugged. "I want to hear yours,"
Midnights' version of the events was that Midoriya had found out Inko wasn't his biological mom, had a mental breakdown, and went to the roof to end his life. The Problem Child studied him for a moment. The pro hero resisted an urge to shiver under the kids' intense, analytical stare.
Midoriya lowered his head again.
"I wasn't going to jump," The statement was said with confidence, but it also sounded resigned, like he knew his teacher wouldn't believe him. Shouta loved being underestimated.
"Okay. What were you doing up there?"
His student's eyes shot back up to him in disbelief. "You believe me?" He asked, incredulously.
"Should I not?"
"No! I mean, yes! I mean-" Shouta held a hand up to stop the ramble before it could start.
"Just tell me what you were doing,"
Midoriya nodded and sat down. "Okay. Um, when I was six, I was playing in my mom's room and found a small box in her closet. It had a bunch of papers in it and I-I know I shouldn't have looked, but I did and found my birth certificate and adoption papers."
"That must've been a shock," Shouta commented. The teen nodded again.
"It was," he agreed. "To be honest, when I first found out I felt..." he paused for a second, searching for the right word. "Betrayed? I mean, when I was four and I didn't get my quirk Mom took me to the doctor the see what was going on, but she only told him about her and Dad's quirks. She didn't even mention anyone else! I would've understood if she had me stay in the waiting room while she talked to the doctor about it, but-" a frustrated sound escaped Midoriya's mouth as his scarred right hand flew to his head, tangling itself in his dark curls and tugging on the roots. With a disapproving frown, Shouta reached forward and grasped the offending limb, effectively stopping the action.
"Don't do that," he chided. "What she did then was wrong. Not just because she lied to you, but because by lying to that doctor about who your parents were, she could've put your life in danger. Especially since there could be a hereditary condition that the medical professionals wouldn't know to be wary of." Shouta waited until he was sure the boy wouldn't start hurting himself again before letting go of his arm and retracting his hand. "Why didn't you ask her about the adoption papers when you found them?" Midoriya shrugged.
"I decided it would be best to wait for her to bring it up herself. I thought she had a reason for not telling me. But I-" his shoulder's sagged. "You know me, sensei. I don't like not knowing things. Give me a puzzle and I won't be able to rest until I've solved it." Shouta nodded. Midoriya wasn't one to just let things go (his fight against Todoroki in the sports festival proved that). "When I turned eight I got tired of waiting and did a little digging to find them myself. I found out that they died in a car crash when I was about a year old. A drunk driver ran a red light and T-boned their car..." he paused again. Aizawa waited patiently for him to continue. "Turns out, my real mom-er, uh, I mean, biological mom-had a wind quirk. It was nothing like Inasa's quirk though. His is way more powerful. But she really liked being high up. She'd go on hikes up tall mountains and skydive and she flew airplanes and..." His voice faded, a look of sadness overtaking his features. "Today would've been her birthday. every year I like to go climb to the highest point I can to feel close to her,"
When he finished, Midoriya eyed his teacher warily, probably waiting for him to roll his eyes and say something about how that was illogical and he shouldn't waste his time on things like that.
Shouta really loved proving people wrong.
"You feel like you can finally relax up there," It wasn't a question, but a fact. Shouta felt the same way when he watched the clouds. "As if, for that moment, the world is okay and you can let yourself stop thinking and just be,"
The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Aizawa could see his student was thinking hard about something and waited for the reveal of whatever it was. He was prepared for anything.
Except for a hug.
Shouta was shocked when the teen launched himself into his arms and it took several seconds for him to even register what had happened, but once he did he wasted no time in returning the embrace. He felt the teen shaking in his arms and realized Midoriya was crying.
"Midoriya?" He said, not bothering to mask the concern in his voice. His Problem Child didn't respond. "Izuku?"
"She said she was gonna remove me from school!" Izuku exclaimed, his voice muffled by the fabric of Shouta's shirt.
Oh. That's not good.
Shouta was supposed to make all his kids into great heroes. If his Problem Child was removed, he might not be able to help him. And Problem Child needed a lot of help. "Do you want to talk to her about it?"
"Yeah," Izuku released his teacher and moved back onto his bed. "But I don't know if she'll listen,"
"I'll tell her to listen," Shouta stood and turned to leave.
"Wait!" A hand grabbed his arm. The pro hero turned around. The teen was standing now, holding onto his teacher with his scarred hand. His eyes were filled with tears. "Please... stay with me?"
There was no way Aizawa would ever admit what happened next.
But watching cat videos with his Problem Child snuggled against his chest was a good way to spend his time.