Wolf in the night | KamiDeku/DekuKami |

40

Izuku goes home with his adults, tired, but happy. He didn't do much fighting, sadly, but he got his and MeiMei's babies out into the world! So he might not have gotten to do some hand-to-hand combat, but he got to take a field test and that's even better, in his opinion. Now, he just has to work out his newest commission from Dabi and figure out what the fuck the League of Villains is planning.

If HandJob fucks with Aizawa's class again Izuku swears he's going to go feral and Hanjob might have sixteen less hands, and yes, he is including all fourteen of those god awful preserved hands.

"What are you thinking about Little Listener?" Hizashi asks from the passenger seat of the car.

Izuku doesn't remember how or when they got to the car, but here they are, so he's not going to think too much about it. Instead, he hums noncommittally in response to Hizashi's question.

"Hey when can I go out again?" Izuku asks, aiming the question at Shouta. Hizashi looks confused before his face lights up in remembrance. And then the blonde's face falls to worry and concern and Izuku...well, he doesn't hate it, but he doesn't like the feeling it gives him either.

"I don't know Little Listener. I think, maybe you shouldn'tー"

"I'll talk to Tsukauchi about it. Don't go out on your own." Shouta interrupts.

"Whaー" Hizashi squawks. "Shou!"

"We'll talk about it later, Zashi." Shouta says, tilting his chin down into his capture weapon.

Izuku observes their interactions the rest of the car ride, not really understanding. He's never been able to see healthy romantic relationships. Inko and Hisashi were always yelling at each other and then Hisashi left and Inko started drinking and sleeping with other men. Or women. She may have been quirkest and a fucking bitch, but she wasn't homophobic.

One point to her, he supposes.

But Hizashi and Shouta's relationship confuses him. Hizashi and Shouta are soft with each other, but they're also rough around the edges. Shouta's blunt and logical to the point where emotions don't really play a role in his decision making ( at least according to Izuku and what he's seen so far ). Hizashi is emotional and boisterous. He's loud yet quiet. He's soft yet dangerous. He's everything and nothing and his existence confuses Izuku.

With Shouta, Izuku at least knows that the man only shows his soft sides to those he truly, truly cares about and does not let his emotions control his actions. Hizashi is not like Shouta. Hizashi uses logic but allows his emotions to put in ideas and suggestions. The two men, for all that they are different and should not be compatible, are. And Izuku sees it. He knows it.

Hisashi and Inko were compatible while Izuku was any age younger than four. Hisashi and Inko were together and soft and kind and everything parents should be. Hisashi and Inko were nothing like Shouta and Hisashi. Hisashi and Inko would get into loud fights before Hisashi left and Hisashi would usually slap Inko before leaving the apartment. Inko would cry then turn on Izuku if the young boy had the unfortunate luck to be seen by her.

Izuku's only seen Hizashi and Shouta get into one argument and it wasn't about Izuku. Or, well, he doesn't think it was about him, but that's not the point right now. Hizashi and Shouta argue like an old married couple. Which Izuku supposes they are, but they're young. They've not even been married for a decade yet. Hizashi and Shouta don't yell when they're mad. They don't hit each other when they're frustrated. Hizashi and Shouta talk about the reason they're mad in calm voices. Hizashi and Shouta talk about the situation and try to find how to fix it. Hizashi will get a little emotional and Shouta will look like he feels guilty, but they don't escalate. Izuku's never seen they get physical and he's never been on the receiving end of their ire.

So yes, Izuku's confused. Because he's really only known Hisashi and Inko's relationship and he learned how to navigate their relationship while Hisashi was still in the home and then navigate his own relationship with Inko ( which usually led to him staying out of her sight if she was not drunk enough to be stumbling through the apartment ). Now he has to learn how to navigate Hizashi and Shouta's and learn what not to do and what to do so they don't get mad at him.

Aki-san was different. She was kind and Izuku had to get to know her, but it was only her and MeiMei in the house. There was no other parent around for Izuku to have to dissect and analyze how to interact with her. Aki-san was kind and she never got mad. She got disappointed with how he would choose to go back to his apartment and she'd get disappointed with how much he'd forget to take care of himself. She got excited and relieved when he moved in with them after the Entrance Exam. Aki-san was like...well, he doesn't know what she was actually like, but he has to think that if he asked anyone on the internet, they'd say she was like a mother.

No. Nope. Not going to think about that thought. Mother figures and Izuku don't mix.

Aki-san's more of a big sister. Yeah. Yeah, that's good. Big sister.

Izuku decides he's not going to think about it anymore. His brain hurts and he wants to sleep. The apartment is only another five minutes away, but sleep is sleep.

Izuku closes his eyes and allows sleep to overtake him.

Shouta takes a glance into the rearview mirror to see Izuku sleeping. Izuku's expression looks pinched, like he's worried about something even in his sleep. It's worrying, but they're almost home, so maybe the kid's just tired from the day's events.

"So, why'd you tell the Little Listener that he might be able to go on patrols again?" Hizashi asks as Shouta pulls into the parking garage.

Shouta hums, thinking about his words carefully as he unbuckles Izuku and lifts him onto his hip and resting the teen's head in the junction of his neck and shoulder. Similar to how a parent would a toddler. Parent. Huh. Shouta supposes he is Izuku's parent now. If the kid would have him.

"Well, going on patrols seems to be something he uses to relax him. He's obviously stressed about something given the situation earlier today, and if he can't go on patrols anymore, I think that would cause him to pull back. He hasn't really had a strong parental figure in his life to dictate what he can and can't do and Aki-san ー Hatsume Mei's mom ー very obviously didn't know about his...less than legal activities." He explains as they head inside the building and to the elevator.

"And plus, he's with me, so I don't think he'd get too injured. He never really used his quirk so he can't be arrested. I just have to see how long his probation period is. We never really talked about it with him, but he still physically assaulted people. Sure they were criminals and villains, but it's still illegal. Thankfully Tsukauchi was able to testify for a probation period should he be under the watch of a hero."

"So...you're worried about his emotional state? That if we don't let him have the option of controlling some aspects of his life, he'll pull away from us?" Hizashi asks, contemplating.

"Yeah pretty much. He's a kid who hasn't had positive parental figures in his life in a long time, and we need to be those for him. He may seem well put together and confident, but I'm sure even you know from earlier, that that is not the case. He's cracked, a little broken, and it will take some time, but he's our and we have all the time in the world."

"Wow Shou. That was really something. I didn't expect that to come from you!" Hizashi chirped teasingly as he unlocked the apartment door. "But you're right! The Little Listener doesn't need us to constrict him. We're in this together!"

The kid stirs as Shouta sets him down on the couch and begins taking off his shoes. They'll be okay. Izuku has Shouta and Hizashi here to help him. And Shouta has Hizashi here to help Izuku.

"Hey kid. Welcome to the world of the living." Shouta greets, voice soft and smile even softer.

"Mornin'." Izuku mumbles.

Yup, they'll be okay.