Chapter Text
Izuku was shaking like a leaf in a storm. Eraser Head, Aizawa Shota, was walking toward him, ignoring All Might and All for One. For him, there was only one focus: Izuku. As a father, his child was all that mattered. As a pro hero, he had to keep his quirk active until All for One was completely restrained. Though with most of All for One’s quirks nullified, there was nothing to counteract the sedatives in his system.
All Might finally grabbed the unconscious villain, helping the other heroes load him into a specialized vehicle. A vehicle where All Might would sit, watching All for One until he was behind bars.
In the middle of all the chaos, the ghostly Izuku remained frozen. He watched as Aizawa kept advancing, now able to focus entirely on his boy. Both of them stared at each other, unable to say a word. His child, Izuku, his soon-to-be son, was standing there, trying to hold back tears, sniffling as he did.
“Problem child…”
Izuku’s lips lifted in a small smile, tears falling as he was unable to hold them back.
“Hi, Eraser.”
The pro hero was just a few steps away from his child, taking in every change since the last time he’d seen him. Izuku looked exhausted, like he could barely stand. He wasn’t wearing his sweatshirt. Oh, Eraser quickly recognized Hitoshi’s leather jacket. Mic and he had given it to him just months ago. His jeans were torn, but beyond that, his son seemed unharmed.
Eraser took a step forward, then stopped, uncertain if Izuku would let him touch him. Shota didn’t know if his heart could take seeing his child run away again.
“Izuk—”
A figure suddenly appeared between them, faster than either could react. Eraser raised his capture scarf, ready to fend off anyone who might harm his son, but froze when he saw that this person had run straight into Izuku. Izuku had made himself tangible for Shota. And now, this person was enveloping his son in their arms, crushing him to their chest.
“Can you stop giving me heart attacks?”
The person scolded him. It was… Dabi Akatani. The famous artist who had appeared on screens all over Japan. By now, everyone knew who he was. The young man dropped to his knees, still holding Izuku close, checking over every part of him.
“Did he hurt you? Are you injured?” Dabi asked, dead with worry.
Izuku felt uncomfortable, but not because Dabi was inspecting him head to toe, moving his head to examine him, checking his little brother’s pupils with a blue flame on his index finger to look for signs of a concussion. No, Izuku felt uncomfortable because Eraser was standing there, silently watching the whole interaction.
Yep, just like a cat caught with a second family. Oops.
Izuku wanted to go back and just die for real. Disappear.
“Dabs, I’m fine,” he mumbled, embarrassed.
The fire user wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug. Izuku had never seen Dabi so anxious.
“You’re grounded. Got it?” Dabi told his brother, still not letting go. “You’re not leaving the house until you finish watching all of One Piece. Got it? God, I think I’ve got, like, seven ulcers now.”
Izuku tried to laugh, but only tears poured down his face, even harder.
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry…” Izuku’s words broke into sobs.
Dabi pulled back, panicking as he watched his brother cry uncontrollably. No matter how many tears Dabi wiped with his fingertips, more just kept coming. Dabi was freaking out, not knowing what to do. Then he sensed the presence of the hero surprisingly close to the two brothers. And suddenly, there he was, beside them both, resting his hand on Izuku’s head of green curls.
“Problem child… this isn’t your fault. You hear me?”
Eraser’s fingers gently stroked Izuku’s head, somehow easing his shoulders and stopping his sobs. Dabi reluctantly moved back a little, making space for the pro hero without fully letting go of Izuku, holding his hand and squeezing it softly to reassure his little guy that Dabi was there for him.
“I’m sor—”
“Shhhh,” Aizawa hushed him, kneeling down to meet his gaze. “Everything is okay. You’re safe. Everyone’s safe.”
Izuku broke into more sobs, forcing Dabi to release him so that Izuku could wipe his tears with the back of his hand. The pro hero—no, the father—placed his hand on his son’s shoulder and gently pulled him into his chest. Izuku allowed himself to be wrapped in that warm embrace, feeling Shota’s lips press softly against the crown of his head.
Oh, Izuku’s final barrier shattered in that moment, and he began to sob, loud and clear. He buried his face into Shota’s shoulder, trying to apologize over and over until his words became incoherent, just cries and gasps. Shota rubbed Izuku’s back, tracing circles to calm him little by little. No one dared to approach the hero. The scene was so intimate that even Dabi felt like an intruder—and he would proudly tell the world that Izuku was his little brother. And for those who lacked common sense and tried to approach, Dabi’s menacing glare quickly sent them away.
“You have to… save others,” Izuku managed to say once he had calmed down a bit. There were damaged buildings around him, and it was all he could think about. About others. “You have to…”
The hero refused to release his child, holding him tighter.
“There are other heroes. They can handle it on their own,” Aizawa said, as if the logic in his words could fill the gaps left unsaid.
But it must be noted that Izuku Midoriya had never been particularly fond of logic.
“You have to save them!” the boy gasped desperately, trying to push the pro hero away.
No, the strength of a fourteen-year-old who looked even younger couldn’t budge a pro hero with years of experience. However, Aizawa granted him some space, loosening the hug but still holding onto his son’s wrists. He pulled him closer, making sure to lock their eyes.
“You’re the one I want to save, Izuku.”
Izuku gasped at those words, fighting internally to stifle another sob.
“You can’t. I’ve already told you. I’m a lost cause, Zawa!”
Faced with Izuku’s desperation, Aizawa didn’t back down. Before him was nothing but a boy who wanted—who needed—help, though the boy himself hadn’t yet realized it.
“You’re not a lost cause, Izuku,” Eraser assured him, releasing his wrists to gently lift his face. Those green eyes were so clouded by tears that Shota doubted Izuku could even see him clearly. “You’re just lost. And I found you. Please, problem child. Let me help you. Let me bring you home safe and sound.”
Izuku broke down in tears again, his chest trembling violently as sobs once more threatened to overwhelm him.
“I’m dead!” the boy shouted, desperately hoping Eraser would push him away.
But the pro hero wasn’t going to back down.
“I know.”
Izuku gasped, momentarily unable to breathe. Aizawa wiped his tears away with his thumbs.
“You… you know?” There was surprise and confusion in the ghost’s voice.
Wasn’t this the part where they would understand? Why was Aizawa still here? There was no way anyone could save Izuku. Not without giving his quirk to a supervillain who would make those he loved suffer.
“Izuku, I know. We never stopped looking for you. And we won’t stop. Come home.”
The boy’s mouth opened, then closed again, repeatedly. He seemed to be struggling to form a sentence.
“I don’t have a home.”
Dabi snorted indignantly at that response but said nothing, holding himself back from smacking his little brother upside the head. Aizawa shot Dabi a quick look with a clear message: watch out. Shota was very aware of his son’s fragile mental state, or at least, he understood the tip of the iceberg in front of him. He had to be precise, careful, or he feared this ghost would disappear in a heartbeat.
“You do have a home, Izuku. You have a home with Mic. With Hitoshi. With me.”
There was a small cough after that statement.
“And with me,” Dabi added, unable to stay silent any longer.
Izuku couldn’t respond. He could only cry silently. But beyond the sight of his completely broken child, Shota could count this as a small victory. Because Izuku was still here. Because, even if he didn’t know it, Izuku was silently crying out for help.
And Shota Aizawa was going to be the hero Izuku needed.
“I… I… can’t.”
Even if the road ahead would be hard.
“Let’s think logically,” Shota tried to reason, refusing to give up. “You can leave whenever you want. We all know that. No one can hold you. So stay. Give us a chance, Zuku. Trust us. Stay with me.”
There was no response. There was no response for several painful minutes. Izuku stood there, paralyzed, finding a thousand and one excuses to convince himself that he couldn’t stay. That he had to disappear. But before he could convince himself to vanish from there, Izuku felt a small push.
A hand placed right in the middle of his back. A push that moved him just a single step closer to Eraser. But that push was all Izuku needed for all the walls he had built up inside to crumble once again, and he collapsed into tears once more. But unlike so many other times, Izuku continued moving forward until he stumbled into Eraser’s open arms. Shota held him close, embracing him as if the fourteen-year-old in front of him were a little child. A child who had never received this kind of love, this kind of support. As if he had never been able to cry freely without feeling like a burden to others. As if his pain were nothing but a nuisance. But here was Eraser, letting him release all his sadness, despair, and fears. Sharing the weight with Izuku.
Eraser mouthed the words Thank you as he looked at Dabi. The young man shrugged, as if he hadn’t done anything more than… make his little brother see sense. There wasn’t much the two of them needed to say to each other. At least not right now. Amid all the chaos, only Izuku existed for both of them.
But for the rest of those present, many other things were happening at the same time. The number one hero was preparing to leave in the same vehicle as All for One, not without first glancing at that heartwarming scene. Who would have thought that a child he had crossed paths with so long ago would keep reappearing in his life, time and time again, in the least expected ways?
“We’re ready to go,” one of the officers reported.
All Might nodded and got into the back seat of the specialized vehicle. They were heading directly to Tartarus. Toshinori would ensure there would be no stops or complications. The only complication they’d encounter would be All for One’s death if he attempted any tricks.
But the villain was unusually calm, practically asleep. Now and then, he would regain consciousness just to mumble something unintelligible before falling asleep again.
The worst forty minutes of his life, if you asked All Might.
It was too easy, too simple. This was a villain over two hundred years old who had killed so many. And they had caught him because he had taken more pills than necessary. Something wasn’t right. Maybe it had to do with the lack of information they still had about what Izuku Midoriya had done.
All for One regained some awareness as they entered the prison. Yagi would remember that laugh for the rest of his life. That damned laugh.
“You’ve lost, All for One.”
Those words fueled the villain’s laughter.
“And not thanks to you! So many years… so many successors… and a simple twelve-year-old kid.”
Something in Toshinori’s mind reminded him that Izuku was actually sixteen, despite his appearance. But what All for One was saying… hell, All Might understood the villain’s words perfectly. So many battles, so much suffering… and this was how it was all going to end?
“Don’t make that face, All Might. It’s only a matter of time before I’m free,” the villain promised.
Oddly enough, All Might found himself more familiar with this side of All for One. This bastard wasn’t a quitter. He was a cancer to society.
“You’ll never leave these walls,” All Might assured him. He would make sure the villain could never escape.
The villain let out a self-assured laugh.
“It’s only a matter of time! Be it years or decades. I can wait,” All for One said, no longer sure if he was speaking to his rival or to someone else. “Izuku, you’ll be back. Soon you see. You belong to me. Your quirk belongs to me. You’ll beg me to take it from you.”
All Might could only shiver as the villain was escorted to the most secure area of Tartarus.
Do you know how easy it is to sneak into a cemetery at night? Shoto, Hitoshi, and Ochaco had slipped in through the front gate. They didn’t encounter a single guard. No, the three teenagers arrived with a couple of shovels, ready to dig.
“Lead the way.”
No more words were needed for Shoto to lead them through the cemetery to his brother’s grave. It was an ordinary grave with the name Touya Todoroki. Why had Izuku chosen Shoto’s brother’s grave? They would have to ask him. Once they caught him. But for now…
“Are we really going to do this?” Uraraka asked, having second thoughts.
Both teenagers glared at her.
“No, we escaped the police, crossed the country, and bought shovels for fun,” Hitoshi replied with his usual sarcasm.
Shoto looked at Hitoshi, confused.
“But aren’t we going to dig up the grave?”
Both teenagers held back from strangling the young Todoroki. Sometimes Shoto was too oblivious. But they liked him just the way he was. Or at least tolerated him.
“Yes, Shoto. We’re going to dig up the grave,” Hitoshi clarified, making it super obvious.
“Oh, good.”
There was no time for more words before Shoto thrust his shovel into the ground. The other two stared in surprise. Wow, Shoto was wild. Unstoppable. They didn’t even know why they kept getting surprised at this point.
Soon enough, both Hitoshi and Uraraka snapped out of their shock and started helping. Toshi with the shovel, and Uraraka took on the crucial role of lookout. Though, at this point, there was no one around to stop them.
“Dabi Akatani?” one of the police officers at the scene called out nervously. “You’re under arrest for vigilantism.”
Dabi raised an eyebrow, glaring at the officer, who visibly flinched.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Eraser Head was instantly on alert, moving closer as soon as he heard the commotion. Izuku was still lying on him. In fact, in the past few minutes, the ghost had fallen asleep amidst all his tears. Aizawa felt like a first-time parent with a newborn. He didn’t want anyone to wake Izuku after how hard it had been to calm him down. On the other hand, he felt as if a stray cat had finally trusted him and was using him as a bed. Yes, Eraser Head felt blessed, even if said "cat" weighed far more than any feline.
“Hey, what’s going on? You can’t arrest him,” the pro-hero intervened.
Another officer joined the first, and then another, as none of them wanted to face Eraser Head alone.
“He used his quirk. Vigilantism. It’s all over the news. We have to arrest him,” the officer insisted desperately.
Dabi sneered, laughing.
“Bunch of shit…”
Aizawa stepped between Dabi and the officer so abruptly that Izuku woke up, disoriented. He tried to move, but Aizawa held him close.
“You can’t arrest him,” ordered the pro-hero.
Izuku turned, confused, quickly taking in everything that was happening with fear.
“Dabs?”
Dabi placed a hand on Izuku’s back, where he’d pushed him earlier.
“Don’t worry, pipsqueak. I’ll be out in no time.”
Izuku began to feel anxiety rising within him as he watched the officers put handcuffs on Dabi’s wrists. Izuku struggled so much that Aizawa reluctantly let him go, though he kept a hand on the boy at all times. He still feared that Izuku would disappear.
“No, you can’t take him. It’s my fault!”
Dabi nudged his brother out of the officers' path, pushing him toward the hero, giving the man a look that only they understood. Keep Izuku away, it seemed to say. Difficult quest, but Shota would at least try.
“Zuku, I’ll be fine. For now, I want you to make me a promise. Go with Eraser Head. Behave. I’ll be back.”
The teenager began to breathe heavily again. No, they couldn’t take Dabs. He hadn’t done anything wrong. The ghost looked at the adults around him, seeking understanding, seeking help.
“I’ll make some calls,” Aizawa promised Dabi.
The fire user smirked, full of pride.
“No need. This is gonna be fun.”
And seeing that side of Dabi, Izuku froze. He didn’t know what Dabi was planning, but something told him it would be… at the very least… explosive. The officers feared for their lives as they took him away among countless cameras and flashing lights. Dabi was enjoying it, waving at the cameras as if the handcuffs were the hottest accessory of the season.
Izuku huffed.
“Bad dog.”
Aizawa didn’t want to know what Izuku meant. It was too many emotions for one night. For now, they needed to regroup, process everything that had happened.
Eraser held Izuku’s hand firmly, as if he were a six-year-old. No one asked questions. No one tried to arrest Izuku with the same charges as Dabi, because if they did, Eraser Head would tear their heads off.
The pro-hero led his boy out of there, still shaking, unable to believe he finally had Izuku with him. He was taking him home. His family would be complete.
But before they could reach home, Eraser Head spotted a restaurant that was still open. He forced Izuku to sit down at a table while he made some calls to try to get Dabi released from police custody. The last thing he needed was for Izuku to run off to try and help Dabi escape.
“Eat,” Eraser said between calls, his tone more paternal than anyone would ever believe.
“I’m not hung—”
Eraser put a piece of katsudon in his mouth. He hadn’t thought about it; it was a reflex. But there was Izuku, savoring his favorite dish. Yes, Shota enjoyed playing dirty. But it was worth it to see his boy eating katsudon as if it were his last meal on earth. Shota got up to order another serving, phone still in hand. In the middle of the calls, an incoming call appeared.
“Tell me you have Izuku,” came the voice with no greeting, no introduction. Tsukauchi had been trying to reach Eraser since he had seen glimpses of Izuku on TV.
Shota flashed a triumphant smile that, to anyone else, would be spine-chilling.
“Yeah, we’re having dinner right now,” he said with pride, checking to see that the boy was right where he left him, devouring that dish as if nothing had happened. Shota ordered more food, quickly recognizing Izuku’s need to eat. And oh, Aizawa was more than willing to provide.
“Fucking finally.”
Aizawa leaned against the counter. He was giving Izuku space while still keeping an eye on him, ensuring privacy for his conversations.
“Tell me you can get that guy, Dabi, out. I can’t lose Izuku again.”
Tsukauchi didn’t like to lie.
“It’s complicated. He was on national TV. We can’t just look the other way. I’m sorry. It’s not my part of the case,” the detective reminded him.
That wasn’t what Eraser wanted to hear.
“Then do you have anything useful to say?”
It wasn’t like Eraser had time to waste right now.
“Yes, actually. But I want you to sit down before I tell you,” the detective requested.
Oh, as if Eraser needed to sit down.
“Just tell me.”
At that, the detective finally spoke.
“I have three pieces of news. One good, two bad. How do you want me to go about it?”
Shota rolled his eyes.
“Just spit it out.”
With that, the detective wasted no more time.
“Shoto, Ochaco, and Hitoshi slipped away from Sansa,” the detective announced. “They’re safe. Mic is on his way to reprimand them.”
“Problem children…”
“But on the bright side, they’ve found the beach body. It’s under Tokyo police custody. We have the body back! We can finally do an autopsy with someone competent!”
Shota could feel the detective’s happiness. It seemed that a less-than-24-hour vacation had done him good.
“That’s wonderful. But… keep it under wraps. For Izuku. I want him to open up a bit first. I don’t want to scare him and have him disappear.”
On the other end of the line, the detective cleared his throat.
“Um… well, that’s going to be a bit tricky because the third piece of news is about Inko Midoriya.”
What the hell could be up with that woman?
“They gave the alert at Narita Airport. Inko Midoriya is back in the country,” the detective reported. “She’s detained and will be taken straight to the station.”
Never before had something Aizawa had wanted arrived at such a terrible time. Just what they needed, that woman scaring Izuku. Or worse, her reclaiming custody of him. Aizawa quickly turned to see where his boy was. But there, in the seat where his son was supposed to be, it was empty.
Aizawa panicked, hurrying over only to find Izuku lying down in the seat, completely asleep in a position that looked anything but comfortable.
Fear gave way to relief. Shota even felt slightly dizzy, needing to sit down to calm himself. Izuku. Izuku was still there. His boy was still there, and he was going to take him home.
The hero put the phone back to his ear, where a concerned Naomasa was asking if everything was alright.
“I’ll call you later. For now, I’m taking my family home.”
That was all Eraser cared about at this moment.
Taking Izuku home, safe and sound.