Chapter Text
Nezu watches the timid, green haired boy who was sitting settled in the corner. The room had a layer of dirt on the wooden floor with half dead furniture scattered around the room. All the other kids, ages varying between 4 and 14, were huddled together for warmth. The room had an air of sadness and regret. The child seemed like he wanted to say something, but wouldn’t? Couldn’t. The rat approached him slowly, so as not to alarm him, before setting down. “Greetings. I am Principal Nezu of U.A academy, I’m here on a visit to local orphanages.”
Those green eyes stared at him before beginning to blabber, quietly. Like he was afraid to be hit. “You have High Specs, which enhances your intellectual abilities so you can live li-” The boy cut himself off with a quick smack to his mouth, ducking his head and wrapping his arms around himself.
He smiled in response, (probably out of politeness, no one smiles at Izuku…) and nodded slowly. “That’s correct. What else do you know of me? Do not worry about offending me. I am a rat, I have been called many insults.”
“W-well...you run U.A, the school that has the highest success rates for aspiring heroes. You don’t specialise in support, but there are a few that have made it big from your courses. And you have a reputation of being terrifying. I think that might be biased though, most people don’t like what they don’t understand…” The timid boy slowly began loosening up, unwrapping his arms from around himself and fiddling with his hands, brushing his fingers together, recalling his knowledge from years of articles and his own experiences. “You...you don’t hate humanity, from what I can tell, but you don’t love it either. It hurt you and broke you and left you behind and you had to build yourself up by yourself…”
“Not too dissimilar from you.” Nezu finally spoke up. “Though, I am surprised you know all this, considering you’re not even a teenager.”
The boy curled back up quickly at that, hiding his face. “34 days as an orphan. I think I’m fitting in, but we’ll probably die before we can age out. No one else here seems to have made it past their 16th.”
“I can’t have that happen to the human who may be able to take over the world with me!” Nezu declared loudly. He asked Izuku his name before standing and storming his small frame to the counter. “I want to adopt Midoriya Izuku.”
Izuku Midoriya(/Aizawa legally) couldn’t move, staring at the gates of his new home (attached to U.A for convenience). He swallowed a particularly large lump, possibly the size of an apple from how it choked him, as Nezu pulled him gently forward. “No need to be afraid! My home is not very big, but it’s definitely big enough for two rats!”
“R-rats?”
“Well, you are my rat pup now, Izuku!” That was true, wasn’t it? His mother really had gone and now...well, maybe he should thank her tonight. He would definitely cry again.
The hall was lined with artistic paintings in varying styles and the floor was plush from the carpet. Every wall was painted grey or red. A few tables with pots of flowers and books were scattered around both floors, though there were definitely more on the ground floor.
“I’ll prepare dinner, you can get settled into your room. You may take a shower or bath and I’ll call when it’s ready! You don’t have any allergies, do you?”
“N-no, not that I know of..” Izuku muttered, looking around the room. It felt too big for him, too luxurious. And the walls were bare, nothing like home where he’d had posters covering every inch of the paint job they’d done together. His new room was awfully plain, just a bed and side table, both with black wood. The bedsheets were a soft baby blue to match the white walls. Baby blue curtains hung from above the windows, held to the side with rope to let light into the empty room. There were no paintings, no posters, no desk or bookshelf.
Izuku sighed and set down his bag on the bed, heading straight for the shower. A week's worth of grime wasn’t very comfortable, especially with the untreated burn marks and cuts littering his skin. He shuddered slightly as the hot water hit his back, grabbing some soap and shampoo before he was left alone with his thoughts. Again.
He was quick to dress himself once done, before setting his bag down on the floor and sitting on the bed. He didn’t unpack, not yet. It’d make it real.
The meal was quiet, apart from the occasional slurping sound of noodles and Nezu hoped he didn’t see anything when Izuku pulled his sleeves down to cover his arms, but he knew he had. “Izuku, I’ve made a doctors appointment for you tomorrow. I do hope that’s okay.”
Nezu chose to timetable a conversation about his previous school life later. “I shall be tutoring you! A great mind needs another to grow!”
Izuku shot his head up, staring at Nezu. “You shouldn’t do that! I’m sure you have more important things to do! And you’d be bored all the time!”
“I think it’ll be just fine, little rat.” Nezu held up the teapot. “Tea?”
-
“Dear mum,
I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, that I couldn’t save you. It was my own fault. If I hadn’t ran after All Might, if I had been stronger, if I’d been born with a quirk. Maybe you would still be here.
It’s selfish. You don’t deserve to come back just to look after a worthless deku like me, but you saved me so many times. I want you to come back and tell me everything’s okay, everything will be fine, that I’m not alone.
I met Principal Nezu and he seems nice but I can’t help but feel it’s all a trick. Like he’s going to throw me aside and leave me alone in a ditch. Just like Kacchan did.
I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.
I’m sorry I lied to you.
I’m sorry.”
Izuku finally fell asleep, tears rolling down his cheeks and hands over his mouth. All his dreams were nightmares.
--
Izuku never liked doctors. Or he did, before he turned four and they took his entire life away. He flinched as they took some blood for testing and shook as they assessed his injuries, staring at the skeleton poster on the wall. They always cut off the picture before the feet, ‘to avoid discrimination’. He’d tried to distract himself with facts, muttering away. “About 250 to 275 bones for my age. Bones can support a ton on their own. There are three types of circulatory systems. Babies are born with around 300 bones.” Nezu would say he was surprised, but he wasn’t. He’d chosen Izuku for a reason after all.
“He has a few minor burns and cuts. I’ll prescribe some cream for the burns but the cuts can be dealt with with any normal antiseptic cream and plaster.” Nezu nodded, keeping his calm exterior as his worried interior dissipated. “That’s good. We shall be taking our leave then.” He was sipping tea. When did he get a teacup? “Have a nice day, doctor.” The rat and the pup left together, staying close as they head home.
“Were those from the fire?” Izuku tensed and pressed his lips together, looking out the window of the car as he nodded slightly. “A month and the orphanage didn’t get you medical help?”
“Didn’t wanna waste it on a quirkless deku.” He muttered as reply, curling in on himself a bit. Nezu didn’t like it. How dare someone not treat the injured just because they were born with an extra toe joint?! He was going to sue and then demonize them socially!! “What would you like for dinner? We don’t have much else to do today so I prepared some tests for you, so I know your intelligence level. And after working hard, you’ll surely be hungry.”
Izuku got to pick dinner? He hadn’t picked dinner since.. “Katsudon would be nice...but you don’t have to.”
“Katsudon it is!”
--
“Nezu, Eraser expelled all his students again!” Hizashi (Present Mic) burst in, a hand on his head and mid sigh. As much as he loved his husband, he could be an ass sometimes.
“No potential.” Eraserhead simply shrugged. He was logical, and letting students believe in themselves only to be told after years of hard work that they didn’t have what it took? Illogical.
“I cannot do anything about that, mic. You know this. Besides, he’ll be able to help me now!” Nezu gestured to a terrified Izuku, staring at the two pros and visibly shaking. “.did..did you kidnap a kid, Nezu?..” Aizawa couldn’t help but ask.
“Of course not! I adopted him legally. Although, I did have to use your name for that, as I don’t have one. This is Izuku, he’s very smart, if his test results are anything to go by. Especially in the analytical field!”
The Aizawa’s both blinked slowly for a minute before Mic slowly side-waddled out as Eraser slammed his hands on the table. “There cannot be two Nezus!! The world barely survives with just one!”
“Aw, Eraserhead. Don’t spoil my fun.” Nezu set down his teacup and moved over to Izuku. “Also, you’re scaring him.”
Aizawa hadn’t even considered how the kid felt, being torn from his home to live with this madrat. He moved his hands off the table and rubbed his temples. “I apologise. But Nezu, you cannot raise a child.”
“Then you raise him. He already has your last name. And he hasn’t properly moved in yet.”
“We can’t just adopt. We’re two pros who both work multiple jobs.”
“Then he stays with me. But you’re more than welcome to baby sit when I’m busy or if you want to reconsider. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re mid dinner.”
Aizawa groaned quietly, running a hand through his hair as his eyebags seemed to grow darker. “I’m taking all your leftovers.” He declared as he walked out the room, closing the door behind him.
“Was that really?..” Izuku couldn’t tear his eyes away from the door.
“Yes, those were the Aizawas, Shota and Hizashi. Otherwise known as EraserHead and Present Mic.”
“Their quirks are so cool! And Present mic has some of the best support gear! The mic in his headset lets him control his voice without hurting himself! And Eraserhead can erase quirks! That’s what makes him so good at underground work and-” Izuku covered his mouth and sat from where he’d stood in excitement. “Sorry..habit..”
“I don’t mind at all, little rat. If anything, I find it intriguing. Perhaps we can get you some video or live footage of them both and you can help them improve. You do have a knack for analysation after all.”
“Really?”
“I do not lie unless it’s for my own amusement.”
Reassuring…