The car ride was the most horrible experience Izuku had ever been forced into. It was worse than fighting on rooftops. It was worse than Kacchan's explosions. It was worse than a year ago.
Ok well. Maybe not worse than that. But it was still pretty bad.
Present Mic kept trying to make conversation. Izuku knew he wasn't trying to do any harm, but it was just weird. Izuku only answered yes or no questions after giving his address. Present Mic made a face when he realized where that was.
Izuku knew he had lived in a bad neighborhood, but it hurt to see that. He had friends there, friends worth protecting. Like they ever needed it, though. Living there forced you to learn how to protect yourself, willingly or otherwise.
When they got to the apartment complex, Present Mic grabbed two bags from Izuku to lessen his struggle.
Izuku's heart wouldn't stop pounding as they got closer to their destination. He hoped and prayed to every god he could think of that the landlord hadn't changed the locks yet. He could just hide out in the apartment for a few minutes and then head in the other direction. Towards Hosu. Away from the apartment, away from Present Mic and other heroes.
The gods did not seem to be on his side that day. When Izuku tried to put in his key, it wouldn't budge. He pushed harder. It wouldn't give. He sighed, shoulders dropping. He left the key halfway in the hole and looked over his shoulder.
"Funny story," he said. "The locks were changed."
"Do your parents change the locks often?" Present Mic asked, looking around the hallway. "This isn't the safest place, can't blame them."
"No, I've been evicted." There, just ripped it off like a bandaid.
The hero looked even more confused. "Are your parents out looking for a new place? I can drop you off with them."
Izuku blinked. How dense could a hero be? "I don't have parents."
It took a while, but it eventually registered. "Oh! Oh. Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's whatever." Izuku shrugged. "Now if I can have my bags, I'll just go to the homeless shelter."
A hand caught his elbow as he tried to move passed. "Wait a sec, Little Listener. I think I can help you."
Izuku really shouldn't be trusting a stranger, Pro Hero or not. But he sighed and let the man lead him back to his car. Once he was buckled in, he let his head rest on the window.
The drive to wherever Izuku was being taken was a lot longer than the drive to the apartment. They passed by houses, parks, stores. They even passed U.A. Izuku stared at the building until it physically hurt his neck to strain it.
It turned out that Present Mic actually lived about a five minute walk away from campus. Which, that was to be expected considering he taught there.
They pulled into a driveway of a pretty nice house. It wasn't too big, like some heroes tended to have. But it clearly had room for two people. If Izuku were to guess, there were at least three floors.
Present Mic snapped him out of his thoughts by grabbing his bags out of his lap and exiting the vehicle. Izuku followed suit.
"Where are we?" Izuku asked.
Present Mic seemed startled, as if Izuku should know. Then he slightly shook his head and grinned. "My house!"
"I think this is kidnapping."
Present Mic unlocked the front door. "Is it kidnapping if you have no legal guardian?" He kicked the door open. "Shouta! I'm back!"
Upon hearing the loud voice, two soft meows came down the hall. Izuku gasped when two cats appeared. One was clearly still a kitten, with black spots on short, white fur. The other one, the older one, had long, orange fur.
The kitten immediately went to work, sniffing Izuku and running around his legs.
Present Mic chuckled. "That's Blizzard," he said. "That's Truffles." He motioned to the orange cat that seemed to want nothing to do with the stranger.
"I'm sure Fluffy is around here somewhere." Present Mic took off his shoes and entered the house. "Probably with Shouta in bed."
Izuku stayed in the doorway, not wanting to bring his dirty shoes on the carpet. He couldn't take them off without sitting down and there wasn't a chair nearby. Present Mic, sensing his dilemma, assured him that as long as he didn't go farther than the couch, it was fine.
Footsteps could be heard making their way down the hallway the cats came from. Izuku was too busy petting Blizzard on the couch to register the noise. He did look up when a familiar voice spoke. "Hizashi. What is this?"
Izuku's eyes started at the bottom. The man had on grey sweatpants and a white tank top. A hairless cat rested on his shoulders, black hair cascading over its back. Izuku froze when he got to the man's face. Similar scruff, similar blood-shot eyes, similar dead expression.
Present Mic grinned and bounced over to Eraserhead, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I found something."
Izuku's brain short circuited. Not only was he in the presence of two Pro Heroes, not only was one of them Eraserhead, but the two were married ? Or at least dating. Izuku spared a quick glance at Present Mic's hand. Nope, they were married.
"Let me explain," Present Mic said, dragging Eraserhead down the hall by the hand. Their voices grew quiet.
Izuku stared at the empty hallway for a while, before deciding to rest on the couch. He wasn't going passed the couch, so it was fine. Immediately after he sat down, Blizzard jumped up and demanded pets.
Izuku smiled and stroked the kitten's back. He-she? He didn't know and wasn't about to violate a cat. The kitten meowed and bumped its head against Izuku's arm. While the animal continued its assault, Izuku couldn't help but think about the current situation.
He really shouldn't be here. It would have been fine if it was just Present Mic, but Eraserhead as well? If he was found out, he was screwed. He wasn't even sure how long he'd be staying if they accepted. He could be thrown out in a few days or a few weeks.
He should just leave while he had the chance.
He picked up Blizzard and set it on the floor. Blizzard whined as Izuku stood up and made his way over to the front door. If he was quiet enough, they wouldn't-
"What are you doing?"
Izuku spun around. His leg protested. "I don't want to intrude."
Eraserhead had his arms crossed. Present Mic was smiling, but when he saw Izuku at the door it turned into a frown.
"Sit down, Problem Child," Eraserhead said. Izuku wanted to argue, but the stern look on the man's face made him listen. He sat back on the couch. "How long did the doctor say?" He gestured to Izuku's cast.
"Six weeks," the boy answered.
"Then you'll have six weeks to find a place."
Izuku sat up straight, staring at the two heroes with wide eyes. "You don't have to, really. I can just go to the homeless shelter." Of course that was a lie. He'd rather die than go there.
"Nope!" Present Mic exclaimed. "You're staying here." He bounded forward and grabbed two of Izuku's bags.
Izuku looked at Eraserhead, almost begging to let him go. The man shook his head and waved a hand towards the hallway that Present Mic walked down. The kid sighed and stood up, following after the voice hero.
The room he found him in was small. The bed was pushed up against the wall, right under the window. There was a small desk on the left side of the bed, but no chair.
Present Mic had placed his bags on the bed, and had just re-entered the room carrying hangers. "I'm not sure how many clothes you had," he said, dumping the items onto the bed, "but hopefully this is enough."
Izuku glanced at the hangers, and instantly saw that there were too many. He had only been able to take a few shirts and pants with him, most of the room in the bag had to go to his Kumo outfit.
As he hung up his clothes, one of the cats wandered into the room. Fluffy made themself comfortable on Izuku's nearly empty bag. He found it pretty ironic how the hairless cat was named Fluffy, but he guessed that was the point.
Izuku eyed his other bags. He'd leave the one filled with food alone. He figured if they did end up changing their minds, he'd just grab his bags and go.
His stomach rumbled. Izuku hung up the last shirt and figured he'd take everything else out later. As best he could, he balanced Fluffy in one arm while the other held onto his crutch. He exited the bedroom and entered the hallway.
When he entered the living room, Present Mic was nowhere to be seen. Eraserhead was laying on his back on the couch, eyes closed with Blizzard and Truffles crowding around him. Blizzard plopped down on Eraserhead's face, earning a grunt from the man. Truffles just decided to lay on his stomach.
He must have heard Izuku's crutch as he approached, because one eye popped open. Izuku set Fluffy down on the arm of the couch.
"I, uh," Izuku stammered, "I was wondering if I could grab something from the kitchen. I haven't eaten yet."
Eraserhead closed his eye and threw an arm over the back of the couch, waving his hand. "Kitchen's over there."
As he turned to head to the kitchen, Present Mic walked down the flight of stairs Izuku somehow completely missed. He was in his hero costume. "Shouta," he said, walking over to his husband. He gently nudged the bottom of the couch, causing all the cats to scatter. "Be nice to our guest." He looked at Izuku. "You don't have to ask to use the kitchen."
Izuku waddled into the kitchen and began searching through the cabinets and fridge. If he was going to live there for nearly two months, he should probably know where everything is.
He looked through the fridge. He pulled out a clear container filled with what appeared to be left over rice. He hoped nobody was planning on using it, because he was in the mood for fried rice.
He let the fridge close behind him as he set the container down and searched for a pan. Present Mic walked into the kitchen as Izuku turned the stove on. The man snatched an apple from the fridge.
"We'll have to go over your schooling when I get back," he said, pausing to watch Izuku move around the kitchen.
Izuku poked his head out of the fridge. "That's okay, Present Mic," he said, "I do online school."
Present Mic nodded. "Call me Yamada when I'm not in costume. Same goes for Shouta- er, Aizawa. Anyway, I'll see you both after patrol, Little Listener." Present- Yamada ruffled Izuku's hair and left the kitchen.
Izuku went back to making his fried rice. He quickly chopped up vegetables, occasionally stirring the rice in the pan so it didn't stick or burn. He had decided to use up all of the leftover rice as there wasn't much left. Maybe enough for seconds if it were stretched.
When the rice was done, he turned off the stove and made his way over to where the plates were kept. Much to his dismay, the plates were a bit too high up for him. He sighed and attempted to reach it. The tips of his fingers brushed against it.
He was straining his right foot. He nearly grabbed it when another hand beat him to it. Eras- Aizawa set the plate in front of Izuku and moved around him to get to the coffee maker. He refilled his mug as Izuku piled on some of the rice onto his plate.
Izuku glanced at Aizawa from the corner of his eye. The man lifted a brow as he sipped his coffee. "You can have some if you want," Izuku mumbled, gesturing to the food and feeling uncharacteristically shy.
Izuku shuffled out of the kitchen and took a seat at the kitchen table after grabbing a spoon. He would much rather retreat to his new room, but he wasn't sure if that was allowed. And Aizawa looked dead on his feet even after his coffee, and Izuku knew how irritable one could get without sleep.
The two ate in an uncomfortable silence; Izuku at the table, and Aizawa opting to stay in the kitchen. Aizawa leaned against the counter as he spooned bites into his mouth. Izuku avoided all eye contact with the man.
He knew it was ridiculous that Aizawa would put Izuku and Kumo together. He never said anything about himself, not his name, not his home life, not even his age. Aizawa probably figured some things out, but never said what.
Aizawa was the first one to finish. He set his dishes in the sink and walked out of the kitchen. He paused, glancing down at Izuku. "Not bad, kid," he said before walking up the stairs.
If Izuku had a small smile on his face the rest of the day, well. That was nobody's business.