The question if he wanted to take up the heroes offer was not hard to answer for the teenager.
Of course he wanted to go with him! He would be dumb if he didn’t!
They split up to get outside and decided to meet at the main entrance.
Izuku thought over thoroughly when he passed a storage room if he really should take something with him but in end he couldn’t stop himself.
His backpack was stuffed full with drugs after that stop and even if he felt kind of sorry he was sure he needed the money he could make if the hero didn’t want to take up with him any longer or another reason forced him back onto the streets.
The remaining way through the hospital went uneventful and it was almost hilarious that he crossed the paths of seven different police officers and each of them even noticed him.
But he wouldn’t mourn over that, the easier the better.
In front of the gigantourmus building he kept an eye out for the hero but he couldn’t see him immediately and the panic rose in him, that Tensei Iida left him for good and that he never wanted to take him in first place.
“Hey. We can go now.”
The raven haired man glanced at the blade that hooverd only some centimeters away from his junglar with his hands up in a sign of surrender and chuckled nervously.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to lean not to scare you.”, he offered.
After a short moment filled with shock Izuku closed his knife and put it into his sleeve.
“This could’ve ended in a disaster.”,
growled the boy into the direction of the adult.
“If I wouldn’t’ve waited for you you would’ve been really happy that we’re in front of a hospital!”
The taller one waved it off and started moving, putting a distance between them and the hospital.
“I’m fine. And you’re away from the streets and out of danger.
Now come.”
They went their way to the estate of the Iida-family side by side in utter silence.
“How are you going to explain that you brought someone like me with you?”, questioned the emerald eyed boy after more or less twenty minutes of quiet walking.
“My family knows me well. This won't be the first time that someone lives with us until they’ve gained some foodhold in their lives. I helped some people with this method.”, explained the hero but it only made his companion look to the side with a bitter expression on his face.
“There’s no way to help me.”, grumbled the smaller one annoyed and made the ravenette perk up.
“Why’s that?”
“I’m quirkless. I’ve missed out eleven months of school and I’ve got a crime-file as thick as my hand.”,
the boy counted at his fingers and continued ruthlessly,
“Unfortunately I’ve been born without a quirk. I’m deformed and disabled. I'm mentally unstable. Did I mention my quirklessness?”
Anger and sarcasm dripped from his voice like poison and his face was pulled into an unsightly mask of disdain and disgust.
“I know the statistics, Ingenium!
36% of the global quirkless population commit suicide in the age from twelve to seventeen.
In the age from eighteen to twentyfive 64% attempt suicide, but only 27% actually die.
On the other hand, only 1,5% of the quirkless population are able to survive until they are thirty.
91% of the people diagnosed with quirklessness die before their 28th birthday.
More or less 0.7% are actually able to start some kind of charrier after graduating.
And how. Should I. Accomplish something?!”
The hero blinked impressed.
“How did you remember all these numbers?”
“That’s not my point!”
“I know the statistics, though I can’t recite them out of my head.
I think they are the prove that something needs to change.
Than you can be the first quirkless person with an remarkable charrier that dies from age.”, decided the hero in an optimistic tone.
“Pft.”, was the only comment from toe one eyed who looked away annoyed.
“You’re a child and an airhead!”
“Thanks. That would be two good characteristics.”
Izuku breathed in with a hiss and rubbed his temples.
To be alone with this “cool” hero was going to cost him a goddamn lot of nerves.
“We’re almost there.”, exclaimed the older one happily and made the boy inspect his surroundings.
The remaining, green eye became as big as a plate as Izuku took in all of the villas and fancy gardens.
“Your family is rich enough to live here?”, mumbled the boy with the fluffy hair unbelievingly.
“Jup. I hope you’re okay with that.”
“If you’re okay with it.”, was the fast answer.
“Why should I?”, he shoot back but Izuku was already expecting it.
“I might need one night to rob the half of the neighbourhood and nobody would know it was me or would even miss something.”, stated the emerald eyed kid with a shrug.
“It’s almost tempting to try but I think it would be better to leave it be. Only a few people in this area are not heroes.”
The greenette sighted sadly and shook his head.
Would have been too good to be true to get so much money easily.
Silently they crossed a rather plain looking garden before stopping at the door of a humble mansion.
Izuku felt his nervosity rising within him and he started to seesaw on the balls of his feet - his fight or flight instincts activating themselves and readying him to dash away to get him to safety, shouldn’t he be welcomed.
His chance to actually get away was as good as none-existent but the heroes wouldn’t expect him and would have to start moving first.
And he had his knife, he could throw it. Nope! Bad idea!
Should he really need to, he could take someone hostage.
But it was ass-o'clock in the morning, the sun only started rising so there was no one.
Yet again, he had a variety of drugs and the syringes in his backpack. He could use them to put the heroes out of commission if the need should arise.
And -
His companion opened the door and stepped inside.
“I’m home!”, he hollered into the house and indeed there was a indistinguishable answer to hear.
Who was awake at this ungodly hours?
“Come in, Midoriya-Kun. I’m going to introduce you to my family and show you the guest-room.”
Scared he stared into the corridor.
He should go inside there? Just like that? When was the last time he had been inside a real house? He did not even know how to act! And what if they threw him out on the streets again?
Tensei listened to the mumbling of Midoriya with a frown.
Izukus habit of speaking to himself was partly convenient because it allowed one to almost look into the head of the boy but the thoughts of the one-eyed street kid were negative, dark, cunning and wary.
He was pretty sure that his family would welcome the boy with open arms and not chase him away with torches and pitchforks but the first possibility didn’t seem to exist in the world of the teenager.
He somehow needed to make the greenette to understand that not everybody was out to hurt him.
“Why aren’t you eating with us, brother? We wait for - … who is this?”
That may be a way, too.
Smiling the man turned towards his little brother, Tenya, and introduced the greenette with the wild hair behind him.
“That’s Izuku Midoriya. He’s going to live with us for a while.”
The boy with the glasses examined the one-eyed kid, that squirmed beneath the watchful orbs of the brothers like a fish on a hook in clear uneasiness, interested.
“Hello.”, he mumbled and bowed to greet the other teenager.
Did he do the right thing?
He really didn’t know.
The other boy watched him a while longer before he adjusted his glasses which made them reflect the morning sun for a short sekond.
The movements of Ingeniums little brother were robotic, wide and choppy.
The blue eyes behind the glasses seemed to be cold and estimating.
The looks didn’t really match the image of a child of his age, was Izukus thought, but he really wasn’t the one to speak or judge.
Because he had the face of an old soldier who served over the years at different fronts.
“Hello.”,
that ripped the greenette out of his mind,
“I am Tenya Iida. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Midoriya-Kun.”
Scepticaly he watched the other boy who bowed in his direction like an mechanic puppet.
“The pleasure is mine… Iida… Kun...”, he tried the words on his tongue and it seemed to be the right thing because Tensei smiled and nodded encouraging.
“Would you like to stay for breakfast, Midoriya-Kun? It’s more than likely that there’s food for one more person.”, offered the younger brother while the older kicked off his shoes.
The greenette looked away feeling overwhelmed and trying to escape the situation.
He was frightened that he was going to make a fool of himself and he really did not want to go into this house.
The thought to enter closed rooms - claimed territory, not an neutral zone like he was used to - where he couldn’t flee whilst being surrounded by strangers didn’t sit well with him.
“Uhm… Y-ya know, your bros ide was nice and I’d really like to take it up - truly! - b-but I think I should go now. I don’t want to intrude and… ah… I - I actually have plans, ya know? Yeah. I’ve gotta do somethin’ really ‘portant to do.
It was a rather crazy idea - a good one! But - but still crazy. I - I really gotta go! Ähm… so… bye! And thanks.”
The whole monologue rushed out of the greenettes mouth in a record-worth time before he took a deep breath while he turned around and lifted a foot to run away.
He really didn't think about a hero who called with a smik in his voice:
“I’m not sure what you’d have to do, Midoriya-Kun. It’s not like you have a real choice.”
This sentences were the cause of the following two reactions.
Tenya asked himself since he saw the boy with the green hair how him and his brother knew each other.
Their guest with the eyepatch, the scarred face and the pitchblack eyebags looked shady and threatening even if he acted like the complete opposite.
Somehow it was reasonable that their (guest) was mixed up in some seedy stuff and most likely he wasn’t the best contact either.
Yet his brother thought that this person wasn’t a wholly lost case.
Tenya decided that he wanted to try to help.
Izuku on the other hand turned on his heel and set his foot down again whilst he glared at the adult angrily.
He thought that there was some kind of hidden catch but he really didn’t think about being forced to stay.
“I don’t think-”
“Stay for breakfast at least. There is surely more than enough food so you won’t be a burden at all.
And you can still leave after that.”, interrupted the younger brother and made Izuku blink.
In the end the greenette sighted i defeat and let his shoulders drop.
This was going to be embarrassing.
In hope to find a bit of support he hugged himself with one arm and stared at the ground as he whispered: “I don’t wanna go in there, I’m scared of the house.”
Tensei didn’t know what to do, this kind of information was overwhelming but his brother reacted fast and discovered a solution for the problem.
“It’s not scary.
But if you don’t want to go inside it would be no problem to let you sit in the garden next to the dining room so that I can fetch you something to eat.
I’m sure you’re hungry.”
That sounded like a sound compromise and it was true, he was indeed really hungry and had no clue when he ate something proper the last time.
He nodded hesitantly which made the spectacle wearer hop into the bigger shoes of his brother to waddle over to him and show the way to the garden.
“Thanks.”, murmured the one-eyed kid and fiddled with the hem of his hoodie whilst he followed the other boy to a glass wall which showed a modern dining room and an equally impressive kitchen.
The table was already set and an older couple sat there just as Tensei settled on his own chair and explained the situation:
“I brought someone over so that they can live with us for a while.
He looks roughed-up and his history is rather unsettling but that’s the reason why I want him to gain footing again.
He’s as old as Tenya and he deserved better than that ”
The woman, who had bluish black hair just as hair husband smiled and looked at her oldest son lovingly over the rims of her round glasses.
She exchanged a short glance with her husband which showed that they were having one of those silent parents-conversations where both parties were able to discuss and consider everything in the span of mere seconds.
“Of course he can stay.”, said the father in the end and nodded.
“Where is he, dearie?”, asked the mother and looked in the floor behind her son but couldn’t the room was empty.
Tenya nudged Izukus side and made the greenette stumble some steps forward before he managed to squeal with a voice that was at least two octaves to high: “I-I’m here! It’s nice to meet you!” and bowed so deep that he was standing in a perfect 90° angle in front of the window-wall with tightly shut eyes.
Miss Iida examined the boy with the grey hoodie and black sweatpants. His red shoes stood out noticeably and she came to the conclusion that he really looked unkempt.
But only after the boy rose to stand upright she understood what her son meant when he said “roughed-up”.
Two ugly, big scars crossed beneath a black eyepatch and seemingly covered the most of the right face half of the boy. There were some more small bruises and scars in his face although they were easy to overlook/ignore thanks to the big ones.
His right hand was crooked and covered in marks as well and he favoured his right leg almost impalpable which prompted the thought that he was hurt there, too.
His cheekbones were way too visible to look healthy and his functioning, green eye glowed in the contrast to the black eyebag beneath it.
His oversized, baggy, patched-up clothes hid his starving state but hung loosely from his frame and sold out it’s own lie.
It was a gruesome sight because this child looked more like it was dead rather than alive.
She forced an encouraging smile onto her face and looked at their generously laid table where left-overs were programmed and she knew there were some things that would be thrown away after breakfast.
“Come in and sit with us, little one. Eat something. You look like a stiff breeze is all that’s needed to knock you over.”
The greenette started to bob on his feet and murmured something to himself.
She leaned in his direction to catch some of his words but it was too quiet.
Irritated she looked over to her husband - he just shrugged and shook his head.
“He’d like to eat outside, Mum.”, explained Tenya with a serious look on his face and shot her a glance that showed that he wanted a family-discussion as soon as possible.
“He’d be able to see what’s on the table from here and I’ll just fetch him whatever he asks for.”
She nodded.
“I’ll get the extra dishware.”
“I’ll brew the tea.”, offered Tensei.
The father sighted: “Then I’m going to search the small table and one of the garden pillows.”
“I know where they are, father.”, claimed Tenya.
“Please. No inconvenience because of me. I have my own cup. I don’t want to bother anyone more than necessary.”, attempted Izuku to stop the decisions of the family; unsuccessfully.
With a sight he sat down crosslegged as the family vanished into their house.
He was pretty sure that they actually needed time alone to think and talk about the given situation.
He almost hoped that they came to the conclusion to send him away after eating with them.
But only almost.