Work Text:
Aizawa was jumping from rooftop to rooftop heading home after a rather grueling night. The patrol itself wasn't that much different from normal with a couple of muggers, drug dealers, and some recognizance for a couple of the cases he was on. What had been so exhausting was the fact his hellspawn had already started a kitchen fire while making dinner so he wasn’t able to get in a nap before patrol.
He really shouldn’t be all that surprised that it had already happened. His hellspawn were just unique that way.
Aizawa was pulled from his thoughts when his phone buzzed from his utility belt. He frowned as he pulled it out, crouching on a roof before glancing to see who was calling.
Tsukauchi.
The detective knew he was getting off at this time. The man tried not to call him at the end of his shift, the hero knew, especially when it was a school night. They didn’t need a repeat of the time he woke up to a loud noise in his classroom thinking he was out on patrol due to lack of sleep.
“Eraserhead,” came his monotone voice after he answered.
“Apologies for the call at the end of your shift. You should come down to the station. There is a case that you need to look at,” came Tsukauchi’s blunt reply.
Aizawa was always grateful when the detective got right to the point of why he called. At this point in their working relationship, pleasantries were not needed.
“I’ll be there in 10,” came his gruff reply, already standing up and turning to face the direction of the station.
“Coffee will be hot and waiting.”
The line went dead after that. Aizawa smirked slightly, sending off a quick text to Hizashi that he was heading to the station for a case and will let him know when he leaves. Phone tucked away, he shot off with his capture weapon towards the station.
↢↣↢↣↢↣
Aizawa chugged down the first coffee that sat on the detective's desk before picking up the second one. It was an unspoken rule between the two that Aizawa needed at least one coffee in him before starting anything.
The hero finally nodded to the detective, sitting up some to look over this case that called him away from bed with his husband. The man behind the desk pushed a rather thick file over toward the ravenette, a frown not having left his features.
Aizawa flipped open the file, quickly scanning over the police report. Dread filled him as he continued to read, a frown spreading across his features as well.
A 12-year-old boy jumped off a building, getting saved by another underground hero before he could hit the ground. Reason why? Bullying at school due to being quirkless. Having to move to a hospital further away from where the boy lives due to discrimination once the hospital staff found out. Injuries and scarring months, possibly years old, on the child.
Aizawa was angry as he read over the file before looking up at Tsukauchi. “As pissed off as this makes me, I don’t see why I need to be here. You seem to have plenty of information-”
The brunette cut off the hero. “What is the name of the school he goes to?” he asked, nodding back toward the paper.
The hero glared at the man for interrupting but looked down to find the information that was asked.
Aldera Junior High.
He knew that name. Where did he know that name from… He quickly flipped past the police report to see screenshots of security footage, the back labeled with the time stamp, date, what law was being broken, and known names of those involved - both victim and bully.
Aizawa quickly saw how teachers were nearby in many of these fights but did nothing about it. Just allowed children to use quirks on each other.
The Eraser Hero was furious.
He continued to look through, seeing as how the boy who had caused this investigation was not the only one getting bullied. Several other students were involved as the date moved further and further back.
New names kept being added to the back of pages until familiar heads of dark green curls and blond spikes appeared in a screenshot.
It suddenly clicked where Aizawa knew the name of the school. This is where his two main problem children had gone.
Midoriya and Bakugou.
Aizawa glanced up at Tsukauchi for a moment, the man nodding with a grim expression on his face, pushing another folder towards the hero that was slightly less thick than the one he was looking through.
The hero started looking through the new folder and felt his stomach clench at what he saw in the screenshots.
Midoriya had been bullied harshly by other students, while teachers turned a blind eye or blatantly watched on without doing anything.
Most of the papers in the folder were screenshots of incidents that dated back all three years the greenette had been at Aldera Junior High.
Aizawa could not fathom why Midoriya would be so harshly treated. He flipped back to the beginning of the file, looking over the information the school had on his problem child before stopping, gaze fixed on the listed quirk status.
Quirkless.
But how… The greenette had one of the strongest quirks Aizawa had ever seen. He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
“You’re telling me that my number one problem child was bullied for at least three years due to being quirkless by my number two problem child,” the hero groaned out.
“I’m afraid so, Eraser,” the detective sighed.
“When the fuck did he get his quirk?” Aizawa huffed, sitting up and downing the rest of his coffee in just two gulps.
“I want to ask him questions about what happened to him while there. The more information the prosecution has, the better the outcome of the case.”
Aizawa nodded, scrubbing his face with a hand with a sigh. “I’ll talk to him first to ask him if he is willing. Fucking dammit. How did I miss this?”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Eraser. Their first year was hell right from the beginning,” Tsukauchi said with a sad smile. “Let me know if he agrees. And the sooner the better. We need to shut that place down ASAP.”
The ravenette nodded and stood up, heading out the door. He grunted in response to the detective's good night as he headed back home to finally get into bed. There was no way in hell he was sleeping, but the comfort of Hizashi was desperately needed.
↢↣↢↣↢↣
Aizawa spent the next few days thinking back on the previous year and watching Midoriya closely.
With the information he had gotten about the Greenette’s Junior High years, the first year made significantly more sense. How Midoriya could not seem to control his quirk. The timidness the teen had around his classmates, especially Bakugou. The jumpiness the teen had when it came to loud noises he wasn’t expecting or how when people snuck up behind him, he would jump out of his skin. How it seemed he muttered when not just excited. Nervous tick perhaps? The greenette would definitely wring his hands and stutter when nervous.
Bakugou’s reaction to seeing the shorter teen use his quirk for the first time during the quirk assessment test. The fact that Bakugou had called Midoriya ‘Deku’ the first day as well. How the blond seemed to beat down the other teen constantly. Comments about being better were almost a daily occurrence during the first several weeks. Then there was the ground beta fight. Afterward, some of the tension between the two lessened.
Aizawa was brought back to the present as the students moved into the classroom. He kept an eye on Midoriya, watching how he now seemed to tease Bakugou along with the self-proclaimed Bakusquad instead of being nervous like previously. He also noted how the greenette tensed when Uraraka called him Deku, whereas Bakugou had stopped before winter break.
There was a good chance that Midoriya had not come up with that name, now that he thought about how the teen had grown up.
The hero continued to watch the greenette for the rest of the day before finally calling out for him to stay once the final bell rang. Concerned glances were thrown the teen's way but none of the other students stuck around too long.
Once the two were alone, Midoriya moved towards the teacher's desk, wringing his hands nervously. “W-we’re sorry, s-sensei, it was an a-accident, we didn’t mean to set f-fire to M-mic sensei’s h-hair-”
Aizawa quickly cut off the stuttering teen with a glare. “That is not what I need to speak to you about,” though that was now added to his mental list to look into later.
These hellspawn would be the death of him. And apparently his husband’s hair.
Midoriya’s eyes widened slightly, biting his lip, and nodding slowly.
“I was totally joking…” he laughed, which the older man could tell by the grimace the teen didn’t believe the sound either. “Nothing happened, sensei.”
The hero sighed and relaxed his expression back to its usual bored, blank face. “Grab your stuff, problem child. We are going to my office for privacy.”
The teen nodded, quickly grabbing his stuff at his desk before following. The walk to the hero’s office was just a few minutes and the two easily settled on either side of the desk.
“This is an ongoing case file that I am about to show you. I need you to keep this quiet,” Aizawa explained as he placed a folder in front of the teen.
Midoriya nodded quickly, face turning serious as he took the folder and opened it. He was quiet as read over the police report, a frown spreading across his features. It took a few moments before the teen's eyes blew wide, most likely reading the school name or that the 12-year-old had been quirkless.
Aizawa watched in silence as the greenette went pale as he read more. He opened his mouth a few times to possibly speak but quickly closed it again. The teen's gaze went unfocused after he finished reading the police report, staring through the paper. He started to tremble, curling in on himself.
Midoriya slowly looked up, eyes looking glassy as tears filled them. “Is… Is this really Aldera?” he asked, voice sounding so small and timid.
Aizawa nodded. “The police were able to seize video evidence of the bullying,” he paused, taking a deep breath and leaning forward some. “They- I also know you were one of the victims. That you were quirkless.”
The greenette somehow paled further and his trembling grew worse. His gaze grew distant, tears pouring down his face.
Suddenly, the teen's breathing grew rapid and gasping. Aizawa quickly moved out of his chair to stand beside him. “Deep breaths, Midoriya. It’s all right,” he said calmly, placing a hand on the teen's upper back.
Midoriya flinched slightly at the contact but otherwise didn’t pull away.
Aizawa rubbed gentle circles into the greenette’s shoulder as he counted his breaths out loud. “Come on, kid. Breathe with me. In, one two three. Out, one two three four. You’re alright. You’re safe.”
The hero repeated the words like a mantra, crouching down next to the teen’s chair so he didn’t feel boxed in by Aizawa’s towering frame.
It took several minutes for Midoriya to even attempt the breathing exercises and several more minutes for him to calm down.
“S-sorry…” the greenette muttered between hiccups and sniffles.
“There is nothing for you to apologize for, kid. I should have been more cautious about possibly triggering you,” Aizawa said softly, voice lacking the usual intensity that he was known for. He reached across his desk to grab a box of tissues, handing them to the teen.
He let the teen calm down a few more moments before carefully standing up, groaning when his knees popped. He gently ruffled the kid's hair before moving over to his couch at the side of the room, motioning for the kid to join him.
Midoriya moved to the couch, curling up on the other end from the hero, staring down at his knees.
Aizawa was quiet for a long moment, just watching the boy before speaking. “If you are up to it, I have some questions. At any point, we can be done and continue this later. You also can pass on answering any questions. No hard feelings, and you will absolutely not be in trouble with what you decide,” he explained quietly.
Midoriya glanced at him, eyes red-rimmed and face splotchy from the crying. He seemed to hesitate a moment before slowly nodding. “I-I’ll a-answer some q-questions…”
Aizawa nodded back, relaxing on the couch to try to convey that this was just a casual conversation and not an interrogation. “Would you be willing to talk to the police about what happened?”
The teen nodded, biting his lip as he continued to stare at his knees. “Only… only if Kacchan doesn’t get any serious repercussions.”
The hero raised an eyebrow at that statement. “Do you feel safe around Bakugou?” he asked. He had noted the change since last year but it was important to know for sure.
Midoriya nodded quickly, making eye contact with the older man. “Yes. Kacchan has apologized for what happened. He is working on bettering himself. He has gotten better,” he stated firmly, gaze intense and face serious.
Aizawa nodded again, letting out a breath. “Are you willing to answer questions right now with just me right now? Or would you rather do this only once with Detective Tsukauchi?”
The greenette took a moment to answer before nodding, shifting on the couch to face the older man better. “I’m w-willing to answer q-questions with you a-and later with T-Tuskauchi.”
Aizawa took a deep breath, turning to face the teen. This is where the questions started to get hard. He hoped the teen would still pass on a question if he needed. “Had the bullying been going on for longer than just Junior High?” He was sticking to easier questions, wanting to ease into the harder ones.
He just got a nod in response.
“Have you ended up with scars from the bullying?” he then asked. His heart clenched as he saw tears once again falling down the kid's cheeks.
Another nod.
Aizawa took a deep breath, catching the viridian eyes before asking his next question. “Has anything ever been sexual in nature?”
Midoriya shook his head no. “N-no. N-never anyth-thing s-sexual.”
The hero let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding, body relaxing slightly. “Were your teachers ever a part of the bullying?”
The greenette bit his lip, clearly thinking over his words before finally speaking. “T-they were n-never p-physical. They w-would turn a b-blind eye or s-sometimes egg the b-bullies on by l-loudly asking i-if I c-cheated on a t-test. T-they d-didn’t think a-a q-q-qirkless c-could get s-such good g-grades.”
The teen had struggled over the word ‘quirkless’ and clearly thinking about how he had been treated caused more tears to pour down his cheeks.
Aizawa slowly reached over toward the teen, keeping his movement slow and clearly visible. He placed a hand on top of the kid’s shoulder, giving a firm squeeze. “You are one of my smartest students, Midoriya. They never should have done that,” he said with the seriousness he used in the classroom.
The teen shuddered and nodded, trying to wipe away the tears but to no avail. They continued at a steady rate.
The hero waited a few moments for the greenette to calm down, rubbing gentle circles on his shoulder. Once the teen was no longer shaking he asked his next question. “Do you feel safe at home?”
Midoriya immediately gave a nod, eyes widening and his hand coming up as if to wave away the implications. “Y-yes! M-mom is the b-best even t-though she w-works a l-lot. W-we t-text nightly s-since I m-moved into the d-dorms. W-we call e-every w-weekend to c-catch up. A-and when I-I go on b-break she w-works less so we c-can spend t-time together,” he quickly explained, eyes wide and frantic as if begging to be believed.
Aizawa nodded before he spoke. “That’s good to hear, kid. Now, is anyone bullying you right now anywhere?” he asked as he continued to gaze into the viridian irises.
The greenette shook his head no. “Kacchan was r-really the l-last one to b-bully me. A-and he’s g-gotten b-better! S-so n-no other b-bullies…” he trailed off, shifting slightly uncomfortably.
The hero nodded, glad to hear that no one was messing with the kid anymore. He took a deep breath as he prepared for this next question, hoping the teen trusted him enough to answer.
“Midoriya, the school file listed you quirkless. When did you get your quirk?” he asked slowly, keeping a sharp eye out for any panic.
Midoriya seemed to have a sudden shift in his demeanor, eyes flicking around the room as he curled up on himself.
Aizawa frowned at the sudden change but kept quiet for the moment, keeping his critical gaze on the teen. Why was he suddenly so nervous? The ravenette was quiet for a long moment before speaking again. “You can skip the question if you want,” he reminded gently.
Biting his lip, the teen glanced at him before scanning the room again. Finally, he seemed to deflate, looking resigned.
“You may as well know, sensei. Since you already know that I was quirkless,” he sighed, keeping his gaze on the floor. “It first showed up during the entrance exam practical…”
Aizawa's eyes widened fractionally with this information. The entrance exam? That would mean… The first time this kid ever used his quirk was taking down the zero-pointer. God what a first activation. The kid had broken three limbs . Midoriya only had his quirk for a month before UA and the quirk assessment test. This explained his lack of control at the beginning of the previous year.
He took a deep breath, smoothing his expression back into his well-known board. He started to speak however the teen beat him to it.
“T-there is a-another s-secret… W-well m-more of an e-explanation a-about m-my quirk t-though t-that’s not e-exactly a secrete, j-just no one a-asks w-when I-I’d g-got my q-quirk since t-they assume I-I got it y-young, b-but I h-have a-avoided questions o-on early q-quirk a-accidents since I d-didn’t have any-”
Aizawa gently placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder to cut him off. “Breathe, kid. If you want to tell me that’s fine. Just take a moment to gather your thoughts first.”
Midoriya nodded, taking some deep breaths as he seemed to gather his thoughts. After several long moments, he started to speak.
“The quirk I have, I didn’t manifest it. It was given to me by someone else.” The greenette spoke without a stutter and with a very serious expression.
Aizawa didn’t know what expression he was making but he was sure it showed his shock of that statement. A quirk that could be passed on…? That wasn’t possible. However, All for One was able to give and take quirks. So why is that outlandish that a quirk could be passed down?
“I got this quirk from All Might. It's able to be passed down to other people so long as the current holder is willing. He chose me to be the next symbol of peace. I am the 9th holder of this quirk. The quirk’s true name is One for all. Yes, it is related to all for one before you ask.”
The hero was speechless as Midoriya explained how the two quirks were brothers and how All for One had gone after his brother once the man had escaped. Then proceeded to chase after all the next holders.
Aizawa was extremely relieved that All for One was dead. The fact that All Might had given a quirk with a mortal enemy attached to it to a child? He was furious.
“And when he gave me the quirk, All Might thought All for One was dead. So until Kamino, we assumed it was fine…”
“...Problem child, how did you meet All Might? When did you meet All Might?” The ravenette asked with an exasperated sigh, deciding to deal with the impromptu history lesson another day.
Midoriya went quiet, wringing his hands once. “W-well… D-do you r-remember on the n-news how a s-sludge villian a-attacked Kacchan a-about 10 m-months before o-our entrance exam?”
The hero nodded, remembering Hizashi telling him about it since it caused an uproar with All Might being in the Musutafu.
“I-I a-actually was a-attacked before that… A-all Might s-saved me a-and well I w-was really excited to m-meet him s-so I e-ended up g-grabbing his l-leg just b-before he j-jumped a-away, then w-was holding on f-for dear l-life, t-that had been scary especially when he tried to kick me off while we were still in the air, but anyway, we ended up on the roof of a building and I just had to ask him, had to ask him if I could be a hero without a quirk, which he said no and that really hurt, he also unintentionally showed me his small-might form which had been a complete and utter shock but also not when you think about how he had been doing less hero work in the last several years, and then he showed me his wound which honestly I don't know how he doesn’t get sick from it, but anyway he then left me on the roof and afterward I heard Kacchan’s explosions which I know really well from growing up together and him using it on me, so I rushed to see what was going on ‘cause they sounded bigger than what was usually at school plus the fact as I got closer that smoke was coming from the area which was coming from fires that were started from Kacchan’s quirk while he was trying to get away from the sludge villian that had just gotten me which I didn’t understand how that could be possible since All Might was supposed to have them but realized he put the villian in his pants pocket which is the leg I grabbed so it was totally my fault for this attack and the heros weren’t doing anything to help with other than to try and put out the fires so suddenly I’m running forward and throwing my backpack at the villian which hits them in the eye and allows Kacchan to breathe since he hadn’t been able to and seemed to be passing out since his quirk was slowing down, anyway I tried to get him out and it just wasn’t working and I ended up stuck but then All Might showed up and saved the day which everyone was super excited about since he’s All Might and to see one of his fights in person was just amazing, so then the heroes started telling Kacchan he was so brave and strong for surviving while telling me I shouldn’t have done anything even though Kacchan was dying and they weren’t doing anything about it which made me upset and I left crying and finally was heading home when suddenly All Might was in front of me and he said he wanted to give me his quirk and be the next symbol of peace since I inspired him at the sludge villain attack,” Midoriya finally gasped for air, panting slightly due to the amount of talking he had done.
Aizawa was reeling with how much this kid had just said and trying to process everything he heard. He was almost certain that if that speech had been transcribed into text, well, it wouldn’t have a single fucking period. He also noted how fairly early on the kid wasn’t stuttering anymore.
It took several long moments to fully grasp what to even say to this information.
“So, to summarize, All Might saved you from an attack, did not take you to a hospital or call to tell anyone that you were a part of an attack. Skipping past the idiotic jump, he crushed your dreams of being a quirkless hero. He then proceeded to leave you on the roof of a building, after having just crushed your dreams,” Aizawa paused and got a slow nod.
“You then, Problem Child, ended up at a villain attack where you thought you should interfere with zero training, no plan, and a backpack as your weapon which led to you doubling the hostages.”
Another slow, shameful nod.
“And after the fight, you were berated on how you handled it despite being the only one to try to save Bakugou’s life. Meanwhile, he was praised for how strong he was.
“Once you were finally heading home after having your dreams crushed simply for being quirkless, All Might found you - by most likely stalking you, might I add - in order to offer his quirk to you.”
“T-that about s-sums it up s-sensei,” Midoriya muttered softly, bottom lip caught between his teeth while his eyes stayed glued to the floor.
Aizawa took a deep breath to push down the rage he felt towards the previous Number One hero. The more he learned about the man, the more he wanted to strangle him with his capture weapon.
“So what happened between the villain attack and the entrance exam?” The hero sighed, honestly dreading the answer to this question.
“A-All Might had m-me cleanup Takoba B-beach for t-training before he w-would give m-me his q-quirk. It w-was so m-my limbs w-wouldn’t e-explode,” Midoriya explained, not looking at the older man.
Aizawa groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands at this information. “I’m assuming he didn’t give you any safety gear so that you wouldn’t possibly get some disease if something cut you?”
The greenette shook his head no in reply.
“Did you see him regularly while ‘training’?”
A nod in reply, green curls bouncing.
The hero pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath so as not to lash out in anger. How could Yagi not see the bullying having gone on the entire time he was training the teen? Not even thinking about the method of training the man claimed would be useful.
He must not have been hiding his anger as well as he thought because Midoriya spoke up.
“Sensei, t-try not to be t-too hard on A-all Might. I h-hid the b-bullying well f-from him. T-there is a l-lot that s-someone can hide b-behind a smile. Y-you didn’t k-know u-until this c-case…” the teen spoke with a sad smile on his face.
Aizawa sighed heavily, a large part of his anger slipping away. He had missed the signs of bullying right in front of him. “You’re right, Midoriya. And I am so sorry that you grow through all of this. No one , especially children should go through what you have all your life,” he stated with a sincerity that he hardly ever showed his student.
Midoriya had tears spilling down his cheeks again, mouth opening and closing a few times as if trying to figure out what to say in response.
The ravenette just opened his arms for the kid who only hesitated a moment before launching himself into the hero’s arms.
“None of this information I have found out and you have told me changes anything, Midoriya. You are still my Problem Child.”
Those words seemed to break the kid as he started to sob into the hero’s shoulder, clinging onto the black jumper.
Aizawa rubbed soothing circles into the greenette’s back, whispering “It’s alright”, “Let it out, kid” and “I’m not going anywhere”.
The man was determined to make the school pay and to help his Problem Child no longer need to hide behind his sunshine smile.