Izuku is quiet at dinner, he’s always quiet, but something tells Hizashi this is different. He’s been happy to regale them with stories of his friends, still a little wide-eyed about having friends. Tonight he’s quiet, lost in thought.
He keeps glancing between them and opening his mouth before ducking his head down and staring lethargically at his food.
He isn’t eating much either. An unusual development in someone still so grateful about every meal he gets.
Did something happen? Hizashi hasn’t gotten any indication there was trouble with his friends, but he also hasn’t met either of them yet. Maybe he’s having trouble at school? There’s plenty of time for it, and Hizashi knows well enough that even the most attentive teacher can’t see everything that goes on.
Not to mention the trouble that could arise with his quirklessness, they left it up to him to tell and made it clear the school wasn’t to interfere with whatever he decided. Remembering the stark terror on his face at the idea, Hizashi doesn’t think he did.
Maybe someone figured it out and he’s being bullied. Hizashi hopes not, that would not be a good development.
He can only speculate until Izuku actually tells them what’s wrong.
“Izu, are you doing alright?”
He startles and opens and closes his mouth.
“I-” he pauses and shakes his head. “I’m a-alright Yamada-san.”
He doesn’t look alright but Hizashi nods and lets it be.
He’s silent the rest of the night, deep in thought, and goes to bed quietly.
-
Shouta isn’t sure how to handle this. They had hoped that after yesterday Izuku would open up again but, watching him pick at his food, shifty and deep in thought, it’s clear this isn’t as simple as they’d hoped.
“Um, is, is Yamada-san b-busy today?”
“Yeah, he’ll be back late.” Shouta gentles his voice as best he can. “Did you want to talk to him?”
Izuku presses his lips together in a line and glances uncertainly back at him before tearing his gaze away.
“It’s n-not important.”
Shouta doesn’t think that’s true at all but doesn’t comment. It wouldn’t help. He fights back a sigh, it wouldn’t do any good to make Izuku think he’s annoyed with him.
“You can tell us if there’s something bothering you, we just want to help.”
Izuku looks a little panicked but manages to whisper, “It’s nothing.”
Shouta nods and lets it go.
He tracks down Tuna after dinner and plops her down in Izuku’s lap. It gets him a small smile and Izuku spends the rest of the evening on the couch absently petting her before going to bed.
-
Izuku looks no better the next day. Hizashi isn’t sure what to do, he’s tried and Shouta’s tried but it’s hard to know how hard to push. How much will guarantee he clams up and doesn’t tell them anything.
He’s glancing up even more than before and eating even less. He’s chewing on his lip and Hizashi just wants him to tell them what’s wrong.
Dinner is awkward despite all his best attempts and he’s resigning himself to another failure when Izuku, nervous as can be, quietly asks to talk to them.
Hizashi is equal parts terrified and ecstatic! His mind has been churning with horrible possibilities for two days now, but he can help if he just knows what’s wrong.
He sits on the couch with Shouta, careful to give Izuku plenty of space.
They wait as Izuku twists his fingers painfully and mumbles to himself too low for Hizashi to pick up. He breathes in and out, visibly trying to calm himself down.
“Um, I-I, we-” He looks helplessly at them and makes a frustrated noise.
“Iwannabeahero,” Izuku rushes out all at once and then gasps, eyes wide and pulls his legs up onto the couch and hides his face behind his knees.
That… is not what Hizashi was expecting. He almost sighs in relief that it isn’t any of his nightmare scenarios before remembering that Izuku is definitely waiting for an answer and is definitely scared of their reaction.
He glances at Shouta, equally lost and caught off guard.
Slowly, he gets up and kneels in front of Izuku. He can hear quiet mumbling from the ball of child in front of him, self soothing murmurs of trust that they won’t hurt him.
“Hey, Izu, can you look at me?” Hopefully the shortened name helps alleviate his panic. Izuku’s face shoots up and his expression is a mess of desperate hope and preemptive disappointment.
“We’re not mad, I promise.” Best to get that out of the way first. Izuku shifts his eyes to Shouta for a moment, studying both of them for signs of deception before slumping slightly. “What brought this on?”
“I-I, we w-were, it’s-it’s, we h-have to, s-say what w-we want to d-do when we gr-grow up.”
“In school?”
He nods breathlessly, “I-I lied, on th-the form b-but I-I wanted to-” He looks back and forth between them, so fragile and vulnerable. Hizashi is certain that if they chose, they could break him and his hidden dreams in this moment.
“You wanted us to know?”
“Y-yeah, I’ve al-always wanted to h-help p-people even, even th-though I-I’m q-quirkless.” He finishes with a whisper.
Hizashi can see Shouta shift over to sit next to him in his periphery but keeps his attention focused on Izuku.
“That’s a wonderful dream Izuku.”
“I-I want to pr-prove that I c-can do it, I-I’m n-not useless.” He nearly spits the last word, more venom than he usually allows himself. “I-I don’t w-want other k-kids to gr-grow up th-thinking it’s im-impossible.”
Hizashi and Shouta just listen, Izuku seems to scramble for understanding. “I-I know it, it’s h-hard and I-I d-don’t have a q-quirk but I want to try.”
There’s fire in his eyes, Hizashi can see it. Behind the little trembles and desperation that they see and understand. This is a child who could make it happen, perhaps he won’t, perhaps he will, but the potential is there.
This is a dream not chosen lightly.
Shouta shifts and grabs Izuku’s attention.
“That is easily one of the hardest paths you could choose to walk.” Izuku nods, steeling himself for however Shouta continues. “But, ‘Zashi and I will support you in it. Whether or not you succeed. Whether or not you change your mind.”
“It was our choice to be your guardians,” Hizashi wants to say parents, he wants to express just how permanent they want this to be, but now is not the time for that. “Part of that is helping you become the best person you can be, and if part of that is becoming a hero, Shouta and I will do our best to help make that happen.”
“You’ll h-help m-me?”
“Absolutely, you don’t need to do this alone.”
"Oh," his eyes are wide and shiny, it's clear he was expecting the worst. "Thank you."
Shouta pulls him into his side and Hizashi moves so he can join them on Izuku's other side. They're quiet the rest of the night, each caught up in their own thoughts.