Izuku barely thinks through his panic as he packs. He'd barely heard something about his file and going to talk to someone before he'd silently made his way back to the room to figure out what to do. They know who he is, worse than knowing he's quirkless, they know who he is. He was stupid to give them anything, he should have left the instant he was left alone. He shouldn't have given them half a name, shouldn't have blurted his quirk status, shouldn't have come here in the first place.
He wants to cry again, he won't because all it would do is draw attention, but he wants to. He doesn't think he's cried this much in years. He thinks he used to cry a lot when he was younger, used to laugh a lot too. He has a hard time remembering better days.
Now he's attached, he can feel it. His stupid heart doesn't want to leave the cozy apartment with its regular meals and its nice adults who haven't hurt him yet and cats that don't care that he's less than and the fuzzy blanket Yamada-san bought all for him.
He's even attached to Izu, the name he gave up on the fly that was way to close to his own. He loves the way they say it, like he's a person, like he's worth something, like they care about him. It's not like Midoriya hissed like a curse in classrooms and principal's offices. It's not like Deku snickered by bullies waiting for a moment to strike. It's not like Izuku sneered by the few hateful foster parents who bothered to use it. They handle his name with care in a way no one else ever has.
He wants to stay.
Izuku can't remember ever wanting to stay. Not in his old apartment with his mother that always felt cold and lonely, not in any of the foster homes, not in his hideout carved out of the trash.
But Tsukauchi is probably a police officer, or maybe a social worker. He's going to ask questions and Izuku can't let that happen. Even if the next place he's sent is better than the Watanabe's. He's not naive enough to think Yamada-san and Aizawa-san will really keep him. They might put up with him for a few days or even weeks but Izuku would never be that lucky. He shouldn't let himself dream.
If they know who he is then he will surely track him down. He heard the Watanabes talking about all the people working for him. In the police force, in social services, even a few heroes and sidekicks. He wants Izuku and Izuku is smart enough to know that people like him usually get what they want. He's also smart enough to know they don't appreciate being made to wait.
But Izuku doesn't want to suffer, he doesn't want to die. He's never had much of a choice when it comes to his life but at least he can run. He can stuff clothes and notebooks and a few of whatever energy bars and weird juice packs he can find in his backpack. He can sadly wave goodbye to the warm apartment and climb out the window and down the fire escape.
He can run and hope that it's enough.
-
It only takes a few blocks for him to start to regret his decision. He doesn't have a rain jacket and it's started drizzling. He can't go back to the beach so he wanders the back alleys hoping for shelter and gradually makes his way over to where he thinks the warehouse district might be.
Maybe he overreacted. Maybe Yamada-san and Aizawa-san weren't lying when they talked about him staying with them. Maybe Tsukauchi, whoever he is, is trustworthy and won't send him to the place he sees in his nightmares. Maybe he should have told them the truth instead of panicking and running at the first sign of danger like a coward.
He's wet and cold and tired. He doesn't want to be here, wandering the streets and shivering. It would be even worse in his old hoodie but even that knowledge can't comfort him. He could go back but facing them is even more terrifying than being vulnerable on the streets at night. He'd rather remember them as the nicest adults he's ever had and never see them again than risk seeing the kindness fade from their eyes. He's not sure he could stand that.
There's a tiny part of him that whispers he should try anyway, that Yamada-san and Aizawa-san are different, that he should give them a chance to be different. That they wouldn't hurt him for running away and would be happy if he came back. That they would listen and try to help him.
He ignores the tiny little voice and trudges on.
-
Eventually, exhausted and shivering violently, Izuku realizes the rain is picking up and he needs to get out of the elements now. He's already chilled but getting even more wet is not going to do him any favors. He looks around for some form of shelter and finds a dry spot next to a dumpster. There's a large piece of plywood sticking out of the dumpster that makes a nice little spot to hide from the rain and anyone who might be looking for him.
Not that anyone is. Izuku is a useless, flighty little brat. A pathetic child who, as everyone says, will never amount to anything and will probably wind up dead somewhere before he hits eighteen if he's lucky. He's sure that Yamada-san and Aizawa-san will look for a little bit before they realize the truth, that Izuku just isn't worth the effort.
He doesn't think Yamada-san would have much success anyway. Izuku is good at hiding, and Present Mic is a limelight hero. He doesn't usually deal with runaways and homeless kids, he shouldn't know their tricks. He doesn't know what Aizawa-san does for a living but at least his quirk can't assist in finding him or hurting him.
The only person who will protect him from the monsters is himself and he doesn't even have a quirk to do it with. All he has is running and clinging onto his life with all he has and he's not sure how much longer he can pull that off. He's not sure how much longer he wants to. He's just so tired.
He hopes Yamada-san and Aizawa-san aren't looking for him right now, it's cold and miserable. They shouldn't be out in weather like this. They should be warm and comfortable in their apartment with their cats listening to the rain patter lightly on the windows.
He takes out a dry hoodie to put on over his wet one, curls up and tries to keep warm. He's not going to cry. This is all for the best. There's nothing to be sad about.
Hopefully, he'll manage to get a little sleep before morning.
-
At some point he must doze off because he's startled awake by someone landing in front of him. He flinches back and looks up to see a black outfit and a white scarf.
Oh, he really should have asked about Aizawa-san's job.
Shouta is dragged into awareness by a cat.
Not just any cat, Tuna, normally their most well behaved companion.
She scratches at their bedroom door and yowls. He yanks the pillow over his ears and wills her to stop.
She just gets louder.
He stares at Hizashi and envies the lovely dreams he must be having, blissfully unaware of noisy cats and his agony. He gives up with a long sigh and goes to see what she wants.
He expects her to lead him to an overturned water dish or a leaf she doesn't like but instead she makes a beeline straight for Izu's room.
That's weird.
She shouldn't be complaining to Shouta about wanting to get in, the door's open. Maybe there's something wrong with him? Cats are very perceptive and it's important to catch illness early. Except, when Shouta peeks his head in the kid is nowhere to be seen.
Ok, no need to panic, maybe he's out getting water or something.
Izu's not in the kitchen or the living room.
Shouta hurries back to his room to investigate and discovers the kid's backpack is gone, further searching finds food and a couple water bottles missing, along with his shoes.
The kid ran.
-
Shouta does his best to remain calm and not run the numbers on how far he might be by now and all the horrible things that might happen. He especially tries not to think about how finding him becomes more unlikely by the minute. It takes a bit but he goes back to break the news to Hizashi as gracefully as possible. He doesn't take it well, immediately starting to panic, not that Shouta can claim to be doing much better.
"Why would he leave? Was it something we did? Did he hear us talking and freak out?"
"I don't know but we'll find him 'Zashi."
After some effort they both slide into the professional calm that comes with their jobs. It's so much harder when it's personal but they manage eventually. Hizashi goes to check the trash beach and then decides to return to the apartment just in case Izu comes back.
Shouta, as the more experienced with runaways, takes to the city. He searches high and low growing more and more concerned the heavier the rain gets. He doubts the kid had a back up place prepared, he wouldn't have been so nervous about showing Shouta the beach if he did. No one should be out in this weather, an unprepared vulnerable child least of all.
Gradually he makes his way towards the warehouse district, it's common knowledge there are a lot of abandoned buildings in that area and he wouldn't be surprised if Izu found one to weather the rain out in.
-
It's completely by chance that he spots it. Leaping over an alleyway his eyes catch on something red. Well, red might be putting it nicely but it was red once. A closer look from the roof shows that it's a shoe, not only that, it looks like a primordial shoe. Designed specifically for quirkless feet, and little quirkless feet at that. He scrambles down and lets out a breath of pure relief at finding the kid he's been searching for.
Izu doesn't look good, curled up next to the dumpster, obviously wet and shivering violently. Shouta's relief at finding him also isn't returned as he flinches back and only seems to curl up more. His arms reaching up to protect his head from blows that will never come from Shouta. He slowly crouches down to Izu's level.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't hurt me, I'll give everything back just please-"
"Kid..." His attempts at talking fail as Izu's breathing speeds up and he starts hyperventilating. He's still choking out apologies and pleas, spiraling further and further in his panic. Shouta can't even try to get his attention visually as he squeezes his eyes shut tightly in anticipation. Accepting that this is going to take awhile, Shouta leans back on his heels and starts tapping the dumpster in an easy breathing pattern.
After a concerning amount of time and some worry that Izu might pass out, his breathing starts to stutter into something that might be considered healthy. His eyes gain some clarity and awareness but the fear remains.
"There you are."
"I'm sorry," He chokes out with a miserable sniffle.
"Izu... it's ok, I don't care you took some food and stuff."
That gets his attention but he's still looking up at Shouta with wide terrified eyes. He doesn't unfurl from his ball but he's present at least.
"I didn't come looking for you because you took some food and I'm not going to hurt you. I was looking because we were worried about you."
"really?" There's so much hope and fear wrestling in his eyes, like he can't get his hopes up but so desperately wishes someone would care.
"Yes, it was scary to realize we didn't know where you went, you could have been hurt and we would have no idea."
"I'm sorry."
"Now, I'm sure you're cold and soaked so why don't we head back home and get warm and dry." He holds his hand out to pull him up and watches patiently as Izu wrestles with the decision. He chews on his lip and murmurs under his breath. Shouta just stays put, he doesn't want to force the issue if he doesn't have to. No matter how much he just wants to scoop him up and get him warm. He takes the time to send a subtle text to his husband, letting him know he found the kid and they're both ok. He's quietly pleased when Izu cautiously takes his hand and lets Shouta pull him up.
-
He's even more pleased when Izu doesn't let it go. Honestly he nearly clings. After hooking the backpack around one shoulder he switches to holding Shouta's hand with both of his own as they walk slowly down the sidewalk.
"Izu"
"Yes," he jumps but doesn't let go of his hand so Shouta takes that as a sign to continue.
"Could you tell me why you ran away?" He uses his gentlest voice but still earns a flinch.
"I-I, I h-heard you and Y-Yamada-san talking about me." Shouta hums and Izu suddenly sniffles, "I-is Yamada-san m-mad at me?"
"No, he isn't mad, just worried. Now, what did you hear?"
"O-ok, Yamada-san said something about my f-file. You both, you know who I am."
"If your name is Midoriya Izuku, then yes."
He flinches hard. "It, it is. I h-heard him talk about m-me talking to Tsu-Tsukauchi tomorrow. I don't know w-who that is but I c-can't. I'm, n-no one can know" he swallows, "th-there's someone l-looking for me."
"Someone dangerous?" Shouta inquires, suddenly very grateful they filed anonymously and didn't update it once they learned his identity.
"y-yes," comes a whisper, "b-before I ran away I heard my f-foster parents talking, they thought I was a w-waste of space and the m-money wasn't worth taking care of a w-worthless child like me. That isn't anything n-new but W-Watanabe-san was telling his wife about someone in the, in the underground. Someone who was looking for a young q-quirkless t-test subject and was willing to pay top d-dollar. They said," he swallows and continues still in a terrified whisper, "they said he has p-people on his payroll e-everywhere, that they w-wouldn't have to worry about s-social services or the police or the h-heroes."
This is so much worse than just systemic neglect, quirkism and child abuse. Shouta was expecting trust issues but someone trying to sell their foster child to an apparently horrifyingly powerful underground organization for medical experimentation is... holy shit how is he supposed to deal with that?
Izu's grip has only gotten tighter throughout his explanation, it doesn't really hurt, he's still far too weak for that. He suddenly lets out a desperate, vulnerable whisper. "I don't wanna die Aizawa-san."
"Oh kid," He manages to stop the pained noise threatening to surface. "Hizashi and I won't let that happen. You're still filed under a witness protection foster filing and Hizashi kept it anonymous. They don't know you're with us. The only people who know your identity are me, Hizashi, Hizashi's trusted assistant and maybe Nedzu because he's like that. We haven't told Tsukauchi your name yet and we pulled your file with several others under an excuse. Whoever's after you, we won't let them find you."
"ok," Shouta isn't surprised that Izu starts crying a little at that. This whole night has no doubt been emotionally exhausting for all of them. He looks down to find Izu's eyes on him and he hums a little to make sure he knows he's listening. Eventually, a tiny voice speaks up, hesitant and afraid. "Do you m-mean it?"
"hm?"
"W-when you and Yamada-san say you w-want me to st-stay with y-you, do you really m-mean it? You aren't j-just waiting to get r-rid of me?"
"Yeah kid, we really mean it. We want you to stay. Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather be, we'd love to have you."
Shouta is proud to say he's only a little thrown when he finds himself with an armful of sobbing child. He pauses on the sidewalk and just holds him for awhile, rocking back and forth occasionally. Eventually the tears taper off and he looks down to find Izu's finally collapsed under all the stress of his very long night.
He picks the far too light child up completely, making sure his head is resting comfortably on his shoulder, and makes the rest of the journey home.
Hizashi is freaking out!
He's been freaking out ever since Shouta woke him up in the middle of the night with the news that Izu was gone. He ran away! The little kid Hizashi just managed to get a giggle out of that morning. Hizashi is trying his hardest not to be hurt. He knows they're up against a lot of trauma and abuse and learned behavior but he thought it was going ok! He can't help but go through everything in his mind and try to pinpoint where he messed up.
Eleven-year-olds shouldn't be running away, they shouldn't have a reason to!
It's nerve racking, pacing back and forth through the apartment waiting for news. He knows this is the best place for him, he's already checked the beach with shaking hands and they'd both agreed going back home would be the best place for him. He trusts Shouta to find him but it's so hard. He can't help but watch the rain and think about how cold it must be without a jacket and kick himself a little for not buying Izu one.
He's about two minutes away from just throwing up his hands and stress baking something when his phone lights up with a text from Shouta.
Hizashi can feel some of the tension leaving his shoulders at the short message. Shouta doesn't send anything beyond the initial message saying he'd found him for awhile but Hizashi is certain he's just busy talking to Izu, probably working to calm him down.
He's still very stressed but at least things are doable now. They can get him back.
-
The next update Hizashi gets is a warning text to be quiet.
He jumps up and races to the door once he hears the key in the lock.
He's joined by arguably the hero of the hour, Tuna. She takes a long assessing look at Izu and, satisfied, heads back to her favorite cushion. Hizashi watches anxiously as Shouta takes off his soaked boots and capture weapon, doing his best to assess the little one's state from a distance. Once Shouta has managed to get his shoes off they move into the living room. Shouta signs to Hizashi that they'll talk in a minute and does his best to wake Izu up. Once he's been halfway successful he sends the groggy kid to take a hot shower and change into something dry.
"Well, don't leave me in suspense, Shou!" His attempt at lightening the mood is weak and they both know it. It's been a long night.
"I think there were a couple reasons but the main one is he heard us talking about his file. Apparently, someone powerful in the underground is after him and he's terrified they'll find him."
"What?"
"They wanted him for experimentation 'Zashi, he ran because he heard his last foster parents discussing how much money they could get for him."
Hizashi didn't know things could get worse. He'll have to send Sato-san a nice thing of chocolates or something for being so wonderfully careful when she got his file. If "powerful" means what Hizashi thinks, they'll have to be even more careful than before about who gets let in on this. They both trust Tsukauchi not to secretly be working for some terrifying boogieman but outside of him? This isn't just about avoiding quirk discrimination anymore.
He listens to Shouta's retelling of everything Izu told him from the reasons he ran from the last foster home to his fear of being abandoned by them. It breaks his heart but he's glad Shouta was able to reassure him.
-
They're eventually interrupted by Izu coming back out and sitting down nervously. He's wringing his fingers relentlessly and won't look at either of them.
"I'm s-sorry for r-running away." His shoulders are hitched up around his ears and his eyes are locked on the ground.
Hizashi gets up and immediately crouches in front of him, trying to catch his attention from below without startling him.
"We're not mad Izu, I promise."
He makes sure his voice is quiet and gentle.
"ok," Izu's breath catches a little.
"Now that I think of it, do you want us to keep calling you Izu or do you want us to call you Izuku?"
"Either's f-fine, I think I l-like Izu though. It's like a n-nickname and I h-haven't had a n-nice one e-ever, I think?"
"Ok, I'll remember that. Do you mind if I hug you?"
Izu just nods miserably. Hizashi is more than willing to take advantage of the opportunity and wraps his arms around him. He just holds him for a few minutes, enjoying how much more relaxed he is this time, even as he shakes minutely. Once Izu seems to be drifting off again he gently moves some hair out of his face and carries him to his room. He makes sure to cover him in plenty of blankets and leaves the door a little ajar.
His husband is in the shower and their cats are all accounted for and their child is in bed sleeping soundly. For the moment at least, all is right with Hizashi's world.