Izuku comes into awareness slowly and then suddenly all at once. He fell asleep! Not good, showing weakness like that got you hurt. Yamada-san, who he's fairly sure is Present Mic, seems nice enough but it never lasts. Izuku's so tired of seeing the kindness leave people's eyes when they find out. He's tired of a lot of things now: pain, cold, hunger, fear. He's tired of being tired. The blanket on top of him is really soft and he's so warm and comfortable. The constant gnawing of his stomach has dulled and he feels cleaner than he's been in months. Yamada-san made him food! Real food, not prepackaged or random ingredients for him to try and turn into something edible. It's all so much he could cry. He doesn't, of course, no one ever likes it when he cries and he's not about to let Yamada-san know he's awake.
He needs to assess his surroundings. Who knows how long he's been asleep. Best case scenario it's the middle of the night and he can leave without anyone the wiser, worst case scenario he gets caught and they find out who he is. It wouldn't even be hard, he gave them half a name already. If they figure out who he is they'll obviously send him back and there's no way he'll last a month even if he doesn't get punished for running away. He strains his ears and opens his eyes. It's just his luck that it's light out and if he tries really hard he can hear movement from another room. Not good, he needs to leave now. So he carefully sits up, mourning the loss of the fuzzy blanket and its warmth. He feels bad for taking Yamada-san's clothes but he doesn't dare try to retrieve his own, it's way too risky.
Unfortunately, just as he's prepared to start the journey to the door, Yamada-san comes out of the hallway. He's a veritable bundle of energy and he lights up at seeing Izuku.
"You're awake!"
All Izuku can do is nod and swallow down his fear. Why did he ever let himself relax enough to fall asleep? Oh yeah, he hadn't had a proper meal in three days, that'll do it.
"That's great! I hope you're feeling well rested, it's morning now. I don't usually make breakfast for a little while so I hope you don't mind waiting!"
"ok."
Yamada-san doesn't seem at all bothered by Izuku's lackluster responses and growing apprehension.
"I hope you don't mind but remember how I mentioned I'm a hero? I'd like to ask you a few questions. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to."
Izuku really doesn't want to, he knows where this is heading, but he doesn't know how Yamada-san will react if he says no and he'd rather not risk it.
"ok."
"Thanks Izu! Now, first up, do you have anyone taking care of you right now?"
"no."
"Alright, do you have someplace safe you could go?"
There's nowhere safe for Izuku, everyone hurts him eventually. So he shakes his head. He chances a glance at Yamada-san's face, he looks sad but he doesn't know why everyone leaves, why they hurt. If he did he would probably hurt him too.
"Thanks for telling me, I'd like it if you'd be willing to tell me more but that can wait a little longer. I take it you don't want to talk to the police?"
Izuku does not want to talk to the police, the thought sends shivers down his spine. His fear must show on his face because Yamada-san doesn't press.
"that's fine, would you mind telling me how old you are?"
Izuku very much does mind but Yamada-san is being very nice not demanding or forcing answers and dragging him right down to the police station.
"11," comes the quiet answer. Yamada-san makes a strange noise at that but it doesn't seem hostile so Izuku tries not to dwell on it.
"ok, would you be comfortable staying here for a while? As a hero and a person I don't really feel comfortable sending you back out there knowing that you won't be safe. It's just me and my husband in the apartment, and he's really nice I promise. We can find somewhere else if you prefer. You deserve to be safe and happy and comfortable."
Izuku is so taken aback by the kind, sincere words he forgets for just a second what he's most afraid of and in his shock quietly blurts out "but I'm quirkless?"
He freezes in abject terror, that was the one thing Yamada-san wasn't supposed to find out. Couldn't find out. He can't even focus on whatever Yamada-san's response is because his breathing is speeding up and he's curling up to protect his vital organs and it's going to hurt again. he's going to hurt again and he doesn't want to. He's sorry. He's so sorry. Please don't hurt him. He doesn't want to hurt. Someone touches his knee and he flinches back violently further into the couch. What if they don't like him flinching? He can't help it he swears. Some people didn't liked it when Izuku flinched, they would hurt him worse if he did. What if they're the same? He's drifting in his panic now, hardly aware enough to count as conscious. Hoping to block everything out until it's finally over and he's left alone long enough to lick his wounds. He has no idea how long he stays like that, shaking in anticipation and fear of pain that doesn't come. He has no concept how much time has passed when he starts to slowly come back to himself.
He's dimly aware of humming from somewhere off to his side, it's strangely calming and he finds his muscles relaxing without his permission as he listens. Then he notices the lack of pain, he feels exhausted and wrung out like he always does when he panics but outside of the initial touch he flinched back from no one touched or hurt him. Maybe they just wanted to wait until he stopped drifting, that's happened before and he doesn't want that, please, he's so tired. He wants to cry but he doesn't know what will happen if he does. He's in unprecedented territory now, anything might break whatever spell prevented him from being hurt. He doesn't move, doesn't speak, tries to make himself as small as possible. It isn't very effective seeing as he's already in a protective ball but he does his best.
The humming stops and he dares to peak at Yamada-san through his hair. He looks oddly pained and upset although Izuku can't figure out why. He doesn't seem angry at least. He's considering the risks of apologizing when Yamada-san speaks up.
"Izu... I'm not going to hurt you for being quirkless. I'm not going to hurt you at all. I'm sorry I touched you when you started panicking, I shouldn't have done that. I meant what I said about you staying here and your quirk status doesn't change the fact that you deserve to be happy and safe like any other kid."
No one's ever said Izuku deserves to be happy before, no one's apologized for upsetting him since he was four. Maybe this is all a lie and a trick to get him to let his guard down but he wants so desperately for it to be real. Everything feels like it collapses in on itself all at once. He's been holding on for so long and he's just so tired.
So for once he lets himself trust just a little and starts to cry. It starts quietly but it gradually gets louder until his sobbing turns desperate. He vaguely hears Yamada-san ask if he wants a hug and all he can do is nod helplessly. The hug only makes him cry harder as he practically melts. The humming starts up again, quietly soothing him as he cries himself out and drops off to sleep once again.
Hizashi is not ashamed to admit to being a little bit distraught. He woke up this morning with a sense of anticipation, not really looking forward to the difficult conversation at hand but hoping for some progress so he can help their little guest. He finished cleaning out the guest bedroom in record time and managed to find a little time to consult with Shouta on how best to go about things. Izu's awake and looks nervous but he soldiers on.
It's upsetting but not surprising to hear that he's homeless and alone. His fear of the police is something Hizashi had correctly guessed yesterday so that's something to keep in mind. He can't help the strangled noise he emits upon finding out his age. Eleven! All on his own and afraid at eleven years old. He knew the kid was young but it hurts to hear just how young.
There's a lot of ways his offer to stay could go, traumatized kids can be unpredictable and sometimes lash out to protect themselves. He's not expecting the Little Listener to blurt out that he's quirkless. Before he can properly formulate a response Izu's eyes go wide with fear and he starts to curl up on himself. He looks even more terrified than when he had a knife pointed at him and it's awful. Hizashi tries his best to get through and reassure him but his breathing is speeding up and he's mumbling. From what Hizashi can hear he's apologizing over and over and begging Hizashi not to hurt him. It's the worst thing he's ever heard and it's more instinct than any rational thought that causes him to reach out and touch his knee. He knows it's a mistake even before Izu flinches back like he's been hit, curling even further into a ball of pure fear and panic.
He's obviously not going to be able to get through to him for a while but his quirk is good for more than just screaming so he laces just enough of it into his voice to have a calming effect and starts to hum. From what little he can see Izu's definitely dissociating now, and isn't it just awful that this little child has known enough torment and pain to dissociate in anticipation of it. It's a long time before the tension in his muscles releases just a little and Hizashi can see he's coming back into himself. Once he manages to make some degree of eye contact he tries his best to apologize and make sure that Izu knows he isn't going to hurt him or throw him back on the street.
He's honestly not surprised when the kid starts to cry, starting with sniffles and ending in desperate choking sobs. All he can do rub his back slowly and hum, forever grateful the kid accepted his offer of a hug. It's clear he's had to be strong for a long time. Hizashi's going to make sure he doesn't have to be any more.
-
He lets out a long breath when the kid finally falls asleep. He's not going to be moving for awhile so he grabs his phone and texts one of his most competent and discreet employees. Izu's staying with them under an emergency foster filing designed for children in witness protection. It's not meant to be used this way but it keeps him anonymous in case there's a nefarious reason for his homelessness. Additionally it will keep social services and the police away for at least a few days. Since there isn't an actual crime he needs to be urgently interviewed about they might be able to hold off longer. Regardless he'll need to make sure anyone involved is properly vetted to prevent more quirk discrimination.
Given how rare quirklessness is in children he probably has enough information to identify Izu properly. While he'd prefer to wait until he's comfortable to tell them himself, he needs information as soon as possible to get an idea of what he's dealing with.
It doesn't take long for Sato to get back to him and he finds himself staring at a picture of Izu, or Midoriya Izuku he knows now. It's a miserable looking school picture from when he was nine and it comes with a basic file from his social worker. She promises to get him the full file as soon as she can but he'll make do in the mean time.
-
Hizashi has wished he could go somewhere and scream before, really scream, just let everything out without consequence. That desire has never been stronger than it is now. He looks down at the child sleeping with his head on his chest, peaceful and innocent. There's tear tracks streaking his face and he sniffles from time to time, drooling a little where his mouth hangs open. He can't imagine hurting him and yet it's clear the feeling isn't universal.
He's going to rain down fire on the people responsible for this.
Midoriya Izuku has been in the system since he was seven and he's never stayed in one place for more than six months. The basic file is covered in blatant lies, describing a troublesome, unrecognizable child who can only be trusted in the worst environments and foster homes. Hizashi has known him for less than a day but he can't imagine the timid child who had a panic attack over revealing his quirklessness has been provoking and tricking other children into hurting him for attention. The kid begged Hizashi not to hurt him.
That isn't even considering his current situation. Midoriya Izuku was reported as a runaway two days before the regular periodic check in with his last foster home, enough time for them to be paid for that month's care and enough time to cover anything up before the check in. It was also right after a long break from school so there's no way to double check his attendance records for inconsistencies, although he would be surprised if the school wasn't complicit in his abuse as well. The timing is incredibly suspicious as is the obvious lack of any attempt to find him. There's a very real possibility he's been on his own much longer than the file states. Even if his last foster parents didn't delay reporting him missing, he's been on his own for months! He turned eleven as a runaway!
He takes a moment to breath, in and out. It's wouldn't be good if he gets angry and wakes Izu up, he never wants him to look at anything with that terror in his eyes again. He can't risk whatever tentative degree of trust has been placed in him. So he breathes, reminds himself that Izu is safe, they can still help and starts to mentally prepare for what's to come.