But You're- You're-
Izuku had slipped on a pair of headphones to try and relax before dinner. His mind needed to process everything that had happened so far.
It had been a wild day. He’d somehow been knocked out of his numb daze by being dropped off at a group home, had met someone who might be his very first real friend, and revealed that he was quirkless within minutes of entering the room. All of that and he still hadn’t unpacked his bag. He briefly considered doing so before Shinsou showed him around, but that wouldn’t play into the blind act well.
He shifted slightly and rubbed under his sunglasses. Izuku wasn’t ready to take them off just yet, being in a new environment and all. He wasn’t exactly ashamed of his eyes, they were originally the same color as his mother’s and he could never be ashamed of a part of him that was connected to her, but he didn’t love the scars around them. The acid had burned around his eyes, and, while the doctors had done an amazing job healing him, the skin was delicate and a slightly lighter shade there. He also had a slice through his eyebrow where hair just refused to grow now. The once bright green of his eyes was slightly dulled and milky as well, no longer fully matching the emerald green of his mom.Thankfully, his mom had bought him several pairs of sunglasses that he could wear.
They were round, framed in gold with one pair that had black lenses and a pair that had red lenses. They were meant to match anything that he wore. Most of his clothing now was in dark, easily matchable colors so he didn’t leave the house looking like a walking fashion disaster. He and his mom had devised a safety pin marking system on the inside tag of his clothes that he could feel to tell him what color he was wearing. To be helpful, Izuku mostly stuck to black, red, green, white, and gray. His mom used to joke that he looked like a walking Christmas advertisement when he came out accidentally wearing red and green together with his bright red, clunky Primordial shoes.
A soft chiming filtered through his heavy thoughts and the bed above him started to creak as Shinsou got up. Izuku tapped the side of his watch and a little voice let him know that it was 5:55pm.
“Must be time for dinner, then.” Izuku mused.
Izuku rolled out from his bunk, reaching under the bed to feel around for where his cane had gone. The soft thump of Shinsou jumping down next to him alerted him to the presence of the other boy. Toes nudged his cane closer to him and Izuku gave his new friend a bright smile in thanks.
Cane in one hand and the other in the crook of Shinsou’s elbow, Izuku made his way down to the dining room while Shinsou muttered in his ear.
“Thirty minutes to eat. We’re served last because we’re in the long term room. Don’t talk while you eat, especially to me, and use your best table manners. Follow me when the next bell tolls to put your dishes away. I’ll explain the rest of the house rules after.”
Izuku nodded subtly in response, tapping his cane in front of them as they walked. He let it bounce off the floor and lightly off of the walls as he went, looking like he was learning the path to their new destination. He didn’t hit anyone or clip any heels, and he couldn’t sense anyone extremely close to the two of them, so the others must be keeping their distance.
Good. Izuku wasn’t in the mood to be bullied. He’d already have to deal with that at school tomorrow.
If he even went to school. Izuku knew that they had to make sure he got an education. It was a requirement in the foster system, but he wasn’t sure if they would send him to the same school or if he would have to switch to another or go to online school. He knew that Aldera Middle School was one of the only schools in the prefecture that allowed quirkless students, it was why he and his mom hadn’t moved after his “diagnosis”. He was already in the Aldera system so it made sense to stay. Izuku was sure they were still in Musutafu, so if he still went to public school then he would most likely have to stay at Aldera.
Which wasn't the worst thing in the world. Moving to a new school meant he would have new bullies to deal with, ones that he didn’t know if he could out run. He would also be in unfamiliar territory and away from all of his favorite hiding spots. He’d have to pretend that he was getting to know the neighborhood and let new bullies beat on him. So, staying at Aldera sounded preferable to switching schools. But if he had to, he would at least have Shinsou to possibly rely on.
Izuku was so deep in thought he didn’t notice his cane hitting a chair leg in front of him, nor did he notice Shinsou tapping his hand to get his attention. Finally, he felt an elbow in his ribs that broke his mumbled thoughts.
His head snapped to the side towards Shinsou, unsure of why the boy had elbowed him. Now that his attention was finally on him, Shinsou took the hand that was in the crook of his elbow and placed it on the back of the chair in front of him. Izuku expected Shinsou to describe it like he had earlier, but it seems like the no talking rule applied the moment they stepped in the dining hall.
Izuku nodded his thanks and sat down, the chair scraping against the floor and making him wince. The chair to his right scrapes the ground as well and Izuku assumes that’s his friend sitting down too.
He wasn’t sure how many minutes passed, but eventually a plate was set in front of him from the right. Steam hits his face and Izuku has to sit back slightly to escape the strong aroma of food before it can overwhelm him. After a few breaths of less intense air, Izuku sits forward again and inspects his plate.
There’s a soup in front of him filled with noodles and vegetables. No meat to be seen so far, but Izuku hasn’t gotten great at picking apart scents quite yet. It was something he had been working on with mom before she… passed.
The two boys ate quietly, as expected. Izuku used his best table manners and ate as quickly as possible, not sure how much time he had left or what the meal schedule for the home was. Shinsou occasionally snuck a roll or slice of bread from the platter in the middle of the table into his lap. It made Izuku curious, but with another elbow to his ribs, he avoided mumbling under his breath about it.
After about twenty minutes, Izuku felt a tap on his shoulder just before the same bell as before rang. Chairs started to be pushed away from tables as so many kids stood from their places at the tables.
“Twenty minutes. I guess that’ll be the amount of time I’ll really get for meals,” Izuku noted when his watch said the time outloud for him again. He stood from his chair put his hand on Shinsou’s shoulder so as to not lose him in what must be a sea of kids from the shifting air pressure around him. The walk to where they were putting away their dishes slowly became claustrophobic, a swell of children all heading to the same area before quickly running off to wherever they were before the bell had rang. Izuku had to squeeze himself tightly to Shinsou’s back to avoid being knocked over by smaller kids several times.
Once they deposited their plates in a plastic bin off to the side, Shinsou led Izuku back down the hallway and to their room. He didn’t speak this time, not even to bend down and whisper in Izuku’s ear. Instead he guided the two of them to their shared bunk and took Izuku’s free hand.
“M-Y-B-U-N-K-L-I-G-H-T-S-O-U-T” Shinsou fingerspelled into his palm before climbing up into his bed.
Izuku wasn’t sure what was considered lights out here, but he gathered his things and left for the bathroom he had found earlier to get ready for bed. If he didn’t know what time lights out was, he’d at least get ready and lay in his bed for a while.
After visiting the bathroom, Izuku curled up in his bunk with his computer, hooking his electronic braille writer in and starting to type in notes for the day. He wanted to start an analysis on Shinsou’s quirk as soon as he could. At the very least, he wanted to describe the frequency his quirk vibrated at and the way his voice sounded, maybe come up with a few theories as to how his quirk worked before asking the boy.
Before too long, the soft bell chimed again and the overhead lights started shutting off one by one. The rustling of sheets filled the room as everyone settled in for the night, fluffing pillows and tucking blankets under their chins. Izuku slid his computer and braille writer down by his feet under his blankets and curled into his own blankets. He’d unpack tomorrow with Shinsou’s help, no need to have his things stolen during the night.
Sato-sama popped her head in to check on them about thirty minutes after the lights went out, and then Shinsou was tapping on the side of the bed to alert Izuku that he was awake.
Izuku crawled out from under his cozy sheets and felt his way around the edge of the bed, finally finding the ladder in the dark and climbing up to Shinsou’s bunk. Shinsou was sitting up in his bed by his pillow waiting for him, sheets pushed back so there was room for Izuku on the bed.
“Sato-sama doesn’t come in again after her nightly checks so we’re safe. We’ll have to get under the covers and lay down so the other kids don’t go get her, but I have a flashlight for myself and headphones for when we’re done talking.” Shinsou explained before lifting up the sheet as if to invite Izuku in.
Izuku nodded and hesitantly crawled forward on the bed. He liked Shinsou so far. The boy hadn’t treated him like he was fragile or a disease, something that wasn’t very common for him. He’d made sure to give Izuku autonomy when walking around, but was more than happy to point things out or guide him to what was in front of him, even if Izuku didn’t really need the help with his senses guiding him. Izuku appreciated the kindness. It wasn’t something he was shown by most people after they learned of his quirk status. Shinsou hadn’t even mentioned his quirk status yet. So, Izuku decided to let himself continue to build the trust with the other boy and helped pull the blankets up over the two of them.
“Alright, I’ll tell you the rules and schedule and then we can just hang out for a bit. Judging by the circles under your eyes you don’t sleep much either.” Shinsou teased lightly before pulling out what must be his flashlight.
Izuku huffed a laugh before nodding. “Yeah, they don’t tell you how hard it is to sleep when you're totally blind. There’s no light to help your circadian rhythm, and no light means your brain doesn’t really know when to sleep and when not to sleep.”
“Makes sense,” Shinsou’s hair brushes against the sheet as he nods, “So you got here pretty late in the day. Want me to walk you through a day here and the weekend before I tell you the rules?”
“Sounds good,” Izuku whispers and pillows his cheek on his arm.
“Alright, so the bell chimes and the lights turn on around six-thirty. Breakfast is at seven-thirty and if that’s too late for you to make it to school then you’re on your own, unless your school gives you free breakfast. You can stay at whatever school you want as long as it’s in the prefecture. After school you’re supposed to do your homework or hang out until dinner at six. For long term kids like us and the room next door, we’re required to have quiet hours until dinner while the other kids in the home can play and such. After dinner you have two hours before lights out to do what you need to do, you just can’t cause a ruckus. Lights out is at nine-thirty and Sato-sama pops her head in our room around ten every night. From there, as long as you don’t leave your bunk she doesn’t care if you sleep or not. During school hours on the weekend you can leave and do whatever you want, you just have to be back for quiet hours from five to six and can’t leave after dinner. There’s too many people for us to be out and about at night or going to sleep overs, plus they’d never let the long term kids do anything of that nature.” Shinsou explained. His voice had started to crack and break at the end of his explanation, like he wasn’t used to talking this much.
“You don’t have to talk anymore tonight if it’s hurting your voice,” Izuku said softly.
The sheets rusted as Hitoshi shook his head. “Sorry,” he laughed quietly, “I just shook my head. I’ll tell you the important rules and if you have questions I’ll answer them.”
“Alright, just don’t push yourself,”.
Shinsou sighed fondly before ruffling Izuku’s curls. “I’ll be fine, I like talking to you. Anyways, the kitchen is off limits outside of mealtimes. It’s locked, so if you want snacks you’re going to have to start a stash. No talking to me or kids with quirk gear outside of the room. I’ll point them out to you if you need me to with a couple taps on your shoulder. Punishments here are… not very fun, so just be polite, don’t talk to the short term kids, and try not to piss off Sato-sama.”
“What’s the deal with short term and long term kids?”
“Ah, yeah that really sucks too. So short term kids are all of the adoptable kids or ones that will go to good foster homes. Us long term kids are ones with undesirable quirks or poorly behaved. We’re here for the long term because not a lot of families are willing to take us in. You don’t have a quirk, my quirk is villainous-”
“Your quirk isn’t villainous,” Izuku interrupted.
“My quirk is bad and makes me a potential villain,” Shinsou said dully, as if he’d said it a thousand times.
“Quirks aren’t bad. It’s the person who makes them bad. Tell me, a quirk that could kill someone with just one punch, one activation, is it villainous?”
“Yes? I mean, you could kill someone,”.
“So you’re saying the number one hero, All Might, is inherently a villain?”
Shinsou didn’t say anything for a long moment, seeming to be shocked into silence.
“Every hero in the top ten could be a villain that leveled all of Japan. The only reason they aren’t is because they chose to use their powerful quirks for good. Shinsou, quirks are just tools. They’re something in your arsenal to help you and you choose what you do with them. Just like you choose to use a screwdriver for building and not murdering people.” Izuku whispered in a quiet, yet passionate voice.
Again, Shinsou didn’t say anything for a long time. Quietly mulling over what Izuku had to say about quirks. The sheets ruffled as Shinsou moved around.
“You don’t even know what my quirk is,” Shinsou said softly, his voice muffled like he was covering his face.
“I don’t need to. I know enough about society to know that yours is obviously powerful, which makes people immediately want to villainize you. It must be some sort of mental quirk that takes away control if the comment from the other kids earlier today tells me anything. You don’t have to explain anything about your quirk, but if you do I’ll tell you all the ways it can be applied to hero work.” Izuku was determined to at least plant the seed that Shinsou’s quirk wasn’t what defined him.
“I… I can brainwash people when they respond to a question. Just low function, basic things. I can’t pull anything from your memories or do anything complex. I honestly don’t know much about it because I’m not allowed to use it.”
“Shinsou! Your quirk is perfect for hero work!” Izuku whispered excitedly, “You’d make a fantastic underground hero if you weren’t interested in limelight heroics. Which I would suggest so you can keep the mechanics of your quirk a secret. Think of all of the situations you could resolve without having to fight? Hostage negotiations, bank robberies, entire villain attacks. You could calm down panicking civilians with ease. There’s just so much you could do. I’d love to know more about your quirk. Is it really only basic functions? Or just nothing that requires higher reasoning? Does it have to be words that answer you or does any vocalization count? Is it really brainwashing? Could you brainwash someone to forget or not remember a conversation or event? Could you implant memories or alter memories if you were able to do that? You’d be amazing undercover if so. You’d be amazing, kind of like Eraserhead!”
For the third time in several minutes, Shinsou didn’t speak. Izuku could hear his heart speeding up, pounding in his chest with every word that Izuku rambled out. If his quirk worked the way Izuku thought it did, then he probably has rarely if ever heard that he could be a hero, just like Izuku.
“You know who Eraserhead is?” Shinsou finally asked in awe.
Izuku’s grin must have been feral because when Shinsou started cackling several voices across the room whisper-yelled warnings of getting Sato-sama.
---
It’s about a week after Izuku was sent to the foster home that he meets someone new. Well, he had spent the week “meeting” new people. If meeting them was being called slurs and avoided like the plague. He was thankful for Shinsou. The boy had taken to making sure he could get around the home without any issues and stayed up with him late into the night when he couldn’t sleep the first few days. He’d been a blessing in the disgusting home.
A soft knock comes through the door during the quiet hour before dinner. Shinsou and Izuku are curled together on the top bunk, hunched over Izuku’s phone and sharing headphones as Izuku quietly murmurs an analysis of a hero fight. The other three in the room are again in a circle around the other bunk, this time playing a card game that the other kids had snuck in.
The knock has Izuku’s head snapping to the door, worried that they had somehow upset Sato-sama again for being too loud. Instead, the door cracks open slightly and someone seems to pop their head in. Shinsou sucks in a breath next to him and starts to scramble to the end of the bed to climb down the ladder.
Izuku follows immediately, surprised to see Shinsou approaching someone without a hint of fear. He actually seemed… excited, based on his heartbeat at least.
Shinsou walked right up to the door and pulled it open, the slight breeze it made hitting Izuku’s face.
“Yamada-san!” Shinsou exclaimed, his voice cracking from lack of use.
“Hey little listener! How are you doing?” A new voice piped in.
Now this, this was a voice he instantly recognized. Years of late, lonely nights, this voice was his only company. Especially after the accident. Open D string on the violin paired with an exuberant voice that soothed the wounds on Izuku’s soul. Fried nerves stilled by hours of curated playlists that felt like ones a friend would make especially for you. Deep conversations on society and quirks, his favorite heroes doing interviews, and hours of entertainment flash through his head on fast forward.
“Present Mic,” Izuku breathed.
“Oh there’s someone new!” Present Mic said loudly and stepped fully into the room.
Izuku wanted to bound over and throw his arms around the man, thanking him for years of comfort and the only kindness outside of his mother. Instead, he stayed by the bunk beds, leaning against the ladder at the foot of the bed and his guide cane. He wasn’t sure if Present Mic was here as a hero or as his civilian persona. Judging by the way Shinsou addressed him, he was most likely here as a civilian.
Present Mic stepped further into the room, Shinsou at his side, the two of them chatting back and forth as they moved over to where Izuku was standing. The three other kids in the room hadn’t even looked up from the card game they had been playing the past couple days.
“Hey little listener, I’m Yamada Hisashi, you can call me either.” Present Mic introduced himself.
Izuku bowed slightly, moving his cane to the side so he could bend forward enough. “Midoriya Izuku, it’s a pleasure Yamada-sama.”
“Oh none of that, Midoriya-kun! Just Yamada or Hizashi is fine.”
Cringing internally, Izuku smiled his sunshine smile and put on his happy act. No need to trauma dump on the man about disliking his first name.
“Sure, Yamada-san,” Izuku finally replied.
Another fond chuckle from Yamada-san and a hand landed lightly on his shoulder. “How about the three of us go down to one of the living rooms? Or we can sit out on the back porch?”
“The porch sounds nice, I don’t think Midoriya has been out there yet,” Shinsou replied quietly. He sounded fond, excited, like this was a normal occurrence for him. And maybe it was.
Present Mic had mentioned he does a lot of charity work. Heck, Izuku had seen it on the internet enough to know the man donated thousands to charity every year, and not just through the fundraisers he did on his radio show. While he hadn’t mentioned working with foster care specifically, it doesn’t surprise Izuku that it’s something he’s involved in. Maybe it’s personal and that’s why he’s here as his civilian persona.
Izuku mulls over Present Mic’s presence as he follows the other two down the hall and out the backdoor. Shinsou hangs back long enough to put a hand to Izuku’s elbow and guide him to where a set of stairs leading to a large yard are. He bumps his friend’s hand with his elbow as thanks and carefully sits down on one of the steps.
“So, Yamada-san, how do you know Shinsou-kun?” Izuku asked. His curiosity was getting the best of him and he needed to know how Shinsou knew Present Mic.
“I volunteer here, little listener. I actually grew up here and was adopted when I was about your two’s age.” Yamada-san replied easily.
Izuku would have done a double take if he could see. One of his favorite heroes grew up in the same foster group home he had been dumped in? He was sure his mouth was hanging open, which was rather rude, but knowing someone he adored came from the same situation astounded him.
“But you’re- you’re-” Izuku caught himself before he revealed that he knew the hero’s identity.
A fond huff of breath and Izuku figured the man knew Izuku had figured his hero persona out.
“I’m what?” Yamada-san laughed.
“Yeah, Midoriya, he’s what?” Shinsou added in.
There was a sly smile on Shinsou’s face, Izuku could hear it in his tone of voice. It made him want to kick his bunk like he did when Shinsou was being obnoxious at night.
Izuku decided it was best to just be honest. “You’re Present Mic,” he admitted.
Yamada-san howled with laughter, his quirk amplifying his laugh enough to make Izuku’s eardrums feel like they were pounding.
“You got me, listener. I’m Present Mic. How’d you know though?”
“I uh…” Izuku trailed off, feeling his cheeks start to heat, “I recognize your voice. I’ve listened to your radio show for most of my life and it was a big comfort after my accident. I’m really good with voices and your’s is basically ingrained for me.”
A hand landed on his upper back, patting in between his shoulder blades lightly before pulling away. Izuku immediately wanted to lean into the touch. It had been two weeks since his mom had passed and he missed her casual touches. She was very affectionate with cheek kisses and hugs, hair ruffles and scratching his back at night when he couldn’t sleep. Present Mic briefly patting his back made his heart ache.
“I’m glad you’ve been listening and that I can be there for you when you need me. I can be here for you now, too. I come here every week and visit my old room. It’s how I met Shinsou-kun.”
He felt the tips of his ears burn as his blush spread, choosing to nod in reply to Yamada-san. He had a million questions for the man, and if he opened his mouth now he would ask all of them.
Shinsou nudged his side slightly, knowing how much Izuku idolized Present Mic. They’d bonded immediately over their mutual love of Eraserhead, but Izuku had fanboyed for quite some time over the Voice Hero too. Of course the other boy would know how excited he was right now. Shinsou knew Present Mic would be coming and didn’t even warn him. He’d have to get the purple fiend back for that later.
“Midoriya’s got some questions for you, are you ok with that Yamada?” The absolute smirk on Shinsou’s face was nearly palpable now.
“Only if you’re c-comfortable Yamada-san! I just have questions about your quirk and such like what is your decibel range? And I know you stick to certain frequencies, but what is your actual voice range? Did you know there are frequencies that help people sleep and are comforting? Could you reach those? What about pitches that only certain animals can hear? Theoretically you could use the sound waves to propel yourself too because soundwaves are just are molecules compressing and rarefacting, so if you pointed enough compressed air molecules in certain directions you could basically fly. And-” Izuku slapped a hand over his mouth to stop the ramble of questions
“Wow, Midoriya-kun, your questions! They’re incredible! I want to answer them all, but some of that is confidential for safety, yeah? I’m happy to answer all of the questions that I can though. You’re very smart, listener.” Yamada-san ruffled his hair as answered.
Shinsou was doubled over laughing at how mortified Izuku’s expression was. He really hadn’t meant to ramble and ask all of those questions right away. He hadn’t meant to reveal that he knew who the man really was in the first place, that had been embarrassing enough, but now his rambling had gotten the best of him and he wanted to dig his own grave to hide.
The three of them passed the afternoon talking. Izuku even ran up to the room and got his computer and braille writer so he could record all of the information Yamada-san was giving him. Yamada-san even asked to see his entry and Izuku nearly had a heart attack from the praise the man showered him with. It was amazing to have someone outside of his mother see his analysis. Yamada-san had even asked for a copy of his analysis to keep! That had made Shinsou comment that he looked like a strawberry with how hard he blushed. Izuku would definitely be kicking the insomniac’s bed multiple times this week.
Izuku promised to have a cleaned up one written for his hero’s visit next weekend.