Chapter Text
“Oh, Izuku, it’s alright,” Nana sighs. “Your mum still loves you. And if we can hang around like this, I’m sure she’s here, too!”
“Not sure about how that would work,” Sixth mutters from where he’s floating near the ceiling.
“Shut up! We’re trying to comfort Izuku!”
"Oh, for the last time - WE ARE DEAD, HE CAN'T SEE US!"
Yoshito ignores his successors and edges closer to the lump under the blankets. It’s a bad day, and his heart breaks, knowing he cannot comfort his nephew. All day Izuku was downbeat, content to colour quietly with Gigantomachia. But finally, everything became a bit too much, and so he slipped away to hide and cry in peace. And... Yoshito knows that this is normal, that Izuku needs to express his negative emotions, but...
...But he would give anything to be able to make his nephew smile.
“Izuku?”
The small lump freezes. A beat of silence passes, with all the adults present holding their breath, and then…
“Welcome home, papa!” Izuku cheers as he throws the blanket off.
“Oh dear,” Nana winces.
Yoshito can't help but agree, because it is clear at a glance why his nephew was hiding. His eyes are still glistening and rather red, his cheeks wet. Drifting closer, Yoshito winces; there is a rather wet patch on Izuku's favourite All Might plush, and Yoshito is fairly certain it's not just tears.
“Thank you, Izuku,” Hisashi smiles, obviously choosing to ignore his son’s state. “Can I get a hug?”
Immediately, Izuku scrambles over, his plush still clutched in one hand, his other wrapping around his father's neck. It is quite obvious how desperate for comfort he was, and Yoshito smiles sadly. There is something... bittersweet about the scene, even as Hisashi doesn't even protest the way the Symbol of Peace is wiping snot onto his suit jacket.
“Izuku, what’s wrong?” Hisashi asks as he picks his son up. “Did Kurogiri upset you?”
“NO!” Nana shrieks.
“Oh god – Izuku, say no!”
“DON’T KILL THE NANNY!”
“No,” Izuku sniffs and wipes at his eyes, and Hisashi produces a hanky. “Papa, did… did mama die cause I was bad?...”
“No!” surprisingly, it is Daigoro that protests.
“Oh, dear, of course not!”
“Darling, if she could, she would organise a grand escape, beat up the guardians of the afterlife, come back to life and smother you in kisses!”
They all turn to stare at Nana.
“What?! I know I would do it for Kotaro!”
“Of course not, Izuku,” Hisashi sighs. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Mama just… got really sick. And I think… I think she stayed with us as long as she did, because she had you to make her feel better.”
“Oh,” Izuku nods. There’s a beat of silence, and then… “…Would All Might have made her all better?”
“…I doubt it, Izuku,” Hisashi answers, pulling a face that makes both Daigoro and Fourth snicker.
“Oh,” Izuku deflates. “Cause mama said my kisses made her feel better… So maybe, if All Might kissed her better…”
Daigoro has proceeded from snickering to rolling on the floor, and Yoshito can hardly blame him. The visual of All For One returning home, only to discover his beloved wife in the arms of the latest holder of One For All is rather… amusing.
“…I don’t think All Might is that good at kissing people.”
“You take that back!”
“Seriously, Nana?” Third rolls his eyes. “I get you’re proud of him, but… Even you have to admit, his kisses probably can’t cure terminal illnesses.”
“Plus I’m pretty sure he’s still a virgin,” Daigoro adds with a grin.
“He is not!”
“Oh,” Izuku mumbles and then cuddles closer to his father.
More than anything, Yoshito wishes he were alive. Because he suddenly realizes – Izuku misses his mother, yes, but he’s also lonely. He no longer goes to daycare, but Hisashi has been somewhat distant for a while. And who else is there? Kurogiri, who mostly focuses on chores, and Gigantomachia who, with the best will in the world, is more like a pet than a proper playmate. Yoshito… If he could, he would move in. Encourage Izuku to play more, indulge his admiration for heroes.
Hisashi probably won’t.
“Tell you what, Izuku,” Hisashi smiles, unaware of his brother’s heartbreak. “I’ve got all day off tomorrow, so – you can decide what we do! Alright?”
“Yes!” Izuku perks up.
For some reason, Yoshito feels a chill run down his spine.
“No, Hisashi, you’re doing it wrong!”
“He can’t hear you!”
“Yeah, but – Yoshito’s got a point!” Nana exclaims, and Yoshito gives her a grateful nod.
Then he returns to pretending his leg has been crushed by falling debris, an act that would be much easier to maintain if Third didn’t keep floating above him and pulling ridiculous faces. Normally, he doesn't mind his successors antics, but - it's been so long since he played heroes!
And yes, he is fully aware Izuku never actually saves him. That's fine, though. Pretending he's been crushed by debris is way more fun than I Spy, and... He just likes to feel included.
“I am – No, papa, you’re doing it wrong!” Izuku's voice wrenches him out of reminiscing.
“See?!” Yoshito crows jubilantly and then punches Third in the face. “Izuku thinks so, too!”
“I’m sorry, Izuku,” Hisashi sighs as he pulls the sheet of his head. “I’m just… Not very good at pretending to be scared.”
“Hard to argue with that,” Second shrugs. “When was the last time we saw him cowering?”
“About four years ago, when Inko was pregnant and on a cleaning spree,” Nana replies immediately, and they all shudder.
“Yeah, but – when was it related to heroes?”
They all nod, because the only time any of them ever saw All For One cowering was that one time it was a trap. Third didn’t even have enough time to realize what was coming.
“But your house just got smashed by a mean villain!” Izuku exclaims. He grabs the sheet and throws it back over his father. “And now you’re scared, so I have to come save you!”
“Izuku, heroes do a lot more than just saving people,” Hisashi points out as he emerges again. “They – they stop villains! Maybe I should be a villain and you could arrest me?”
Yoshito feels that same chill.
“Oh, yes!” Izuku grins innocently. “Alright, papa! You be a villain!”
And then, suddenly, the very air turns oppressive; Nana chokes on air and falls to her knees. Daigoro freezes, wide-eyed; Third and Fourth grab and cling to each other desperately, Sixth collapses through the floor and vanishes from sight, and Second dives behind the couch.
Yoshito tries to punch his idiot brother, and Izuku stares, wide-eyed at the man before him for a second; then, with a loud wail, he turns and bolts from the room.
“Izuku?” Hisashi mercifully supresses his ‘All For One aura’, as Yoshito calls it. “Izuku, what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? WHAT’S WRONG?!” Yoshito splutters. As the only holder of One For All that never faced the full might of All For One before his death, he is mercifully somewhat immune. He is also running on pure adrenaline and fury, and wishes that he could possess someone to strangle the idiot that is his brother.“Izuku is THREE! I’m pretty sure he’s just been traumatized!”
“Never mind Izuku, I’m traumatized,” Daigoro mutters.
"You absolute imbecile!" Yoshito continues, unconcerned about the looks he's receiving from his successors. "Again - THREE! You almost gave Sixth a heart attack from A MILE AWAY..."
"Hey! He just took me by surprise!..."
"You almost caused Second to piss his pants..."
"I resent that!"
"And what about Hokkaido?!" Yoshito throws up his hands. "But no! Let's just blast the GRIEVING TODDLER with the full might of the All For One aura of terror! That won't have any negative effects at all!"
“…Sir?” a familiar voice speaks up, and everyone in the room turns to watch as Kurogiri, brandishing a frying pan in one hand and a large knife in the other, peers into the room. "Is it... Is it safe to approach?"
“Of course it is,” Hisashi huffs, shaking his head. “Why are you holding those?”
“Izuku was traumatized?” Fourth suggests.
All the ghosts nod.
“Well, it’s just…” Kurogiri glances down at his improvised weapons, and then hastily warps the frying pan away. He keeps the knife though. “…Izuku said a monster got you, so I thought… Perhaps you could use… Reinforcements?”
“Oh, look at him! Ready to fight and die for his family!” Third grins.
“…Yeah, but… What could he do against a monster even All For One can’t defeat?” Second frowns.
“It’s the thought that counts!”
“There are no monsters,” Hisashi snorts. “Izuku and I were playing, and… I don’t know what happened…”
“He reacted exactly how any three-year-old would when confronted by a terrifying villain!” Yoshito groans. "You're SUPPOSED to be SMART. How many intelligence Quirks do you have?!"
"...Not enough?"
Yoshito fancies he can spot the exact moment Kurogiri puts all the pieces together and realizes how much of an idiot "the most dangerous villain ever" actually is. He feels a twinge of pity for the teenager; then he shakes his head and accepts that Kurogiri staying on will at least, hopefully, mean there is one reasonable person in this household. Hopefully Izuku will make it to ten.
“Sir, please don’t take this the wrong way," Kurogiri clears his throat and draws himself up. He glances down at the knife and hurriedly hides it behind his back. "But… Were you playing Heroes, by any chance?”
“Oh, yes!” Hisashi nods, and Yoshito imagines how it would feel to smack him.
“…And were you, by any chances, pretending to be the villain?”
“How did you know?”
Yoshito rubs at his forehead, trying to prevent the impending migraine.
“Again, sir, please don’t take this the wrong way… Also, if you do kill me, there’s a casserole in the oven that needs to be taken out in ten minutes…”
“Out with it, Kurogiri,” Hisashi frowns.
“Alright, sir,” the teenager takes a deep breath and squares his shoulders. “Izuku is three years old, and still believes there is a monster that lives under his bed. He sleeps with a nightlight. You, sir, are a villain with decades of experience in terrifying every living creature for miles around. If you fully channel All For One when playing Heroes, you will absolutely traumatize Izuku.”
"...Did I ever mention I like this kid?" Fourth asks.
"Probably," Third shrugs. "But it probably wouldn't do any harm to repeat it."
"...How is the teenage villain the most sensible one in this household?" Nana groans.
"Survival instincts?"
"...All - Midoriya is suffering from dementia?"
Hisashi opens his mouth, seemingly to protest. Then, however, he seems to think about it for a minute, and Yoshito can almost see the lightbulb illuminate above his head.
“…You probably have a point,” he admits.
“…So, just to be clear – you won’t kill me?”
“No, you made a valid point,” the man sighs. “I’ll work on holding back a bit. Now I suppose I had better find Izuku, tell him I’m fine…”
“He’s in the bathroom, being guarded by Gigantomachia,” Kurogiri supplies. “He needs a bath and a change of clothing.”
Yoshito winces.