Izuku is coming home.

Izuku dreams a lot now. He thinks it might be to do with the fact he's been returned to the one spot he's never been watched over, he enjoys the familiarity, despite the fact he's skipped into a completely different city. He dreams of his dad, of his papa. He dreams of how he was found and cared for, how they loved and cared for him even with his scarred face and the ones that peaked out from his shirt sleeves. He dreams of his dad finding him, even though he's gone out of his way to make sure he won't be found. He's hidden in hosu, his den in some of the darkest streets he can find. He eats enough to live, but no more. Hecan't be exactly sure. He's hears of the panic surrounding the hero killer, and he makes sure to visit one of the older crime scenes a town over so he can learn the killers scent, he doesn't want to be caught out when he could have known better.

He's glad he does. Two weeks after Izuku goes to learn the scent, Hero killer stain comes to Hosu. Izuku freezes as he happens across it in the street behind his den, but he shakes himself as he follows it, watching the fires in the street and the Nomu's that barrel themselves at heroes, teeth snapping and sharpened claws. Izuku happens across Manual, who's calling out for Iida. Izuku watches a Nomu swing at the pro hero, and Izuku barks and doesn't want to treat himself to more than he deserves. He's losing weight fast, but he hadn't exactly been all that big before. He thinks it's been a few weeks or so, but he caswings himself up, snapping his teeth around the monster's head and snapping his jaw shut as hard as he can, feeling its skull splinter and snap between his teeth. When he's sure it's dead, he lets go of its limp body, ignoring the horrified look on manual's face so he can follow Iida's scent. He may be living on the street, but he's not stupid. He's heard about the attack against Iida's brother Ingenuim, and if Iida is here, he's likely hunting the hero killer himself. It's stupid, but Iida is academic smart, not street smart. So he has no doubt that he's walking around like he actually has the set to kill a man. Izuku almost wants to laugh.

He follows the overwhelming smell of orange, growling softly when it links up with the metallic stench that clings to the hero killer. He follows it through a dark alleyway, slinking through the shadows as best he can, lowering his belly to the ground when he can see Iida with pro hero Native and who he believes to be Stain facing them. He watches Iida lay on the ground as Stain talks about how Iida can never be a true hero, how Stain should rid him from the world, and Izuku is busy taking a wild guess about how Stain's quirk works. He knows it's related to blood, judging by how the smell clings to him, Izuku watches as Stain flicks his tongue out, and the stench gets stronger. Izuku hopes its consumption of blood as he stands, growling. He's nothing but a bag of bones with no will, but Iida doesn't deserve to die. So he stands tall, blood coating his fur from killing the Nomu as he barks.

Izuku watches Stain lick his blood from a knife, and his stomach drops. He's going to die because Iida can't learn to let things go.

Stain's eyes widen when Izuku doesn't hit the floor.

The wolf has burnt off his quirk so fast he's immune.

Izuku uses the shock factor to get close, snapping and scratching at Stain as Stain cuts through fur and flesh, giving up on the hope that Izuku will fall to his quirk.

"Izuku. Go home, this is my fight, just go home to Aizawa."

The words only make him more violent. He snaps his teeth down on Stain's arm, listening to bones snap and Stain's screams. He gets a knife slice across his ribs, but he doesn't let go, tearing flesh violently. Izuku's ear flicks as Shoto enters the alleyway, freezing Stain to the ground up as far as his shoulders.

"Izuku?"

He can understand the confusion. The Izuku that Shoto had known was lean and powerful, careful and gentle. Now he stands thin and shaky, wild and uncaring. He's covered in blood, and now that Shoto is here and Stain is contained, Izuku has no reason to be here, so he dips his head once and disappears down the alley, ignoring the shouts of his friend begging him to come home.

He hides in an alley a few streets away, close enough that he can hear his dad's rushed heartbeat as he runs into the alley where he fought Stain.

"Izuku was here? You're sure?"

"Yes Mr. Aizawa. Izuku was here." It's Iida that replies, and Izuku finds out fairly quickly why.

"Izuku." Izuku's tail bristles as he whips around, eyes locking on Hitoshi and Shoto. He stares at them, not knowing if he should shift back and beg them to forgive him for being a coward and running away, or if he should keep being a coward and turn tail and run.

"We heard what happened to Midoriya. We don't really care."

Hitoshi slaps Shoto across the back of his head as he sighs loudly. "Shut up Shoto. Anyways. We know what happened and it doesn't change how we feel about you Izuku. We know you need a little time, but if you need something, you know how to find us."

Izuku licks them both, sticking his wet nose in their faces before trotting off, thankful that two of the important people in his life don't hate him for being a coward.

Shouta runs into what seems to be his hundredth alleyway for the night, nearly running into Hitoshi and Todoroki. "Have you seen him? He was here, Iida told me he was here-"

Hitoshi pats his arm as he smiles sadly, tears in his eyes. "He's not coming home Aizawa. You missed him. He's not coming home."

Shouta thinks it's strange to see Todoroki look so sad when he always looks so uninterested. It's strange to see Hitoshi cry when it's normally Hitoshi comforting Izuku, who's normally the one crying. It's strange to see Todoroki comfort Hitoshi the way Hitoshi so commonly comforted his son. It sinks in then what Hitoshi has told him.

Izuku isn't coming home.

Izuku curls himself in a corner, and he lays there for days. Day and night, Izuku lays in that corner and he does not move. He's not in Hosu, he's not exactly sure where he is, but he knows it doesn't matter.

He's come to these streets to die.

Izuku drifts in and out of sleep as he waits for death, he dreams of his dad, of his papa, of Toshi and Shoto. He regrets leaving them behind, but he isn't strong enough to move anymore, so he waits patiently for death.

Izuku has a dream three weeks after he curls into his corner. He sees his dad, crying and offering him ham, which of course Izuku accepts, because the ham his dad buys is his favourite, and he's been craving it since he ran away. Izuku can't remember much more, he figures he's just slipped into a deeper sleep.

Shouta tries not to let his feelings invade his work, but when he lays eyes on a black wolf that's more bone than muscle, he cries. He drops down beside Izuku, waving the ham in front of his nose to judge if he's awake or not. He's met with dull green eyes, ones that show their owner has long given up. Izuku takes one bite of ham before passing out, and Shouta freezes deathly still to listen for a breath. He doesn't move an inch for a full 23 seconds before he starts to panic. He uses his quirk on his son, lifting the frail body carefully, scared of how hollowed out his face had become, and how Shouta could easily see his bones. He was pale white and even his hair looked paler, and Shouta lifted his son, sprinting to the closest hospital. They take Izuku quickly, a begging pro hero in tears works wonders apparently, and Shouta doesn't know what to do. So he called the one person he knew Izuku would want to see.

"Shinsou Hitoshi, what's up?"

"Hitoshi. I found him."

Shouta can hear Hitoshi take the phone away from his ear, likely to look at the caller ID.

"Old man? Don't play with me. Don't get my hopes up. It's cruel."

"Hitoshi. Izuku is coming home."

Shouta can hear Hitoshi crying on the end of the phone. He assumes Hitoshi can hear him crying too.

The process of Izuku's healing is oh so painfully slow, and the only thing he says when he wakes up for the first time is that they shouldn't call Hizashi, that he's been enough of a bother. He hasn't woken since, and Shouta makes as many excuses as he can, leaving Hizashi alone in the house in the early morning every morning as he heads out to see Izuku. He runs into Hitoshi most days, but sometimes, Hitoshi is already there, mug of coffee long forgotten as it cools on the bedside table, as Hitoshi lays on the bed beside Izuku and cries. Shouta never wants to see Izuku like this. He Looks frail, and Shouta can see how careful Hitoshi is being as he weeps, as if even the slightest movement will break him. It's those days that Shouta waits outside silently, tears streaming down his face.

Izuku wakes, immediately choking on something in his throat. He immediately grabs it tight, pulling it out violently. He coughs and struggles to hold down vomit, aware he's got an IV in the hand he's using to pull the tube from his throat. He gasps for breath as he finally pulls it free, sitting up straight in the bed. He turns his head to the side wildly, locking his eyes onto a figure he knows well.

"Dad?" His voice is croaky and hoarse, the single word is broken up and shaky, but it's good enough for his dad to hear him.

"Jesus Izuku. You scared the shit out of us we thought you were-"

"Dead." Hitoshi stands in the doorway, staring at him with a straight face. "We thought you were dead."

Izuku cowers at the sight of his boyfriend, showing his throat in a submissive gesture, knowing it will do nothing to appease Hitoshi. Hitoshi isn't a wolf. The gesture seems to dawn on his dad though, who steps up to his bed, taking his hand that holds the line he assumes is hydrating him. Izuku reaches a hand up his face, there's new scars, and a tube in his nose. He stares at his dad, wide eyed.

"How long?"

"More than two months. Almost three. You fought stain a month ago. You've been here a week, and you lay on the street after the fight for three. You dropped a lot of weight very fast. You have a line to keep you hydrated, and the one in your nose is to feed you. They haven't used it as much as they'd like to, they're afraid your human body won't withstand it as well as your wolf body can, especially because you've been a wolf for so long."

Izuku barely pays attention to a word he says, watching Hitoshi instead. "I didn't know what to do Toshi. I didn't want to see how people would look at me when they realised what I did. I'm so sorry." He cries, awkward and painful from lack of use and the abuse of the tube. Hitoshi is beside him in seconds, wrapping his arms around him awkwardly as if not to hurt him. Izuku clutches onto him as he cries, one hand fisted in the fabric of Hitoshi's shirt, the other clenched tight around his dad's hand. He sputters apologies, his tears soaking into Hitoshi's shirt as they return his apologies for making him believe that they thought any differently of him.

Izuku knows he has a long way to go before he'll be trusted again, but he's willing to work for their trust again, and even though he's nothing but bone right now, he promises to get strong for his family. He promises that he won't ever leave them again. Not when they're willing to take him back again.

So he accepts their help and their love, he works with the doctors and talks to his dad and Toshi about how much food his quirk really needs, how he prefers the wolf body and they even talk a little about the half shift and the bigger one. They talk about how it was linked to rage, and how he wasn't fully aware of what was happening, like he was witnessing it rather than doing it. He cries more, and Hitoshi is right beside him in the bed to comfort him when necessary, especially when they tell him they'll be keeping him in hospital for at least a week until he can handle solids. He accepts the consequences of his actions with no complaint, but he squeezes Hitoshi's hand just a little tighter.

"Dad?"

His dad turns to look at him, and Izuku frowns as if deep in thought. "Stay home with papa. I'll see you when I'm out. He needs you."

His dad opens his mouth to argue, and Izuku cuts him off. "Dad, you've saved me three times. I'm not going anywhere. You can pick me up when i'm discharged, Toshi can give you a recount of how many times i blinked if you want. Just make sure Papa is okay."

"He just wants you home Izuku, we both do."

"I know dad. I'll be back home soon."

"I love you kid."

"I love you too dad. Now go see your man."

Izuku curls up that night with Hitoshi hugging him tight, like he's scared that if he lets go, Izuku will vanish. Izuku understands, so he holds on just as tight.