chapter 41

Shouta gets a call too early in the morning for his liking. So anyone can see how he's not too happy when he answers the phone. 

"What?" He grumbles, voice rough with sleep. 

" Ah, good morning Eraserhead. Apologies, but I did wait till after ten to call so I had assumed you would be awake already ." Detective Tsukauchi's voice sounds through the receiver. 

"What time is it?" Shouta asks to the air, although he receives a response back from the man on the other side of the line. 

" It is currently ten fourty-seven ." 

Shouta groans in response. It was still too early but he had accidentally slept in. He really hopes Izuku isn't already awake. He reaches over to where Hizashi usually is in the morning and finds the spot cold and empty. 

"Well get on with it then." Shouta says, sighing as he drags his empty hand down his face, pulling at his cheeks and sits up in his bed. Tree seems to have made a home on his lap, purring. Shouta hates having to do it, but he carefully picks up Tree, this cat letting out a disgruntled murp, and setting him on his pillow before standing up and stretching. His back lets out a few satisfying pops and he groans in satisfaction. 

The detective chuckles from over the receiver and Shouta huffs. 

" Right, apologies. It was decided, as of earlier this morning, that Inko Midoriya's trial would be pushed up in date. They still have not decided whether or not they're going to have Izuku-kun testify. " 

Shouta sighs. It's a bone-deep sound filled with exhaustion and exasperation. He just wishes they could just send the woman to jail for life without all of this hassle but without a proper trial and proof, the woman just might walk free for what she's done to his kid. 

"Can't they just make up their minds already?" Shouta asks to no one in particular. 

" My thoughts exactly, Eraserhead. " Tsukauchi responds anyway, knowing the question was more rhetorical than anything.

"Do we know the official date?" 

" Ah, yes, it would be in three weeks in comparison to the three months it was going to be ."

"During exam season, perfect." Shouta drawls.

" I do apologize, Shouta, " And oh, the detective only ever calls Shouta by his name when it's serious, " but they are going to need you there as well since you are the new partial guardian of Izuku-kun. " 

Shouta nodded before remembering the detective couldn't see it. "Right, okay. Thanks. Is that all?"

" Yes. I'll call you back if there's any progress ." 

"Thank you." Shouta said, hanging up. Shouta glares at his phone even though it has done nothing truly wrong, but he can't help it. He thinks of all the things he's heard Inko Midoriya put Izuku through, whether it was passively or not. 

A knock at the door drew Shouta's attention away from his phone. Standing there, clad in an atrocious yellow Put Your Hands Up hoodie and clashing pink pants is Hizashi. His hair is parted into two separate, messy , braids. Though, honestly, the look fits the man. 

( And maybe just a little bit attractive, but Shouta's not going to mention that .)

"Did you forget how to do hair this morning?" Shouta asks, once he realizes that he must be staring. 

"Nope! The Little Listener did it for me! Isn't he just the sweetest?" Hizashi cooed. So Izuku was already awake. Damn.

"Where is he?" Shouta asks, not even trying to answer Hizashi's ( rhetorical ) question because he knows Izuku's not the sweet angel he likes to play the role of when Hizashi is around. 

"Taking a nap on the couch. Seems he didn't sleep well last night. Probably had a nightmare, but he didn't want to talk about it so I let him braid my hair as a distraction." Hizashi explained, a sad smile overtaking the bright, beaming one from earlier. 

The mood grows somber between both men and Shouta takes a deep breath, holding it for four seconds before releasing it for six. And then he asks a more important question for the moment. 

"Did he eat?" 

"No, I don't think so. He didn't seem to have an appetite so I told him he could try to get some sleep until lunch." Okay. Okay, he could work with this. It's not great that the kid hasn't eaten yet, but it's fine. One missed meal couldn't hurt. 

"Alright. I'll start on lunch then." Shouta says, standing up and bending his back until his spine popped. Hizashi grimaces as Shouta groans in satisfaction. 

"Are you sure your joints should sound like that at your age?" Hizashi asks as he follows Shouta down the hall towards the kitchen. 

"Probably not, but such is the life of a hero." Shouta says, shrugging and rolling his neck until it pops as well. 

Again, Hizashi grimaces. And again, Shouta groans in satisfaction. 

Hizashi leans against the bar, watching as Shouta moves through the kitchen. Shouta knows the blonde enjoys watching him move around the kitchen like it's a dance only he knows the steps to. He knows Hizashi would watch Shouta for hours as the man moved through the unknown steps of this dance if the blonde was allowed. 

But he's not allowed. 

At least, not by the universe because a tired looking Izuku wanders into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes and looking around with a lost look. 

Shouta snorts and Hizashi moves to greet the teen, offering the boy some water. Izuku takes the water in both his hands, holding it not unlike a child would. The teen lifts the cup to his lips, taking small sips without tilting either the cup or his head. 

Shouta, looking at his son, his kid, sleepily drinking water, decides that telling the kid about Inko's trial can wait for later. 

"Food?" Izuku asks when he's clearly done with the water. 

"Yeah, Kid." Shouta responds, turning away from the stove to face the teen. 

"Mm rice?" 

"Sure, Kid, I'll make some rice for you as well." Shouta says, ruffling already tangled curls. Izuku pushes his head into Shouta's hand and the man smiles before moving away and back to the stove. 

Izuku seats himself at the table, gaze unfocused and hand absentmindedly petting Bastard. 

Shouta lets part of himself worry, but he focuses mostly on the food, not wanting it to burn. 

Shouta finished cooking, plating the food and setting it down in front of Izuku, the conversation he had with Tsukauchi earlier playing on repeat in his mind as he watched his kid eat. He'd have to tell the boy eventually, but maybe right now wouldn't be the best time. 

Later, when Izuku's not still waking up and when the teen has more energy. 

Izuku knows something is amiss. Shouta's been throwing him concerned and worried glances all day and now that it's nearing late afternoon, it's beginning to get on his nerves. Izuku doesn't like when people don't tell him things concerning him. And he knows whatever is on Shouta's mind concerns Izuku because then the man wouldn't be watching Izuku's every move today. 

If it was about a mission or something, Izuku would understand, but the looks that the man gives him doesn't make him think it's about that. 

Izuku chews on the inside of his cheek as he thinks, a technology documentary playing as background noise to his thoughts. 

He knows it's not about a mission, so then it can't be about his vigilante activities. Is it about his classes? No, that can't be it. Did someone die? But who? MeiMei? Toshi? No, he would know by now, right? And plus, he just saw them yesterday and they couldn't have possibly died since then. 

Fuck, he might as well just ask since he's not getting anywhere by himself. 

"What is it?" Izuku asks, not getting up from the couch. 

"What?" Shouta asks. 

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Izuku asks, not caring enough to mask the frustration in his voice. 

Shouta freezes, like he didn't expect to be caught. If Izuku wasn't so frustrated he would have laughed at the look on the man's face. 

Finally, after a too long pause, Shouta sighs and stands from his place at the table.

"Inko's trial has been pushed up to three weeks from now. They still haven't decided if they want you testifying or not, but Tsukauchi called me this morning to tell me." Shouta says, sitting down on the couch though not looking at Izuku. 

Izuku appreciates it. 

His thoughts are running too wild at the moment for him to also deal with the attention of the man. And if he's right, there's tears flowing down his cheeks, though he's not sure why. 

A sharp pin-prick of pain draws him out of his thoughts and poking his tongue out, tastes a metallic taste that only comes from bleeding. 

Great. Just great. 

"Tsukauchi's doing all he can to make sure you don't have to go up on the stand Kiddo. I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but it's really all I have, I'm sorry." 

"It's fine." Izuku mumbles. He knows it's not Shouta's or Tsukauchi's fault, but it still sucks. And sure, now he doesn't have to wait as long for Inko's sentence, but it doesn't make the gnawing, twisting feeling in his gut go away. 

They watch documentaries until dinner and by then Izuku has decided to leave thoughts of Inko's trial to future Izuku. Right now he just needs to focus on what he's going to make for his final.

Made by:truen o'steen