Lamentations of a War Machine

The Past and How It Drives Us

5 Months Ago...

The bloody, battered boy sits in the corner of the police station, a shock blanket wrapped around him as he nurses a warm cup of cocoa in his hands.

A plain looking man in a trenchant walks away from him, heading to Shouta with a look of confusion and worry mixed on his face. "Well, I was able to get a name at least, Izuku Midoriya. Kid went missing about four years ago, nearing five. Outside of that, I'm not gonna get anything out of him. Whatever he went through, it'll have to be spoken slowly over time to anyone he trusts to know."

"I understand. What about his parents? Have we been able to contact them yet?" Shouta asks, getting a shake of the head in response from the man.

"He lived with his mother over in the Skywalka Apartments. Attempts to contact her have been met with dead phone lines, and the apartment manager said she moved out two years ago. We presume she moved in with her husband, Hisashi Midoriya, who lives out of the country. We asked Midoriya about his contact info, and the kid started shaking. I don't need a lie detecting quirk to figure out that the kid isn't exactly okay around the man, so until we can find a way to contact his mother, it looks like he'll need to be looked after." The man explains, placing his hands in the pockets of his coat.

Shouta looks over at the boy, slowly sipping away at his drink. His eyes look almost devoid of life, only the faintest hint of a spark left behind them, and his face holds no reaction to the drink, untelling if it's good or bad. He's gone through a lot, and while Shouta can barely begin to understand what that was, he does know where the boy is right now.

It's the same spot he was in when his friend passed away.

"I'll take him in." He says, surprising the other man. "It's clear he's going through a stress induced response to the world around him, and has likely been affected by whatever happened to him in those four years. I've been in a similar state of repression before, and know how to manage it, as well as have enough income to support him and send him to a proper therapist." He explains, his face dropping into his capture weapon a bit. "It's only logical."

The other man lets his face remain static for a moment, before he clears it away and nods. "Of course. Being close to someone who has gone through this before could help, and you are trusted around teens. I'll start on the paperwork to make you his guardian. Text me if you need anything else, okay?"

"Understood. Thank you, Naomasa."

The man nods, before walking off, leaving Shouta and Izuku alone.

The two meet eyes, and the man can only wonder if he's made the right choice.

Present

Shouta opened the door to Izuku's room, a box of donuts in arm.

It was always odd, coming in here. For years, it was just an empty room, no need to put anything in here, since Shouta lived alone. But when Izuku became part of his life, he had to very quickly adjust it to be the boy's room.

The walls were painted in a forest green color, chosen by Izuku because he said it helped him sleep. A small desk was off to the side, a laptop on top of it, alongside a few hero figures. The dresser was off in another corner, close to the closet, where clothes rest in each.

Finally, the bed sat against the back wall, Izuku still resting on top of it.

Shouta let out a small breath, walking over to the desk, and placing the box on it. He walks out of the room afterwards, heading out soon after.

"So, how's the listener at home doing?" A blonde man in a very leather heavy outfit asks, leaning against a desk. A woman with blue hair leans over as well, looking at Shouta with interest.