The Emerald Prince

Chapter 8: A house, a home

It was 5:00 pm - so late by Aizawa and Izuku's warped standards.
Aizawa mentally shook himself, looking over at his adorable newly acquired adolescent human.

Said Izuku was reading news articles on his phone, settled in their new arm chair.
The greenette was in a yellow hoodie the same shade as the sleeping bag the kid had bought him, as well as some ash grey jeans and black sneakers, his hair up in an untidy bun to match Aizawa's own. He was absently stroking their resident tabby, the cat slowly melting into a puddle on his lap from the greenette's gentle ministrations.

"Izuku?" He asked, breaking the kid out of his thoughts.
Izuku looked over at him, smiling uncertainly. "Yeah?"
"Come in here a minute, there is something I want to talk to you about."

Izuku nodded and rose, pocketing his phone and carefully displacing the irate cat to join Aizawa on the sofa. The hero hated the lingering fear that never truly seemed to leave Izuku's eyes, no matter their warmth.
He wondered how many weeks, months, years it would take for their gazes to meet and that fear to be gone. The rational side of him thought it never would, but for once he pointedly ignored it.

"What is it?" The greenette asked, both curious and nervous.
Aizawa ran a hand through his hair and took a steadying breath.
"The...the day you arrived, you took a great risk in being honest with me. Which came with a great deal of danger. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't return that honesty."
"Oh I know." Replied Izuku easily.
"What?" Aizawa stared at him, that was not on the list of answers the guy had given in any of the hypothetical versions of this conversation he had had.

Izuku chuckled, and glanced up affectionately at his da- no, sensei? Friend? Hero?
"You're face is kinda readable when you are worrying about others. You know who my original father is, right? He must have a distinctive quirk, and as I know no one on the hero registry with anything close...he... he must be a villain...for you to know him... Right?"
"Yes."
Aizawa mentally told himself off for forgetting the smarts on this kid.

Izuku leant back, closing his eyes. "Well, if you think I'd be best off not knowing..." he said, voice calm and accepting, "I trust your judgement, I basically put my life in your hands remember?"
Aizawa chuckled at the relaxed and frank way Izuku said it.
"You really are something else. I'm sorry, but for now I don't think you need to know. Izuku..." blinking in sudden realisation, he asked, "What is your family name?"
"Oh!" Izuku immediately tensed, "It's M-midoriya. Might help in tracking down that villain." He gazed at his hands, forcing them flat on his lap. "I... uh... hate it though, so I'd much rather come up with  a new one."

Aizawa recalled Midoriya Hisashi, but set that matter aside for later. The fear that flickered across Izuku's face when he spoke that name... he'd barely spoken about his mother, what the hell had she done to him?
For now though, would he like the idea?
"How would you like to take mine, I mean, my name?" He asked cautiously.

Izuku's eyes went round, and he whispered, "Aizawa Izuku..."
A smile formed and widened, and Izuku leapt across the sofa and hugged Aizawa.
"I'd love that! If...if you'll have me for a son?"

Aizawa ran one hand tenderly through his son's soft curly hair.
"I thought I already did."

They grinned at each other.

"Aizawa..." Izuku's smile faded a little and he wouldn't meet the older guys eyes.
"What?" Asked Aizawa, suddenly panicking and unsure why. They guy looked so cautious,

"Can... can I call you dad?"

———

Shinsou was scrolling through reddit as he had been for the last four hours, with no regrets, when his phone buzzed and a notification immediately came up from Izuku. Stopping reading a meme half way through, he immediately went onto their chat.