The Emerald Prince

Chapter 88: Fresh Starts

Izuku knew them the moment he saw them.
The white heads of hair, grey eyes and serious expressions.

He ordered a hot chocolate and approached them, settling opposite the pair in the booth.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both, I'm Aizawa Izuku."
He bowed lightly, thanking the waiter who placed the hot chocolate in front of him, wrapping his hands around the warm mug for reassurance.

"Todoroki Fuyumi, nice to meet you Izuku." Said the young woman calmly. She was dressed maturely for her age, in a simple grey pencil skirt that matched her eyes, and a minimalist sleeveless white shirt.

"Natsuo." Said the young man simply. Izuku guessed he was in college, he wore a hoodie and jogging pants bearing a crest and the colouration of some sport team he couldn't identify, not that he followed sports of any kind really, he got beaten up enough outside of PE.
The young man eyed him doubtfully. "Why have you requested to meet us? Our mother is just about to be released from hospital."

Izuku took a deep breath, and a sip of his hot chocolate. "It's a long story."

———

The two siblings stared at the greenette, who nervously finished the last of his drink. They were speechless. This kid, had recognised their brother's troubles, engineered a situation which would give his father enough evidence to remove Shoto from Endeavour's custody and get him investigated, and found their sibling presumed dead and convinced him to come back to them. He watered it down and shoved as much credit as he could onto others, but the pair saw through most of that.

Glancing at the time Izuku rose, "we should go, you gonna be-"
He was interrupted when the pair pulled him into a tight hug. He squirmed in embarrassment and wondered if abrupt hugs were a Todoroki - no Hiniyuki thing.

"Where's your father? I should thank him for his work." Said Fuyumi once they separated.
Izuku smiled bashfully. "He gets uncomfortable when people thank him, as do I. So please... just take care of Touya and Shoto? That's all the thanks either of us need."

"Touya..." sighed Natsuo, seeming to test the word. "Where was he?"
Izuku shook his head. "Not my story."

———

Rei looked very different. She'd gradually become more lively since Shoto started visiting and later Mitsuki, but today she could finally get out of those ridiculous hospital gowns and wear some damn trousers.

She was on a computer at that moment, reading glasses on, hair up. Composing emails, ordering furniture... Enji had had to pay them so much money in reparations, she could afford a house large enough to lodge all her children, and she didn't care if Fuyumi had her own apartment, she wanted to rebuild a home with them all. If only for a little while.

The door opened and she found Shoto hanging back in the doorway.
"My, you got a hair cut!" She said, glad he was changing and moving forward.
He nodded, but seemed hesitant to enter the room.
"Shoto, what is it?"

"You... have another visitor today." He said uncertainly. She examined him with a mother's eye, nervous, hoping for approval? Ah.
"Finally plucked up the courage to ask Izuku out?"
There was a snort from out of view. As snort that definitely did not belong to Izuku.

"Not yet." Was the slightly bitter reply. "Oka-san... Touya's alive."

Touya?
She tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled half croak half sob.
Then there he was.
Tall, taller then Enji... and slim. His skin was clear of the bandages she remembered, the face more mature... but those eyes couldn't be anyone else's.
She leapt from her chair, stumbling in her hurry to reach him, but he caught her gently, looking so scared of what she might say.

She raised a hand to cup his cheek, feeling his aliveness in the warmth of it, and cried.
"My son..." she whispered softly, running her hand through that red hair, so familiar in its colour and yet not his.
"Izuku brought you back didn't he?"
Touya laughed at that, and her heart leapt at the unrestrained joy of it. It was just like Natsuo's. "He did."

"That boy will stop at nothing to make sure I'm indebted for life. Marry him, one of you?"
The pair glanced at each other in a way that told her the joke was slightly too near reality to be funny. She sighed and stroked a hand across Touya's temple.
"Are you back to stay?" She said, almost nervous.

He pulled her closer into his arms. "I am... Okaa-san."

———

The trios met outside the hospital and in spite of his best efforts to seamlessly merge into the surroundings, Izuku was pulled into the middle of the reunion of the happy Hiniyukis.
He did, however, once the chaos died down, insist on leaving them to go to the new house without him.

He left the group and struck out on his own, he wanted to be back in time to wave off Kirita, and have some time alone before Touya and Shoto returned for the night - it would be a few more days until their new house was habitable - to allow him to try to process the complicated feelings he was experiencing.

Nemuri was at the house when he came, Yamada was also there.
"How did it go?" Said Aizawa, pulling him into a supportive hug.

"Really well." Replied Izuku before turning to Kirita. "Ready?"
Kirita furrowed his brows, "I'll see you right? You'll... you'll come visit?"
The greenette nodded, "of course I will."
"Then I am." Said Kirita firmly, and turned to walk over to Nemuri, who ruffled his hair affectionately and turned to look at Izuku, with a smile, but solemn eyes.

"I'll do my best." She said, the statement carrying a gravity neither Yamada nor Aizawa had heard in her voice before.

Izuku searched her expression, and satisfied, he smiled brightly and locked eyes with Kirita, "I think she'll be a brilliant parent to you, please treat her well."
He then dug into his bag, and taking out a new game, pulled the kid into a hug and pressed it into his palm before disappearing into the house before they could see his tears.
He'd always wanted siblings, but Kirita would do well with Nemuri.

He dived onto his bed, grateful to have some alone time at last.
He was crying... but he couldn't quite work out why. Pulling the pillow to his chest, he focused his attention on breathing. It wasn't a true panic attack, his lungs could find air, but there was never quite enough, so he had to keep going, never quite being satisfied.

Downstairs, he heard a door close and the muffled voices of Yamada and Dad.
He'd seen the way they'd started looking at each other and it made him happy. He couldn't ruin their moment with his problems.

Through tremendous effort, he regained control of his breathing, but the action left him worn out. He glanced at his phone.

Shinsou: Are we going out tonight?
Izuku: I can't today, Shoto's mum was released from hospital... he'll probably want to talk when he comes back. Sorry..
Shinsou: No worries, night then.
Izuku: Sure, like you're gonna sleep at all in the next ten hours.
Shinsou: Let me lie.
Izuku: Fine. Night Toshi, say hi to Mihoko!

Tossing the phone back onto the bedside table, he curled around a pillow.
He was reaching for a book, unsure which one he needed when the front door opened and closed and he could suddenly hear the happy voices of the two Hiniyukis returning.

He couldn't do this right now.
He wasn't overly sad, overly anything really, just couldn't do it.

He had to get out.

Hastily dressing up so at a glance it would look like he was heading out as usual for the evening, he mustered the energy to bounce down stairs and smile happily with everyone before slipping out the door and into the clean night air.