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Two weeks have gone by since Izuku’s last letter, and Neito is worried. Not only has he not heard from Izuku, but class has been tense. Ever since Shoto slapped Uraraka, the class has been divided into three groups. The people who are on Neito’s side; Shoto, Hitoshi, Aoyama, Tokoyami, and, surprisingly, Bakugou. People who are on Uraraka’s side; Ashido, Iida, Kaminari, Ojiro, Sero, Hagakure, and Jirou. Then, there’s a neutral party, who just want to stay out of it; Tsuyu, Kirishima, Kouda, Satou, Kouda, Shouji, and Yaoyorozu. Pretty much every class has been strained. It’s gotten to the point where even Aizawa-sensei has gotten worried.
Two weeks ago, Neito, Shoto, and Hitoshi went to Aizawa, worried about Izuku. They told Aizawa about the drawing, and what they thought it meant. Aizawa listened to them, took a picture of the drawing, and told them that he would handle it. But after two whole weeks, with No letter from Izuku, they are starting to doubt him. Lately, Shoto and Hitoshi have been sleeping in Neito’s room because of the stress they’re under. about a week after Izuku’s last letter, Shoto left and said he would try to visit. He came back two hours later on the verge of a panic attack. When he calmed down, he told them that the only one who opened the door was the butler, who told Shoto that Izuku was not allowed to have visitors. Shoto said that the butler looked miserable, and tried to whisper something to Shoto, but Dragon screamed from inside the house to hurry up. The butler had jolted and apologized to Shoto, before closing the door. When Shoto was about to leave, he swore he heard Izuku crying and the butler yelling. The rest of that night was hard, and none of them were able to sleep.
With how the past few weeks have been going, it terrifies everyone when Aizawa walks in with his creepy grin, wide awake, and without coffee. Neito sees almost everyone in the class pale, and he thinks Kaminari pissed his pants a little.
“Alright class,” Aizawa pauses and scans the class before giving the class a look of Reproach. “Stop acting like I'm about to kill your grandma. You are seven weeks into your pen-pal activity, and it has been decided that there will be a meet-up of sorts. On Friday, your pen-pals will be coming to the school. We have already contacted all of them, and they all agreed. This will be your chance to meet face-to-face. Now, let's get on will homeroom-”
But Neito isn’t listening any longer. This was Aizawa’s plan to help Izuku. A face-to-face meeting might get them more answers. Neito sneaks a look at Shoto and Hitoshi, only to see them just as shocked. He can tell that they aren't paying attention to Aizawa either, taking the time to swallow the fact that they will be seeing Izuku in just a few long days.
Classes could not move slower. Neito barely pays enough attention to take notes in class, let alone actually retain any of the information. At lunch, Neito, Shoto, and Hitoshi eat outside and talk about what to expect on Friday. It’s clear they are only excited about being able to see Izuku and not their own pen-pals. Hitoshi and Shoto are indifferent to their own pen-pals, two rich kids who early on stated that their teachers made them sign up for this event for extra credit. Their letters were dull and never offered much, so Hitoshi and Shoto matched their energy (which was none). At the end of the day, they asked Aizawa to be allowed off campus in order to go to the mall. Aizawa said yes, most likely already knew that they were getting gifts for Izuku.
When they finally got back to Neito’s room with bags of stuff in preparation for Friday, they were still full of restless energy. They ended up in a cuddle pile of sorts on Neito’s bed while watching movies. Neito was the last to fall asleep, but he only had one thought in his head when he started nodding off,
‘Friday cannot come any sooner.’
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Izuku whimpers on the floor of his bedroom, not being able to do anything other than listen to his father scream at Astraeus and try to stay awake. His father had been upset about something, more upset than usual, and took it out by beating Izuku until he had more bruises and blood than skin. Not being able to do anything else, Izuku thinks back to two weeks ago, when this all started.
A few days after Izuku sent off his last letter and gift, Father had invited Endeavor and Hawks over to talk about their latest hero mission. Father had told Izuku to stay in his room, as he always did when he had people over, but Izuku couldn't stay in there when he heard the way Endeavour was talking about Astraeus while his father laughed. Talking about his body, how much they'd sell him for. Izuku ran out of his room and started screaming at them. His father had been eerily calm while Endeavour looked insulted at some of the insults Izuku managed to say. Hawks looks pale and shocked, boarding on horrified as he looked between Izuku and his father who told Astraeus to take Izuku back to his room. A few minutes later, Izuku could hear Endeavor and Hawks leaving and Father walking back to Izuku’s room. The weeks after that were some of the worst in Izuku's life.
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After Izuku’s mom died, He had been put directly into his father's care. His father never asked for a kid but kept him in order to look good to the public. Nothing screams “Good Hero” like raising a kid alone when their other parent dies. For the first few years or so, Izuku was alone. It was only him and his father’s anger. But, one day, Father came home dragging a young man with him. Izuku was told that the man’s name was Astraeus and that he worked for father and would now be living with them. Izuku was terrified that Astraeus would be just like father, but that wasn't the case at all. Astraeus took care of Izuku and raised him. He protected Izuku when he could, and even tried to run away with him once. Other people came and went. Shigaraki, Dabi, Kai, Endeavor, Compress, Spinner, and Hawks, but none of them were there for Izuku. Shigaraki wanted allies, Dabi wanted revenge, Kai wanted Izuku’s body, Endeavor wanted power, Compress wanted money, Spinner wanted a leader, and Hawks wanted freedom. But Astraeus only wanted Izuku's happiness and protection. Even when Shigaraki ruffled Izuku’s hair, Izuku knew that Shigaraki turned a blind eye to Father’s beatings. Even when Dabi snuck Izuku extra food, Izuku knew that if father found out, Dabi would blame it on him. Even when Kai told Izuku how beautiful and pure he is, Izuku knew he had no problem also reminding Izuku how disposable he was. Everyone had a price for their kindness, and it was always Izuku who had to pay it. For a long time, Astraeus was the only one who never asked for anything in return. But then, Shoto was there. Every blue moon, Izuku would have the pleasure of seeing Shoto. Izuku loves his memories of Shoto. But it didn't last forever. When Izuku was 13, Shoto told him that they wouldn't be able to see each other for some time. After 3 years, Izuku stopped hoping for Shoto to return. But then Father told Izuku that he would be signed up for a pen-pal activity in order to get information about UA. Izuku met Neito, even if it was only through letters, and had another person who had no price for their kindness. After a few letters, Izuku re-connected with Shoto and met Shinsou. Suddenly, it wasn't just Izuku and Astraeus and occasional visits from Shoto. Now it was Izuku, Astraeus, Neito, Shoto, and a soon-to-be-friend Shinsou. Izuku hoped they could forgive him for not sending any letters.
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Izuku jolts up and has to hold back another whimper when the door to his room opens suddenly. Izuku relaxes momentarily when he sees its just Astraeus, but panics when he sees the blood on Astraeus’s face. Father rarely hits Astraeus, other than the occasional slap or push when Astraeus tries to protect Izuku. Astraeus rushes over to Izuku, with tears in his eyes, but a soft smile pulling at his lips.
“Hello, Star. You did wonderfully, staying awake until I could get to you. I’m going to clean you up and help you into a bath, and then I have some great news for you, ok?” Astraeus starts picking Izuku up, cooing in sympathy when Izuku cries out in pain, “I know, Star. I know you’re hurting pretty badly now, but I'm going to fix you right up.”
An hour later, Izuku is relaxing in a bathtub with Astraeus working the blood out of his hair. Izuku is mumbling to Astraeus about his quirk, which he almost never sees. Astraeus nods along to whatever Izuku is saying, but never truly clarifies what it is. Izuku’s voice is soft, not even a whisper, but he can tell Astraeus hears him just fine,
“-it didn’t get rid of the injuries, but it did numb a lot of the pain. Is that it? Pain numbing? No… There was that one time when you made your hands glow, but that didn't happen this time. Maybe a dual quirk? But that wouldn't explain the time I knocked over a cup, and you made it float before it could hit the ground… Astraeus, do you have multiple quirks?” Astraeus smiles and explained,
“No, Star, I do not have more than one quirk. My abilities come from a mutation in my organs caused by my quirk.”
“That’s pretty complicated… What was the good news you had to tell me.?” Izuku looks up at Astraeus, staring at him with a face covered in bruises, but eyes filled with gratefulness. Astraeus finishes washing Izuku’s hair and starts braiding it, whispering soft words that sink into Izuku’s skin offering hope and help. Astraeus explains Izuku’s saving grace in a few sentences. Explains a meeting on Friday that may just save Izuku’s life in no more than 60 words. Explains what may grant Izuku the future he let himself forget in less than 3 minutes. Izuku lets the sentences settle in his mind, lets the words wrap around him, and lets the minutes wash over him. And after, Izuku lets himself cry. Izuku lets himself cry and prays that his tears of relief and joy will reach those who reached out to him. Izuku wishes for Astraeus to feel his gratitude. Izuku wills whatever gods are out there to bless his friends with all the goodness in his own heart because that is truly all he can offer them. Most of all, Izuku swears that on Friday, he will ask for help. He will free himself of his father, and then Izuku will expose his father as the villain he really is.
As Izuku lays in bed that night, he is not dragged down into nightmares kicking and screaming but is gently swept into dreams of a future of kindness and soft touches.
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It’s Friday and Neito is freaking out. Most of his classmates' pen-pals have come, standing around here or there. Some have gone back into the dorms; others have stayed at the front of the dorms. A few only came by for a few minutes before leaving. But Neito has neither seen the hide nor hair of Izuku. Neito had guessed that Izuku would be a little late, but now he is fearing that Izuku would not show up.
Neito violently flinches back from the flick on his forehead, confused when he sees Shoto suddenly in front of him along with Hitoshi. They look worried and tell him as much. Apparently, they had been trying to get his attention for several minutes.
“It’s ok Neito, I’m sure that Izuku will be here soon.” Shoto’s words help to calm Neito’s worries, as do Hitoshi’s agreements. The three of them settle on a bench outside the dorms, sending a text to Aizawa to let him know where they were. Neito must get lost in thought again because he suddenly hears Hitoshi’s voice in his ear. Neito can hear the power in Hitoshi’s voice once he starts listening to what he was saying.
“You are real, Neito. You’re real, I’m real, Shoto is real, and Izuku is real. And right now, Izuku needs you here, not lost in your head.” Neito nods along with the words, to show he is listening and understanding what is being said. For the next few minutes, they all just talk about nothing. At last, they hear walking towards them. Neito jumps up and turns to look at who is coming his way, only to be surprised by the sudden pain in his cheek. Shoto and Hitoshi are making sounds of disbelief, while Neito is focused on the tiny girl in front of him. She looks to be around 18, but she is short and very, very angry. Distantly, Neito notices how much this girl looks like Yaoyorozu. He is currently more focused on her yelling and how she is preparing to hit him again.
“You are a real asshole, you know?! Ocha has told me lots about you! Well, she may bite her tongue, but I will not!”
The angry girl lunges again, only to be grabbed around the waist by a very flustered and confused Yaoyorozu. It doesn't take long to fit puzzle pieces together while listening to the arguing that is going on in the background. Yaoyorozu’s cousin is Uraraka’s pen-pal and hates Neito. Once that is put together, Neito looks around to see everyone that is around. Uraraka and Yaoyorozu’s cousin is arguing with Shoto and Hitoshi while Yaoyorozu is holding back her cousin, looking more and more distressed by the second. Neito is just about to speak up for himself when the cousin breaks out of Yaoyorozu’s grip to lunge at him. He jumps back, but sees it is no use when she hits a barrier of… Light? Everyone is frozen and starts looking around, only to spot three people walking towards them, one of them holding a hand out that is glowing. Neito tenses when he realizes who they are.
“What. Is going on here?” Aizawa, his quirk flared and furious lines creasing his face as he glares.
“My my, young master. It seems us being fashionably late brought us just in time for a show!” A man taller than Aizawa, his voice is honey, and his skin is snow. Neito assumes this is the man that is making the light barrier, seeing as his hand is glowing. What really catches Neito’s eye is the man's long hair, which seems to be every color of the galaxy, including the occasional strand of white that peak out like stars. Neito’s eyes quickly move to look at the shortest of the three, and Neito feels relief fill him.
“Now Astraeus, it seems that this woman was attempting to attack three of my friends. I trust that you will be able to take care of this while I catch up with them?” Izuku is there, alive and mostly well. Neito does a once over and is surprised at the outfit Izuku is wearing. In his letters, Izuku is very soft-spoken and says he prefers soft things, like comfy blankets and stuffed animals. Neito would have guessed that Izuku liked outfits that were looser, and soft, but that does not seem to be the case. Izuku is wearing a fully fitted 3-piece suit. His waistcoat is a dull shade of purple, with the rest of the outfit being dark gray. Izuku looks perfectly natural in the outfit, looking like he was raised in suits that cost more than Neitos’ Aunt’s entire closet. Neito suddenly realizes how silent everyone is. He quickly looks around, gauging everyone's reactions to the arrival of the three. Yaoyorozu seems absolutely mortified, the poor girl. Her cousin and Uraraka seem to be in their own states of fear and shock. Shoto has relief visible on his face, and Hitoshi is grinning ear to ear.
“Of course, young master. You go ahead to young Monoma’s room with your friends, and I will have this dealt with.” Izuku nods and walks over to Neito. Neito can’t help the worry that settles in his bones. Izuku is not talking like he does in his letters, and Neito is starting to fear that the Izuku in his letters is nothing like the one who is walking toward them.
The thought vanishes when Uraraka moves to grab Izuku by the wrist. Immediately, everyone is moving. Yaoyorozu grabs her cousin and pulls her away, while a red-faced Shoto is being held back by an equally furious Hitoshi. Neito is grabbing Izuku and pulling him into a hug that has Izuku’s head tucked under Neito’s chin, while Neito shoves Uraraka away from them. The man, who Neito assumes is Izuku’s servant, is grabbing Uraraka by the wrist and twisting it painfully while Aizawa has her other arm, mostly just trying to keep her from falling and breaking the arm Astraeus is grabbing.
It all happens so fast, in the span of seconds. Shoto and Hitoshi calm down fast when they see adults taking care of it and are rushing to see how Neito and Izuku are doing. Neito is mostly just shocked, but also a little scared. The thing he is scared of is how badly Izuku is shaking. Tucked into Neito’s arms, Izuku looks so small. Neito stiffens when he sees the bruising that is hidden under Izuku’s collar. Neito is at a loss, not knowing what to say to fix the situation, and is flooded with relief when there is a calm voice telling him what to do. Neito looks up to see galaxy haired man staring at him with a soft concern in his eyes,
“Hello, Monoma. It is amazing to meet you at last. If you could escort the young master inside, I would appreciate it a lot. Please leave this mess to the adults.” Neito nods, blushing a bit at the fact that this man knows his name. Neito walks side by side with Izuku, Hitoshi, and Shoto following closely behind.
Neito gets a closer look at Izuku, and his worry only grows. Izuku is tense in a way that raises a million and one alarm bells in Neito’s head, and there are bruises peeking out of Izuku's fancy clothing. Neito takes a deep breath, smiles, and leads Izuku up the stairs to his room. From the corner of his eyes, Neito can see Shoto and Hitoshi following them closely.
“Would you like to change?” Neito keeps his voice light and open once they get in his room, but Izuku still jumps violently and whips his head around from where he was looking to look at Neito. Izuku stares at Neito with crystal clear hesitation before finally nodding slowly. Shoto quickly digs out an outfit for Izuku out of one of the bags of gifts that they got for Izuku. While Izuku changes in the bathroom, Hitoshi and Shoto set the room up while Neito set the bags on the bed. By the time Izuku walks out, Hitoshi has every blanket and pillow on the floor shaped like a huge nest and Shoto has pulled out Neito's snack stash from under the bed.
Izuku looks a lot more comfortable now in the clothes that Neito bought for him, the softest jogging pants and hoodie he could find, the pants are a pastel blue while the hoodie is light green and says “pants” across the front in English. Izuku stands in the bathroom doorway, shifting from one foot to the other while looking around the room nervously. Neito smiles and makes his way to the nest while motioning for Izuku to follow his lead. Only when all of them were sitting in a circle, awkward but comfortable, did they start talking.
They start slow, Neito and Hitoshi properly introducing themselves to Izuku for the first time face-to-face. Shoto leans over and gives Izuku a hug and says how much he missed him the last few years. Neito asks about Astraeus, who he was, and what he was like. After Izuku finishes gushing about galaxy-man, Neito vows to buy the man a few dozen presents. Izuku asks about their families. Neito is happy to be able to talk about his aunt and cousin, and Izuku seems to appreciate the talking. Shoto talks about his siblings, and Hitoshi mentions adopting another kitten. They talk about hero classes, drawing, likes, and dislikes. Izuku relaxes, slowly bringing himself more into the conversation and becoming more open with them. It’s Hitoshi who accidentally asks the first heavy question,
“What's your quirk, Izuku?”
It’s meant to be light, a question to only move the conversation forward. Shoto had once mentioned that he had no clue what Izuku’s quirk was, and Neito would not lie by saying he wasn't curious. But then Izuku is tensing up worse than before and backing away from them, curling into himself in a way that made Neito want to hug and protect him. For a minute, Neito doesn't think Izuku will answer but then he looks up at them and whispers in a broken voice,
“I’m... I’m quirkless…” Izuku closes his eyes tightly and ducks his head back into his chest as if expecting them to be angry at his quirk status. But little does he know; they can only feel a detached sense of understanding. All three of them grew up mistreated for their quirks. Neito’s “useless” quirk. Hitoshi’s “villainous” quirk. Even Shoto’s “Heroic” quirk was a reason for his abuse. But they all comforted themselves by whispering the same thing to themselves when times were hardest. ‘At least I'm not quirkless.’
Neito puts a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, pushing down the rush of anger when Izuku flinches violently and whimpers softly, and pulls him into a hug, whispering that they did not care about Izuku’s quirk status, that he didn't even need one to be amazing. Hitoshi and Shoto join the hug, saying that having no quirk just makes Izuku stronger. After a few minutes, Izuku hugs back and sobs. He sobs and holds on to them as if he will die if he lets go. Slowly, he starts speaking. He confesses everything to them, in the safety of their arms. His father’s abuse, his mother’s death, the fact his father is a villain, the villains that have been in and out of Izuku's life. Izuku tells them about a villain named Kai whom Izuku is forced to live with for two months for the last five years after saving a little girl from him. Izuku confesses things that make Neito’s mouth taste like bile, things that make Shoto’s old scars ache and Hitoshi’s anger reach levels he never knew were possible. He wails all while they hold him tightly while whispering sweet nothings. After sitting in silence for several minutes, Neito speaks up,
“We are going to tell Aizawa-sensei, and we will save you. I swear to you Izuku, we will save you.” Izuku, drained from the crying and emotional conversation, just nods while closing his eyes. A frantic knock at the door startles them out of their bubble of peace. Shoto gets up to answer the door, only to be greeted by Astraeus. Once Astraeus sees Izuku on the floor, he rushes over and kneels in front of him, cupping his hands across Izuku’s tear-stained cheeks. Astraeus gives Izuku a once over, scanning for any new injuries before speaking quietly to Izuku while the rest of the room attempts to give them a shred of privacy,
“Star, are you ok?” Neito relaxes at the softness of the galaxy-man’s voice, trusting him to take care of Izuku. Neito can see Hitoshi on the phone in the hallway, probably with Aizawa-sensei. Izuku nods at Astraeus's question, but all of their stomachs drop at Astraeus's next words,
“Your father is here, Star. He said his mission finished faster than expected and that he wanted to pick you up to take you to Kais’.” Astraeus looks at Neito and Shoto, asking with his eyes that they save Izuku.
“He isn't going anywhere with that monster.” Shoto snarls. Astraeus nods and relaxes at the protective looks. Izuku rushes to change back into his suit while Hitoshi comes back into the room to talk to all of them. Once Izuku comes back up, Hitoshi jumps into action.
“Just in case something happens, Aizawa wanted me to give you this Izuku.” Hitoshi hands Izuku a bracelet with a heart charm on it, informing them that it is actually a tracking device. After questioning Hitoshi on where it came from, he tells them that his mom is a pro hero and he has to wear the bracelet to be safe, but he is giving it to Izuku to find him again. Izuku shakes his head softly, squeezing the bracelet in his hand.
“That won't work...” Izuku already has tears falling down his face, “Kai will notice... He always has me undressed and he will notice the bracelet immediately.” Everyone goes still while Astraeus turns paler than he already is. Astraeus grabs the bracelet from Izuku, breaking the charm while everyone turns to him in shock. Astraeus holds up a little chip, the tracking device that was hidden in the charm.
“Star, I need you to trust me. Can you please, please do that for me?” Izuku nods, and Astraeus turns to the others, “do any of you have a knife?” While Neito and Shoto hesitate in shock, Hitoshi immediately pulls a pocketknife from his back pocket and hands it to Astraeus.
The boys look away while Astraeus cuts into Izuku’s ankle, pushing the chip deep into Izuku’s skin. Izuku has his eyes squeezed shut, not making a sound. Once it's done, Izuku rushes to get his socks and shoes on while there are voices that get louder outside. They all rush downstairs and outside, only to see Izuku’s father screaming in Aizawa’s face. As soon as they get outside, The man locks eyes with Izuku,
“Izuku, Son! I’ve come to pick you up. Let’s go!” When Izuku hesitates, Hisashi growls, “Now.” Izuku whimpers and rushes forwards to get to his father. Hisashi grins at Aizawa as if saying that he had won some amazing prize. Before Izuku can reach his father, The others are rushing forward to create a barrier between them. Hitoshi, Shoto, Neito, and Astraeus are all forming a wall to block Izuku from his father’s sight. The man starts making large strides forward, despite Aizawa yelling for him to stop before the police were called. Shoto and Neito tense, ready for a fight. Hitoshi opens his mouth, ready to try and catch the man in his quirk. But before they can make a move, Astraeus is walking forward to meet the man in the middle.
“Stop, Hisashi. There’s nothing you can do, not here where you are surrounded by heroes with the police on the way. Just turn around, and leave.” Astraeus’s voice is cold. Cold and commanding, unlike how he talked with Izuku. The man stares down at Astraeus, Unflinching at the threatening tone of voice. Something in the man's face changes, and everyone jumps into action.
The next seconds happen so fast, no one could explain what happened. Izuku was pushing his way past his friends, running forward faster than anyone could expect while screaming for Astraeus. Aizawa is activating his quirk, also rushing to grab Hisashi. But it was too late because in that time Hisashi had pulled a knife out of his back pocket and is stabbing Astraeus in the abdomen, then again in the chest, and one last time in his side before dropping him to the floor. Izuku is trying to shove Hisashi away but is grabbed by the wrist by the man while a knife is held to his throat. Everyone freezes, while Hisashi grins from above Izuku, digging the knife deeper into Izuku’s neck causing blood to start dripping down.
“Now here's what’s going to happen. I am going to leave with my son. If you don't let us, I'm going to slit his throat. OK?” Aizawa looks to Hitoshi, who nods slowly at Aizawa. Aizawa takes a deep breath and nods slowly.
“Ok. You can leave. No one will stop you, just don’t hurt your own son.” Izuku lets the tears fall freely, staring at Astraeus's unmoving body while Hisashi drags him away with a knife still to his throat. Once Hisashi and further back, Shoto, Hitoshi, and Neito are rushing forward to try and help Astraeus. Aizawa watches the man intensely before moving over to help Astraeus and call for help.
Neito looks up and in time to see Izuku’s heartbroken face. Neito feels the tears running down his face, praying to anyone that they will be able to save his friend.
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Astraeus can feel himself slipping away, and he struggles to hang on to consciousness. He is useless as he watches as his star burns gently.