Cw: Hero related injuries, minor angst

Re-written on March 10th 2022

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Healing was never linear. It was something Shouta had known for a very long time. It's something he's continuously reminded of by the child sunshine that is his daughter.

6 months ago he never would've thought he'd be raising a child so soon and yet as he watched Iruka run around in the field, he wouldn't have had it any other way. Though helping her and raising her thus far hadn't been entirely a walk in the park. Her constant nightmares. Getting panic attacks sometimes at random. The need for continuous assurance that they weren't leaving her side. It was tough. Shouta knew what he was getting into but it was tough regardless.

There were times he wasn't sure he was being enough for her. Times he had no idea if he was doing the right thing. Sometimes wondering if he showed her enough love, and spent enough time with her.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at Hizashi. Kami, he was so thankful for the man. He looked at Shouta like he could read his mind. You're doing good. He didn't have to say it aloud, Shouta heard it loud and clear. He placed his head on Hizashi's shoulder. Letting himself relax. Hizashi always managed to do that. To make them relaxed when they got overwhelmed.

"Iruka!!!" Shouta looked over to see a familiar tuff of green.

"Izu!!!" The two children ran toward each other before colliding in a hug and falling to the ground.

Soon Shouta saw the closest thing to an angel. Inko Midoriya is a blessing and Shouta couldn't have asked for more. She'd been a mother much longer than anyone either of them knew. Always with helpful advice. Always with a hand stretched out for them.

"Hey Inko," Hizashi greeted.

"It's good to see you two again," Inko carefully plopped onto the picnic blanket Hizashi and Shouta were sitting on.

"Felt like the right time to meet up," It was the summer holiday. All three adults had taken a break from as many of their jobs as possible.

They sat there, idly watching the kids run around freely. Not being bothered by bullies. Not worrying about who could be behind them. Just being kids.

"Think it's time to show em?" Hizashi asked as he patted the box he had by his side.

"I don't see why not. Iruka! Izuku!" Inko called out to both of them and quickly they ran towards the adults.

Shouta would never forget the smile on Izuku's face when he saw the cake Iruka and Hizashi made. He would never forget the way the kid had hugged him so inhumanely tight. He would never forget the pure utter joy Izuku had on 15th July.

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"Hizashi get Inko and the kids out of here!"

If Shouta wasn't fighting for people's lives he would've been grumbling about never getting peace. He wasn't sure what happened. There were families around them. A couple just a little to their right didn't seem suspicious. Not until one of them transformed. His fingers and toes merged together to make a kind of sphere. The sphere continued to grow outwards. Screams of fear and confusion make their way to Shouta's ears.

A quirk was going haywire. It's what Shouta would be told later. Right now he needs to figure out a way to get the man under control. The sphere he made would change every other second. From having spikes to changing shapes. Shouta couldn't use his quirk. He couldn't see the man. He wasn't sure what he was thinking. He didn't have his capture weapon. He didn't have the cover of the night for a sneak attack but he couldn't just let this be.

Shouta moved to get as many people away from the man, the sphere. To get people to run. To keep from anyone being collateral damage. Damnit! Damnit I can't do shit! I don't even know where Hizashi is. He'd be fucking better at this than me and I sent him away! To protect Iruka. His mind whispered helpfully. To protect the kids.

"Dad!" Shouta couldn't help but look at Iruka. Damnit! She looked terrified. She looked confused. His second distraction cost him. He was knocked backwards by a spike.

"Iruka wait!"

Shouta could tell he hit his head hard. His vision blurred. He could see a blob of blonde. He yelled out for Hizashi to get away unsure if he even made a sound. The sphere was inching towards him. Shouta activated his quirk. His eyes burned. His head was pounding.

"No!" A blurb of black and grey stood in front of him. Is this what it looked like to people when he stood in front of them? Shouta wondered for a moment. But that wasn't him. He was Eraserhead, not whoever was in front of him. They were putting themselves in danger for him. Because of him.

Shouta got up the best he could. He stumbled towards the figure (why were they so small?). He shielded from an oncoming spike.

"YYEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

That was Hizashi. Hizashi was here and he could help. He was helping. Shouta knew he wouldn't be able to hear for the next few hours but didn't mind. Time went a little too fast. One moment he held onto the child in his arms (he was sure they were a child. They were so small. Why would a child try to protect him? Where were their parents) and the next he was helped up by Hizashi. He looked like he was yelling at someone, Shouta wasn't sure. It felt like in another second he was already being loaded into an ambulance, the child still in his arms (where were their parents? Why aren't they bringing them home).

At some point during their trip to the hospital, Hizashi took the kid from his arms. He tried to move his hands. Tried to ask Hizashi where the kid's parents were. But Hizashi hushed him and told him to lay down.

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Shouta groaned. The lights above him were way too bright. It was never this bright (especially with how sensitive both he and Iruka were to bright lights) in their home and the smell of antiseptic told him all he needed to know about where he was. He wasn't exactly sure why he was in the hospital though. A hand stopped from getting up and Shouta finally cracked his eyes open to glare at whoever wouldn't allow him up.

'No down lay.' Hizashi signed. Shouta huffed but didn't protest and simply laid back down.

'Hear can?'

"Can't tell if I can hear or not if you're not talking idiot," Shouta winced as his head pounded.

"Didn't want to talk in case your head still hurt," Hizashi whispered.

'Here why?'

"There was a villain attack. Do you remember any of it?"

'No.'

"We-"

"Papa?" Shouta listened to Hizashi move towards what he assumed was the bedside chair.

"Hey Iruka, can you hear me now?"

"Ya,"

"Why wouldn't she be able to hear you?"

"Dad!" He heard her footsteps before she crashed into his side.

"Lil Listener, we gotta whisper ok?" Iruka happily nodded and Shouta helped her crawl onto the bed. "Both you and Iruka got caught up in my quirk. The doctor said all you got was a concussion though,"

"What happened to Inko and Izuku? The other civilians?"

"Oh good, you at least remember that far back. The worse injuries other than your concussion were a few scrapes, nothing too bad. You jumped in without your capture weapon, and nothing to your advantage Shouta," He merely hummed, trying to remember anything. Then he remembered the child in his arms.

"There was a kid, they-" Shouta noticed Iruka staring at him curiously when it clicked. "Oh. Iruka did you run in front of me?"

"Don't-don't want y-you hurt,"

"Kid I appreciate it really, but you would've gotten hurt. It was dangerous for you to do that. Next time something happens you stay out of danger, do you understand?"

"But-but you'll get h-hurt."

Being a hero was a dangerous job. People graduated from school knowing that. But Iruka didn't. Iruka didn't know that every time her parents went out for a job the chances of them going home lowered. Iruka didn't know that getting hurt came with the job, no matter how careful they tried to be.

"Kid," Shouta wasn't sure how to tell her this. "When you're a hero, you train not to get hurt. You haven't trained yet, but me and 'Zashi have."

"Th-than I wanna tr-train to be-be a hero."

"We can definitely help with that Listener. You just have to make sure you don't run into danger until you are very very very ready, got it?"

"Ya ya,"

Once Shouta got out of the hospital and was cleared for physical activity he would help train Iruka. Maybe even teach her how to use her capture weapon and if he ends up teaching Izuku along the way then that was just a bonus.

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Not gonna lie that angst was not planned, I was very in the mood for it at the time though.

So due to me being busy and just the general direction PHA is going I will be focusing more heavily on the re-write than on original chapters until I am done with said re-write. Theres roughly maybe 3-5 chapters more for the re-write.

Thank you for your patients. I hope you enjoyed this week's chapters. If you did do leave a kudos and/or comment.

Have a lovely day, night, weekend, wherever, whenever you are.

Stay safe,Bye Lovies~