Izuku's nerves started mounting once again now that he was alone in a house with somebody he had only a vague description of from a document that was designed to be (somewhat) flattering. Luckily, Izuku wasn't left with his thoughts for too long before Aizawa returned to the sitting room and took a seat opposite Izuku.

"I'm not one to beat around the bush, Midoriya, so I'll get straight to the point," Aizawa started, "As I'm sure the file you were given mentioned, I am part of a polycule, both of my partners live with me. That means three adults living here alongside my daughter. Can you handle that? Be honest."

Izuku remained silent for a moment as he carefully considered his answer. Of course, he was fine with Aizawa having more than one partner, but that wasn't the issue that Aizawa was asking about, was it? He was asking if Izuku could deal with meeting four strangers at once when it was clear that he was little more than a constant ball of anxiety.

"It'll be hard at first," Izuku replied slowly, "But I'm always up to a challenge, and maybe I could consider this a form of exposure therapy. Like flooding. Although that particular technique is frowned upon by many therapists, systematic desensitisation is generally the preferred path, but it's expensive and more time-consuming than flooding. Although, flooding can have extremely adverse techniques and you can't remove somebody from the situation you've placed them in once you start the flooding procedure otherwise you risk making their phobia significantly worse..."

Izuku realised that he had strayed from the original point. As he was prone to do, he had started muttering about two of the techniques used to treat phobias. Shyly, Izuku peaked at Aizawa through his hair and saw that the man didn't look annoyed, if anything, he looked ever so slightly impressed.

"You know a moderate amount about phobia treatments for somebody of your age," Aizawa hummed.

"Yeah... I'm interested in psychology..." Izuku whispered.

"We'll have to come back to that at a later time. From my understanding, you're happy to try and live with me and my family, even if it means having to face your fear of strangers."

"Yes. Shinomiya also mentioned that your wife has a partner who often visits?"

"Mhm, Nemuri. She visits the house most days. Are you ok with that?"

"Yes."

Aizawa gave Izuku a look that he couldn't quite decipher, maybe it was disbelief or doubt, either way, Aizawa nodded his head after a minute and pushed himself off of the sofa.

"Follow me, I'll show you to your room so you can put your bags down. Then I'll give you a tour of sorts," Aizawa said, beckoning Izuku to follow him as he made his way towards the carpeted stairs on the other side of the room.

Izuku quickly stood and followed after his new guardian, stumbling and tripping as he went due to the weight of his bags. Luckily for him, Aizawa seemed to take notice of his struggle and took one of the bags, lifting it like it weighed nothing.

As Izuku followed Aizawa, up the stairs and down to the last room on the second floor, he looked at the photos lining the walls. Most of the photos were of a little girl with silver hair and a headband with a horn on it. She had carmine eyes that were brighter and more jovial in some pictures than others. Sometimes, the little girl (who Izuku assumed was Eri) was accompanied by various people.

In one picture she was sitting on Aizawa's lap, not paying attention to the camera as she happily showed her father her new toy. Aizawa looked less gruff in the photo, his dark eyes full of parental love and a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth.

In another picture, two women were smiling down at her with love in their eyes. One of the women had dark hair, dark purple bordering on black, and bright blue eyes hidden behind the red frames of her cat-eye glasses. The other woman looked like she laughed a lot. She hadn't yet gotten laugh lines around her eyes, but Izuku could just tell from her appearance that she was a happy person. Seafoam green hair braided into two plaits down her back, forest green eyes and an orange bandana tied around her head to keep the stray wisps of hair from her eyes. Izuku didn't know which one was Emi and which one was Nemuri, but they both looked like kind women. Slowly, Izuku's fear started to abate.

The final unfamiliar face was of a blond man with heterochromia. One eye was electric green and the other was red. His long hair was tied up in a bun atop his head. Eri sat on his shoulders, hands gripping the side of his head in what must have been a painful grip. Around his neck was a pair of headphones, clearly from a good brand. Izuku would wager that the framed records in the sitting room had been this man's choice of decoration. He must be Hizashi.

"This room at the end is your room, " Aizawa said as they reached the door, "The rules in the house are very clear when it comes to bedrooms. Knock before you enter, if you don't get a response, call out to see if the person is awake. If not, leave them alone unless it's urgent. Simple enough, yes?"

Izuku nodded, "Yeah. That's easy enough to follow."

"Good, why don't you put your bags in there and then I'll tell you the rest of the rules, there aren't many, but I think it's good to have some explicitly stated dos and don'ts so that the house can run as smoothly as possible."

Izuku quickly deposited his bags on the desk and turned around to give Aizawa his full, undivided attention. He didn't want to be bounced around from one house to the other whilst his mother got better. He wouldn't be staying for long, but he'd rather stay in one place.

"Ok. These are the rules. No shouting in the house, you'll find that this rule is broken quite often by Hizashi, but don't follow his example." Aizawa started, "Be respectful to everybody, including visitors, if you have a problem with somebody, talk to them about it and sort it out civilly. Go to bed at a decent time on school nights, I don't want to find you awake at 2 am. Keep areas that we all share relatively clean. I don't care what you do with your room as long as I don't get a pest infestation. Those are the basic rules."

Those rules seemed perfectly reasonable to Izuku. They were things he would have strived to do even if Aizawa hadn't explicitly stated that they were expectations.

"The room directly across from yours is the bathroom, next to that is Eri's room. Across from Eri's room is mine, Hizashi and Emi's room. And next to that is a spare room that is sometimes used as an office but also has a bed just in case one of my partners or I don't feel like sleeping with two other people, or if Nemuri comes and wants to stay over. None of these rooms are explicitly off limits, just remember to always knock," Aizawa instructed as he led Izuku down the corridor and to the bottom floor of the house again.

"You've seen the sitting room and entryway. That small room there is Hizashi's home studio, he produces music and he's also a radio host so you might hear him waking up early or returning late depending on what he's doing. This is the kitchen and dining room, I don't need to explain what happens in here. Out there is the back garden. And that room over there is off-limits, there is a lot of sensitive information in it. It's my home office. And that completes the tour, do you have any questions?"

Izuku was curious about many things, but he didn't feel comfortable asking them, and he got the sense that Aizawa wouldn't be eager to share intimate details about his life at this point in time. So, Izuku shook his head in reply to Aizawa's question.

"No, I don't have any questions." Izuku muttered, "Thank you for showing me around... and looking after me for however long it takes for my mum to get better."

"Don't worry about it, Kid." Aizawa hummed. Izuku thought he might have seen his lips lift in what could be considered a very small smile, but he didn't get the chance to analyse it before the sound of the front door opening echoed through the house, immediately followed by two loud voices.

"Shota! We're home!" a male voice that Izuku faintly recognised called.

"Papa, no shouting," a young, sweet voice chastised lightly.

"Sorry Candy Apple." the man's voice said in an exaggerated stage whisper that was scarcely quieter than his shout, "Shota, we're home."

Izuku watched as Aizawa rolled his eyes, the look of exasperation on his face could be described as nothing else but fond. He beckoned for Izuku to follow him.

"How many times have I got to tell you not to shout in the house, Hizashi, it's like I'm chastising a child." Aizawa sighed.

"You should be careful what you say, Babe, 'cause if he's a child you know what that makes us?" the green-haired woman from the photo teased. As Izuku had predicted, she had what appeared to be a permanent smile on her face, eyes full of mirth and jokes.

Again, Aizawa sighed. Izuku was starting to see what people meant when they said opposites attract. Here he was looking at what appeared to be two embodiments of energy and laughter, both of whom were in a relationship with the personification of sleep deprivation.

"Your jokes fail to amuse me, Emi, I've heard them all before." Aizawa grumbled, "Anyway, this is Midoriya Izuku, he'll be staying with us for now."

As if only just seeing him, all three of them turned to look at Izuku. It was quiet for a second before the blond man burst out laughing and nudged the happy woman.

"I did not see him there, did you, Jokes? Looks like we've got another quiet one. It's nice to meet you, Midoriya. I'm Yamada Hizashi. Call me Hizashi." Yamada smiled.

Suddenly, it clicked in his head where he had heard the man's voice before. He felt like an idiot considering that Aizawa had said that his partner was a radio host.

"Yamada? As in Present Mic from Hands Up Radio?" Izuku asked with excitement.

Hizashi looked shocked for a second before he chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, "It's not often that people recognise me. Are you a fan of the show?"

"Yeah, I always listen to it whilst I'm doing my homework, or if I can catch the morning broadcast I listen on my way to school," Izuku said bashfully.

"Stop hogging the kid, Hizashi," Emi griped, "I'm Fukukado Emi, you can call me Emi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I recognise that name," Izuku muttered to himself, "Are you Ms Joke from the comedy lounge? The one that airs on Friday and Saturday nights on the radio and TV. I've only ever been able to listen to it on the radio whilst I was with my friend so I didn't recognise you,"

"You seem to know everyone, Kid," Aizawa murmured. Izuku couldn't help the fiery blush that dusted his face at that comment.

"Don't tease him Shota, look, the poor dear's face is so red," Emi jokingly chastised her husband.

"Why don't we let Eri introduce herself," Hizashi intervened. He gently tapped his daughter on the head, encouraging her to look up from her shoes and address Izuku.

"Hi, I'm Eri," Eri whispered shyly.

"Hi, Eri, I'm Izuku. I like your hair clips, do you like apples?" Izuku asked in the same gentle voice he always used when speaking to young children.

Eri nodded her head bashfully, she hid behind Hizashi's legs, peeking out from behind him and looking at Izuku hesitantly.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, Nemuri said that she'll be popping around for dinner, but she won't be able to stay the night because she's got to leave for the train station early tomorrow," Emi said as they all migrated to the sitting room, Izuku awkwardly trailing behind the family of four, unsure whether they wanted him to stay.

"Did you see her whilst you were out?" Aizawa asked.

"Mhm, she was running a few errands,"

The conversation continued around Izuku, but he had stopped listening in favour of looking down at his lap and fiddling with his fingers. It was a bit overwhelming, in all honesty. Izuku certainly had no problems with Hizashi and Emi, even after only having one conversation with them he could tell that they were lovely people and he didn't need to worry about them being needlessly horrible to him, but they were just so... energetic. Loud. More than Izuku could handle in his fragile emotional state.

Izuku was no stranger to loud people. He had grown up with Katsuki and Mitsuki in his life, after all, but Hizashi and Emi were a different kind of loud. The jovial kind. Izuku knew it would take him some time to get used to their boundless energy. On the other hand, Aizawa's seeming lack of energy put Izuku at ease. Despite his gruff exterior and general antisocial appearance, Aizawa seemed like he was a very supportive person. Izuku didn't plan to stay with this family for long, he was going to do everything in his power to ensure that his mother got better soon so that he could go back and return to his normal life, but that didn't mean he couldn't make the most of the time he'd have here, right? They all seemed nice. It would be fine (at least that was what Izuku was telling himself repeatedly in an attempt to calm the turbulent nerves coursing through his body).

"Midoriya?" Aizawa's voice broke through Izuku's haze, snapping him to attention. Izuku looked up and saw that all three of the adult's eyes were on him, all of them looking at him with various degrees of concern.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Izuku stuttered. He squeezed his hands into fists on his lap, desperately trying to stop himself from fiddling with his fingers as he tended to do when he was nervous.

"I asked whether you were ok with Nemuri coming to visit later today. We want to make sure you feel comfortable, this is your house now too," Aizawa said patiently.

"Oh... I don't want to impede or be a bother. If you're having visitors over then I really don't mind. I don't want to be a nuisance." Izuku chuckled weakly. Again, the three adults shared a look that Izuku couldn't understand. Was it a look of concern or disbelief? Were they angry with him?

"You're not a nuisance at all, Little Listener," Hizashi reassured him, "We know that you struggle with meeting new people, you've already been forced to meet four new people today, I'm sure that's draining for you?"

Izuku didn't want to confirm Hizashi's suspicions. Doing so would only cement the idea in their heads that he needed to be coddled. They'd be weary around him, always asking whether they could invite people into their own home just because Izuku might have a bad reaction.

"It's fine," Izuku insisted, "I'm fine with her coming. Really."

Izuku's reassurances were anything but reassuring. His eyes shone with trepidation and his hands were balled into tight fists in his lap, Aizawa wouldn't be surprised if he created indents in his palm with how hard he was clenching his fists.

"Ok, we'll invite her over. Just remember that you can just walk away to your bedroom, we won't hold it against you," Emi smiled gently, her hand hovering over Izuku's shoulder, waiting for confirmation that she could touch him and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. Izuku nodded, almost imperceptibly, allowing Emi to pat his shoulder before drawing back into her seat.

Izuku quietly dismissed himself, offering a strained smile to the room's occupants. He quickly dashed up the stairs and into his new bedroom, only letting himself breathe freely once the door was closed firmly and he was hidden away. Already Izuku could feel his social battery draining away, he hadn't been in the presence of his new guardians for all that long, and yet he felt like he needed to sequester himself away.

With a heavy sigh, Izuku started unpacking his clothes and setting up the desk. He wasn't going to be leaving anytime within the next few weeks, he could acknowledge that he didn't particularly want to live out of his bags. Plus, Izuku thought that putting everything in its rightful place would give him some peace of mind. Maybe he'd be able to regain some sense of normality after the past few days of insecurity and confusion.

It didn't take long for Izuku to put all of his belongings in (what he deemed) their rightful places. Relatively speaking, he really didn't have that much with him. Enough clothes to last him a week or so, his uniform and a few of his favourite books. He had no plans to pack up his entire life and move into the Aizawa-Yamada-Fukukado household.

Falling back onto his bed with a heavy sigh, Izuku held his phone in front of his face and stared blankly at the black screen. He wanted to call his mum, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't know what kind of mood she would be in, if he caught her whilst she was feeling particularly upset and sorry for herself then there was the chance that he'd feel guilted into agreeing with whatever she said, no matter how much he disagreed. There was also the fact that speaking to his mother often felt like talking like a child. Izuku didn't doubt his mother's intellectual abilities, but the alcohol had taken a long-term effect. Her memory was poor and she spoke with giddy excitement that was (more often than not) inappropriate.

Blinking away tears that always seemed to surface whenever Izuku thought about his mother's behaviour too deeply, Izuku unlocked his phone. His finger hovered over the call button for a second. He pressed the green button and held his phone to his ear. There was no going back now.

The phone had scarcely been ringing for a few seconds when Inko answered.

"Izuku..." Inko's voice was rough, as though she had been crying. Izuku felt his heart drop into his stomach, it was not going to be a nice phone call.

"Mum..."

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are.