Chapter Text
Izuku had felt like something was off ever since he’d first woken up that morning.
His mother wasn’t home when he’d managed to stumble out of his room just after dawn for his morning run. She still wasn’t there when he returned either, but he found a note from her on the counter next to the covered plate of breakfast she had left for him. The note assured him that she’d had to leave early for work and apologized for not being there to see him off to school.
Izuku wasn’t worried about her absence though; this was far from the first time his mother had to run out before the sun because of work. Her job as a political aide was usually a fairly low stress career, Izuku remembered her just sitting at a desk all day when she used to bring him to work as a child, but that all changed whenever any kind of politically important guests or conventions came to town. When something like that happened, like the UN-sponsored conference Izuku knew was taking place downtown in a few days, Inko’s quiet little office turned into a tornado of overly caffeinated people running on all cylinders. His mother always became scatterbrained and jittery during these events but it never lasted more than a week before she was back to her usual self.
Izuku knew all this, he’d experienced such events several times before, but still something felt off.
He ate his breakfast, trying to ignore the anxious pit in his stomach, while flipping through the channels on the television to break the silence. He stopped his channel surfing when he suddenly saw his own face staring back at him from the screen. Izuku blinked in shock only for the image to quickly switch over to Todoroki’s cool stare and then again to Bakugou’s snarl, by the time Ururaka’s bubbly smile popped up Izuku realized that the program was rehashing the highlights of the UA sports festival. Izuku sighed as a different sort of anxiety overtook him.
He’d been mentally going over his performance in the sports festival ever since he’d left the stadium. At first he’d been happy with how far he’d gotten. Sure he’d wanted to win, but for someone who’d been quirkless only a few months before he’d certainly outdone expectations, right? But the more he thought about it, the more he focused in on all his mistakes. He would never regret helping Todoroki during their match. Convincing his classmate that his quirk was his power alone, regardless of what Endeavor said, was infinitely more important than any school event. Outside of that though, Izuku couldn’t stop going over the what-ifs for the whole two days it had been since he had come home from the sports festival. It didn’t help that there were more than a dozen forum threads dedicated to analyzing every fight of the tournament, not to mention youtuber recaps and bloggers breaking down every little thing he did wrong and could have done better. Izuku’s usual internet habits had suddenly been turned against him since he had found himself in the midst of the action and the commentaries he used to relish were weighing heavy on his mind now that he found himself as their target.
Izuku groaned and scrubbed a bandaged hand over his eyes. He didn’t have time for this. If he didn’t hurry then he’d miss his train and the last thing he wanted was to be late on his first day back to school! With renewed determination, Izuku shoveled the last of his breakfast into his mouth and hurriedly raced out the door.
Izuku’s mad dash to the station turned out to be worth it, as he just barely made his train in time. He maneuvered his way onto the crowded car and tried to catch his breath without being a bother to the other passengers. Despite being a bit winded from his run, he noted that it wasn’t as bad as it had been at the beginning of the school year, proof that his stamina had increased since he’d started at UA. He was improving bit by bit every day, getting closer to making One for All his own.
He knew that if All Might knew about Izuku’s ever-growing list of self-deprecating criticism that his brain had been writing for the past few days, the Pro Hero would have some choice words to say about it. His idol-turned-mentor was always telling Izuku he was being too hard on himself. The young hero could admit that when his thoughts started going south, All Might always knew just what to say to get his mind back on his goals. Maybe Izuku could text him and see if he had some time to talk later? Or should he just wait and ask him when he got to school? Oh but that could distract him from teaching the class and Izuku didn’t want to be the cause of that! He didn’t want to worry All Might over something so trivial as Izuku’s confidence issues! His mind swam with a sea of warring ideas about what to do about the situation.
“Hey you, excuse me,” A voice said softly, jolting Izuku out of his internal panic, “You’re Midoriya from class 1-A! I saw your match on TV! I was rooting for you!”
“O-oh, um...thank you?” Izuku stuttered out.
“Yeah you made top 8 right?” A woman’s voice called over the first man’s shoulder, gaining the attention of several other passengers in the train car. Izuku suddenly found all eyes on him.
“Um...Yes!” Izuku yelped, voice cracking with nerves.
“Hey that’s pretty good!” A man called out from further down the train, “Keep working hard and I’m sure you’ll take first next year! We’ll all be cheering you on.”
There was a chorus of cheers from the other patrons of the train and Izuku felt his cheeks burn. This was way more attention than he was used to!
“Thank you for your support,” He managed to say, a bit too loudly but at least without a stutter, “I’ll do my best to deserve it!”
There was a smattering of chuckles and applause at his words before the train settled back into the regular commuter lull. Izuku pulled out his phone in a vain attempt to hide his very pink face, and started hurriedly flicking through his apps to try and find something to distract himself from the butterflies having a party in his stomach.
“How sweet,” He heard a woman near him murmur to her friend, “Most kids would be preening under all that praise, but he’s so humble about it. His parents must be so proud!”
Izuku felt his frazzled nerves settled just a bit. They weren’t wrong after all, his Mother was very proud of him. Worried and nervous mostly, but also proud. She had told him as much when he had come home from the sports festival covered in bandages. All Might too, had made sure to let him know that Izuku’s performance had made him incredibly proud. It had filled the boy with so much bubbly warmth that Izuku was afraid he might float off like he’d been hit with Uraraka’s quirk.
His slight smile dropped a little bit as his finger hovered over the messenger app on his phone. While he was pleased as peaches that his Mom and Mentor were both proud of him, there was one more person he was still waiting to hear from. It wasn’t uncommon for his Dad to be a little slow on the uptake when it came to the events of Izuku’s life. He was very busy with his work overseas, and usually took a day or so to respond to his son’s texts. Izuku opened the last message he’d gotten from his dad. It was a simple “Good luck Kiddo!” from the morning of the sports festival, and a promise that he’d watch a recording online as soon as he could. It had been three days of radio silence since then.
Izuku wasn’t surprised at this, but he was a little disappointed. He knew his Father was a busy man with some kind of important job with the government. Both his parents always got a little cagey when he asked about it and quickly changed the subject. All he knew was that they had met while they were both on business and it had been a kind of whirlwind romance. Izuku never doubted that his parents were in love, but he couldn’t help the kernel of resentment that reared up whenever he thought about how much his Father was away. It had been almost two years since he’d even seen his Dad in person, and Izuku knew his Mom felt the strain of that separation far worse than he did.
The train pulled up to Izuku’s stop and the boy tucked his phone back into his pocket before disembarking. He took a deep breath in through his nose and resolved that if his Dad didn’t text him by the end of the day, then Izuku would try to give him a call. Any further rumination on the matter were interrupted by Iida yelling out to him as the taller boy ran up behind him.
Izuku was swept up in his friend’s fervor as they rushed through the rain to class. Iida insisting that UA students should always strive to be 10 minutes early to class. Izuku marveled at how peppy the student rep was that morning. He’d kind of wondered if Iida would even be in class today considering what happened to his brother. Izuku wouldn’t blame him for taking some time off to be with his family.
“Don’t worry about it Midoriya,” Iida said, giving Izuku a warm smile.
“What?” Izuku asked, confused.
“You were mumbling again,” Iida nodded, closing his locker and leading the way towards their homeroom, “I appreciate your concern but everything is going to be just fine. I promise.”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” Izuku said softly, bumping his elbow against Iida’s in a silent show of support, “But just know if you need anything, even if it's just to talk, I’m here for you.”
“Thank you, Midoriya. Really. I’ll keep that in mind.” Iida’s smile was wide but Izuku saw how it strained at the edges. He didn’t pry though. He’d made his offer; hopefully Iida would come to him when he was ready.
The classroom was lively when the two boys entered. Everyone was chatting about being recognized on their way to school and Izuku ducked his head in embarrassment when Uraraka asked if anyone had said anything to him. Before he could answer the door slammed open.
“Morning,” Mr. Aizawa sighed, slouching through the door, hands in his pockets and thankfully free of bandages, “Everyone take your seats. Except you Midoriya.”
“M-me?!” Izuku yelped.
“Yes, you,” Aizawa said, voice as steady and tired as ever, “Come here and get a hall pass, the Principal wants to see you.”
There was a collective OOOOOOOOOHHHH as Izuku walked up to the front of the class to take the yellow pass from Aizawa.
“Getting called to the Principal’s office before the first day back has even started,” Mineta called smugly, as Izuku hurried for the door, “He must have done something pretty bad!”
Izuku heard the distinct sound of Asui slapping the purple pervert upside the head with her tongue, but he barely registered it as he walked towards the elevators at the end of the hall. He hadn’t done anything right? There was no way! He was meticulous at maintaining a good academic record. He never started fights outside of class battles, barring when Kacchan couldn’t keep his cool. He did everything he could to be the best student he could be! Izuku knew the screwing up at UA could not only jeopardize his dream of becoming a hero, but also reflect badly on All Might, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do.
He was so worried about disappointing his idol and ruining his one chance at becoming a hero that by the time the elevator reached the administrative offices, he was quivering mess of nerves. Izuku stumbled down the hall towards Nedzu’s office, body wracked with shudders as he tried desperately to hold back tears. The secretary in front of the Principal’s door took one look at him and waved him towards the imposing entrance. Izuku swallowed dryly, and with his defence speech swirling around his head, he opened the office.
What he found inside was not what he expected. But that did nothing to quell his fears.
Principal Nedzu sat behind his desk, that much was to be expected, but what wasn’t expected was Izuku’s Mother sat in the chair across from him. Inko held a tea cup and saucer in a white knuckled grip. Her eyes looking into the contents of the cup, but it was obvious her mind was elsewhere. If it were only his Mother in the room Izuku would have been certain he was being expelled or at least suspended for something; but there was one other person in the large office that sent Izuku’s thoughts down a different landslide of fear.
He was a tall man, or at least he would be if he had been standing instead of sitting in one of the Principals squashy armchairs. He was broad-shouldered and tan, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, with straight brown hair elegantly slicked back and curling gently around his ears. It had been awhile since Izuku had seen him, but he could never forget that ever-apologetic face. He’d seen it more than he’d seen his own Father’s after all.
“Uncle Alan?” Izuku asked, feeling the icy grip of fear clutch at his chest, “Why are you here? Did something happen to Dad?!”
“Izuku!” Inko cried, jolting up in her seat and spinning in her chair to look into her son’s wide-blown eyes, “What? No! Honey, you’re Father is fine. Everyone is fine. That’s not what this is about.”
“But then why--” Izuku rushed out only to be interrupted by Nedzu.
“Easy there Mr. Midoriya,” Nedzu said, voice light and smile wide, “I know everyone assumes the worst when they get called to the Principal’s office, but I assure you that this meeting only has positive outcomes for you. Why don’t you come in and we can talk more about it?”
Izuku nodded jerkily and took a few wobbly steps into the room, the door swinging closed behind him.
“There we go, much better,” Nedzu said, smiling even wider, if that were possible, “Now then why don’t you take a seat. Would you like some tea? It’s freshly brewed. I was just getting to know your lovely Godfather here. What an interesting person! I wouldn’t mind continuing our conversation for a few more minutes if you’d like to calm down with a drink.”
“N-no that’s ok, Sir,” Izuku managed to squeak out, heart still pounding far too fast for his liking as he slumped into another of the plush armchairs, “I’d rather just know what this is all about? I mean it must be pretty important if Mom is here, what with the UN conference happening in a few days. And I have no idea why Uncle Alan is here, considering I haven’t seen him since my birthday last year. Especially since you said this isn’t about my Dad. You know, Sir, the only time I ever see my Uncle Alan is when my Dad can’t make it.”
“I’m sorry buddy, I know it’s been too long,” Izuku could see his Godfather shrink down in his seat at the mild accusation in Izuku’s tone. “I really did mean to stop in more, but you know how swept up in work I can get…”
“Yeah I know the drill,” Izuku sighed, there was no venom in his words only tired resignation, “But if this isn’t about Dad and I’m not in trouble then I really don’t know why I’m here.”
“Well how about we start at the beginning and work back up to why you’re here,” Nedzu said, taking a leisurely sip of his tea, “Tell me, Mr. Midoriya, what do you know about the country of Avalon?”
“Avalon?” Midoriya asked, not missing the way his Mother and Godfather tensed up at the name, “You mean the Quirk Kingdom, right? It’s an island nation that developed in the wake of the emergence of quirks. They produce some of the greatest support items the world over and they supposedly have a crime rate so low it rivals that of Japan. Their Royal family has been very vocal in their pursuit of international freedom of Quirk usage for all.”
“Correct young man!” Nedzu said brightly, “Ten points to you!”
“Okay but what does that have to do with me?” Izuku asked, getting more and more confused by the second. Nothing was adding up and it was giving him a headache.
“Izuku, honey,” His Mom started, voice creaking with the stress, “Do you remember what I told you about how your Father and I met?”
“You met on a work trip,” Izuku said, squinted uncomprehendingly at his Mother, “You were both at a diplomatic summit. You ran into each other after a very long day of debate and it was love at first sight.”
“Yes, that’s all true but….” Inko said voice catching in her throat as she refused to meet her son’s eyes, “What I didn’t tell you was that we were on...different sides, let’s say, of the debate. I was there with the Japanese delegation and your Father...he was there for Avalon.”
“He was with the Avalonian delegation?” Izuku asked, eyes going wide with surprise. He knew almost nothing about his Father’s side of the family, there was never time to ask on the scant few occasions his Dad was actually around. He’d always just assumed his Father was Japanese.
“No Kiddo,” Alan huffed out, running a frustrated hand through his perfectly coiffed hair and completely wrecking his put together image, “ I was with the delegation. Your Dad was the delegate. ”
“But...that doesn’t make any sense,” Midoriya murmured, a cold pit of understanding dropping into his stomach, “Avalon is a monarchy, the only people they send out as delegates are…”
“Members of the Royal Family,” Nedzu nodded, his calm smile never dropping even amongst the growing sea of tension in the room, “I have to admit I was very surprised to get an official e-mail from the Queen of Avalon’s court steward requesting confirmation of your name after the sports festival. Normally I would never release a student’s private information to anyone, not even Royalty. However, considering your name and face have been plastered all over social media and the news for a few days, I figured merely confirming the correct spelling of your name was no issue.”
“I don’t understand,” Midoriya exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his temples pulsed with pain, “So my Dad’s related to the Royal Family of some weird foreign Quirk Kingdom? What does that have to do with me? He obviously didn’t want to involve me if this only coming up now! He doesn’t even care enough to be here to tell me this himself!”
“Izuku!” Inko cried out, “It’s not like that. It’s never been like that! Your Father loves you!”
Izuku wanted to argue. He felt the anger and pain and abandonment building up inside him, and he wanted to lash out! But one look at his Mom’s tearful gaze had him backing down. No matter how hurt he was feeling, that was no excuse to take it out on her. Instead he just groaned and slumped back into his chair, burying his face in his hands.
“So why does that matter?” Izuku sighed, feeling exhaustion settle into his bones. “Why does this Queen suddenly care about me?”
“You’re Grandma’s always cared about you, Kiddo,” Alan said, throwing an arm over Izuku’s shoulder, “I’ve been sending her pictures ever since you were a tot. I happen to know for a fact that she keeps the one of you in your little All Might onesie on her personal desk so she can see it every day.”
“WHAT?!” Izuku shrieked, no way this was just too much, “Grandma?! I know you said he was Royal but a Prince?!”
“The Crown Prince actually,” Alan nodded, rubbing soothing circles over Izuku’s shivering shoulders, “Hisashi is the first born son of the current King and Queen of Avalon, next in line to rule.”
“Mom..please,” Izuku begged, wide blown eyes searching his Mother’s face for some sign that this was all some cruel joke, “Why is this happening? Why are you telling me all this?!”
“Oh honey,” Inko sobbed, dropping to her knees in front of her son and taking his face into her hands, “I’m so sorry we kept this from you. We were only trying to protect you. Hisashi wanted you to have a normal childhood, one without the burdens of being an heir to the throne. His parents agreed to let us raise you in Japan until your Quirk manifested, and when it didn’t, well...Hisashi made his Father an offer. Up until that point your Dad had been fighting his role as Crown Prince tooth and nail. He promised to throw himself, body and soul, into his duty as heir to the Kingdom so long as you were allowed to grow up away from politics. Your Grandparents agreed, knowing that without a Quirk, you’d be eaten alive by the royal court.”
“But then they saw the sports festival,” Alan sighed, taking a long sip of his tea in a way that made Izuku think he wished it was a very different type of drink, “They knew you got into UA of course, I learned early on not to shirk on my progress reports to the Queen, but I never mentioned which track you were admitted into. They just assumed it was General Studies. Low and behold you and your amazing Quirk made it all the way to the top 8 for the whole world to see, and now the terms of your Father’s promise are now null and void.”
“So what does that mean for me?” Izuku asked, dread growing ever stronger.
“It means, Mr. Midoriya,” Nedzu said brightly, “That the Queen of Avalon has official declared you a Prince.”
That was too much for the fraying ends of Midoriya’s faculties. Blood pounded in his ears and the room spun.
With a barely choked out “oh ” Izuku flopped forward in a dead faint.