Stray Cats (and who takes them in)

by Sirteddison

Summary:

Aizawa Shouta is thoroughly done. Why do there have to be so many problem children and why does he end up adopting every single one. He would do anything to protect his kids, and if that means (sometimes illegally) raising every one of them himself then so be it.

This is an updated repost of the original fic, many things are the same yet changes have been made mostly to the format.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1 : Immediately Attached

“What the hell-” Eraserhead muttered to himself whilst perching on the rafters of the old warehouse. 

 

How he’d gotten to this point, he didn’t know. It wasn’t strange for suspicious activity to be happening in the odd abandoned warehouse, such is why he made sure to keep track of all the ones on his patrol route. Whether it was a drug dealer’s paradise or a sex trafficking ring, Eraserhead made certain to monitor these situations closely. It was rare however, to find a child in places like these. Especially one as young as the boy below him.

 

This specific warehouse was most often used for less devious activities. Minor villain meetings, the occasional drug deal and more often than not was just a roof for the homeless during the colder months. At first, that was what Shouta thought he was looking at, the young boy looked to be about six, he was small and thin with frizzy dark hair and a grey jacket. He was sitting curled up in the far corner of the warehouse. Eraser might have even missed him if it weren’t for the sniffles he made every few seconds.

 

Eraserhead was usually well acquainted with the unhomed citizens in his area, he often led people to shelters or gave them the locations of soup kitchens and food banks for them to go too. This kid was new. After far too many minutes of silence, the warehouse doors opened and a new individual stepped into the building. Eraserhead slipped further into the shadows but prepared his capture weapon silently. The child jolted his head up from his knees, his eyes bright green and glossy with tears, he had thin pupils that quickly widened to adjust in the darkness. The terror in his eyes left almost immediately as he saw the new individual. 

 

The new person was just as thin as the boy but much taller. They had shoulder length grey hair that for a moment had Eraser thinking that this was an elderly person, at least until he saw the kid’s face. It was a child as well, no older than any of Eraserhead’s students, they were carrying a brown paper bag in one hand and scratching their neck with the other. 

 

“Hey brat, I got some food for you.” The older one said in a raspy voice as he approached the boy. The little one smiled.

 

“Tomu!” The boy called with bright eyes. He jumped up from the corner and ran towards the older boy. 

 

“I’m so glad you’re okay!” He cried out as he wrapped his arms around the taller boy's waist.

 

“Tch, of course I am Izu. Don’t worry about me,” The older boy reassured and patted the little one’s back. That was when Eraser noticed that his hands were clad in strange leather gloves that seemed to have the index and middle finger cut off. 

 

“Here, eat something, I didn’t leave for nothing.” He thrust the bag into the boy’s arms and he ripped it open with vigour, taking out a small takeout container of rice and what looked to be a kind of soup. 

 

The little boy paused while holding the food, looking between himself and the older boy with confused eyes.

 

“B-but, what will you eat?” The boy called Izu asked. The hero was worrying about the same thing. The food in the bag was barely a serving for a child, let alone the two of them. He examined the boys closer and noticed that the younger one, while thin, was not unusually so. His cheeks were still chubby and youthful. The teen on the other hand had arms and legs like literal twigs. No muscle mass or fat whatsoever. The boy looked like a walking corpse.

 

“Don’t worry about me, I’m not hungry, just eat up.” 

 

There was no way that was the truth, he must’ve been starving. Beyond starving, his body looked to be running on absolute empty.

The little one frowned, then set the takeout onto the ground. He ran towards the corner and grabbed something from a yellow backpack that was pressed into the corner. He ran back towards the older one and shoved whatever it was into his arms. 

 

“Huh-” He stumbled backwards and held onto the small gift he was given.

 

“At least have this! And share the rice with me!” The little boy demanded.

 

“Izu-” He tried to protest, his hand reaching up towards his neck.

 

“Please.”

 

The older one seemed to pause, and silently took a look at whatever it was the boy gave him.

 

‘Fine, but you eat first.” The little one grinned and dragged the older teen towards the corner of the old warehouse.

 

They both sat down together pressed against the wall, the younger one sipping at the soup and the older unwrapping what looked like a basic granola bar that the boy must’ve given him. They were pushed up against each other in silence as they poked at their food. Something tightened in Eraser’s throat.

 

Just then, he felt his communicator buzz in his pocket. 

 

Once, twice, then thrice. 

 

Three times meant there was a known villain close by.

 

Shit.

 

There’s no way it's one of these two, so that must mean that someone else is coming. I should get these two out of here-

 

The older boy stood up with a shaky breath, then leaned over and whispered something to the younger boy who nodded in acknowledgement. After a brief moment, the jacket that the boy was wearing was thrown over him and the bags both boys were carrying. 

 

Eraserhead had to hand it to the boys, with the grey jacket thrown over everything, the little one basically blended in with the rest of the facility. The only question was why? Eraser knew a villain was in the vicinity, but why would they have any reason to hide-

 

Oh.

 

Suddenly, the doors on the opposite side of the warehouse opened wide and the bright flash of the street light blinded Eraserhead temporarily.

A deep voice echoed from the entranceway. His tone leaking with cruel amusement.

 

“Well well, Tomura. It’s lovely to see you again. How have you been?”

 

The man stepped into the warehouse with a wide smile. A tooth was missing near the front giving his grin a more crooked appearance. He wore a pair of round glasses and a large scarf-like garment that had a strange resemblance to intestines wrapped around his neck. Other than the scarf, the rest of his appearance reeked of false wealth. His suit was too baggy for his frame and his short grey hair was parted and gelled amateurly

 

“Giran. What the hell do you want?” The older boy the man had called Tomura responded.

 

Shouta mentally bookmarked the name Giran and began to go over what he remembered about this man. 

 

Giran, Giran… Class C villain…relatively low level and usually manages other villain interactions, a kind of broker. Known felon… 

 

“Why the attitude for an old friend kid. I have a proposition for you after all! It would be a shame to let it go to waste especially with your current… situation.”

 

The man made his way into the warehouse with an unnerving confidence in his step. Behind him came another man, much taller than Giran. He was well built and intimidating, save for the paper lunch bag pulled over his head with a crayon half smile half frown drawn on. He closed the doors behind Giran and popped his bag up to stick a cigarette between his lips, the rest of his face still obscured.

 

“Thank you Twice, now back to business. I’ve heard of the situation with your Sensei-” The boy’s face tensed at the mention, his hands started to twitch aggressively.

 

“And what about it?” He snapped back. 

 

Giran held up his hands in a placating manner. 

 

“Relax kid, I don’t care too much for family business.”

 

A moment of silence fell upon the warehouse.

 

“Then why are you here?” He asked. Eraser saw as bits of skin peeled and reddened fell onto the boy’s thin sweater as he began to itch at his neck. He cringed at the sight, then briefly took a moment to send a buzz in response to his communicator indicating he was handling the situation.

 

“Why, to get your help of course! I heard you may be in a bit of trouble so I assumed you’d be looking for a chance to make some yen-” An empty silence as the tension filled the room further. 

 

“-so what do you say? Care to help me and Twice out for a little extra?” He asked, still grinning just as wildly.

 

The tension grew and for a moment it looked like the boy wasn’t going to give an answer, like he was preparing to run. The way his body twitched was like an injured animal, panicked and backed into a corner. However, something changed, the kid’s face hardened. He let out a soft exhale and stood up straight.

 

His hands stopped twitching.

 

“What did you have in mind?” 

 

There was a sudden shuffling, then the sound of footsteps echoed in the empty space.

 

“No Tomura! Don’t!” The little boy ran out from the corner. Barreling right into the older boy, grabbing onto his midsection. 

 

Shit shit, why couldn’t you have stayed hidden, problem child?

 

“Huh-” The teen stumbled backwards in shock. “Shit, I told you to stay hidden brat-” He chastised the child placing a hand onto his back.

 

“You can’t!” He cried, blubbering into the older boy’s shirt, “Don’t do it Tomura! Don’t help them!” The little one was now sobbing, his voice echoing through the warehouse. Both of the boys seemed to have forgotten about the other company they had. Eraser hadn’t, he’d kept his eyes focused on Giran. The man’s eyes were hidden behind glasses, but his expression was still mostly visible. A sickly satisfied look graced his visible features.

 

He was starting to have a really bad feeling about this.

 

The teen’s shock had subsided and the hardened face dropped into a frown. His stern expression cracked. His eyes were wide and confliction was unmistakable on his features.

 

A slow applause echoed throughout the space.

 

“Well done kid, I was wondering where the little one was hiding.” Giran chuckled. He clasped his hands together.

 

The teen, reminded of the man’s presence, grabbed the boy's back and tugged him away from the villains in front of them. Eraser watched as his chest jumped up in and out with the teen’s quickened breath. 

 

This was getting bad, Eraser would have to interfere soon if the panic emanating from the teen was any indication. A broker, like Giran, never had pure intentions. They’re like pythons awaiting their moment to strike for as much profit as possible. With his capture scarf readied, he got a final buzz from his communicator. The police were on their way and not a moment too soon.

 

“I’m sure your Sensei will be very grateful to know you both are still together.” Giran stated. The tension in the room tripled.

 

He dropped the crooked grin he’d held onto throughout this entire meeting and uttered two powerful words to the man behind him.

 

“Get them.”

 

Eraserhead snapped into action without another thought. He erased Twice’s quirk and swung down from the rafters with unparalleled speed.

 

“Huh?!-” The man called out as he was tackled by the hero- “No! Giran!- Yes! I love this! Stop-” -he tried to force the villain into a hold but was easily thrown off by the larger man.

 

“The hell!” Giran yelled and Eraserhead whipped around sending a long length of his scarf towards the villain. The scarf wrapped around his feet and with a slight tug sent the man flying off kilter. He whipped it upwards, the villain’s head hitting the concrete with a wet squelch. Continuing with the momentum, the scarf kept dragging the man’s unconscious body upwards, stringing it over the rafters in the ceiling and letting the man hang from his feet like a strange bat.

 

“How dare you!- Me next! "shouted the other man, his voice switching tone between sentences. He began to swing towards the hero with heavy fists and sloppy motions. Eraser easily dodged and managed to catch one of Twice’s fists in his scarf. He pulled the arm backwards harshly, forcing a pathetic yelp from the villain as his shoulder was twisted to an uncomfortable angle.

 

In that moment of weakness, his demeanour changed completely and the man called out in a childlike voice, “Please don’t hurt me!-” he then changed again, ”-I’ll fucking kill you scum!” He swung out with his leg and managed to land a kick to Eraser's wrist, forcing him to loosen his hold on the scarf and setting the man free from the hold.

 

It was at that moment when Eraserhead was forced to blink. 

 

In mere seconds, a new man appeared beside Twice, briefly connecting them by a line of strange dark goo. The new man swung immediately at Eraserhead, forcing the hero to dodge and leave an opening for Twice to send another kick that this time connected to his side with a sickening crunch.

 

He coughed out in pain. Grabbing onto his ribs with a grimace. I can’t believe this guy showed up without me noticing, I need to be more careful-  

 

He then propelled himself upwards using the piece of the scarf that was already swung over the rafter, sending Giran hitting the ground again with another loud crash. He used the upwards momentum to knee Twice in the throat, sending the man into a coughing fit filled with harsh weezing. He stepped onto the man’s shoulder, using it as leverage to aim an axe kick down onto the other man’s arm, snapping it the opposite way the joint was supposed to move. After hitting the ground, he shot several rapid punches into Twice’s back, targeting the few pressure points he knew would leave the man nearly immobilised.

 

He turned back towards the other villain but paused in confusion as he seemed to be … melting… 

 

That same goo that was connecting the villains a moment before was now all that was left of the third villain. 

 

There wasn’t time to question that further now.

 

Twice had now fallen to his knees, still clutching his neck with one hand and now his back with the other. Eraser didn’t waste any more time. With his quirk activated, he pressed his foot into the man’s back, forcing him onto his stomach.

 

“You are under arrest for assault, attempted kidnapping, illegal quirk use and association with a known felon. I’m sure the police would appreciate your cooperation.” He said as he grabbed the man’s arms and pinned them behind his back, allowing him to administer the proper quirk cancelling handcuffs. He stepped off of the man’s back and tried to pull him to his feet. 

 

He was completely knocked out face down on the ground. He took a moment to flip the villain onto his side, then repeated the same process with an unconscious Giran. Holding his ribs in place the entire time.

 

“W-What?”

 

Oh.

 

He turned around to the boys who were standing in the exact same position they were before the fight had started. Both of their eyes wide.

 

Shit, how the hell did I forget them.

 

“Are you both alright?”

 

Goddamn my social skills.

 

“But-h-how--why?” Stuttered the younger boy. The older one was visibly shaking, he stared at Eraser, one arm was clutching the younger boy and the other was reaching out in a defensive position.

 

“Stay away from us!” He yelled, his voice cracking aggressively as he yanked the little one further away.. Eraserhead took a step towards them.

 

“I mean it! Stay away you damn hero!” He called out. 

 

Shit, yeah that was stupid. Don’t get closer without asking, that's like traumatised kid 101.

 

“I’m not going to hurt you kid, I just want to make sure you are both alright.” He asked, trying to soften his voice. He took off his goggles and tried to force his posture to relax. He instantly regretted it as a sharp pain hit his side again. He bit back a wince and grasped his side. A bruised rib at least, hopefully nothing worse.

 

The young boy pulled out from under the teens arms and turned towards him. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt Mr. Eraserhead?” His small voice asked. 

 

Eh=Eraserhead? How the hell does he know who I am?

 

“Don’t worry kid, I’m alright. Nothing some tylenol won’t take care of. Are you okay?”

 

The teen watched him with careful calculating eyes. At first glance, he almost could have been perceived as scary, however his hands seemed to be a tell of his true emotions as they were twitching violently and kept itching closer towards his neck.

 

He looked at the younger boy, and was surprised to find him much closer than before. He wasn’t smiling but his eyes were bright and seemed to be radiating a slight light.

 

“I’m fine! My name is Izuku, Mr. Eraserhead! And this is my older brother Tomura! I know he looks a little scary but he’s really nice and takes really good care of me and he just wanted to help me. He wouldn't have actually done what the bad man wanted, I wouldn’t have let him anyways but he just wanted to help me I swear!” The kid spoke faster and faster as he went, each syllable beginning to trip over the last and blend into the next.

 

Shouta could feel his heart melting the more and more the kid spoke.

 

“Hi Izuku. I’m surprised you knew who I was, kid. It’s not often I’m recognized.” And by surprised he meant confused and by not often, he meant never, he had never been recognized before so how the hell did this kid know who he was.

 

The kid’s face turned bright red and he began to rub at his neck anxiously, maybe a habit he’d picked up from his brother.

 

“Well, I mean I have never actually seen what you look like before other than a really really blurry picture I found online, but no one else has a capture scarf like you and no other hero has a quirk like yours!”

 

Now Shouta could feel his face heat up.

 

“Online, people talk about how a hero’s eyes turn red and how he helps in shady places where they thought heroes never were! Even if most people don’t know your name, you're famous here. Lots of people actually thought you were a vigilante but I knew better! It's so cool to meet you! Your quirk and capture-weapon are so cool to see in person! How much can your scarf hold without breaking? Does your quirk work on multiple people at once or is the limit simply how many people are in your field of vision? Is the floating hair and red eyes some sort of mutation of your quirk or maybe they’re artificial as an intimidation tactic although that would be counterintuitive because then your opponents would have some sort of tell for your quirk and then it would be more difficult to fight more intelligent villains and-” As he continued to talk, his rambling turned into more muttering then what was actively decipherable. 

 

Shouta was starting to wonder if this kid has some kind of intelligence quirk.

 

“I would be happy to answer some of your questions about my quirk if I could ask you and your brother a couple things as well.” He interrupted, startling the kid back to attention.

 

Somehow, his face managed to lighten up even more, now Shouta was wondering if he had some sort of sunshine quirk because he was almost certain the warehouse just got visibly brighter.

“That would be so cool right Tomura?-” The boy turned to his brother who was looking at Shouta with glare that rivalled even his own. His face fell and he looked between the two of them with rapt attention.

 

Something about that kid worried him, not the kid himself, but the way he acted, the way he looked. He was a textbook example for child abuse and that was ignoring the fact that they seemed to be runaways.

 

“Tomura?” Izuku called out again. Tomura shook out of his glare and looked to his brother again.

 

“Izuku, it’s time to go.” He said sternly.

 

No-

 

“But Tomura!-”

 

“Now! Come on brat-” He insisted, Izuku looked at Shouta with pleading eyes.

 

Shit.

 

“I can’t let you and your brother go yet. At least not until the police get your statements.” Shouta explained. He tried to keep his tone gentle and calm, but he couldn’t let these kids leave. Not without trying to help them.

 

The teen paused again. His hand stopped scratching, he was completely motionless.

 

There was silence in the room. 

 

“Tomu?” Izuku asked, breaking the quiet. 

 

The teen then snapped his head upwards and made direct eye contact with Shouta, his eyes bloodshot and his pupils darting from side to side. He started to sway back and forth as he stood, his laboured breathing becoming audible even from where Shouta was standing nearly ten feet away.

Then in another moment, his eyes rolled up into his head and his body became limp as he collapsed to the ground without another word. 

 

Before he had realised he was moving, he had caught the boy before his head had managed to hit the concrete. He groaned in the sudden strain on his ribs, but he had caught the teen which was all that mattered.

 

He was alive, he had a pulse and he was obviously breathing judging by the movements of his chest. In fact, with how thin the boy was, you could almost see the way his organs moved through his skin. He was certainly alive but Tomura was not at all well. His arms were just bone and his face almost looked skeletal, the only colour being the dark blotches around his eyes much like Shouta’s own.

 

Then the teen’s eyes began to open slightly and his breathing quickened again.

 

“P-please-” He uttered the single word, his voice filled with such innate panic.

 

“It’s okay kid. You and your brother are going to be alright.” At his words, somehow, the boy’s stiff physique dropped and his body became limp. His eyes welled up with tears and darted around until they caught sight of Izuku who was standing a couple feet away, looking at his brother with wide eyes. After seeing Izuku, his breath hitched, then his eyes rolled up into his head and he was out.

 

There was silence for several seconds, only filled by Shouta’s heavy breathing.

 

“T-Tomura?” A concerned voice rang out.

 

Shouta turned to look at the little boy and had to take a breath to compose himself. He was kneeling beside his brother, just looking at him. Eyes wide and glossy with tears.

 

“He’ll be alright. He’s just…just really tired and he needs some time to rest.” 

 

Kami, that was so shit.

 

The boy sniffled and wiped at his eyes.

 

“He…he doesn’t sleep much. When I get nightmares he’s-he’s always awake before me.”

 

Shouta didn’t know how to respond, so he just nodded at the child’s words. They sat in silence for some time, Shouta managed to adjust his position so the teen was laying in his lap rather than supported just by his arms. Izuku looked devastated , he kept twitching towards his brother but darting back before making any real movement.

 

“Would you like to come sit with me? I’m waiting for a friend of mine to take care of these villains. I’m sure he’ll be able to help bring your brother to a doctor- '' Izuku's eyes widened and a dark shadow fell over his face, he ran over and grabbed onto Tomura in anguish.

 

“No! No! Please don’t call the Doctor! He’ll hurt him! Please don’t please! He’s bad, he always hurts Tomu!” The boy nearly screamed in terror, he was holding his brother so tightly Shouta was worried he might break one of the teen’s bones. 

 

“Hey hey, it’s okay-”  He tried to reassure, he automatically lifted a hand but quickly lowered it again as Izuku flinched away.  Izuku kept sobbing, it was like he couldn’t hear Shouta. 

 

“I won’t call a doctor- I promise.”  He finally said.

 

The sobbing stopped, Izuku sat up and wiped at his eyes. 

 

He sniffled, “You-you promise?”

 

“Yeah kiddo, I do.” The kid sniffled again and thoughtfully looked at his brother’s sleeping form. The boy reached out and tucked a bit of the teens hair out of his face with a sigh. He leaned back and an adorably silent yawn left the kid’s mouth.

 

It was unnerving how abruptly his mood seemed to change.

 

“Mr. Eraserhead, I-I…” The boy paused. Eraser glanced down at his hands and saw them fidgeting awkwardly. Upon a closer look though he was actually letter spelling in sign the same word over and over again.

 

S-A-F-E….S-A-F-E-....S-A-F-E….S-A-

 

So he knows some sign language, the surprises just keep coming with these two.

 

“Do you know sign language Izuku?” The hero interrupted. Izuku looked up and nodded slowly.

 

Would talking be easier with your hands? Shouta signed to the boy who looked at him with shock. Then his face stretched into the brightest smile he may have ever seen, it even rivalled Hizashi’s.

 

Yes! Yes I would like that Mr. E-R-A-S-E- The kid was trying to fingerspell his hero name and was obviously struggling.

 

“Aizawa, just call me Aizawa.” He signed the sign name Hizashi gave him as he spoke. “Don’t worry about the formalities either.”

 

The kid stared at him, his expression unreadable. Then his mouth dropped and his hands began moving at hyperspeed.

 

But that's your real name! Why would you tell me that?

 

He waved the boy’s worry off. “It will be easier this way.” For whom he wasn’t sure. “Do you have any other names? A family name or something?”

 

Wow, great segway Shouta, that didn’t feel forced at all-

 

The kids' demeanour dropped for the millionth time that night.

 

Sensei…Sensei said it’s Shigaraki. That’s the family name he told me…but -  but mommy had a different name.

 

Sensei huh? Giran mentioned something about a Sensei earlier. I’ve never heard that surname before though. If his mother has a different name- no- not has, had a different name then this could be messy. Kidnapping maybe? Or rather-

 

“What’s your mom’s name Izuku?” Yeah,that's where I’ll start, if I know her name I can maybe find a record of them both. Maybe she’s still looking for her kid? Hopefully there’s at least a quirk record- “Maybe I can help you find her?” He suggested.

 

The boy’s eyes lit up, then his face dropped again and his eyes began to well up.

 

Sensei said that she didn’t want me anymore. That- that she didn’t want to be my mommy.

 

Poor kid, no one should have to be told something like that.

 

“What was her name Izuku? I don’t know your sensei, but maybe he made a mistake.” He made his mistake when he hurt these kids. But hopefully he was lying about the kid’s mother as well.

 

The kid took a deep breath and dropped his hands to hold onto his brother.

 

“Her name is Inko. Inko Midor- Mi…Mi- Midoriya. Yeah. Midoriya. That’s it.” He struggled with the name, like it was something he had never said before and was straining to remember. Shouta wondered how long it had been since Izuku had seen his mom and how long had he had this “Sensei”.

 

Shouta let out a relieved sigh then nodded at Izuku. “Thank you kid. Thank you-” It was at that moment that the echoes of police sirens began to sound in the distance. Izuku jumped up in panic, but seemed to calm down at Shouta’s lack of reaction.

 

“It’s alright Izuku, I called them. They are here to help.” The boy pursed his lips and sat down by Tomura again. He stared at the boy for a good long while before making eye contact with Shouta and nodding. 

 

He looked down at the teen once more. He seemed peaceful, his unconscious form seemed so much smaller than when he was awake. 

 

Thanks Tsukauchi. I have a feeling this will be a long night for all of us.

Shit, I need to message my husband.

 

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

Tsukauchi was having an exhausting day. And he was in for an even more exhausting night. With coffee in one hand and his communicator in another, he was keeping track of known villain locations and sending local heroes to collect intel. There was something going on in the underground but he wasn’t sure what.

 

Villains were crawling out of hiding and appearing much more frequently. He kept hearing chatter about some mastermind in charge of it all and he was certain that he knew who. He just had to find him. His last message was to underground hero Eraserhead about several suspicious individuals walking into an abandoned warehouse. A pretty standard information collection mission. Or so he had believed. 

 

All seemed normal, a response from Eraserhead indicated he had received and was dealing with the situation as a welcome respite from the micromanaging he was having to do for some other heroes. Just as all seemed to be going well for once, another message came through from Eraserhead asking for a police cruiser, likely for transport. 

 

“Crap, something must have blown his cover- “ He muttered to himself. He let out a loud yawn and rubbed his temple at the slowly growing headache. “Sansa!” He called out the open door.

 

“Yeah boss?” The cat detective responded, poking his head through the open door.

 

“Grab your keys.” Tsukauchi ordered. “We’ve got more work to do.”

____________________________________________________________________________

 

The police arrived in two cars, a basic cruiser and Tsukauchi’s work vehicle, a small black SUV. It took them no more than fifteen minutes to arrive, which though a short time, was far longer than what was comfortable for their position. The constant checking of the two knocked out villains was enough to elevate Shouta’s stress far beyond its comfortable limit. Thankfully most of the time Shouta was too preoccupied to even think about his own injuries let alone let himself feel the ache of them.

 

They pulled up to the warehouse, sirens wailing, lights flashing. Izuku had a blank look on his face, his expression was stone and his head kept drifting downwards as they waited only to jolt back up.

 

The warehouse doors slammed all the way open allowing the street lamp and police lights to illuminate the warehouse with flashing red and blue. Though a welcome sight, it was rather harsh adjusting his tired eye’s vision to the changing lights. He rubbed at his eyes, then brought his hand down onto Izuku’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. He wasn’t sure what prompted the action, but it seemed to ease some of the kid’s tension which was enough for Shouta.

 

Tomura was still out. His body was shivering and his skin was cold and clammy to the touch. It was as if his body was fighting against sleep itself. He wiped the sweat off the teen’s forehead with a bit of his scarf and slipped his arms under the teen, pulling him into a bridal carry. With surprising ease, he stood up and was appalled at the light weight in his arms. The kids couldn’t have been any more than 100 lbs and even that may have been pushing it. He felt a small tug at his shirt and saw Izuku grabbing onto the fabric like it was a lifeline.

 

After a moment of consideration, he adjusted his hold on the teen so he was partially wrapped in his capture scarf and tucked against the hero’s waist in a sort of sling. With his now free hand, he offered it to Izuku, who gripped it tightly. 

 

The three of them made their way towards the open doors where they saw Tsukauchi swing his car door open and stumble out with waving arms.

 

“Eraser! What happened? Where are the villains?” He demanded. Shouta felt Izuku’s hand twitch and gave it a quick squeeze.

 

“Inside. Restrained.” Shouta shrugged.

 

“Oh-okay. Officers, escort them back to the station I suppose.” The detective gestured towards the open warehouse and two officers followed his orders, nodding vigorously. “Who are these two?” Tsukauchi gestured again.

 

“Civilians-witnesses…possibly victims. I’m not sure yet. This one needs medical assistance.” The hero responded, giving a small extra lift to indicate Tomura.

 

“Clearly. I’ll give you a ride. And give Hizashi a call, judging by your gate I’m guessing you're injured too.” The detective responded. 

 

Goddamn his detective skills, I thought I was hiding my pain pretty well.

 

Shouta grimaced. “Do what you will. S’not a big deal, just some bruises.” He lied as he walked towards the SUV. Tsukauchi opened the back door for them, then left to speak with the officers as they finished loading the villains into the cruiser. It seemed Giran was still passed out, Twice however, seemed to have woken up, he was giving the feline officer a rough time with his struggles and conflicting sentences. 

 

“I hate damn cats! --Awe your fur is so soft--” He called as he was shoved into the back seat.

 

While Eraser was more interested in who these villains were, Shouta was more focused on the problems literally in hand. Izuku climbed into the vehicle first. Shouta followed soon after and laid the teen awkwardly half on top of himself. 

 

With all the extra movement, Tomura was starting to make small movements. It was partially a relief to see the kid actually seem alive.

 

“Hrgh--Izu…” The teen grumbled and tried to lean up.

 

“I’m okay Tomu. Don’t worry.” Izuku reassured, pushing his brother back down. “Go back to sleep.” He pleaded. The teen’s will folded at those words and he passed out again with a groan.

 

Shouta looked at the two boys, thin and covered in dirt. Each with more responsibility than either should have had. He pushed a piece of hair off of Tomura’s forehead, an almost subconscious moment of softness.

 

Don’t worry, kid. I’ll take care of you both.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2 : A Tamed and Trusted Cockatoo

Summary:

A wild Hizashi appears!

How is one supposed to react when waking up to a phone call in the middle of the night? Some would simply roll right over and let sleep overtake them, some would check who was calling but ultimately decide to leave it until morning. Hizashi wasn’t the type to react either of those ways, especially when his husband’s patrol was during such unsightly hours.

 

The moment his phone rang, he was up and awake. He had removed his hearing aids, but a special setting on his phone allowed it to vibrate at such a frequency that he was able to sense its rings without the use of his ears. Truth being told, it wasn’t as if it was difficult to shake him out of his slumber. He’d always been a light sleeper, and tonight was even worse. He’d had this pit in his stomach from the moment he’d woken up that morning up until the moment his phone rang in the darkness. Something was wrong, he knew that to be the case. He slipped the hearing aids on and grabbed the phone. It was Shouta’s name that graced his screen. He picked up immediately holding the phone to his ear.

 

“What do you need, Shou?” The Loud Hero demanded, he knew something was wrong, there was no other reason Shouta should have been calling. The Erasure hero should have been on his way home now anyways, he should have been only a few moments from slipping back into bed with his husband.

 

“Hey Zashi-” Shouta sighed. A barely audible slur attached to the end of Hizashi’s name. 

 

“Shouta-” The man sighed in relief, he was alive, he didn’t sound on the brink of death, at most the man sounded tired which was decidedly on brand for his husband. “Is everything alright baby? You should be on your way home now shouldn’t you?” Hizashi asked despite knowing that the answer was no.

 

“Huh- what time is it--” The man slurred almost endearingly “-shit Zashi, I didn’t even notice the time.” It was half past 5 am. An ungodly hour but normally the end of Shou’s patrol. “I’m with the detective, we’re on our way to Mustafu Emergency Care-”

 

A spike of panic slammed into Hizashi as he jumped up from the bed.

 

“Shit Shou! I’ll be right there, I can pick the tots up from Tensei’s and be there in 15--no-- 10 minutes!” While he spoke, he was running around his room getting dressed in the first clothes he could get his hands on which just so happened to be one of his radio station’s sweatshirts.

 

“Take your time. I’m alright save for some bruises.” The man bit his lip and paused, letting his husband continue as his hasty actions slowed. “The teen on the otherhand’s got some more serious issues. Izuku seems physically alright, at least from a cursory glance-”

 

There was a short pause where Hizashi could’ve sworn he heard faint snoring on the other end.

 

“Shou, baby, who the hell are you talking about?” The Loud Hero carefully asked.

 

“Some kids, found em on patrol. Brothers Tomura and Izuku-” Hizashi sighed both out of exasperation and further relief. “-You’ll like the kid, he reminds me of you. Smile made of pure sunshine.” Hizashi felt his cheeks heat up slightly. “Tomura is like Kats when we first got him. Full of fire. The boy is starved though, basically skin and bones and only Kami knows the last time he had any sort of good night's rest. I’m with them now in the back, both passed out--” There was a long pause. “--huh---he snores like a cat-” This last sentence slipped out almost as an afterthought.

 

He couldn’t help but grin at the love of his life’s voice. He didn’t even know these boys but it already sounded like they’d stolen his husband's heart.

 

“Shouta, I’ll meet you there. How far are you?” The Loud Hero asked. 

 

“About 10 minutes out, Yamada.” Tsukauchi’s voice answered, his voice a new addition to the call. 

 

“Eraser here has some injuries himself, I’ll keep him in check though. Try not to rush.” Hizashi could hear Shouta’s groan take over most of the call.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

“I’m fine, as I said, just some bruises-” Shouta interjected, holding back a wince as the car jostled his ribs.

 

“And a fractured rib if I read your gait correctly-”

 

“I’m fine!” Shouta insisted through gritted teeth. He could practically hear the smirk on the detective’s face.

 

“Please take care of yourself baby. If you’re hurt, don’t downplay it.”  Shouta could feel his face heat up slightly.

 

“I’m okay Zashi, really. Nothing I haven’t dealt with a dozen times before.” He reassured. And it was the truth. Though Eraserhead was smart and efficient in his work, in underground heroics many of the villains were as well. It was almost weekly the man was coming home with at least a bruised muscle or a minor stab wound and yes there was such a thing as a minor stab wound despite Hizashi’s vehement protests.

 

“Okay Shou. I trust you. I’ll be there soon, kay?” Hizashi asked, the question less an actual question and more a hope of acknowledgement. “I’ll shoot Tensei a text as well. Wouldn’t want to overwhelm the newbies with our boys quite yet.”

 

“Thank you.” Shouta breathed, the idea of dragging his sons around a hospital at five in the morning while also taking care of the children he found on patrol was a hell he was not willing to experience. “I’ll see you soon.”

 

“I love you.” He couldn’t help a slight smile tugging his lips.

 

“Love you too you damn cockatoo.”

 

The call ended and the car went eerily silent, save for the near silent snores of the teen still draped across Shouta’s lap. Izuku had sat extremely quiet throughout the whole call, he leaned against the door, hands wrapped around his brother and simply watched the interactions between Shouta and his husband.

 

“You love Present Mic.” It was less of a question and more of a declaration of fact from the young boy. 

 

Tch, of course he recognizes Hizashi’s voice. Smart kid.

 

“I do.” He responded, then reached a hand to the necklace tucked under his shirt. The small silver chain was holding a golden wedding band around Shouta’s neck. Hizashi had an identical one Both bands were engraved with a shared phrase only the two of them and the jeweller who created the rings knew of.

 

“I listen to his radio show. Is he nice?” It was a simple question, but there was so much emotion conveyed in those words. Izuku was looking at him with wide eyes, his head tilted slightly as he examined the hero. The boy’s pupils adjusted from thin slits to large circles as he stared at Shouta.

 

“Yeah. He’s good.” The boy smiled ever so slightly. “He’s excited to meet you. He’s always had a soft spot for his fans.” He teased and was pleased with the slight flush that fell over the boy’s face at his words.

 

He ducked down to avoid further eye contact and began to fidget with the front of his t-shirt. The shirt was ragged and ripped in a dozen places, it was likely the two boys would need entirely new wardrobes. He would bet money on his husband trying to dress the two boys in outfits similar to his own and Shouta would bet more that both boys would prefer to stay out of whatever the blonde’s style was.

 

After a few minutes of the now comfortable quiet, Tsukauchi pulled into the urgent care hospital parking lot. There must’ve been a larger incident nearby because several ambulances were piling into the lot as well, lights flashing and siren’s blazing as people were pulled out of stretchers and carried through the hospital doors. It was an overwhelming sight and Shouta couldn’t help but groan at the thought of the busy hospital interior.

 

He couldn’t have been more correct in his assumption of chaos, as even just entering the hospital seemed to be a feat of gymnastics in itself. With one boy (Tomura) cradled in his arms and the other (Izuku) holding onto his shoulders from a piggyback position, the feat was managed. Tsukauchi offered to carry Izuku, but the boy prickled at the offer and tucked closer to Shouta before the hero simply kneeled down and urged the boy to climb onto his back. 

 

Though Tomura was not awake and therefore could not protest, the moment Tsukauchi stepped closer to pick the teen up, a barely audible growl left Izuku’s mouth and for a moment Shouta could’ve sworn he felt claws pricking his hero costume. The feeling and sound quickly faded when the detective stepped away from the unconscious teen. When Shouta picked up the teen, the detective shot him a concerned glance, but his worry was easily overshadowed by the feeling of Izuku relaxing as his brother was held by the hero and the odd rumbling almost purring?- that seemed to radiate from the boy.

 

Besides, neither kid was heavy and Shouta was more than capable of carrying them both. The next couple of minutes blended together. Tsukauchi spoke to the man at the front desk, he signed the paperwork and within moments they were being led towards the pediatric ward of the hospital. The whole time Izuku was tense on his back, his head darting around and short mutterings slipping out as he examined the environment.

 

“-’s busy here, so many people - so many quirks. Smells too clean- like Doctor but nicer- ooh gill mutations- can they breathe underwater? Handle extreme depths- I wonder if they have a cold resistance-- the shape of the gills are thinner-- made for deep water but how do they breathe on land do they have two sets of lungs? Does that interfere with the hearts circulation of blood-- their whole circulatory system must be completely reworked-” The storms of whispers continued with each new person they saw, the boy going on about their physical mutations in more detail than he should’ve been able to notice in such short time frames. Even when there wasn’t a physical mutation, the boy seemed to know or at least have some guesses on their quirk simply based on minor appearance facets and general demeanour. It was like the boy was barely conscious he was doing it. The more he analysed and further they walked, the more the kid’s body seemed to lean and lull against Shouta’s back. His mutters became more and more interspersed with yawns and long pauses, his voice inaudible but the soft brushing noises indicated his lips were still moving even if he wasn’t saying an audible word.

 

Who the hell taught him that sort of analysis? How smart is this kid? If Nedzu gets a hand on him- 

 

He pushed the thought aside for now, the idea was too terrifying to even dignify space in his brain at the moment. 

 

By the time they were shown to the boy’s room in the pediatric ward, Shouta’s arms were beginning to ache and his ribs were doing no better. The room was quaint, decorated in softer blues with several well placed cartoonish decals on the walls. The walls themselves were painted a pastel yellow with the bottom half a sky blue colour. It was obviously designed for younger children to allow them to feel more calm in the environment. Shouta could only imagine how out of place he must’ve looked. The room had three beds inside, none currently occupied. Shouta laid the teen on the bed closest to the door, then proceeded to lift Izuku off of his back with practised ease. 

 

The boy began to mutter his protests, but his eyes were drooping too much to do much else about his separation from the hero. The boy was placed on the middle bed, his form tiny on the large mattress. Shouta pulled the blanket over the dozing boy and paused for a moment before giving the boy’s hair a gentle ruffle. A satisfied purr-? Escaped from the boy and he grabbed the blanket laying over him and tucked it further around himself. 

 

With that, both the boys were passed out safely on the hospital beds and rather reluctantly, Shouta took position on the third bed, resisting the urge to sigh as he sunk into the plush cushion.

“How are the ribs, Eraser?” Tsukauchi asked, taking a seat at one of the chairs pressed against the opposite wall.

 

“Nothing I can’t manage- when did they say someone would be by to check on the kids?”

 

“They aren’t sure, there was a fire just a couple roads down- had to evacuate an entire apartment building- we aren’t top priority right now.” He groaned at the detective’s words and slumped against the back of the bed. Tsukauchi gave a sympathetic groan and slumped in his own chair as well. 

 

“I’m going to get us some coffee, not this shitty hospital stuff though, there’s a cafe just a block down. Any specific requests?” The man suddenly started, sitting up from the chair and stretching until even Shouta could hear an audible pop.

 

“Grab some for Hizashi as well, I’m sure he’d appreciate it.” Tsukauchi nodded at his request and left the room with even, measured steps, making sure to click the door shut behind him.

 

He revelled in the moments of quiet that followed, taking time to pull off his shirt and examine his torso. None of the injuries seemed too severe to him, however the bruising across his torso painted a less than pretty image.

 

Moments later, Shouta’s ears perked up at the sound of voices in the halls. He softened at the familiar tone and barely even flinched as the door almost slammed open.

 

Standing in the entryway, breathing heavily and wearing hot pink sweatpants Shouta was certain were stolen from his closet was none other than Hizashi, the love of his life, and pro hero Present Mic. The second part would have been difficult to notice as his usually gelled up hair was soft and pulled into a loose bun. He wore his thin red glasses and the outfit he donned couldn’t have been further from his heroic uniform. As stated previously, the star of the outfit was a pair of hot pink sweatpants that hung loosely around the man’s hips, further proof that they were not his damned pants . He also donned a white t-shirt and was carrying a bright yellow duffle bag stuffed with what Shouta assumed to be clothing. 

 

The man’s eyes searched the room briefly, before softening when they met his own.

 

“Shouta-” The man breathed his name with such emotion that he began to feel his face heat up.

 

“Hey Zashi. Nice pants.” Hizashi huffed in response but began to stride into the hospital room, closing the door softly behind him.

 

“I was in a bit of a rush thank you-” Hizashi retorted as he set the duffle onto one of the open chairs. He let out a soft chuckle but couldn’t stop the wince that came as his ribs were further jostled. Hizashi looked at his bare torso with a frown. He could understand the expression, a flowering of purple and black bruises billowed out along his abdomen, petals of them flaking across his chest.

 

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” He deflected. His husband tsked in response. He began to rifle through the duffle and pulled out a small first aid kit.

 

“I know you won’t let the doctors here look at it, but you at least have to let me bandage it until we can see Recovery Girl.” The man insisted as he encroached into Shouta’s personal bubble. 

 

He sighed in reluctant agreement and beckoned his husband closer. He obliged. Before Hizashi could do anything more, he grabbed the man’s neck and pulled him into a slow, sleepy kiss. His husband’s lips easily parted and mouthed at his own for a moment, both of them sharing in the warmth of each other.

 

He sighed against the other man’s lips and the two pulled apart only to rest, foreheads pressed together. He felt a cool hand brush against his torso and he winced at the sudden temperature change. Hizashi always had cold hands.

 

With a soft shove, Hizashi pushed Shouta to lay on his back against the pillows. He let one hand fall to his husband’s and gave his fingers a gentle squeeze before he opened the first aid kit and pulled out several bandages.

 

The man worked efficiently, his movements accompanied by a soothing tune he often hummed when he was distracted. Shouta let himself relax into the bedding, feeling his husband’s hands wandering along his torso, fretting over bruises and bandaging diligently. It was a familiar routine, one that had been shared many times over the years, usually Shouta being the recipient however there was the odd occasion where the situations were flipped and it was him taking care of Hizashi’s injuries. It was inevitable as pros, thus both men were well versed in these actions.

 

It was all soft hands and gentle pressure, the occasional murmur of praise and the smell of the bruise balm his husband rubbed into his skin. He let his eyes fall open and land on the bed beside him, he was greeted with wide green irises staring back at him, watching Hizashi do his work. He gave the boy a gentle smile, something he usually reserved for his family, and the boy pinched his eyebrows together.

 

“Are you hurt Zawa?” The small voice suddenly asked, he could feel Hizashi jump slightly beside him. It seemed he hadn’t noticed that the boy was awake.

 

“Only a little bit, kid, but I’ll be alright.” He tried to reassure, but he could still see the boy biting his lip.

 

“Y-you got hurt because of me.”

 

He could feel his heart break a little bit.

 

“No kid, I got hurt because I made a mistake, I underestimated my opponent. This is not your fault.” He said, gesturing to his ribs. Hizashi was watching them both with curious eyes as he began to pack away the first aid kit. He could see Izuku open his mouth to argue, but something stopped him as he closed it again, a distant look in his eyes. Then they darted around  and latched onto Hizashi's figure.

 

“You-you’re Present Mic?” He asked. He then pushed himself into a sitting position, blanket still wrapped around him. Hizashi flashed him a golden grin and a thumbs up.

 

“You got it, little listener! But you can call me Hizashi when I’m dressed all cool and casual!” At that, a small giggle escaped Izuku’s mouth. The happy look stayed perched on his features as he examined Hizashi with searching eyes. “What’s your name kiddo?” His husband prompted, getting a nervous flush from the little one.

 

“I-Izuku.” He almost whispered, glancing downwards before darting back up to meet Hizashi’s eyes.

 

“It’s really nice to meet you, Izuku! You seemed to recognize me pretty quickly, listener- are you a fan?” He garnered an even darker flush from the boy at his teasing and Shouta allowed himself to zone out of the conversation as the boy stuttered some affirmative response.

 

He trusted his husband to gain the kid’s trust and hold a conversation well enough to not have to supervise. Besides, the kid was probably vibrating with questions to ask the hero that he had no doubt Hizashi would be pleased to answer. He saw no harm in letting his eyelids slide shut for a couple moments, maybe if he was lucky he could get an hour or so nap before they were interrupted by a doctor. He let himself dream about the idea before allowing the lulls of conversation to suck him into a half conscious state.

 

So sue him, he was exhausted, freshly bandaged, and listening to one of his favourite people brightly answering every question the young hero nerd was throwing at him. Hizashi’s voice was quite soothing when he wasn’t using his quirk, and it was extraordinarily easy to let it seep into his joints and calm his frantic mind. He felt the warmth beside him slowly retreat away, and he couldn’t help but shiver at the cool air hitting his bare torso. He didn’t suffer for long as rather quickly he felt something soft and warm get laid over him. He curled into the sensation and hummed at the feeling of familiar fingers running through his hair.

 

He caught bits and pieces of the conversation, enough to recognize that the two were getting along like wildfire and that his husband's voice was now coming from Izuku’s direction rather than beside his own bed. However, he let most of the words float in one ear and out the other, taking more care to focus on the tones rather than the actual words spoken. Izuku was excited, he was rambling quickly, words shooting out at a rather overwhelming speed. Hizashi was amused, and answered or responded to each set of ramblings in stride. His responses were fond and occasionally silly, judging from Izuku’s precious giggles.

 

It made his heart swell. Hizashi was such a lovebug, it was no wonder he’d get attached as quickly as Shouta has. It would take no effort for his husband to open up his heart to the two boys, and that fact made him all the more grateful for the man he chose to spend his life with.

 

And if it was warm thoughts of his husband that helped him take the final steps into unconsciousness, then it was no one’s business except his own.