Archive of Our Own

It had taken three sleepy bites of his oatmeal before Shinsou Hitoshi realized his parents were nervous - both of them. It was hard to tell at first and, if Hitoshi hadn’t been their adopted son for close to a year, it probably would have been impossible, but all the signs were there.

Hizashi was ranting and rambling and nonstop talking without waiting for either Hitoshi or Shouta to respond like he usually did. Shouta, for his part, looked calm and half-asleep as he usually did, but there were no small smiles or little eyerolls at some of Hizashi’s stories. Instead he was just staring at his bowl like there was some answer as to why he suffered so much in his life. 

In fact, now that Hitoshi was really paying attention, he noticed that neither of them were fully looking at him. They kept glancing at him, or stealing looks, or looking at the top of his head, but neither of them would look him in the eyes. It was like they were having some secondary conversation about him that Hitoshi had no way of hearing or understanding. 

He could admit, if only to himself, that if this was at the beginning of his adoption he would have started panicking. He would have felt like they were thinking about getting rid of him or giving him up. After a year of living with them, however, Hitoshi decided that whatever it was, neither was going to be the first to say anything. For being professional heroes, they were pretty cowardly when it came to serious conversations.

“Okay.” Hitoshi set down his spoon, a little amused at how Shouta’s gaze snapped up to him and Hizashi shut his mouth so quickly there was an audible sound to it. Definitely serious, though. “What’s up?”

“Up? What makes you think something is up?” Hizashi asked-slash-laughed nervously, Hitoshi feeling no need to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Everything is fine!”

“Yeah, the way your voice keeps climbing definitely says everything is fine,” Hitoshi snorted, looking to Shouta, who met his gaze evenly and just stared. “I can always just call Kayama-sensei and ask her.”

The two shared a look, Hitoshi amused as Shouta arched an eyebrow and Hizashi sighed in what was clearly defeat before mumbling a soft, “Alright, alright.” He then cleared his throat, smiling nervously at Hitoshi. “We actually wanted to ask you, ‘Toshi… We- Well, how- Hypothetically, how would you feel about having a little sister?”

Well, then. Hitoshi was a lot more awake than he had been a few seconds ago. It also seemed like the other two had become even more nervous, Hizashi ready to bounce out of his skin and Shouta fidgeting. Somehow, that was even weirder than the question he had been asked.

“Uh, well…” Hitoshi finally spoke, clearing his throat as he looked between them. “I’d start by saying that that doesn’t really sound like a hypothetical question.”

While Hizashi nervously waved his hands around and tried to come up with an excuse, Shouta only nodded at him seriously, “That’s because it wasn’t.”

Giving one last look between the two of them, Hitoshi pushed his almost empty bowl away and sat back in his chair. “Okay.” Hitoshi looked to Shouta because he, at least, didn’t beat around the bush. “I’m listening.”

Shouta mirrored the position, leaning back in his own seat before sighing and looking upwards, no doubt trying to find where to start. “Remember that mission we were on a few weeks ago?” 

Hitoshi hid a wince. It was hard not to remember it. It had been easy enough to find out it was something to do with something big, and Hitoshi had heard about some of the students and interns that had been at the center of it, but… The thing he really remembered was just how tired, worn, and banged up his dads were when they had finally come home. 

Shouta had packs of ice over his eyes for days after, and Hizashi had ‘talked’ in nothing but sign language to rest his throat while constantly sucking on throat lozenges. Hitoshi had basically resorted to throwing blankets over them wherever they passed out and making sure they were taking all the meds they had been told to. 

The thing was, though, that Hitoshi didn’t see how all of that could have anything to do with getting a ‘little sister.’ 

Thinking about his response for a moment, and deciding the two looked a little too serious, Hitoshi asked ‘innocently,’ “I remember, but is that meant to be a distraction? Seriously, did one of you knock someone up or get a uterus thanks to a quirk or something?” The reactions were beautiful. 

While Shouta’s cheeks flushed and he stared with wide eyes as if he had just been hit in the face, Hizashi made a noise that was very close to a shriek as his face grew to be the same red color as Shouta’s. “Aizawa-Yamada Shinsou Hitoshi you know very well that neither of those things have happened!”

“Yeah, I know,” Hitoshi laughed, shaking his head. “But it got you two to stop looking so serious, didn’t it?” The looks of frustration, annoyance, and amusement were wonderful, truly. “Okay, okay, what does that mission have to do with a little sister?”

“It’s a bit of a long story,” Hizashi admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck. “And there are some parts we can’t tell you quite yet.” Ah, one of those kinds of missions, then. 

“Thought you were good at long stories,” Hitoshi teased, grinning at Shouta’s laugh. “It is a day off, so why don’t you start from the beginning?” 

“Nope, living room first,” Shouta said, standing up and collecting the bowls to put in the sink. “I am not sitting in those kitchen chairs for hours because someone doesn’t know when to shut their mouth.”

“There’s no need to talk about yourself like that, Shou.” Hizashi dodged something being thrown at him the same second Hitoshi snorted. His dads were something else, sometimes. 

Still, they were eventually settled down in the living room, and the two did tell him why they were asking his opinion about a little sister. 

Apparently, her name was Eri. 

There were some parts of the story that were obviously missing or edited, but it didn’t take long for Hitoshi to realize that the past of the child named Eri was far, far worse than his past had ever been. While he had been afraid of his own quirk for years, the idea of having a quirk that someone would use for something like getting rid of quirks? He could only imagine how much she had suffered. 

Add all of that with the fact she was in the hospital, alone, and had no home or family to be returned to? Well, it wasn’t much of a leap in logic. 

“You want to adopt her.” Hitoshi didn’t bother to make it a question considering how their choice had been obvious before they even finished telling him the story. 

“After we talk to you about it,” Shouta said, Hitoshi doing his best not to jump because that was… startling. It was their house, after all. “Tell us, honestly, how would you feel having a young child who needs special care in the house.”

“I…” Awkward was the immediate answer he wanted to give. While Hitoshi had been in houses with younger ‘siblings’ before, his interactions with them hadn’t really been great. In most cases the adults wouldn’t allow him to talk to them because of his quirk or, sometimes even worse, the kids would pick up on that hate and use him as a convenient scapegoat when they did something wrong. 

Hitoshi tried not to hold it against them where they were young kids tossed into a system that didn’t really care about them, but, well. He had been happy when being adopted into a home with no other kids. He had been more than happy to stay an ‘only child’ too, but, well, Eri seemed like she needed a home more than he did. 

“I think I feel a little weird about it, but I’m not against it,” Hitoshi finally said, knowing he wouldn’t just be able to say ‘yeah, sure!’ and get away with it.

“You can say no,” Shouta said softly. “We can find another home for her and other caretakers if this makes you uncomfortable, Hitoshi.” 

Well, yeah it made him uncomfortable, but like hell was he going to say anything. This kid wouldn’t get better caretakers than Yamada Hizashi and Aizawa Shouta. “I know I can say no, but I don’t want to. A place like this… I think it’d be good for her. It was for me.” Aaand there was Hizashi’s happy wiggles and squeaks while Shouta tried to hide his smile and failed. 

“Seriously, guys, I’m okay with it – I’ll even do my best to help her settle in and feel welcome. Give her a real childhood instead of the hell she got.” Even as the words left his mouth, though, Hitoshi felt a spike of anxiety. 

It wasn’t like he hadn’t shoved the thought down because it was unlikely to the point of impossibility, but, well… one didn’t grow up in the system without that fear of being replaced by a child that was younger and cuter. 

It was a cruel thought to accuse Shouta and Hizashi of being the types to do that, but Hitoshi had seen it in almost every home he had been in. Younger kids would come in and be adopted and the older foster children, those labeled in their files as problems, would be shuffled along to yet another house.

And it was stupid. It was stupid to think that his dads would ever do anything like that, but, well… he only had a couple more years until he was a legal adult. Eri already sounded like an adorable little girl the two loved. He doubted that they would just kick him out and get rid of him like that, but the fear that he only had a limited amount of time with them until he was an adult and forced to make another new life of his own… It wasn’t exactly a good feeling.  

Those were worries for another time, though. As it was Eri was a young girl who had been deeply hurt and needed a safe, happy place to try and heal and discover who she was. She needed a place where she could learn to use her quirk and love her quirk - instead of hating it like she no doubt did and like Hitoshi sometimes still did. 

He was definitely worried about the future, but, well… It was hard to be upset or scared when it came to someone who might as well have been his younger self. 

He knew one thing, though. He was going to do his best to make sure this kid, Eri, felt safe. 

⁂

Apparently, the hypothetical question about getting a little sister meant Hitoshi got a little sister the next day. He wasn’t exactly surprised since she had no doubt been ready to leave the hospital for a few days, but it would have been nice to have more than half a day’s warning. As it was, Hitoshi was half-watching Eri explore the house and nervously flit from room to room. He would have been fully watching her, but he was mostly distracted by the fact Midoriya and some upperclassmen named Mirio was there. 

Mirio was acting like Eri’s shadow, jabbering on and reassuring her with every step she took, while Midoriya was getting closer and closer and here came the conversation he had been trying to avoid since seeing him. “Midoriya. No matter what delusions you seem to believe about yourself, you aren’t sneaky.”

“I guess you have a point,” he said before immediately striding across the room and standing right in front of Hitoshi. “So we’ll do it this way! Hi, Shinsou, how are you doing?” From the kitchen, Hitoshi swore he heard Shouta laughing. 

Finally rolling his eyes, Hitoshi gave Midoriya a small smile. “I’m doing better, Midoriya.” It had been mostly an accident that Midoriya had found out that he was adopted by Shouta and Hizashi, but he was good at letting them have their privacy and not telling anyone. Plus, the kid was such a bundle of cheer and goodwill that Hitoshi knew he wouldn’t be getting rid of him. “Better, but… kind of worried.” 

“Worried?” Instead of saying that there was nothing to worry about, Midoriya proved he actually had a brain unlike most of 1-A. “Are you worried about your quirk or hers?” Because they both knew, with Hitoshi, his worries would always stem from something quirk related. 

“I’ll give you one hint,” Hitoshi snorted, keeping his voice down so his dads wouldn’t hear. Midoriya was trustworthy enough to keep his secrets when it came to quirk worries, at least. “I mean… She grew up being controlled and hurt and now she’s in a house with someone who can brainwash her? Won’t that bring up some pretty bad memories for her?”

Midoriya gave a soft hum, Hitoshi thankful it looked like he was giving it some serious thought instead of just rushing to reassure him. “Well,” he finally said, tone slow and thoughtful. “I won’t lie. She’s been through a lot, but I don’t think she’ll be scared of you – or your quirk.” 

“Really?” Hitoshi snorted, crossing his arms and giving Midoriya a look. Just because he was weirdly trusting of everyone didn’t mean others were like that. “You don’t think the girl who’s been trapped and experimented on for most of her life won’t be afraid of a guy she’s never met with a quirk like mine?”

Midoriya sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck like he always did when trying to find the words he needed. “It’s not… It’s not that, it’s- Eri doesn’t know how to really show her emotions, yet, but she’s perceptive. I think she might be perceptive enough to figure out quick enough how you sometimes feel about your own quirk. And… kind of hard to hate a mirror image, right?”

Right. Hitoshi was going to have to kill Midoriya, soon, because apparently the kid was not only a mind reader, but was a ruthless mind reader. Wasn’t his quirk already powerful enough without giving him mind reading abilities or something? As it was, Hitoshi settled for scoffing and shaking his head, “I don’t need a therapist, thanks.”

Midoriya laughed, giving him a pat on the shoulder that Hitoshi decided not to swat away. He’d only be wasting his energy, after all. “Sorry, sorry, but don’t worry so much! She’ll love you, Shinsou, I’m positive about it.”

“You’re positive about everything,” Hitoshi finally said, giving Midoriya a light shove that the other only laughed brightly at. 

It really wasn’t long, though, before both he and Mirio were leaving, Eri clinging and hiding to Shouta who was showing her around her new room. Hitoshi, lingering in the hallway and trying to decide if he should give the girl space or go greet her, had the choice taken from him when he felt Hizashi gently push him forward. “Shouldn’t we give her time to settle in before meeting even more people? That’d be the polite thing to do, right?”

His response was Hizashi giving a snort of laughter and a teasing, “Since when did you ever worry about being polite?” Mm. Well. “It’ll be okay, ‘Toshi. She’s been stealing looks at you all day. Even if she might be cautious, she is curious.” 

Alright. Curious was something he could deal with, and, well, Hizashi probably had a point about introducing himself. At least then she would know who was in the house with her. 

When they got to the room, Eri was poking at the soft blankets and pillows, Shouta watching her closely while also looking a mixture between fond and protective. It was a look Hitoshi remembered when he had first been given his own bedroom.

“Hey, Eri,” Hizashi greeted quietly, having made sure to hit the squeaky floorboard that would let Eri know he and Hitoshi were in the doorway behind her. It was interesting to see all the same moves the two had used on him now that he had an outside perspective to it. “There’s someone we want you to meet today. Is that alright?”

While Eri looked at him, Hitoshi took the moment to properly look at her. He had seen that she was small when she first came in, but next to Shouta and half-hiding behind him she looked so small. Her expression was utterly blank, but her posture was shy and tucked in and her eyes read wary hesitation that came from shattered trust, and, well… Those were things Hitoshi could understand all too well. 

Thinking on the best way to introduce himself, Hitoshi waited until Eri nodded before he was sitting right down where he was in the doorway, Shouta and Hizashi, the nonbelievers, both giving him odd looks. Hitoshi only ignored them, giving Eri an even look and keeping his tone, expression, and everything else even and calm. 

“Hello, Eri. My name is Shinsou Hitoshi and I live here just like you do, now.” If he had been this young when the pain was at its worst and he had been taken in like this, he knew how he would have wanted to be greeted. 

Emotions were too loud, most times, and they were too much, and too many words said all at once just sounded like lies. He knew that from experience. Add in the fact that he was tall, had a dour appearance, and looked like a caricature of a villain most days? It would be best to get on her level or below it if possible. Let her feel like she had control, even if she knew she didn’t.

It seemed to work, Eri slowly peeking out more and more from behind Shouta before she was tightly gripping her dress and walking a few steps forward. She stared at him, expression blank and tone completely even as she managed a soft, “It’s nice to meet you.”

Honestly, Hitoshi could feel the pride radiating from his – their? – dads. He settled for giving a small, light smile. “It’s nice to meet you too, Eri.” Staying still, Hitoshi thought over his words for a moment. “I’m going to stand up now and go into my own room so you can explore yours more. You can come to my room anytime you need me, though.”

Hitoshi waited until Eri gave a firm nod before he was slowly and carefully standing himself up, making sure to only take steps back before he gave Eri a nod of his own and went to his room. He was waylaid by Hizashi giving him a tight hug, but soon enough he was in his own room with the door cracked as he listened to Eri settling in.

Collapsing on his bed, Hitoshi sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the blank expression and the guarded eyes on a little girl who should have been smiling and laughing and screaming as she ran around a new house to explore. It really was like looking into a mirror, Hitoshi mused to himself. That really only left one thing to do, though, and that was to give everyone their space for the next few weeks.

He wouldn’t outright avoid anyone since his dads would just think he was falling back into old habits, but he would be careful to not make things worse for Eri. The last thing he wanted was to give her a reason to dislike him or, worse, make her transition into a difficult or scared one. So, he would just give her the space she needed to settle in and make sure to do the same for his dads. 

After all, Shouta and Hizashi were going to be running around like crazy the next few weeks. Not only were they adopting another child, one who had been raised and abused by villains, but they were taking in a little girl. She would be harder to care for and look after than Hitoshi, who was already fifteen and old enough to look after himself. 

So. That was that. He had met Eri, tried to make it so she wouldn’t have any reason to fear him, and he would keep making sure she had no reason to fear him. 

Besides, how hard could it be? Hitoshi was a master of hiding in his room and avoiding people. If anything, the next week to weeks would be a relaxing vacation. 

⁂

It would have been. It would have been a relaxing vacation if Hitoshi wasn’t stressed out and starting to drive himself crazy because, apparently, he used to be a master of hiding in his room and avoiding people. Now, however, was a bit of a different story and he was hating it.

To start with, he hadn’t realized just how much time he spent out of his bedroom and in the rest of the house. From eating breakfast in the kitchen to lazing about in the living room to hiding out in Shouta’s office to going to Hizashi’s office for homework help, Hitoshi was all over the house. Now, though, he was trying to avoid that.

Since Eri typically ate in the kitchen with Shouta and Hizashi so she could get used to eating meals with others, Hitoshi tried to either arrive late, early, or take his meal up to his room if he was ‘busy.’ Used to he would have just skipped a meal, but he knew if he did that Hizashi would track him down and force feed him — maybe. A lot of his attention was on Eri, these days- Which was good! 

So, Hitoshi tried to avoid the kitchen as often as possible, which, okay, easy enough. He could do that. Except then he saw Eri in the living room with Shouta who was explaining cartoons to her, and, alright, he didn’t watch television that often anyways and he had a phone and a computer. He was perfectly alright avoiding the living room while Eri found her balance and Shouta explained cute cartoons with cats in them to her. 

Just so he didn’t go stir crazy, though, he still kept up hiding-slash-lazing about in Shouta’s office. At least he did until half a week in when he had seen Eri sitting on a chair next to Shouta’s desk and quietly listening to him speak like Hitoshi typically did when they were both in the office. Which, again, it was good. That meant Eri was starting to open up so all of Hitoshi’s avoiding was working, obviously. 

And while, yeah, he was forced – while he conceded – most of the house to Eri, he still had Hizsahi’s office to laze about in and the man to ask for homework help or some of their typical language lessons. At least he did until last night when he had found Eri sitting on Hitoshi’s desk and clumsily moving her hands and fingers as Hizashi started to teach her sign language. 

And it was fine. It really was. Eri needed their support more than Hitoshi ever did, and he had been shown enough kindness by them. He didn’t need to be jealous and hoard their attention when Eri needed it far more than he did. 

That meant he was trapped in his room for he wasn’t sure how long, but that was fine. He still had school and he could still leave the house and go visit other places and half of Class 1-A kidnapped him every other day to ‘bond’ anyways. Plus, he saw Shouta and Hizashi in the halls at school every day.

Everything was going good, and okay, and then that morning Hitoshi had accidentally entered the kitchen when Eri was in there and she had run. It hadn’t been the childish running of just wanting to go do something else, it had been her fearfully running from him. 

Hitoshi, since then collapsed face first on his bed, had made a mental note to tell Midoriya he was a lying liar who was wrong when he next saw him at school. He was mentally drafting all the swears and insults he was going to use when he heard three knocks to his door, five seconds of silence, and then the soft sound of the door opening. 

“You know, there are more comfortable ways to sleep.” Yep. Shouta. Alright, Hitoshi just had to handle this carefully because there was a fifty-fifty chance between Shouta prying into what was going on or just letting it drop. 

“Jokes on you, I’m not asleep,” Hitoshi said back, words muffled by the pillow his face was crammed into. It didn’t last long before he felt the bed dip and his pillow taken away from him, face smooshing into the bed with a huff. “That was mean.”

“I’m a mean person,” Shouta replied, Hitoshi easily picturing the half-smirk on his face. “Now, do you want to confess or should I pry it out of you?”

Hitoshi managed a laugh, finally rolling onto his side and looking up to see Shouta sitting on the edge of the bed, close enough to touch but far enough away to give him his space. “And how many villains have you told that one to?”

“Depends on if they’re still awake after the first punch,” Shouta shrugged, smiling before he was gently pushing Hitoshi’s hair back, look falling into concern and yep. There it was. “What’s wrong, Hitoshi?”

“You know, I’m having flashbacks to the last time you thought I was having a meltdown or something,” Hitoshi said, giving Shouta a look and pleased when the man admitted defeat by looking away. “And, as far as I can remember, my ‘meltdown’ was because I was trying to surprise you for your birthday.”

Shouta tsked, looking back at him with narrowed eyes that were as threatening as their cats when their claws were stuck in something. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?” No. He wasn’t.

Ready to roll back over and resume his sulking, Hitoshi paused as Shouta spoke softly and seriously, “‘Toshi… what’s going on?”

Right. Hitoshi couldn’t lie to Shouta, so he would just… have to admit to all of his convoluted reasoning about everything that was going on. That was easy. “I…” Okay. He should start with why he was not-avoiding-but-it-looked-like-avoiding Eri. “I’ve just been having a few social problems in school – not bullying, just… something.”

“Oh.” Shouta blinked at him, staring for a long moment before his eyes slightly widened. “Oh. Um, do you… want me to get Hizashi for you?” What? Why would he- Ah. Right. This was punishment for lying. 

“No, no, no, it’s not- I mean-” Hitoshi fumbled with his words, and, hey, at least it made his story more believable, he guessed. “I’ve got a handle on it.” Which was true. He did have a handle on what was going on in his life. And he did have… social problems in school – as long as he counted Class 1-A trying to adopt him. 

“If you’re sure,” Shouta sighed, ruffling his hair again and giving him one of those soft, supportive smiles. “You know you can come to me with any problem, ‘Toshi. I’ll always be there to listen or help you. Whatever you need.”

And, aha, wow. Hitoshi was not ready for the guilt that came from straight up lying to Shouta like that. He was used to lying to adults; he was so used to lying to adults it was the first thing he often did. Lying to Shouta, though? That… he wasn’t prepared to feel so guilty at that. 

Hitoshi watched as Shouta pulled back, a tight feeling winding itself up in his chest before his hand snapped out to grab the man’s sleeve, and, shit. Shouta was already giving him a narrow-eyed look that was equal parts protective and concerned. Thankfully – blessedly – the universe decided to show mercy as Shouta was then distracted by his phone vibrating with the pattern that meant hero work. 

It took a moment to let Shouta’s sleeve go, Hitoshi watching as he was given another look before Shouta was answering his phone with a sharp, “Eraserhead.” It was only a few seconds before Shouta was repeating a rather impressive swear before he was tilting the phone away with a soft, “Don’t let Hizashi know I said that one in front of you.”

Hizashi managed a quiet laugh, that tight feeling only getting worse as he watched Shouta stand, speaking a quick, “We’ll be there soon.” before he was hanging up and looking seriously at Hitoshi. “Mic and I both need to go downtown as emergency backup. I don’t know how long we’ll take, but the news should start reporting in the next ten or fifteen minutes from what I picked up.”

“Got it,” Hitoshi nodded, thankful it was a familiar enough routine he at least knew what to do instead of panicking. When Present Mic and-or Eraserhead were called in for battle, Hitoshi usually managed to find the news story and watch until things were resolved. 

“Good, because you and I aren’t done talking.” Ugh. Great. Now Shouta was concerned. “You’ll also need to keep an eye on Eri,” he said, Hitoshi feeling his heart almost stop as he followed Shouta out of his bedroom. “She’s napping in her room, right now, but if she wakes up I don’t want her to be alone.”

“Ri- Right. Got it. I can do that,” Hitoshi managed, keeping his expression straight as Shouta shot a sharp look to him. “No worries. She might not even wake up before you get back, but I’ll be here if she does.”

It was a whirlwind of half-shouted words and movement before Hitoshi was waving the two of them off as they quickly left for downtown. Hitoshi was slow in closing the front door, leaning against it, and, right. He just had to watch the house and… Eri. The little girl who was his sister and apparently couldn’t stand being in the same room as him. 

Right. Right! He could deal with that. Afterall, Shouta had said that she was taking a nap and, if she was anything like the rest of the family, that meant she was down for a few hours, at the least. 

Which meant Hitoshi could handle a few hours until his – their – dads got back. That was the plan, at least. Just like with his last plan, however, it completely failed.

He had been planning to sit in the living room and watch the news to keep an eye on whatever fight Eraserhead and Present Mic had been called into, but instead he had barely sat down before he heard screaming. 

His training kicked in before his instincts did, Hitoshi immediately dropping the television remote and instead grabbing his binding cloth from the hall closet and throwing it around his neck. He was sliding into Eri’s room with his senses on full alert, ready to pound whoever had broken in into the ground before he saw the situation for what it really was – and it was so much worse. 

Instead of some robber or villain breaking in and trying to hurt Eri, the girl was sitting up in her bed and seemed to be scared and screaming over herself, curled up in bed with the covers tangled around her heavily breathing and crying form as her small hands clutched desperately at where her horn had grown. 

The horn itself was starting to glow and spark wildly and, while Hitoshi didn’t know everything about her quirk Rewind, he knew enough to know that what was happening was not good. He also knew enough to know it would have been a great time for Shouta’s quirk, but instead they were left with Rewind and Brainwashing and fuck. So much for trying to make a good impression on Eri. 

Making his way over to the bed and crouching down, Hitoshi tried not to shift uncomfortably or even just run away at the pure power pulsating through the air. It felt like pressure was pressing down on him from above and, as much as he wanted to flee to his own room and call their dads for help… Eri was crying. She was scared and looking at him with wide, terrified eyes. 

“Eri?” Hitoshi finally tried, careful to keep his voice and tone low and even as he didn’t dare move. “Can you hear me? It’s Shinsou Hitoshi. Do you know where we are?” Instead of an answer or even so much as a shake or nod of the head, Eri only scrunched down more with renewed sobbing as her horn started to spark even more fiercely and- Okay. Alright. He was a hero (in training). He could handle this. 

He couldn’t erase her quirk like Shouta could, but he could at least get Eri to stop using her quirk. She would hate him, but that was okay as long as she was soon safe, “Alright, Eri, I… I need you to answer me verbally, okay? It doesn’t matter what the answer is as long as you answer it. Alright?”

It was a tense minute of silence when the pressure in the room seemed to only grow, Hitoshi ready to try something else to try and get a response when Eri muttered a whisper-soft, “Okay.” 

The second the word was out of her mouth and Hitoshi felt the open connection between them, he lunged for it, holding on tightly and watching as her eyes became glazed and blank as he took control. As much as he wanted to ramble off apologies and immediately release her, he had to try everything he could to help her – even if she would hate it.

“Calm down,” Hitoshi finally ordered, keeping his words even and calm. “Let go of your quirk and deactivate it as you take even, deep breaths in and out every five seconds.”

Hitoshi watched carefully, Eri’s powers slowly starting to settle as she took deep, even breaths with a still blank face. It was enough to make the guilt in him claw at his insides, but he promised himself that Eri could hate him all that he wanted once he was sure that she was safe. 

“Good,” Hitoshi said softly, very carefully moving a hand to rest against her back, gently guiding her body back against the pillows before he was tucking the blanket around her. “Okay, next, I want you to remember that you are in a new home. It’s a nice home in a busy neighborhood filled with other children that are always running around and out playing.” He hadn’t been told everything, but he had been told enough to fill in some blanks.

“There’s always sunlight coming in through the windows and there are two cats that love sleeping in that sunlight. You have your own bedroom full of soft, warm things. Nothing in this house is hard or edged or makes you afraid. This is a house that, every time you enter it, you feel safe and protected; all because of the two people that live there.”

“Think about Shouta and Hizashi,” Hitoshi ordered, trying to keep his voice calm and warm at the same time and not show any of his worry or panic. “They helped you escape and now they want you to stay with them. They want to keep you.” Something in Eri seemed to respond to that, Hitoshi feeling through the connection he had on her that she seemed to calm down quickly. “You know that, too, right? They love you.

“So, remember that you’re in a sunny, warm, safe house with two dads who will do everything to protect you and that love you so very much. Remember that everyone in this house loves you and wants nothing more than for you to feel safe here. That we want nothing more than for you to be safe. Okay?”

It was slow – it was so slow – but Hitoshi finally saw Eri’s horn begin to shrink to its smallest size, Hitoshi near breathless as the pressure in the room started to disappear, everything calming down and jeez. If that’s what it was like having a kid with a crazy quirk, then Hitoshi was pretty sure he never wanted kids.

Finally, though, Eri’s tears trailed to a stop, Hitoshi really hoping that it was from her feeling better and not his mind control just trapping her in her panic. Letting that connection server, Hitoshi was sitting up, worry clawing at his insides, “Eri, I’m so sorry. I know my quirk probably brought back some bad memories, but I was trying to help-”

“Is that true?” Eri’s voice seemed to kill his in an instant, Hitoshi simply staring at her as she looked up at him with wide, vulnerable eyes. He had a feeling she wasn’t talking about him using his quirk on her. 

“I…” Okay, he had no idea what she was talking about, he just had to keep calm and stay calm so as to not freak her out like he was freaked out. “Is what true, Eri?”

“If…” Eri trailed off, looking down and away from him before slowly, so slowly, looking back up with eyes full of emotions. “If everyone in this house loves me.”

Hitoshi was pretty used to being speechless the way his life had gone, but he couldn’t say he had ever been speechless as guilt and self-hatred ate at him because… that’s what she thought? Hitoshi had been trying to make her feel safer and instead he had made her think he hated her. 

“I… You don’t think I love you like Dad and Pops do?” Hitoshi watched as Eri looked away from him and oh. Oh, he had really fucked up, hadn’t he? “Have you thought that this whole time? Ever since you got here?”

“No! I-!” Eri cut herself off, tears building up in her eyes and it was official. Hitoshi was a monster for making this little girl cry; a little girl who was meant to be his baby sister and needed the help he had needed at that age. “You- When we first met, the way you greeted me made me feel really, really safe. But then… you started avoiding every room I was in, so I thought you didn’t like me.”

Eri looked down at her lap, a few tears slipping own her cheeks as she continued in a softer voice, “I’ve been trying to keep out of your way, but I still made you come all the way into my room and deal with my quirk. I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble.”

Hitoshi let himself move before he could even think it through, scooping Eri and her blanket all into his arms before hugging the little girl tightly, hand settling on the back of her head as he held her close. Eri didn’t fidget or kick or struggle, merely sitting in his arms peacefully as if waiting for him to say something.

After what felt like a lifetime, Hitoshi managed to begin talking, “I haven’t been told everything about where you came from, but I know enough to know that you were controlled for a large part of your life. I wasn’t avoiding you because of your quirk, Eri, I was avoiding you because of mine. When I was your age my quirk was revealed to be Brainwashing. What you just felt? That’s what my quirk does. If I ask a question and get an answer, then I can control someone and tell them to do almost anything.”

Eri was silent for a long moment, finally pulling back to look at him properly, rubbing at her cheek to wipe away a few of her tears. “That sounds like a powerful quirk,” she finally said. “Like mine. It sounds scary at first, but it’s not, and it sounds like you can do a lot of good with it, though, like you did for me- Ah! You’re like Aizawa-san! You can neu- null- um, you can stop quirks and then help people that way.” Eri didn’t give quite a smile, but her eyes said so much. “Shinsou-san… You’re crying.” 

Oh. He was. “Sorry,” Hitoshi managed, rubbing at his own cheeks and oh, man. He would happily die for this little girl. “Sorry, Eri, I just- A lot of people don’t think that way. When I was your age and growing up, others were actually scared of me because they thought my quirk could do a lot of harm.” There was a deep, sorrowful understanding in Eri’s eyes that shouldn’t belong there. A little girl shouldn’t understand so much. 

“I was called a villain for most of my life,” Hitoshi near whispered, brushing hair out of Eri’s face. “I don’t know what it must have been like for you to go through so much, but I know what it is to suddenly feel like everything is too good to be true. I know what it’s like to suddenly be in a place where you can do the things you want, but you’re too scared because what if…”

“What if it’s actually not allowed,” Eri finished just as quietly, looking at him with wide eyes as something seemed to come to her. “You’re… like me.” Yeah. Hitoshi had a feeling she would have recognized that, too.

“I wasn’t avoiding you to make you feel bad.” Because she needed to understand at least that much. “I didn’t mean to make you think I didn’t care. I was trying to give you space so you could adjust at your own pace without any fear and figure out who you really are and who you want to be in this family.”

Eri went quiet, Hitoshi simply holding her in his arms and letting her think over whatever she needed to. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Eri asked a near voiceless, “What if I want you to be my brother like I want Aizawa-san and Hizashi-san to be my parents?” 

And, okay. Okay, Hitoshi could never again make fun of Hizashi always crying or being dramatic because Hitoshi had no control when he started crying and hugging Eri close because that was so sweet and this little girl had been hurt so much and had thought he hated her and she still wanted him in her life. 

He held her close, half-laughing and half-crying, “I guess it’s a good thing I want you to be my sister, then, isn’t it?” Because he really, really did. It wasn’t just about pleasing Hizashi and Shouta or wanting to have a good relationship with a foster sibling, or anything else. Maybe a little bit was a part of that, but mostly…

Mostly he just wanted to help this scared child who had been through so much and deserved a home and a good family. Hitoshi didn’t want to see her turn out like him, bitter and jaded and scared and angry at the world. He wanted to see her learn how to smile more and more each day. He wanted her to be his sister.

“I’d like that,” Eri said back, voice watery and tearful as she latched onto the binding cloth still around his neck, near burrowing herself inside and okay, that was really, really cute, and, alright.

Hitoshi supposed he wouldn’t use all of his insults on Midoriya when he next went back to school.

⁂

When the door finally opened to show their dads walking in from another successful villain fight, Hitoshi was spread out on the couch and half-asleep, Eri already asleep on his chest, curled up right over where he was pretty sure his heartbeat was and still tangled up in his binding cloth and using it as a blanket and pillow in one. There was also a cat squashing his hair down and another trapping his legs. He was pretty sure he would never be able to leave the couch again. 

The only thing that made him move at all was when he saw Hizashi open his mouth to give his usual loud greeting, Hitoshi reacting on pure sleepy instinct and throwing a pillow at the man’s face. The indignant look was great, as was Shouta’s sharp snort of laughter. 

“Eri’s sleeping,” Hitoshi explained before Hizashi could complain, watching the both of them look surprised when they saw Eri on his chest quietly sleeping. “How’d the fight go?”

“As usual, they could have done it without us,” Shouta scoffed, kicking his boots off and keeping his voice quiet as he walked forward and knelt down to give Hitoshi a serious look. “Do we still need to talk?” Ah, right. That mess.

Ready to deny, Hitoshi paused. Now that everything was worked out with Eri, or at least starting to get worked out, he probably did need to talk about how he had basically preparing himself to be replaced. It wasn’t quite to the level as some other incidents he had gone through when learning to live with the two of them, but it probably was something he should talk about.

“Not… right this second, but I think we should probably talk soon,” Hitoshi finally said, hiding a smile at the gentle ruffle to his hair. 

“And how’s the little princess,” Hizashi cooed, leaning over the back of the couch and running his fingers through Eri’s hair. It was too adorable to watch the little girl scrunch her nose up before blinking her eyes open. “Eri? Did you enjoy your nap?”

Eri was quiet for a moment, leaning into the soft touch cautiously before looking between their dads. “I had a nightmare for a while. My quirk acted up.” Ah, and there was the red alert panic on both their faces. “It’s okay, though. Hitoshi-nii used his quirk to save me and make me feel better. I’m okay, now.”

Hitoshi was ready to explain further about using his quirk before his brain completely shut down because she just- She had just- Eri had just- Hitoshi-nii. “Is that…” Eri looked shy, gently tugging on his binding cloth. “Is that alright if I call you that-”

“Yes. Absolutely.” Hitoshi squeezed his baby sister close and it was official. He was doomed. There was no more winning. He now understood why everyone was charmed by this little girl. “You can call me whatever you want.” 

“Hitoshi-nii, huh?” Hizashi was grinning and Shouta was no better and oh, god, he was never going to live a life of peace again, was he? 

“Daddy, Papa, I’m… hungry. When is dinner?” Eri barely finished her question before Hizashi was bursting into sobs and yelling something about how it wouldn’t be long, barely making it into the kitchen. Judging by the way Shouta scurried after him, he was just as emotionally broken. Eri, on her part, only looked up to Hitoshi and while her expression was even, her eyes screamed smug. “I don’t think they’ll tease you, now.”

Hitoshi was laughing before he could even stop it, hugging Eri tight and moving them around on the couch so she was safely nestled in his lap and facing the television, “Hey, how about we watch some cute shows until dinner is ready? Your pick since you just saved my life.”

“Okay,” Eri noded, crawling over him to get the remote before settling right back down. “Is it okay that I call them that?”

“Of course.” Hitoshi brushed her hair back, looking down into her eyes with a soft smile. “They’re your parents, after all.” 

The small, soft smile was probably the most beautiful thing Hitoshi had ever seen.