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labyrinth-of-knights · 2 hours ago

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They can't have him

Shouta is wholly content, on his couch with some paperwork in front of him and Hizashi's radio show running in the background.

It's a rare night off for him and he intends to get ahead of his paperwork and then just laze around on the couch until Hizashi comes back and Shouta doesn't have to go to bed alone.

For all that he loves sleeping and is very good at it, he's also quite particular about it and without his sleeping bag or Hizashi he doesn't much like doing it.

Shouta would have liked it better if Hizashi was home today, too, but lately, they hadn't managed to properly ling up their schedules and so this was the compromise Shouta made with himself.

Besides, Hizashi's chattering in the background is helping Shouta relax almost as much as he would if Hizashi was here.

Shouta had just managed to really lock in, his favourite pen sliding over the papers, a steaming hot cup of coffee by his side, his body warm and wrapped up in a whisper soft blanket when someone knocks at the front door.

Shouta freezes, for a moment thinking he imagined it because a quick look at the clock tells him that it's two in the goddamn morning and no normal person knocks at this kind of time.

But then it happens again and instantly, adrenaline courses through Shouta because no normal person knocks at this kind of time.

No villain does either, he then tries to reassure himself, because what kind of villain would they be and besides, neither Shouta nor Hizashi have made waves big enough to warrant some nemesis showing up at their home.

They were both doing good, solid work, Hizashi in the spotlight and Shouta in the underground but they weren't quite up there yet with the real big shots out there.

"Aizawa Shouta, open up," the person in front of his door calls out, just muted enough to barely be heard and Shouta grabs his phone before he untangles himself from his blanket.

It never bodes well to get home visits from anyone and least of all in the middle of the night from someone who clearly knows he's there and Shouta is big on safety nets.

His phone with a speed dial to his agency and Hizashi certainly is his safety net right now and he loosely holds it in his hand when he opens the door.

On the other side is an unremarkable looking man; so unremarkable in fact that it's setting off all kinds of alarm bells in his head. He's wearing a suit, just fitted well enough to not make him look sloppy or too sharp and Shouta is not even going to think about the fact that there's a child as well.

He's not going to think about that at all, in fact, even though the purple hair is hard to ignore.

"Who are you?" he demands to know, voice and demeanour as unfriendly as he knows how to be, and he feels completely justified because this guy is at his door in the middle of the night and Shouta thinks especially the last part bears repeating.

"I'm with the HPSC," the guy answers and even his voice is completely and utterly unremarkable.

It makes the hairs on the back of Shouta's neck stand up and he amuses himself with the thought that he would hiss if he were a cat.

Maybe he should practice that anyway, just because; who knows what it would be good for.

"Doesn't explain who you are," he instead says, dry as anything but the guy doesn't seem fazed.

"I'm an agent of the HPSC," is the just as lacking answer he gets and Shouta schools his face into an indifferent mask of boredom because he's not letting some random agent get to him, no matter how unnerving this interaction is.

"That's not a name," Shouta says, mostly to be difficult and not because he expects a different answer.

He knows the HPSC, has dodged recruitment attempts from them since he transferred into the hero course and he's not a fan of them or the way they work, so he knows that 'agent' is the best he's going to get.

It makes him really uncomfortable to have the HPSC at his door in the middle of the night, though, because nothing good can ever come from this.

"Your clearance is not high enough to know my name," the agent says with a perfectly bland smile that makes Shouta want to punch his face in, but he keeps his stance loose and open.

He's not about to let this agent know that he feels out of his fucking element.

"But it's high enough for you to drop in here unannounced?" Shouta asks because this is so far off normal regulation that it's almost funny.

Almost, because being reminded that the HPSC thinks they can simply stroll up here way past midnight and ask something of him is more unsettling than anything else, especially because Shouta knows he can probably not say no.

"We need you," the agent says as if it doesn't cost him anything and his gaze holds Shouta's.

'We need your quirk' is what he doesn't say but Shouta hears anyway and Shouta's gaze falls down for the first time to the other person in the hallway because he's not stupid enough to believe that the HPSC needs his quirk for any old reason.

"That's a child," Shouta observes and the child in question flinches and very pointedly does not look at Shouta.

"He's eleven," the agent informs him and that has to be a lie if Shouta ever heard one because the kid doesn't look a day older than eight and that only barely.

The way the kid shuffles his feet at that also doesn't bode well for the sincerity of the agent's statement.

"Which makes him a child," Shouta says because he feels the obvious needs pointing out but the agent barely even reacts to his words.

Shouta wouldn't be surprised if he's going through a mental script and any deviation from it is worth a punishment once he's back at the HPSC. It almost makes Shouta want to push it, just so he has something to amuse himself with for the rest of the night.

"Shinsou Hitoshi," the agent introduces the kid and Shouta bites back a quip about getting to learn his name but not the agent's.

Instead he watches how the agent tightens the hand on the kid's shoulder and then Shinsou's eyes are meeting Shouta's for the very first time, not quite voluntarily it seems, and Shouta is briefly taken aback by the white pupils that greet him but before he can wonder about anything else, the agent speaks up again.

"We'll be placing him into your custody," the agent says and Shouta notes with growing anger that it's not a question.

It's not even a suggestion. It's a statement plain and simple and one that Shouta is expected to agree with.

But now that it's out there that the kid is the real reason the agent is here, Shouta takes a well-deserves moment to really take Shinsou in.

Shouta spots a bruise on his face almost immediately and one creeping out of the collar of his shirt and Shouta feels almost sick when he realises that it looks like a handprint on his throat. Shinsou is tightly holding on to the backstrap of his bag in a way that wants to make it look as if he doesn't really care if someone takes the bag from him even though he’s clearly desperate to keep it and he's tense.

And worst of all he's slightly leaning away from the agent who still has his hand on his shoulder and who looks as if he's keeping him in place rather than grant him a supportive touch.

"Why?" Shouta asks, taking his eyes off Shinsou again but he still sees how he tenses, how he ducks his head, how he very clearly tries to make himself as small as possible and Shouta instinctively knows that he's not going to like what comes out of the agent's mouth next.

"His quirk is Brainwash. You'd do well not to talk to him directly," the agent informs him and Shouta grits his teeth at the way Shinsou goes completely rigid. "You are still married, are you not?" the agent tacks on and Shouta narrows his eyes at him.

It isn't very hard to understand what he's insinuating here; the kid might take control of either one of them if they talk to him and as long as it's just Hizashi, Shouta can erase the quirk.

It's logical and a good precaution and it makes Shouta's blood boil, because the kid has abused stamped all over him and Shouta really fucking doubts he'd be here if he took control of people for the fun of it.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Shouta finally says, even though it's a useless quip just like the agent's question was a waste of breath.

Of course the HPSC knows about his marital status.

"Just some friendly advise," the agent says and then pushes Shinsou towards Shouta so hard that the boy stumbles and almost crashes into Shouta's legs.

Shouta stabilises him with a hand to his shoulder, keeping his touch light because he doesn't know what other injures are hiding under his shirt but he keeps his eyes on the agent.

"Sure," Shouta icily agrees and the agent gives him the same bland smile again.

"Make sure he gets used to his quirk; we'll be back for him," the agent says and drops his gaze down to Shinsou, who presses himself closer to Shouta. "We'll have need for him."

Shouta can't quite help the way his hand on Shinsou's shoulder twitches at that because he hears what the agent is implying.

They have need for his quirk and they will come back for him to turn him into one of their perfect little child soldiers.

Over Shouta's dead body, Shouta decides then and there.

"You got anything official for thrusting him into my care?" he demands, because Shouta knows that without the proper paperwork the HPSC couldn't think to shove Shinsou at him without raising any eyebrows, but with that paperwork, Shouta might have a chance to protect the kid.

Just like Shouta guessed, the agent produces a folder out of nowhere which Shouta happily takes from him.

First step to making sure the HPSC never gets their hand on this kid again fucking accomplished, Shouta viciously thinks and then gives his most unhinged smile to the agent.

"Great. Fuck you, too," he says and then promptly pulls Shinsou into the apartment and closes the door into the agent's face.

It gives him a tiny bit of satisfaction and for now, that has to be enough, at least until Shouta can tell him that he's not getting Shinsou back.

Shouta itches to get started on the paperwork, to see what he and Hizashi would have to do to make sure that the HPSC cannot snatch this kid away from them again but before he does that he needs to make sure that the kid is okay.

So Shouta goes down on one knee, putting the folder aside for now and gently raising Shinsou's head with a finger under his chin.

"Are there any other injuries on you besides the bruises I see?" he asks and watches how big Shinsou's eyes get, how he opens his mouth a few times without any words coming out before he eventually just shakes his head.

Shouta doesn't like how tight something in his chest has gotten but he still nods anyway.

"Alright. My name is Aizawa Shouta. You think you can tell me yours?" he asks, because he needs to make sure that the boy understands that he can talk here, no matter what his quirk is.

Shinsou looks back at the door and then back at Shouta, clearly trying to communicate that his name had just been stated, but Shouta just shakes his head.

"I would like to hear it from you, actually," he says and Shinsou's eyes only get bigger before he points at his throat.

"Does it hurt to talk or are you afraid because of your quirk?" Shouta asks and Shinsou flinches so Shouta can guess the answer even before the kid holds up a shaky hand to show him two of his fingers.

"Don't be. Quirk mishaps happen and I'm not going to be mad." Shinsou looks entirely unconvinced and Shouta lets out a silent sigh. "Just your name, kid. I'm not asking you to hold a whole conversation, alright? Just your name."

"Shinsou Hitoshi," is the whispered answer he gets and Shouta gives the kid a small smile, one much softer than the unhinged one he gave the agent.

"Thank you. Now come in, I bet you must be tired, right?" Shouta asks and picks up the folder instead of the kid's bag and leads him towards the living-room, where paperwork is still strewn across the table and where Hizashi is still talking in the background.

Fuck, Shouta really wishes he was home right now.

Shinsou takes a moment to take the living-room in before he follows Shouta's gentle nudges towards the armchair.

"I don't quite have a bed ready for you, yet, so why don't you just take the chair for now? I'll get you a blanket, too. Are you hungry?"

Shinsou climbs on the armchair together with his bag and Shouta gets the distinct feeling that he moves because Shouta told him to and not because he wants to. Shinsou also predictably shakes his head at Shouta's question, which Shouta doesn't believe for one second.

He leaves to get the kid a blanket, something to snack on and some water before he settles down with the paperwork the agent gave him.

Shouta needs to figure out what he has to do so the HPSC cannot get their hands on this kid again and he needs to figure it out fast so he dives right in, half an eye always on the kid but Shinsou falls asleep before Shouta is even done reading the first page.

He guesses the kid needs it, going by his slight frame and the huge eyebags under his eyes and it only makes Shouta's need to figure out how to protect him worse.

And that he's going to protect him is out of the question because no kid deserves to be hurt like Shinsou has been only to then be dropped into training at HPSC who doesn't care about people, only results.

Shinsou is not going to be a child soldier.

~*~*~

Hizashi comes home to soft light and the distant sound of a radio going in the background. It immediately makes him frown, because Shouta despises radio shows and only listens to Hizashi's so if the radio is still going then either Shouta fell asleep on the couch—again—or something else came up and Shouta simply forgot.

And that second option doesn't bode well for Hizashi either.

He silently creeps towards the living-room and stops dead in the doorway when he takes everything in.

The first thing he notices is the verifiable mess of papers strewn around everywhere. There are pages on the floor, on the couch and Shouta didn't just drag his laptop out here, he also has Hizashi's laptop up and running, filling the room with an artificial bright light.

The next thing he notices is the amalgamation of cups on the table; he spots five at first glance and it's worrying. Shouta has no qualms about drinking cold coffee or simply refilling the cup until it's full again and for there to be five out here means that Shouta is so focused on whatever the hell he's working on that he simply forgot there was already a cup there to begin with. And he did that five times.

The third and probably most shocking thing Hizashi notices is the sleeping child curled up in the armchair. He doesn't even have thoughts on that besides what the fuck and instead of focusing on that, his eyes slide back over to the couch, where Shouta is hunched over some papers, muttering to himself, even as he jots down notes.

"Shou?" Hizashi hesitantly calls out, careful to keep his volume controlled so he doesn't wake the kid, and Shouta's head snaps up, his eyes pinched and red and Hizashi doesn't even want to think about how long he has been out here. "What's going on?" Hizashi asks, his eyes darting to the kid sleeping in their living-room and Shouta follows his gaze as if he's noticing the other occupant for the first time.

Shouta's head snaps back to Hizashi and then he's up and off, vanishing into their bedroom and Hizashi follows him with a last look at the sleeping child.

Hizashi sees the bruises, sees the eyebags and he already knows that he's not looking forward to whatever Shouta is going to tell him right now.

Still, he follows, because of course he does, and he finds Shouta pacing in the bedroom which is unusual enough. Shouta doesn't pace.

Hizashi doesn't even get to ask what's going on again, before Shouta stops and pins him with a glare.

"We're going to adopt him," is the first thing out of his mouth and Hizashi blinks in surprise.

"Ehm," he says because that's quite the bomb to be hit with and Shouta is on him a second later.

"Hizashi, we're going to adopt him, you cannot allow them to take him again," he grinds out and Hizashi raises his hands.

"Alright, slow down, Shou, I need you to explain," Hizashi tries and is met with something that could almost be classified as a growl.

"You can't say no," Shouta then hisses at him, though it sounds a lot pleading to Hizashi and he gently takes Shouta's hands in his.

"I'm not saying no, Shou, I'm just saying explain. You're like fifteen steps ahead of me and I need you to catch me up," he calmly says and Shouta stills for a moment before he takes his hands back and drags them down his face.

"Fuck, sorry," he mutters and then heavily sits down on the bed. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Hizashi says and steps close to push his hand through Shouta's hair. "Just. Use your words."

"The HPSC dropped him off here," Shouta starts with and already, Hizashi is on board with protecting the kid no matter what.

You don't deal with the HPSC and come out on top after all, especially not when you're as young as that.

"Why?"

"They want him for his quirk. Brainwash. The agent said we should get him used to it, that they'll want him back eventually. We can't let that happen. Did you see the bruises?"

"Yeah."

"He doesn't speak. He can, but he's clearly afraid to. I barely got him to tell me his name. The file says his quirk is voice activated."

Hizashi grinds his teeth together, because discrimination against voice-activated quirks is still rampant and Hizashi doesn't really have to wonder what the kid went through so far.

"The file also says he's eleven but I doubt it," Shouta mutters and Hizashi snorts.

"He's eight. At best," he says because the kiddo is tiny and even malnourishment can only explain so much.

"Yeah, I think so, too. Either he lied to age out of the system earlier or HPSC lied so they can recruit him earlier."

Both options are equally horrible.

If the kid lied about his age to age out of the system as fast as possible Hizashi doesn't even want to imagine what he already had to go through and the other option just makes Hizashi's stomach turn.

Unofficial recruitment age for especially desirable quirks is thirteen; if the HPSC faked the kiddos age upwards then they only have to wait two years instead of the five it might otherwise take and like this they would get to recruit a ten-year-old into their ranks.

"What's his name?"

"Shinsou Hitoshi."

"Okay. What were you researching?"

"The HPSC placed him into our custody, claiming we're suitable candidates because of our foster licences and statuses as pro heroes. There's paperwork for it. It doesn't quite involve CPS but they need to be informed. The HPSC couldn't be bothered, apparently, because I couldn't find the paperwork for that. You still have friends at CPS right?"

Hizashi nods because he does. And he just knows that if he asks for a favour, their paperwork will be speed-run, without anyone looking too closely at it and maybe that's going to help them here.

"We need to file for fostering for him. CPS needs to fully place him with us, name us his official guardians for now. That way, if the HPSC wants him, they have to get both the permission of CPS and ours and it could take a while."

Hizashi doesn't have to be a genius to know where this is going.

"And then adoption, so we have final say in anything," he finishes Shouta's thoughts and Shouta nods.

"They can't have him, Hizashi, I refuse to let them have him," Shouta angrily says. "The fucking agent insinuated that he'd brainwash us at the drop of a hat, basically told me to only let him talk to you, just in case," Shouta tells him and Hizashi almost vibrates with anger. "He's bruised and clearly abused and he doesn't speak, I barely got him to drink something and they want him, like he's some commodity they pre-ordered. They can't have him."

"I'm gonna fight them," Hizashi presses out, even though he damn well knows that he can do no such thing and that giving them a metaphorical fuck them by making sure Shinsou never gets into their clutches is their best bet but the urge still burns under his skin.

Shouta lets out a tired sigh at that.

"Please don't. You'll go to jail and then I'll be a single father which I do not want to be."

"You didn't want to be a father at all," Hizashi good-naturedly reminds him because Shouta has always been adamant on that and Shouta lets out a long sigh.

"Yeah, well, but the kid is already here now, isn't he? So what am I supposed to do? Let the HPSC take him? Never."

"You're going to be such a good dad," Hizashi only slightly teases and Shouta leans forward, burying his face in Hizashi's stomach.

"We are. Right? You're with me on this?"

Hizashi doesn't quite feel caught up on everything but he sure as fuck is not going to send Shinsou back to the HPSC to let them do as they please.

Besides; the kid is tiny and hurt and Hizashi can relate to the discrimination he clearly had to face already, if the bruises are anything to go by.

"I am," he says, because if Shouta thinks this is the way to go, that this is what they have to do, then he'll trust him on this.

Like he trusts Shouta with everything.

~*~*~

When Shouta and Hizashi finally emerge from their bedroom, Hizashi immediately leaves for the guest room to get the bed ready, something Shouta had completely forgotten in his drive to research the best way to keep Shinsou safe and he turns back towards the living-room.

His eyes fall onto the armchair and immediately, he freezes, because Shinsou is gone. They left him alone for ten minutes tops and just like that, he's gone.

Shouta frantically scans the room, but there's no sign of Shinsou; even his bag is gone and Shouta goes cold with panic before a shuffling noise from the front door reaches him.

His head immediately snaps around and he feels almost sick with the rush of relief when he sees Shinsou standing at the front door.

At least until he notices that Shinsou is standing at the front door, with his bag securely on his back and his hands clutching the straps so tightly they are turning white.

Then Shouta only feels worried.

"Shinsou? What are you doing there?" Shouta asks, hurrying over to the kid and he falters when Shinsou presses himself against the door as his hands lose even more colour.

"Shou?" Hizashi calls out just as Shouta comes to a stop and Hizashi takes in the situation with one knowing glance, reassuringly squeezing Shouta's arm when Shinsou's eyes dart between him and Hizashi before he finally lowers his head and stares resolutely at the ground.

"Hey kiddo," Hizashi says and then sits down right there on the floor in the middle of the room before he looks up at Shouta and gives him a pointed look.

Shouta is quick to follow his lead and sits down as well and he notices that Hizashi positioned them in a way that allows Shinsou to slip past them without them being able to grab him and Shouta is pretty certain they are far enough away that if Shinsou were to bolt out the door, they wouldn't be able to stop him either.

It doesn't make Shouta feel particularly good, because what if the kid does decide to bolt, but on the other hand it's clear that Hizashi is trying to make the kid feel safer.

And it seems to be working, too, because Shinsou looks at them again.

"My name is Yamada Hizashi," Hizashi introduces himself to Shinsou, whose eyes flicker over to Shouta, probably assessing if this could be the husband the agent talked about. "Can you tell me what you're doing at the door?"

Shinsou's eyes snap back to Hizashi, and even though his voice was soft and kind, Shouta sees the kid tense all over, before he squares his shoulders as if he's marching off into a fight. He's staring Hizashi down like it is one, too, but Shouta remembers the agent's words.

That he would do well to only let the kid speak to Hizashi and it's clear the kid took the words to heart, too.

"Leaving. You came back, you talked, and now I'm leaving again. You don't want me here."

Shinsou's sentences are short and precise, as if he's afraid of wasting words, or maybe as if too many words could get him into trouble.

Shouta doesn't like it.

"Actually, Shouta here and I were just talking about how we do want you here," Hizashi carefully gives back and Shouta nods, reaffirming Hizashi's words, though it doesn't seem to do much because Shinsou ducks his head between his shoulders.

"The agent—" he starts to stay, but Aizawa gently interrupts him before Shinsou can get the wrong idea in his head.

"Will not come back here," he says, maybe more decisively than he meant to because Shinsou flinches. "Fuck, sorry kid." Aizawa lets out a long sigh because he realises they need to be much more careful with Shinsou than he even thought. "And we're certainly not going to call him back. I'm not even sure I'd recognise him again, he was real unremarkable. It's probably his quirl, making him go under the radar," he grumbles and the kid fixes his gaze on Hizashi again, indicating that he's going to say something again.

They have to stop that behaviour, too, Shouta realises; they somehow have to make him understand that it's okay if he talks to either of them.

"He had a scar," Shinsou quietly tells them. "Right here."

He moves a finger over the knuckles of his right hand and Shouta remembers the way the agent had his hand firmly wrapped around the kid's shoulder. Shinsou probably had enough time to see it.

"Oh, you're a real smart cookie, huh," Hizashi says appreciatively with a side-eye at Shouta, because even he hadn't seen that scar.

Then again, he had been more concerned with coming of as stand-offish as possible.

Still, he notices things now, and Shinsou is still only looking at Hizashi and Shouta really can't let that stand.

"Shinsou, are you only looking at and talking to Hizashi because of what the agent said?" he asks him and Shinsou nods so fast Shouta is afraid he's going to strain something.

He seems real panicked about it, too, as if it's a grave offense if he goes against what the agent had said and Shouta lets out a soft sigh.

He wonders if they are even equipped to break him out of this mindset.

"How is your quirk triggered?" Hizashi asks and it's almost comical how fast Shinsou drops his gaze and apparently clams his mouth shut.

Shinsou opens and closes his mouth a few times as if he's unsure what he wants to say but he eventually he settles on a whispered "You have to answer one of my questions" before he shrinks back in on himself.

"Thank you for telling us," Hizashi says, so clearly aiming for soothing and kind and yet Shinsou still flinches as if Hizashi's words are a trap.

Hizashi sends Shouta a meaningful look and Shouta turns his attention back to Shinsou.

"Kid, listen. The agent said you should only talk to Hizashi because my quirk lets me temporarily erase the quirks of people I look at and I guess he was insinuating that you would use your quirk maliciously on us."

"Which we don't think," Hizashi chimes in. "Do you have control over your quirk?" he then asks and Shinsou nods jerkily. "Have you ever used your quirk maliciously on someone to make them do bad things?" Hizashi continues to ask and Shinsou shakes his head in a way that makes it seem as if he doesn't expect to be believed and that just cements it for Shouta.

There is no fucking way this sweet child has done any of the things he already had to read about in that stupidly thick file of his.

"Then here's the deal, Shinsou," Aizawa says and makes sure to wait until Shinsou is looking at him. "If you take control of us with your quirk, on accident or even on purpose, we won't mind."

Shinsou's eyes go big as saucers and they shine with painful disbelieve.

"We are going to mind if you make us do anything that hurts anyone or is illegal. Do you understand?"

Shouta waits until Shinsou gives a shaky nod.

"Okay. In your file it says a physical shock like a shove can jolt someone out of your control. Is that true?"

"Yes," Shinsou whispers out and he isn't quite looking at Shouta's face, but he doesn't keep his gaze fixed on Hizashi either and Shouta counts it as the first small victory.

"If you take control of me then Hizashi can jolt me out of it and if you take control of him, I'm going to use my quirk. It looks like this," he says and then activates his quirk.

He knows how he looks like that; the red eyes and floating hair have been described as terrifying to him and he doesn't want Shinsou to freak out later. It's best to just show him what he can expect.

And it seems to be a good thing, too, because Shinsou stumbles back until he hits the door and his eyes are wide and terrified as he looks at Shouta, who immediately drops his quirk again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, but I think it's important that you know what it looks like. I can't use it secretly. If I erase your quirk, you'll know, okay?" he says because he needs Shinsou to understand that he's not just going to erase his quirk for the fun of it.

Shinsou moves a shaky step away from the door but he doesn't seem very convinced at all.

"I'm not going to stay here long," he says, and Shouta hears the unasked "So why show me at all?" and he guesses they can't win all battles at once because the fact that Shinsou is still not back to only looking at Hizashi has to count for something.

"We would like you to stay for a very long time, actually," Hizashi says. "And we're not going to let that agent take you again."

"But he has to," Shinsou says and there's something desperate about him that makes Shouta frown.

"Why?" he wants to know because what could possibly be the reason for Shinsou to want to go back to that agent?

"He—he promised me he'd make a hero out of me," Shinsou whispers out and Hizashi lets out a sharp breath.

"Did he tell you to lie about your age because of that, too?"

Shouta sharply looks over to Hizashi because what a way to drop that bomb on the kid but he can instantly tell that Hizashi's guess was right because the kid starts to shake.

"He said—he—if I lie I can be a hero faster," he gets out and Hizashi's eyes blaze with anger for a moment before he gets himself under control.

"How old are you, kid?" Shouta asks when it seems as if Hizashi can't quite find his voice again and Shinsou makes himself even smaller than before.

"Eight."

His voice almost gets lost in the space between them and Shouta hates that he was right with his assessment.

"Thank you for telling us," Shouta says when it seems as if Shinsou is waiting for them to hit him for a truthful answer. "Now, you said he promised you he'd make a hero out of you. Is that something you want? To be a hero?"

Shinsou gives them one painfully heartbreaking nod, his eyes brimming with tears and with how the file paints the kid, Shouta can't imagine that a lot of people have told him he can be one.

"Kiddo, that agent and the people he works for are not going to make you a hero. They will make you a soldier," Hizashi says and by the look on Shinsou's face he doesn't understand why that would be bad.

"Hizashi and I are pro heroes," Shouta says and just like that, he has Shinsou's entire attention. "He's Present Mic and I'm Eraserhead. You might have heard of him?" he asks because he knows better than to ask after himself and just like he expected Shinsou nods, noticeably more excited than before.

"Great, a little listener!" Hizashi happily says and gives Shinsou a wide smile. "And if you want to be a hero, then we'll help you achieve that. We can train you, get you into the right schools, if you want it. You don't need that agent for this."

"Would you really?" Hitoshi asks and Shouta answers before Shinsou even remembers himself and slaps a hand over his mouth, once again trembling with fear.

"Yes."

For a long moment nothing happens. Shinsou doesn't move and neither do Hizashi or Shouta; not because the kid took control of them, but because they are afraid that any movement they are going to make right now would set him off and probably make him bolt out of the door.

When it doesn't seem like Shinsou is going to relax any time soon, Hizashi carefully speaks up.

"Kiddo, you're okay. It's fine. You clearly didn't take control of Shouta and we're not mad. Like we said, as long as you don't make us hurt anyone or something, it's absolutely fine. You can ask questions."

Shinsou doesn't seem at all to understand that it's fine, that he has nothing to fear from them, but Shouta didn't really expect anything else.

Not with those damn bruises still painfully obvious on Shinsou's pale skin.

Shouta reaches out and grabs Hizashi's hand for a moment, squeezing it reassuringly, before he turns his attention back to Shinsou.

"Kid, those bruises—did you see a doctor about them?"

Shinsou shakes his head as if it would hurt less if he's quick about it and Shouta wonders if Recovery Girl would do them a favour or if she would whack them over the head.

Probably both, he thinks wryly.

"Did the agent take you from home?" Hizashi asks now and Shinsou shakes his head again.

"Police station."

It's probably useless to ask him which police station, but Shinsou's last address is listed and Shouta has done enough grunt work for some police officers to be able to call in a few favours. They are going to find out who processed this case and who allowed the HPSC to spirit a kid with injuries away without involving some medical treatment.

"Do you have any other injuries? Anything that hurts right now?" Shouta wants to know but just like before, Shinsou shakes his head and this time, he almost dares to trust it.

"Okay. We'll see if we can get a professional to look at it tomorrow, okay?" Hizashi asks and it's so painfully obvious that Shinsou wants to ask a question but is too scared to voice it.

"Just ask, kid," Shouta reminds him and Shinsou visibly steels himself.

"I'll still be here tomorrow?"

"Yes," Hizashi answers him without hesitation and it's almost as if Shouta can see a little bit off worry disappear from Shinsou every time. "You'll be here tomorrow and next week and next month and next year," Hizashi promises him. "You'll be here for as long as you want."

"And—you won't hurt me?" he asks, his voice thin and shaky and Shouta feels like crying.

Shinsou is a child and tiny and fragile; the thought that anyone looked at him and decided to hurt him is unfathomable to Shouta.

"Never," Shouta promises him.

He doesn't expect Shinsou to trust him on that, not yet, not immediately, but maybe this can be the first step.

Shinsou nods then, as if that cements his decision on something and he slowly relaxes his hands and takes his bag off.

"I'll stay then."

Shouta and Hizashi share a look and the significance of having that trust placed in them is not lost on them.

"Thank you, kid," Shouta says and Shinsou's eyes go wide, as if no one ever thanked him before.

"I prepared our guest room for you," Hizashi says and slowly pushes himself to his feet. "Want me to show you?"

Shinsou nods and Shouta and Hizashi lead the way to the room. They make sure to always give Shinsou enough space, unwilling to freak him out by crowding him in and his eyes go almost comically huge when he steps into the room.

"This is—for me?" he asks and Shouta doesn't even want to imagine what kind of places he had to sleep in so far.

"Yeah. The bathroom is right here," Hizashi says and points to the door opposite of Shinsou's room. "And we sleep there." He points to their bedroom and Shinsou dutifully nods. "You saw the kitchen on your way, right?"

"Yes."

"If you need to get something to drink or anything, feel free. And since it's awfully late already, we don't expect you to be up for breakfast, okay?"

Shinsou flinches at those words and Shouta takes in the too slim frame before he adds to Hizashi's explanations.

"You'll get breakfast whenever you get up. It's important that you sleep and eat as much as your body needs. I promise there will be food for you."

Shinsou gives them a tiny nod to show that he at least heard them, even he so clearly doesn't believe and Shouta bites back a sigh.

It's been an hour. This will take time and patience but as he looks at Shinsou Shouta is surprised to find that he's willing to invest all of his time and patience and everything else he can think of into the boy.

It's almost scary, but one look at Hizashi tells him that it's the same for him.

"Do you need anything before you go to bed?" Hizashi asks and it's no surprise when Shinsou shakes his head. "If that changes, you know where our room is. Don't hesitate to come get us," he says, even though they both know that that is not going to happen, probably not any time soon.

"Do you want your door open or closed?" Shouta asks before they finally leave Shinsou to it and he didn't expect that the question to be the one that trips him up bad.

He seems almost panicked and Shouta gets the distinct impression that he never got to choose before.

"How about this. We'll leave it ajar for now and if you want to change that at any point, then you change it, alright? It's fine either way."

Shinsou desperately nods, clearly latching on to that offer with all his might and Shouta wonders what he had to go through to be this spooked by simply choices.

"Good night then, kid," Shouta softly says and pulls the door closed until there's only a small gap left and then he leaves it like that.

"Night, kiddo," Hizashi calls out and then almost immediately herds Shouta into their bedroom again.

"We're going to keep him," Hizashi decidedly says and Shouta snorts out a laugh.

"Yes, we are," he agrees, because he was the first to decide that, thank you very much, but he sobers up when Hizashi gives him a serious look.

"And we're going to do right by him," he says and it almost sounds like a threat but there is only one possible answer to it.

"We are."

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