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Shouta was woken by a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. "Sho?"
He groaned, turning away despite the horrible crick in his neck.
"Sho, I really need you to wake up babe. Like, right now, please."
Instantly, Shouta snapped to attention, grabbing the hand on his shoulder protectively. "What? What's wrong?"
The man above him chuckled uneasily, voice intentionally light. "Oh nothing, just that there's a kid on our couch and I have no idea how he got there and I would really like an explanation please?"
Shouta blinked up at Hizashi, mind taking a minute to catch up to his husband's words. Slowly, he turned to look at the couch. A head of green hair poked out of a mess of blankets just enough for a pair of eyes to watch the two men in front of them. The entire bundle was shaking nervously.
The kid.
Fuck. The kid.
Hizashi squeezed his hand, and Shouta jumped back to the present.. "Right," he said, getting up and moving to crouch in front of the couch, "Izuku, this is my husband Hizashi Yamada. He's a hero too. He's not going to hurt you, I promise."
Izuku watched them both warily, still huddled in the blankets. Shouta sighed. "It's okay kid, take your time. Hizashi and I are going to make breakfast. Do you want anything?"
Izuku bobbed his head.
"What do you want?"
It took a long, long moment, but eventually a voice responded from beneath the blankets. "...P-panc-cakes? P-pleas-se?"
Shouta nodded, trying to give the kid a reassuring smile that he was sure looked creepy. "Okay, I think we have some pancake mix around here somewhere. Feel free to look around and use the bathroom if you need to, we'll be in the kitchen."
Hizashi smiled, putting a hand on Shouta's shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't let Shouta ruin the food, he's terrible in the kitchen. You just sit tight, little listener, we'll be right back." He put a hand on Shouta's shoulder and smiled, throwing a wink at Izuku before starting to drag Shouta to the kitchen, but not before Izuku could speak.
"Th-thank you, Mr. P-Present M-Mic."
Hizashi stumbled slightly, but otherwise took it in stride, saying over his shoulder "no problem, kiddo!" before they disappeared into the kitchen. Immediately, rounded on Shouta. "Explain."
"The kid wouldn't go to the cops, and I couldn't just leave him out there, so I took him here."
"And you couldn't warn me!" Hizashi cried. Shouta shushed him quickly. They listened for a moment, but no sound came from the living room. Hizashi sighed, grabbing the pancake mix from the cabinet. "I don't mind, Shouta, but you could have texted me. We nearly gave each other a heart attack when I walked into the living room this morning."
"I'm sorry. I should have texted you." Shouta grabbed the pan and dug through the fridge for the milk.
Hizashi pecked him on the cheek. "It's okay, I forgive you," he said, and Shouta couldn't help the fond smile that played across his lips. "What's our next step?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not sure. Probably call up the detective, file a report, look at our options from there."
"Tsukauchi?"
"Yeah. He'll keep this quiet. Maybe involve Officer Sansa too, but that's as far as I want the circle to go. We can foster him until we figure something else out." Shouta glanced up at that. "As long as you're okay with it?"
"No complaints here, just tell me what I need to sign." Hizashi poured the pancake mix onto the pan. "No family?"
"None that I feel comfortable sending him to."
"So he'll go into the system?"
Shouta hesitated. "...if that's the best course of action."
Hizashi sighed, turning around and crossing his arms as he leaned against the counter. "Shouta, a kid like that? They'll chew him up and spit him back out like it was nothing."
"And what would you have me do, Zashi? I'll vet the homes he goes to, his social worker, everything, but I can't be everywhere at once!"
Hizashi put his hands up. "I know, I know, I just… I don't like it."
Shouta huffed. "I don't either," he said, pushing Hizashi aside to flip the pancake, only for it to flop over on itself. He stared at it, his eye twitching.
His husband wrapped his arms around him from behind resting his chin on Shouta's shoulder. "That one's your's, you know?"
The tension in the room deflated, and Shouta groaned as Hizashi giggled into his shoulder. "I'm taking a shower. Don't scare the kid away while I'm gone. He startles easily."
"Be back before the pancakes get cold!"
Shouta grunted and made his way to the bathroom. He deserved a very long, very hot shower.
---
After showering and changing, Shouta felt like an actual human being again, which was a significant improvement. His pancakes were on the table, complete with just a little too much syrup, and he walked into the living room to find an All Might cartoon on the TV and Hizashi and Izuku in the middle of an actual conversation.
"-far away can you hear it?"
"Oh man! I think the last time I practiced, you could hear me from a mile away, but normally I keep it as localized as I can."
"Because if you didn't, more civilians could be hurt, and a lot more buildings could be hurt too, and oh, can you change how high or low your voice is to affect different things? Can you make glass break and then get lower and shake the ground? Can you do it in one breath or do you have to stop? I would think it would be one breath but quirks make things weird. How long can you use your quirk? What about when you have a sore throat? Does it hurt your ears? You should probably wear earplugs when you scream so that you don't go deaf-"
"Little listener, take a breath!" HIzashi cried, staring at Izuku with a mix of adoration and awe.
Izuku blinked, seemingly coming back to himself. "I-I'm so-sorry, Mr. Pr-Present-t M-Mic, I-I d-didn't mean t-too…"
Hizashi smiled. "It's okay! You're really smart, and those are all really good questions, but you didn't give me a chance to answer them kiddo!"
Izuku blushed bright red, fidgeting with the blanket..
Shouta leaned against the wall behind Izuku, silently observing. Hizashi noticed him, looking between them both in wonder, and Shouta had known him long enough to catch his meaning.
Where did you find this kid?
He shrugged, taking a bite of his pancakes. Hizashi rolled his eyes and turned back to Izuku.
"You really like quirks, huh?"
Izuku brightened, sitting up just a little straighter. "I love quirks! They're all so cool and unique! And they change throughout generations too, so it's really interesting to see how they change and get more powerful with each kid. And heroes! How heroes use their quirks to save people or stop villains is super cool! They all fight differently, and they team up with people they can work together with good, and um…" The blush returned, and Izuku looked away sheepishly. "The-they're just, um, r-really c-cool."
Hizashi hummed, smiling softly. "I think so too. What's your quirk Izuku?"
The kid froze, eyes going wide and breath stuttering to a stop. His back was ramrod straight, Shouta could see it even beneath the blankets, and his hands, which had always been in motion, were still in his lap.
"Izuku?" Hizashi set his plate down and knelt in front of the sofa, Shouta just a half step behind him. "Izuku what's wrong?"
The boy hiccupped, eyes unseeing. He was shaking.
"Shit, I think he's having a panic attack." Shouta sat up, making sure he was fully in Izuku's line of vision. "Izuku, I need you to come back to me, okay kid? You're safe, you're on the sofa in our apartment right now, covered in blankets. You just ate pancakes with syrup. The TV is playing a cartoon with All Might in it. Hizashi and I are right here, talking to you, and we promise you you're safe, okay? You're safe, nothing is going to hurt you, it's just us."
Izuku blinked, and finally his eyes focused on Shouta.
"Great job Izuku, you're doing great. Can I touch your hand? You don't have to talk, just nod or shake your head."
Shakily, Izuku nodded.
"Okay, thanks kid." He telegraphed his movement so Izuku could pull back, but he let Shouta take his hand and press it to Shouta's chest. "Can you copy my breathing? We're gonna breathe in for four, and then hold our breath for seven, and then breathe out for eight, okay? Just focus on my breathing and try to copy me."
Izuku nodded, and Shouta took exaggerated breaths, retracing old habits he'd picked from years of trauma. At first, Izuku struggled, breath catching in his throat, but as the minutes ticked by, it got easier and easier. The kid came back to them slowly, and then all at once. It seemed like as soon as he had his breathing back under control, Izuku burst into tears.
"I'm so-sorry! I-I d-didn't-t m-mean t-too I sw-swear!"
"Hey, hey, none of that little listener, it's okay! You have nothing to apologize for! It happens to everyone sometimes." Hizashi put his hand on the pillow, next to Izuku's knee but not quite touching him.
"I-I'm a-annoying a-and d-dumb and I-I'm a D-D-Dek-ku and y-you w-won't l-like me a-anym-more-"
"Shh, no baby, that's not true, you're super smart and kind!"
"We're not going to abandon you, Izuku," Shouta said, still kneeling in front of the sofa.
"Y-yes y-you wi-will-l! E-everyo-one d-does!"
Hizashi shook his head emphatically. "Not us! We're heroes, remember! What kind of heroes would we be if we left such a cute kid on the streets? Do you think heroes would do that?"
Izuku looked down at his hands. "Th-the other he-heroes-s d-did."
How could you call yourself a hero yet turn a blind eye to a kid in need? When Shouta found out who they were, he would have their heads. Hell, he probably still had Nedzu's email from his UA days. If he got the principal on the case…
Well. Death would be a kinder way to go.
Shouta shook himself. Deal with the kid in front of him, then his revenge. "Those weren't real heroes. Real heroes would never do something like that. We would never do something like that, Izuku."
Izuku hesitated. "E-even if… even i-if I-I was qu-quirk-kl-less-s?"
Next to him, HIzashi sucked in a breath, and Shouta could agree with the sentiment. Everything about the kid shifted into a new light, and it painted an even more gruesome picture than he'd thought.
Shouta shifted, squeezing Izuku's hand so the boy would look at him. "Izuku. Do you trust me?"
Izuku paused. It was a big ask. They hadn't even known each other for twenty four hours, the kid had no reason to trust him. But ultimately, all of the promises he made would mean nothing if Izuku didn't trust him enough to keep them.
A moment later, Izuku looked up. "I… I think I-I'm starting too," he said, unusually honest and insightful for a child, and Shouta felt something warm curl in his chest.
"Then trust that I don't care if you're quirkless, and that I will never abandon you. I promise."
Izuku searched his eyes for a few seconds. When all he found was honesty, he burst into tears again and launched himself at Shouta, again. And Shouta caught him, again.
"I've got you kid, it's okay, you're not alone anymore. Never again."
Izuku sniffled, burying himself in Shouta's chest as Shouta rocked him back and forth until he once again cried himself to sleep, worn out from a long night and an equally long morning.
Something flashed to his right, and when Shouta looked up, he saw Hizashi holding up his phone, snapping pictures. He glared, but his husband only smiled.
"So," Hizashi said, "when do we sign the adoption papers?"