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It was nearing 2am when thunder crashed, a loud crescendo that shook the house. Following, was a flashing light – blinding and terrifying. This repetitive pattern continued, one right after another. At times, the thunder quieted down, and it seemed to end. But that thought would be quickly thrown away when another crash would sound, and a light would follow.
Shinsou hated storms.
He never liked them, ever since he was younger. He assumed it was a monster, attempting to eat him, the lighting was its army…A silly thought he used to have as a child. A thought, nonetheless. He hated storms, and they didn’t help him sleep.
(It wasn’t as if he would’ve been able to sleep if there wasn’t a storm, but with a storm it was considerably harder)
The purple haired teen rolled over, bundling himself up even more and letting out a harsh sigh.
A loud noise rang through the room.
However, this time it wasn’t the storm.
It was coming from the wooden door in the corner of the room; someone was knocking.
Grunting, Shinsou responded, “Come in,” Shinsou sat up on his bed the same time his adopted brother and sister ended the room.
Todoroki Shouto, his adopted brother. Or, he was adopted first by Aizawa and Hizashi, Shinsou being adopted by the same people only two months later. Cradled in his arms, was the newest member of the family, Eri. It hadn’t been that long since the attack, and she was just recently released from the hospital. Technically speaking, Eri was only being fostered by Hizashi and Aizawa until she could manage her quirk, but every knew she was basically already adopted.
“Why’re you here?”
Shinsou tilted his head, reaching over to turn on his bedside lamp. The other two made their way further into the room, Shouto setting down Eri and sitting at the edge of the bed. The little girl wasted no time in scampering towards Shinsou and staring at him with large, expectant eyes.
Shouto was going to answer his question, but the thunder was an answer enough.
The small child let out a soft yelp, and buried herself underneath the covers within seconds.
“Oh,” Shinsou stated, “She’s scared of the storm?”
“We thought coming here might make her feel better,”
Shinsou grunted, rolling his eyes, “Why not go to Aizawa? He’d know what to do,”
Eri’s face popped out from underneath the blanket, her hair wildly shaking from side to side as she shook her head ‘no,’
“And why not?”
“Aizawa-Sensei needs rest, I think he might actually be asleep for once,”
The room lapsed into silence afterwards, not a sound uttered. Eri relaxed into Shinsou’s side, while Todoroki sat – straight as a line – on the edge of the bed, simply staring him.
It seemed Eri was managing to sleep for once, before she was jerked awake by another loud clap of thunder.
Shinsou let out a sigh, not unlike Aizawa, and slowly slipped out of bed. He didn’t make it far before he turned around and picked up Eri, wrapped up in a blanket burrito and all. As Shinsou carried Eri out of the room, he gestured with his head for Shouto to follow him.
A swift wonder around the halls, and the three of them found themselves in front of Aizawa’s and Hizashi’s door.
Soft voices floated from within, but the voices so distant it was hard to make out what the actual conversation that was happening inside. It continued in quietness until Shinsou knocked on the door.
“I told you so,”
Hizashi.
“Be quiet,”
Aizawa.
“Enter,” Aizawa’s bored, almost monotoned reply came from inside the room.
Shinsou opened the door and inside was filled with dim light. The curtain closed over the window, probably attempting to block out the lights of the lighting. In the center of the room was the bed, in which Aizawa and Hizashi laid, looking at the three of them expectantly.
No one was able to say a word before Eri, quite literally, launched herself from Shinsou and onto her parents’ bed. She crawled up the cover, tumbling over the limbs that were underneath, before settling herself in between the two pro-heroes.
“Are you scared, Eri?”
Aizawa asked, tilting his gaze from the teenaged boys to his little girl.
Eri nodded quickly, using chubby hands she gripped the edge of the blankets and pulled them over her head.
“We thought she’d be better here,” Shinsou said, leaning against the doorframe.
“Thank you, we have her!”
Shouto nodded, “I guess we should—”
“You can stay here too, if you want,” Aizawa murmured, flipping over from his back to face the lump that was his daughter. “You don’t have to be alone,”
Shinsou felt the urge to snort. He hated storms, yes, but he wasn’t going to admit that. He’d rather fall asleep in his own room by himself than admit defeat. Thunder and lightning shouldn’t be scary to a pro-hero, much less him—
His thoughts were cut short when Shouto walked through and, although tensely, laid down on the bed. He curled near the edge, nowhere near the three, but apparently in was enough for everyone. Shinsou debated for quite a while, before giving in and urging himself forward. Stretching himself over Aizawa’s les and slotting himself between the space of Eri’s lump and Shouto’s curled body.
It was peaceful, just the five of them; as if nothing else in the world could possibly exist.
That ended with a boom of thunder.
Eri yelped, and Shouto inwardly cringed, subconsciously inching himself closer to Hizashi’s leg.
“Hey, Eri,” The voice hero whispered, only responding when he heard a shaky and soft, ‘hmm,’. “Do you want to hear Shouta sing,”
Hizashi’s voice was teasing and high, and the statement was followed by a grunt of annoyance from the scuffed haired hero.
However, Eri didn’t seem to consider his annoyance, because she nodded frantically.
Shouto and Shinsou didn’t expect what came next. Aizawa’s voice was low, monotoned and sometimes scratchy because of its dryness. And perhaps, they were so surprised because they didn’t even expect to like it that much.
His voice came out almost melodramatic, a soft song he sung. About a storm, a guardian looking over their child while the storm outside raged on and on. And without even knowing it, the two of them greedily listened to every single word of this soft melody. Eri finally returned from under the blankets, and now had her head within Aizawa’s neck – he let it happen.
Shinsou didn’t know when he fell asleep, cuddled near his family.
His family.
His brother, and sister, and two fathers.
Falling asleep to the sound of Aizawa’s soft voice.
In the end, Shouta was the only children clinging to consciousness. But they knew that was probably the best he was going to sleep, for he never slept well.
“I didn’t think you’d sing,” Hizashi whispered, loving staring at his two sons curled up near one another.
Aizawa snorted, reaching a hand to caress his husband’s cheek. “Go to sleep,”
The entertainer nodded slowly, letting a yawn escape past his lips. “Yeah, yeah,” Hizashi mumbled, sleepily, “Goodnight, Shouta,”
“Goodnight,”
“I love you, Shouta,”
Aizawa paused, “I love you too,”
Eri shifted within Aizawa’s grasp, planting a soft kiss on his scruff cheek, she murmured, “I love you,”
This time, the pause Aizawa took was longer, “I love you, too, kid,”
But she was already asleep.
Hizashi let out a small smile, letting his eyes stare at his husband, then his kids for a little while longer. Then, almost instantly, he was buried underneath the covers, secretly happy when Aizawa followed shortly afterwards; joining the rest of the family in the realm of slumber.