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"How did you and Sensei become friends?" Pausing from where he had been locked in combat against a plastic wrapper, Hizashi looked up to see Hitoshi was staring at him with what would have been a bored expression if not for the fact his eyes were bright and curious. It was a familiar look, but the fact he had asked a question to Hizashi had him fighting not to beam. "You two don't seem like you'd be friends."
Putting on a dramatic pout, Hizashi clutched his chest, "What are you talking about, herolet, me and Shouta are the closest of friends!" Hizashi patted at Shouta's head, his husband asleep on the wooden floor they were all sitting on.
It had been a few months since the Sports Festival, and Shouta had firmly taken Shinsou Hitoshi under his wing and started training him so he could get into the hero course. Hitoshi was quiet and withdrawn, but Hizashi had slowly helped to bring out his curious nature, answering any question he had with as little a pause as possible. After all, Hizashi, of all people, knew what it was to have a dangerous quirk.
It was to the point where Hitoshi didn't even bat an eye anymore when Hizashi crashed their training sessions with snacks and drinks, lecturing them on not overdoing it. Shouta usually used the chance to sleep while Hitoshi, like now, liked to ask questions about them and other heroes. He had put together pretty quickly that they were married, but, well, Hizashi supposed that one hadn't been hard to put together.
"Yeah, but how? You're bright and cheery and happy and he's…" Hitoshi trailed off, looking to Shouta with a wrinkle of his nose. "Not." It was harder than it should have been to not laugh.
"You're right! I wasn't always the bright and cheerful Present Mic you see before you, though!" At the skeptical look, Hizashi toned it back, letting himself smile more naturally, voice dropping to something a little less energetic than his hero persona. It was amusing, but Hitoshi always responded to Hizashi better than he did Present Mic. "I used to be a pretty depressing kid - even more than you two."
Hitoshi chewed on his straw as if digesting the information given, finally shaking his head, "I have a hard time imaging that, Yamada-san." Hizashi had half a mind to let the kid know he could call him Hizashi if he wanted, but it had taken a month-long fight just to get to Yamada. Small steps, he supposed. "You seemed plenty cheery when you met in the Hero course if Sensei's stories are true."
"I knew he told stories on me." His dramatics earned a huff of a breath that was Hitoshi's equivalent of a bright laugh. "Yeah, I was a pretty happy kid when we were both in high school, but… that's not how we met- That's not where we met."
"Really?" Hitoshi perked up as if smelling the story that was there. Hizashi wondered if he should lead him away from the subject, but, well… it almost seemed like a story Hitoshi needed to hear. "How'd you meet?"
What a question… and of course Shouta would be asleep and leave him to deal with all of this alone. Thinking it over for a moment, Hizashi fiddled with the plastic wrapping around his snack, looking up at Hitoshi seriously. "It's a dark story, Hitoshi. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
Hitoshi looked to carefully think about it, sipping at one of those jelly pouches Shouta loved to carry on him before looking back up, gaze resolute. "I want to hear it. If you'll tell me."
"Alright, then." Finally stating when he wanted something, huh? This kid had come so far. "It started when I was around fourteen."
::
Stumbling over bleeding, torn feet and wayward gravel, Hizashi caught himself the edge of an alley wall, crumbling red brick digging into his palms as he panted harshly, trying to get enough air in his lungs. His throat was burning from the thin metal collar locked tight around his neck, suppressing his quirk as he coughed and bent double, all the air he had gathered leaving rapidly.
The sound of yelling voices from adults had Hizashi stumbling into the alleyway, breath hitching on a sob as he stumbled over broken metal and glass, trying to find a dark enough place to hide. He crouched down in a group of shadows beside a dumpster just as he heard people running past, Hizashi covering his mouth with his hands and shaking as the handcuffs around his wrists, chain snapped at the start of this all, rattled softly.
It was a tense few minutes before the sound of running footsteps and yelling voices started to fade, Hizashi not letting himself move an inch until he was sure they were gone. Shivering from the cold that swept over him and left him panting and clammy, Hizashi stumbled to his feet and slowly started to work his way back out onto the street. His body felt utterly exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere and sleep, but he couldn't. He had to make sure-
"Are you alright?" Jumping at the voice, Hizashi stumbled back, sucking in a breath and trying to figure out which direction to run. When he saw a teenager who looked to be his age, Hizashi felt a bit of the tension leak out of him, but not all of it. This kid could be just as dangerous as any adult if he called the wrong people. "You're bleeding."
Hizashi didn't – couldn't – answer, only staring at the other and waiting for him to make a move or go away. The other… did neither. He kept staring at him in a steady, calm manner, as if he had all night to waste. When he made no move to grab him or get the attention of adults, Hizashi took a moment to study him. It had been a very long time since Hizashi had seen someone his own age, after all.
He was a bit shorter than Hizashi, but not by too much. He had long hair, too, but whereas Hizashi's was a bright blond that tumbled down his back, tangled and dirty, this kid had hair that was as dark as the night sky, brushed and tucked away carefully in a bun at the back of his neck. He was bundled up for the chill in the air, a scarf and a coat wrapped around him in dull, neutral colors.
It was the eyes that caught Hizashi's attention, though. This kid had gray colored eyes, but they were bright, in a way. They reminded Hizashi of the stars he'd tried to count when walking past windows on his way to and from his 'room.' Those eyes, bright and curious and tired all at once, stared at him evenly and steadily. There was no hesitation and no uncertainty and somehow, after so long of his life being nothing except that, the steady, unshakeable confidence this kid was giving off was more than he could have wished for.
"You're bleeding." The words were restated, blunt, but kind, in a way. "It's supposed to rain again, tonight. You can come home with me, if you want. If you don't, I can try to find some bandages and help you take care of your wounds."
There was no mention of the police or parents or any sort of adult. Just this kid giving him two options - one which would help him without endangering him or forcing him to trust someone he just met.
Hizashi felt, with everything in him, that this was a choice that would change things drastically. So, with a moment or two of thought, and the weight of a decision on his shoulders, Hizashi gave the kid a smile. It was tired, and small, but it was the first smile he could remember giving in, well, ever, maybe.
The kid smiled back, something sharp and toothy that was made endearing with the kind eyes that went with it. "Alright, then. My name is Aizawa. Aizawa Shouta. It's nice to meet you."
::
Hizashi had been staying with Aizawa Shouta and his family for a week. To the Aizawas' credit, they had taken one look at the bedraggled and bleeding child their son had dragged home and immediately started helping. A shower, clean clothes, and food had been in that order, followed by the removal of the handcuffs around his wrists.
It had been Shouta to notice the collar, frowning and then pushing and pushing until he managed to get the truth of what it was. The collar didn't stay on long, but Hizashi refused to speak even after it was off. While he was happy - so happy - that the collar was off, he was too scared of the possibility of hurting this nice family to dare speak to them.
Maybe he should have tried, though, because now he was crawling out the bathroom window late at night with a bag filled with a few pieces of old, worn clothing and a couple of snacks he hoped they wouldn't mind was missing.
Hizashi hated to leave as he had liked the family, but he had heard the parents talking about contacting child services and, well… At best he would end up bounced around foster homes or be put in a group home or facility. At worst, though, he would end up right back where he had just escaped from.
There was no family for him to return to, after all. He had no name except Hizashi and no home or family except the caretakers he had run from. Leaving now, when he was able and healthy enough, was the best he could manage.
What he didn't expect, and could have never expected, was the determination of Aizawa Shouta.
Hizashi had pushed himself to run for almost half an hour before ducking into an alleyway and, when he finally caught his breath and looked behind him, it was to the sight of a ragged Aizawa looking sweaty, upset, and like he had been in the middle of getting ready for bed. Hizashi had thought he was hallucinating until he felt the mild slap to his chest.
"Idiot. You can't just run off like that - we just bandaged your feet and you've already wrecked them again where you didn't even think to steal a pair of shoes!" Aizawa scolded him, Hizashi not sure if he should feel amused or deeply concerned that Aizawa had managed to keep pace with him for so long. "Do you even know how to wear shoes."
Of course he did, he just hadn't had a chance for the last five or six years. Aizawa didn't expect an answer, at least, huffing and shaking his head as he poked at Hizashi's chest, "Listen, I don't care if you want to leave, but the least you can do is tell us instead of sneaking out the bathroom window."
Hearing the sound of approaching voices, Aizawa tensed up and seemed to realize they had run towards a seedy looking distract. Letting the teen look behind them to see if anything was coming, Hizashi took the chance to back away, slipping around the corner and getting ready to run as he heard Aizawa's voice, "Hey-!"
"Hey! What are you doing in our alley!" The sound of older voices had Hizashi flinching and pressing himself against the wall, tucked out of sight as he slowly realized the voices weren't talking to him, but… "What the hell, did you get kicked out of your house or something?"
"None of your business." Aizawa's tone was short and sharp, Hizashi biting his lip and looking around. The street was clear and he could make a run for it easy. He could get out and never be seen again. "Get out of my way."
"Hey, hey, this is our alleyway. Thought we made that pretty clear to everyone around here." The voice was older and darker, Hizashi swallowing as he at least peeked around to see if Aizawa would be okay. He was surrounded by three men who looked to be anywhere from seventeen to twenty. His escape was blocked off at either end and Aizawa, blank faced and calm, had a look in his eyes that screamed fear.
"Looks like I didn't get the message," Aizawa drawled, stepping forward and meeting the older man's challenge. "I'll be sure to remember in the future."
"Yeah, you will, runt."
What happened in the next few seconds blurred together into one seamless stream. The man raised his fist and pulled it back. Aizawa turned to face him head on and his hair floated up. The man looked terrified and then he looked angry. He screamed for them to attack. Hizashi had thrown his bag to get their attention on him. Hizashi spoke.
"Cover your ears, Aizawa." Just as he knew he would, Aizawa dropped down to the ground and covered his ears without question or pause. Hizashi didn't waste the moment, sucking in a breath, letting his quirk run wild, and screaming.
Hizashi saw the men all collapse, blood starting to run from their ears as they lost all tension in their bodies one by one, but Hizashi didn't stop. He couldn't. His quirk had been building and building and building and it wouldn't stop-
Silence.
Hizashi thought he had destroyed his hearing for good finally, but the ringing in his ears faded and instead he heard sounds start to filter back in. The distant honking of cars, people laughing and screaming from what seemed to be another world away, sirens not too far away, summer cicadas making themselves known, and a million other little things.
What stood out above it all, however, was Aizawa Shouta staring at him with bright red eyes and hair that seemed to no longer follow gravity. Hizashi didn't have to be all that smart to realize what had happened and what Aizawa's quirk was.
"That's why you never said anything. You can't control your quirk." He didn't blink, continuing to stare at him even as he stumbled to his feet and caught himself on the wall. "That's okay. I think I can help with that, at least."
Aizawa blinked and his gray eyes were back, hair falling down around him in messy curls and waves. The teen took a steady breath, rubbing at his eyes that looked more bloodshot than before. "What's your name? And don't worry. If you lose control again, I'll stop you. You won't hurt anyone."
Hizashi stayed quiet before swallowing and breathing in a ragged, unsteady breath, an exhale carrying out his name. "Hizashi." His voice was bright and strong and clear even after so long without talking. "My name is Hizashi." He had no last name to give, but Aizawa didn't seem to mind, giving that sharp, wide smile of his that looked like victory.
"Nice to meet you, Hizashi. You can just call me Shouta." For the first time in a very long time, Hizashi laughed until he cried, smile never falling from his face.
::
"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Shouta's groan was loud and unnecessarily dramatic, Hizashi making a few gestures with his hands that earned him more groaning. "You don't have to remind me it was my idea."
It had been four months since Hizashi had begun to live with the Aizawa family and while he had managed to warm up to Shouta's parents, it was Shouta that had become his best friend. In four months they had learned sign language, enrolled Hizashi into Shouta's school, and had decided what they wanted their futures to be. Hizashi hadn't been the only one who wanted to be a hero.
'We're going to need all the extra muscle we can get if we want to get into U.A. We're already at a disadvantage with our quirks.' Hizashi signed out the words easily and fluidly, Shouta taking a minute or two to struggle through before nodding.
"Yeah. My quirk doesn't offer me any physical strength and if an opponent can stop you from screaming, then you're as good as out." Shouta pushed himself up from where he had collapsed on the beach they were practicing their running and sprinting on. "I still don't know how you became fluent in JSL so quickly - and your English grades are still better than mine."
Hizashi offered a shrug as an answer, falling back to lay on the sand himself. Fall was well and truly on its way, but there were still a few warm days left like the one they found themselves on. The sand was hot against their overheated skin, but Hizashi felt no desire to move as a peaceful silence settled between them.
It was Shouta who finally broke the silence, voice almost whisper soft, "I'm glad you're my friend." It was a sentiment that had been shared both with and without words for months, now, but it was this moment that made Hizashi realize he had a friend. He had a real honest-to-God friend who wanted to help him.
Shouta didn't just take him in, he helped give Hizashi the power to stop being so afraid of his quirk. He had encouraged him that he could be a hero. Shouta had given Hizashi everything, and Hizashi hadn't done much to pay him back. Somehow, with those whispered words from a friend, Hizashi found his voice.
"I was eight." Hizashi could tell his voice startled Shouta, but he didn't interrupt. Instead, Hizashi felt fingers wrap around the edge of his shirt, giving a tug as if telling him to continue. It was the least Hizashi could do after everything that had been done for him. "It's a pretty long story, but I was adopted by some… caretakers."
Hizashi didn't have it within him to tell the whole story, not yet, but he could start with the basics, at least. That was enough for now, wasn't it? "My caretakers were part of an illegal quirk experimentation center. They would take villains, prison inmates, and kids without homes and test their quirks." He felt his shirt tugged, as if Shouta had tightened his grip.
Rolling over onto his side and sinking down into the sand, Hizashi looked at where Shouta was staring at him. His face was blank as always, but his eyes were wide and sad and, in a way, knowing. Hizashi supposed there weren't many places he could get a collar like the one he had on when they met.
"They studied quirks. I don't know what they do with the research, but it wasn't good, Shouta." Hizashi reached a hand out, slowly and hesitantly, and brushed his thumb under one of Shouta's eyes. "They would have loved your quirk. They didn't have a quirk like that, but one of them had a forced activation quirk. By looking at you she could make you activate your quirk and you couldn't stop it. There was no way to stop it-"
"Hizashi." His name was barely a whisper, but Hizashi saw the reprieve for what it was. He didn't have to talk about it - not all of it. Not right now.
Taking a steady breath, Hizashi closed his eyes for a few moments before looking back to Shouta. "That night you found me was the night I escaped. Something big was happening and they didn't lock the door. I ran."
There was a stretch of silence before Hizashi was startling as arms wrapped around him, pulling him close. Pausing for only a moment, Hizashi wrapped his own arms around Shouta as tight as possible, hands gripping at the other's shirt. In the months he had been getting better, he found he really liked hugs and kind physical contact.
"'Zashi." The little nickname never failed to get Hizashi to grin, and Shouta seemed to know it as the arms around Hizashi got just a touch tighter. "I have something important to tell you, but I'm not going to tell you until we're both in the hero course."
"Aw, what? That's so long," Hizashi whined, delighting in the laugh he got from Shouta. It was ridiculous, he supposed, two teenagers hugging in the sand on a deserted beach with more stars in the sky than sunlight, but the moment felt right. Sunshine meeting starlight felt so right. "Fine. I won't complain, but you have to make me a promise, first."
Shouta pulled back enough to look him in the eye, mock suspicious as he squinted and asked, "What's the promise?"
"You have to promise that we're always going to be friends." It was an imposing promise, and Hizashi half-regretted the words as soon as they were out, but he didn't have long to regret them.
Shouta, with hardly a pause, shifted and pushed at him until they both had their pinkies wrapped around each other. It was such a childish gesture, but it was enough to make Hizashi start crying when Shouta looked up at him with a wide, bright smile, eyes near shining. "It's a promise." Hizashi didn't doubt him.
::
Hizashi sucked in ragged breath after ragged breath, trying to figure out how it had all gone so wrong. Things had been going fine. They had trained and studied and then had done so well in the written portions of their U.A. exams and then they were given the physical. It had been robots - robots.
With a quirk loud enough to topple buildings Hizashi had been fine, but Shouta? He couldn't fight against metal. His quirk was great against people, but there was no way to use it against metal. There was no way to get enough points to get into the Hero course, not with a test like that - never with a test like that. If they hadn't been separated then maybe Hizashi could have teamed up with him and helped, but as it was there was nothing he could do.
The results of the exams came the same day child services did. Hizashi didn't even know if he made it into the school he had been dreaming of or not. He had seen people in suits and with perfect smiles and he had run. Trusting adults was what got him into his last mess. Being in that system was what had almost broken him.
He locked the bathroom door, crawled out the window, and started running. He had taken every alternate route he could think of, but he could only hear the sounds of adults in white lab coats chasing him and the sound of yelling for him to come back and it just kept getting louder and louder and even with his quirk he was gasping for breath.
Hizashi stumbled and crashed down into an alleyway, sobs erupting out of him that were quirk strong and enough to rattle the brick walls, small rocks and pebbles crashing down as he tried to get a hold of himself. Nothing was working, his sobs weren't stopping, and he was just getting louder and his ears were ringing-
Silence.
There was no sound except ringing ears and then there was the sound of distant cars, people a world away, and quiet gasping for breath. "You always crawl out the bathroom window. We have a door, you know."
Shouta was at the entrance to the alleyway Hizashi had collapsed in, leaned against the wall and clutching at his side as if he had run too far too fast. His eyes were bright red, and his hair was floating up. A blink and those starlit eyes were back, Shouta walking over to him before carefully sitting down in front of him.
"It's okay." Two words. Two words and they brought back Hizashi's sobs, Shouta not even putting up an effort of a fight as they hugged each other tightly, Hizashi shivering as he felt a hand rubbing at his back. "It's okay, 'Zashi. We're okay."
Hizashi wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but his legs were asleep by the time he pulled back, and no doubt his eyes were as red and bloodshot as Shouta's usually were. Shouta was looking just as tired, but he gave him a small smile and a quiet, "Better?"
"You didn't get in, did you?" The wince said it all, but Hizashi wasn't the type to give up. If he was, he wouldn't be here. "We're going to be heroes, Sho."
"Hizashi, I didn't get in. I can't-" Shouta stopped himself as Hizashi wrapped their pinkies around each other, giving Shouta a wobbling smile.
"We're going to be heroes and help kids like us." They would help the kids who were broken and beaten and looked down on or used for their 'destructive' or 'villainous' quirks. He knew it. "I promise."
Shouta didn't cry often. He had a hard time where his eyes were always so dry, but this time, for maybe the first time, Hizashi saw tears well up in Shouta's eyes before he gave a grin, wild and sharp and eager as he laughed out a bright, "It's a promise, then."
::
"And, as well, another teamwork inspired win by Yamada Hizashi from 1-A and Aizawa Shouta from 1-C! It looks like we might have a new hero duo on the field!" The announcer's words echoed across the field among screaming and cheering adults, Hizashi bent over and trying to catch his breath as he and Shouta managed to advance to the next round of the Sports Festival.
In the few months since his acceptance into U.A. Hizashi had thrived, meeting other hero hopefuls, making friends, being adopted by two amazing women and getting a last name, and helping teach Shouta everything he learned in his hero classes. The Sports Festival was the best chance they had to prove Shouta was as good a hero as anyone here.
"This is too exhausting." The field was being cleaned after the latest test where everyone had to get at least three scarves to pass into the next round, the trick being that everyone started with one. Quirks had gone wild and the fighting had been rough, but Shouta and Hizashi had managed to get by with three scarves each, now collapsed on the ground with one of the recovery heroes on duty passing out waters and snacks to everyone. "I should have just started a revolt."
"A revolt may have been less work," Hizashi laughed, sitting down next to Shouta, who was on his back with his eyes closed and looking exhausted. "We have one more round left. Think you can keep going?"
Shouta cracked an eye open, a smirk tugging at his lips, "You say that like I don't routinely kick your ass in our own training every day."
"Hey-"
"Alright, everybody, our next event is ready to go!" Pouting at being cut off, Hizashi cheered up a little at Shouta's quiet laugh. "It's a one-on-one fight to the end with these heroes-to-be fighting it out to see who stands on top!"
Shouta sat up and leaned against Hizashi's side, the two of them looking to the board along with the other students still collapsed on the ground. Matches appeared across the board, Hizashi scanning all the names and those who were fighting and slowly grinning at seeing how it would all play out.
There was quiet, eager laugh beside him as Shouta saw and understood the same. "Looks like I'll be seeing you in the last round, 'Zashi."
"You better." Twenty students left to compete. Shouta was at one end of the board and Hizashi was at the other. They had nothing to lose and everything to show.
"Our first match: Yamada Hizashi and Iida Tensei, step on up to the arena!"
A brutal couple of hours passed before Hizashi was staring across the arena at Shouta. Both of them were running on their last dregs of energy, unable to fully catch their breath and, as well, were bandaged in more places than they ever had been. Shouta's grin was as wide as his own, though.
"Our last round and it's the hero duo that stood out so brightly in the beginning. It's friend against friend with Yamada Hizashi vs Aizawa Shouta. This is it, everyone! The final match to decide it all!"
"Are you two ready?" The pro hero officiating looked between them, the two of them nodding and looking back to each other. "Then… Begin!"
Neither one of them moved. Hizashi had nothing to prove, but Shouta had everything to prove here. If he failed here, then- "'Zashi." Shouta's voice caught his attention, Hizashi focusing to see Shouta was giving him an exasperated smile. "No holding back, right?"
If he failed, then they would find another way. "Right." A second passed, Hizashi sucked in a deep breath, Shouta ran forward, and it began.
Hizashi would never know how long the fight went on, all his attention focused on keeping up with Shouta and doing his best to knock him out of the ring. They had been fighting together and against each other for months, though, and Shouta knew Hizashi's moves as well as Hizashi knew his own. It came down to stamina, in the end, and while Hizashi was good at running, Shouta had always managed to catch up to him.
A dizzying twist of the world as he was thrown over Shouta's shoulder and Hizashi's back hit the ground, a worrying crack making the air rush out of him as he groaned and hazily blinked up at the sky. There was the sound of massive cheering on every side of him and the first stars of the night were beginning to peak out from behind blue-tinted skies.
There was a ringing in his ear that started to settle, Hizashi catching the tail end of some announcement or other before Shouta's face appeared over him. He looked as exhausted as Hizashi felt.
Thinking over what had just happened - tossed, down on the ground, cheering, announcement - Hizashi squinted his eyes and muttered a hoarse, "I think I lost."
Shouta's laugh broke through everything else and, for the first time in what may have been his entire life, the world made sense.
::
"And that, herolet, is how Shouta and I gained a true friendship that has lasted throughout all these years!" Hizashi finished with a flourish, trying not to laugh as he saw how Hitoshi startled, as if realizing he had been leaning forward throughout the story and hanging on to each and every word.
"Wait- What was it that he had to tell you? You said he made a promise to tell you something when you were both in the hero course!" Hitoshi was acting like a child who had been cheated out of the ending of a story and Hizashi had to fight to not laugh or cry at how he had opened up so much since they had first met. "You can't just end it there! That's bad storytelling!"
Alright, that did have Hizashi laughing, "Ah, what sharp ears you have, little listener!" Hitoshi made a face at him and Hizashi laughed again. "Well, you see-"
"Are you telling him dumb stories?" At Shouta's voice, the two looked over to see the man had woken up and was looking at them with tired, squinting eyes. Hizashi could easily see the amusement and delight shining out of them. "Don't listen to a word he says. He exaggerates everything."
"That's the point of a good story, Starlight!" Just as he expected, Shouta flushed, Hitoshi choked on a laugh, and Hizashi had sealed his fate of being attacked when he least expected in. "Don't worry, Hitoshi, he gets back at me by calling me Sunshine-"
"Stop telling him dumb things!" Shouta snapped, still flushed as he sat himself up while Hitoshi was struggling with his laughter.
"No, no, please keep telling me dumb things," the teen managed to struggle out, laughing again when Shouta 'glared' at him.
"Listen here, you brat."
As the two 'fought' and 'argued,' Hizashi watched them fondly, memories settling in place after telling a story he hadn't told in a long time. This was a story he hadn't exaggerated and never could – there was no way to make it better, after all. He would have to tell Hitoshi the rest of the story some time, maybe when they managed to approach him about summer break and the possibility of another foster home.
Hitoshi would love knowing that the day Shouta had transferred into the Hero course was the day he had confessed his feelings to Hizashi about how he was in love with him. And, if Hitoshi didn't mind the cliché ending of it all, Hizashi might end it by telling him that was also the day that he never again felt afraid of his quirk.