Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I drew what Todoroki looks like in this so it's a little easier to imagine :)

An exaggerated sigh left chapped lips, the bitterly cold night allowed Aizawa to see his breath swirl in front of his face before dispersing into nothing. The quiet Friday night was weighing down on Aizawa, especially with having to look after the brats at school now paired with patrol. If Aizawa thought he was tired before, he’s positively exhausted now. It would probably be easier if any villains had started causing a problem, but the absence of anything to do made the heaviness in his eyelids even more noticeable.
Quickly checking the time revealed that it was 2:36 am. The underground hero still had an hour of this shift left before he could go home and finally sleep. Another puff of smoke left Aizawa’s lips as he willed something to happen, tired eyes scanning the pavement from his perch on the roof of a building. Nothing, not that he was really expecting something to suddenly happen.

As if to contradict his last thoughts, the deafening murmur of voices filled the previously silent backstreets. Aizawa’s eyes immediately locked onto the small, dark, unassuming alley with accuracy that can only come with being a pro as long as he had. Rising up silently, the hero started across the rooftops towards the alley swiftly. The quiet thudding of his feet practically imperceptible with the voices getting louder.

Peering over the ledge from the shadows, Aizawa soon spotted the cause of the noise. There were three men surrounding a smaller figure in the centre of the alleyway. It was slightly hard to see details or features in the dark but the smaller figure definitely wore an ivory mask and what looked to be twin katanas strung on his back. The whole scene was definitely sketchy but Aizawa stayed back to observe what exactly he was witnessing.

“Boss has told us to bring you and your nifty little quirk in kid, and we’re not one’s to disappoint. So be a well behaved little street rat and come with us,” sneered the largest of the three men causing Aizawa’s eyes to narrow before he turned back to the smallest figure in red.

The hero can now see that the mask that adorned the person is a traditional Japanese festival mask; It seems to be a cat one from where Aizawa is observing in the shadows. Circular, painted eyes stared at the three men, giving nothing away. The figure in red merely tilted their head to the side, the eerie mask making that gesture seem particularly sinister.

“Is that right?” To Aizawa’s surprise, that was unmistakeably the voice of a child, he should know considering he spends a considerable amount of time dealing with the brats in his class. However, the voice sounded emotionless with a dreamy quality to the words; almost as if the kid was only vaguely interested in the answer. It was almost insulting how unconcerned the child was with the undoubtedly dangerous situation at hand, like the kid had more interesting things going on in his head.

“Yeah it is right you little brat,” One of the men snarled through gritted teeth, stepping forward threateningly, seemingly miffed at the kid’s attitude. “You’re gonna do what the fuck we tell you if you don’t want to end up hurt” the sentence was emphasised with the man cracking his knuckles purposefully.

The kid merely glanced at the threatening man from behind his mask before scratching his ear half-heartedly and looking towards the floor. Aizawa barely picked up on the quiet murmur of what sounded like; ‘How troublesome’ as the kid stuffed his hands into the pockets of his joggers.

“Thanks for the invite but I’m not really partial to crime, I’d rather just remain off the radar. Breaking the law makes me a target,” That really left Aizawa baffled because the sentence didn’t seem sarcastic, almost as if the kid genuinely thought they would just let him leave. This kid is either bad at expressing sarcasm or just plain dense, the hero was hoping it was the former.

“Are you insane kid? That wasn’t a fucking invite it was an instruction, and we were told to bring you in kicking and screaming if you didn’t come willingly. And I think we’re gonna enjoy beating some manners into you,” the threat was growled and all three men started to approach the boy, who only let out a sigh and grabbed one of the katanas on his back by the handle.

“So tedious,” He muttered distractedly before the sharp screech of the katana being unsheathed tore through the quiet atmosphere, the kid held the blade in an almost bored manner, the tip dragging across the cobblestone in a continuous shrill shriek as he moved towards the three men who were also moving forward. Aizawa noticed one of the men flick both of his hands, where long blades grew from his fingernails, and that’s all the hero needed to see.

The freezing wind bites his cheeks as he jumps down from the roof, hair flowing around him as he activates his quirk. The three men look around confusedly, not understanding what happened to their quirks. This distraction gives Aizawa the perfect opportunity to send his capture weapon at the three men, the carbon fibres wrapping around all their necks tightly before he pulls and their heads collide with a resounding crack. All three fall limply to the ground but Aizawa still checks their breathing to make sure they are, in fact, unconscious.

“it’s your lucky day kid-“ Aizawa begun drearily before turning and seeing no trace of the teen. He violently swivelled his head in search of any sign and strained his ears. The barely there taps of feet came from the left and the hero was sprinting out of the alley in an instant, following the faintest of noises. Aizawa’s longer legs proved beneficial when he eventually caught sight of the kid booking it down a different alley, his katana still unsheathed. The pro hero immediately sent his capture weapon flying towards the kid, however, he didn’t expect the kid to plant his katana firmly between the bricks of the wall next him and use it to propel his body into the air, the carbon scarf barely grazing the boy’s heels. Aizawa’s eyes were blown wide as he pulled the weapon back, watching as the kid pushed off the wall, using the momentum to yank the blade from the bricks. The kid landed on the adjacent fire escape before scurrying up the stairs swiftly with practiced ease, Aizawa hot on his heels. The boy quickly reached the roof and wasted no time in sprinting to the ledge before leaping into the air successfully landing on the next building, impressive considering the distance but Aizawa was still close behind.

Aizawa launched his capture weapon forward once again, the boy jumping into a tight crouch to avoid being ensnared, however, he failed to notice Aizawa’s real target. The scarf successfully wrapped around an exposed pipe and the hero used it to propel his body straight into the escaping youth.

Aizawa successfully pinned the struggling boy to the ground beneath him, baffled beyond belief at this child’s desperation to escape, he isn’t used to people being scared of him, especially after he’d saved them. The pro hero quickly grew irritated at the kid’s struggling.

“Calm down brat!” he yelled and grabbed both of the teen’s wrists, firmly, he didn’t really expect the kid to stop though so he was surprised when the kid let out a small sigh and let his head fall back onto the ground. All fight seemingly drained out of him, body relaxing under Aizawa’s larger frame.

“It appears I have been caught,” the careless dreamy tone with a gentle undertone of disappointment didn’t match how desperately the boy had been trying to escape earlier. Aizawa shook his head but kept his firm grip on the kid’s wrists.

“it appears so kid,” Aizawa scoffed and rolled his eyes, before looking down into the animated eyes of the cat mask. It was unsettling, especially with the teen’s hood tucked right behind the ivory cat ears of the mask, it didn’t allow Aizawa to see his hair or any real features. This made Aizawa feel slightly vulnerable; exposed. The fact that the kid can see him clearly, every giveaway twitch of his lips and tell-tale furrow of his brow. The kid might have the right idea, he is currently impossible to read and Aizawa has a strong inclination that that’s the whole point. “Explain it to me kid, because I’m struggling to understand. You don’t run away from three thugs in an alley but you do run away from a pro hero? Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,”. The kid tilted his masked head from where he lay on the floor.

“You were the only one there who posed a threat,” Aizawa’s brows furrowed incredulously at the boy’s response.

“I wouldn’t hurt a kid,” He replied, sitting up a bit more but still watching the kid like a hawk, and even though he couldn’t see the boy’s eyes; he could feel them watching him just as intensely.

“I know,” Aizawa was left baffled once again by the kid’s words, what reason does this boy have to fear a hero if he isn’t scared of being hurt? Aizawa moved to hold both the kid’s slim wrists in one hand and dragged the other down his face with a groan, brats are so much hard work.
“Alright kid, we have two options here, I can let you up trusting that you won’t try to run away and we’ll have a little chat or I can take you to the police. But if you do try and run, you won’t get very far.” Aizawa said sharply, giving the kid a pointed look.

“I get it, I won’t run,” The teen answered seriously causing Aizawa to give him an approving nod before letting go of his wrists. The kid sat up, slightly rubbing his wrist before reaching for his katana that lay next to him on the floor. Aizawa could feel the teen rolling his eyes when the pro hero furrowed his brows suspiciously. “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to get myself arrested for attacking a pro hero,” he muttered and resheathed the blade on his back.

“Smart,” Aizawa mumbled then repositions himself so he’s sat next to the kid on the ledge of the tall building, allowing them to both overlook the bright lights of Musutafu in the distance. “So, what’s a kid doing hanging around back alleys at 3am?”

“I live here, and this isn’t exactly the place you can sleep peacefully, I’m sure you know that Eraser Head,” The kid said it like it was so obvious.
“Yeah, I figured that out kid, I wanna know why you’re living on the streets,” the hero refuted incredulously, looking over at the kid who pulled his knees up to his chest. The boy then turned his head slightly to Aizawa.
“Because I don’t have enough money to buy a house,” and Aizawa swears the apparently dense teen is being dead fucking serious.
“Dammit brat, you know what I mean! Where’s your family, where’s your parents?” He knows its probably a sensitive subject but apparently trying to broach the subject gently wont work with this kid.

The masked teen lays his head on his knees, head still turned to face Aizawa.

“I don’t have a family,” the kid said easily, the pro must have forgotten that the kid next to him seemed to have the emotional range of a pebble.
“Well do you have a name?”
“Of course, everyone has a name,” The teen said it like Aizawa was the stupid one, seriously, what did the hero do to deserve this shit.
“Brat, I’ll throw you off this building in a minute,” Aizawa huffed a laugh despite himself, the lifeless painted eyes of the mask continued to stare at him blankly.
“That doesn’t sound very heroic,” The kid said airily before turning back to look over the city beneath him “It’s Shoto,”.
“No last name?” Aizawa pressed, raising an eyebrow at the answer. The kid, Shoto, glanced at him again for a short moment.
“…Just Shoto” Well, that’s all Aizawa is going to get out of the kid on this subject.

“Well Shoto, what’s with the mask?” The kid carried on staring straight ahead.
“It’s not to hide from the police if that’s what you’re thinking,” Still unused to the teen’s consistent bluntness, Aizawa smirked slightly in amusement.
“I didn’t suggest that, brat” huffed the hero and the kid seemed to mull over his answer before turning back to Aizawa.
“I suppose it’s to prevent being recognised by people from my past,” He must’ve noticed the suspicious look that the hero was giving because he huffed a little, “and no, they’re not the mafia, drug dealers or any sort of criminal. Just people I don’t want to associate with anymore,”

“You’re awfully talkative for a kid who was trying to escape desperately not too long ago,” Aizawa was a little surprised by Shoto’s willingness to talk.
“I’m not completely stupid, you’re older and more experienced, I wouldn’t be able to get away if I tried and if I refused to cooperate, I’d land myself in an even worse situation,” Shoto muffled voice finally revealed something and Aizawa could hardly stand how disappointed the kid sounded in himself.

Aizawa’s eyes soften and his heart ached a little for this kid, he’s willing to bet that his story isn’t a happy one. The faraway tone he used when talking about his past seemed to confirm this. He’d deny it if anyone asked but he actually has a soft spot for kids, and he’s felt his heart softening even more since he’s been working at UA.

“Ok, and who were those guys in the alley,” Shoto scoffed a little at that.
“They were nobody, just guys sent by their boss to bully me into doing some dirty work for him.”
“ok, and what does their boss want with you?” Aizawa’s dark eyes scanned Shoto; looking for anything that could help him understand the kid a little bit. the mask turned in his direction once again and Shoto absentmindedly played with his shoelaces.
“it would seem he’s a fan of my quirk, I’m not too sure how he knows about it but he hasn’t left me alone since he supposedly discovered it,” The tone was rather curt so Aizawa assumed that the quirk topic was best left alone for the time being. The pro hero stood up abruptly causing Shoto’s head to follow his movement.

“Well kid, I can’t very well leave you out here on the streets, especially with what you just told me,” he stated and brushed imaginary dirt from his knees. Shoto looked down at his toes.
“Are you going to take me to the police?” he asked quietly, looking at his hands sheepishly.

“Why kid? Have you done something wrong?” the kid’s head turned to look at Aizawa sharply
“No? But don’t you kind of have to?” Shoto asked unsurely and Aizawa placed his hand on the kids head.
“No kid, however, I can’t leave you here so you’re gonna have to stay with me for tonight or I can take you to the police if you would prefer. Shoto, I want you to know that you can trust me to keep you safe and I wont let you end up somewhere you don’t want to be but in order for me to help you, you have to work with me,” A silence fell over the two as Shoto stared up at Aizawa, the hero could feel assessing eyes looking for any deceit in his body language. The trance was broken when Shoto stood up.
“Thank you Eraser Head,” Aizawa smiled, small and crooked before nudging Shoto’s shoulder.
“Call me Aizawa kid, come on, lets get out of the cold,” He mumbled and started to walk, glad to hear Shoto’s footsteps rushing to keep up with his longer strides.

Chapter Text

The door to Aizawa’s house clicked shut behind them as they walked into the dark, quiet house. An audible *click* sounded before the living room was flooded with light, allowing the modest but comfortable house to be seen.

“You sure there’s nothing else you need to get kid?” Aizawa eyed the small backpack slung over the kid’s shoulder. The hero toed his shoes off at the doorway, prompting Shoto to do the same, before he walked further into his house. He lifted his capture weapon from his neck and placed it on the arm of the couch, then watched as the kid walked towards him, clearly uncomfortable with his surroundings.

“I live on the streets, I don’t really have anything that I don’t carry,” Aizawa felt his heart squeeze again but he kept his face impassive.

“Fair enough. Anyway, I’m going to have to explain this situation to one of my colleagues tomorrow morning so that I can’t be accused of kidnapping,” The hero moved into his bedroom, automatically reaching blindly for his light switch, finding it easily. The bright, domestic lighting flooding the room in an instant before Aizawa moved to his wardrobe. He quickly pulled out a simple pair of black joggers and a similarly black tank top before making his way back to the child standing awkwardly in his living room and placed them in the kid’s hands.
“The bathroom’s there kid” he gestured half-heartedly at the bathroom door, “freshen up, there’s a shower and towels in there already. Just put your clothes in the washing basket,” Shoto looked down at the clothes in his hands before bowing his head slightly in what Aizawa assumed was thanks.
“Thank you, Eraser head,” he said sincerely before heading for the bathroom, Aizawa just rolled his eyes and didn’t bother reminding the kid to call him by his name.

Twenty minutes later, Aizawa was sat on his couch in simple pyjama pants and a black, long sleeved top, relieved to be free of his hero suit for the time being. The soft click of the bathroom door caught his attention and he glanced up from the reports in his hand. He did a very unsubtle double take, however, when he saw that Shoto’s face was bare. Aizawa really hadn’t expected the kid to take his mask off so soon, but there he was with his mask clutched in his hand and the hero wasn’t sure if he had ever seen such a peculiar looking child that didn’t have a mutant quirk. The most eye-catching feature was definitely the evenly split ivory and scarlet hair that spilled down Shoto’s back, still slightly damp from the shower. From his seat on the couch, Aizawa could see a large scar that marred the boy’s face, covering his left eye. Once again, the hero was left wondering what had happened to the kid in front of him.

Shoto was stringing up his towel dried hair into a messy bun, the red and white strands intermingling in swirls, his narrow shoulders now exposed. Aizawa hadn’t really noticed before because of the baggy clothes that Shoto was wearing, but the kid was too skinny, he supposes he should’ve expected it considering he lived on the streets for a while seemingly. Aizawa’s Clothes buried the boy, especially the joggers given Shota’s considerable height advantage, the fabric pooled around Shoto’s ankles. The boy had tucked the tank top into the joggers and tied the strings of the waistband tightly so they stayed up. Aizawa snorted a laugh despite himself and Shoto’s eyes fell on him immediately.

“We might have to get you some new clothes kid,” he said amused and took a sip of his tea before gesturing for the boy to come sit with him, Shoto hesitated for only a second before making his way to the couch and joining the hero. The boy looked at Aizawa blankly, and the closer proximity allowed Shota to notice the boy’s eyes were also different colours. He swears this kid was put here to defy symmetry. The right was a stormy grey whilst the left resembled a calm blue sky, each framed with long lashes, red and white accordingly like his hair. The same rule applied to his eyebrows so Aizawa was sure that Shoto’s hair was natural and not some whacky dye job.

“Oh, no, these function perfectly well thanks,” Then Shoto looked down at the clothes uncertainly, as if checking for a fault he hadn’t noticed. Aizawa couldn’t help but let out another disbelieving chuckle, he couldn’t help it; this kid’s dense but completely sincere statements took him off guard every time. He took a final sip of his tea.

“They’re a bit big kid,” Aizawa shook his head slightly, this is a truly bizarre situation. Shoto’s only response to that was a vacant blink, as if he couldn’t wrap his head around Aizawa’s words. The hero pushed back a fond smile and stood up with his empty cup still in his hand, “I’m getting some more tea, do you want some?” Shoto’s big eyes looked up at him.

“yes please,” Shota nodded and headed into the kitchen. He rifled through his cupboard for another cup; they’re not as accessible because he only ever needs one. He found one eventually and moved over to the pot of previously brewed tea, pouring the tea fluidly with practiced ease. Aizawa breathed in the comforting scent of the steaming tea and grabbed both cups, heading for the living room. He stopped in the doorway, however, the scene in his living room taking him off guard.

His cat, Socks, affectionately named after the white markings on his feet, was sat on Shoto’s left thigh, staring up at the young male. Shoto was staring back just as intensely, starry eyed. The boy looked to be in awe, his eyes slightly wide, and Aizawa swears that it’s one of the sweetest things he’s ever seen (not that his face gave it away).

He started walking forward again, placing both cups of tea on the coffee table before he situates himself back onto the couch.
“Seems like Socks likes you,” he commented softly and Shoto turned his gaze back to Aizawa, eyes still shining with awe.
“His name is Socks?” he asked quietly as the cat curled up on his lap and the hero couldn’t hold back his smile. He gently grasped one of the cat’s fluffy white paws and Shoto’s eyes watched.
“Yep, because the white marks on his feet look like socks, see?” The kid’s eyes seemed to sparkle even more at this revelation. His hand raised over the cat, but his eyes moved to Aizawa, looking shy and timid for the first time.
“Can I pet him?” he asked nervously as if he thought the hero would say no, Aizawa just smiled comfortingly.
“Of course, kid,” The sparkles returned to Shoto’s eyes and he began to pet the cat very softly, as if he was worried that he might hurt the small creature. Aizawa could only watch amused as Shoto stroked the cat as if being permitted to pet it meant the world to him. However, the hero was also left concerned about what this meant, his thoughts returning to what could’ve happened in the kid’s past that caused him to behave the way he did.

Chapter Text

Aizawa sluggishly poured the coffee into two mugs, at this point it seemed to resemble sludge rather than coffee. He kept his strictly black and added his body weight in milk and sugar to the second mug; that lesson had been thoroughly learnt the previous morning when he'd tried to give Shoto black coffee and the boy spat it back into the mug before tearing up and asking Aizawa if he hated him. Unsuccessfully holding back an amused smile at the memory of the boy's dramatic display, he quietly passed the improved beverage to the teen that looked like he was about fall asleep into his cereal, receiving a sleepy "thank you," in return.

It seemed that Shoto shared Aizawa's love for sleep, in the few days the boy had been here, his behaviour in a morning remained consistent; movements sluggish, hair mussed and half-lidded eyes blinking confusedly at everything. Aizawa will never admit that his heart melted the first time he saw that and he was filled with the unreasonable urge to pinch the kid's cheeks. The kid had definitely become more comfortable around the hero but his usually calm eyes would snap open at any unrecognised sound and lock onto the source, hands going tense and face eerily blank. Aizawa would be impressed if the behaviour didn't worry him so damn much. He has yet to question it though because he's trying to make the boy feel as safe as possible and he honestly doesn't know if he's ready to hear about the shit the sweet kid has gone through.

"C'mon kid, chin up, we have stuff to do do today," Aizawa commented, ruffling the kid's hair as he walked to his seat with his breakfast, an action he's gotten into a habit of doing over the past few days. The first time he'd raised his hand to pat the kid's head, Shoto had flinched, bowed his head and screwed his eyes shut tightly. Aizawa had froze, it felt like all his blood had turned to ice and a dark shadow of dread overcame him; the pitiable look on Shoto's face made the hero want to cry after wrapping him up in something soft and hiding from the world to keep him safe. If he ever found out who did this to the kid, they'd be in for a world of pain. He pushed past his personal feelings and placed his hand on the teen's head, ruffling the soft strands of peppermint hair and doing his best to smile softly at the young boy. After a moments hesitation, the boy's eyes slid open peeked up at Aizawa through his fringe, awestruck and shocked by the simple gesture. The hero could swear he felt the kid gently press his head up into his palm, that was another hit to the heart that the hero was sure would take years off his life. That was all the convincing Aizawa needed to make the gesture a common occurrence.

The hero quickly cleared the memory, beginning to nibble on his toast absentmindedly, the teen looked up from where he was practically sleeping in his finished breakfast, blinking tiredly at Aizawa.

"U.A.?" he muttered, Aizawa smirked into the coffee, Shoto wasn't very eloquent in a morning.

"Yep," he confirmed, popping the 'P' slightly "We have to go talk to Principal Nedzu about your situation, i don't wanna get in trouble for kidnapping a kid," he joked.

Shoto looked down slightly sheepish playing with his fingers, eyes trained on the tortoise shell cat perched on his left thigh that was busy batting at his abandoned spoon that sat on the table. Both of Aizawa's cats had taken a liking to Shoto and the feeling was reciprocated tenfold, the kid seemed to love everything and anything feline (Aizawa had thought he himself was bad). Both socks and speckle can often be found curled up against the kid's left side, that being the side they both favour exclusively which Aizawa found slightly odd.

"Sorry for causing you trouble Aizawa-san" the boy said quietly.

"Kid, what trouble? I barely know you're here because you're so quiet," the hero chuckled, "and drop the 'san' will you? You make me feel old," he muttered lightheartedly.

"Sorry" the kid said again, causing aizawa to roll his eyes fondly.

"And the apologising too," he got up to put his cup in the sink after inhaling his coffee, "Go get ready kid, we're going to a school so lets dress a bit smarter than usual ok?" he turned his head, grinning tiredly at the kid who was taking his words completely seriously.

"Ok Aizawa-san," He said, getting up and gently placing speckle on the hardwood floor who padded after him into the spare bedroom anyway causing the hero to grin unreservedly. He checked his watch; 5.30, he'd usually never be up this early but they have to talk to Nedzu before homeroom at 8.25 so he wants to leave by 6.

"I'd better get ready too then," he murmured to himself before heading into his own room.

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The kid was waiting for him by the time he emerged from the bathroom, crouched down by the couch and dangling a toy mouse for socks to gently bat at. He must've heard the bathroom door though because he looked at the raven cat apologetically and placed the toy on the ground for the cat to continue to play with, standing up and turning to face Aizawa.

He did indeed look smarter considering the limited clothes he had to work with. Their short shopping trip for clothes that fit Shoto consisted of Aizawa going over to the section of clothes that looked roughly the kid's size, grabbing an armful and placing it in the basket. The kid had given him an encouraging thumbs up with a blank face and Aizawa realised they were probably both dumbasses. he'd also thrown in a pack of cat themed socks he'd caught the kid looking at and Shoto was unquestionably over the moon with them.

The teen had on a pair of casual, fitted black jeans underneath a white, long-sleeved, button-up shirt that he'd left untucked. it was baggy on his skinny frame, the cuffs covered his knuckles leaving only his pale fingers visible. his hair had been placed in a low ponytail, the peppermint strands falling to his lower back.

"Good job kid," Aizawa complimented, patting the teen's head, careful not to mess up his ponytail and the kid's eyes sparkled with accomplishment. Aizawa couldn't understand how the kid could convey his emotions so thoroughly with his eyes whilst keeping his face a blank slate. "C'mon then brat, lets get this over with," he said and headed for the door, with Shoto dutifully on his heels.