Chapter Text
Shōta Aizawa did not expect his morning to end up like this. It started out standard enough, he was woken up at 9 am by his daughter bouncing on the couch he’d fallen asleep on. The silver haired girl handed him the house-phone and he groggily answered.
“Hello?”
“Oh good you’re not dead”
Shōta groaned at the loud voice of his coworker, already feeling a headache from going to sleep at 3 am “What is it Nemuri?”
“Present Mic, we got a call from the mall, a couple of stores were broken into and he’s on the run, we were able to track his location but we need your erasure” The rated R hero explained quickly
“Send me the location, I’ll be down in two minutes, get me an espresso with twelve shots”
He hung up before he could hear her protests.
He left Hitoshi with the keys and control of the house, pet the cats and jumped out to start the day. Scarf in hand, uniform on and headache subdued to a minor inconvenience he was ready to catch the obnoxious villain once and for all.
Shōta was rammed into a wall by the force of the sound, he could feel the cement crumbling beneath his back. Blood and sweat dripped form his brow as he launched himself back into action against the villain. Present Mic looked surprised the latter was able to get back up, but dodged the scarf attack thrown at him
“Y’know Eraser-you’re real stealthy when you wanna be!” He heaved as he ran and jumped, ensuring he never made eye contact with the hero
The pro grunted and he whipped his scarf, “And you’re a pest” he grumbled, jumping and attempting to wrap the scarf around Mic’s mouth.
He’d overshot the throw and the material instead proceeded to hit one of the already crumbling pillars. For a moment time paused, and then it all nearly crumbled onto Present Mic. The pillar fell quickly, but before the blonde could react, in came a scarf.
With an iron tug Shōta grabbed the villain by the waist and pulled him out just before the rubble hit.
There was a pause, a split second where all that could be heard was the heavy panting of the two men. It didn’t last long, as Mic scrambled to get out of Shōta’s grasp, but that’s when he decided it’d be a great time to activate erasure.
So with red eyes and flying hair he securely tied the scarf around Mic’s arms and mouth, forcing him to shut up for once but ensuring he could still walk.
“You cause a lot of trouble you know” huffed the raven-haired, chest falling rhythmically up and down as the adrenaline of the battle faded and the muscle pain and headache set in.
The blonde just laughed at that, surprisingly not attempting to run away.
“I’m a pest? I keep you guys in business!” Came a muffled response from the blonde
“The office isn’t far and I hope you like walk-“
There’s a sudden rustle from far in the rubble, Aizawa turns just in time to see a spear heading directly to his head. Ducking quickly he covers his head waiting for an impact that never comes. When he opens his eyes he realizes the spear had turned to,,,,was that ink? There was a dripping spot on the wall where his head had been just moments before. He fumed at the blonde.
Mic looked petrified, from behind his broken orange glasses his green eyes were wide as saucepans. He didn’t seem to care that he was being vulnerable, that scared Shōta. With another rustle came another shot, this time a succession of arrows, all which he narrowly avoided by jumping, ducking, or running with Mic trailing behind him.
The attacker, whoever they were, didn’t stop shooting at them even when he was running from the scene and towards the police office. His tired eyes didn’t get a good look at his attacker but he could hear them breathing as he ran, they never seemed to fumble or trip despite the amount of debris in the surrounding area.
He needed to get whoever it was to stop shooting, it was really slowing down his process. Making sure that Mic was still tied with his scarf he used the other end and threw it back. There was a cry of protest as he felt it wrap around someone, dragging them to the ground.
Shōta Aizawa in his years of hero work had seen all kinds of villains. Small time crooks with ski masks robbing jewelry stores, high end villains with poison darts, he’s seen his fair share of people so far into crime no one could save them.
What he saw in front of him was a child.
She looked to be about Hitoshi’s age, 16 maybe? Her hair was long and blonde, her skin light and smeared with dirt from the fight. She had a tattered light brown scarf covered in ink stains and dirt, wore a brown jacket, brown shorts, a teal shirt with a star design on it, and spiked boots.
He reconnected the goggles thrown on the ground were hers as well, she held on to the pencil in her hand for dear life as she furiously tried to conjure an attack weapon. Shōta pulled on the scarf, dragging her closer to him and making her shriek. If he’d turned to see Mic he’d have noticed the voice villain looked ready to knock him dead.
Before Shōta could get her close enough to question a ghastly scream nearly shattered his eardrums. He took a couple of steps back, Mic had a look of panic on his face and the pencil girl had a smirk. Bewildered he looked around for the source of the sound, ears ringing and probably bleeding if the wetness was anything to go by.
“Leave them ALOOOONEE” came another high pitched shriek, this time from behind Shōta, knocking him to the ground from the unexpected sound. Gritting his teeth and making sure the other two didn’t escape he whirled around and activated his quirk.
There was a Yelp and from a height of two feet above his head fell,,,another kid?!
This one was tanner than the other, with shocking white hair with frosty blue edges that stood up like clouds. He wore a dark hoodie and a stereo system similar to the older villain. He also laid face flat on the ground and his chest barely moved up and down.
“HIDE!!” Screamed the girl, trying to run to the boy however her attempts were stopped by the scarf tied around her foot.
She struggled and fought, but the scarf remained stubbornly against her. She huffed and looked to Present Mic, who stared back with a look that seemed broken.
“Don’t fight it Sketchy” he murmured only for her to hear “They finally caught us”
Present Mic, who Shōta learned was actually named Hizashi Yamada, was promptly handcuffed and put into temporary police custody in the mini-soundproof-cell the office had. The villain had been surprisingly cooperative in the whole arrest, answering police’s questions and quietly entering the cell.
Shōta was going to need another cup of coffee to deal with the kids however.
Refusing to get cleaned up or say a word, both of them sat in the questioning office. The blonde staring angrily at the raven-haired man in front of her and the white haired boy coughing furiously next to her.
Shōta noticed he coughed up worrying amounts of blood, and offered him a box of tissues, which the girl promptly pushed away.
“We don’t need your pathetic sympathy” she spat at the erasure hero
“And he NEEDS his popsicles”
Shōta raised an eyebrow so high it might’ve flown off his face “Which are?”
“Well you’d know if you hadn’t locked up our Duncle!!” She exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table “We don’t have to tell you anything! You’re just working against us, you-“
She was cut off by the boy sputtering between his coughing “It’s pomegranate, apricot, banana, and m-mulberries” he explained with a hoarse voice “-and fuck you for locking our Duncle up” before turning pale and throwing up a pile of blood next to the plastic chair he sat in.
The blonde girl had flipped him off before helping the latter up from the floor and the pile of blood.
God he needed another coffee.
Shōta was on his fourth cup of coffee, sitting at his desk and flipping through a surprisingly small folder of information. There was the buzz of the door unlocking and the loud blonde villain came into his office, a toothed smile on the latter’s face despite being handcuffed.
“Still haven’t had enough of me huh Eraser?” Quipped Present Mic as he took a seat in the plastic chair in front of the desk
‘If it was up to me I’d never see you again’ he thought rolling his eyes before reading off the information before him
“Hizashi Yamada, born in Japan and attended Highschool not for heros” Shōta read in a monotone voice
“Your crime spree started about four years ago mostly in urban areas-“ Aizawa squinted at the paper then looked back up, his trainer face not reflecting the perplexion in his voice
“You started out calling yourself Trojan Bat?”
Present-No-Yamada-squirmed in his seat uncomfortably “YeahH I was still working on things with my brand”
Aizawa sighed, the metal and plastic chair creaked under his weight as he sat down in front of the desk littered with pens and papers. The blonde criminal sitting in front of him was handcuffed and was currently whistling. The tired hero shot him a glance that immediately made the latter shut up.
“So Yamada, you don’t seem like the kind to kidnap kids. What gives?”
Hizashi quirked his head “‘Scuse me?”
“Your accomplices? They continually refer to you as their ‘Duncle’, and beg for us not to hurt you. What gives?”
“You have their files don’t you? Why don’t you just read them?”
Aizawa groaned and rubbed his temple “Because I want to hear it from you” In all honesty wanted to make sure these kids were being cared for properly. They may be with this villain but that didn’t mean they were bad kids.
Hizashi sat up a bit “Well well it seems Eraser’s got a soft spot!” He chuckled but a death glare shut him up
“Fine fine- one of them’s my nephew, Hideaki”
“Yes the Kita boy, he has big names attached to him”
The blonde rolled his eyes “Yeah, parents basically let him starve, real grade A pros!” He said through gritted teeth
“He ran away when he was 12 and came to my place. I didn’t have the heart to turn him away so he’s stayed with me ever since” There’s a small smile on the crook’s face
“Honestly he’s a great kid, he has a damaging power but if he learns how to use it he could save so many people”
Shōta pauses at that, looking up from writing down to see Mic. Did he actually look…soft? Ridiculous, his lack of sleep must’ve been getting to him
“And the girl?”
“Uh she has a name? It’s Shaelynn?”
“American?”
“Canadian. Parents abandoned her here because they didn’t want a ‘disgrace’ for a daughter” The end of that sentence was lathered in hatred and almost growled out
“If I ever meet them I will kill them-“
“You will face life sentences” Aizawa deadpanned
“And I’ll serve them! Shae-Sketch-is amazing. She’s wild sure but her creations and talent are unmatched. I can’t believe anyone would give up on a girl like her”
“Is she, your daughter?”
“I mean. Sure? Yes? They’re both like my kids”
Aizawa hummed “Didn’t take you for the fatherly type”
Hizashi scoffed before the hero piped up “I actually have two kids, Eri and Hitoshi”
The blonde’s eyebrows flew up to his forehead, lifting inquisitively.
“Eri was part of a genetic experiment and Shinso was orphaned” Shōta explained, pulling out one of the drawers and showing Mic their family picture.
It was the three of them and four cats. Mic’s wide eyes darted between the questioner and the picture. He smirked.
“If you hurt them I will mutilate you”
“Chillll Eraser you clearly love them” Hizashi said as Aizawa put the picture away “I’m a villain sure, but I’d never break a family apart”
At this Shōta paused. It was getting harder and harder to see Mic as an evil villain and more of a man similar to himself. He shook his head, sympathy did not bode well in the hero force, especially not towards villains.
“What was the kid's involvement in the crimes?” He pressed on
Hizashi grumbled “I never let them get involved in nothing too serious, they’re kids. I didn’t want them to-to follow my footsteps”, the words were heavy with disappointment
Shōta continued “With the crimes you have committed you could be facing up to 10 years in prison with labour” he read off, the villains’ head shot up at that
“You can’t lock me up for ten years!!” He shouted desperately, the sound rattling the glass in the office and making a couple stunned officers turn to look their way.
Shōta instinctively activated his quirk, Mic stared at him with terrified eyes.
“Please. You can’t keep me away from them for that long they-Eraser I’m the only family they got” The blonde pleaded, green eyes staring into the glowing red ones, trying to grasp anything they could get.
Shōta sighed and rubbed his eyes in pain, applying a couple of drops that were a constant at his desk. Hizashi still hadn’t dropped the eyes, damn Shōta and his heart.
“But the courts are willing to offer a deal” the pro added, the blonde looked like he was going to soar
“Provide information about the criminal underground They are starting a new rehabilitation program that should reduce your sentence to about a year and a half”
Hizashi’s face was full of relief before it filled with worry for a moment. “Era-I’m not getting more years added if I call you Aizawa going am I?”
Shōta was going to ignore why his heart raced at that as he looked up from the files he was reading, shaking his head in a no.
“Aizawa. Keep my kids safe”
The words rang through the office, silence so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Hizashi sunk his head into his hands and sighed deeply
“I know I’ve done bad things. I know I haven’t been a good role model-I’m a criminal for God’s sakes!- but those kids”
He went quiet again, Shōta checking in the corner oto make sure he hadn’t passed out from exhaustion. The blonde was shaking slightly, covered in grime and sweat. He resembled a lost kitten in the rain more than a hostile villain.
“They deserve the world. They deserve everything. Keep them safe for me”
Shōta Aizawa was levelheaded, this was a fact. He acted rationally and rarely on impulse (unless cats were involved). His actions were calculated, carefully thought out to examine every avenue of chaos that might come.
That rationale was thrown out the window as he signed the temporary guardianship papers for the two criminal children. He sighed deeply and sunk into his chair, what was he getting himself into?
He had a family at home, he was bringing potential danger to his home, the amount of information people would die for was about to be handed to these teenagers on a silver platter. But.
He couldn’t bring himself to.
The kids deserved a good future, they had so much potential, and he felt compelled to give it to them.
“Where is our Duncle” the blonde demanded, her handcuffs being removed
“Going to jail, the only reason you’re not with him is no crimes could be traced to you” Shōta explained calmly, placing the handcuffs on the desk and motioning to Hideaki’s so he could remove them.
“If-If he’s okay then-then let us see him” The boy snapped, making the pro sigh
“You’ll get to see him on weekends” Shōta explained tiredly “I cannot allow you to see him as he is now under police custody”
“Then-where are you taking us?” Sketch asked, her laced with curiosity and fear
“You have no parental guardians” Shōta said bluntly “As you were not arrested you will be put
in a rehabilitation program, under my supervision”
Sketch and Hide stared at the stoic hero in front of them, then to each other, then back to the hero. A mixture of shock and disbelief written on both their faces
“We’re-we’re what?” The ghost boy stuttered
“The program entails full societal reincorporation. You will be attending U.A. highschool and be enrolled in the hero course. You will be staying at the Aizawa residence.”
The: You will have a normal life went unspoken. The teenagers looked bewildered and Shōta continued
“You are both to be model students, you are sworn to secrecy about anything you overhear relating to my career and if you disobey the terms as I am stating you will be put into a juvenile delinquents facility” Shōta dictated
“Do I make myself clear”
Both teenagers nodded slowly, unreadable expressions on both their faces. They were going to have another chance.
“Aizawa please correct me if I’m mistaken” The principal said, stirring a cube of sugar into his scolding tea with a pink spoon
“You want me to allow entrance to two delinquent teenagers to one of the most prestigious hero schools in all of Japan?” Nezu said, his tone calm to the untrained ear
“I have everything they need to transfer-“ Shōta started before the mouse cut him off
“The THINGS I do for this school- they could be working for the League Aizawa.” Nezu deadpanned
“You have given these two possibly dangerous and violent individuals a one way ticket to the biggest information leak they could possibly want”
He sighed deeply and gently lifted his spoon from his teacup, placing it on a carefully placed napkin. Shōta shuffled the papers in his hands nervously.
“I will look over their files and give them one. Chance.”
Shōta’s eyes didn’t give him away, he was too trained to do that, but he caught his breath in disbelief.
“If they disobey even the smallest rule or cause any public disturbances I will expel them immediately and you with them” The principal perkily said, patting the side of his desk.
Shõta placed the papers and bowed in respect “Thank you”
“Yes. Goodbye” Nezu chirped
“I’m spending ALL this guys cash” Sketch said in a sneaky gremlin voice to Hideaki in the backseat of the blue car.
They were going to buy clothing, furniture and decorations for their new rooms with the other Aizawa’s, all together in a car. Their first introductions had been brief, but awkward. Hitoshi was not keen on having new people enter his household, much less ex-criminals. Eri’s too many experiences with bad guys made it hard for her to trust them, opting to cower behind her brother despite the two teenagers posing no visible threat.
The only ones who seemed to give the teenagers a chance were the cats. A chonky calico, named Maru they later found out, came and curled up to Sketch’s leg. She was slightly startled, the cat curling into her hand as she wanted to be scratched. A black cat with a scar over their right eye stared at them from the top of shelves, eyeing them suspiciously, Hideaki nervously caught his eyes.
“That’s Akumi” Hitoshi says plainly, walking next to the other teenagers “He’s protective”
So the teens found themselves in the car on the way to the shopping center they’d once committed minor vandalism and shoplifting at. Not that anyone needed to know. They spent most of the day browsing stores and buying their new wardrobe, with a variety of plushies thrown in of course.
They’d done about an hour’s worth of shopping and Shōta was exhausted. The two kids barely talked to him, mostly straying away from the group to browse their own sections. Eri stayed close to her older brother and Hitoshi didn’t go near them. He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning on the side of a clothing rack.
“WooW Zawa! You got yourself two more kids!” The loud voice of Emi joked, arm lazily wrapped around Nemuri’s waist as they walked towards the family
Sketch and Hideaki’s entire faces froze, Shōta stared at the couple in a look between shock and mild perplexion. How was he supposed to explain “These are the kids who are under my custody because their guardian is in jail, yes it’s as ridiculous and risky as it sounds” without drawing too much attention? He tried to formulate the words but Sketch cut in before he could
“He’s not our Dad” the blonde responded, voice flat and tone deadpan, grip tightening over the shopping bags she held.
The teal haired woman didn’t miss a beat and laughed “You’re a riot! I’m Emi Fukukado, but YOUU can just call me Miss Joke!” She answered with a smile and an extended hand. Aizawa sighed, thankful for not having to explain.
Shae stared at the hand and didn’t take it, it fell back on the hip of its owner. The pro hero wasn’t startled and smiled casually, the woman with red glasses spoke
“So what calls for a shopping trip? I hardly see you in the mall” Nemuri asked, raising an eyebrow
“They’re getting a room upgrade” Shōta explained, voice sounding tired as he felt.
Nemuri’s eyes flickered between the kids and the other Pro hero, widening behind her red glasses. Shōta was going to have to fill her in. He was not looking forward to that conversation.
Hideaki fidgeted with the collar of his uniform, Sketch balanced on her heels as they waited outside the classroom labeled 1-A. Neither of them had bothered peeking through the blinds, they hadn’t been keen on making friends anyways. If their lives on the run taught them anything, it was you travel faster without useless weight. Shōta opened the door motioning for the two students to come in.
With a shaky breath Sketch walked in the classroom, eyeing the class curiously from behind her new glasses. The students sitting in front of her had a variety of quirks, some noticeable ones being the girl growing flowers out of her hair, the creature that looked like a void, the girl with large wings, a girl showing how many books she could lift with her hair to a cat girl, wild class. She stepped to the center of the classroom, Hideaki by her side, right next to a podium where another student stood, he smiled primly.
“Alright class, these are our new students!” He spoke out clearly, turning to face them slightly “I am Orion, class representative. On behalf of all of 1-A we give you a warm welcome”
Sketch scowled at the towering gaze of the rep, Hideaki looked ready to melt into the floor.
“I’m-I’m Hideaki” Hide introduced nervously
“I’m Shaelynn” she said straight-faced
The class waited silently, expecting them to continue with more information, but the two new students nodded and sat in the only two empty chairs left.
“I should’ve been stronger” Sketch muttered as Hideaki fumbled with the radio
They were sitting at the school rooftop, it was their first week of classes and things were going fine. The duo hadn’t gotten into any accidents or caused any intentional harm. They followed rules and turned in assignments. They came home and went to their rooms. Hideaki stopped fiddling with the radio to face his partner in crime. Sketch was sitting criss-cross applesauce, staring down at the paper in her lap with a scowl.
“If I was-if I’d been stronger then I could’ve actually hit him!” She exclaimed in frustration, fist coiled around the pencil in her hand
“Then we wouldn’t be in this whole situation!” Her voice got louder, before coming down to a lower tonality
“We’d be back all together again” she whispered, her face looking like a wounded kitten
“Sketch don’t-don’t blame yourself” Hideaki said genuinely, staring up from the radio at her
“You are su-super talented, you wouldn’t-wouldn’t know we w-were up against a pro hero”
Sketch shrugged “I guess” her voice giving away that she was clearly not convinced.
“We’ll see h-him soon” The taller boy consoled, before smacking the radio he was trying to get to work “We’d he-hear him a lot sooner if thi-this da-“
The radio was plucked out by a pair of light brown, fluffy hands. Hide stared up in disbelief and Sketch scrambled up defensively, pencil ready to draw any attack. The individual who’d grabbed the radio didn’t even flinch at the movements, simply placing the radio in between their two orange antennae.
“-Hello Listeners from far and wide! Welcome to the one week anniversary of PUT YOUR HANDS UP RADIO! I am your host, the alustrious Present Mic! And we have a RADICAL collection of songs today as well as callers so tune in and enjoy the show-!”
The person put down the radio as a groovy 70’s song played. The ex-delinquents stared at the uninvited guest.
They were shorter than Hideaki but taller than Sketch, with light brown skin and reddish-orange hair that faded into a light magenta. They wore large sunglasses of which behind could be seen two eyes with no whites, just darkness and orange pupils. Two large moth wings were spread out, the fur on them matching the one on their neck, legs and hands. They sat next to Hide, either not sensing the awkward tension or really not caring.
“I usually sit down by the trees. But you not being able to make the radio work was sad” they say, in Hideaki’s own voice which made the ghost boy jump up in surprise
The newcomer giggled “I get that reaction a lot. I’m Yasu Hasegawa, you both are in my homeroom class”
Sketch started to nod slowly as she remembered seeing the individual in their classes, mostly remembering them for the intense staring competition they’d had during practice with Britany.
“What do you want” The blonde said bluntly “We’re listening to our show so don’t interrupt”
“I like this show” Yasu said plainly, folding up their wings “It’s new but the music is good the host is great”
“Yeah that’s-that’s our Duncle” Hideaki explained, earning a curious look from the moth creature
“Her Dad, my Uncle. Well, technically my Dad kinda-not-not biological speaking-we-well except for the Uncle p-“
“He’s family” Sketch summarized, cutting Hideaki off
Yasu was nodded in understanding, Hideaki gave them a curt nod. “Do you see him often?”
“N-No. But at least with the callers we can-can sorta t-talk”
“We see him on weekends, but he’s-“ The blonde trailed off, debating how much they should reveal to the newcomer. Any lie she could think of was just as ridiculous as the truth, and maybe with the truth Yasu would stay away as they were ‘evil villain kids’.
“He’s in jail” she finished after her pause
The moth did not seem startled at all at the discovery, Sketch and Hideaki both blinked and stared at each other, then back at Yasu. They didn’t have much time to talk before the caller section of the radio show began, both teens scrambling to get their code sheet.
They’d been given a guide that detailed how they could speak to Mic without revealing he was their family. Yasu watched as Hideaki dialed the caller number.
“You’re on the air with Present Mic! What’s on your mind listener?”
Sketch’s breath hitched, her hand trembling around the phone. She wanted to scream. She wanted to tell him she was okay, Hideaki was okay, that they needed him. They missed him so much. She needed him back.
“-Hey Mic! It’s your number one fans!” She greeted, her voice tight but the mask of enthusiasm present
Mic’s line went silent for a second before he laughed “Star and Ghosty Kid! How are things at the new place?”
Shae nearly teared up at the genuine tone in the the hosts’ voice. She giggled, wiping her eyes slightly “We’re doing okay-it’s nice and big, there’s cats here”
Mic chuckled slightly “That’s really great to hear. No causing trouble, you hear? I’m really glad you’re both safe”
Sketch nodded, she opened her mouth to add more before her line was cut short. She scowled at the phone as Mic took another call, an excited fan. She’d wanted to say how much she missed him. How much he meant to her, how she wishes with all her heart that he would be okay. That their family would be okay.
Hideaki wrapped his arms around her and gave Sketch a quick side hug “We’ll see him soon” he whispered reassuringly
The blonde nodded, but just as Hide was removing himself Yasu hopped into the group hug, fluffy arms enveloping the duo in a warm embrace. Hide squirmed trying to escape but was puzzled into pausing at the soft feeling of fur on his skin.
“I don’t fully understand what you’re going through. But I’m going to stick around”
Shae tried to squirm away but the fur felt like a weighted blanket. She sighed in defeat of the hug, her mind racing with a plan.
She was going to get her father out.