Chapter Text
Shinsou felt dirty. He hated feeling dirty and it was making him annoyed.
He hadn't bathed in nearly a week and the combined sweat and dirt had worked itself into a film of grime covering what felt like every inch of his skin. His clothes weren't much better. They had gone even longer without proper washing. The last few places they stopped at hadn't had facilities for laundering, not that they would have been able to dry overnight with the cool weather they had been having lately.
It had been ten days of walking during the day and camping out at new locations each night. They were following the old roads westward in search of a village they had heard about some time back. Winter was coming soon, probably in just a few weeks, and it was really best to stay somewhere moderately close to other people during the winters.
Shinsou was glad they would be staying in one place for awhile. He didn't mind the travel, in fact he loved the sense of novelty that exploration of the vast countryside gave him. But he was tired. And dirty. He hoped whatever abandoned house they found had some clothes in it. He could use some new ones.
Ahead of him on the faint trail they were following was Izuku, who Shinsou had come to regard as a brother during the several years they had been traveling as a group. The young teenager was practically prancing along the rocky ridge and something about his energetic enthusiasm pissed Shinsou off. He walked a little faster to catch up to the boy.
"You better not bring that ratty blanket in our sleeping bag tonight," Shinsou practically accused.
"Huh?"
"That smelly old blanket you have tied around your neck. You'd better not have it in our sleeping bag tonight."
Izuku ignored him and continued hiking among the gray rocks on their path.
Shinsou tried again, "You realize that's not even a real cloak, right? Cloaks have hoods. That's just an old piece of cloth thst barely counts as a cape."
Izuku turned and rivaled Shinsou's sneer with his own scowl.
"Shut up! I don't care!"
"You'd better hope that old safety pin keeping it together doesn't rust off. Then it'd really just be a stupid fucking blanket," Shinsou scoffed.
From down below them on the main portion of the trail a voice called up.
"Shinsou!"
Shinsou started, not realizing how far his voice might be able to carry. He leaned over the small ridge to see his father's blonde hair wrapped in a loose bun.
Without looking up at him Yamada mildly called out "Come down and walk with me for a bit."
Not bothering to look back at Izuku in case the brat had a smug look on his face, Shinsou began to climb down the short hillside. He let the dirt and gravel slide him down most of the way, leaning his heavy backpack into the side of the ridge. Whatever. He was dirty anyway. He jogged a bit to catch up with his father.
They walked together in quiet for a minute, Shinsou not looking at him and feeling a little bit guilty about harassing his brother. Yamada didn't scold him right away, though.
"Your pack pretty heavy still, Shin?"
"Yeah."
"That's good. Got the canned corn in yours and I'm craving some for tonight."
Shinsou trudged along quietly. It was still a couple more hours till they'd be able to stop for the night. The creek they were approaching was a welcome thought. At least he'd be able to wash his hair.
Yamada started again, "Ya know, it's good that your brother found those books. He's really gotten into them, huh? I couldn't believe he found the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. I bet his pack is heavier than either of ours with those books in it!"
Shinsou didn't look at him.
"Yeah," he muttered.
He felt his father look at him.
"Your brother is going to be your best and most long-lasting friend. You two will be there for each other longer than anyone else. He really looks up to you, ya know?"
Damn it. Now he really felt guilty.
"Yeah, I know."
From behind him, Shinsou heard another voice, deep and gruff.
"You been bothering your brother again, Hitoshi?"
Shit! When did he catch up to them? Shinsou quickly turned around to see his other father right behind them on the main trail. He hadn't been there when he got down here a few minutes ago!
Aizawa quickly made the final strides to walk right beside his husband and their oldest. Wrapped around his shoulders was a large, pale blue blanket stained with dust that swaddled his youngest. Eri was plastered against his upper back, her head leaning on his shoulder as she napped.
Shinsou pulled on his backpack straps as he hunched his shoulders, getting ready to huff out an annoyed response, but Yamada broke into the conversation before he could say anything.
"Shouta, I really want some corn tonight. Do we have some meat that we can have with that?"
Aizawa looked over his son for a few moments before shifting his focus to the blonde.
"Not much. We only have enough for a couple more meals. And we still have a ways to go before we can get more."
"Oh, that's alright! I think we all deserve a treat tonight. We've been walking for a while now."
Aizawa wordlessly assented and they continued walking.
--*~*--
It was approaching dusk when they heard the rushing of the creek echoing through the forest. Even Shinsou got a burst of energy as he heard it. The creek meant they would stop for the night and set up camp. It meant that they would have a warm meal and a bath and a peaceful night listening to the water flow past them as they slept by its bank.
Aizawa announced to the group, "Shinsou and Midoriya, you two go fetch wood for the fire once we get there. The rest of us will set up camp."
The two boys ran ahead, eager to decide on a spot for the family to spend the night and to do whatever was needed to fill their bellies. Shinsou spotted the creek first as he broke out past where the trees gave way to shoreline. Right up against the water was a slim, rocky beach. Between that and the forest was a grassy expanse, perfect for their site. Shinsou carelessly let his pack fall to the ground, happy to let his shoulders take a break from its constant weight. Midoriya followed suit.
Shinsou stretched his arms up and out, forgetting not to smile for a minute, then made his way back to the woods for kindling. He and Midoriya searched the ground for awhile, gathering up any piece that seemed dry enough to light. After they found all their arms could carry, they walked back to the creekbed. Their fathers were already there and pitching their tents. Eri had woken up and was pulling out sleeping bags as best she could.
Shinsou dumped his pile near the first tent then turned to his fathers. He approached Yamada, as he was still a bit out of sorts with Aizawa.
"Can I light the fire tonight, Papa?"
Yamada looked up to see a glimmer in his son's eyes. Perhaps he should be more worried about his pyromaniac tendencies. There was no harm in it tonight, though.
"Sure thing, kiddo," he smiled, "The flint is in my pack but you can use the lighter if you need it."
"Psh. I can do it!"
Shinsou loved using the flint to light fires. It made him feel powerful and knowledgeable... and somehow primal? Whatever. The lighter was for kids who couldn't get the flint to work. He was beyond that.
He grabbed the flint from his dad's pack, passing by Izuku as he did. The kid had settled down on his sleeping bag to read more of his books. Even after his talk with his dad, Shinsou still found himself annoyed. Those books were heavy and took up room that could be used for something more valuable, like tools or food. Besides, couldn't Izuku get off his ass and do something useful like he was? Well, maybe he did just want to light a fire for the sake of lighting a fire... But at least the family was gonna make use of it anyway! Shinsou shoved his feelings aside for now, determined to not let them interrupt the satisfaction of getting fickle flint sparks to catch on dry tinder.
When he got back to their firepit his fathers had left. Shinsou looked up ahead and saw Aizawa with his sister kneeling down by the creek. He had taken an old shirt and was dunking the folded up fabric in the flowing water to wash her. The water would be cold, Shinsou could imagine the feeling of it making him shiver even now, but it was better to essentially take a sponge bath than to dunk fully into the ice-cold creek. Yamada was further upstream collecting the clear water into their drinking vessels.
Shinsou used the kindling he had collected to begin building the fire. He piled up some dry grass to make a little nest to catch the sparks, then pulled out his pocket knife to strike the flint. Once he caught the grass, he gently blew on it to grow the tiny flame. Carefully, Shinsou grew it into a respectable fire, feeding it more kindling and wood until he thought it was big enough.
By now, the hunger that had been ghosting through him earlier was starting to really come alive. He decided that he should start heating up dinner so it would be ready once everyone got back. The corn was in his own backpack, so he easily procured several cans. Shinsou much preferred corn to beans, which they had irritatingly often, so he was actually looking forward to this meal. Plus, the promise of meat was alluring. While it wasn't the fresh meat they got to have right after his father got back from a hunt, the venison they had with them was preserved in salt, so it had plenty of flavor.
He set the cans of corn down near the campfire and went in search of the meat. It had been awhile since they had eaten any, so he wasn't sure whose bag it was in. He started with Yamada's, thinking if the man was so keen on meat he might want to keep it close to him, but no dice. Aizawa's pack was a likely choice. It was big and full of stuff, so it took a few minutes to really search through it all. Nothing there, either. Slightly miffed, he grabbed Izuku's pack. If it wasn't here, he was really going to be upset.
Opening up the top of it, Shinsou was met with the sight of Izuku's books taking up most of the room. He pulled them out one by one, attentive to any familiar white wrapping that they stored their preserved meat in. After removing the last book, Shinsou saw what felt like a crime. He found the meat, alright, but it was totally crushed! He quickly reached in to pull it out, but it fell apart in his hand. The once-intact strips of cured venison were mangled and smushed, the white wrapping mashed into it in places and leaving tiny bits scattered amongst the meat. Not all of it came out with the wrapping, either. More than half of it was crushed into the bottom and sides of Izuku's backpack, practically smeared into the dusty cloth.
"What the fuck!?!" Shinsou shouted, "Izuku, you little shit!"
Izuku whipped his head around to look at his brother, eyes wide.
Shinsou snarled, "Your stupid books smashed all the meat to bits! It's ruined now!"
Izuku scrambled from his spot to go look at his pack.
"What?"
"Look at it!" Shinsou threw a piece of the wrapper with some meat bits on it at him as he knelt down by the the bag. "It's all smashed and gross because you put your stupid fucking books on top of everything else! What's wrong with you?!"
"I didn't mean to!"
"Well you did and now our dinner is ruined! Papa and I really wanted that and now all we have is corn!"
Izuku's face turned bitter, insulted by the accusation. He felt angry tears beginning to well up, but resisted letting them show.
"Fuck off, Hitoshi!"
Shinsou lunged from where he was kneeling to push his brother down onto the ground. Just as he reared back his arm to begin the fight in earnest, he felt a large hand grab him right below his wrist.
"Hitoshi!" Aizawa snapped.
Still seething, Shinsou turned around to see his father behind him, holding onto his arm with one hand and his sister wrapped in a large blanket in his other arm. He heard Yamada running up behind them.
Aizawa glowered down at him.
"Hizashi, can you warm her up? I've gotta take care of this one," Aizawa said, lowering down Eri while never breaking eye contact with Shinsou.
He readjusted his grip to grab Shinsou's upper arm and pulled him up off his younger brother.
"He ruined it, Dad! His stupid heavy books smashed the meat and now we can't have any!"
"We're having a talk, boy," Aizawa responded darkly.
He shifted his hand to the back of Shinsou's neck and started pushing him towards the woods.
Shinsou knew what a 'talk' with his dad meant. Brows still knitted together in anger and self-pity, he didn't bother looking back at his papa for intervention. He knew that whatever charitable reprieve he may have earned that day had been given out on their hike earlier.
Once they were out of eyeshot of the campground, Aizawa let Shinsou go. The teenager hazarded a look at his father's face. He didn't look as mad as he feared, though he didn't look pleased, either.
"Wanna tell me what that was about."
The words implied it was a question, though Shinsou knew it wasn't. No, he thought, I want to eat a good fucking dinner for once.
"He crammed his stupid books on top of the meat and smashed it all up," Shinsou replied, looking down at the carpet of dead leaves covering the ground and hating the whiny tone of his voice.
"It's been a long time we've been on the move," said Aizawa after a moment, "It'll be good to settle down for a while. Get you kids some real food and let you relax a bit."
Shinsou didn't respond. He felt his anger slowly fading as they stood in the quiet woods. If he was honest with himself, it wasn't really Izuku he was mad at.
"I've talked with you about this before, haven't I, Histoshi?"
The stern edge to his father's voice gave Shinsou more than a little apprehension.
"Yes, sir."
"I expect you boys to help each other, to be there for each other."
Aizawa started walking towards a felled log that Shinsou hoped against hope he wouldn't notice.
"And I don't tolerate you boys fighting."
"No, sir."
Shinsou studied the ground for a few seconds.
"You gonna whip me now," he said quietly.
"C'mere."
Shinsou hated this part. Sometimes he wished that his dad would just grab him and not make him walk over himself. Though, he recalled, the few times he had tried to actively resist didn't work out too well for him in the end. He knew he didn't really have a choice and slowly made his way toward the man.
Shinsou expected to be told to bend over the log but was surprised when his dad propped his foot up on it instead. Aizawa reached out and pulled his son across his knee. It had been awhile since he was honest-to-goodness spanked instead of whipped, and the position made Shinsou feel rather childish.
Aizawa laid one hand over the boy's back, rubbing it gently.
"I think you're about too old to be starting fights with your brother, Hitoshi."
He brought his other hand down on his bottom with a pop. Not the hardest he's ever spanked the kid, but not particularly gentle.
"Your brother likes those books. Let him have them."
Smack.
Smack.
Hitoshi grunted softly.
"If you're having trouble, come talk to me or your papa."
Smack.
SMACK.
"Journeys like this are hard, I know."
Smack.
Smack.
"But it's hard for your brother, too. So please give him the benefit of the doubt."
Smack.
Smack.
Shinsou's breath hitched a little at that. He wasn't in the most pain, just an uncomfortable tingling that was making him squirm a bit, but the memory of how he had acted toward Izuku that day had him feeling pretty guilty.
"I've spoken to you about this before. I don't like repeating myself, Hitoshi. I know this wasn't the first time today you started something."
Crap. Shinsou thought he had gotten away with picking on Midoriya earlier.
Aizawa reached under him to undo his pants. Shinsou let out a quiet groan as he felt them being pulled down. He braced himself for the worst of it. But his dad just rested his hand lightly on his pinkened bottom.
"Your papa won't always be around to protect you, but he was today," said Aizawa with a hint of a smile on his voice.
SMACK.
SMACK.
Two fast, hard slaps rocked Shinsou forward in quick successions, drawing a yelp out of the boy.
Shinsou honestly expected more, but his dad was already pulling up his pants. He lifted the teen from his knee with a hand around his bicep, then pulled him into his large embrace.
"I know I don't have to tell you to apologize to Izuku because you're a good boy, Hitoshi."
Shinsou pushed his face harder into the man's warm chest. The spanking hadn't made him want to cry, but that did.
After a few moments they made their way back to the temporary campsite. To Shinsou's surprise, he smelled salted meat that had been heated over the fire. His face turned red as everyone looked at him, but no one said anything.
Yamada smiled gently and spoke first, "We decided to make a stew. Doesn't matter what shape the meat is in for that to work!"
Shinsou looked over to Midoriya's backpack and saw that scraps of white wrapper lay scattered beside it. They had clearly gone through what was left of the venison and picked out all the smashed up wrapper.
"Thanks, guys," Shinsou said quietly as he knelt down by the fire.
He was pretty worn out by the day, so he didn't even resist when Yamada pulled him in for a hug and kissed the top of his head.
They dished up the hot stew and ate while they drifted into companionable chat.
After dinner, Shinsou washed the dishes in the creek while Midoriya zipped together their sleeping bags so they could share each other's body heat throughout the cool night. Before slipping into their tent, Shinsou walked back towards the woods. It was light enough with the moon that he could just make out the path in front of him. He leaned over, searching the ground for a bit until he found what he was looking for. He picked it up, looking it over to make sure it was the right shape. Once satisfied, he headed over toward his and Midoriya's tent.
Inside, Midoriya was already in their sleeping bags. Shinsou crawled in toward where his brother's pack had been stowed away.
"Izu, I'm sorry about today."
Midoriya sat up and looked at him.
"It's ok."
Shinsou picked up Midoriya's blanket-cape from where it had been tossed over his pack. He shuffled it around until he found the safety pin that kept it closed at the front. Undoing it, he slipped something onto the pin that Midoriya couldn't quite see.
"Here," said Shinsou as he handed over the cape.
Midoriya looked down and on the pin was a big, green leaf.
"The Fellowship wear those, right? A leaf of Lorien," Shinsou mumbled as he sat down on his side of the sleeping bags.
Midoriya looked up at him with big, green eyes and an awed smile on his face. Then he tackled his brother in a tight hug.
"Thank you, Toshi!"