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Hitoshi knows he fucked up the moment Neito sits down next to him with a little eyebrow waggle.
"Don't," Hitoshi sighs out, even as his eyes go back to Katsuki almost immediately but he just can't help himself.
Katsuki is currently laughing like a maniac as he pummels most of Class 2A and 2B into the ground and it's clear he's having the time of his life.
He's absolutely radiant and Hitoshi is so damn smitten and Neito knows him too well to simply let it go.
"Him," Neito almost disdainfully says. "Really?"
"Oh, shut up," Hitoshi mutters and buries his face in his arms. "It's not as if anything is going to happen."
"Yeah, because you're a goddamn fucking idiot," Neito gives back without hesitation and Hitoshi lets out a small "Hey!".
He doesn't have it in him to really argue about that, because he is an idiot, as evidenced by him falling for the most unattainable classmate ever and he only hides his face harder.
"No, but for real, Toshi. Why haven't you said anything? You've been in love with him for weeks at this point."
"How the hell do you know that?" Hitoshi jerks his head up, his eyes wide as panic grips his heart because if he's so goddamn obvious about it then Katsuki has noticed it too and his life is most certainly over.
"Relax, you idiot," Neito sighs out and lists sideways to press their shoulders together. "I know you, remember? You're not obvious, so quit panicking."
"I'm obvious to you."
"Yeah, because I've known you for ages. Everyone else has only known you for a few months, there's no way they can read your dead-eyed stare."
"Thanks," Hitoshi drily gives back and Neito gives him a look before he looks back out to their classmates again.
"Are you going to tell him?"
"No way." Hitoshi's answer is immediate because no.
He might be training to be a hero, but he's not that brave especially not because Katsuki is going to fucking murder him for it.
"Why not?" Neito asks, tilting his head and looking back at Hitoshi. "Why not tell him? He might want you back."
"Right," Hitoshi snorts out. "Not even my own pa—guardians want me and you think he might. Funny, Neito, really."
Neito blinks slowly at that, clearly processing what Hitoshi just said and Hitoshi flushes when he realises that his damn mouth ran away from him for no reason at all and revealed one of his biggest hurts.
It's just to Neito, which is fine—he knows Hitoshi better than Hitoshi does himself sometimes—but this—it wasn't supposed to slip out.
"Wait, what?" Neito says after a long pause and Hitoshi lets out a long sigh.
He knows Neito is not going to let it go, will dig and prod and annoy until Hitoshi spills it all and for a quick moment he wants to be difficult, but it would only drag it out and not really change anything, so he gives him a wry smile.
"You heard me," Hitoshi whispers. "They don't want me and Katsuki won't either."
"What do you mean Aizawa and Yamada don't want you? They adore you."
"And yet they don't adore me enough to bring up adoption," Hitoshi mutters and curls up his legs, making himself as small as he feels when he thinks about this.
Neito blinks again, clearly not processing Hitoshi's words very well before he pushes himself to his feet.
"One moment," he faintly says and then, louder "Hey, Kendou! Lend me your quirk real quick!"
Neito jogs off, Kendou meeting him halfway without much fuss and after a quick brush of hands, Neito turns back around to Hitoshi, a manic glint in his eyes that makes Hitoshi scramble to his feet.
"Neito," he warily says but Neito only gives him his most deranged grin as his arm grows in size.
Hitoshi is off like a dart, but Neito is nothing if not good and he has borrowed Kendou's quirk often enough to be more than proficient with it, so it isn't long before he manages to grab Hitoshi and then he shakes him like a doll.
"You goddamn fucking idiot," Neito hisses and brings Hitoshi close, so he can spit it right in his face.
Hitoshi is distantly aware of some classmates staring at them, but no one is interfering because this is just a normal Tuesday for Neito and Hitoshi and Hitoshi groans.
"Will you stop?" he begs but Neito's eyes blaze.
"No. You're so incredibly stupid. Aizawa and Yamada might not be perfect but have they ever stepped over one of your clearly set boundaries?" he demands to know and Hitoshi frowns.
Aizawa and Yamada are really not perfect and they've had fights more times than Hitoshi can count before Hitoshi learned to explain things and Aizawa and Yamada learned to question things first but once Hitoshi puts his foot down about something, they respect it.
"No?"
"No," Neito nods and shakes Hitoshi again. "And what did you tell them mere days after you came to live with them?" he asks and Hitoshi wrecks his brain before all the blood rushes out of his face.
"That adoption is not a thing I ever want to talk about," he whispers out, completely horrified at that revelation.
"And what did I say to that when you told me about it?"
"That I'm stupid and that it will bite me in the ass."
"There," Neito smugly says, releasing Hitoshi, who half-heartedly glares at him.
"Fuck you," he mutters and Neito grins at him.
"We can, but I always pegged you as more of a romantic who doesn't fuck around for the fun of it. So maybe ask Bakugou about it."
"Fuck off," Hitoshi grumbles and Neito grows his hand a bit to better shove him away.
"No, you fuck off and go talk to your parents," he tells him and Hitoshi freezes with fear.
"You think—"
"They want to adopt you? Hell, Hitoshi, you really are so goddamn stupid. I bet they would have adopted you mere days after they took you in and just didn't because you shut that line down right from the start."
Hitoshi lets that sit for a moment, before his eyes dart back to Katsuki.
"And what about him? I never told him to not have feelings for me."
"No, but you did come into the hero course guns blazing and declaring that you're not here to make friends. Everyone is kind of afraid they are already pushing you by being your friend. You really think anyone is going to take it even further and potentially make you withdraw completely? They all love you too much for it."
"You can't just say that," Hitoshi whines out and covers his face with his hands, afraid that he's blazing red in the face.
"It's the damn truth, though, so either you man up and tell him or you continue your love-sick staring. Your choice."
"My choice, huh," Hitoshi mutters and watches how Katsuki explodes himself across the field, much to a shrieking Denki's delight and Hitoshi knows he could be right in the middle there and no one would mind at all.
As if Katsuki finally felt his stare, he stops the chase of Denki to turn around to Hitoshi.
"Oi, Eyebags, get over here and help me!"
"Now or never," Neito mutters from behind Hitoshi, like a small devil on his shoulder, and Hitoshi loves him more than he can say.
"No, you come over here!" he calls back to Katsuki, briefly leaning into Neito, hopefully conveying his thanks, before he walks over to the side of the field, away from most prying ears.
Katsuki jogs over as if it's totally normal for Hitoshi to order him around and Hitoshi can't help the surprised flush on his face.
"What?" Katsuki grumbles out, keeping half an eye on Denki in case he tries something stupid but Hitoshi only has eyes for Katsuki.
He's slightly panting, a thin sheen of sweat on his face, his unruly hair wind-swept and he smells so sweet that for a moment Hitoshi sways on his feet, almost dropping his head to Katsuki's neck.
Fuck, he really is so goddamn gorgeous.
"Listen to me," Hitoshi says, and just like that, Katsuki's attention snaps to him.
It's almost too much, having those bright eyes on him, being the sole centre of Katsuki's attention, and Hitoshi burns with it.
"What?" Katsuki asks, more serious now, clearly noticing that this is important and Hitoshi takes a deep breath.
"I like you. I really, really like you."
"Yeah, I should hope so," Katsuki says with a small smirk and Hitoshi huffs out a breath.
"No, I mean. Romantically. I like you romantically."
"That's called being in love," Katsuki corrects him and Hitoshi can feel himself go red in the face.
"Fine. I'm in love with you," he admits and Katsuki looks so smug, Hitoshi wants to kiss him. "You got something to say to that?" he dares to ask when Katsuki stays quiet for too long and Katsuki huffs.
"First you take forever to say something and now you're rushing me?" he demands to know and Hitoshi groans.
"I have not been obvious," he complaints, because he hasn't been, Neito was very clear on that and Katsuki barks out a laugh.
"No, you haven't been," he admits and takes a step closer, so that Hitoshi has to bow his head when Katsuki looks up at him. "We're going for dinner. Tomorrow. I choose the place and you don't dress like a slob."
"Rude," Hitoshi mutters, even as he nods because he's not stupid enough to turn down a dinner date with Katsuki.
"Which is how you like it," Katsuki very accurately says and then quickly turns his head, brushing their lips together for the briefest moment before he steps away, eyes immediately going to Denki again. "And now you die, Pikachu!" he yells out and Denki shrieks before he scrambles for his life again.
"Told you so," Neito's smug voice rings out behind him and Hitoshi turns to him with a bright grin.
"Yeah, you did," he easily agrees because he feels as if he's floating on cloud seven and Neito's face goes all soft.
"You insecure idiot," he mutters and then gently pushes his shoulder. "And now go and get your parents, too," he then says and for a moment worry grips Hitoshi's heart before he forces himself to relax.
There's no reason to worry—Neito clearly was right with Katsuki and Hitoshi has told his guardians to never talk about adoption.
And for all that they push him sometimes, they never cross any boundaries and Hitoshi laid that one out pretty early.
"Yeah, I think I will," Hitoshi decisively nods and then jogs off, certain that he'll find both Aizawa and Yamada in the teacher's lounge at this time.
He barges in, and feels bad for a split moment when Aizawa's head snaps up, and Yamada's face clouds over with worry.
"I need to talk to you," Hitoshi says before he can think better of it and immediately, both men sit up and give him their entire attention.
"Is everything okay? Did something happen?"
"If my problem children overdid it I'm going to expel them," Aizawa growls out and Hitoshi lets out a light laugh.
"Nothing happened and no one did anything," he says and then winces, which makes Aizawa narrow his eyes.
"Lie," he very accurately says and Hitoshi presses his lips together, blushing slightly.
"I—might have confessed to Katsuki," he admits and Yamada excitedly claps his hands together.
"And?" he eagerly asks and Hitoshi can't even begin to hide his huge smile, which is immediately met with Yamada's smile, while Aizawa lets out a long sigh.
"You couldn't have chosen a less problematic one?" he asks, but there is a small smile playing around his mouth, so Hitoshi knows he doesn't mean it.
"Excuse me, he's very on brand and chose a loud blonde, I really don't know what you expected," Yamada tells him and Hitoshi lets out a surprised laugh.
"Is this what you wanted to talk about?" Aizawa asks after a moment, patting the space next to him and inviting Hitoshi to sit with them.
"Not really," Hitoshi admits, and goes over, even though he feels too nervous to sit down.
But he does, because Aizawa asked him to and next to him is a place where Hitoshi feels safe.
"It's—fine, if I date Katsuki, right?" he can't help but to ask because he doesn't know. Sure, you'd think they won't say anything about it, but they might, because it's Katsuki.
"Of course it's fine, kiddo," Yamada says as he leans over and ruffles Hitoshi's hair. "Thank you for telling us and well done! Congratulations!"
"Thank you," Hitoshi mutters and ducks his head, before Aizawa nudges him.
"What else did you want to talk about?"
Immediately, the worry is back, because this feels somehow more important—and more daunting—than confessing to Katsuki and that's almost funny, because Aizawa and Yamada have shown him nothing but understanding and love since he came to stay with them and so this shouldn't be as terrifying as it feels right now.
"I'm—staying with you, right?" Hitoshi mutters out, fiddling with his shirt.
"Of course you are, Hitoshi," Aizawa immediately replies.
"This placement is not temporary, and we have no intention of making it so," Yamada chimes in as well, and they sound so sure about that and Hitoshi lets out a small chuckle when he realises that Neito must have been right about this.
He told them once that adoption is not something he wants to talk about and they accepted that and just left it.
And now it's on him to bring it up again.
"Have you ever thought about adopting me?" he weakly asks, his voice barely audible in the room and he feels Aizawa and Yamada share a look.
"You were very clear on that, kid," Aizawa finally says. "Adoption is not something you ever want brought up."
Again, Hitoshi fiddles with his hem.
"And what if that changed?"
"Kiddo, we need you to be very clear with us here," Yamada seriously says. "Because we're not going to do anything you don't want us to."
"I would love to talk about it," Hitoshi admits, his heart racing in his chest. "I'd love to be adopted."
It's difficult to say, because for the longest time Hitoshi feared that this was something that would never be in the cards for him; it was something he didn't let himself want, because no foster family would want to anyway but Aizawa and Yamada are different.
They want Hitoshi around, they want to be a family and even without adopting him, they call him kid and kiddo and son and Hitoshi wants it to be official.
"And we want to adopt you, kid," Aizawa gently gives back as Yamada crushes him to his side.
"We've had the papers in our drawer since even before you told us that you don't want it," Yamada tells him and immediately, Hitoshi's eyes burn.
"Really?" he whispers out, because to think that they have wanted this for so long is almost more than Hitoshi can take right now.
He thought they didn't want to—to learn that the opposite has always been the case is mind-boggling.
"Really," Aizawa firmly says. "And if you say your stance on that has changed, we'll apply for that today."
"Please," Hitoshi chokes out, because there's nothing more he wants right now and Aizawa brings up his arm around Hitoshi as well.
"Consider it done," he promises and Yamada lets out a happy laugh.
"Gonna make you our son for real," he proudly proclaims and Hitoshi ducks his head, a smile so wide on his face that his cheeks hurt and he leans into their embrace.
"Gonna have parents for real," he mutters and is promptly crushed by both of them.
They stay like that for a while and Hitoshi feels safe and protected and loved and thinking about Katsuki and Neito and all of their classmates only makes that feeling grow and grow and grow until he has to bury his face in his hands to hide his tears.
He's not doing a very good job about it, if the way Aizawa and Yamada tighten their embrace on him, but it still doesn't change anything.
Hitoshi is loved and he can finally accept it, too.