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The sun was just beginning to set as Eijiro and Hanta made their way through the near-empty streets, the evening air working to cool them off after their joint patrol on the outskirts of Musutafu. It wasn’t very often that anyone in their core friend group got assigned to the same patrol, so they always enjoyed the rare instances when they got to work together as a team. They had taken down a mutual record of six villains throughout the day, and they were both excited to get back to the school and tell their other friends all about it.
The two third years were walking leisurely, cracking jokes and playfully bumping shoulders as they made their way back to UA. “D’you think the rest of the squad’ll be as impressed with us as we are?” Hanta lilted, a crooked grin decorating his face.
Eijiro matched his grin. “Hell yeah, man,” he cheered, before pausing to consider for a moment. “Well, maybe not Katsuki.”
Hanta laughed, light and carefree. “Yeah, he’ll probably say something like well, why wasn’t it seven?” He pitched his voice down to mimic the blond, pulling laughter from Eijiro as they rounded the upcoming corner.
But their laughter died quickly in their throats as someone suddenly came running full speed towards them, forcing them apart as they bumped roughly against Eijiro’s shoulder. “Hey, watch where you’re going!” Hanta called out as he turned to look back at the assailant; but as he turned back towards Eijiro, opening his mouth to make some kind of snarky comment, something froze him in his tracks.
Because Eijiro wasn’t there. Not his Eijiro, anyway.
Hanta blinked, gaze naturally panning down until it landed on a small child, who was blinking up at him with familiar red eyes. “Ei- Eijiro?” he choked out, breath catching in his throat as he stared at the boy with wide eyes.
The boy’s bottom lip jutted out in a pout, wobbling slightly as his ruby eyes began to fill with tears. “O-oh shit, um—” Hanta paused, swallowing thickly as he crouched down before the boy, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t have been more than five or six.
“Hey. Hey, it’s okay,” he murmured lowly, still reeling with confusion as he attempted to console the young Eijiro, who was now crying openly in front of him. He smoothed a strand of jet-black hair from the boy’s face as he spoke. “It’s gonna be alright, okay?” he said, half to Eijiro and half to himself. “L-let’s get you back to the school.”
With one more deep breath, Hanta scooped up little Eijiro into his arms, wrapping a trembling arm around his back as he forced his eyes forward. “Hang on, okay?” he murmured before breaking into a sprint towards the school.
***
Denki and Mina were sitting thigh-to-thigh in the lounge, currently locked in an intense game of Mario Kart, and they were shoving each other playfully as they maneuvered around the track. Katsuki was leaning back on the adjacent couch, pretending not to care who won as he watched out of the corner of his eye, silently rooting for Mina’s Princess Peach.
Just as the girl crossed the finish line, erupting into a cheer while Denki groaned beside her, they heard the door slam open aggressively, and they each glanced up as Hanta backed into the room. “Uhh, guys,” he muttered, still panicked as three sets of eyes fell to the familiar yet foreign child in his arms. Katsuki’s eyes widened in immediate recognition. “We’ve got a problem.”
Katsuki rushed to stand, immediately moving towards them as the boy sniffed in Hanta’s arms. “The Hell happened?!” the blond questioned gruffly, wincing as the boy’s lip wobbled. He swallowed thickly, softening his voice as he spoke again. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re alright.”
Denki came up from behind him then, studying the child with wide eyes. “His hair is black??”
Hanta shot him an incredulous look, adjusting his hold on the boy. “Dude, that is so not our biggest issue right now.”
Mina rolled her eyes, brushing past Denki to approach the scene. She grinned softly at little Eijiro, gently peeling the boy from Hanta’s hold. Her gaze flicked back towards Hanta. “Go call Aizawa,” she said lowly. “And tell him to get Recovery Girl over here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Hanta said with a nod, already moving.
Katsuki was still watching with wide eyes as Mina attempted to console the child. After a moment, Denki came up, nudging his shoulder gently with his own. “So how’s it feel now that your boyfriend is a kid?”
“Shut the fuck up, Dunce Face,” Katsuki snapped with a glare, and Mina shushed them with furrowed brows.
“Hey,” she whispered. “Language.”
Katsuki scoffed. “Oh, please. He’s still the same Eijiro that cursed me out last week for eating his leftovers.”
“Okay, but he’s literally a kid right now,” she huffed in exasperation. “We don’t even know if he has his memories, so just try to behave, will you?”
The blond huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as his jaw tightened. He didn’t answer, but he didn’t need to. The group had been friends for years, and they knew that behind his gruff exterior, Katsuki was undoubtedly worried.
“Okay, please hurry,” they heard Hanta mutter as he got off of his call with Mr. Aizawa, making his way back towards them. “He’s gonna call Recovery Girl now—said they’ll head over together A-SAP.” He let out a deep sigh, letting his gaze fall to little Eijiro once more. He was curled up in Mina’s arms, slightly calmer now, but still clearly scared as he blinked up at them. “It’s okay,” Hanta said gently. “We’re gonna figure this out.”
Mina and Denki spent the next thirty minutes or so distracting the child with little jokes and games while Katsuki nervously placed the floor.
“Dude, relax.” Hanta eventually spoke, putting a hand on the blond’s shoulder to freeze him in his tracks. Katsuki shot a glare his way, but the look softened after a moment. He simply huffed, glancing towards the door as it creaked carefully open.
And sure enough, true to the man’s word, in walked Mr. Aizawa and Recovery Girl. Their gazes swept across the room, finding Eijiro just about immediately, and Mr. Aizawa raised his eyebrows as the woman took a careful step forward.
“Why, hello,” she said sweetly, smiling down at the boy. Despite him being only about five or six, the woman didn’t come up too much taller than him, and her gentle nature seemed to put him at ease. The boy sniffed, nodding in a silent greeting as he gripped Mina’s hand just a little bit tighter.
The teacher came up slowly behind her, eyes raking over Eijiro’s small frame. “Hello.” His voice was low as he spoke. “Do you… know who I am?”
He blinked up at the man, lips turning down in a small pout. “N-no,” he muttered somewhat fearfully. “Should I?”
The man sighed. “It’s alright,” he said carefully, but his expression didn’t match his words. “We’re gonna get to the bottom of this.”
“Alright, let’s have a looksie,” Recovery Girl said sweetly, guiding Eijiro over to sit on one of the couches.
After a beat, Mr. Aizawa turned, carefully approaching the rest of the group. “How are you four holding up?” he asked lowly.
“A little shaken up,” Hanta admitted. “I was with him when it happened.”
Katsuki just clenched his jaw, keeping his eyes trained on little Eijiro while Recovery Girl checked his vitals and asked him questions.
After a bit more back and forth with Mina, Denki, and Hanta, Mr. Aizawa put a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder, effectively gaining his attention once more. “Don’t worry,” he said carefully. “Recovery Girl will figure this out.”
“Alright,” Recovery girl spoke up after another long moment, and they all turned their heads towards her. Little Eijiro was standing beside her, head coming up to her chest as he gripped tightly to the woman’s arm. “So obviously, he’s been hit with a de-aging quirk.” Katsuki scoffed. Obviously. She flashed him a look, and he straightened slightly. “Since I don’t know the exact quirk, I don’t know the specifics, but I can only assume from my examination that he’ll gradually age up as time goes on.”
“How long is that gonna take?” Denki asked.
“Like I said, I don’t know the specifics,” the woman repeated, voice laced with something tired.
There was a beat before Hanta spoke. “Does he know who we are?”
The woman flashed him a look of pity, gaze flitting to Mina. “He said he thought he recognized Miss Ashido.” A pause. “You two went to school together, yes?”
Mina nodded. “That’s right.”
“Then I can only assume that’s why you’re familiar to him.” Her gaze panned over the rest of the group as she continued. “My guess is that he won’t recognize the rest of you until he’s pretty much back to normal.”
There was a long, drawn out silence until Mr. Aizawa spoke. “Are you four gonna be okay taking care of him until he returns to normal?”
“Yes,” Katsuki answered before anyone else had the chance to speak. “We’ve got him.”
So, Mr. Aizawa and Recovery Girl left, leaving the four teens to look after little Eijiro. “Alright,” Hanta said once they were alone again. “How are we gonna do this?”
Mina huffed in dry amusement. “I’ll take the first shift, since none of you know the first thing about kids,” she said, earning offended heys from Hanta and Denki. Hanta and Katsuki were both only children, and Denki only had older sisters, so Mina’s experience with her younger brother made her the obvious choice for taking care of the suddenly six year old.
“Besides,” she added. “I knew Eijiro when we were around this age.”
The guys begrudgingly agreed, and Hanta and Denki went to go take a break, Katsuki hovering awkwardly in the doorway as Mina got the boy a drink of water. Her gaze found him, and she rolled her eyes a little, approaching him carefully. “Blasty, I’ve got him,” she murmured. “If you wanna make yourself useful, go talk to Momo and get her to make some coloring pages and crayons.”
Katsuki huffed, glancing towards the hallway. “Fine,” he hissed, sparing one more glance at Eijiro before stomping towards Momo’s room.
He explained the situation to Momo the best he could, and after several minutes of concern and asking what she could do to help, she used her quirk to whip up ten different hero-themed coloring pages and a 24 pack of crayons. Katsuki thanked her awkwardly before hurrying back to the lounge, handing the items off to Mina.
He glanced back over at the young Eijiro, who was now snuggled up under a blanket watching something on Mina’s phone while his other hand rifled though a bag of chips.
“He’s fine,” Mina reiterated when she saw Katsuki’s lingering nerves. “Go get some rest. I’m sure we’ll need you later.”
“Yeah, okay,” he muttered after a beat. Then, slightly softer: “Thanks.”
Once Katsuki had retired to his room for the time being, Mina took a deep breath, letting the air leave her lungs slowly before joining the child on the couch. At the feeling of her weight shifting the fabric beside him, Eijiro paused the video he was watching, blinking up at her with big, red eyes. “H-hi,” he managed to choke out.
A soft smile crept onto her face. “Hey, bud,” she murmured. “How ya feeling?”
The boy just shrugged, letting the silence stretch on for a moment before he spoke. “You’re… Ashido, right?”
Mina’s grin stretched wider. “That’s right,” she said. “You remember me?”
“K-kinda,” he admitted. “We go to school together. But you look a lot different.”
The girl nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I bet that’s pretty weird for you.” After a beat, she spoke again. “So how old are you anyway?”
Eijiro paused for a moment before answering. “S-six,” he said hesitantly. “How… how old am I supposed to be?”
Mina smiled sadly. “Seventeen.” She spoke carefully. “Almost eighteen.”
“Oh,” Eijiro said with a frown, and the silence that stretched on then proved it was time to switch to a new topic.
“You like heroes, right?” Mina pivoted, and Eijiro blinked up at the girl, nodding minutely. “Well, I’ve got some coloring pages here,” she said, grabbing the papers that Momo had made for Katsuki. “And if I had to guess,” she continued. “I’d say there’s probably a Crimson Riot one in here.” She grinned, tugging one of the pages from the pile with ease, and the boy gasped as she handed him a drawing of Crimson Riot with the words The Chivalrous Hero sprawled along the top, followed by the pack of crayons. “Wanna color it for me?”
Eijiro nodded fiercely, rushing to stand, and Mina chuckled, getting him set up at the kitchen counter. He spent the next few hours working his way through the different heroes’ pages—Kamui Woods for Hanta, Mount Lady for Mina, Present Mic for Denki “because they’re both blond and loud,” and All Might for Katsuki.
“Um, Ashido?” she eventually heard, glancing up from her spot on the couch, and she was surprised to see an older version of Eijiro sitting awkwardly at the counter.
“Oh, no way!” Mina gasped, immediately moving to stand. “Do you feel okay? How old are you now?”
Eijiro blinked. “I- I feel fine,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m… eleven.”
“Awesome!” Mina breathed out. “We’re making progress.” She paused, putting a careful hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Come on,” she said after a beat. “I’ll take you to see Hanta and Denki. They’ll be happy to see you.”
Eijiro followed her wordlessly through the halls, stopping behind her as she froze, knocking quickly on one of the doors.
Denki and Hanta were distractedly playing a video game when a sharp knock on the door froze them in their tracks. Denki paused the game, Hanta getting up to open the door, and Mina stood on the other side beside the now slightly aged up Eijiro.
“You’re up,” she said sweetly, patting young Eijiro on the head before making her way down the hall to update Katsuki.
Hanta blinked, looking the preteen up and down as he processed the new status. “Hey, bud.” He spoke after a beat, leading him quickly into the room, and he closed the door behind them as Denki jumped down from the bed.
“How’s it going?”
“O-okay,” the boy choked out, glancing around the room nervously. His eyes locked with Hanta once again. “I’m sorry, I still don’t remember who you are.”
Hanta smiled sadly. “Hey, that’s alright,” he said softly. “We don’t meet for a couple years yet. We’ve got time.”
Eijiro nodded minutely, and after a beat, Denki spoke up. “So, you like video games?”
Eijiro gave another, more enthusiastic nod, and they got him set up with a controller, putting on an easy game of Mario Kart. They joked and laughed as they raced through four, then five, then six courses, and Eijiro slowly began to relax as the evening went on.
But that’s when things took a turn for the worse.
The three boys had just finished their second round of races, Denki boasting finally getting a victory when a small sniff froze him in his tracks. He and Hanta glanced over hesitantly, shocked to see Eijiro, now slightly older, crying into his knees.
“Wha—” Denki floundered. “What happened?”
Eijiro didn’t answer—just shook his head, continuing to sob quietly into his knees.
After a brief, nervous eye contact, Hanta stood. “I’ll go get Mina.”
***
Katsuki was just starting to relax a bit when his door suddenly swung open without so much as a knock, a clearly rattled Mina on the other side. “Katsuki, we need you,” she said, breathless, and Katsuki was already on his feet.
“What is it?” he hissed as he barged past her and towards Hanta’s room. “I swear to God if you idiots let something happen to him, I—” He shoved the door open with a bang, freezing in his tracks as he processed the scene in front of him.
Eijiro was seated on the bed, knees to his chest, sniffling like he’d been crying. He didn’t even look up as Katsuki stepped into the room, gripping Denki tightly by the collar of his shirt. “What the Hell happened?” he whisper-shouted, and Denki shook his head. “N-nothing, I swear! Everything was fine, a-and then—”
Eijiro glanced up, red eyes wide and glassy as he spoke. “Wh-why are you guys doing all this for me? I— I don’t deserve it. I’m not— I don’t even know why I’m here.” More tears slipped down his flushed face, and Katsuki’s jaw tightened.
“Everyone out,” he muttered lowly.
“Wha—” Denki blinked.
Hanta frowned. “But—”
“Now.”
The three glanced between themselves, and after a beat, Mina nodded her head towards the door, leading them out. Eijiro flinched as the door fell shut, and Katsuki sighed, slowly moving to sit beside him on the bed.
“Hey Red,” he spoke softly, as if his voice alone might scare the boy away.
Eijiro sniffed, glancing up hesitantly, but not quite meeting his eyes. He looked to be about 14. “R-Red?”
Katsuki’s lips quirked up slightly at the corners. “Yeah,” he murmured affectionately. “S’kind of a nickname. You like that one better than Shitty Hair.”
Eijiro huffed out a dry laugh, wiping at the corners of his eyes. “What do you have against my hair?”
“Nothing really,” Katsuki admitted. “But it’s a lot different by the time we meet. Bright red and spiky.”
Eijiro’s gaze fully met his then. “Like Crimson Riot,” he said, and Katsuki’s grin stretched wider as he nodded. After a beat, Eijiro spoke again. “H-how do we meet?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Katsuki lilted, waiting a beat before answering the question. “We’re both in the hero course at UA.”
Eijiro’s red eyes blew wide with shock. “W-wait,” he breathed out. “I got into UA? Like, the UA?” he gawked, and Katsuki grinned fondly.
“The very same.”
He expected that news to put a smile on the boy’s face; but to his surprise, his frown just etched deeper. “B-but—” he muttered after a beat. “But I’m not strong, o-or brave, like a hero should be,” he choked out, and Katsuki frowned as he kept going. “Mina, I get. A-and you and those other two guys seem badass, too. But me?” He paused. “I— I’m not good enough.”
“Oi.” Katsuki snapped, and Eijiro flinched a little. The blond softened his tone slightly as he continued. “Listen to me, okay? You’re the strongest, bravest guy I know,” he murmured. “Better than any of those extras out there.” Eijiro shot him a look of disbelief, but Katsuki ignored him, pressing on. “You literally saved my life, Ei. You’re the one who’s constantly pushing me to be better. My equal. My only equal.” He paused, catching his breath. “You’ve gotta give yourself some fucking credit.”
Eijiro was quiet for a long moment. He swallowed thickly, a light blush coating his cheeks as he spoke. “S-so, we’re… close then,” he muttered. “Like, we’re good friends?”
Katsuki laughed a little, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Yeah, something like that.” He leaned his head softly against Eijiro’s, the two content to sit in the quiet. After a long moment, Katsuki felt the spikes of Eijiro’s hair poking his skin, and he turned, a sea of red engulfing his vision.
Katsuki had never been so happy to see red. “There he is,” he lilted, throwing his arms further around the other boy. Eijiro glanced away sheepishly. “You alright, Ei?”
“Y-yeah,” the redhead choked out. “J-just a little embarrassed.”
Katsuki shook his head, pressing a feather-light kiss to his temple. “Don’t be,” he murmured. “I already knew you dealt with some stuff back in middle school.”
Eijiro sighed. “Yeah, but I’ve made a lot of progress since then,” he said with a frown. “It’s just kinda sad to remember how weak I was back then.”
“You weren’t weak,” Katsuki countered easily. Loving Eijiro was like breathing for him. “You were still you, just less confident—but you always had the ability, Ei.” He paused. “And I’m proud of you for all the progress you’ve made.”
Eijiro huffed out a laugh, once more wiping the tears that had pooled beneath his eyes. “You have to say that.”
Katsuki shook his head, feeling as it rubbed against Eijiro’s spiky hair. “Nah, I don’t have to say anything. I mean that shit.”
And for the first time since Katsuki walked into that room, Eijiro fully smiled. “Thanks, Kats.”
Katsuki grinned, and they stayed like that for a while longer before the blond shifted away, laughing at the pout that immediately formed on Eijiro’s lips. “Come on, Red. Let’s go tell the extras you’re back.”
“You can’t just call our friends extras,” Eijiro chided, but he was still smiling as he shifted to stand, Katsuki taking his hand firmly in his own as they made their way out of the room and down the hall, walking into Mina’s room without knocking.
The three of them all looked up at the same time, and Katsuki smirked at their widened eyes. “Guess who’s back.”
Eijiro waved sheepishly as their friends immediately rushed to stand, all crowding around him in some kind of awkward group hug.
“Hey, man,” Hanta said through a wide grin, and Denki slung an arm around him so tight he couldn’t quite breathe.
“Good to have you back.”
Eijiro grinned sheepishly. “Thanks for putting up with me,” he muttered, and a dry chuckle escaped his mouth. “Sorry for getting all weird on you.”
Mina just scoffed, rolling her eyes as she softly ruffled his hair. “Don’t even say that. We’re just glad you’re alright.”
“Yeah, besides,” Hanta spoke with a lilted grin. “You beat Denks at Mario Kart as an 11 year old. That was pretty funny.”
“Hey,” Denki whined, eyes wide with betrayal. “I told you I let him win.”
Hanta laughed loudly. “Sure, dude.”
Eijiro chuckled along, grinning softly as Katsuki wrapped an arm around him, pressing a light kiss to his temple; and the boy felt beyond grateful to have a group of friends as amazing as them.