Izuku Midoriya

"You know you don't have to be here. You could have gone to school, you know? All Might's got me covered." Izuku was trying to figure out why his best friend decided to take off a whole day of school just to come and worry over him.

After his phone call with Toto last night, his Uncle Ru had come back into the room with Eraser Head in tow. A small discussion between everyone had everyone on the same page about what was to go down from there on.

The Aizawa-Yagi's were going to place temporary guardianship papers in at the courthouse for him in the morning so he wouldn't be processed into a foster home. Aunt Suki and Uncle Ru were going to take care of what they needed to about their son. (He didn't feel comfortable calling their son by his name after a talk with his best friend and realizing just how bad things were.) Then they were going to stop by after they were finished to help Izuku settle into his new room at the Aizawa-Yagi household. It was decided that only after Izuku healed would it be okay for him to move into the mini house set up in the back yard for him.

They didn't want to limit or take away his choices but it would be easier for him to move around in the main house. Along with get meals, take showers or baths, stay on track with his medications, and go to and from the appointments that had to be made for him. Izuku was more than happy and willing to take the deal.

He was just worried about the offer being taken back completely. The muttered comment was all but thrown out the hospital window when Eraser Head put his foot down and told him that there wasn't a single thing in the world that ever make them revoke the offered made to him. He was told that he was welcome in their home for as long as he chose to be in it.

It had brought on tears from Izuku and a plethora of appreciative comments from his aunt and uncle.

Izuku has never so loved and wanted in his life. It was a lot to get used to if he was being honest.

"You know damn well that even if you and Shio were able to force me into that school, I wouldn't be able to focus on a damn thing. I'd be worried about you too much to even think about whatever they were trying to teach me. Besides, I probably already know the material." He was given a hard look and returned it right back. Till Izuku looked like he was about to tear up. "Fine. I'll ask Kiri if he can bring me whatever work I miss today." Izuku gives his friend a satisfied smile that turns into a grimace when he tries to shift further up on the bed.

He was currently in the guest room down the hallway from the room that was dubbed his. All Might had told him since he wouldn't be able to get out of bed anytime soon, that he'd have to order what he'd need for his room so that someone could go pick it up at the store. Izuku was handed Shouta's (the man insisted that he be called by his name instead of his pro name. Had said that it was weird hearing his pro name in normal conversation. Plus they were sharing a home and were well beyond just acquaintances) tablet and told to "Go wild, Young Midoriya".

Which lead them to where he and Toto were now. Trying to situate themselves on the guest bed to find things for Izuku's bedroom. It took forever and a day to get Toto to calm down enough to not have a foot out the door to go commit the murder of his aunt and uncle's son but a few well placed pouts and tears had his favorite blonde on the bed with him. Izuku put his head on his best friend's shoulder and got into a comfortable enough position to not be in constant pain.

"I'm still mad." Toto makes the offhand comment as he clicks on the tablet and launches one of the apps to start looking for things to furnish his room with.

"I know. Thank you." He snuggles his cheek into the shoulder he's leaning on to show his appreciation.

"For what though? I wasn't there to protect you." There was a bitter tone in Toto's voice that Izuku absolutely did not like.

"For being here with me now. For being my friend." He hesitates before finishing. "For caring." Izuku would fight back the tears he feels burning behind his eyes, but he's just too tired and in there's too much pain thrumming through his body for him to put any determination into holding them in.

"Oh, Zuzu. Of course I care." Toto shifts and Izuku lifts up slightly till there's an arm coming around his shoulders in a light embrace. His face and cheek were now squished against Toto's toned chest which made for a surprisingly nice pillow. The blonde ducks his head down till Izuku could feel the boy's mouth, breath and nose against his head. "You're my best friend Izuku. I love you with my entire heart. Some," he feels more than he hears, Toto take a deep breath, "wannabe villain on a warpath to destroy you isn't going to change that. You're number one in my book, Zu. I'm going to do any and everything I can to make sure you're safe, healthy, and most importantly happy." Toto ends with a soft but firm kiss to the crown of his head.

Izuku felt a weight on his heart lift at his best friend's words.

Tension slipped from his shoulders that he didn't even know he was carrying.

Tears slid down his cheeks quietly to wet the shirt beneath him. He was getting ready to shift to look up and apologize when he's stopped by the arm around his shoulders. It tightens around just so, not enough to hurt him but just enough to let him know that it was okay. That Toto knew and that it what ever was going through his mind was okay and accepted without question.

What did he ever do to deserve such an amazing human being to place himself next to him and refuse to budge. No matter what happened in life, Izuku knew he would always have Neito Monoma by his side through all of it.

Neito Monoma

The rage that was boiling under his skin has only been cranked up notch after notch with every attempted muffle of a whimper or groan or wince of pain.

Neito could feel himself starting to go a bit crazy with having to hold himself back.

He wanted that mother fucker's head on a fucking spike. Wanted to rip that monster limb from limb. Hang him by his toes from a ceiling fan and turn that bitch as high as it could go while he took swings at him with a metal baseball bat every time he passed by.

Livid didn't even come close to describing how he felt.

Yet, with all that rage broiling inside him, he couldn't bring himself to leave Zuku's side. Refused to do so. How could he even put a single thought to leaving when he could see that his best friend was just waiting for him to do it. To leave him like his father. Abandon him like his mother. Ignore him, his needs and his wants like his very own soulmate.

The thought to sneak his way into that villain's holding cell to eviscerate him had come to mind just once. When he was first told from Zu himself what had happened, everything that his broken boy could remember and get himself to force out, it was the only thing on his mind.

Only stopping when Zuku placed his single mobile hand on his forearm, just before he could launch himself from the chair he dragged next to the bed. The soft, almost scared, way his voice was said? How the fuck was Neito supposed to do anything but ignore his anger for the moment? Wasn't supposed to help the small boy scoot over on the bed and wrap him up in his arms as tightly as he dared? Only a true, cold hearted bastard could ignore the call to comfort such a sweet human.

So Neito will lay here, cuddling his best friend, looking through a wide range of purple themed furniture and clothes for as long as he's needed. For as long as he's wanted.

"What about these? They're a nice deep purple, darker than eggplants almost, and they're for blacking out the sun." He points out a set of curtains that would be able to line his best friend's near wall length glass door. The thickness and dark color of the material would do well against the sun when Zu's eyes hurt or he caught one of his "almost a migraine but not quite" as his friend called them.

"Those are better than the violet ones we saw a few pages back." Izuku's nimble finger glides across the screen to add the curtains to the slowly growing "wish list" to sort through later.

Izuku was bed ridden for at least a week so the bones in his leg could rest and heal before he could put any type of weight on it and every time Neito put any type of thought to just how broken his Zuku was, he had to take a moment to breathe deeply and center himself. Remind himself that he couldn't go commit murder and be here for Zu all at the same time. Sometimes he wished he could split himself half.

It would be oh so convenient right now.

Clicking to the next page of random home items, he and his best friend sit quietly together. The comfortable silence calmed Neito's nerves and thoughts. Knowing that, even after all the abuse and pain his best friend has gone through, he was still trusted and accepted? That Izuku trusted him to be this close to him and only flinch at accidental quick movements? It helped calmed Neito's downright murderous thoughts. He doesn't have to kill the blonde villain to help his Zuku. He just has to be here for him and help him come back from all the bullshit life has thrown at his face.

Neito knows that a lot of the progress he and Izuku had made was all but thrown off a cliff, but Neito knew that it was more than worth it to stick around and help the boy make all that progress back and then some. He wasn't going anywhere till Izuku was thoroughly and irrevocably happy, healthy and thriving.

The world will come to love the boy known as Izuku Midoriya just as he does.

Okay maybe not just as he does because he knows if he ever had the chance to give Zu the love he really wants to give him, he'd be a possessive asshole but that was only if he was ever given the opportunity. Hopefully one day he's given the chance, but if he isn't that wouldn't change his self appointed mission.

Izuku is his best friend first and foremost. He'll never give that up.

Izuku Midoriya

After looking through a couple dozen pages of home supplies from a private store that catered primarily to heroes and hero agencies, he and Toto set the tablet down. It was about half past four when he looked towards the analog clock that sat on the bedside table.

Which was when his attention caught on the two phones sitting on the table as well.

"I should probably switch over all my information." He mumbled under his breath before slowly sitting up from his relaxed position half way on top of Toto. He'd been laying almost on his right side, casted arm laid out on Toto's chest with his leg laying on top of the blonde's crossed legs. It was a somewhat awkward position they'd found themselves in but it was a supremely comfortable one.

Thankfully, his best friend must have felt how much he didn't want to move from his position because before he could make it very far Toto was pushing him back to his chest. "I can reach whatever you going for Zu."

Even though he was thankful that Toto was willing to reach his phone for him, he didn't want to completely rely on his best friend for everything. "I can reach it though. It's not that far." He tries to shift up again but winces at the motion before he was able to stifle it down. Toto either didn't notice or ignored the reaction completely, pulling him back down once again, just as gently as the first time.

"I know you can, but I'm comfortable. If I get it, we don't have to lose our position. Let me reach what you want, Zu." The words were softly spoken into his hair, with arms wound tightly around him. He felt safe, protected and content. Even with the thrum of pain that pulsed through him at every intake of breath. He vaguely wondered if Toto had a calming quirk along side his copy quirk.

Izuku was going to protest again till he looked up and was faced with a pout. He couldn't tell if Toto was pouting over the possibility that he would move or the fact that he did see him wince in pain. He doesn't know which answer he'd prefer.

He does concede when he finds that any protest he could have tried to come up with, died on his tongue. "I just thought it was a good time to switch over all my old phone's information to the one All Might gave me last night. It would probably do me good to figure out how to work it also. I've never really been given time to be able to fiddle with a phone like that before." He knows he sounds near mystified by what all he could learn about the phone and on the phone, but he knew he could trust Toto with his emotions and the "weird tendencies" he has.

He could trust Toto with everything he has to give. Izuku knew that Toto would keep everything safe with him. His fear of being seen for who he really is, was wiped away after the first time he'd gotten caught in his thoughts. He was deep in a ramble of how Present Mic's body had to have developed a thicker eardrum to preserve his hearing with his quirk being based of higher pitches and more violent vibrations. He remembers catching himself mid sentence and looking to his phone that was laying next to his notebook he was writing in, not realizing that his new found friend was still on the line.

Getting ready to flip his phone shut he'd been startled by the voice that came through asking him if he was okay. His embarrassment in being caught in a tangent was thrown out his bedroom window when right after Izuku confirmed he was indeed okay, his friend went on to pick up where Izuku had stopped himself. He gave his own thoughts and theories towards what he'd gotten off topic about, showing his that his friend was indeed not only listening to him but taking everything he said to heart and with serious consideration.

Ever since that day, Izuku knew he'd never have to hide his excitement or rambles or sadness, could embrace himself and let go of the expectations that his mother and soulmate put on him. Being friends with Monoma Neito was a true gift that very few were able to revel in. His friendship with the boy is the hing he holds closest to his heart.

He was shown that he made the right choice in keeping his friendship every single day since the first time they met. Especially now as the boy chuckles at him and his enthusiasm that he was sure, clear on his face and colored his words. "I can't wait to see how you try to upgrade it. I know you're going to find something to make it better than it is in it's current state." The blonde had shifted slightly to lean over behind Izuku and pick up both the flip and smart phone. Izuku barely moved as the boy under him shifted.

Both phones were brought to his friend's lap, in front of both of them. "Was your SIM card switched over yet?"

"Not yet, I never rally got the chance." He mumbles under his breath, trying not to think about what exactly kept him from setting up his new phone.

A light squeeze around his waist was the response he got before Toto had popped off the back of his flip phone and slid the battery out of place to pick out his SIM card. While Toto worked on getting his old SIM card out he worked on finding where he'd have to place it in his new phone. He found a little hole on top of the phone with what looked like it would hold a smaller version of the card that he knew was currently in his flip phone. The hole was extremely small, so he reached to the tail end of his shirt and unfastens on of the three safety pins he keeps on him next to the three bobby pins he keeps on him as well.

After Katsuki had thrown his miniature sewing kit into the cafeteria trashcan and banned him from using and doing such "girly" things he'd been forced to hide safety pins and bobby pins along the tail of his shirt, tucked into his waistband. He'd tried to keep them in other places but more often than not his soulmate's "lessons" would unfasten the safety pins and his bobby pins would decide to flee the scene.

Both small items had saved him a bit of extra humiliation on more than a few occasions. Fixing small rips in his shirt or thigh area of his pants was more efficient with the small sewing kit, but he was able to make due with the pins he kept on his shirt tail and waistband.

He takes one of the larger ones and unfastens it to oh so delicately shove into the small hole he'd found. He was correct in his assumptions when a small tray popped out and the fact that he'd have to pop out the smaller portion of his SIM card to make it fit. Toto must have come to the same conclusion and carefully popped out the smaller portion of his SIM before handing it over to him.

He was soon turning his new phone on and setting it up with the proper time, logging into his email and retrieving the little bit of information he had backed up inside it. It was just a few screenshots he'd taken from some of his and Toto's many video chats and the three phone numbers he'd already come to memorize. It wasn't much but it meant quite a deal to him.

After allowing his phone to process itself and walk him through the basics of how to navigate the device, he makes his way to the app that held his text message threads. The names weren't there but he didn't actually need them to know which threads were for who. He knew his three most important contacts by heart and the number of text messages in the thread were labeled next to the number. The one with the highest count was 3897 and was obviously Toto, the second highest count was surprisingly with Hitoshi with 533 and the last thread that had an even 46 was with All Might.

The other message threads were from his mother with a resounding 10 and his soulmate which had a staggering 26. Both threads consisted of much of the same questions and demands. Neither messaged him much, outside of demanding for his whereabouts and the odd tender message from his soulmate that always threw his emotions and thoughts for a loop. He used to go back to those messages, messages his soulmate insisted he kept, whenever he was questioning their... whatever they had. He realizes now, after spending time with Toto in person and the few talks he's had with All Might on the subject, that his soulmate was manipulating his emotions and forgiving nature.

Pushing the thoughts revolving around his soulmate aside he notices that he never realized how much he and his best friend messaged each other till it was written out for him right here. He also didn't realize that he'd spent so much time messaging Hitoshi either.

There was no notification to new messages but he did see previews of messages he's never read below both Toto and Hitoshi's numbers. Naturally he goes to Toto's first, even with the very boy looking down at the phone with him. There was a slew of messages that started at 11:35 pm till 4:58 am when Izuku had called him from All Might's phone. The messages had started out with a simple 'R U doin ok?' which grew to 'Zu? whts goin on? did u fall asleep?' to frantic messages of 'ZU! PLEASE ANSWER ME!' and 'why do I feel like something happened!? please answer me Zuku!'.

There were tears in his eyes when he looked up to his friend. "I didn't know what happened but I just had a sick feeling in my stomach. You never miss our night calls. I thought you might have tried to fight another villain or got kidnapped on your way to your house or got stabbed and thrown in a dumpster or ninety other things my brain came up with." There was no shame in those pretty blue eyes, only concern. "You'll also see my name in your missed calls a couple hundred times."

His tears were running down his face like a faucet by the time Toto had finished what he had to say. Not knowing how to respond to the blonde he simply twisted and turned till he was able to wrap both of his arms around the boy. Giving him a tight hug was a debacle and a half and hurt more than a little bit but it was more than worth it. "Thank you," was all he could muster up to mumble into the collarbone he found himself facing.

A warm hand smooths itself against his back in return. "Please don't thank me. There's no reason for it. I love you and will always worry over you. Even when you become the number one hero." The smirk was clear in the blonde's voice. The laugh that bubbled up in his chest left him coughing and groaning from the harsh throb that rang out in his chest. He was forced to turn back around and sit upright while he coughed, Toto sitting up with him. His hand never stopped moving against his back. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that I'm not supposed to make you laugh right now."

Izuku just waved off his concerned friend. "It's just bruising Toto. No big deal. I've dealt with worse." He doesn't look towards the boy but he hears the sharp intake of breath. He doesn't acknowledge it though, not having the strength to argue and calm down his protective friend. Instead he leans back and takes Toto with him, shifting till they were back in their original positions.

"Do you w-"

Whatever Toto was about to ask him was cut off by a loud chirp of his new phone. He hadn't been able to change or set any tones that were for messages, calls, emails, app notifications so he didn't know what he'd just received.

He really should have seen the notification coming though. He was surprised at himself that he could have forgotten about something, or rather someone he's been so excited about.

Hitoshi Shinsou

"I'm sure your freckled knight is fine, Tosh." Denki's whisper from beside him pull him from his worried thoughts. The blonde's arm makes its way around his own, while his head came to rest on his shoulder. "He'll text back sooner or later. He doesn't seem like the type to just ghost someone."

Hitoshi sighed and nodded along to what his best friend and basically adopted brother was saying to him. He didn't know what to think about the sudden radio silence from Izuku. Maybe he was thinking of how to tell him he didn't want to go on their not date? Finally came to his senses and realized that he didn't want to ostracize himself any further by being around him? Did Izuku get tired of him? Being the depressed insomniac he is, isn't the coolest or most interesting person Izuku could associate himself with.

To be quite honest he wasn't even sure why Izuku had kept up with talking to him for so long. Any potential friends he's ever come across have almost always dropped off after that first day they'd met. He was fully expecting for Izuku to drop off his radar as well, but he was infinitely and pleasantly surprised when the freckle dusted boy kept up a near constant stream of questions and comments and interest in him and his rather dull life.

They had talked on the phone for hours the night after they had met. Izuku had messaged him and asked if he was awake and then asked if they could talk on the phone after getting a confirmation. The boy had told him he had a night terror, couldn't get back to sleep and didn't want to wake anyone in his friend's house. Izuku sounded shaken up from whatever his unconscious mind had come up with and froze for a moment when Hitoshi asked him if he wanted to talk about it. The soft and broken voice of the boy was enough to make Hitoshi want to go find where Izuku was and wrap him in a tight hug.

He'd pushed the urge down and got Izuku to talk about what his friend was like. Hitoshi had learned that the boy had just about as many friends as he did, which he'd found to be both comforting and depressing. Such a sweet person shouldn't have to live in such isolation.

"Just because he hasn't messaged or called you today yet, doesn't mean he's given up on you. He'll call, Tosh." Denki squeezed his arm and brought him back out of his thoughts once again.

Hitoshi shook his head and turned his attention back to Aizawa Sensei, who was looking more tired than he usually did during their training lessons.

He and Denki had been given the choice to attend the free class for basic defense training or to attend a class on how to do basic emergency medical care when they entered into the orphanage they'd been transferred into at the age of 10. The orphanage made it mandatory to all the children and young almost adults to take either of the classes. It was both to help the children protect themselves and to get them out of the building till at least 5 pm till their collective dinner was ready and set out to be eaten. Both he and Denki had been on the tail end of fierce bullying for most of their lives, patching each other up and had the basics of emergency medical care down, so they'd opted for the defense class.

Hitoshi had been starstruck the first time he and his best friend walked into the small nonprofit dojo. The best underground pro hero around, Eraser Head was head sensei and owner of the dojo. Denki hadn't know who the man was but after a quick fanboy moment over the pro, his friend was just as excited as he was.

Five, almost six, years later and the two were more often than not assisting the man in teaching the class. Aizawa was one of the only adults he'd ever met that truly did not give a flying about what a person had as a quirk. Given that the man's quirk was that no one else had a quirk when he activated his, he could understand his near disinterest in them.

Today was a weird day though.

They were learning what to do if you had a powerful explosive quirk user pinning you down with damage to both a leg and arm. It was an oddly specific scenario that had Hitoshi on guard. 'Did something happen on patrol? Is that why he looks so tired and irritated today?' He looked over the man for a moment longer before deciding that 'irritated' didn't describe his expression. It looked more like he was worried. 'Maybe something happened to someone he's close to?'

"The most important thing to do when facing a close to mid range explosive quirk user, is to get distance between the two of you. If you're caught in the effects of an explosion that's set off, there could be lasting damage made to the eyes and ears, not to mention the burns you could sustain. If you find yourself pinned down by an explosive quirk user and aren't able to use any of the maneuvers I've taught you, or buck them off remember to bring your arms in front of your face and try to shield yourself from any close range explosions.

The user won't set off any large scale explosions while they're so close to you but their bodies are better equipped to let any of their explosions roll off their bodies than yours are equipped to. In the event that you need to choose between your hearing and sight, choose your sight. You'll be dazed and sluggish without your hearing and the blinding light from the explosion but you'll be able to make a faster escape and track your best route away with your sight in relative tact. Today we'll be going over close quarters defense and ways to slip from being pinned."

Eraser Head went into slow demonstrations with one of the newer members of the man's agency. There was a new person almost every time he walked in, sometimes one didn't even come in. Which was when he and Denki volunteered to assist for the day. They had, had majority of what the man had to teach deeply ingrained in them to the point that everything was muscle memory know. They were able to complete almost all of the tasks the man taught them, in their sleep.

Aizawa Sensei was being more thorough and concerned about how today's lesson played out and it only solidified his previous thoughts of something happening with the man that had spooked him.

He and Denki paired up like they normally did and went through the class taking the lessons to heart and perfecting their techniques in every maneuver their Sensei walked them through.

At the last ten minutes of the class, they were interrupted by a recurring presence. She was decked out in her Pro Hero uniform and looked like she just walked out of a rough fight. Her uniform was torn and ripped all across her arms and her mask was near destroyed. Her hair pulled back into a pony tail which looked out of place from where it normally flowed around her shoulders.

She looked a mess and in near tears.

"Midnight." Eraser Head was able to get a short greeting out before the woman was stalking her way over to him and throwing her arms around him. Eraser Head brought his arms around the tall woman in an uncharacteristic display of affection. He pat the woman back when "Class is almost over, Mid. Just head to the office and I'll be there in like ten." His voice was just loud enough for the class to hear him.

The woman simply nodded and took her leave as she walked towards the door at the back of the building that served as Eraser Head's office.

Aizawa Sensei went into his usual close of the day. Telling everyone that their was always room for improvement in anything they did. That quirks aren't to be abused or misused. To only use what he's taught them for self defense of themselves or others. And that he wants them to always be on alert and safe.

The man may call them a pain in his ass but they knew that he cared about them. He wouldn't be there teaching them or encouraging them if he didn't care.

Class was finally dismissed and Hitoshi and Denki got to helping clean up the Dojo while everyone else left and Aizawa Sensei headed off to his office to talk with Midnight.

"What do you think happened? Class felt intense today." Denki was stacking the mats they'd used today in their normal corner of the building while Hitoshi was sweeping up the room.

"I don't know but it wasn't anything remotely good. Especially since it seems to have worried Midnight as well." He takes a glance at the closed doors and closed blinds and curtains of Eraser Head's office and sighs when he sees no sign of life coming from it. He knew it was a safe room of sorts. It had soundproof, fire proof, water proof and several other "proof" walls and door that made the room nearly indestructible for the off chance that a villain would try to attack while class was in session or in general. He knew there was no chance of him hearing or seeing something come from the room but he still found himself disappointed when he couldn't get anything from the room.

He finishes sweeping just as Denki started to come behind him with the dust mop, catching all the small things that his broom couldn't. (It's a Swiffer Sweeper fam. What exactly are those things called/described as?)

Denki was half way to where he sat on the bench close to the front door, anxiously checking his phone every few seconds, when Aizawa's door opened up to show a tired looking Sensei and the tear stained face of Midnight just behind him.

"Told you he was still here." Aizawa rolls his eyes at the 'shut up' thrown at him before turning his attention to him. "Hey Hitoshi, can you come see for a minute?" The pro nods his head to his office before making his way back into the room.

Hitoshi takes a second to look across the room the Denki and gets waved off. "You already know I'm going to wait for you. Go see what he wants." The boy went back to mopping, but at a much more subdued pace, clearly trying to take his time to keep from being bored while waiting for his friend to finish up with their Sensei.

Hitoshi sat in the seat in front of the large desk where Aizawa sat and Midnight stood behind. Neither Aizawa nor Midnight told him to shut the door so he left it in the position the older man had left it in.

They sat in silence for a moment. Hitoshi had no idea what either of the pros wanted. Aizawa looked tired and nervous? While Midnight looked like she was nearly buzzing with energy. For someone who looked like she'd just cried for several hours non stop she looked pretty excited and energetic.

Aizawa opened his mouth to talk but the tension and quite were ultimately broken by Midnight.

"I want to adopt you!" The short exclamation left him flabbergasted. That was not what he could have even come close to thinking he was called into the room for.

"What?" He didn't even recognize his own voice, it was so quite.

"I want to adopt you Hitoshi. I've been wanting to for a while now, but I couldn't. I was finally able to work out the legal issues regarding my son and was granted permission to put the paperwork in for other children if I wanted to. I wanted to ask your permission and get your thoughts on joining my little family. I jus-"

"No."

"-t thought- what?" Midnight cut off whatever she was going to say next while Aizawa's head snapped back to him from where it was leaning back on the headrest of his chair.

"No." He repeats and takes a few deep breaths to get his frantic nerves to calm down.

"Why not?" Midnight didn't sound mad, but she did sound upset and curious at his quick answer.

His mouth flounders for a moment, not knowing how to describe what he was thinking or feeling at that moment. "I-I-I can't leave my brother." He's finally able to stutter out his response. He doesn't look up. He didn't want to see whatever the fuck could be on their minds. He just wanted his heart to stop hammering in his chest. His breathing to calm down. His mind to stop running through vicious words saying that he was going to leave, be ripped away from, abandon the only person that's ever actually given a shit about him.

Denki is his best friend.

Denki is his brother.

Denki is his family.

He couldn't leave him behind to be tortured and used by those assholes that ran their orphanage or lived inside it. Couldn't leave him to fend off the bullies by himself. Couldn't let Denki live his life alone again. He couldn't let his brother think that he didn't love him or that he didn't want him in his life anymore.

That he'd found a "better family" like the boy had been terrified of when they first became friends. Denki had always been convinced that Hitoshi would leave him one day like his biological parents had done. That he'd accidentally shock the lilac haired boy one too many times and he'd write him off as a lost cause. That they'd be ripped away from each other and put into houses that were only taking them in to collect a government check.

"-ten to my voice. Feel that? Follow my breathing, Tosh. In deep. And out. Come on follow me." Denki's voice brings him out of his panic attack. He slowly came back to himself. "Tell me five things you can see, Toshi." Denki asks him to do once he starts to get his breathing under control.

"I-I see you. I s-see a desk. Um. I s-see. I see your earring. Aizawa. Computer." He's able to stutter out and slowly get his breathing back to something more normal, but his heart was still hammering in his chest and his mind still trying to convince him that he was going to be taken away from his brother.

"Such a good job. What about four things you can feel?" Denki's voice stayed calm and he appreciated the consistency.

"Your heart." It was the most prominent thing he could feel. It was so steady and the repetitive beat drew his thoughts from losing the boy that was sitting right in front of him. "The chair." His free hand flexes on the edge of the chair. The lip of the seat was sharp wood but the cushion itself was soft material. His heart was starting to calm itself and his mind slowed to think of the details of the objects that his brother asked him to list off. "My clothes." His shirt was damp with sweat from training, clinging to his back just slightly. "Your stupidly soft shirt." He was able to finish his list with a strained chuckle. No matter what Denki did, he always had the cleanest and softest clothes on. They could go running through a forest and the boy's clothes would be just as soft and clean as when they'd started.

"Do you need to tell me three things the you can hear?" Denki's voice was quieter than before, his concern finally bleeding into his words as Hitoshi came down from his panicked state. He shakes his head and just draws the boy up and into a tight hug. "You haven't had an attack in years. What happened?" Denki asks, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear him.

Hitoshi doesn't say anything and just hugs his short brother closer to him.

There was a beat of silence before Midnight spoke up from just behind Denki. He hadn't noticed her or Aizawa Sensei standing so close.

"I asked him a question I clearly should have been asking both of you."