It had been just an average day for Hitoshi.
It wasn't for Neito, because none of his days have seemed to be average in quite a while. He had just gotten settled back into his class schedule after being in his favorite mental hospital for a week and a half. That was a lot of school to miss, but Neito was smart and caught up quickly. He knew the school sends the hospital his work to do, but Neito never once actually tried doing it in the mental hospital. He always had too much fun with the other patients to worry about schoolwork. It was supposed to be a vacation to restore his sanity, after all.
Speaking of patients, he was surprised that he never ran into Hitoshi in any of his inpatient adventures. The other boy across the classroom was sitting alone, like always, dead eyes staring at the wall and waiting for the teacher to call his name for attendance tracking. That kid was due for a breakdown or two if their peers had anything to say about it.
Hitoshi had always been a sort of mystery to Neito. Neito easily got under everyone else's skin, but Hitoshi usually remained stone-faced and refused to even glance at Neito most of the time, let alone use that amazing quirk of his on him. The only time Hitoshi really gave Neito a reaction was when he dodged his touch. Neito was used to it from his other classmates always keeping their distance, terrified that he would be able to use their quirk better than they ever could on his first try and outshine them like the damn star that he was. It was a little different for Hitoshi, though. When Neito reached out to him, he saw panic in his eyes. He knew for sure what it was after being holed up in multiple psychiatric wards with other patients who had anxiety and panic attacks.
Annoyingly, it always stopped Neito in his tracks. He liked when people were annoyed with him, but he didn't like that fearful panic that Hitoshi always portrayed with his eyes when Neito got too close to making physical contact. Neito figured that Hitoshi would eventually chill out after he saw that all Neito wanted to do was showboat after copying a few of his classmates' quirks while they were unsuspecting, but Hitoshi continued to have that damn look on his face every time Neito tried to target him.
Was Shinsou Hitoshi's quirk really something to fear that he had to make sure that someone as crazy as Monoma Neito never got his hands on it? Everyone else was scared of Hitoshi to the point of not speaking to him, but they never jumped in to try to stop Neito from copying the quirk. Still, Hitoshi guarded his quirk from the copycat with increasing dodging expertise. Neito knew he was a little manic, but he never felt as though he was untrustworthy.
Hitoshi had started wearing long sleeved shirts with tall necks to cover his skin, reducing his risk of Neito copying his quirk, pulling his sleeves over his hands whenever he didn't need them to write. He grew his hair out longer to cover the back of his neck and his ears, and always wore pants and sneakers, never shorts and sandals, no matter how hot it got. Neito almost felt a little bad when it was late spring and the air conditioning broke. The school even relaxed the dress code to allow students to pull some layers off. The girls were lounging around in tank tops and short shorts for the whole week that the air conditioning was being fixed, and dear god, no one failed because they were distracted with the girls showing their shoulders and kneecaps. Imagine that! It was a damn miracle. Even the teachers were allowed relaxed dress codes, wearing colorful, breezy Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda shorts as they stood at the chalkboard to teach. The show must go on, or whatever.
But Hitoshi came to school wearing what he always did, not even switching out the turtleneck style shirt for a crewneck. Neito felt like he was in an oven just by looking at him, and he felt bad because he knew it was his fault. He tried to tell Hitoshi that he would get a pass this week; Neito would not try to copy his quirk and he could relax and not sweat to death in the seat next to him. Hitoshi glanced at him, and he knew he heard him because he offered a small smile and nod before turning back toward the teacher at the front of the room, but the very next day, he was still wearing his usual outfit. Yes, Neito knew he was a little manic, but he never felt as though he was untrustworthy. Until he met Hitoshi.
He would never admit it, but the challenge was there in his mind: He had to get Hitoshi to at least acknowledge him. He didn't respond to his normal teasing, and he was agile enough that Neito couldn't get a rise out of him by threatening to use his quirk because he could never get his hands on the boy.
So of course, Neito wondered why Hitoshi had let him touch him when they were with Denki. He was trying to catch him by surprise, but that never worked. Neito saw that Hitoshi saw what he was doing, and probably even expected it, but he hesitated in moving away from him, and Neito got to make physical contact for the first time. It was exhilarating until he failed to get Denki under Hitoshi's quirk. Everything had been going to plan, too, so why did his stupid quirk decide to not work when it was the most important time in his life to do what it was supposed to do?
Hitoshi could have left him thinking he drew a blank, but he realized how much it meant to Neito to be able to do this. He was kind enough to volunteer to go along with Hitoshi to the mental hospital, even though that was the same one that he was literally kicked out of for being too much of a nuisance just four days prior. Hitoshi hadn't missed the blonde's stories as he pulled up his shirt to show the yellowing bruises along his stomach to his classmates, even though he never directly looked or made it noticeable that he was, in fact, paying attention. Plus, Neito had sang to him during that terrible strip-search the technicians put him through. With two strange men staring at him and going through his clothes as he undressed before handing them back, even going as far as taking the laces out of his shoes… he didn't think he would have been able to go through with it (at least without force) if it weren't for Neito's observance and how he knew exactly what to do to get Hitoshi to calm down enough for the new, strange, unpleasant experience.
So, when Neito looked frustrated for the first time, and it was frustration with himself instead of Hitoshi after dragging him into this mess, he knew he had to give a little. And with how open Denki was… He didn't even try to fight back when he first went under. Hitoshi had gotten such an excellent and strong grip because there was no resistance as he felt for the best hold. And it seemed that Denki was still willing, and he didn't want to deprive Neito of this experience when no one was around to see what evil quirk they were messing around with.
Denki seemed relaxed, calm, in total control of his own emotions and reactions. He was honest in the nicest way, a true breath of fresh air. Usually when people were honest with Hitoshi, it was quite brutal, and he would end up crying himself to sleep that night.
When Denki shot through his quirk like slicing a warm knife through butter, and then gently began expanding that resistance until Hitoshi's control snapped, he thought he might have found a great partner to practice his quirk on if he were ever willing to do it again. Hitoshi was nervous that Denki might come out of it thinking it was way too much for a 12-year-old to deal with, and he would be right, but he came out of it excited and telling Hitoshi that he can actively stop the resistance and set him back to square one by giving another command. So, Hitoshi then thought that he might have just found a new best friend. His first best friend.
When Denki resisted against Neito's control, causing the sharp pain that Hitoshi is oh so familiar with, Hitoshi issued his command, trying to offset the resisting like how he normally attempted for himself, almost feeling the same pain that Neito must have been experiencing at that moment. When Neito swayed and stood upright, reorienting himself instead of collapsing to the ground, Hitoshi was amazed. Did his command work even when it was Neito who was brainwashing Denki? No, that didn't feel right. When he looked at Denki and realized what he had done, given up control of breaking free to give his controller a chance to recuperate… he thought that Denki is someone that he could fall in love with someday.
He scolded himself for this thought, of course. They were only 12, and he already found his soulmate who he was actually starting to appreciate, but the thought was there. It wouldn't be good to lie to himself and say that he didn't think the thought. It would be better to acknowledge the thought, remind himself that he was lucky enough to have a soulmate who had been oddly supportive, and then release the thought so that it would not pop up again. That's what he did with other intrusive thoughts, but that one would continue to pop back up for years.
Neito had been strangely supportive and agreeable, but not awkwardly so, still opting to throw teasing insults his way whenever possible. It didn't bother him as much as before he found out that they were soulmates, however. It felt different, now.
The day he found his soulmate, Neito was really getting on his nerves. More so than usual. The teacher stupidly asked the class which song they should add to their roster for the upcoming chorus concert instead of just picking one for the class himself, and Neito suggested a Christmas song, just to be annoying, Hitoshi was sure. But he wouldn't let up after everyone objected multiple times, suggesting a different Christmas song every time the previous one was shot down. How did he know so many? And why the new fixation on Christmas in April? But he wouldn't let it go, finally coming over to Hitoshi to ask if he preferred Jingle Bells or Masters in This Hall.
"Neither," he muttered under his breath, just wanting Neito to go away and give someone else his irritating attention.
The class was stunned and quickly fell silent because Hitoshi never really spoke ever, and maybe also because they didn't want to have any chance of falling under his control. Neito was obviously delighted that he had finally gotten some kind of response from Hitoshi.
"Oh! That's right!" Neito drawled, and Hitoshi braced himself for the taunting insult that would follow. "It's not like you would have a chance at winning one of the solos anyway, tenor," he sneered.
And there it was, but it wasn't what Hitoshi was expecting. If Neito wanted to go for the throat, he should have said something about never speaking or not wanting any songs with questions or commands, so he doesn't turn the unsuspecting audience into mindless zombies. The rest of the class would have hopped right on that and goaded him on, even with his stupid Christmas song ideas.
Hitoshi saw red. Maybe on a normal day, he would have been grateful for Neito pulling his punches and not giving him too much trouble, but now he felt that he was not worth it for Neito to deal with the consequences of passing over from teasing to hurtful bullying. He knew Neito wanted a reaction from him, but he didn't think he was worth it to fight for it. Taking safe shots was worse than taking cheap and predictable shots, and it made Hitoshi so angry. Why couldn't he have one peaceful day? Just one?
"I was just thinking," Hitoshi sneered back, reveling in the astonishment on the faces of his classmates of his retaliation, "why not go for Little Drummer Boy?"
Understanding quickly flashed on Neito's face, and the rest of the class soon understood, too. Hitoshi had asked a question, and that specific song started with a simple command as the first word, 'come.' The class scrambled from their desks, hands clamped over their mouths as to not let a single sound escape to be the response that allows Hitoshi to take control, the first one to the door flinging it open and running out, the others following her lead, ignoring the teacher's frantic requests that they retake their seats, trying desperately to regain control of his classroom.
Neito didn't leave, though. He leaned in closer, right in front of Hitoshi's face, and sneered, "that's just the choice a tenor would make," like it was the worst insult in the world.
And to Hitoshi, it was, because he was still taking mercy by glossing over the threat Hitoshi had issued and didn't even have the grace to look scared about it or even avoid verbally answering his question. He didn't want Neito's pity, and he had had enough. He was being challenged by Neito to open his mouth and issue a command, something that would be harmless without having control over him, but something that scared his classmates just as thoroughly either way. Neito wanted to make him out to be the bad guy without taking any cheap shots so he could plead innocence later? Fine! Hitoshi would take the bait because it didn't really matter anymore, did it? Not when it was his last week at that specific middle school. The kids all looked at him in fear anyway, so he wasn't really causing any harm by falling into Neito's little trap.
Hitoshi had screamed out the first line of Little Drummer Boy the same time Neito had belted out the beginning of Masters in This Hall. They both froze after a second, staring in shock at each other. The first student to peek her head in thought that they might have brainwashed each other at the same time if Neito had somehow managed to copy Hitoshi's quirk, but she quickly reared back out of sight when they looked in her direction, out into the hallway through the open door, before looking back at each other.
"Oh, no," Hitoshi whispered, putting his face into his hands, but not before catching the brief glimpse of hurt flash across Neito's face.
"Looks like you're stuck with me now, soulmate," Neito had declared loudly, always aiming to be the center of attention and wanting to give his classmates something to talk about before they were inevitably led out of the classroom and probably sent home for the day for disrupting the class so badly.
They both had heard the other's song loud and clear both in the room and echoing loudly in their heads. Predictably, they were sent home for the day.
The next day, they talked because Neito wouldn't leave Hitoshi alone, asking him if it meant that they could hold hands, even though they both knew that he only wanted physical contact to try to copy Hitoshi's quirk. Hitoshi denied him, and Neito thought his head was going to explode when Hitoshi actually joked with him that he was against PDA and that was why they could not hold hands. When they were arguing about Neito wanting Hitoshi to at least use his quirk on him if not allow him to copy it, a new voice blasted through both of their heads. Two simple lines from a common song before the voice was gone once again. Hitoshi had thought about playing it off, but he had jumped the same time Neito did.
"Did you hear that, too?" Hitoshi had whispered, a blush creeping across his cheeks at how crazy he sounded.
Thankfully, or maybe regretfully, Neito quickly confirmed that he heard it to. Both of them might have thought that they had just heard their soulmate if they hadn't found each other the day before.
When they went to the counselor, she thought that they might be fighting, knowing that the young boys found out they were soulmates the day before. Her thoughts of how to best explain effective communication to the young soulmates flew out the window when she came out to greet them before inviting them into her office.
Both boys were pale and not speaking at all. That was normal for Hitoshi, but Neito was never quiet. They both sat calmly, faces stricken, and Neito's arms were around Hitoshi's clothed shoulders, not even trying to inch his fingers closer to Hitoshi's exposed neck or hands, just offering basic comfort as his soulmate panicked.
Hitoshi just knew that it had to be his fault. Neito suggested that maybe they had a third soulmate, trying to be hopeful and cheer Hitoshi up. Instead of snorting and saying that one of Neito is quite enough to deal with, let alone another one like he had hoped he would, he looked at him solemnly with dread in his eyes.
"It's my fault," he said, gripping his hair with his hands, the purple strands splaying out from between his tense fingers.
When Neito pulled his hands from his hair, he didn't copy his quirk. He would take the credit for being nice enough and having situational awareness, but he honestly didn't even consider it. He had something more important on his mind.
It didn't help when the counselor agreed that it was probably a weird side effect of the new bond along with Hitoshi's brainwashing quirk. Mental quirks sometimes offered weird effects for new soulmates, and especially since they found each other so young, they might be extra perceptible to the effects that might not have been as strong had they found each other later once Hitoshi had gained better control over his quirk.
When the concerned counselor called Neito's parents, they agreed that they would be right in to discuss what this meant for the boys. Hitoshi was nervous about meeting Neito's parents but was even more nervous about who was going to come in to discuss this from his side. When the counselor called Hitoshi's foster parents, they gave her the number of the caseworker that has educational, physical, and medical custody of Hitoshi, but he could not make it in on such short notice because he had multiple other cases. Honestly, Hitoshi was surprised that she even got through to him over the phone instead of being forced to leave a message.
Hitoshi had wondered if he would be spared from changing to another foster family since he had found his soulmate but tried not to get his hopes up too high. Nothing had ever stopped a move before, so he was expecting the worst as to not be surprised when it doesn't go his way, because nothing ever went his way.
When the counselor had quickly researched the issue and suggested a controlled study in a mental hospital, Neito's parents had agreed. Neito wasn't surprised. He had, after all, basically spent a quarter of his life in mental institutions since he turned 10, so this was nothing new for the family. After contacting Hitoshi's caseworker and getting her consent, the boys were transported to the mental hospital that Neito had just been discharged from four days prior, despite the concern of the bruises that had finally healed. None of the other facilities had both two beds and resources for something other than crisis diversion, so that was the only option.
Hitoshi was amazed that Neito didn't even look scared. He thought that his showboating about the bruises was fake and exaggerated, but Neito didn't even look nervous. It was almost like he was going home, and that made a knot form in Hitoshi's throat that he had to fight to swallow down.
Hitoshi was also amazed that Neito didn't grill him about having foster parents and what had happened to land him in foster care. Hitoshi knew sooner or later that he would ask, or that he would have to break the news that he was moving school districts when he moved in with a different family. He was dreading the conversation, but with the way Neito had been with him, it might not be as hard as a conversation as he feared. On the other hand, his understanding might make him feel even worse. He wouldn't know until he broke the news, and that scared him.
Nothing was stable in his life. More than once, Hitoshi had come home to find his bag already packed and his caseworker there to take him to a new house to start over. Some families were better than others, and the ones he had been staying with had been pretty great. So, when he got the news that next week, he would be moving houses and school districts once again, his fuse shortened, and Neito knew just how to light it.
Hitoshi wondered if finding his soulmate would change anything. It was rare for people to find their soulmate so young. He would have to pour over his copies of the foster care documents to see if they said anything about mated foster kids. Maybe he would find a way to stay in the school district, at least, if not with the same foster family that he had been with for over a year and a half now.
It surprised him that even after scaring his whole music class half to death, he would really fight to stay where he was for once. He might not have expected to find his soulmate, and he definitely didn't expect his soulmate to be Neito of all people, but he felt for the first time since he was six that he really wanted to put effort into something other than just laying low and staying under the radar.
Maybe Neito was starting to rub off on him already, because he actually felt like he had the determination to go after what he wanted for once instead of letting others direct his fate.