Hitoshi and Neito shared a glance with each other and a subtle nod before volunteering their new friend, hoping they weren't overstepping or misjudging the situation, hoping that they could rely on Denki for this task, but still unsure if they should put him in the predicament in the first place. They both shared the same thoughts, though: Better Denki who can break out of it and who seems unphased rather than someone who doesn't know what it's like and might freak out, especially when they wouldn't be able to just break out of it like Denki can.
"Denki would be a good choice," Hitoshi said, turning back to the examiner.
"Denki who?" the examiner asked.
Neito scoffed. "They don't let us share our family names in here, so we don't know!"
"Oh. He's a patient here…" the examiner realized, pausing in thought. "I don't know if that's allowed. I was hoping for someone at school or a sibling at home or something," he pressed.
"Denki is the only one," Hitoshi insisted with a firm nod.
If he wasn't feeling so anxious, he would have laughed at the idea of a classmate willing to participate, like they would place themselves in the position to allow him to use his quirk on him willingly when they had literally screamed in fear and bolted from the classroom when he indirectly threatened to do so a few days prior.
And did no one give this guy his files? He should know that he is in foster care. He doesn't have any siblings. No foster siblings either, out of fear of his quirk. The workers always explained that it was a liability issue, but Hitoshi knew it was a fear issue.
"Touya, too!" Neito impulsively added, glancing between the examiner and his soulmate to see if they would bite at his suggestion.
"Touya who?" the examiner asked, showing no sign of being agitated with having to demand more details with every suggestion.
He was accustomed to this, and patience was a virtue. When dealing with scared kids who didn't know why their quirk was interfering with their soulmate bond, it was entirely understandable that they might be a little hesitant with information or even a little scatterbrained as they tried to find the best participants to help them out with their testing trials.
"Todoroki. He's a patient here, too," Neito supplied before turning to console his soulmate, who looked a little unsure.
The soulmates ignored the thoughts flashing on the examiner's face as he realized they were talking about Endeavor's son, who also happened to be a patient here at the mental hospital. Did these kids not have anyone else beside the other patients here on the unit? The examiner started to plan out the day, knowing that he'll have to get consent from the parents, especially considering that the participants are minors for one, and also a very vulnerable population due to being in a mental health facility setting. He would need to explain that they have every right to refuse and that he would take the fall or blame their parents for the refusal to keep the peace with the soulmates if needed. And that is if he could get permission from the parents in the first place. Would Endeavor allow his eldest son to participate in something like this? Would Denki's parents allow it when their son was supposed to be here for mental health help of his own, not to be a convenient test subject for a powerful quirk to mess with his mind and see what happens?
While the examiner contacted his supervisors to start getting permission from a top hero, along with finding out who Denki was and contacting his parents as well for permission, the soulmates had a second to check in with each other before they got started.
"You really think Touya would let me…" Hitoshi trailed off, wistfully imagining Touya's fierce blue eyes going blank and having to do what he said.
"He's the same as Denki and me," Neito started with a shrug. "He knows what your quirk is, but he answers your questions without hesitation anyway." After a second to think, he added, "I think a lot of the other patients wouldn't mind, either, if we interacted with them and got to know them better. Actually, even now, I bet that perfect princess Momo would do it just to gain approval from us. Kyoka might do it just for the experience. Ochako might be harder to convince, but I think that's just because she's more cautious and thinks every possibility through before making a decision."
"What are you talking about?" Hitoshi finally asked as Neito rambled on, missing the cue of his soulmate's confused expression that indicated a need for explanation.
"I know them all pretty well. I have been a frequent flier, after all. Remember? Or did you forget already?" Neito teased with a small smile and nudged Hitoshi's shoulder with his own. "Momo is a literal genius. Her quirk is amazing, too. Copying that one is one of the hardest I've ever had to do because you need extensive knowledge, not just luck and practice for it to work. Kyoka is impulsive, but friendlier than she will let on. She acts all tough but likes for everyone to feel included. I think if you were here without me, her and Momo would have swarmed you and made you feel like you belonged right away. They might have actually been mad that you came along with me. They think I'm a bad influence," Neito admitted, looking off to the side and smiling as he thought about all of the mischief they've witnessed from him.
Hitoshi snorted and Neito nudged him with his shoulder again, all in good fun.
"Ochako comes from a struggling family. She learned early to consider every possibility for every action because that is what she grew up with," Neito explained. "They're all very nice, actually. Denki and Touya included, obviously."
Denki and Touya especially. Who else would refrain from decking Neito across the face during his relentless tormenting? Especially when he realized later how much he must have really been hurting Touya, getting too close to the truth for comfort. And who else would blindly allow Hitoshi to use his quirk on him, without even knowing what that quirk is? Denki was a trusting gem of a friend, and he knew that he wouldn't turn down the opportunity to help his new friends in this way.
"That's my worry, though," Hitoshi confessed, looking down at his hands. "What if we ask and they say yes because they feel like they have to just to be nice. What if they aren't really willing, and then my quirk scares them so much that they can't even stand to be in the same room with me anymore?"
"We go to school with a bunch of wimps. Anyone who has spent any time in a mental hospital is automatically stronger than the average kid," Neito comforted, knowing that when their classmates caused a scene in the music classroom, it had affected Hitoshi more than he liked to show.
"I'll be the one to ask them, anyway," the examiner explained, getting off of the phone with his supervisor. "After we get permission from their parents to participate."
"If you get permission," Hitoshi amended, sullenly.
If anyone was more afraid of him than his peers, it would have to be the adults that knew of him and his quirk.
"While my supervisor is working on getting permission, let's get started with just you two," the examiner said, giving the boys his full attention.
"What?" Hitoshi asked, fear gripping his mind as he glanced over at his soulmate who looked relaxed. Did Neito not understand what was being asked?
"I'd like to see you put Neito under your quirk," the examiner clarified slowly, knowing that something was off by the way Hitoshi had paled.
"Ask me anything," Neito commanded, turning toward Hitoshi without hesitation, eyes widening and quickly narrowing when he saw the look on Hitoshi's face.
"I can't do that to him. I can't do that to my soulmate," Hitoshi objected, looking back and forth between Neito and the examiner, blinking back his tears of panic before they could escape his eyes.
Hitoshi was so glad that he found Denki who seemed unaffected by the absolute magnitude of power that Hitoshi's quirk held. To push his luck the very next day and use his quirk for the first time on his soulmate of all people? That was just asking for disaster.
Hitoshi only gets one soulmate.
Hitoshi doesn't want to ruin the forming bond by scaring his soulmate. Before he even found his soulmate, he decided he would never use his quirk on them. He would never want to put someone in the position to fear him like that when they were supposed to trust each other unconditionally. This would definitely set them back and might even ruin them.
"If I can dish it out, I can take it," Neito encouraged, watching Hitoshi's face closely for signs that he might be heading in the right direction. "If Denki can handle it, I can, too. Don't you think?"
Okay, that was a low blow, Neito would admit. He wasn't actually competing with Denki, but Hitoshi would not get over this anxiety until he actually used his quirk on Neito and everything turned out fine. Neito was on the commander side of Hitoshi's amazing quirk already, and he had been wondering what it felt like to be on the commanded side as well. The best way to get to know a quirk and for him to be able to use it better was to get to know it inside and out. If Neito ever wanted to use Hitoshi's quirk like it was his own, he would need the experience of being under its influence.
Plus, he knew that Hitoshi worried about it. He had only ever seen Hitoshi use his quirk once, and that was on Denki. With how much everyone feared this boy, he was essentially harmless, bound by the fear of harming others, even if that harm was just a little bit of initial fear. That fear wasn't unfounded either, Neito realized with disdain. His classmates were terrified of Hitoshi when they had never been under his quirk or even seen his quirk in action before. Absolutely ridiculous. The eggshells that Hitoshi must feel like he has to walk on every second of every day… he must be absolutely exhausted all of the time.
Neito had to admit that he probably made it worse. Without his interference and constant goading, Hitoshi might have been able to fly under the radar after the initial fear wore off. Neito had to be the one to antagonize Hitoshi on a daily basis, though, keeping their classmates in fear of setting Hitoshi off and capturing them all in some never-ending mind control nightmare. Some of them swore that Neito would end up being the catalyst for Hitoshi's villain origin story.
The terrible thing was, that even if Neito realized all of the shit that Hitoshi had to go through, being bounced around in the foster care system, and just how much anxiety his quirk caused him, he still probably would not have gone easy on him. To be honest, Neito liked Hitoshi from day one, and Neito's love language is attention, which is most often consistently given through annoyance.
"Are you sure?" Hitoshi had asked Neito.
"Absolutely," Neito answered without hesitation, growling when he was still in full control of his body. "I swear, Hitoshi, if you don't put me under with the next question out of your mouth, I'll sing the Song that Never Ends all night tonight. Maybe I'll get Denki to join in, and we'll have a competition to see who can sing the loudest, and we'll keep the whole unit awake! Is that what you want?!" Neito demanded, fuming, knowing that that might be the push Hitoshi needs to just get it over with.
"And my next answer will be a curse, as well. So, if you want to save your soulmate from getting in trouble, you'll put him under you quirk!" Nieto pushed further, adding extra insurance, and trying to make Hitoshi feel more heroic and less villainous when he instigates his quirk.
Hitoshi snorted at that. "Why would I want to save you?"
Neito's eyes flashed fire. He was so mad that he didn't notice the waver in Hitoshi's voice as he asked the question. "Why the fu—"
"I stopped him in time!" Hitoshi insisted, turning toward the examiner. "He didn't curse."
The examiner smiled, putting Hitoshi's mind at ease. Hitoshi really didn't want to get Neito in trouble.
Hitoshi glanced over at his soulmate who stared straight ahead, eyes blank and unfocused, anxiety already climbing up his throat. What must Neito be feeling right now?
Hitoshi let out a shuddering breath when he realized that, like Denki, Neito wasn't struggling like everyone else did when they were put under. He gave him a few seconds to get used to it before issuing his first command, grateful that the examiner wasn't rushing him.
Hitoshi's quirk had hit Neito full force. A warm haze immediately took over his mind and clouded over his vision, but he wasn't scared. This was his soulmate's quirk, a quirk that he had already had the pleasure of using himself. It wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be based on everyone's fear of Hitoshi. Was it his quirk that they were afraid of, or was it that he could command them to do anything he wanted afterward? That didn't concern Neito, either. Hitoshi was a gentle soul and would never command anyone to do anything harmful.
Neto remembered that Denki had said that it is similar to how he feels after he overuses his quirk. Neito imagined that could be annoying, but it didn't seem super harmful, so that was one less thing for him to worry about for his new friend. The voices, on the other hand, concerned him greatly.
"Stand up," Hitoshi commanded, the power of his quirk infused in the words.
Neito complied automatically, standing up from his chair, and looking straight ahead, eyes remaining unfocused. It was a little disorienting having his body move without the command from his own brain, Neito had to admit, but nothing terrifying. The experience kind of reminded Neito about how in his dreams, he couldn't control his body very well. If he tried running, he just couldn't move his legs fast enough. It was a little bit like that, but far less frustrating because at least he knew the reason behind the disconnect from his mind and body and wasn't left floundering as villains chased him, quickly catching up when he willed his legs to work faster, knowing that any other time he would be able to outrun the criminals hot on his tail.
Hitoshi quickly released the quirk, jolting Neito back into control of his own body.
Hitoshi's heartrate increased when Neito turned toward him wide-eyed, preparing for the worst. What was the worst that Neito could say? That he wouldn't accept him as a soulmate? That he refused to build any kind of relationship with a freak? A monster? A villain?
"That… was so cool! It didn't hurt at all!" Neito exclaimed, breathing out a sigh of relief. "I know you told me that I didn't hurt Denki when I used your quirk on him, but I was still nervous that I might have. That wasn't even the slightest bit uncomfortable! It's really amazing!"
Hitoshi watched Neito go on and on about what it felt like, comparing it to his dreams where he is not in total control of his body. Hitoshi stared on in wide-eyed wonder and awe at the total acceptance he was getting from his soulmate.
Hitoshi just knew it had to do with luck. His bad luck must have run out with his parents dying, being moved from foster home to foster home, and all of those adults and his peers being absolutely terrified of him, piled on top of the recent news that he was yet again moving to a different foster home. Luck was the only explanation that he could think of as to how he ended up getting someone like Neito as a soulmate and finding a friend like Denki just a day later.
Meanwhile, the examiner's supervisor immediately got to work, getting the contact information for the potential participants from the mental hospital and calling the boys' parents. She called Endeavor first, hoping that if he had to leave a message, that the number two hero would get back to him quickly. Surprisingly, when the supervisor introduced herself and asked to speak to Endeavor about his son, she was immediately patched through to the hero himself. At best, she was hoping to leave a message with one of his sidekicks, so she quickly started in on what she was asking.
"You need permission from me to allow Shoto to participate in some kind of experiment with a mental quirk. No. I won't allow it," Endeavor stated gruffly.
The supervisor knew that he was about to end the call, so she quickly interjected, though she wasn't hopeful that it would change his mind.
"Not Shoto. This is a program attached to Fields Mental Hospital for quirk evaluations. I was hoping to get permission for Touya to participate," she clarified.
"Oh. Touya? Yeah, whatever. You have my permission. I have to go."
The line went dead, and the supervisor was left staring at the phone in confusion. She was sure that if Endeavor said no for one child, who was not a part of a vulnerable population currently residing in a mental health facility, he would definitely say no to the use of a mental quirk on his eldest son who was in fact, in a mental health facility. Touya was 17, though, and old enough to object himself if he thought it might interfere with his treatment, so she would just be sure that the examiner explains thoroughly and make sure that Touya understands that he can absolutely say no with no repercussions or consequences.
Next, she called Denki's parents.
After introductions, she explained why she was calling.
"You want our permission to allow Denki to be a test subject for some other kid's mind control quirk? I don't know… it sounds kind of dangerous," his mother said, hesitating on giving an answer one way or another.
The supervisor explained in more detail, going over the potential risks, which were few, and the benefits, which were many. The supervisor reminded Denki's mother that it was ultimately up to them as his parents, but that if they said yes and Denki himself felt uncomfortable with it, he also had the ability to opt out.
"I just don't think it would be productive for him, especially with the voices and other things already going on with him," his mother explained.
"I understand completely," the supervisor said, accepting the fact that the answer was most likely to be no.
"Do you think Denki would be able to say what he really wanted if I said yes and you asked him?" his mother asked.
The supervisor hesitated, eyes scanning over the boys' files once again.
"I think he would say yes. And I think that would be what he really wanted. He seems to have formed some quick friendships with the other participants," the supervisor said, trying to give an objective and full picture for Denki's mother to make her decision based off of.
"Really? He's making friends so quickly?" Denki's mother asked, hope lilting in her voice.
She was nervous. How could she not be? Denki had already had so much trouble making friends because of how impulsive and scatterbrained he was. Now with the added stigma of hallucinating voices, she was sure that he would be having an even worse time, but maybe the other patients there would understand Denki more than the average middle school student ever could. If Denki was making friends, she wasn't about to discourage that or get in his way.
"Okay, then. As long as it's explained to him, and he gets the final say. Can he also stop if he doesn't like it after the experiments start?"
"Yes," the supervisor informed, a smile growing on her face at having permission for both potential participants. "He can stop at any time with no repercussions or consequences."
"Okay, then," Denki's mother said decisively. "I give my permission for Denki to participate."
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Kaminari. I will personally keep you updated if anything is to change, or any complications arise."
The supervisor excitedly punched in the extension for the conference room where the examiner was talking with Hitoshi and Neito, excited to tell him to get started on debriefing Touya and Denki and seeing if they are willing to participate in a few experiments to help figure out what is going on with the soulmates.