"Lean forward, tilt your head up for me. Yeah, that's it, good boy. Voice Quirk? "
Shinsou whimpered, clamping his eyes shut and tilting his head. He was shaking badly, hands trembling hard in the restraints his kidnappers had used to tie his wrists to his ankles. He nodded at the Hero's question, flinching at the sharp intake of breath in response.
"Oh, Hizashi if you need me to I can-"
"No, no, it's fine. Nothing I haven't seen before."
Hizashi, Pro Hero Present Mic, expected a muzzle, would prefer a muzzle.It was an awful thought, but tended to be the go-to restraint for people with voice Quirks. But this.
The boy, no older than six, had his lips sewn shut, thin black thread pinning his upper lip to his lower lip in five neat stitches.
Hizashi tried not to swear. Tried to stay calm, let the professionalism take over as he undid the shackles so he could ignore the ache in his chest.
"Alright, kid. It's gonna be alright," he turned his head, gesturing to someone behind him, "Shouta? Pass your knife to me. The little one you keep in your- yep that's the one…" Their voices faded to distant murmurs as Hitoshi allowed his eyes to lose focus.
His Foster parents made it no secret that his Quirk was dangerous. That's why the gang grabbed him. His Quirk was Villainous, easy to manipulate and twist into crime. When Shinsou said no they were quick to gag him.
Pro Hero's Eraserhead and Present Mic didn't usually work together, finding themselves on completely different ends of the Heroism spectrum. But when reports of a child screaming from a derelict building in the exact area Shouta had been investigating for trafficking came in, a team up seemed logical.
Shouta could stomach some awful shit. Hizashi was famously good with kids.
Aizawa had seen it first hand. He'd smile and wink and yell 'Little Listeners' just loud enough to get your brain buzzing. And they'd suck it up like sponges, looking at him like he was second only to All Might. And Hizashi would smile with tears in his eyes because he never quite got to have a childhood of his own.
Spent too much time muzzled.
This wasn't a great mission for Mic, the same way Aizawa didn't respond to collapsing buildings, they all had their limits, but, at this moment, he seemed the best person for the job.
The kid was the priority. They could both have a good cry later, needed it anyway.
The needle had been excruciating, tearing through flesh when he tried to scream. A large hand had clamped down on his jaw to hold it shut, fingers intruding as they pinched and prodded his lips and chin.
Mic tapped on his face, gentle yet he still flinched. "Hey, hey, stay with me, yeah? Just keep lookin' at me and you'll be alright. Me and my buddy Eraserhead gonna get you outta this in no time." Hizashi had this way of forcing his smile to meet his eyes, even when he didn't feel happy. It freaked Aizawa out.
Despite everything, the kids' eyes widened when Eraserhead was mentioned. Hizashi caught it, like he caught everything, and didn't move his eyes from surveying the kids lips as he gestured with his empty hand. Aizawa stepped out of the shadows, goggles on to complete the look, the kids shoulders wiggled excitedly in a way so young. Aizawa schooled his expression, twitching his lips in a smirk and squatting down to his height. Mic was beginning to remove the stitches.
"You a fan of Eraserhead? Our little Shouta? I'm sure he'll be pleased." Hizashi cooed, generously giving Aizawa the bait to continue soothing the child as he lapsed into focused silence.
Aizawa had never had a fan before. The thought sickened him, he wasn't that type of hero, but the kid's eyes were all glossy and wide. Cute.
"How about…" fuck he was bad at this, "I tell you about my Capture Weap- Scarf, eh? Industry secrets." He thought of Midoriya, a kid in his class, how he had countless facts he loved to share and how the other kids loved to listen.
Hizashi lined up the blade with the kids mouth and Aizawa took a breath.
"It's made of steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers-" Snap!
Aizawa didn't flinch as the first thread came loose, the kids' eyes were still on him like he was some benevolent God, even as blood trickled from his mouth.
"It's strong, it can hold several people." Snap! Eraserhead was running out of facts yet still kept eye contact.
"When I was a teenager I'd swing between High-rises. But don't you tell Recovery Girl, she'll have a heart attack." Snap.
"One time I put it in the washing machine with Oboros gi and it went blue," he gestured with his thumb, "Present Mic laughed at me for weeks ." Snap! Hizashi snorted, the kids lips were free enough to twitch upwards.
Aizawa lent forward, as if the last fact was the biggest secret in the world. The kid leaned forward too. Hazasi didn't complain.
"Last but not least," he glanced at Mic who glanced back knowingly, "I'm going to use it to hold you close to me while we get you out of here."
Snap!
The kids' eyes watered.
Aizawa gathered him in his arms, pulling his scarf around the kid so he was secure on his chest. The kid gripped on.
Present Mic quickly checked him over, before taking charge and speaking through his radio. He needed to focus on work in situations like this.
Aizawa tightened his scarf, he'd never drop anyone, and followed out the door.
End