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Shouta glanced from his cellphone to Hitoshi as they walked by a particular park. They’d gone out shopping for dinner ingredients as it was easier to convince his son to eat if he spent more time around the food itself instead of it just appearing in front of him. It also helped that he’d brought along two little bags of gummy fruit snacks to eat as they walked.
“Is he there?” he asked, shocking Hitoshi out of his sneaky glance over at the park. Purple eyes met black and he tilted his head, watching as Hitoshi imitated him. He tilted it the other way and smiled a little as he was matched again. “How about we go check?” The groceries should be fine if they stopped for a few minutes.
Unlike most children when they got permission to play, Hitoshi stuck to Shouta’s side but he didn’t mind as they moved over to the park as a unit. There weren’t many kids playing today. Two who looked like siblings were climbing up the plastic play structure to use the slide then running around to do it all over again. There was another group of boys over by the swings with three of them seeming to be competing over who could swing the highest. As far as Shouta could see, the middle boy was winning. There was a fourth boy standing by the swings waiting his turn and watching them all with wonder and perhaps a touch of envy. “Is that him?”
Hitoshi’s eyes were zeroed in on the lone boy and he nodded once. Satisfied, Shouta led the way closer to the swings and stopped when they were finally heard and the boy turned around. His face instantly lit up and his grin was wide as he came forward.
“Toshi-chan!”
Hitoshi flushed darkly at this and wouldn’t meet either of their eyes. He scuffed his shoe into the dirt and let his hands get taken by his now jubilant friend. “Hi Izuku.”
“How are you today?”
“Good.”
“Were you out shopping with your dad?”
“Mm.”
Izuku didn’t seem deterred by the short answers and swung their hands a little in-between them. “Do you wanna play? Or do you have to go home now?” He looked so bright and hopeful Shouta was starting to realize why Hitoshi was looking away. It was like starring into the sun.
Still, Hitoshi did look up and give a nod. He glanced towards the three boys who were still swinging and shouting and made a face. “Not here,” he decided and detached one of his hands to point over to the sandbox. “Over there.”
“Okay!”
Izuku was still smiling and held onto Hitoshi’s hand as they left the swings behind. Shouta followed after them but stopped when his cellphone started to vibrate in his hand. It was a call from his hero agency. Eyes narrowing a bit, he deposited the shopping bags by the sandbox and pat Hitoshi’s head when he was given a look. “Share with Izuku,” he said and dropped a bag of gummy snacks into his hand. “I’ll be nearby.”
He waited until Hitoshi nodded before he was moving off to a bench nearby. He barely managed to answer the call in time and was a bit disappointed in himself. “Yes?”
“Eraserhead! A mission just came in that would be perfect for you.”
Shouta scowled and decided to walk past the bench and a bit further away from the park. He didn’t want anyone overhearing this conversation and picking up on his status as a hero. That would be troublesome. “It can wait until tomorrow then,” he said, keeping his free ear perked up for any worrying noises from the park. He could faintly hear Izuku’s chatter and the trio of boys still yelling at one another. “It’s my day off.”
He could hear the sound of typing on the other end of the line and stopped himself from rolling his eyes. While he wasn’t a child anymore, he sometimes felt like he hadn’t left high school with how the other heroes behaved. “You can check my schedule all you want but I’m not coming in today.”
“This is a very important mission, Eraserhead. You can’t just—”
“I have my son with me and there’s no one available to watch him.” Shouta’s lips pressed together in a flat line and he felt a migraine coming on. “I’m not leaving a four year old home alone because someone else wasn’t able to handle a couple villains without me. If it’s really so important, someone else will step up. Otherwise I’ll deal with it tomorrow. Goodbye.”
The call was ended before he could hear any protests and he watched as they immediately called again. Shouta didn’t answer this time and let his phone ring itself to silence. He considered turning it off but decided not to in case Hizashi needed him for something. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath through his nose and enjoyed the peace and quiet for a moment. Quiet…
His eyes flew open and he shoved his phone into his pocket before spinning around and hurrying back towards the park. The boys weren’t shouting anymore but he also couldn’t hear Izuku talking. How had he managed to walk so far away that it was taking this long to get back?
Turning the corner, he came across a sight that made him freeze. Izuku was lying on the ground, a red mark on his cheek and looking rather dazed. He was in-between Hitoshi and the group of boys who were laughing at Izuku’s prone state. Hitoshi had knelt down with a distressed look and hand his hand on Izuku’s shoulders before he stiffened.
“Why’d you do that?” he asked, voice barely there. He looked up at the boys with a glare, his hands balling into fists even as the ringleader’s hands shot off a couple small explosions threateningly. “He didn’t do anything to you.”
“Hah? Don’t you know anyth—”
Snap.
The boy froze and Hitoshi got to his feet and lunged for him, his arm pulled back to let a punch fly.
“Enough,” Shouta said and his eyes turned red as his hair stood on end. All the boys froze then except Izuku who was starting to tremble with repressed sobs on the ground. Stepping closer, he towered over them as he kept his quirk activated. “If I ever see you three around my son again I will make sure you regret it.” He held the ringleader’s gaze and could see the anger there before he was shoving his hands into his pockets and stomping off. The other two were quick to follow after and then they were alone. The siblings seemed to have left sometime earlier too so they had the park to themselves.
Letting his quirk go, Shouta rubbed his eyes before he was kneeling down besides Izuku and helped him sit upright. He watched tears roll down his cheeks before looking at Hitoshi. His son’s eyes were on the ground and his fists were still trembling from emotion. “Hitoshi,” he said, voice quieter now, “please explain.”
Hitoshi looked like he was going to stay quiet for a moment but one glance at Izuku’s face had him talking. “They came over to pick a fight. He kept calling Izuku “Deku” and saying he was quirkless and useless. When I said stop he made it about me.” The words came out in a rush like he couldn’t hold them back anymore. “Izuku stepped between us and told him to stop but he got hit. Because of me.”
Shouta saw the beginning of tears in Hitoshi’s eyes and opened up his arm to him. Normally it took him awhile to warm up to the idea of being held but Hitoshi was against him right away and had his face buried in Shouta’s shoulder. He was shaking just as hard as Izuku but wasn’t letting out any sound.
“This wasn’t your fault,” Shouta murmured and pulled Izuku against him with his other arm. He could feel two pairs of small hands clinging to the back of his shirt and he looked up towards the sky. “It wasn’t for either of you. It sounds like that kid just wanted to find someone to punch.” He let them both keep crying until Izuku’s sobs quieted and Hitoshi was pulling back to rub at his cheeks.
“Izuku, we can walk you home. Is your mom there?”
Izuku shook his head a little from where it was still buried against Shouta’s shoulder until he gently pushed the boy back. Examining his cheek, he frowned a bit at the bruising his saw around the burn mark. It was definitely that kid’s exploding quirk. They’d need to get ice on it but it should fade with time.
“She’s at a meeting for work. I was supposed to stay w-with Kacchan until she finished but…”
Shouta didn’t make him finish that sentence. “You can come home with us until she’s done. I’ll take you home after that. Do you know her phone number?”
Digging in his pocket, Izuku pulled out a piece of paper on it and handed it to Shouta. On it in handwriting that was definitely by an adult contained Midoriya Inko’s phone number, their home address, and the number and address for her work. He could appreciate how prepared she was and gave the note back to Izuku. Shouta might have to do something like that for Hitoshi when he started getting more confident on walking around on his own.
“Okay, we’ll call her once we get home. Are you both ready to leave?”
Two heads were quick to nod and they all got up. Shouta picked up the grocery bag and was going to offer Izuku his hand when he saw Hitoshi had already taken it. His face was still looking troubled but Izuku was wearing a tremulous smile so he didn’t comment. Part of the way home, Hitoshi even pulled out the bag of gummies and the two shared, making them both smile and Shouta relax a bit more. Yeah, they’d be alright.
- - -
“It’s not that far away, is it? We can still see each other practically all the time. You’ll be closer to a lot of new pro heroes too and that’s so cool!”
Shouta didn’t buy the cheer in Izuku’s voice any more than Hitoshi seemed to but at least he was able to keep himself from saying anything.
“What are you saying, Izuku-chan! Hitoshi already spends all his time around pro heroes.” Hizashi made a show of looking dignified and Izuku made a show of laughing so at least dinner could pass smoothly. Or as smoothly as dinner could go with two heroes and two kids where one had just found out his best friend in the world was moving away.
After dinner the two moved to Hitoshi’s bedroom while Hizashi and Shouta washed dishes. It was too quiet to be completely comfortable and they could all feel the tension. Glancing at his boyfriend, Shouta let out a short sigh through his nose and hip checked him lightly when he saw him lost in thought.
“Dishes won’t dry themselves.”
Hizashi seemed to restart at this and went back to drying and putting everything away but he had a small frown on his face. “Maybe we should wait one more year, Shouta,” he finally said and took off his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose. “I know work looks more promising further north but this move is gonna be hard for all of us. Hitoshi especially.”
Shouta couldn’t deny that. “It’ll be just as hard if we try next year,” he said and washed his hands after the last dish had been put away. “Or the year after that. It’s better that we go now when we can help more somewhere else.” He sounded heartless just putting it that way but they’d had this conversation too many times for him to back down. “We’ll make sure they see each other again.”
Hizashi nodded but then was mumbling something about getting the boys some dessert and moved off upstairs. Shouta didn’t hear the stairs creak like they usually did and sighed before following after him. Eavesdropping might be part of what he did for work but he didn’t like having to use that talent at home.
“You don’t have to act tough in front of them,” Hitoshi was saying, his voice sounding a touch exasperated. “It’s gonna be terrible. I’ll have to start over at a new school and you’ll be stuck here with Bakugou.”
“Kacchan isn’t that bad,” came Izuku’s quiet protest before his voice became strained. “I’m sure I’ll be okay. They just ignore us so it’ll be okay even when it’s just me!” Shouta could just picture the smile he had on his face that he only wore when he didn’t want someone to worry about him. How did these eight year olds get so good at hiding things? More importantly, where were the other adults who were supposed to be protecting them?
Hitoshi made a noise of disbelief and all was quiet before a sniffling sound was heard. That had to be Izuku. Shouta could probably count the times he’d seen Hitoshi cry on two hands.
“I’ll m-miss you. Can we write to each other?”
“Yeah.”
“And call? Can we call too?”
“Yeah.”
Shouta had heard enough and when he looked around the corner, he saw Hizashi leaned against the wall, his own eyes downcast and full of tears. Guilt made his chest tight and he breathed out quietly, catching Hizashi’s attention. They shared a look before he was coming closer and Shouta opened his arms, letting them lean together as they waited until Izuku’s sobs had petered out.
- - -
Of course two years later had to bring about a drastic decrease in villain activity all over Japan. Shouta was grateful of course but he couldn’t help feeling bitter that it had to happen after he’d already uprooted his family. Two years after that his and Hizashi’s job applications to UA were accepted and they ended up right back where they started in Musutafu.
Hitoshi was old enough for middle school now and as much as they’d wanted to send him to the same one as Izuku, Shouta had to put his foot down after looking into the school. It wasn’t the worst in the area but it was definitely a rougher school and one he was sure Inko wouldn’t want Izuku to go to unless she had little choice in the matter. Convincing Hitoshi of this was another matter entirely.
He could count on one hand the number of times Hitoshi had left the house by slamming the door closed but it didn’t make it any easier. Shouta was glad at least that they’d moved even closer to the Midoriya household so Hitoshi would have some place to go that wouldn’t get him into too much trouble. It would be good for him to see his friend too. Even though they had still managed to see each other semi-regularly on weekends, it wasn’t the same as knowing they were close enough to walk to each other again.
The next two years went by faster then he could have imagined with balancing his responsibilities as a teacher and hero with his home life. He and Hizashi decided to get married and the ceremony was as small as they could make it even if his husband kept wanting to invite more guests than would be reasonable or safe with their status as pros. Hitoshi, the Midoriyas, and his brother were there and they were the only four he would want at the ceremony to begin with.
Somehow or another, it was already their third year in middle school and Shouta was sitting in the kitchen with Hitoshi pouring over the UA entrance exam prep questions when he realized something was missing and frowned. “Didn’t Izuku want to look these over too?”
Hitoshi was suddenly far more interested in a particular question then he had been a moment ago and gave a noncommittal shrug. “Said he was busy. He’s busy a lot these days.” He didn’t even try to keep the bitter edge out of his voice which had Shouta raising an eyebrow in surprise.
Looking back on the recent months, he realized Izuku had been coming over less and less. He knew middle school could be a busy time with high school exams looming overhead but it was the same with Hitoshi too and they’d likely help each other more together than alone. It didn’t make sense. “Did you two fight about something?”
Hitoshi gave a snort and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “You can’t fight with someone who’s never around, dad.” Realizing he’d said too much, he leaned back in his chair and started to pile the packets up. “I’m going to my room,” he said and stood up right as the doorbell rung.
Shouta let him use it as a reason to fast walk up the stairs and went to answer the door. “Izuku.”
Izuku stood on the doorway and looked guilty as he saw Shouta. He shifted from foot to foot and opened his mouth once before closing it for a moment. “Good evening. Um is… Toshi-chan home? I know I should have called to ask if I could come over but I was in the neighborhood so I thought I’d stop by!”
He looked like he’d been on a run and that was odd enough. While Izuku was someone who enjoyed exploring and being active, he wasn’t someone who exercised rigorously if he could help it. He remembered his and Hitoshi’s gym scores had always been about the same. Still he wasn’t just going to turn him away and so nodded. “Come in. He’s in his room.”
Watching the indecision play over Izuku’s face wasn’t exactly how he wanted to spend his evening so he went further into the house to give him time to wrestle his shoes off and go upstairs. Knowing him, he hadn’t called his mother so he gave Inko a call instead and assured her it was fine that Izuku was over and that he could stay as long as he wanted to but would send him home before it got too late. It was a school night and he was sure Inko would have dinner waiting for them both.
Hanging up, he paused when he heard a thud upstairs and was on the stairs before he could think about it. He was just in time to see Hitoshi in the doorway of his room, struggling to leave it as Izuku had his arms wrapped around his waist and was weighing him down by staying on the floor.
“Toshi-chan, stop it!”
“No! I’m going to beat the shit out of him!”
Shouta’s eyes widened as he heard this and watched as Hitoshi tried and failed to push Izuku’s hands off him. Izuku just tightened his grip and looked desperate as he tried to tug him back into the bedroom. “It’s okay. It’s not a big deal!”
“He told you to jump off the school’s roof and kill yourself! He can’t get away with that!”
“That’s enough.”
The two froze in their struggle and watched Shouta come the rest of the way up the stairs. Izuku looked shaken while Hitoshi was still livid. Both of them were breathing hard but moved back from the doorway as he came into the room.
“Sit down. We’re going to have a talk.” He pointed to the bed and waited for them to sit before his eyes locked on Izuku. “Explain everything.”
Drawing the story from Izuku was hard. He cut himself off multiple times and kept glancing at Hitoshi like he expected him to make a break for the door again. He also teared up several times but finally the story was laid bare and it wasn’t a pretty one. The short form of it was that after they’d moved away, the bullying he’d faced had escalated with none of the adults either caring or being none the wiser. It had gotten to the point where several months ago Bakugou had told Izuku to kill himself.
It was easy to see Hitoshi’s rage at this and Shouta had to dig his nails into his hand to keep himself grounded too as he saw Izuku’s miserable expression and Hitoshi’s furious one. Even if Izuku’s anxiety had only been compounded by everything that had happened to him, he was grateful that he’d never let himself go to that place. Even if it was just a few people, he had to know he was cared for and loved.
Almost equally as hard to hear was the story of being attacked by the sludge villain and how Izuku had gone forward to try and rescue Bakugou. This part of Izuku’s retelling was full of a lot more pauses but Shouta couldn’t blame him for that. His mind was likely trying to block something so traumatic out but he was forcing himself to relive it for them.
“It was cool at least since I got to see All Might,” Izuku ended, his voice a bit feeble even as a watery smile came to his face. “He signed my journal and everything. I also met, um, someone there who offered to help train me. He said he was impressed when I went to help Kacchan and wanted to see how far I could go as a hero. That’s why I haven’t been over as much.”
That part clearly hadn’t come out until now and Hitoshi’s expression softened from angry to understanding as Izuku took his hands. “I’m sorry, Toshi-chan. I promise I didn’t forget about you!”
Hitoshi looked at him for a long moment before he was sighing deeply and nodded. Shouta thought he caught him squeezing Izuku’s hands. “It’s fine. I know you wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t important.”
“But you’re important to me too!”
Looking between them, Shouta rolled his eyes and reached over to ruffle their hair fondly, breaking them out of where they were staring each other down. “I’m glad you’re okay Izuku but try not to overdo it. You’ll run yourself into the ground if you’re not careful.”
Izuku looked over at him and let go of one of Hitoshi’s hands as he nodded. “I’ll be careful!”
“And come over every now and then. It’s hard to see Hitoshi moping around all the time.”
Hitoshi blushed at this and glared while Shouta grinned and Izuku looked between them with surprised joy. They’d have to deal with everything that had been said at some point but he had to diffuse the situation a little first to get there. What better way to do that than embarrass his son?
- - -
The practical part of the entrance exam was possibly the most stressful experience of Shouta’s life and he’d been a hero for over a decade. He’d idly flipped through the names of the hero course applicants as he waited for the screens to light up and his fellow teachers to gather. Already he’d seen “Iida Tenya” and hadn’t felt any surprise. He remembered Tensei from school and wondered if his brother was anything like him. Another reliable hero like Ingenium wasn’t a bad thing though he had to wonder why the younger hadn’t been part of the recommended candidates.
Those thoughts were broken as he scanned further down the list and saw the one name he wished wouldn’t be there. “Midoriya Izuku” stood out starkly and he pursed his lips. He’d managed to convince Hitoshi not to apply for the hero course as this part of the exam was unfairly skewed towards those with physical combat quirks. It hadn’t always been like this and he thought it was rather biased but that was neither here nor there. The real problem was that Izuku was going to go head to head with giant robots without any way to protect himself and there was nothing Shouta could do to stop it.
It started all too soon and he couldn’t keep his eyes away from the screen that was following Izuku around. He looked panicked and it made sense. What could he do against robots? Even if he’d been getting stronger due to his training, he didn’t have a quirk to stop them. There was also the fact that the other examinees had gotten a head start charging forward and were taking out robots left and right while Izuku ran around with nothing. It was a relief in a way. He’d rather Izuku be disappointed and go to a safe high school then get hurt here by doing something foolish.
“You seem on edge,” Nedzu said in light tones. “Did someone get your attention?”
Shouta glanced at him but found Nedzu was looking at All Might instead of him. And wasn’t that a strange fact of life now? All Might working at UA. He would have called whoever told him a liar if they’d said it a year ago but here he was in an obnoxious yellow suit that even the dimness of the room couldn’t hide.
“Ah, no one in particular,” All Might blustered. His grin was still on his face but his eyes were focused on the screens just the same. “They all seem to be doing well. A good batch of students this year! Don’t you agr-”
The words died on his tongue just like Shouta’s mind went blank as they both saw the same thing. On screen, Izuku was charging towards a towering Zero Point robot with a look of absolute fear on his face. At the robot’s feet was a girl who seemed like she’d overused her quirk and was suffering from the backlash. It was clear what would happen if she didn’t move.
Hands clenched into fists, Shouta realized there was nothing he could do as Izuku ran into danger. This was the boy he’d picked up while he sobbed over the results of his doctor’s exam. The boy who had helped Hitoshi make mushy but well meaning pancakes for Father’s Day. The boy who he’d accidentally considered one of his own and fiercely wanted to protect. The boy who was suddenly leaping higher in the air than he should be able to and smashing the robot’s face to bits.
He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he heard All Might let out a great exhale. Still he found he couldn’t breathe as the robot slowly fell backwards. Izuku wasn’t falling slowly. He was plummeting to the ground and even though the footage held no sound he could imagine his scream. Shouta’s eyes were wide as he watched him, unable and unwilling to look away if this was going to be Izuku’s last moments.
Finally he did start breathing when the girl slapped him and caused him to float. Closing his eyes, he forced his fingers to unclench and felt how clammy they suddenly were. That had scared him more than taking on villains thrice his size ever had. But it had also definitely secured him a place in the hero course. The closer the save, the higher the rescue points.
Opening his eyes, Shouta felt slightly ill as the camera focused on Izuku’s body on the ground. His legs and the arm he’d used to punch the robot were twisted painfully in how they’d broken. He knew Recovery Girl would be able to help him but he never wanted to see Izuku like that again. Where had that power come from? How had been able to do that when he’d never shown signs of a quirk before?
The room was full of the chattering of teachers but he finally looked around when he heard All Might cough and his eyes narrowed. His eyes were still on the screen that held Izuku too and he’d remembered Izuku’s comment from months ago about meeting All Might during a villain attack. He’d have to watch them more closely from now on.
- - -
“Congratulations!”
Izuku was flushed but grinning with nervous energy as Inko put the cake on the table. The two had come over to celebrate both him and Hitoshi on their acceptance to UA. It was a small party with them, Hizashi, and Shouta but it was all they needed.
“Thanks so much,” Izuku said and accepted the slice of cake Inko gave him with his name on it and started to eat slowly. He still had some bandages on his arm that peeked out when his sleeve slipped down a little. “This is amazing!”
“Hizashi-kun did the baking and I did the decorating,” Inko said with a smile as she dished up a slice for Hitoshi too. His was a bit smaller as she also knew about his difficulties with eating. “Congratulations, Hitoshi! Izuku’s been telling me how hard you’ve been working.”
Shouta snorted in amusement as he saw Hitoshi get flustered at the praise and put the last plate of food on the table. “Shouldn’t we have the healthy food before the cake?”
“Lighten up, Shouta!” Hizashi crowed, all smiles for the teenagers accomplishments. “It’s a special day so we can eat out of order. I don’t see why we can’t have cake first, dinner, then more cake.” That earned him a flick on the nose from Shouta but he was in too good of a mood so he only squawked for a second before kissing his cheek and went to top off drinks.
The atmosphere was good so Shouta decided to relent and let Hizashi and Inko do most of the talking. His eyes kept straying to Izuku who had finished his cake quickly and was tucking into the main part of the meal. Once or twice he had glanced at Hitoshi before looking away from his clouded expression and back to his plate. There was a bit of tension there and he could tell it was affecting both boys. He could guess why but knew this wasn’t a good place for them to sort it out.
He got up and went to the kitchen for a moment before poking his head out. “Hitoshi, we’re out of milk,” he said. His face stayed blank when he got the suspicious look from his son even as he stood up. “Izuku, go with him. It’s safer if you go together.” His lips didn’t even twitch at Izuku’s confused look and he watched both boys slowly leave the table.
“Shouta-kun, you’re very kind,” Inko said after the door had closed. She looked at Shouta fondly and he had to look away from her. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to receive that sort of expression. “I’m sure this is hard on Hitoshi too. I know he wants to be a hero just as badly as Izuku does.”
Hand going to his neck, Shouta shrugged a little and sat back down to continue on with the meal. Izuku had already eaten plenty and he’d make up a plate for Hitoshi to have later when he got back. He had the feeling he’d be feeling hungry after their walk. “It’s strange how Izuku suddenly got a quirk out of nowhere. Their friendship is strong enough that this won’t break it but they probably have a lot to talk about.” He also hadn’t mentioned exactly how terrifying the footage had been. There was no need to scare Inko.
When they did come back, Izuku’s eyes were puffy like he’d been crying which wasn’t surprising. The puffiness of Hitoshi’s eyes was but with how they were holding hands Shouta realized it wasn’t something to worry about just yet. Instead, he watched as they managed to fit in one chair in the living room and fall asleep on top of each other as the TV played an old movie.
“You know, they sorta remind me of a couple I know,” Hizashi said and grinned cheekily at Shouta when he snorted at him. “We’re just lucky Izuku isn’t as loud, right?”
Inko covered her laugh with her hand and went to put a blanket on them while Shouta pinched Hizashi’s cheek. He was quick to cover his husband’s mouth so his yelp didn’t wake them up. “Why don’t you go walk Inko home if you have this much energy?” He pulled his hand away with a grunt when he felt Hizashi’s tongue and rolled his eyes as he walked them to the door.
“Thank you for having me,” Inko said, still looking amused as she got her coat and shoes on. “Are you sure it’s alright for Izuku to spend the night?”
“We don’t mind the company,” Hizashi said and grinned when he caught Shouta rubbing his hand on his pants. “I feel like those two wouldn’t let us separate them right now anyway.”
There wasn’t much more to be added to that and Shouta leaned against the doorway as the other two left, waving back at Inko when she paused to give him a small bow. Going back into the house, he sank into the sofa and immediately had a couple cats move into his lap. He scratched behind their ears absentmindedly as he glanced over at the boys. Izuku had tucked his head against Hitoshi’s neck and his arms wrapped loosely around him. In contrast, Hitoshi’s hands were gripping the back of Izuku’s shirt tight even at rest as though daring someone to try and get between them.
Shouta allowed himself a smile as he saw this before changing the channel to a random cooking competition show. He barely got through half an episode of Cutthroat Hero when he dozed off, only halfway waking up again when Hizashi got back and helped him to their bedroom. There were more talks he’d need to have with them both about whatever Hitoshi had learned but that was what tomorrow was for. For now it was just a relief that they were both safe and happy.