it was a long night. aizawa was nearing the end of his patrol with aching bones and sore hands from continued use of his capture weapon.

he could feel something brewing on the darkened streets of musutafu that night. his usual patrol route was crawling with thugs and criminals, and they were bolder, more ravenous. it was almost 3am, and he knew hizashi would worry if he was out much longer.

he sighed and walked to the edge of the roof, capture weapon at the ready. the wind was cool against his face, turning his nose and cheeks ruddy. winter was approaching.

there was a spot, on his way home, that he always made sure to stop at. it was a small, dejected neighborhood that was old and run down, but its shadowed alleyways housed a community of stray cats. he'd befriended them a few months ago during an investigation in the area, and came back often to feed the cats there.

he usually skipped it when his patrols ran long. he wasn't sure why tonight was different, but something in his gut told him to go. and his gut had never been wrong before.

he landed a few roofs away, not wanting to scare the skittish cats, and walked the rest of the way.

upon first glance, the alleyway seemed normal. dark and a little grimy, scattered with cardboard boxes and trash cans. thin and disheveled cats roamed the shadows, watching him warily, ears flattened against their heads.

then he caught a glimpse of purple.

he looked closer. there was a person curled up on the ground next to a pile of cardboard. their face and body were hidden, only a tuft of messy purple hair was visible. aizawa was no stranger to homeless people, he dealt with them often due to the nature of his work, and he contemplated leaving them be, and heading home like he originally planned.

and then he realized.

the figure was small. really small, like a child. and silent. so, so silent that aizawa couldn't tell if they were even breathing.

in his mind, he sent a quiet apology to hizashi, and debated the best way to approach. he didn't want to corner them, but the way they were positioned in the alley ensured that they'd almost always have an escape route. smart.

considering how small they were, aizawa could definitely catch up if they tried to make a break for it, and he wanted to give them somewhat of a choice in the matter. he entered the alleyway quietly, trying to make himself as nonthreatening as possible.

as he moved closer, he saw just how small they really were. their head was tucked into their knees, and their bony hand softly pet a black cat at their feet.

he barely got a look at their face before they tensed up and looked right at him.

fucking hell. he thought.

it was a boy. he looked to be about 10, but he was painfully scrawny. a muzzle was clamped onto his jaw, and a gash bled across his forehead. dark bruises bloomed across his collarbone, trailing under his ratty shirt.

and his eyes. they were wide and purple and scared. aizawa's breath caught in his throat. he'd seen enough of this in his life, you'd think he'd be used to it by now, but his chest still tightened with instinctual panic.

he quickly scanned over the scene again. a quirk trafficking ring had been shut down near here a few years ago, and the area was populated by ex-felons, drug dealers, and poor families. the boy's injuries were in visible places, and the muzzle looked worn with repeated use. the cat next to him was clearly a stray, its fur matted and littered in scratches, but it huddled close to the boy with an air or familiarity. it was likely that he lived in this neighborhood or close to it, and there was a higher probability of abuse than trafficking.

aizawa knelt down to look the kid in the eye. "hey kid, it's alright. i'm a hero, and i'm going to help you."

the muzzle shifted, like he was making an expression underneath it. he lifted his hands. they were shaking and covered in dirt. he slowly began to move them into shapes, and aizawa quickly recognized that he was signing.

E-R-A-S-E-R-H-E-A-D he fingerspelled.

aizawa's eyesbrows raised. he knew there were online forums dedicated to underground pros, but there were a very limited amount of pictures of him, and definitely not enough to recognize him on sight. at least, that's what he'd previously thought. he made a mental note to look into it, and insure that his identity wasn't losing its mystery.

"yes, i'm eraserhead. i'm surprised you've heard of me, kid."

he gave a small nod.

"it's good that you know some sign language, it makes it easier to communicate. what's your name?"

H-I-T-O-S-H-I. he hesitated, but gave no family name.

"nice to meet you hitoshi," aizawa said. "what are you doing out here?"

he clenched his hands into fists and looked away. aizawa shifted to sit down fully.

"i stop here sometimes after my patrols. i like cats." he pulled the bag of cat treats out of his pocket, and a few cats immediately moved over towards them. hitoshi watched them, some of the tension leaking from his shoulders.

they sat quietly while aizawa let the cats eat from his hand. he offered one to hitoshi.

"that one seems to like you a lot," he gestured towards the one at hitoshi's feet. "do you want to feed her?"

hitoshi carefully took the treat from him and held it up to the cat. she took it with no hesitation, butting her head thankfully against his hand. his eyes crinkled, like he was smiling, but aizawa watched as something trickled down his chin from underneath the muzzle.

he had to get it off of him as fast as possible.

"hitoshi," he spoke softly, waiting for him to lift his gaze. "i know this is hard to talk about. i used to be in a bad situation too, and it took some very special people to help me out of it. i'm here to help you, kid. but i can't help if i don't know what's going on."

hitoshi's shoulders hunched towards his chest. i'm fine. not in bad s-i-t-u-a-t-i-o-n. just punishment. deserved it. my fault.

"whatever you did, making a child sleep outside is not a suitable punishment. do you live with your parents?"

his gaze turned guarded. parents are dead. F-O-S-T-E-R.

aizawa released a breath. a foster child. he had experiences with cases like this.

"did they put that muzzle on you? that goes against current foster care laws. it's illegal."

hitoshi's eyes widened, and he quickly raised his hands to sign again. not illegal. my quirk is bad. V-I-L-L-A-I–

"it's not." he cut him off. "no quirk is villainous, and the foster parent quirk suppression law prohibits the use of muzzles against voice types."

hitoshi's fingers twitched, like he was resisting the urge to touch his muzzle.

"i can take it off for you."

his eyes widened. can't. cant take it off. locked. will be punished.

"i don't intend to let you return to your current foster home. and if it is painful to wear, which i believe it is, it would be beneficial to cut it off immediately."

please. hurts. he signed, eyes wide.

"okay. i don't have scissors, so i'll have to use a knife, and you will have to stay very still. can you do that?"

he nodded, unfolding his legs and moving closer to aizawa. he turned to the side, giving his access to the muzzle's strap.

removing it was a slow process. the strap was thick, and so tight to hitoshi's head that the hair underneath was matted. aizawa slowly sawed through the material, trying not to slice off too much of his hair.

halfway through, hitoshi started crying. it was silent, and the only indication of it was the slight shake to his shoulders, and the droplets dripping from his chin. aizawa couldn't stop to comfort him, so he talked. about anything and everything. about his husband, and his cats, and his favorite places to visit.

when the strap was finally cut through, the muzzle only seemed to loosen. aizawa reached toward it to pry it off gently, but hitoshi, mad with glee, ripped it off of his face all at once, and threw it as far as he could.

he gasped as if he was taking his first breath.

the bottom half of his face was dirty and lined with deep cuts from where the muzzle dug into his flesh. some of them were scabbed over, but hitoshi's rough treatment had reopened a majority.

it was then that the panic set in. hitoshi turned his watering eyes to aizawa. don't have anywhere else. everywhere is bad.

"hey. it's okay. i'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

hitoshi frowned. don't understand.

"as a pro hero, i have permission to take emergency custody of a foster child if i see fit. my husband and i have two spare rooms, and one of them can be yours, for however long it's necessary."

truth? he responded slowly, as if his mind was still catching up.

"i promise, kid." aizawa pretended not to notice hitoshi pinching himself on the arm. "you'll also likely have to talk to the police. not right away, and you won't be alone, but what your foster parents are doing is not legal, and they will be facing the consequences of child abuse and neglect."

hitoshi stared at him for a while, before signing, family name S-H-I-N-S-O-U.

shinsou hitoshi.

"thank you, hitoshi. you've been very brave tonight. let me text my husband to let him know he should set up the extra room, and we can go home to get you cleaned up, alright?"

he nodded, and aizawa pulled out his phone.

in hindsight, he probably should've asked his husband before he agreed to take in a foster child, but seeing hitoshi like this, hurt and shivering in the cold, reminded him of his own childhood, spent stifling panic attacks under his bed and bandaging his own wounds with cheap supplies. he remembered how desperate he was to get out of there, remembered what drastic measures he would've taken–almost did take, before hizashi and shirakumo pulled him out of it–just to stop hurting so badly.

he didn't want hitoshi to go through the same thing.

shouta:
i'm on my way home
can you set up the extra room

hizashi:
sure???
why???

shouta:
i am in possession of a child

hizashi:
shOUTA
are you kidding me !!!
are they another emergency foster?

shouta:
yes. i found him in an alleyway, he's injured but it doesn't look too severe.
he likes cats

hizashi:
he'll fit right in !!
hurry up and bring the kid home already, it's getting cold out

his husband was right, the winds were growing harsher by the moment, and hitoshi was starting to shiver.

"you ready to go, kid?" aizawa asked him, eyes on the cat purring against hitoshi's leg.

he bit his lip like something was worrying him, and his fingers curled into the cats fur.

what about cat? mine. don't want to leave L-U-N-A. he signed.

"take her with us." he said with no forethought.

hitoshi's eyes lit up, and the corners of his lips twitched in an almost smile.

shit. aizawa thought. now i'm bringing home a kid and a cat.

he quickly shot off a text to hizashi about the addition to the plan, and shoved his phone back into his pocket, ignoring the instant barrage of notifications.

hitoshi bundled luna up in his arms and moved to stand, but not without a wince of pain.

"here, how about you get on my back and i hold luna in the front? i think she's small enough to fit in one of my pockets."

his eyes widened, shooting to look at aizawa, and he signed, F-L-Y?

"if you're not afraid of heights, it would be faster to transport us using my capture weapon." he responded, holding back a smile at the sparkle in the kid's eyes.

not scared, he signed, holding luna out to him.

spurred on by hitoshi's eagerness, he made quick work of arranging his cargo, making sure to bundle hitoshi in his capture weapon to shield him from the cold. he was concerningly light, and aizawa only hoped that he would stay with them long enough for hizashi's food to fill him out.

it took about fifteen minutes to arrive at the aizawa-yamada apartment. hitoshi seemed to enjoy the ride, letting out small gasps and breathless giggles along the way.

luna was a different story. as soon as they landed she let out a loud, indignant meow and wriggled around in his pocket. he felt a claw poke through his shirt.

aizawa gently let hitoshi off of his back, and fished luna out of his pocket to return to him. he cradled her close to his chest, and glanced between aizawa and the door.

he tried to offer the kid a reassuring smile, and unlocked the door. warmth greeted them as they stepped into the entryway.

"i'm back," aizawa called, letting the door close behind him.

"welcome home," hizashi responded, voice softer than usual. he rounded the corner from the kitchen, smiling cheerfully.

his smile faltered when he caught sight of shinsou. his eyes drifted to the muzzle scars on his cheeks, and he looked to his husband, knowing firsthand what those scars meant.

he blinked and his face brightened again, but the lines around his eyes were tight with emotion. "hey kiddo! i'm yamada hizashi, shouta's husband. what's your name?"

S-H-I-N-S-O-U H-I-T-O-S-H-I, he signed, glancing at aizawa nervously.

hizashi beamed. "wow, you know sign language? that's really impressive, i know it too!"

hitoshi frowned a little. not very good. still learning.

"hey, no shame in that. i can teach you some if you want."

hitoshi ducked his head, bending down to place luna on the carpet. aizawa and hizashi exchanged a glance.

"are you hungry, kid?" aizawa asked, slipping off his shoes and capture weapon, shinsou following him further into the house.

he shook his head.

"how about a nice warm bath, then?" hizashi suggested. "it's pretty cold out, we need to warm you up."

hitoshi glanced back at aizawa. at his encouraging nod, hitoshi agreed.

"great, i'll leave that to shouta. i still need to finish setting up your room, little listener!"

hizashi smiled at him, turning away and disappearing into the guest room.

aizawa turned to hitoshi, who was frowning in the direction hizashi had gone. "what's up, hitoshi?"

he turned shining eyes to aizawa again, and signed, P-R-E-S-E-N-T M-I-C ?

aizawa's eyebrows shot up in surprise. this kid was smart. "that's impressive, kid. very few people can recognize hizashi out of his hero persona."

hitoshi didn't respond, but the tips of his ears were flushed pink.

"c'mon, let's get you cleaned up."

aizawa led hitoshi to the bathroom and began running the bath. he let hitoshi choose from their range of scented bath foams. he sniffed every single one, but the lavender one was his favorite. aizawa told him he could sit down on the toilet seat, but he lowered himself to the floor instead, running his fingers through the soft fibers of the mat. hitoshi let out a small happy hum as the room filled with the scent of lavender, the sound almost hidden by the running water. once the bathtub was filled, aizawa stepped outside the door, leaving it cracked about an inch, and dialed detective tsukauchi's number.

"hey, eraserhead. got into more trouble on the way home, huh?"

aizawa glanced at the bathroom door, then at luna, who was digging her nails into the scratching post in the corner. their other cat, noodle, was watching her from under the couch.

"i don't know if i would call it trouble."