SSD IV: Shinsou

93. Family

They didn't know it. But they weren't supposed to know it. It sat at the edge of their radar, something they knew about, were wary of, but never actually thought too deeply on. It was just a curfew, they told themselves, it was annoying but it didn't change anything.

But this was just the beginning. And they wouldn't notice until it was too late.

"Silver, please just try to relax."

"I am perfectly relaxed, thank you."

Hizashi raised an eyebrow, knowing full well Silver was either lying or wrong.

"I'm just a little annoyed."

"A little?"

She glared at him, sinking a little deeper under the blanket she'd wrapped around herself. "We're second year hero course students, surely there are better ways to spend our time than some partner project on our family tree?"

Cementoss had broken the news to them today. The next few weeks would be zero literature and one hundred percent searching through family history for research before giving the class a speech on all they'd learned. Considering her history, he couldn't exactly blame her for being against the project. "Do you know what you're going to do?"

She shrugged, frowning a little and bringing her eyes upward like she'd be able to see what Eri was doing with her hair if she tried hard enough. The TV was on quietly in the background, adverts selling all sorts of things. There was meant to be some kind of announcement today, Hizashi said, so they were waiting for the news to hear it. Or, he was waiting for the news to hear it; she had other matters on her mind. Nothing on this Earth could make her want to research her mother for some stupid school project, meeting the woman had been far more than she'd ever wanted. She supposed she could look into her father, she didn't have anything against the guy, he may have admitted to not being the best parent but she'd subsequently killed him so they were even at the very least. Still, she didn't have much of a desire to get to know him, even posthumously. She didn't know him, he had no effect on her life, at least not one she knew about.

"If you didn't want to- I mean, if you wanted, I'm sure Sho wouldn't mind if you wanted to use us."

Silver's mouth fell open but nothing happened. This ridiculous project was some weird 'get in touch with your heritage' thing, yet another of those human ideas that she'd never understood. The only influence Silver's parents had over her personality, was whatever genetics forced on her, and she didn't doubt most of that was shut down by the environment she was raised in. Her parents, her grandparents, their lives held no importance to her. "I might just take you up on that." But Aizawa and Hizashi, their lives were important, and even if it was their present rather than their past that mattered to her, she couldn't help but be curious. Getting to know them better didn't seem so pointless. "Are you sure that's alright, though? Hitoshi's the only one who knows I'm living with you guys."

Hizashi grinned brightly, fighting his instinct to glomp her into a hug. Maybe she meant she was only living with them most of the time, because even now there was a day every so often when she'd be somewhere else for the night, but it had gone from once a week or more to almost never. But with that, came the reminder that Silver was still sleeping on the floor in their living room, with no place of her own to keep her clothes or store her things. Fortunately, that was something they were close to fixing. They didn't want to know why Nezu had already had the perfect place ready for them which he was more than happy to bring up the moment Hizashi even vaguely alluded to the fact they were looking for a slightly bigger place, but they were grateful for it. And his discretion. "If you're worried about it, you don't have to use our names, there's no reason you need to tell your classmates you're talking about us."