One More Step (Would It Make Me Free?)

Turn Out Okay

Everything after they got out was a blur. Hitoshi could barely remember any of it. He could vaguely remember being taken to some old woman with a healing quirk, but he'd passed out as soon as she'd used it.

He was grateful for it, though. Sure, it exhausted him, but it worked wonders. His ribs didn't so much as ache anymore and his nails, though not back completely, had grown back significantly.

He blinked his bleary eyes open, rubbing at them. The man who'd saved him from Overhaul was sitting next to his bed, a stack of papers by his side and a sheet in hand he was currently looking over.

"Oh, you're awake," the man said, not even looking up from his paper. "How are you feeling?"

Hitoshi blinked in confusion, unused to any show of concern. "Uh...I'm fine?"

The man raised an eyebrow, finally looking up at him. "Uh huh." He sighed. "Well, that's to be expected. If you're feeling up to it, though, we do need to talk to the police at some point."

Hitoshi shifted uncomfortably at the thought, but nodded anyway. "Yeah, I-I can do that."

The man hummed thoughtfully. "We never were formally introduced, were we? I'm Aizawa Shouta."

He found himself fidgeting with the blankets anxiously. "Shinsou Hitoshi."

"It's nice to formally meet you, Shinsou." A pause. "Would you be more comfortable staying here for the questioning? The detective interviewing you is a close friend of one of my coworkers, so I'm sure he'd be happy to accommodate you however he can if we ask. I can stay with you during it if you'd like."

Hitoshi's eyes widened. Aizawa cared about his comfort? He couldn't recall anyone ever being concerned about that. He nodded quickly, as if the man would change his mind about caring. So much had happened already. A change of scenery would only overwhelm him more.

"Alright, kid. I'll let him know." He pulled out his phone and started typing, presumably texting the detective who'd be questioning him - or maybe the coworker who was friends with him. A moment of silence lapsed between them, before Aizawa began speaking again. "Okay, he's heading this way. Should be about fifteen minutes. Will you be okay with that? We can put it off if not." Hitoshi nodded. It'd be fine, right?

He knew he hadn't done anything wrong and wasn't in any sort of trouble (unless probably killing Overhaul counted, but surely they'd consider that to be self-defense, right?), but he was nervous anyway. He found himself rocking in place and fidgeting with the blankets, which did help slightly, though the nerves were still very much there. Aizawa gave him a concerned look, but said nothing.

A thought had been bugging him since he'd woken up, and in the midst of the silence between them, he finally found his voice to ask what he wanted. "Where's Eri? Is she okay?" Worry was beginning to creep its way into his words.

"Relax, kid. She's fine. She's in another room nearby. My husband is with her. He's much better with kids than I am." Hitoshi breathed a sigh of relief. She was okay. They fell into silence once again, though this time it was much more comfortable.

Time seemed to drag on forever, but eventually, the door to his room opened. A man walked in. "I'm Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa," he introduced himself, taking a seat across from Hitoshi. "I've got a few questions for you, if you're feeling up to it?" Hitoshi nodded. He didn't particularly want to, but it would help make sure everyone who hurt him would be brought to justice, right? It'd make the people who hurt him, hurt Eri, pay.

"I'll be recording this meeting for the sake of record keeping. You don't have to answer any questions you're uncomfortable with, though everything you give us helps. If you'd prefer writing an answer down rather than speaking aloud, you may. Keep in mind that I do have a quirk that can tell whether you're telling the truth or not, though I don't expect you to have any reason to lie. If anything, you can rest assured that you'll be believed. Are you ready to begin?" He nodded.

"Let's start off easy. What's your name?"

"Shinsou Hitoshi."

"Okay, Shinsou, how old are you?"

"Um..." he trailed off. He had no idea. An emotion he couldn't identify but definitely hated bubbled up inside him. He didn't even know how old he was. Aizawa and Tsukauchi were staring at him in pity. He hated it. "...what year is it?"

His eyes widened as he was told the date. Fifteen. He was fifteen. Almost sixteen. He'd spent eleven years with Overhaul. He'd known he'd been there for a long time, but knowing the exact number of years put him face to face with the true reality of his situation. He answered the detective's question, trying to stop his voice from shaking. Considering the look on both men's faces, he'd failed.

Thankfully, they moved on without making a big deal over it. "When were you kidnapped?"

"I was four, so around eleven years ago. I don't remember the date or anything, though." The two men in the room shared a look. Hitoshi shifted uncomfortably.

The detective continued questioning him for what felt like an eternity. He knew it was necessary, but it was exhausting. He was getting sick of the pitying looks Aizawa and Tsukauchi would shoot at him and the concerned glances they'd share. He'd spent the whole time just waiting for it to be over.

"Alright, Shinsou. That's all. Thank you for your time. Can you give us a family member's name so we can take you to them?" Tsukauchi asked. "I'm sure they'd love to see you again."

Hitoshi shook his head. "There's no one. Anyone I had before died a long time ago." He said it as if he'd had a lot of people, but it had always just been him and his mother. No father, no grandparents, no aunts, uncles, or cousins. Just the two of them. And she had died more than a decade ago.

There was an uncomfortable pause in the conversation around him. It made Hitoshi want to crawl into a hole in the ground and disappear. There were the sympathetic looks again. He wished they'd stop with it already.

Aizawa was the one to break the silence. "If it's okay with you kid, you're more than welcome to stay with me. Both me and my husband are licensed to foster. We've already agreed to foster Eri. I'm sure she'd be happy if you were with her, too. It's up to you, though."

Hitoshi nodded quickly, not even hesitating in his response. Sure, he still didn't know Aizawa very well or his husband at all, but Eri would be there. He didn't want to be separated from her after everything he did to save her. That alone was enough for him to agree.

Besides, staying with Aizawa couldn't be too bad, right? He was a hero, after all. And he'd saved both him and Eri. Hitoshi could at the very least give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Looks like that's settled, then. We'll get a room set up for you later. For now, how would you like to go see Eri?" Aizawa asked. Hitoshi smiled, nodding his assent.

For the first time in as long as he could remember, things really were turning out okay.