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5

Aizawa told them not to burn the kitchen down when Yamada told him they were going to bake a cake.

He's not surprised when the smoke alarm goes off.

Yamada runs into the kitchen to try and save the cake, as Aizawa tries to stop the alarm. Hitoshi follows him into the kitchen, putting his hand over his nose as a burning smell floods through the room. He opens a window to get rid of the smoke and the smell, as Yamada takes out a burnt cake from the oven.

Eventually, the alarm turns off and Aizawa walks in sighing. Yamada cradles the burnt cake in his hands frowning, "I'm sorry Hitoshi! I ruined it!"

Hitoshi stares at him for a few seconds, then a smile slowly starts to creep up his face, before he starts laughing. Yamada stares back, then laughs too.

Aizawa smiles looking at the two. He feels lucky to have them in his life. "Zashi, you turned the oven on too high. That's why it burnt"

"Oh! Whoops!" He laughs.

Aizawa shakes his head, "Throw it away, and clean up the kitchen. How did you make such a mess?"

"I'm super clumsy, Shou! Hitoshi hardly made a mess, it was mostly me"

"Hitoshi, huh?"

Yamada pauses, then blushes once he realises what Aizawa meant. The two heroes make eye contact, and communicate the same thought.
____

Hitoshi, Aizawa and Yamada stand outside Hitoshi's old house, as the teen hesitates to go in. His parents had already been arrested and are waiting for the police to make a decision, or for them to get a sentence. Hitoshi is allowed to go home to collect his stuff, but as he stands outside unwanted memories try and push themself into his mind.

"You alright?" Yamada asks him. He nods slowly, taking a breath and walks inside.

It's mostly how he remembers it, except it's quieter than it usually is when no ones home. Something feels different, but Hitoshi can't determine what it is. He heads upstairs to his room, not bothering to look around. He just wants to grab his stuff and leave.

His room hasn't been touched since the day he ran away. Clothes are still abandoned on his floor, paper still messily strewn across his desk, and bed still unmade. He usually kept his room tidy, but he made a mess when searching for things to take with him.

Walking over to his bed, he grabs a bag from underneath and goes to grab his clothes. He takes most of them, including the homemade hoodie that his sister made him, and stuffs them in his bag. Then, he takes a cat blanket he got for his birthday, and the few peices of schoolwork he left behind, before looking around for anything he could've missed.

He almost jumps across the room when he turns to see Aizawa leaning against the door frame, looking at the poster on his wall. "Where'd you get that?"

Hitoshi looks back then blushes with embarrassment. His sister made him an Eraserhead poster. Eraserhead saw his Eraserhead poster.

"Oh...I uh...my sister..."  He trails off.

"Hm. Are you done?"

Hitoshi nods, rubbing the back on his neck to try and calm down. And old habit. "Can I see my cats before we go?"

"Yes, go on"

Hitoshi smiles, and then checks around his room, his sister's room and his parents room for them, but they're not there. He doesn't want to call for them, as he named his cats after the two heroes in his house right now, but he can't find them.

Confused, Hitoshi walks down stairs then searches in the living room and kitchen. They're not there either. "Shouta? Hizashi?"

The cats don't come.

"Shouta? Hizashi?" He calls out walking around. The two heros look over, but he ignores them.

"I'm home! It's ok, it's me"

The more he searches, the more he starts to peice together why they're not here. All the cat toys are gone. The litter box is gone. There are no bowls left out for them.

They're gone.

Hitoshi holds back tears, as he realises that he'll never see them again. "They got rid of them as soon as they realised I wasn't coming back. Or did they get rid of them to punish me? I can't...I can't believe it"

"Hitoshi" Aizawa walks over, "I'm sorry"

Hitoshi sighs and stares at the ground, then he feels arms pulling him in an embrace. He presses his face into Aizawa's shoulder, relaxing into the hug, silently crying. Shouta had been in their family since he was 7, and Hizashi had been rescued from the street as a kitten by Hitoshi 3 years ago. They were family to him, but now they're gone too. Like everyone else he's cared about.
____

The next day, the CPS worker comes over to discuss the living arrangements. She sat down at the table with them, and took out a notepad and a pen.

"Shinsou Hitoshi, 15 years old, a student at UA, currently in General studies. Is that correct?"

"Yes"

"You ran away from home on the Tuesday after an incident with your father?"

Hitoshi nods slowly, glancing over at Aizawa. How much did he tell them?

"And you've been abused since you got your quirk?"

He nods again.

"Alright" She nods to herself, and opens the notepad. "I understand that you're caught up to date with what is happening with your parents. I'm here about what will happen now. You said that no one in your family could take care of you. Is that right?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"They don't like me either. If I was put in their care, I'm not sure I'd be treated any different. My sister can't, because she's at school and doesn't live by herself"

The worker writes something down on a notepad, then looks back up at Hitoshi. "Luckily, we already have someone who's interested in adopting you"

"Oh" He hides the disappointment in his voice. The last week has been nice, and living with his two teachers was as close to a family as he's ever felt. He doesn't want to go somewhere else and have to form a bond with strangers. He's not good at that.

However, the worker clears her throat and glances at Aizawa.

"Hitoshi" His name sounded strange coming from the hero, but he felt a warmth from hearing it, "You have lived with us for almost a week, and we have enjoyed our time with you"

"Which is why we want to adopt you! What do you say?" Yamada interrupts him, too excited to let him finish.

Hitoshi freezes. They wanted to adopt him? Seriously?

"You're joking right?" Hitoshi asks, wide eyed. The two hesitate at his response, half expecting him to refuse.

But those were the words he wanted to hear. "Yes!"

Yamada throws himself across the table to hug him, and Aizawa comes over to hug them both. Hitoshi grins, allowing happy tears to fall down his face. Present mic and Eraserhead wanted to adopt him! How could he be so lucky to deserve this?

He's never had a proper family to rely on. His sister, Emiko, was the only one who ever looked out for him and made sure he felt loved. Part of him still loves her for that, but the other part of him still can't get over the feeling of betrayal from when she left home for college.

He knows he can rely on these two. They would never abandon him.