Chapter Text
"A trip to your house for New Years?"
Hitoshi's hand listed to the back of his neck, a tick he'd developed to soothe stress, and nodded sheepishly.
Izuku beamed at the other boy, though some strain in his expression betrayed his confusion. "That's great, Shinsou-kun. I know a lot of students have been having trouble staying at the dorms for holidays, so I'm glad you got a pass to return to your family for a bit," he continued in lieu of Hitoshi's silence, "But, mm, why are you telling me?"
It had only just recently been decided Hitoshi Shinsou would be transferred into the hero course for his second year -- and, though it hadn't been officially announced, many had taken note that a room had been cleaned up in the A class dorms -- but for the time being he'd been staying with the rest of class C until they officially moved into the new school year. However, despite him not staying in the same dorms yet, Izuku had noticed Hitoshi lurking around more and more often, though he rarely bothered to interact with anyone. Until now, that is.
"I just..." the taller boy shifted on his feet, his voice quiet and eyes trained to the side, "Wanted to ask if you wanted to come along...? I can bring a friend and, uh," his mouth pressed into a tight line, "I mean, you're the closest to a friend I think I have here." Shrugging his shoulders up around his ears, Hitoshi managed to lock eyes with Izuku for a moment. "Is that strange?"
Whether it was strange or not, it didn't seem to register with the hero course student as his wide green eyes lit up. "No! I mean, that's fine! Yes, I'll- uh- I'll come along!" he replied with a grin that eased Hitoshi's stiff posture in an instant.
"That's good," Hitoshi murmured, relieved, "Grandma said she was interested in meeting you, anyway."
Breaking from his reverie, Izuku blinked. "Meeting me? Oh, you live with your grandparents?"
The other shrugged. "Just my grandmother, and yeah... She watched our fight on TV, at the sports festival."
"I see, I see..." Izuku broke off into muttering, cupping his chin between his thumb and forefinger, "I ought to bring a thoughtful gift, then. Admittedly, I haven't visited many friends' houses in a while, but I know that especially the older generations are very discerning about this type of thing..."
"Midoriya-kun?"
"Yes, Shi--"
Just as quickly as Hitoshi's quirk took effect, the hold was broken. Izuku blinked and shook the lingering fog from his head. "You don't have to bring anything, don't worry," Hitoshi said, rocking on his heels slowly, "I just hope the visit won't be too boring for you. It's in a pretty quiet area, and I, mm..." he trailed off, scuffing the bottom of his sneaker against the floor.
"I'm sure it won't be, Shinsou-kun!" Izuku quickly cut in to placate the taller boy, "I'm excited, really!" He tried not to think about how his heartbeat hiked up just a little as a small smile flitted across Hitoshi's face. Honestly, Izuku understood how he felt -- after spending his entire childhood from preschool leading up to his acceptance to UA being bullied, Izuku knew how exciting it must be to finally have a friend to ask over to his house.
It turned out Hitoshi's grandmother only lived a brief train ride away from UA. It made him a little sad; Izuku would have jumped at the chance to break down such a unique quirk back in middle school, but his old school district was much further out of the way. To be fair, he was still interested in picking it apart now and had done some preliminary research already -- though so far it'd been mostly dominated by a cult leader from decades ago, which wasn't exactly the kind of thing he wanted to focus on considering the other's laser focus on being a force of good -- but with the demanding workload of the hero course, he'd hardly gotten the chance to ask Hitoshi about it directly.
Now, however, might be a good opportunity, since they would be able to speak freely without any of Hitoshi's classmates freaking out.
Izuku glanced over at Hitoshi, who was leaning against the platform sign and checking his phone. "Um, Shinsou-kun?"
"What's up?"
Izuku paused, grappling with the right way to phrase his question. "Uh, I was wondering... So, did you get your quirk from your grandmother's side?" Maybe if she also had it, he could get more diverse input.
Looking thoughtful, Hitoshi nodded. "Yeah, my grandma's dad had it, but it skipped a couple generations. Apparently, it was recessive in my family."
"Really? That's interesting!"
"Yeah, both grandma and her daughter -- uh, my mom -- neither of them had quirks." He flashed a thin, toothy smile that didn't reach his tired eyes. "It was a big surprise when I ended up with one."
The freckled boy's expression wilted slightly. Something about Hitoshi's response didn't sit right. It wasn't that it seemed like he was lying, but...
Hitoshi raised a hand to point as the train came to a stop yards away. "This is our line." he said, pocketing his phone once more.
As they were herded onto the train, the two boys crowded close, the car packed fairly tightly due to the midday rush. Izuku stole a glance up at Hitoshi as they both reached up to grab the same handhold, who locked eyes with him for a moment before looking pointedly at the floor, his deadpan expression unwavering.
Though the house was small and old-fashioned, it was very well cared-for. The smallness didn't detract from the simple beauty of it, and one could only imagine it would have cost a pretty penny when it was built, since there were so few other machiya in the area. The outside gate was lined with hydrangea bushes that were pruned to perfection and Izuku could just make out the sound of a wind chime tinkling by the front door.
As the two approached the house, a cat slipped out from under one of the bushes and meowed loudly at them, darting over to wind between Hitoshi's legs. His normally neutral expression broken up by a gentle grin, Hitoshi stooped down and snatched up the feline. "Chika, you been missing me?" the purple-haired boy asked in a quiet voice, scratching at her cheeks. Izuku couldn't help but stare a little -- he'd never seen such a genuinely carefree expression on Hitoshi's face before. He was all too quickly brought back to the moment as Hitoshi turned his attention back to him, which Izuku suddenly felt like he was perhaps not well prepared for.
"Midoriya-kun, this is Chika," Hitoshi said, simmering down from a full-on grin to one of his more sedate smiles as he returned to the other's side and offered the cat out to him, "She's friendly."
Izuku returned the smile and reached in to scratch behind the spotted cat's ears, which earned him a pleased chirp. "How cute!"
"Are you kids just going to linger in the garden?"
Both teens started before looking to the front door where Hitoshi's grandmother stood, wearing a sensible kimono with a camellia print obi and crossing her arms. "Hitoshi," she resumed, "Bring your friend inside. It's going to start snowing again and I don't want to see either of you catch sick."
"Grandma, this is Midoriya Izuku from class A."
The old woman appraised the younger boy for a moment with intense eyes. Part of Izuku wondered if Hitoshi's default expression was something he had picked up from his grandmother. "Good to finally meet you," she said after a moment, "I remember you from the television. You pulled off some impressive feats, young man -- I'd never seen someone be able to break free of Brainwashing on their own like that, even if it did cost you a couple fingers." Her gaze panned to Hitoshi, who was suddenly looking very sheepish. "Honestly, after your scuffle, Hitoshi was insufferable for weeks afterward."
Before Izuku could ask what she meant, Chitose sighed. "Hitoshi, could you make some tea. My hip has been acting up." From the look on Hitoshi's face he didn't seem to believe her, but he dutifully hurried to the kitchen none-the-less. "Right," she snorted, then rounded on Izuku again, "So, you are in the hero course, then?"
"Yes, Shinsou-san." the boy replied, posture stiffening even as Chika clambered onto his lap. Something about this woman's demeanor set him on edge... This felt like an interrogation.
"And that undoubtedly means you already plan to become a hero after your schooling is done?"
"Y-Yes?"
She cracked a small smile. "I see. In that case, you had better look after Hitoshi. That is what heroes do, after all; protect people..."
"Yes..." he murmured, fidgeting in his seat, "But, I mean, Shinsou-kun is working hard to get into the hero course too, so..."
"So I keep hearing."
Unsure, or unable, to respond, Izuku turned his attention back to Chika, who was meowing and rubbing her face against his hand. "She sure is sweet." he mused aloud.
"Yes, Hitoshi seems drawn to fuzzy, friendly things with big eyes." Chitose replied with a soft huff. Something in the way she said that made Izuku's face pinken slightly.
Hitoshi returned with the tea, setting it down quickly before taking his seat once again. "So, um, grandma, I have good news." he said by way of a subject change, something Izuku found himself very grateful for.
"What is it?" she asked.
He nodded as he set a teacup in front of both his grandmother and Izuku. "I passed my test to transfer to the hero course. I'll be joining starting my second year."
Picking up her tea, Chistose sipped at it softly. "Oh, I heard about that. That handsome teacher of yours stopped by to tell me."
"'Handsome' teacher?" both boys asked in unison, then came to the same realization at the same time. "Aizawa-sensei...?" Izuku managed, which was more coherent than Hitoshi's muffled strangled noises.
"Yes, that one. He drops by sometimes to pet the neighbourhood cats and tell me about Hitoshi's progress." She rose a shrewd eyebrow. "You really think I don't know what goes on at that school? Don't underestimate my ability to make a nuisance of myself."
Hitoshi regained the power of speech and waved a deferent hand. "Right, right -- my mistake, grandma."
"Your mistake, indeed." Then, Chitose rounded back onto Izuku. "So, what kind of workload do the hero students deal with?"
"Grandma!"
The old woman batted at her grandson's arm as he sunk down against the table. "You're complaining now, but are you ready to take on more than you're doing already, Hitoshi? I just want you to be prepared!"
Though the direct comment set Izuku back on his figurative heels once again, watching Hitoshi and Chitose's back and forth eased the awkward situation somewhat. It reminded him of the joint exercise, where the other boy had bluntly stated he had so much ground to cover and wasn't interested in making friends. Hitoshi's single-minded honesty came from his grandmother as well, even if it seemed a bit hostile at first.
"I-I-It's fine!" Izuku assured the purple-haired boy. Hitoshi managed to peek up at him between his fingers. "As for the coursework, um," he continued, "I think Shinsou-kun will be able to handle it -- he's already proven in training to a capable fighter!" Drumming his hands on the table excitedly, Izuku grinned. "Everyone was really impressed by him, and truth be told I wanted to ask him more about his quirk and the different ways he could use it in combat, as well as rescue situations..."
Both Hitoshi and Chitose Shinsou grew still and silent, watching Izuku go as he trailed off into murmurings on branches of possibilities. After a few moments, Hitoshi, now quite red in the face, cut in.
"Hey, Midoriya-kun?"
"Hu--?"
As the shorter boy's face went blank at Hitoshi's command, Chitose's eyes widened. Blanching as he seemed to recall present company, Hitoshi released Izuku immediately. "Sorry, I..." he barely whispered.
Once the cottony feeling in his brain had evaporated, Izuku glanced back to the two of them. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prick up as his gaze panned from Chitose's shocked expression to Hitoshi's wan look of contrition, he cleared his throat softly. "Ah, I was rambling again, huh? Sorry, Shinsou-kun, Shinsou-san." Turning to Hitoshi, Izuku placed a hand on his arm. "I can always count on Shinsou-kun to keep me on my toes -- it's hard for me to reign myself in when I get like that sometimes."
It was silent for a moment, save for Chika fleeing from Izuku's lap to the back porch.
Chitose's posture slowly eased. "Of course." she replied, folding her hands on her lap. Hitoshi managed to look back to Izuku, producing a shaky mirror to the other boy's smile. "If you two boys would like to turn on the television," Chitose continued, rising to her feet, "And find out what specials are playing, I will start on supper."
"Do you want any help?" Hitoshi asked, his voice slightly strained, but Chitose shook her head.
"You aren't as small as you use to be, but my kitchen is still the same size," she huffed, her earlier stern tone returning, "And you should focus on entertaining your guest."
"Alright." Standing slowly, Hitoshi looked back to Izuku, his ears going a bit pink again. "C'mon, Midoriya-kun." Izuku shot up and followed, silently running the numbers on how to proceed from here.