Chapter Text
Izuku scurried away as fast as he could there wasn't anywhere to hide in the dark alleyway, he wanted to scream but he knew that'd break his cover, Why was this psycho officer with a cat head chasing him!?
"SANSA! Stop chasing that damn rodent and get over here this is the third time this week! We still have to get this criminal back to the staition and alert other heroes that pōchi is in the area!"
The psycho man with the cat head or as Izuku now knew as Sansa looked up guilty at the Brown Haired officer, "Sorry I was hungry..Let's get the criminal to the station.."
Izuku watched quietly as they dragged the unconscious criminal into the police car and drove away, Izuku is currently in his hamster form and while he did have an unnatural green fur coat in hamster form, it was dark in the alleyways so he looked black and he was usually mistaken your average alleyway rat
Izuku scurried out of the alleyway he wanted to get away from the scene as fast as possible heroes would be sent to the scene soon if he was in if he heard the officer right, and sure izuku was in his hamster form but he didn't want anyone to notice that everytime he beat a criminal unconscious there would be a little 'rat' scurring away, even if they thought he could control rats or something like that, it was too close for comfort about his real quirk, so best to get out of the area
Izuku snuck around a hungry raccoon which was looking for food in a trash can it dumped over, Izuku was pretty hungry too it was near his break and he was looking forward to getting some food from Eraserhead, Izuku felt a little guilty for using him for food after all Eraser had no idea that he was the vigilante, he was trying to catch for three years straight but he didn't feel too guilty. Not only that Izuku gasslighted Eraser into believing he had a quirk that made him nocturnal so Eraser would stop telling him to go to bed though that took months to fully convince him. Mabye Izuku should get Eraserhead a little gift.
After a few minutes of running izuku turned back into his regular human form, he took off his hoodie and wrapped it around his waist and then he trotted over to the park and sat in the normal meeting spot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shouta noticed the nocturnal problem child at their meeting spot, he suppressed a tired sigh, and he slowly snuck up from behind. The kid had promised him if he could startle him he'd give Shouta his name.
"Your late eraser" Shouta groaned in disappointment of being found out and sat down on the bench next to the problem child
"Kid, I've known you for 3 years now. Don't you think I deserve to know your name? I gave you my name" Shouta handed the kid a bento box. The kid ate it all up how did the kid put all that food in his mouth did he even chew?? Shouta thought he'd be used to how fast the kid ate by now..
"Platypus don't have nipples so milk just oozes from their skin"
"I-" Shouta groaned he was used to this the problem child always told him weird shit like this when he didn't want to answer his questions bit that didn't stop him from getting weirded out every time "Problem child, always with the weird facts why do you know this?"
The Problem Child smirked clearly getting much pleasure out torturing him.
Then the kids stomach growled loudly
Shouta's eyes widened and he started to panic a bit "Your still hungry? When's the last time you ate? Do you want something more filling? God kid-!" Shouta was cut off by the kid "Calm down eraser! I'm okay! Swear! just a bit hungry"
Shouta stood up, his eyes filled with concern "I'm getting you some more food come on, theres a store not to far from here" he grabs problem child's hand and starts walking, Shouta hated seeing his problem child hurt or hungry.
"Eraser I'm fine- stop pulling let me go!" Izuku tried to pull away but Shouta's grip was firm but not in a painful way. Izuku kicked and bit Shouta, Izuku was not happy about being dragged by Shouta.
~~~~
Once they made it to the store Shouta went in the food aisle dragging the kid behind and then pointed to the food and said firmly "Pick any food you want and I'll get it for you, you can get as much as you want kiddo"
Shouta sighed in relief when he saw the problem child picking out things from the shelf, Shouta had been worried the kid would be too angry about him dragging him there and put up a fight, He noticed the kid eyeing a clear box with a blob? Shouta went for closer inspection it looked like a black hamster squishy. Shouta read the label 'Taba Squishy'. His Problem Child like hamsters, huh, he'll keep note of that.
Shouta picked up the box with the taba squishy in it and gave it to Problem Child, Problem Child looked like he was about to argue so Shouta cut him off with a glare that held no room for argument.
Shouta payed for the items and put them in a bag. They both walked out of the store, Shouta handed Izuku the bag.
"Why'd you get me the squishy?" his voice was shakey. Izuku didn't make eye contact with Eraser, he didn't want Eraser to see the tears forming in his eyes, so instead, Izuku had his eyes locked on the squishy.
Shouta stared down at the kid who seemed to be on a mission to not stare back at him.
"You kept looking at it, you seemed like you wanted it, so I got it for you"
The kids mouth opened and closed he clearly didn't know how to respond to it. It made Shouta sad, if his problem child was getting this caught up on getting something so small just a small act of kindness, then how long has it been since his problem child received any kindness any affection, Shouta had been worried the kid's parents might be abusive and he's starting to think he's right, Even if the kid has a nocturnal quirk that keeps him up he shouldn't be out here alone! it's dangerous! Shouta was pulled out of his spiraling thoughts by the kid's soft voice.
"T-thanks, I really like the gift...uhm..but I uh, hanging out with you is way better than any object you could give me" Izuku hoped if he said this Eraser wouldn't do this again it didn't feel right to have Eraser buy a squishy for him, something he didn't need it and honestly he didn't really want it he just noticed that the squishy kind of looked like Eraser and he'd been wondering if that was what Eraser would look like if he could turn into a hamster to. Izuku looked up at Eraser to see his reaction, he looked completely smitten.
Shouta was completely smitten by the words that came out of the kid's mouth. The kid's words playing over and over again in his head. Why did the Problem child have to be so cute and sweet? The kid's real parents didn't deserve him. Oh crap the kid was waiting for a response "Im happy you feel that way kid..I enjoy spending time with you too, I wouldn't have it any other way"
The kid smiled warmly at him and Shouta smiled gently back they simply basked in each other's company till Shouta ruined it.
"Is this a good time to ask your real name kid?"
"AGH! YOU RUINED THE MOMENT ERASER-!" Izuku flailed his arms around forgetting he was holding the bag of food and the squishy, the squishy was launched out of the bag and hit Izuku on the head.
Shouta laughed in his own way which was a breathy huff.
Izuku squacked in offense and yelled "That's not funny!" though there was no real bite in his voice. Izuku picked up the squishy where it had fallen after hitting izuku in the head and put in the bag.
Shouta hid his smile in his scarf "Sure it isn't kid" he stared at the Problem child fondness gleaming in his eyes.
"So I guess this is where we say goodbye and goodnight for the night eraser?" On that note Shouta remembers his worries from earlier and decided to confront the kid "Are you safe?"
"What..?"
Shouta got off the bench and kneeled down in front of Izuku "Are you safe, at home kid? you can tell me kiddo" Onyx tired eyes locked with the kid's big green innocent eyes.
The kid giggled "No my mom's great swear! she'd never do anything to hurt me." Shouta didn't buy it but the kid looked convincing and the kid sucked at lying "Really? Then Why does she let you out at night?" Izuku rolls his eyes "Because my quirk makes me nocturnal and she doesn't want me to spend the rest of my life alone stuck in the house" Shouta was getting frustrated not the kid but at his mother "That's no excuse for her to let you go out alone kid, Does she even know where your going? She doesn't even know me, What if I was dangerous or something you could have gotten killed or kidnapped kid."
Izuku didn't want his mom to get in trouble in all honesty she wasn't the perfect mother but no mother is he thinks and she was really busy with work during the day. She also sometimes took night 'shifts' which was really her going out and assisting her new boyfriend who was the leader of a small gang, so she didn't really give izuku much of her time. "I told my Mom I was hanging out with a friend"
"Does your Mother know that I'm a twenty-four year old man? Aren't you like seven? How old are you?"
Izuku's eyes widen in fake suprise (he knew Erasers real age he'd hacked into his files at UA and read everything on them. Hopefully if he said something this insulting Eraser would forget)"Y-Your twenty-four?! I thought you were forty!"
Shouta huffed "Yes I'm twenty-four kid, Answer the question how old are you." his tone was stern and held no room for argument.
"I'm nine in a half but- thats not! there's more to this story I swear!" Izuku was freaking out because crap Eraser was on to him, he didn't want his mom getting in trouble and Izuku didn't want to be put in the System either it would be hard to go out and be a vigilante.
"Really? Well then please go right on ahead problem child, tell me what more is there to this story?"
"Uhm..! The friend my mom thinks I'm hanging out with is my neighbor so its not a far walk..!"
Shouta wasn't convinced in the slightest "I'm visiting your house tonight. I'll be doing a wellness check. I don't think it's a safe environment for you"
"What no! please no!" Izuku put his hand over his mouth, Crap izuku just made himself look suspicious Eraser was Definitely going to check now! And the problem is Izuku's mom's boyfriend sometimes brings his friends out and they drink then they'll throw the bottles everywhere Izuku didn't want Eraser to think his mom had been drinking also they used his mom's house as a storage house for their torture devices(Which Izuku didn't approve of)
Shouta's eyebrow quirked up "No? Kid I don't think you have a choice in this. Show me where you live"
"B-but-"
"Now Problem Child"
Izuku got up and started to walk, but not in the direction of his house, No all he had to do was get out of Erasers line of sight for just for a moment so he could transform, Eraser didn't know he could transform, Izuku looked back at Eraserhead who was following right behind him. Izuku points behind him "Huh? why's my mom out here?" Eraser looks back for a second and Izuku runs.
Shouta shot his capture scarf at the kid catching him, The kid was wiggling like a worm trying to escape, Shouta smirked, "Going somewhere?" The kid groaned and stopped wiggling with what seemed to be defeat "No.."
Shouta had his capture scaf wrapped around the kid's torso so the kid couldn't run away it kind of worked like a leash of sorts. Shouta noticed that the kid was walking towards a festival "Kid are you sure this is the way to your house?" The kid nodded "Yeah we just just through the festival and my house is a few blocks down" Shouta hummed in acknowlement and they both walked into the crowd of people.
Izuku looked around some people where getting food at the stands, some where playing games to catch prizes there where a few kids running around playing tag, and there where fireworks off in the distance all in all it had a very calm atmosphere but Izuku had a plan of escape that might just ruin that. Izuku stopped walking and so did Eraser. Eraser looked at the kid quistioningly
Izuku looked up at Eraser with the most, scared puppy dog eyes he could muster and asked in a shakey voice "Can I please have a hug..? I know it's stupid b-but there's just a lot of people here tonight, I usually go the longer way because there's less people but this route was shorter and I didn't want to make you go the longer way and I'm not used to a lot of people so a hug-" Izuku was cut off by Eraser giving him a hug "It's okay kiddo, you don't need to explain I'll give you a hug whenever you need it" Izuku leaned in but didn't hug back and whispered "Sorry about this Eraser"
Before Shouta could ask what the kid was talking about, the kid screamed (which was about the same volume as Hizashi's greeting in the morning to him and Nerumi) some people at the festival stopped what they where doing to look at the kid. The kid whined out "Help me! this man is touching me in places that make me feel weird! I want my mom! help, someone please help!" People start shouting and Shouta "Let go of the kid!" "Yeah let him go" "Don't worry green bean I'll take care of him for you!"
Izuku smirked as he ran away from Eraser who was trying to explain to the angry mob of people that he was a hero.