Save me, please

First day

"Rise and Shine! We got a big day ahead of us!" Mic's loud voice stirred Shinsou from his sleep, followed by a bright light. "Hizashi, calm down. Let the boy wake up on his own." Aizawa's voiced followed. "It's almost noon!" "And he's clearly tired. Give him time."

Shinsou cracked his eyes open to see his dads standing at the door. That sounded weird. Shinsou not only had one dad now, but two. He wondered how long it would last. Maybe they'd send him back when they got tired of him.

"Anyways, it's time for lunch!" Aizawa sighed, sitting on the edge of Shinsou's bed. "I'm sorry about him. He gets excited." "I can tell." Shinsou sat up, yawning as he stretched. He was hungry.

"Once you eat, we're going to get you some clothes and things." "You don't have to do that." "You need more than one shirt and one pair of pants that fit. It's not healthy." "You're still in the same clothes." "This is my hero uniform. I just got off duty." "Oh." Sometimes, even though the world knew him, Shinsou forgot Aizawa was a hero.

Wait, that meant Shinsou had slept through him leaving and coming back. Just how long had he been asleep? "What's wrong?" Aizawa asked, noticing the change in Shinsou's mood. "How long did I sleep?" Shinsou was nervous for the answer. He almost didn't want to know.

"You've been asleep for a day. Mic stayed here, just to make sure you were okay. He said you woke up once, but doubted you remembered it." "I don't." "It's fine. You're awake now, that's all that matters. Do you want to come to the living room? You'll probably find Pawlson in there." "Pawlson?" "Our cat. The name was Mic's idea."

Shinsou's eyes lit up. "There's a cat here?" Shinsou loved cats. He'd loved them ever since he was a little boy, before he was locked in his room. He'd been here two days, and he'd already figured out that probably wasn't normal.

"There is. But to find it, you'll have to look around." Shinsou nodded, allowing Aizawa to lift him off the bed. Sure, he'd told himself he didn't want to let them know he was weak, but they'd quickly ended that mindset.

Shinsou kept his eyes peeled, looking for the little animal. The last time he'd seen a cat, he must've been around nine. It was a little orange kitten that had wandered into the courtyard of the center, where Shinsou happened to be reading. Despite his young age, Shinsou had been very advanced, reading high school and college books. He doubted his intelligence was that far ahead anymore. Once he'd been confined to his room, his education had been halted.

A little movement behind the couch caught Shinsou's eye. "See it?" Aizawa asked. Shinsou nodded, feeling Aizawa set him down. He could see a little ball of black fluff hiding behind the couch, watching him with yellow eyes. "Say hello to Pawlson, Shinsou."

Shinsou felt frozen. He didn't remember how to pet them. After years of not interacting with these animals, any memory he had of them was almost completely gone. He could barely remember what they looked like, much less how to take care of them.

Aizawa gently grabbed Shinsou's wrist, bringing his hand closer. Shinsou gulped, watching as Pawlson sniffed at his hand. He didn't want to scare Pawlson too.

Pawlson started rubbing his head against Shinsou's hand, purring contently. Shinsou felt like he could fall apart. Pawlson wasn't scared of him like other people were. Maybe he could get close to Pawlson.

Pawlson's fur was soft against Shinsou's hand, and the purrs made his skin feel tingly. He never wanted to stop petting Pawlson, even if it meant he had to stay here forever. It wasn't likely, but maybe he could keep coming back. Maybe he could stay.

"Lunch is ready!" Hizashi called, snapping Aizawa and Shinsou out of their cat trance. They briefly wondered why people couldn't be more like cats before standing, heading to the kitchen. The kitchen was easily the size of Shinsou's old room, which made him feel uneasy. He wasn't used to the wide spaces, although he liked them. It was better than being cramped up in a little room for three years.

Shinsou could only pick at his food. He didn't have a big appetite, and it felt like one mouthful was an entire meal. Sure, he needed to eat more, but he didn't feel like stuffing himself. That made him feel sick, and he didn't like feeling sick. Sure, he felt that way almost 24/7, but he wasn't going to intentionally make it worse. "You're not eating much." Aizawa noted. "Not hungry." Shinsou shrugged.

Aizawa and Hizashi exchanged glances, having a quick silent conversation. They both knew helping Shinsou would be a slow process, but they could be impatient. Aizawa wanted to help Shinsou experience everything he could. Hizashi hoped he could influence Shinsou just enough to prevent him from becoming completely emo like Aizawa.

Shinsou sat in silence as they drove around, still shocked by how much was actually out here. Big electric signs were everywhere, flashing advertisements at the people nearby. Speaking of people, there were so many Shinsou felt overwhelmed. All these faces were walking around, acting as if it was normal to be on a crowded street. He would never understand why people liked to be crowded together.

Shinsou stuck close to Aizawa as they walked, holding onto the back of his shirt. He was scared that if he let go, he would get swept away by the tide of people. There were too many. A few, he could handle. This felt like he was cornered, like he had to keep moving or he'd be swallowed up. Everyone looked so different from each other, some carrying hero merch for a big guy with...were those antenna? 

Aizawa led Shinsou into a shop, making sure the boy got in alright. He knew the crowds here could get bad, but he'd never imagined they'd be this bad. "Well, that was a surprise! You two make it alright?" Hizashi sighed. Contrary to his hero uniform, Hizashi kept his hair in a bun when he was in civies. He liked to keep it out of his face, and he would admit that it was to make Aizawa happy. Hizashi didn't know why, but Aizawa was fond of his bun.

"We're fine. You in one piece?" Aizawa asked Shinsou, who nodded. "Where are we?" "A clothing store. They should have clothes your size,  although they may be a little big." Shinsou didn't say anything. He didn't like all the looks he was getting. It made him feel small. He hated feeling small.

"Just stick with me. People recognize Hizashi and I, but not you. They're just curious, that's all." Aizawa tried to convince himself that was it. It wasn't uncommon for people to recognize him and Hizashi, and they didn't normally have a kid that wasn't from UA with them. But some looks...Aizawa couldn't read them. It didn't make sense. He was usually great at reading people. 

Shinsou felt uneasy the entire time. It always felt like someone was watching him, someone besides his dads. Sure, he was really scrawny and next to two heroes, but this wasn't normal. Continuous staring, even when he thought they were alone? He was scared, and he knew he was, but he didn't like it. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he didn't feel right. Something told him his dads were feeling the same way.

They were walking down the street again when Shinsou felt it again. That sense of dread that felt like someone was pouring cough syrup down his throat. He grabbed Aizawa's arm, trying to calm himself. Aizawa, of course, knew what Shinsou was feeling. He was feeling it himself. The sense of anticipation that made his stomach drop. "Hizashi." That was all he needed to say.

A hand grabbed Shinsou by the neck. He squeaked, tightening his grip on Aizawa. He didn't know who had their hand on his neck, and they certainly didn't know him, or they would've known he hated having his neck touched. Aizawa pulled him closer, elbowing the arm connected to the hand. It let go immediately, making Shinsou sigh in relief. Hizashi got next to Aizawa, creating a wall between Shinsou and the unknown person.

The person eventually disappeared, taking the dread with it. "We need to go to UA, tell Nezu they found us." "Who are they?" Shinsou whispered. "I'll explain in the car. It's not safe to talk about out here." Oh. It was hero stuff. He should've expected it. Of course something weird was hero stuff. Well, today was going to be interesting.