Chapter Text
Shit, shit, shit, shit! Hitoshi chanted, as though he was praying to whatever god-thing that was taking this much joy in torturing him would actually listen to his useless pleas. The sudden snap of his webbing sent him tumbling through the night sky of Musutafu. Hitoshi´s breath rattled against the pit that had formed in his stomach as he fumbled around in the air for a split second before managing to catch his webbing on the side of a building again. The strange feeling of having a string of spider silk shoot out of your wrists, Hitoshi didn't think that he would ever get over it. In all honesty, the best he could describe it is having a long yet thin wire suddenly shoot out of a newly developed hole in your skin. Which… wasn't really the best description in the first place. The sirens yowled violently against the night as Hitoshi tried to match the pace he originally had before falling.
The ear splitting sirens sent every nerve in Hitoshi’s body tingling, and Hitoshi threw his many (many) curses into the sky. He cursed at his newfound powers. He cursed against the bright city lights. He cursed against the past-Hitoshi choice of going out ‘patrolling‘ tonight. Being chased by the police was not the plan for these powers. It was not the plan at all. Some of the powers were cool, he will admit that, but some were less cool. If he could, he would search up every single swear word that he could to describe his situation right now, but swinging and looking at your (already pretty broken) phone didn't really mix at the best of times. Don’t swing and text kids, it could end with you face planting it into a building!
Hitoshi swung as fast as he could, trying to dodge the fast moving police cars that were chasing after him. He doubted that it would be long before they called the helicopter to catch him. He needed to lose these guys, and fast. Damn, it was only his first night patrolling and he got himself in such a sticky situation already, hehe get it? Sticky? Because spiderwebs are sticky?... Yeah, jokes were never his strong point.
A dark cut between two buildings caught his attention a couple of blocks ahead, easy. He would speed along ahead, thankfully his costume was pretty dark already and he would just blend in! Brilliant! Good thinking Hitoshi, he praised himself as he followed his own instructions. He shot his webs further than his usual distance, worried for a moment that it wasn't going to catch the building that he wanted it to. His chest fell with relief as it finally caught and swung him a few metres ahead of the police cars. The buildings didn't have much light, assisting his planned escape as he quickly hid himself between them. His chest heaving and his eyes foggy with tears. Hitoshi winced as the police cars echoed through the alleyway for a second before continuing at such a fast rate, Hitoshi was impressed that they didn't speed ahead of him sooner.
Hitoshi looked up through the sock (homemade mask, Thank you very much) that he had cut holes through just hours before deciding to do something as stupid as this. The stars, although most were covered by the intense light pollution of the city, looked exactly like the ones he could see out of his car as he was driven here for the first time a month ago. God had it really been a month? The humid night air tonight could have bled into the sterile car with the broken air conditioning. Could have mixed with the dark clouds and the moonless night when Hitoshi was on his way to his twenty-fifth house.
⭐
“This family wants to adopt you full time, so you have to be on your very best behaviour for these few days whilst we get everything settled and then they can sign the adoption papers” Mrs. Collin turned around from the passenger seat to stare at Hitoshi in the back. She took in Hitoshi’s appearance as though for the first time. Scraggly purple hair that looks greasy and unkept under a certain light, (under any light really) dark sullen eyes and eyebags that would scare off even the most confident adults. She sighed and turned back around “you sure that you want to go in looking like that?”
Her voice carried that sort of urging quality adults used on younger kids to get them to do something. Hitoshi should have felt something, maybe some part of him wanted to. Some small, broken part of him wanted to go have a quick shower and flatten down his hair like he used to do as a kid. But when he thought about it, a bone deep tiredness echoed throughout his body and sat in his chest like a dragon curling around his lungs as though they were its treasure. Squeezing squeezing squeezing until he dismissed the feeling with a large inhale. At this point Hitoshi didn't care, he usually spent a few days with the average couple and by the end of the week they were always turned down with the same few sentences.
“He wasn't a right fit for our family”
“Sorry we're looking for something a little different”
“Too moody”
“We don't think that we want a teenager just yet”
“He just wasn’t a right fit”
Not a right fit.
The small ball of glowing hope that had settled in his chest each time a family wanted to meet him had disappeared by the time that Hitoshi was 13. By now, Hitoshi has learnt to accept it. He was purely expecting just to have the door closed at the sight of him by now. All talk and no action, he did this, every year or so and then he just lived his life in the care home with the other kids. He had a nice routine now, it wasn't pretty, but it was comfortable. He knew what to expect. They would open the door and take in his sullen expression, their pleasant smile would falter but they would still be invited in. He would be welcomed to a plain bedroom and if there are any other kids he would be met with untrusting stares. They would allow him to stay two days, maybe three and then they would call Mrs. Collin to come and pick him up.
What he did not expect was for the door to open to a young girl. Messy braids in almost stark white hair from playing at school and happy bright red eyes. A red and white dress complimenting her previous features and frilly white socks without house shoes. She looked up at Hitoshi and Mrs. Collin, blinking those big red eyes. Clearly knowing that they were strangers and not being prepared.
Mrs. Collin got over her shock quicker than Hitoshi, who had carefully put his bin bag filled with the things he owned down on the hallway carpet. For the first apartment block he’d been in, it wasn't half bad.
“Hello lovely, can you please tell me if there are any adults inside?” The girl nodded but kept staring at us, the door still not fully wide open.
Immediately a voice called from inside. It was average, that's the best Hitoshi could describe it as. Withheld a bounce, maybe a little bit higher than most men he’d heard…if it was a man. “Eri dear, who’s at the door?”
‘Eri’ did not respond, simply looked back inside the apartment. As light footsteps got closer to the door, Hitoshi stood up a little straighter, just like Mrs. Collin told him to. First impressions were everything after all.
“Sorry, Eri’s a little shy when it comes to strangers” The man looked at them for a few moments, and so Hitoshi did the same. The man had astonishingly bright green eyes, complementing his long blonde hair which was pulled up into a bun at the moment, complete with a…was that a cat chopstick in his hair? His small moustache was the same colour as his hair, Hitoshi was impressed with this man’s style, his dark green turtleneck and baggy jeans complete with brown socks? Beautiful!
A quite sudden and sharp realisation came over the man’s face.
“Oh crap! Was that…is that today?!” Mrs. Collin sheepishly nods at the man’s words.
“We can come back another day if you're not ready today?”
“Huh? Oh no! We are ready! The rooms all set up and everything, all the furniture and everything is already in there, i just didn't realise that it was today because Shouta organised the dates at the centre, and obviously it slipped my mind” He must have realised that he was rambling because he abruptly stopped and welcomed Hitoshi and Mrs. Collin inside.
The door opened and Hitoshi felt his eyes scan around the nearest living quarters that he could see. There weren’t any windows that he could immediately see. Even if they already had another kid, Hitoshi’s rule to himself was that nowhere was fully safe, even if it seemed it.
The front door immediately opened into the kitchen, with white food cabinets and the fridge on the left with the cooker and even more cabinets on the right and a large island in the middle with cutouts for chairs. The countertops were covered in a black sparkly marble which reflected under the yellow lights embedded into the ceiling. The kitchen had a lot of light brown and yellow objects, creating a warm and comforting environment. At first Hitoshi thought that it was to catch him off guard. To tether him off the end and then cut the tie, so they have custody of him forever, able to do anything that they like.
Hitoshi retreated behind Mrs. Collin at the thought of his past foster carers, keeping his bag of belongings close to his chest as she led him further inside. His heart, however tired it was from the sleepless nights, sped up and Hitoshi tried to level his breathing the best he could. As they got engulfed by the homey feeling and the door closed, Hitoshi was welcomed to the layout of the rest of the apartment.
Connecting to the kitchen was the living room, a short greyish carpet splitting the kitchen and the rest of the house like land and sea. There was a TV resting on a wooden table at the end of the living room and an L shaped dark grey couch facing it. On the left was a large window that reflected the neighbouring apartments and a large park just metres away from the blocks of flats. In the corner next to the window was an old chair, looking extremely out of place with its white cushions and yellow neckholder. A small table next to it with a half empty coffee cup and a colourful slap band bracelet. Opposite it, was a small storage room of some kind Hitoshi guessed by the half open door to reveal the head of a hoover sticking out.
On the other side of the living room was a small three step staircase towards what Hitoshi guessed again was the bedrooms and bathrooms. Which was proven correct as the man ‘Hizashi’ led them up the staircase and towards the furthest door on the right. There were four. Two on one side, two on the other.
“This is me and Shouta’s room” Hisashi said as he knocked quietly on the door on the left, closest to the stairs. “He’s asleep right now so I wouldn't want to bother him.”
Hitoshi felt a strike of fear hit him, asleep during the day must mean he’s a drunk and that he goes out at night drinking, and then he would come home and be super aggressive and- “He works late at the police department, a lot of the time and doesn't get home until twelve to one ish so on the weekend we let him sleep in unless it was a good paperwork day or it’s something special. Today he would be up and greeting you Hitoshi at the door” Hitoshi looked up and locked eyes with Hizashi when he said his name, he was paying attention “But obviously we forgot to set alarms because he forgot to put today on the calendar” Hizashi rolled his eyes endearingly and they locked on something behind Hitoshi.
“Eri? Would you like to come and say hi?” Hitoshi looked around just to see the smallest wave you could imagine before the door shut with a quiet click and a flurry of white hair. Hizashi hummed before explaining “Eri was our first foster because she and Shouta just connected instantly.” They continued walking along the short hallway, Hizashi pointing to the bathroom before continuing. “She was raised in a very abusive household after her parents abandoned her and gave her to her uncle, thankfully she was rescued and we adopted her just a few months ago before we met you” Hizashi spoke with a careful and calm fondness in his eye, filled with love but also caution “So we hope that you will feel right at home with us for this week, and hopefully many weeks to come.”
Finally they came to the last door. A dark oak, exactly the same as all of the other ones with a silver handle. Hizashi opened the door to reveal dark blue walls, a dark oak cabin bed with a symmetrical oak desk underneath. Shelves that littered the walls matched the colour of the desk and similarly the drawers that were in the corner of the room. It left space for many posters and a chalkboard sat lonely above the desk. Books littered the desk’s shelves, fiction, nonfiction and studying books alike.
Hitoshi thought that he was going to cry. Why, why, why? Why would they give him all of this stuff when they know by the end of the week he ain't going to be here anymore. Or maybe this was just a spare room that they had for all of the foster kids…yeah that must be it. They didn't even know him and they would get all of this stuff for him? No, this was a decoy, to have him settled for the week only to move back into that old and crusty room back in the orphanage with all of the other kids. Unwanted, unloved. All he had was himself, no-one else cared. These people didn’t care. He wasn't the right kid, he was never going to be the right kid.
“Thanks” he croaked.
Hizashi didn't seem fazed at the stoic expression that Hitoshi mastered, smiling brightly and telling him to unpack his things and get settled before closing the door and allowing him and Mrs. Collin to talk out the arrangements. If there was even going to be any.
His black bin bag looked out of place with all of the fancy, out of the box, new furniture. He climbed up the ladder to the bed and instantly marvelled about how soft it was. At least he will get a good sleep for a few nights. Dumping the contents out of his bag, folded and worn, but loved books. An old stuffed cat that actually might fit the aesthetic of the new room. A star projector that he stole two packets of batteries from his old carers to keep it alive. His phone and charger. In his pocket was a bag of stolen money that he keeps just in case of an emergency. A few sets of clothes that he was too big for now. A few pins that he has that are usually banned in his carers homes because of homophobia. His sketchbook, and a pencil case of small pencils and an ink pen that was very clearly running out. Headphones charger and a box of fidget toys.
Hitoshi placed the books and the star projector behind them so that they wouldn't know it was there if they came in immediately. Kiko (the cat stuffie) sat behind his pillow on his bed so she wouldn't get confiscated, and the rest was stuffed in the smallest drawer that he could access easily in his desk but wouldn't be the first place to look otherwise.
Hitoshi sat on the bed, observing his room for a few moments and just relishing in the silence. Thankfully this foster home only had one kid, some of the others he was not so lucky.
⭐
“Are you my big brother?”
The question caught him off guard as well as spooking him into half swallowing - half breathing in his cereal that he found out of the cabinet. His lungs burned as he cursed in his mind. Hizashi did say help himself to anything in the cupboards. Damn! He’d thought that waking up at six thirty would give him enough time before the others woke up. Clearly not since as soon as that question was asked a deep gravelly and tired voice erupted from behind Eri.
“Only if he wants to be”
Ah, this must be the man called Shouta. Hitoshi turned from the sink where he was washing out his bowl to stare in complete awe at the man in front of him. Whether it was in adoration or complete and utter embarrassment he didn’t know.
Shouta leaned against the doorframe leading into the hallway, his black shirt was crumpled and messy as though he had slept in it for a whole day. Pink pants…Shouta was wearing pink jogging bottoms with black kittens littered all over them. He had long dark hair that clearly had not been brushed since yesterday morning, dark circles under his eyes that almost mimicked Hitoshi’s and a small cut under his right eye.
In all honesty, Hitoshi thought that he was a badass. Maybe staying here for a week wouldn’t be that bad.
“Are you alright kid?”
Hitoshi nodded quickly as he finished his coughing fit, unshed tears and a face almost as red as a tomato, he probably looked ridiculous for a first impression. Weak, he looked weak. He cursed and straightened his back as Shouta started talking again.
“I’m Shouta, sorry I couldn’t meet you yesterday, Saturday is a lie in day.”
“All day?” Hitoshi questioned voice straining a bit against the recent inhalation of milk. Challenging him, he was challenging him, a feat that he usually takes on the first morning of a new foster home, to see if they could put up with him. Whether it started as a conscious decision or an unconscious decision he didn't know. Most are taken aback by the sudden harsh comeback, some you can see it in their faces, some their eyes or body language. Not this time.
Shouta chuckled quietly and stared off in the direction of the rising sun streaming through the window. The honey dipped room was quickly filling with golden light that chased away the shadows, reflecting in shouta’s eyes and developing a warm tint in the otherwise obsidian pupils.
“Yeah sometimes all day kid, i swear if people suddenly changed to nocturnal i would not have a problem adjusting” He ruffled Eri’s hair as she ran towards the table, struggling to get atop of the chairs before Shouta lifted her up by her armpits and gently placed her on the chair, which Hitoshi could see was decorated with colourful stickers.
His chest ached at the easy and simple display of affection, why couldn't he have gotten that when he was younger? Why couldn't he have the warm smiles, backed up with years of love and affection? Why couldn't he have that?
His thoughts froze as a warm hand carefully patted his head a couple of times, lingering for a moment as Shouta bent down to open a cupboard closest to the sink and grabbed a box of rainbow shaped marshmallow cereal. The warmth from Shouta’s hand lingered like the sun, sending electricity down his spine. His brain seemed to have short circuited at a simple display of kindness, his shoulders hunched and almost came close to brushing his ears. Fists clenched and nails dug into the flesh as Shouta calmly asked him what he had for breakfast.
“U-uh cereal…sir” His hands still shook from the adrenaline, not that he knew why. It was just a head pat, nothing more nothing less. He didn't know this man well and he could be trying to build a bond only to stab him in the back.
Eri doesn't seem scared of him, so maybe he was safe? Could however be an act.
Hitoshi flinched as Shouta scoffed and closed the fridge door after putting the milk back in and handing the bowl to Eri with a red plastic spoon on the side. Said girl, who was previously playing with her white cat stuffie in her lap, watching Hitoshi carefully from afar, looked down at the rainbow cereal and lit up with energy. Shovelling the sugary cereal into her mouth with a contented sigh.
“You don't have to be all formal kid, I'm wearing pink kitten jogging bottoms for god's sake just Shouta’s fine”. Hitoshi nodded as Shouta reached and put the kettle on before turning back to hitoshi, still leaning against the kitchen sink.
“Do you like coffee?” Hitoshi nodded respectfully, despite his eyes widening and the internal glee at the small opportunity to taste liquid from the gods!... at least, that's what Hitoshi thinks.
“How'd you take it?” Hitoshi, paused for a second, he hadn't gotten coffee in almost half a year, due to foster homes and the orphanage wouldn't let him have any.
“Uh- Strong with, o-oat milk si-Shouta”. God, did he curse his stuttering, Shouta now knows he's an easy target, he was so fucked!
Shouta nodded and hummed slightly before reaching for two cups and a large tub of coffee powder. Hitoshi was impressed. The dark haired man opened the tub before sprinkling a substantial amount of coffee powder in each of them and turning back to him as the kettle started bubbling.
“D’you wanna grab the oat milk? It's the brown carton” Hitoshi nodded and immediately sprung into action, grabbing the milk swiftly and almost silently before handing it to Shouta. The man poured an equal amount into each cup before placing the carton on the side and mixing each cup with a spoon before carefully handling a cup towards Hitoshi, and motioning for him to sit down followed by Shouta.
“Are you lactose intolerant?” Shouta asked, which was immediately followed by a small ‘no’ from beside him. He softly smiled down at Eri, who had a milk moustache and stray puff clouds on her cheeks. Wiping away the stray food on his daughter's cheek he spoke “not you sweetheart, I know you have no problem with consuming a concerningly large amount of milk and cookies under pop’s watch on friday nights.” Eri squirmed under the acquisition, cheeks tinted rose, and quickly made work of getting down to place her bowl and spoon in the sink before running back up the short staircase and to her room.
Hitoshi paused mid sip under the small smile Shouta had. It felt almost wrong, like he didn't deserve such kindness.
“I-uh, yes sir, I-I mean Shouta, I don’t mix well with lactose.” Shit, again with the stuttering, get it together Hitoshi! He scolded himself as the dark haired man in front smiled and nodded.
“That’s perfectly fine, Hizashi is extremely lactose intolerant so we've got loads of things around the house that's lactose free, anything that isn't is in that cupboard” he pointed to a high cupboard above the stove “and the third shelf on the fridge…besides the milk, which is in the door but you know already not to drink cow’s milk”.
Hitoshi nodded silently, going back to his coffee for a minute before loud footsteps bounced against the soft grey carpet. Hitoshi quickly noted that the footsteps were the ones of Hizashi, as the long haired blonde made his way into the kitchen.
“Hey, hey little listeners! And big listener” he said, smiling lovingly at his husband's tired morning eyes. Eri quickly ran in and jumped down the three stairs before rolling onto the couch, white kitten stuffie in hand as giggles filled the area.
“So, Hitoshi” Oh god, here it was, it wasn't even a full day and he was already not a good fit, god why did he even have any hope?
“Since today is sunday, and tomorrow monday, i was wondering if you were comfortable going to school this week?” If he was comfortable? What would happen if he wasn't comfortable, would they punish him?
“We both work at the school that we want to enrol you in and we’re both on good terms with Nedzu, the principal so it wouldn't be too far or too difficult to get you in. Shouta has an empty space in his class anyway after expelling someone for…unruly reasons.” Shouta shuddered in sync with Hizashi, and briefly locked eyes before the blonde got out a glass, put a couple of spoonfuls of coffee powder in and filled it up with vanilla oat milk.
You know what? Maybe this was a good opportunity! Maybe he could turn over a leaf and actually try! This family seems nice enough, even if he felt as though he was intruding on a cute family film. With his mind made up and a blank expression on his face he nodded as he placed his cup down on the table.
“Sure, that sounds fine”