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You were sitting quietly in the cubby of the play set. It was your favorite place to go and hide for a little while when it felt like everything was Too Loud and Too Much. You snuggled with your blanket draped over your head, a pacifier tucked into your mouth, cuddling with Sam as you slowly turned the pages of a picture book.
You barely heard the door open, didn't quite register that there were people coming in. After all, they couldn't see you, so what did you need to worry about? It wasn't until you realized you didn't recognize one of the voices that you moved the little curtain and peeped out.
Todoroki was standing there, arms crossed, glaring at—Endeavor? You knew, vaguely, Endeavor was Todoroki's father. It wasn't something that you thought about most of the time, knowing that Todoroki didn't care for the man. He had never disclosed his whole past to you, and he wasn't required to. You could relate to now being close to your parents.
“Shouto, I don't know why you won't--.”
“Because I don't want to.” he cut him off. “And I told you that you have no business being in here.”
“You're my child. You're my son. Your life is my business.” he looked down at the younger man.
“It might have been if you were ever a parent to me.” your classmate shot back. You were slowly slinking out of the play place, hoping you could sneak away. You didn't care for hearing people argue when you were in your headspace.
“You treated me like a weapon. Now that you're ready to be a father, you don't get to come sweeping in here and make me your child.”
“That's not exactly what I want to do.” you didn't understand the entire context of this conversation, and you didn't want to. You were so preoccupied with trying not to be noticed, you missed the end table and walked right into it. The sharp corners collided with your knee, making you wince and stumble.
“Princess,” Todoroki turned to you, frowning. “Oh, honey, are you okay?'
“Shouto, I'm talking to you!”
“I don't give a shit,” he snapped. “My classmate needs help.” Endeavor stopped then to look at you, really look at you. You saw his fave melt into a disgusted sneer.
“They let Littles into the hero course? I thought UA had standards.”
“Shut up.” Todoroki hissed. He headed over to you, picking you up and settling you on his hip. “She didn't do anything to you.”
“She didn't have to. Put her down. Call her actual care givers. You have more important business right now.” Endeavor insisted. You wanted to stay silent, but you couldn't help it. His harsh words, his tone, the mean look on his face. You whimpered, feeling tears pricking at the corners of your eyes.
“That's enough!” Todoroki put his hand to the back of your neck, pressing your head to rest on his shoulder. “You're not going to come in here and talk that way to my classmate, especially one who is a Little. Especially not a Little in their headspace.”
“You can't tell me you actually sympathize with them?” Endeavor crinkled his nose. “There's something wrong with them. They should be locked up. They should be--.”
“What the fuck did you just say?” Papa's voice crackled through the air. His jaw was clenched, pops sparking from his palms. You whimpered again, feeling tears start to slip out. Todoroki tried to shush you, rubbing your back and swaying a little.
“Bakugo,” Endeavor looked surprised. “Maybe you can help. Shouto thinks that--.”
“I'll only be helping your ass out the door. I heard what you said about my kid.”
“She's ah, she's yours?”
“Sure as shit is,” Papa was ready to pounce on him. Todoroki was stepping back with you, walking towards the couch to sit with you and coddle you a little. There was a flurry of action as Daddy moved to hold Papa back from attacking a pro hero and Aizawa came in to settle things down. You left your face in Todoroki's shoulder.
“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.” he was whispering in your ear. “I'd never let him get near you. I'm sorry he said those awful things. There's nothing wrong with you.”
“I'm sorry.” you whimpered, raising your head. “I'm sorry your dad is mean to you, 'Roki.” your classmate looked at you, speechless. He pulled you in for another hug, hiding his face in your hair as you clung to him.
The two of you ignored Aizawa pushing Endeavor out. You ignored the way that Daddy was getting Papa to calm down, assuring him that you were safe and in one piece. All that mattered at that moment was Todoroki holding onto you, just like you were holding onto him.
***
“What's wrong?” you asked softly. Sero looked up from his phone, giving you a smile that didn't quite reach as wide as his normal one.
“Nothing, princess, what makes you think something's wrong?”
“You've been sitting there all quiet.” you put your hands on his arm, looking up at him intently. He cooed, stroking your hair.
“Nothing's wrong.” you kept looking at him, waiting. He sighed and kissed your forehead. “I was just reading over an email from my mama. They're far away, you know. I don't get to see her as much as I wish I could. And sometimes I miss her.”
“Oooh,” you said. Missing someone's Mama was quite a serious thing, you thought. You looked at Sero for a moment and then hurried off. He watched, amused, at your play. You gathered some of the floor cushions and settled them into a comfy looking floor bed, complete with your own special blanket.
You went to the dress up box and selected an apron and a fake pair of glasses. You smoothed it down in the mirror and smiled. You hurried to his seat then and grabbed his hand, tugging on his gently.
“What trouble are you up to now, princess?”
“I'm not princess, and I'm never trouble.” you set your chin. “Right now, I'm your Mama.”
“You're my Mama?” he repeated, laughing softly. “Uh, okay, sure. So what are we doing, uh, Mama?”
“Well, you're sad, so you need a cuddle. A cuddle will make everything better.” you declared, bringing him to the floor bed you had all made up. He laid down, watching as you laid down too and opened up your arms.
Sero scooted close to you, letting you wrap your arms around him. He moved to take off your glasses so they didn't dig into your face. The two of you laid silently, holding onto one another. Sero had to admit that it did feel nice to be holding someone. It did help ease some of the misery inside of him.
Of course, he still missed his mother. He wouldn't want anyone else at UA to know, but he had always been a little bit of a Mama's boy. He did miss her, still. He loved getting emails and pictures from her. But he missed good night hugs and kisses, food fresh from her kitchen, or the way she would smile at him.
His fingers went to play with your hair. He wouldn't have said so out loud, but it was getting close to your nap time. Your body seemed to understand that, even if your mind didn't. Your eyes were getting heavier and heavier, and you snuggled a little more into him. You had pulled your blanket up over him,and he moved it slightly so the two of you were sharing.
Once you were fully asleep, he reached behind you to untie the apron, afraid your legs would get tangled in it. He could have got up, could have left you there. Instead, Sero closed his own eyes, pulling you ask close to himself as he dared. By the time Midoriya had wandered down to collect you, he was more asleep than awake.
“Are you okay there?” he crouched down, whispering in Sero's ear. Sero nodded, barely letting his eyes open. “Because I can carry her to her crib if you'd like to get up.”
“She's fine, Midoriya. So am I.” he nestled back into the floor bed. He wondered when the last time he'd had a good nap was, when was the last time he'd been able to indulge in something like this? It didn't really matter. All that mattered was our soft, warm body in his arms, giving the both of you comfort.
***
Kirishima loved movie nights. Adored them. He loved being able to get together with the whole class and relax together in the common room. It helped, of course, that most of the time any Little people would join them.
Kirishima could not get enough of cuddles. He hadn't realized before coming to UA that he had been so touched starved. He hadn't realized that could even be a need that people had, let alone one that he was missing out on.
When he had been assigned Mina, he felt like his life was complete. He had his own Little, someone to love and care for and cuddle. All the things that made him feel so very manly. It helped that Mina was gorgeous and bubbly, too. He'd always had a soft spot for her, and her being assigned to him just made sense.
“You're—not Little?” Kirishima asked faintly as Mina sat on the couch and not in the lovely pillow nest that he had so carefully constructed.
“Nope,” she tossed a piece of popcorn up, catching it in her mouth. “Not today.” she shrugged. “Sorry, babe.”
“No, that's uh, that's fine.” after all, no one had to be in headspace. But it was leaving him without someone to cuddle. He was thinking he should deconstruct the pillow nest when you padded into the living room.
You were wearing those ducky pajamas with the hood you only wore when you were feeling particularly small. Midoriya and Bakugo were both gone for the evening, having been called to something at their work study. You were standing there in those pajamas, already with a pacifier, clutching your blanket, looking around shyly.
“Come here, babycakes.” he cooed, holding his arms out. “We can lay in the pillow nest together. Won't that be nice?” you brightened, nodding enthusiastically and trotting over to him. He grabbed you and settled the both of you into the pillow nest.
“This is nice, isn't it? I know I'm not the same as your Daddy or your Papa, but this is still nice, huh?” you nodded, nestling on his chest, the same place all the Littles liked to cuddled into.
Sometimes Kirishima hated how big he was. He knew it was manly, but he also knew that it terrified people. That was not manly at all. He wanted to be approachable, that way he could help more people. But there were moments like this, with you curled on top of him, fitting so well, that he was glad he was a big guy. How else could you lay on him some comfortably?
You laid on him, watching the movie. When drinks and snacks were brought around, Sero subtly handed off a warm bottle. Kirishima grinned up at him, thrilled. He never got to bottle feed Mina. He sat up, arranging the pillows to support the both of you.
“Thirsty, babycakes? Sero made it the same way your Daddy does.” you nodded timidly. He settled you in the crook of his arm and coaxed the nipple towards your mouth. You latched on and closed your eyes, drinking.
Warmth spread through Kirishima and he sighed, feeling calm. As much as you needed to be Little, the caregivers needed to be able to take care of someone. Your fingers came up to rest against his as he held your bottle.
Even when it was empty, Kirishima didn't set you down. He covered you with your blanket and stayed sitting up, holding you so gently. He watched the movie, enjoying the feeling of you cuddled up to him, mostly asleep. You almost never stayed awake for both movies. You still held onto his fingers, not wanting to feel like you were being left alone.
When the second movie ended, the door opened and Bakugo came in first. He saw your sleeping form and bent to take you from his best friend. He kissed your forehead, taking in your sleeping form, the duck pajamas, how warm and cuddly you were.
“Thanks, Shitty Hair.” he grunted.
“Anytime,” Kirishima murmured.
***
Hawks hated it when it rained. He hated how it would make his feathers water logged. He hated how it made it nearly impossible for him to fly safely. He stood at the windows of the common room, watching the storm outside.
It wasn't that late, but the dark clouds had rolled in early, causing the streetlights to turn on. He crossed his arms, watching raindrops as they dripped down the windows. He was so lost in thought, he almost didn't realize that you were walking towards him.
“Are you okay?” you asked softly.
“I'm fine, song bird.” he reached behind him to pull you forwards, tug you into his side. He let one wing wrap around you. You had once mentioned that you liked being in his wings, liked how safe it made you feel.
“I just don't like the yucky weather.”
“I don't always like storms either.” you confessed. “I know it's silly, I know there's nothing there to hurt me but...” you trailed off and shrugged. He nodded, stroking your hair for a moment as the two of you watched the rain.
“When will 'Zuku and Kacchan be back?”
“Not for awhile, I'm afraid.” he sighed. “It's going to take even longer to drive home in this kind of weather. But I'm still here with you.” it had been decided that you shouldn't go to the training exercise since you were recovering from a cold. Even now, you still had a deep seated cough, leaving it hard for you to catch your breath.
“Is it time for me to start on supper?”
“They made us plates and put them in the fridge to heat in the microwave. They said something about you not to be trusted.” you shrugged. Hawks couldn't pretend that didn't sting a little. He turned to walk you away from the window, settle you back on the little couch nest that had been set up for you. He bent to press his lips to your forehead.
“At least you're not running a fever, huh, baby bird?”
“Not a baby,” you scowled. Hawks laughed softly and tucked the blankets around you. You started to cough then, and he helped you sit up, patting your back through the fit.
“Then you'll be able to take cough syrup with no problems, right?” he measured out the dose in the little cup. You made a face. He couldn't blame you, no one liked the taste of those cough medicines. Poison cherry, maybe, rotten bubble gum. Still, if it was going to help you, he really needed you to take it. You had dark marks under your eyes, and Midoriya and Bakugo had asked him to keep you quiet and give you a chance to recover.
“Good girl,” he smiled when you took the medicine with a shudder. You took your sippy of still warm tea and drank, hoping to wash the taste out of your mouth. 'I think I'll go ahead and get started warming up--.”
There was a crack of lightning, rolling thunder. You startled and yelped when the power went out. You whimpered, pulling the blanket up over your head. Hawks stood in the dark, looking around. He expected the power to flicker right back on.
But nothing happened. He knew that there were emergency generators, but they wouldn't keep the dorms running. They were for the lights in the staircase, or for the training arena, or for if they had to seek shelter in the gymnasium.
They weren't for keeping Littles calm.
“It's okay, baby. They'll come back on soon.” he scooped you up, kissing you on the head. “You don't have to be scared.”
“But it's dark.”
“It's dark when you close your eyes, too.” he pointed out. “And you're not scared of that.” he really hoped it wouldn't backfire and you'd refuse to go to sleep ever again. That certainly would not endear him to anyone in class. Present Mic might actually pluck him.
“It's different.” you mumbled. Hawks hummed thoughtfully. He grabbed a few blankets and made his way to the playset. He set you down and crawled into the cubby space. You watched with interest as he set up a comfy looking space and coaxed you inside. When you were pulled towards him, he wrapped a wing around you.
“Is this different? You've told me you like being in my wings.” he stroked your hair, rubbed at your temples for a few moments. You relaxed in his arms, and he knew it was in no small part because you had the cough medicine.
The kind that worked best was the kind that made you drowsy. He wondered if it was really helping stop your cough, or if it just knocked you out and your body had to focus on breathing rather than coughing.
“I do feel safer.” you admitted, pulling you blanket up higher on your body. Hawks felt satisfied, feeling like he had accomplished something. He cuddled you close, there in the cubby, while the storm raged outside.
“You should feel safer. I'd never let anything happen to you.” he promised softly.
“What if,” you yawned, interrupting yourself. “What if a monster came in? A scary, hairy one who sang?”
“A scary hairy monster who sang?” Hawks repeated. That was an interesting idea. He was curious where that had come from.
“Then I'd use my wings to fend him off.”
“What if it was a teeny tiny little villain, the size of an ant?”
“I'd catch him under a glass and take him outside until the police got here to arrest him.” he stroked your hair. He moved one hand against your back, curious of he could feel any rattling. Midoriya had been worried about pneumonia with the sound of your cough, but your lungs were clear.
“What if it was... what if it was someone who was supposed to love me?” you asked. Hawks was quiet, turning it over in his mind.
“If it was someone who was supposed to love you, you wouldn't have to be afraid of them.” he said softly. You didn't speak after that, breaths even. He laid there under the playset, listening to your stuffy breathing, listening to the storm carrying on outside.
He heard the door open, saw Midoriya walking towards them. He crouched down, opening the little curtain.
“How is she?”
“The power's been out, so she was a little shaken up. Go and get dried off, then you can cuddle her like I know you want to. She's had her cough syrup.” Midoriya gave a small smile and hurried off, eager to hold you himself.
Not that Hawks could blame him.