A/N: This was originally posted on my Patreon some time ago, so be sure to think about pledging over there to see drabbles like this in advance! (And exclusive drabbles!)
Original Prompt by Istas (patron): EraserMic and Shinson. Soft, bone deep realizations. Hitoshi has heard his entire life all the bad things he could do with his Quirk. "You can make someone do Anything" sounds so scary to everyone, even to Hitoshi. But the first time he was able to use his Quirk to stop someone's panic attack, a quiet part of him went 'Oh'. He can do anything, and this is what he chooses.
Summary: Shinsou Hitoshi is having a little bit of a bad day regarding his quirk and just how ‘evil’ it could be. It’s then really hard to think of his quirk as something bad when he can use it to stop a kid from having a panic attack in the library.
Characters: Shinsou Hitoshi
Pairing: Background Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic
Rating: General
Word Count: 2,693
AO3 Link
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“It’s called Brainwashing. It’s certainly a powerful quirk. It’s an emitter that allows the user to put their target in a state where they are forced to obey all of the user's commands. It’s something to be careful with as he’s growing.”
“I know we agreed to foster him, but surely there’s another family that’s better suited. We have small children and with a quirk like that…”
“Hey! I heard you’re the kid with the brainwashing quirk! How come you’re not already in jail? That’s a villain’s quirk, isn’t it? I mean, you can make anyone do anything.”
“Hey, Shinsou, we were just talking about quirks. Yours is pretty powerful, isn’t it? I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable with a quirk like that and all it can do. I mean, it’s a little creepy, right? Being able to control someone?”
“Shut up! I know how your quirk works! But you can’t do anything to me if you can’t say anything, right?!”
“You’re applying where? Shinsou, come on, there’s no way you’re going to get into a place like U.A., I mean, yeah, your grades are pretty good, but… Your quirk. You know?”
“Shh, I don’t want him to hear, but we need to take him back. I can’t do this. I can’t keep someone in my home that has such a villainous quirk. What if he uses it on the kids? On us? I want him out of the house-!”
“Shinsou?” Startled out of his thoughts at the call of his name, Shinsou Hitoshi did his best to keep his breathing calm and steady as he looked over at where one of his new classmates was standing in front of him. It was Ashido, because of course it was. “Hey, you doing alright? You seemed kind of zoned out, there.”
Trying to shrug it off, Hitoshi gave a little nod. “Sure. Just lost in thought. Where’s your horde of idiots?”
“Being idiots.” Following the gesture to where Bakugo, Kirishima, and Kaminari were all rolling around on the ground, knocking over desks and fighting and arguing like feral cats, Hitoshi snorted. “Just wanted to let you know that class ended a couple of minutes ago. Figured something was wrong since you’re usually one of the first ones out the door.”
“Like I said, just lost in thought,” Hitoshi waved off, not really wanting to share that he was once again reflecting on the quirk he had been cursed with. She was the type to be aggressively supportive and rat him out to Aizawa all at the same time. God he wished he had been put into Class 2B sometimes.
“Uh huh.” Ashido crossed her arms and was in prime position to slip into therapy mode. Hitoshi looked around the room quickly and then realized he didn’t have to look far.
“Might want to corral them before they break something-” Beautifully timed, there was the sound of crunching wood and a shattering desk. Hitoshi smirked. “Well. Something else.”
Ashido twisting around and opening her mouth to yell was all Hitoshi needed to enact his escape and slip out of the classroom. He must have been lost in memories longer than he realized. While there were a few stragglers, the halls were almost empty and there was the usual silence that settled once classes were over for the day.
At least that made it easier for Hitoshi to get to the library without dodging loud, excited students that sometimes couldn’t control their quirk. They were only a month into the school year and Hitoshi had almost forgotten how eager first years could be, especially with their quirk control — or lack thereof. Apparently, roughly ten or so years wasn’t enough to learn at least a little control.
Ah, but Hitoshi was being bitter, wasn’t he? It wasn’t often anymore that he had his bad days. Ever since Shouta had taken him under his wing (and then fostered and adopted him with his husband who was Present Mic of all people), Hitoshi had gotten better about how he viewed his quirk.
Hell, people at the Sports Festival — pro heroes — had said how useful his quirk could be for hero work. His classmates had been proud of him and threw him a party when he got into the hero course and his new classmates had thrown him another party. His quirk had even been a key turning point in the fight against All For One! He was at the point where he should more than see how useful his quirk could be to people.
And yet…
You can make anyone do anything you want! sounded terrifying to everyone — even to him. It was a ‘villainous’ quirk, nevermind that plenty of heroes had darker quirks that only weren’t called villainous because of the hero that wielded them.
(There was a reason Eraserhead, who could take away quirks and Present Mic, who could render people deaf, were his favorite heroes. He knew what it felt like to have a dangerous quirk.)
Focus, Hitoshi chided himself, shaking the thoughts off as he finally reached the library and slipped inside. Getting lost in his head and feeling sorry for himself wasn’t going to help anybody, especially him. Besides, the longer he went feeling sorry for himself the more likely it was his dads would notice and try to be aggressively supportive.
Heading for his usual table near the back of the place Hitoshi noted that the librarian wasn’t at the desk and instead stocking shelves or chasing off idiots. That also meant, though, that there was no one to call for backup or help when he suddenly heard gasping breaths tearing through the air, sounding like someone couldn’t breathe.
If it was even half a year ago Hitoshi would have paused and been torn on what he should do. After everything, though, he didn’t even hesitate before he was rushing towards the sound and cursing the fact that students weren’t allowed to carry their weapons on them at all times. The binding cloth would be really useful if Hitoshi was about to come across some insane villain who decided attacking a U.A student was-
Ah.
Shit.
Instead of a villain attacking a student, which Hitoshi could have much more easily handled, it was a perfectly healthy student collapsed on the floor and looking like she was in the middle of a panic attack and couldn’t calm down.
Desperately withholding the urge to swear with enough curse words that he’d be grounded for a month, Hitoshi dropped his bag and then followed with himself. First things first, he needed to look as non-threatening as possible and then he needed to get the kid to start taking some deep breaths. Passing out from a panic attack wasn’t fun for anyone involved.
“Hey, can you hear me?” A quick check to see how coherent she was, Hitoshi felt a little tension leave him when her eyes snapped over to look at him. The tension came back when he noticed how wild and stressed they were. “My name is Shinsou Hitoshi, a second-year student in the hero course. I’m not sure how aware you are, but you’re having a panic attack.”
There was always a chance it was some type of allergic reaction, but Hitoshi couldn’t see any swelling or redness anywhere that would indicate it. He had also had enough panic attacks to be able to spot the difference between it and anaphylactic shock. He also had enough to know that saying it’s okay or just take a breath wasn’t going to do shit.
Best way of dealing with it was, likely, going to be reassuring her that she was at least in a safe place. “You’re in the library at U.A. right now, which is about the safest place you can be. You don’t need to worry about any sudden attacks and even if you do pass out, Recovery Girl is still here and can help you. So I need you to try and get some breath in if you can, okay?”
Hitoshi knew he didn’t exactly look like someone who was good at comforting kids, or even acted like it, but he at least knew how to keep an even, calm tone.
It didn’t seem to be helping, though.
Instead of calming down, the girl only seemed to be working herself up more and more — not that Hitoshi was shocked. She was definitely a first year, but she looked even younger than she should. Possibly skipped a few grades? Even if she was fifteen, feeling something like a panic attack probably made her feel like she was about to die.
Looking around and praying for an adult or a burst of inspiration, Hitoshi froze as he saw his backpack slowly lifting into the air, followed by half a dozen books that were soon becoming a dozen.
Gaze snapping back to the girl, Hitoshi finally did let slip a swear as he realized that she had something like a levitation or telekinesis quirk and it was going wild around them. The last thing they needed was a bookcase falling down on them, too.
“Okay- Okay.” Hitoshi needed to calm her down before her quirk ended up hurting her, him, or both of them. He also knew a perfect way to do it and felt half-sick even as he knew it was the quickest way. “I’m going to help you, okay? You need to be able to answer me verbally, though. It can be anything, you just have to respond to me, okay?”
Hitoshi threw as much of his quirk into the question as he could, waiting breathlessly and with a rising sense of anxiety. When he finally heard the smallest, breathiest “Okay.” in response he grabbed onto the word and wrapped his quirk around the girl as carefully and tightly as he could.
“Breathe in for two seconds. Hold it for four seconds. Breathe out four seconds. Repeat this three times.” His quirk had her firmly under control and Hitoshi watched as she began following his orders. There had been no point in ordering her to do the usual calming breaths when she had no air to spare, so working up to it was his best choice.
The books still floated around them, Hitoshi on edge as he silently counted out the amount of breaths he had ordered her to do. “Good. Now breathe in for five seconds. Hold it for six seconds. Breathe out for eight seconds. Repeat this five times.”
Slowly, the girl’s chest started to rise slower and slower, her eyelids drooping even as the glazed look remained. She would be exhausted and crash as soon as she was sitting down and aware again, likely.
“Really good. Now, carefully lower everything you’re lifting with your quirk, then release your quirk.” Standing up slowly and grabbing his bag once it was free of the quirk, Hitoshi ignored the books on the ground. “Stand up carefully and slowly. Once you’re steady, follow me.”
Hitoshi had a wild thought that he had no idea what the punishment was for using a quirk on a fellow student when it was for good purposes, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be very lenient. Still, he wasn’t willing to release her until he had her in Recovery Girl’s office — then at least if she went right back into an attack there would be an actual medical professional to help.
The walk was quick, at least, and the halls were clear of everyone which meant Hitoshi didn’t have to worry about someone asking why a first year was following after him blankly and quietly and obviously brainwashed.
“Recovery Girl?” Forcing the thoughts and worries out of his head, Hitoshi knocked on the office door before opening the door. “Are you- Ah.” Recovery Girl was in. So were both of his dads. Because of course.
“‘Toshi?” Hizashi was the first one to speak, confused and then panicked. “Are you alright? What-”
“I’m fine,” Hitoshi blurted, cutting Hizashi off before he had to deal with two panicking people. “Just- Yeah. Alright.” Opening the door fully, Hitoshi looked back to the girl who he didn’t even have a name for yet. “Walk over to one of the beds and carefully lay down.”
As ordered, the girl did so. Hitoshi half-expected some yelling or frantic questions as to what was going on, but somehow the dead silence was even worse. Still. He could run out of the room and book it to a hole to hide in once he was done.
Taking a slow breath, Hitoshi released the hold on his quirk until he no longer had control, walking over to the bed and standing a few feet away as the girl groaned and looked even more exhausted then he would have thought. “What…?”
“Hey,” Hitoshi called quietly, waiting until she focused on him. “You’re okay. I don’t know how much you remember, you were having what looked like a panic attack in the library. Started using your quirk a little. I- My quirk, it let me, well…” Shit. How did he explain that one?
Before he could, the girl made a sound like she was going to cry and Hitoshi was about to jump out the window. He then froze as she whispered, “You made it stop.” It wasn’t said like an accusation. “Thank you.”
“I…” Clearing his throat, Hitoshi forced himself to not look over at the adults. “My quirk is Brainwashing. I used it to help you calm down and get to Recovery Girl’s office.”
“You helped me breathe.” Alright. She at least remembered everything, which was a good sign. Shrugging, and ready to make an excuse and run because the adults still hadn’t said anything, Hitoshi froze as the girl suddenly jumped off the bed and threw her arms around him in a hug. “Thank you.”
“Oh- Uh.” Hitoshi raised and lowered his arms and then, very carefully, pat the top of her head. “You’re welcome?” Almost instinctively, he looked towards his dads for help. Instead of looking worried or disappointed or anything about him using his quirk, Shouta was smirking at him and Hizashi was looking ready to either cry or join in on the hug or both.
Recovery Girl, proving that she was Hitoshi’s favorite, came to his rescue. “Alright, let’s get you back on the bed and we’ll give everything a look.” In short order the girl was shuffled to the bed, Hitoshi and his dads were pushed out of the room, and Hitoshi was being suffocated with hugs.
“‘Toshi! I’m so proud of you!” Hizashi wasn’t quite yelling, but was damn close to it, and Hitoshi wasn’t sure how to react for a minute.
It was made worse when he felt Shouta ruffle his hair, smiling at him and offering a quiet, “Good job, kid, using your quirk like that.”
And, huh. Yeah. Hitoshi had just his quirk to stop a panic attack.
His whole life, ever since his quirk had appeared, he had heard about how his quirk was villainous and evil and could be used to cause harm. He had always heard about the bad things he could do with his quirk, but… He had almost forgotten about the good he could do with it.
He had used his quirk to help his team win during the winter exam. His quirk had been the only way Aoyama and his family had been able to lie to One For All. His quirk had turned the tide in battle and put that giant on their side for a while. His quirk had helped someone break out of a panic attack.
He kind of hated that it had really taken him so long for him to really get it, but he supposed he was at a hero school to learn just what he had.
Because he could do anything with his quirk. He could choose to do anything with a quirk like Brainwashing.
And that meant he could go above and beyond everyone who had ever said different and he could choose to do good with it, too.Plus Ultra, wasn’t it?
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been thinking a lot today about my band!au bakugo fic and just thinking of how they might have met all those months/years ago
Some drabble ideas under the cut
I think we owe it, in part anyway, to our beloved Denki
I'm thinking reader is essentially adopted into the erasermic fam. In this AU papa Mic runs his radio show out of his little recording studio. Our readee works there helping with managing guests and production for the show, lending a hand in the studio when it's needed
Maybe papa Mic bought a whole bunch of new kit and reader gets to set it all up. That's when Shinso appears with Denki trying to impress him - (spoiler: it works, Denki is smitten). They catch reader in one of two positions: testing out some of the new instruments or chewing out someone in the studio who was being a d*ck and wow who does this remind him of?
All of a sudden Denki really wants to show off the new studio to his band mates and "we could totally use this new space" and "we'd be working under Present Mic dude, he didn't live 90s rock, he WAS 90s rock"
Denki drags them down to the studio and that's when the real fun begins
