Hizashi had a list of things he had been looking forward to. He was excited to stop by the department store to buy a new pair of brand name sunglasses that had been out of stock for a month. He couldn't wait to play the new set list he had compiled for his radio show. And most of all he was excited to celebrate his birthday with his best friend in a week.

When Shouta had suggested going out to the new barbeque place Hizashi had been incessantly talking about, Hizashi had nearly tackled him down with an enthusiastic hug.

"Looks like someone's taking me out on a date for my birthday then," Hizashi had joked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Shouta merely grunted, prying his best friend off of him. Hizashi cheerfully laughed at his half-joke as he watched the Erasure hero attempt to unwrinkle his black shirt. His chest grew tight when Shouta neither confirmed nor denied his statement.

As cliché as it sounded, Hizashi had been pining after his best friend for a while now. It had been three years since they graduated high school and had joined separate hero agencies, during which they decided to also become roommates. Shouta had laid down quite a few logical explanations as to why they should share an apartment, all the boring stuff like saving money and being able to keep tabs on one another. Hizashi inconspicuously added "secretly having a giant crush since the second year of high school" onto his own personal reasons for agreeing to the idea.

In fact, Hizashi was hoping that a few beers after his "kind-of-but-not-really" date would finally get him loose enough to tell Shouta about his feelings.

Yes, the voice hero had a lot of things to look forward to.

Getting a call from a private number asking if he was Shouta's emergency contact person, however, was not one of them.

It was one in the morning by the time he parked in the hospital parking lot. He hastily locked his car and dashed inside, running his hand through his hair as he tried to take a few deep breaths to keep his suffocating thoughts at bay. He quietly cursed himself for hanging up on the phone too quickly after getting the address to the hospital, only knowing that Shouta was "in stable condition" and "generally unharmed".

After getting directed to Shouta's room number, Hizashi used the tremendous will power and patience he had acquired at UA to not run up four flights of stairs and slam open the hospital room door.

"Whose there?" he heard a small voice ask immediately after he entered the room.

Hizashi squinted his eyes in the dimly lit room. As his hand searched for a nearby light switch, he noted that the voice was… different than Shouta's naturally low, apathetic tone, but somehow it was also strangely familiar. Finally flicking the lights on, the voice hero nearly choked at the sight of his best friend.

Sitting not even five feet away from him was a small boy with a short tuff of black hair, grey eyes narrowed at him in suspicion, flashing red for a brief second.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Hizashi weakly laughed, holding up his hands to pacify the unsettling glare. When the boy gave a soft huff, Hizashi responded with a nervous smile, his eyes shifting to examine the kid in front of him.

"You are… Shouta, right? I did get the right room number, right?" Hizashi quickly dipped his head outside of the room to check the number and name card. Sure enough, "Aizawa Shouta" was neatly printed on the label.

"Who are you? Are you one of the nurses?" Shouta asked, his small hands anxiously twisting his large blanket. He pulled it closer to his chest when Hizashi didn't answer immediately.

"You… you don't know who I am?" Hizashi nearly whispered, his mouth going dry when his best friend hesitantly shook his head.

Hizashi wanted to pinch himself on the cheek to check if he was really awake. He excused himself with a forced smile, softly closed the door, and pulled out his cellphone. He quickly scrolled through his emergency contacts and clicked "Tsukauchi Naomasa", tapping his foot as he waited for him to connect.

"Hello, this is Tsukauchi."

"Hey, Tsukauchi-san? It's Present Mic. I hung up a little too hastily the last time we spoke so I'm a little in the dark about Eraserhead's condition. Could you fill me in?" Hizashi chuckled sheepishly, peeking through the window to see Shouta still staring at him. "Was he hit by some kind of age regression quirk or am I just staring at a kid who looks eerily like my best friend?"

"I'm afraid it's the latter. Eraserhead was working on a case that involved a villain exchanging illegal arms. He informed us of his location, but by the time we had arrived, it looked like he had been hit by the age regression quirk."

"That's strange of Shou— I mean Eraser to be caught off guard by this mission. I've heard him mention this case once or twice in passing," Hizashi narrowed his eyes at the floor. "Was there more than one villain on the scene?"

"Our intel told us only one villain should have been present that night, but we have the same suspicions."

Hizashi made a soft "tsk", burrowing his free hand into his pocket. "Is Eraser in any immediate danger? Will the villains come back for him?"

"We don't have the answer to that unfortunately. It would be best to have an escort watch him for now just to keep him safe."

"That's not a problem. He already lives with me so I'll take care of him in the meantime," Hizashi sighed. He mentally counted all the items he would need to buy to accommodate for tiny Shouta; clothes, a toothbrush, new shoes, and maybe some toys to keep him preoccupied.

"In any case, we're investigating the nature of the age regression quirk to undo the effects," Naomasa continued. "Powers like these aren't usually permanent and more so if we can locate the villain and have Eraserhead cancel its effects."

"Alright, keep me informed about your progress," Hizashi said, his tone low and stern before muttering a "thanks" and closing his cellphone.

Groaning into his hand, Hizashi gave a heavy sigh. Shouta is safe, he reminded himself. He doesn't remember you, but he's safe.

Hizashi peeked through the window again and sure enough, Shouta was still glaring at him even more intensely than he had been five minutes ago. Hizashi gave a weak smile, remembering how his best friend always reacted this way in high school whenever he felt threatened, whether it be from anticipating combat training or being sent to the principal's office for falling asleep in class.

But right now, Shouta wasn't even a teenager. He was a toddler, who was more than likely intimidated and scared, especially since he knew even less than Hizashi did at the moment. Waking up in a foreign hospital room surrounded by people you weren't familiar with would do that to you, Hizashi thought with a sigh.

Hizashi couldn't make this about himself. It had to be about Shouta. He needed to protect his friend, let him know that there was someone he could trust, someone that would keep him safe. It took all of high school until Shouta felt that way about him. Hopefully the battle would be easier with a younger version.

"For my sake, I sure hope it is," Hizashi bitterly chuckled as he stepped back into the hospital room. Shouta immediately straightened his back when he opened the door, undoubtedly studying his every movement.

"Sorry, why don't we try this again," Hizashi coughed, pushing up his glasses and striking a pose that he hoped made him look like a "cool hero". (He had practiced this in front of Shouta before and was told that he looked "extremely lame", which were the exact words he had used in retaliation to describe Shouta's sleeping bag.)

"Hello, my cute little listener! I'm the famous boy's hero Present Mic and I was just informed about your situation!" he nearly screamed, dawning his hero persona in an attempt to convince both parties that everything was going to be alright. "I'm still in the dark about a few things, but I have a few questions to ask. Would you mind answering them for me?"

Shouta's grip on his blanket loosened, his eyes shining a little more brightly. "Are you really a hero?"

Hizashi responded with a thumbs-up and an enthusiastic nod. Being shown admiration from someone he looked up to was a really good boost for his own ego, even if Shouta was currently just a kid.

"You don't look like one though," he muttered, noting how plain Hizashi looked in his civilian clothes.

"Sorry that my performance is lacking, but I promise you that I'm a professional!" Hizashi had been in a rush to get to the hospital in the middle of the night, choosing to arrive in a plain jacket and jeans with his hair tied into a loose ponytail in contrast to his usual hero outfit. "I promise I'll show you my really cool and awesome hero costume later!"

Pulling up a chair to sit next to Shouta's bed, Hizashi wore his most charming smile and gestured to his friend. "But for now, let's start off with something simple. Can you tell me how old you are?"

Shouta paused and stared at his hands. He hesitantly held up three fingers, changing the number to four after giving it some thought.

Hizashi felt his chest grow tight from the innocent gesture, only now realizing how adorable his best friend looked. He resisted the sudden urge to pinch his cheeks and embrace him into a tight hug.

"Good answer!" Hizashi encouraged, beaming when Shouta shyly fidgeted from the praise. "Could you tell me what you remember? Anything that happened before you arrived here or maybe something that happened the day before?"

Shouta pouted his lower lip, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration as he played with the blanket's edges. He eventually shook his head.

"Nothing, huh?" Hizashi breathed in disappointment. "Do you remember anyone? Any friends? Family?"

"Don't have any friends," Shouta said, shrugging in response. "I never get to see mom. Don't know where she is."

"Then your dad?"

Shouta visibly tensed, glancing around the room as if he would appear at any second.

"He doesn't like me talking about him," Shouta quietly muttered, gripping his blanket more tightly.

Hizashi's eyes narrowed. He recalled Shouta mentioning that he was never close to his family, his father being a negligent and abusive guardian. After he had been accepted into UA through a scholarship and moved into the dorms, he never heard from him again and as things were, he intended to keep it that way.

"You don't need to worry about him," Hizashi reassured. "I'm going to look after you for a while."

"What do you mean? Did you talk to him? Did something happen?" Shouta asked in confusion, shaking slightly as he glanced at the window as if to see if his father was secretly standing outside listening to their conversation.

"Shouta," Hizashi weakly smiled, his heart aching as he reached out to gently squeeze the small boy's shoulder. "It's complicated right now, but I promise that you're safe. I haven't talked to your dad and I don't plan to, but for now I've been entrusted to take care of you."

Shouta's eyes shifted from Hizashi's eyes to the hand on his shoulder. He bit his lower lip, turning his gaze to a small tear in the blanket he had most likely made from constantly fiddling with it.

"You don't need to tell me anything that you're not ready to talk about," Hizashi reassured, his green eyes softening when Shouta cautiously met his gaze. "Let me just ask one more question. Is that okay?"

Shouta meekly nodded.

"Do you like heroes?"

Shouta blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. He nodded again, this time with slightly more eagerness.

"Good answer," Hizashi repeated, smiling at the honest response. "As a hero, I want to ensure your safety and comfort. Your support only encourages me to work harder to protect everyone I can, including you, my young listener!"

Hizashi was met with a bewildered expression, which slowly changed into a small awkward smile from the four-year-old child. He returned it with his own genuine smile, relieved that Shouta seemed to trust his hero status.

"Thank you for answering my questions. Let me buy you a drink from the vending machine in return!" Hizashi beamed, standing up and making a show of it by dusting off his jeans. "I could use a coffee right about now."

"I shouldn't," Shouta hesitated, fidgeting slightly.

"Hey, it's my treat!" Hizashi exclaimed. "I really appreciated that smile you gave me just now. Consider it a fair trade!"

Shouta hesitantly pushed the blanket off of himself and slowly climbed out of bed. It was strange seeing the erasure hero this small and vulnerable, barely even coming up to the height of Hizashi's waist. But at the same time, Hizashi found it endearing that this small child was now standing by his side, eyeing his hand, contemplating if he was allowed to hold it.

Hizashi gently took Shouta's hand in his own after noticing his reluctance. The small boy opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, blushing slightly from having his actions so easily read.

"Come on. I don't want you getting lost in here without me by your side," Hizashi cheekily said. "But if you want me to carry you, I could do that, too."

When Hizashi received a quick shake of the head and a firmer grip on his hand, he mentally noted that tiny Shouta was a bit less lazy than his older self. He'll never forget how he had to carry Shouta to his bed when he insisted that it was fine for him to sleep at the front entrance in his sleeping bag.

Walking to the vending machine hand-in-hand, Hizashi eventually did scoop Shouta up into his arms to let him insert the money and choose their drinks. He couldn't help breaking out into a fond smile as he watched Shouta's eyes widen in curiosity as the machine slowly dispensed their drinks with flashing lights. He even had to stop Shouta from diving right into the opening of the dispenser to grab his juice pouch.

They sat at a nearby bench, Hizashi carefully sipping his hot coffee while Shouta chewed the jelly bits from his apple juice pouch, contently swinging his legs back and forth in his seat.

The two sat in comfortable silence until Shouta lowered his drink and turned to face Hizashi.

"What can I do to pay you back?"

Hizashi choked on his drink, wiping coffee off the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "Excuse me, what did you just say?"

"I want to pay you back," Shouta repeated, holding up his drink. "For this."

"I already told you that it was my treat!"

"No, it's not fair," Shouta shook his head. "It's not fair that you do something nice for me and I don't return it."

Hizashi's eyes softened. "Who taught you that?"

"No one. It's just my… polipy?"

There was a short pause.

"You mean, 'policy'?"

"Yeah, policy," Shouta carefully enunciated, reddening from his mistake. "I don't have money and I can't ask for it, but I still want to do something."

"I don't really want anything in exchange. I'm a hero, Shouta. Doing stuff like this is my job and frankly I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it," Hizashi sighed, ruffling the small boy's tuft of black hair.

Shouta pouted, shaking his head as he glared at the juice pouch in his hands. Four-year-old Shouta may be willing to walk on his own two legs from his own volition, but he was still as stubborn as his twenty-year-old self, Hizashi weakly laughed.

Hizashi folded his arms and hummed loudly. His mouth formed a little "O" when he came up with an idea.

"So if you really want to do something for me, my birthday is in a few days. When you get back to my place, you can make me something, like a card or maybe fold some origami, in exchange for the juice I just bought you," Hizashi said, smiling when Shouta stopped pouting. Something harmless like an arts and crafts project would be a pleasant change of pace. Hizashi had already decided to frame whatever he received on the wall the moment Shouta gave a nod of confirmation.

"Then we have a deal!" Hizashi said, already excited to receive a cute little card (even though he should really be hoping that his friend would be able to change back within a week's time). He blinked as Shouta held up his pinky, eyes slightly more wide and earnest. Hizashi wanted to snap a photo of the cute child in front of him as he returned the pinky promise.

There would be time for photos later. Once this was over, Hizashi promised himself that he would have enough for a whole album.

After finishing their drinks, Hizashi walked Shouta back to his hospital room. Shouta climbed back into bed and turned to the voice hero.

"Are you going to stay?" he quietly asked.

"I don't think the hospital allows overnight visitors," Hizashi wearily answered, wincing when Shouta stiffened from the response.

"But don't worry that cute little head of your's, my dear listener! I'll have everything settled by tomorrow, so I'll be ready to pick you up, then!" Hizashi hurriedly exclaimed. "So please do me one last favor and wait patiently until then."

Shouta gave a curt nod, burrowing into the oversized pillow as he laid down. Hizashi couldn't stop himself from walking over to carefully tuck his best friend into bed, ruffling his hair once again in parting.

As he turned off the lights, he secretly left another juice pouch, this time strawberry flavor, next to Shouta's nightstand. He gave one last wave in the dimly lit room before gently closing the door behind him.