Chapter Text
Hizashi went back to physical therapy willingly, after that, and although he sometimes seemed to be in low spirits, his mood wasn’t nearly as horrid as it had been.
He was beginning to learn sign language as a form of communication, and Izuku and Shouta were picking up lessons when they could as well. It didn’t take long for Hizashi’s doctor to fit him for a pair of hearing aids that, thanks to their insurance, thankfully, blessedly didn’t put too much of a dent into their bank account.
Hizashi was soon cleared to go back to work at his radio show, though he still wasn’t permitted to go back to hero work. His physical therapist said he’d have to get new headgear to accommodate his condition. The whole thing was a lengthy, frustrating process, but Hizashi seemed to be pushing through.
Shio transferred the money directly into Shouta’s account after a few weeks, and the amount of zeros his balance had increased by had given him a headrush. It had been enough for him to pay off much of his debt from Inko’s funeral and he knew, should he accept the job from Nezu (which he was, admittedly, seriously considering) and got back to patrolling every night it wouldn’t take long to get their affairs in order. Not to mention he had enough extra money, now, to set aside more for Izuku’s college fund and therapist.
Things were beginning to look up.
Hizashi and Shouta had gone to the doctor’s office to pick up Hizashi’s hearing aids, which Hizashi had opened and slipped over his ears eagerly upon them being given to him. The doctor had adjusted the volume of them and had explained how they worked and what to expect, and Hizashi and Shouta had been sent on their way.
“It’s weird,” Hizashi had lamented once they’d reached the car. “It’s so weird.” Shouta frowned.
“How so?”
“It’s like… before, high and tinny sounds were really hard to hear, right? And soft sounds were practically non-existent. It was like…. If I listened to an orchestra, I would probably only be able to hear the drums and brass well, but not the clarinets and flutes and saxophones. But now, certain noises are… like, the cars in the street are really loud, and the high noises are higher, and it’s like… patterns are kind of different? It’s like it takes me a moment to process and figure out what something is once I hear it. It’s just… odd. Not to mention my ears are still ringing a lot. That didn’t stop.”
“Well, the doctor said you’d have to get used to it,” Shouta muttered, trying to find an opening between the lines of cars to turn into the busy street. He hated rush-hour traffic. “And I’m not sure if hearing aids will help with your tinnitus.”
Hizashi humphed, sinking down slightly in his seat, and Shouta had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at his boyfriend’s - no, fiancé’s - dramatics.
“Soooooo,” Hizashi drawled. “Winter break is coming up.” Shouta sighed heavily, resigned to the conversation ahead of him.
“That it is,” Shouta said.
“Izuku will be out of school,” Hizashi added.
“Indeed.”
“I also happen to remember a certain job opening that becomes available after winter break. Do you remember that?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Well, I know that I’m going to take it,” Hizashi continued. “Steady, constant hours. I’m fluent in English, so it’ll be something I’m good at. Decent pay, too, if Nezu can be trusted. Feeling pretty good about this.”
“Mhm.” Shouta turned down another crowded street. He could just barely see their apartment building.
“Get to work with my best friend. Get to teach the next generation. Feels good.”
“Is there a point to this, Zashi?” Shouta asked, because there always was.
“Actually, yes!” Of course. “I was just wondering if you were going to accept it. The job, I mean.”
Shouta grimaced.
“Hey, no pressure!” Hizashi cried. “It’s just. Y’know. Deadlines.”
“I’m sure,” Shouta said dryly.
“So are you?”
“I don’t know yet. Maybe,” Shouta admitted with a sigh. “Probably. It pays well. And working under Nezu doesn’t sound… horrible.” In all actuality, working under the odd rat-like creature was terrifying on many levels, but Shouta was sure that he was at least a fair boss. And filing a few papers and taking in absent notes didn’t sound too horrible.
“That’s the spirit!” HIzashi cheered. Shouta raised an eyebrow.
“You’re cheerful,” Shouta noted. His voice was even and slightly sardonic even though he was pleased by this. Cheerful Hizashi he could handle. He preferred cheerful Hizashi.
“I’m allowed to be cheerful!” Hizashi exclaimed. “I’m engaged and I finally got my hearing aids! What’s there not to be cheerful over?” Shouta could name any number of things not to be cheerful over, but he refrained. “We should get rings,” Hizashi said, and it was so random it almost gave Shouta whiplash.
“... what?”
“Rings,” Hizashi repeated. “We should get rings. I didn’t give you a ring when I proposed, so we should go and get rings.” Shouta could tell he was staring at him, but it was hard not to.
“ Now? ”
“Why not?” Hizashi said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Best time as any, I think. Kid’s at school, we’ve got nothing better to do… why not?”
“But- why-” Shouta resolutely closed his mouth and took a deep breath to stop his stammering. “With what money? Where? ”
“We just got paid by Shio. we can afford to splurge a little. And as for where….” His eyes lit up. “They sell jewelry at the supermarket!”
“We are not getting our engagement rings at a supermarket.”
“But-”
“No.”
Hizashi pouted. “Fine. There’s that place in the next town over - where all the thrift stores are? They’re bound to have something.”
The forty-five minute drive, which was significantly lengthened thanks to rush hour traffic, led them to a small, privately owned jewelry store. Shouta could see a petite, aged woman puttering about in the shop through the window, adjusting display cases and dusting. There were necklaces and bracelets on velvety purple pillows, sitting directly behind the window, polished and gleaming.
Upon stepping into the store, the old woman smiled warmly and walked over to them. She was still holding the feather duster, and she had several gleaming silver rings adjourning her fingers, as well as chain after chain of necklaces clasped to her neck. Shouta was sure that the woman was wearing at least twenty pounds of jewelry.
The whole store smelled heavily of perfume and incense, and it made Shouta’s head ache.
“Welcome!” she said cheerfully. “What can I do to help you handsome young gentlemen?” Shouta could feel his ears go red, but Hizashi grinned at the woman jovially.
“My name’s Hizashi, and this is my f iancé, Shouta,” Hizashi said. “We just got engaged recently, and we’re here to get our rings.” The woman smiled kindly, clapping her hands in excitement. The rings on her fingers went clink, clink, clink every time they hit each other. It was more grating than it should have been.
“Oh, of course!” the woman cried. “Hmm. Well, there are some rings in a display case right over there- what’s your price range?”
“We’re trying not to think about that too much,” Hizashi said, grin becoming a bit fixed in place. “Just show us what’s nice.”
“Of course!” the woman said. She guided Hizashi over to the display case with a hand on his elbow, and Shouta followed behind them, feeling a bit dazed. All the perfume was making him dizzy.
“So,” the little old lady said, pointing out the rings. “Your options are gold, silver, or platinum bands, and we have a variety of different stones and options for engravement, if you wish. I made these rings myself, you know.”
“Oh, really?” Hizashi asked cheerfully, examining a ring in the display case. “You don’t say!”
“Oh, yes,” the woman said, nodding proudly. “It’s all because of my Quirk! I can buy the metal, and mold it into any shape I want. It makes it very easy to make jewelry.”
“I imagine so,” Hizashi said. He glanced back at Shouta, who was standing a foot or so behind Hizashi and the little old woman, before pointing out a ring to her. The woman nodded, smiling up at him.
“Would you like to pick out a ring, dear?” the woman called back to Shouta, and Shouta nodded, stepping forward. Hizashi stepped aside so he’d have room.
There were a lot of options. The silver bands were mainly twisted into little patterns and engraved with small designs. The gold rings were shiny and most of them were inlaid with diamonds, and Shouta determinedly looked away from those.
One ring in particular caught his eye, one of the platinum ones. The band itself was a bit thicker than the other ones, and there was a small ruby inlaid right in the middle, surrounded by what appeared to be a blooming-flower design. He… thought he liked it. He thought Hizashi would like wearing it - assuming he was picking a ring out for Hizashi, and not himself. The ring was certainly beautiful. The woman had done an amazing job making it.
He pointed it out to the woman, and she grinned.
“Great choice, honey!”
She opened the display case with a small silver key and flicked her wrist, the two rings shooting toward her, which she then boxed and bagged, ringing up the price. It was speedy and efficient, if a bit unnerving.
“Congratulations on your wedding, dearies,” the woman said after Shouta had handed her his debit card, trying not to think too much about the price.
They traded rings once they got into the car, Hizashi taking the ring Shouta had picked out and Shouta taking Hizashi’s. The ring Hizashi had chosen was one of the gold ones. Thick strands were woven together into a twisting pattern, complimenting the little vine-like engravings in the metal. And along each strand - small, deep green emeralds, stark against the gold. The metal was thick, but it wasn’t heavy on his finger, and - despite the metal being cold at first- it warmed up quickly.
Hizashi was grinning down at his own ring, twisting it around on his finger so he could, presumably, look at it from all angles.
“That was a lot of money,” Shouta noted.
“Definitely,” Hizashi agreed. “ Totally worth it.”
And despite everything, Shouta couldn’t help but agree.
~-~
Hizashi drove to get Izuku, that day and - after the child had finished his chores and his homework - they all curled up onto the couch so they could watch a movie before dinner.
Takara had climbed up and immediately fell asleep on the back of the couch, purring loudly, and Aiko had jumped up and started nestling into Izuku’s lap with a bark.
They decided to watch Finding Nemo, that night, and about midway through the movie - Shouta spending more time actually enjoying sitting down and relaxing for once than actually watching the film - he felt a small hand grab his wrist, Izuku playing with the ring on his finger, a glint of curiosity in his green eyes.
Shouta was, and always had been, iffy about people touching him. He liked hugs fine. He liked cuddling with Hizashi. Before, while they’d still been at U.A., they used to watch movies together at each other’s houses all the time, and Shouta would lay down in the middle of the couch with his head in Nemuri’s lap and his feet in Hizashi’s and Nemuri would run her hand through his hair and Hizashi would rub a hand up and down his calf and it was nice. He liked physical contact. If he initiated it, he liked it.
But there were some things that he didn’t like. He didn’t like soft touches - it made his skin feel weird and tingly and wrong. He didn’t like anyone tugging his hair, hated hair brushes and hair stylists especially. He didn’t like unwelcome touches - it would make him overwhelmed and stressed and panicky more than anything. That, especially, made his life very difficult. Not to mention that, when people he didn’t know well touched him, he always tensed up. Even if it wasn’t bad, it always set him on edge. Even with Izuku, much as he hated it. There was always something off putting about the small child that Shouta could never pinpoint.
Izuku had learned a long time ago that he shouldn’t do certain things. If Shouta said not to touch him, don’t touch him. No soft touches - only big touches, as Hizashi liked to call them. And the child had learned quickly what made Shouta comfortable and uncomfortable and life carried on.
Izuku had his hand in Shouta’s, toying with the ring and playing with his fingers and he looked far younger than he ever had before.
And Shouta hadn’t tensed up. He looked down at the child, toying with the ring like he’d never seen one before, and he hadn’t tensed up one bit. He was every bit as relaxed as he had been beforehand.
Maybe he was getting more comfortable around the child than he had originally thought.
“What’s this?” Izuku asked quietly. He was always quiet when a movie was playing. That was one of the rules they had made. Movie time was quiet time. Inside voice, Izuku. Whisper, Izuku.
“A ring,” Shouta answered.
“Why did you get a ring?” Izuku inquired. “It’s pretty.”
Hizashi paused the movie, looking over at the two of them with a look on his face like - How are you going to deal with this?
“It is… a wedding band. Do you know what that is?”
“Um...” Izuku’s eyebrows pinched together, pondering. “Um, people on the television wear it when they’re ‘bout to get married. Right?”
“Exactly,” Shouta confirmed. “Good job, child.” Izuku grinned.
“Wait, if it’s for people who are about to get married, then why are you wearing it?” Izuku asked, looking confused. Beside them, Hizashi snorted.
“Your Uncle Zashi is wearing one too,” Shouta said. Izuku looked over at Hizashi, and his eyes widened.
“He is, you’re right!”
“What do you think that means, Izuku?” Izuku shrugged. Hizashi’s shoulders were trembling with barely suppressed laughter. “We have wedding rings. We both have them. What do you think that means?”
Izuku shrugged. “I don’t get it.”
Hizashi wheezed. Shouta hoped the universe would give him patience.
“Izuku,” Shouta said. “Use your brain.”
“I am using my brain!”
“Use it a little more. Hizashi and I both have wedding rings. What does that usually mean?”
Izuku looked like he was completely and utterly lost, for a moment, before his face lit up, eyes widening dramatically.
“ Oh! ”
Hizashi was bent almost double on the couch, tears streaming from his eyes and clutching his sides as he laughed raucously.
“Izuku, baby- Zu, oh my God- ”
Izuku whacked him on his shaking shoulder but, because of his small stature, it wasn’t very effective. If anything, it only made Hizashi laugh harder.
“Mean!” Izuku admonished.
“Oh, Zuku, I’m sorry, baby, I just- Ha! ”
Izuku stuck his tongue out at the man petulantly.
“No, child,” Shouta said. “Tongues in faces.”
Izuku withdrew his tongue with an even more pronounced pout, before turning to Shouta quizzically.
“Wait, but- but you said you were too young to get married! When I met you, you said that! Why’d you go and do it anyway?”
“Things change.” Izuku seemed to accept this answer, and went back to toying with the ring on Shouta’s finger. He seemed to like Shouta’s more than he liked Hizashi’s.
Hizashi always had better sense picking out things like these, anyhow.
“Does that mean you gotta do a wedding?” Izuku asked, not looking up from the golden ring. “Like in the American movies with the pretty dresses and the suits and stuff? My Mommy and Dad had a wedding before I appeared, but they didn’t wear pretty suits and dresses, they wore kimonos. Are you gonna wear kimonos?”
“We haven’t even decided if we were going to have a wedding, child,” Shouta said.
“We haven’t?” Hizashi asked, slowly unbending himself from his folded-over position on the couch. His face was still red and tear stained from his laughter, and his hair was a mess, strands of it slipping out of his bun and into his face. “I thought that was pretty much a given. Unless you want to just go to a courthouse and have it done that way? It’s up to you.”
Shouta blinked.
“I never said that,” Shouta said, even though the thought of a wedding - especially his own - made him feel a bit queasy. There had been quite a few people at his sister’s wedding. But maybe she just… knew a lot of people. “I just… thought we hadn’t… discussed it yet. That’s all.”
“I think a wedding would be a good idea,” Hizashi grinned. “Might be nice. Izuku could be a ring-bearer. He could get one of his little friends to be a flower-girl. Huh? Might be fun.” And Hizashi looked so happy, so excited, and Shouta wouldn’t have been able to say no if he wanted to.
“Yes, okay,” Shouta said, trailing off slightly, already thinking about how much money that would cost.
There was no rule that they had to get married right away. They could wait until they got everything in order. A lot of people did that. They could just wait. However long it took. And they should have enough put away after they got back to work. It… might work out.
If Shouta accepted the position at U.A.
Shouta felt like ripping his own hair out, mind going back to that dreaded topic. The job application. The job application he still couldn’t make a decision over, despite its very obviously positive outlook.
He just wanted a chance to think over it. Think over all his options. Even if this was the best option he had. He never seemed to have time to just think.
Hizashi and Izuku were talking excitedly about all the weddings Izuku had seen on the television and how he thought they should have a fog machine at their wedding - which, no - and Shouta tried and failed to keep his thoughts from wandering too far.
Weddings. Jobs. Izuku. Planning and changing, everything shifting around in Shouta’s life to make room for the next catastrophe while the world kept spinning, spinning around and around and around.
Sometimes Shouta wished the world would stop spinning. Just for a moment. Just to give him time to think, to ponder, to gather his wits and organize his mind into one little box instead of a scattered mess, long enough for him to think. He just wanted time to think.
He went to bed later that night, curled up next to Hizashi, still trying to think.
~-~
It was two weeks and a lot of work later that Hizashi finally started putting more hours into his radio show. He created more playlists and signed more deals and got permission from more artists to play more songs and even started planning out a little side piece for his radio show - something he was planning on calling Hands Up, where he could have little talks every few songs and have an hour or so in the morning where he could just interact with listeners.
Shouta was proud of him. He was expanding on something he loved - something he had tirelessly built up and cultivated, hours upon hours spent keeping the radio up and running so it could be where it was.
It was on an early Saturday morning in late November that his first real, hour long special officially began. Izuku was playing with action figures on the living room floor while Aiko and Takara moved about through the house and Shouta nursed a cup of coffee, just trying to enjoy the relative peace and quiet. He had recently started doing small patrols every night, again, and he’d had a particularly messy one the night before. He was exhausted.
There was a small radio on the kitchen counter that Nemuri had bought for him as a ‘late birthday present’. The music from Hizashi’s show floated throughout the house and, although Shouta didn’t necessarily care for pop music -he thought he liked alternate rock, more-, he could certainly see the appeal. Izuku seemed to like it just fine, and he always got so excited knowing that Hizashi was picking the songs, so he tended to keep it playing.
The music thrumming out through the radio’s small speakers faded away, and it was replaced by an overly jovial and exaggerated voice - the voice Hizashi used when he was going out as Present Mic.
“ That was One More Light, by Linkin Park! Hope you all enjoyed that one, Listeners… and now for: Hands Up Radio! My new radio segment where I will be talking to - drumroll, please - you guys! So go ahead and send a call down to the station if you’re listening, and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have! ”
Hizashi started chatting about his radio show and how he had created it and came up with the name when, with a small click, a caller connected. Izuku had abandoned his action figures and was sitting in front of the kitchen counter that the radio was sitting on, staring up at it and listening with rapt attention.
“ Hello, Listener! ” Hizashi crowed, and there was a small shuffle from the other end of the line followed by a quiet laugh. “ What can I do for you today? Any questions? ”
“ Um, yes! ” the voice said. It sounded like a girl. Maybe fourteen, at most. Nervous. Her voice was shaking, just a little. “ I’m a big fan of your show and - you as a hero in general. ” There was a nervous laugh from the other end of the call.
“ Well, I’m glad to hear it! ” Hizashi cried happily.
“ And… for the question… I have more than one? Is that okay? ”
“ Well, there aren’t any calls backed up, so sure! Go right ahead, Listener! ”
“ Awesome! ” the girl exclaimed. “ Um. What’s the secret to your Quirk? What gear do you use to manage it? ”
“ That’s a great question, Listener! ” Hizashi said, and continued to jabber on about his directional gear and his protective headwear to keep his own eardrums from bursting - which was not a pleasant experience. The conversation continued on, but there was another call backed up on the line before long.
“ One more question, Listener, but then we’ve got to move on, ” Hizashi warned the girl.
“ Okay! ” the girl said. “ Hmm…. um. What’s your opinion on the… political side of Quirks? And, heroes in general? ” Shouta could almost see Hizashi’s gobsmacked expression. The girl had been asking fairly tame, common questions. Shouta certainly hadn’t expected politics to come up.
“ That- well, I certainly can’t say anything positive nor negative about my fellow heroes! ” Hizashi chattered. “ But…. as for politics… the only thing I can think of to tell you is that I believe anyone can be a hero. There’s not much to it. If you’re got a good heart and a good head on your shoulders, you can be a hero. That goes for anyone. ” It didn’t go unnoticed by Shouta that Hizashi had sidestepped certain political aspects of the conversation. Hizashi was getting good at this.
There was quiet, from the other line.
“ Anyone? ” the voice of the girl said tentatively.
“ Anyone, ” Hizashi confirmed. Shouta could feel the warmth in his voice. “ I say that to my kid all the time, as a matter of fact- ”
Shouta felt like hitting his head on a table.
Apparently he wasn’t as good at that as Shouta had thought.
After Hizashi’s Hands Up segment was completed, it didn’t take long for Shouta’s phone to ring with an unknown number. Shouta heaved a put upon sigh before answering. It was probably Hizashi, or someone from the radio, or from the agency, demanding to know why he hadn’t told them he had a child or politely ordering him to come in on a weekend and do paperwork. Both were quite likely.
“ Eraser! ” a laughing voice piped up from the other side of the phone and Shouta’s head really did hit the table, that time.
“Emi.”
“ The one, the only! ” Emi confirmed. “ Ey, why didn’t you tell me you had a kid, Eraser? Don’t you think that’s something an old classmate ought to know? ”
“I really don’t see how that’s any of your business, Emi.”
“ Ah, come on, handsome, don’t be like that- ” Shouta hung up the phone. She dialed back a moment later. He reluctantly answered - mostly because he knew she’d ring his phone off the hook if he didn’t.
“What do you want, Emi?”
“ I’m just checking in on an old pal, Eraser! ” Emi cried, sounding mock-outraged. “ Have I committed some heinous crime? ”
“Probably.”
Emi cackled.
“ I do so love your witty retorts! ” she yelled. “ You know, that’s part of the reason why you and me would work so well together- ”
“I’m gay.”
“ - we’d be a real power couple, you and me, I can see the headlines now - ‘Ms. Joke and Eraserhead, Married In Summer Chapel’- ”
“I’m also engaged.”
“ And really, there’s no harm to be done- ”
“I’d have thought you had gotten over this little crush by now, Emi,” Shouta said, and he could feel his ears turning slightly red. He wasn’t attracted to Emi, not in the least - not only because she had been like a younger sister to him in school, but also because of more obvious reasons. That didn’t mean she couldn’t embarrass him. Shouta would go as far as to assume that that was her Quirk, had he not seen her actual Quirk in action.
“ Yeah, yeah, I did a long time ago! ” Emi reassured him. “ You’re just so fun to tease! Now- why is it I’m only just now finding out my friend- ”
“Colleague.”
“- my friend is engaged to be married and has a kid! ”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got time!”
“It’s not a story I want to tell.”
“ Aw, come on, Eraser! ”
“I said no, Emi.”
“Fiiiiiine” Emi said, drawing the word out. Talking to this woman was utterly exhausting. “ Will you at least tell me about the kid? What’s he like? Is he as deadpan and exhausted as you? ” Emi cackled at her own joke. Shouta rolled his eyes.
Izuku, on the floor, had moved back to play with his action figures now that Hizashi wasn’t talking on the radio anymore, though Shouta could tell he was still keeping an ear on their conversation. He wasn’t very good at eavesdropping.
Emi was never going to let this go.
“No…. no, not really,” Shouta admitted. “He’s… interesting.”
“ Wow. You get a kid and the only thing you can say about him is that he’s ‘interesting’? ” Shouta scowled.
“What are you, a reporter?”
“ I’m just messin’ with you, Eraser! ” Emi replied cheerfully. Shouta was distinctly reminded of why she and Hizashi had been so close in U.A., even though Emi had been two years below them. They both had the same eccentric personality. “ Honestly, you calling the kid ‘interesting’ might as well be the stamp of approval. ”
“I didn’t know what else to say,” Shouta defended himself weakly.
“ I know, I know, ” Emi reassured him. “ Really though. What’s the kid like? Is he cute? Is he nice? Is he one of those kids who wets the bed every night because he’s too lazy to get up? ” Emi snickered.
“He… is certainly nice,” Shouta said. “More than nice. He’s… cute for a child, I guess. Um… no, he does not wet the bed. He’s just a normal child.”
“ See, you already proved to me he’s not a normal child! ” Emi retorted. “ You said he was cute! Children are not cute! Children are heathens! ”
“Whatever you say, Emi,” Shouta said wearily. “I would ask you how you’ve been since you graduated U.A., but I feel like if I do I’ll be listening to you talk all day.”
“ I’ll keep it short and sweet then! ” Emi cried, and Shouta again felt the urge to hit his head on the table, because of course. “ I’ve been doing rather well, if I do say so myself. ”
“Oh?” Shouta prompted, already feeling a headache build up behind his eyes. He was going to be here for a while.
“ Yep! ” Emi cried happily, popping the ‘p’. Sometimes she was more difficult to deal with than a sugar-high Izuku. “ I finally found an agency to take me, and I am making quite the name for myself! I even had a little girl I saved tell me I was her ‘favorite hero ever’! ”
“Well, I’m glad you finally got hired,” Shouta stated, trying to find some way to swiftly end the conversation. It wasn’t going well.
“ I know, I know, you thought it’d be a better idea to just ditch agencies all-together. ”
“It’s what I would have done,” Shouta admitted. “Had I not started dating Hizashi.” He had been seriously considering just going out on his own, being his own agency, an underground hero who didn’t belong to anyone. It had been appealing. But those kind of heroes didn’t make money, and when he and Hizashi had decided to move in together after U.A. in their own apartment, that was something they needed. And thus, he was hired by Shio.
“ I just didn’t think underground life suited me, ” Emi joked.
“I can see why,” Shouta responded.
“ It’s my entire persona, Shouta. And I do want to be at least somewhat known by the public. ”
Everyone had different motivations for being a hero. Shouta because it had been his dream, the only thing he had thought about, as a child. Hizashi because he wanted to put people at ease and make them feel happy and safe. Emi just appreciated the glory that came with the job.
And there’s nothing wrong with that, Shouta reminded himself. There wasn’t.
“I’m aware,” Shouta said. “It’s your career, not mine. Don’t worry about my opinions.”
“ I never do! ” Emi replied cheekily.
There was a loud bang from somewhere in the house, followed by a small noise of pain. When he glanced at where Izuku had been sitting, he wasn’t there.
“I have to go,” he said hurriedly into the phone, before ending the call and tossing it aside onto the table. The noise sounded like it had come from Izuku’s room-
~-~
“Why.”
“I wanted to spend time with the cats!” Izuku wailed through tears, clutching his knee. There was a long, raw strip of carpet burn on it, but there didn’t seem to be anything else wrong with the child. The room, however…
“Izuku, why.”
The net that had been pinned up to the wall and had previously held all his stuffed toys and action figures had been torn straight out and all the toys were scattered onto the floor. There were small white, jagged marks marring the paint now. Takara and Aiko were off to the side, looking very disgruntled. The larger of the two cats glared at the small child. The black cat barked indignantly.
“Th-the cats were in the- the toy net and I w-w-wanted to cuddle with- with the cats so I c-climbed into the n-n-net and-” Izuku let out a small whimper, covering his carpet burn with two hands. Like that would help. Maybe the cold air was hurting it.
“Come on, child,” Shouta said. The boy didn’t move. “Child. We have to go to the bathroom so we can clean your cut.”
“ No, ” Izuku whined. “It’ll hurt if I move.” Shouta grimaced. He’d have to move the child if he wanted to clean the cut, he couldn’t risk making a mess doing it in here…
Shouta tried not to sigh as he walked toward the child, awkwardly bracing one arm under his neck and the other under his knees as he picked him up. At least the child wasn’t heavy.
He set the child down on the sink counter, taking peroxide, gauze - the area was far too big for bandaids - and a cup out of the cabinet. He then grabbed a rag out of a drawer and set it to the side.
“Put your knee over the sink,” Shouta said. Izuku did, still crying and looking confused. Shota filled the cup with water.
“What are you gonna do?” Izuku asked, looking wary.
“I’m going to pour some water over the cut,” Shouta explained. He continued before Izuku could protest. “I have to get the dirt and fibers out of it. It might feel weird, and it might burn a little, but that’s all.”
Izuku nodded, sniffling slightly, and Shouta slowly poured water over the hurt area. It had been bleeding, just a little, but that had long since stopped and all the blood was rinsed down the drain. After he was done, Shouta pat it dry with the rag.
“What now?” Izuku asked.
“I’m going to pour some of this peroxide on it,” Shouta said.
“No!” Izuku cried vehemently. “That’ll really hurt! No! No!”
“Child,” Shouta said. “This is peroxide. Not rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is what hurts. And I have to.”
“Why?” Izuku asked, and there were fresh tears pooling in his eyes.
“Here’s how peroxide works,” Shouta said. “I pour it on a cut. It’ll start bubbling on the cut. That means it’s cleaning it better than the water did. If I don’t clean it, your wound could get infected, even though it’s small. If it gets infected, a lot of bad things could happen, and that will hurt a lot more than peroxide. Okay?”
“What’ll happen?” Izuku asked, sniffling. He looked a bit calmer, now. Maybe he just wanted to know the purpose behind what he did. Maybe that was how Shouta got the child to calm down.
“Do you remember when you had to get your appendix removed?” Izuku nodded. “Your appendix was infected, and because there was no way for them to fix it without taking it out and because the infection had nowhere to go, you had to have surgery. They waited too long, and your appendix burst. They had to put a tube in to drain the abscess in the infection so it could heal.”
“But- but that was my tummy! Not my knee!”
“You’re right,” Shouta admitted. “But if this gets infected, a lot of bad things could still happen. You could get impetigo, or a blood infection, or it could make more abscess under the skin, and then the doctor will have to cut it with a scalpel to get rid of it. Or you could get necrotising fasciitis. And that will really hurt.” That last one might have been a bit dramatic,ut it got his point across. “And peroxide doesn’t hurt at all,” Shouta added for good measure. Izuku slowly nodded, and Shouta grabbed a cotton ball from the cabinet and wet it with the peroxide, swiping it over the cut before adding a little Neosporin. Then, he wrapped his knee up in the gauze and helped him down from the counter.
“This is the worst thing ever, ” Izuku lamented. At least he wasn’t crying.
“Better than road rash,” Shouta rebuked.
“What’s road rash?” Izuku asked.
“Nothing. Go clean up your toys. And apologize to the cats.”
~-~
It was near the end of Izuku’s winter break and after heavy deliberation when Shouta called Nezu.
He was a bit hesitant to do it, if he was being honest. He respected Nezu to a great degree - he had given him the chance he needed to get into U.A. 's hero course and he probably had the rat-like-creature to thank for his career at Shio’s hero agency.
That didn’t make Nezu any less terrifying to interact with.
Nezu was almost maniacal in the way he carried himself - a sweet demeanor that hid an unendingly dangerous threat. It had always been off-putting, to Shouta.
When Shouta had called, Nezu had answered on the first ring and, despite Shouta being positive that he’d never given his number to Nezu or the school, Nezu knew who he was right away. Shouta suspected he had Nemuri to thank for that.
“ Mr. Aizawa! ” Nezu greeted cheerfully as soon as he picked up the phone.
“Principal Nezu,” Shouta replied evenly.
“I expect this is you accepting the job!” Nezu exclaimed cheerfully. “Will I see you, Hizashi and Nemuri on the first day back from winter break?”
“I- well-” He closed his mouth to stop himself from stammering further. “Yes.”
“Excellent!” Nezu said. “ I’ll be seeing you soon, then! ”
“... yes. I have to...”
“ Take care of your nephew, I expect, yes. I understand. ”
“How-”
“ I know things, young Aizawa! ” Nezu said cheekily.
“Yes… well… goodbye...”
“ Bye-bye, now! ”
The conversation ended with a click.
Shouta set his phone on the table slowly, standing up and moving into the kitchen to make himself a strong cup of coffee, feeling deeply disturbed. He could just barely hear Izuku giggling in the living room.
Shouta had a feeling he didn’t fully understand what he had gotten himself into.
~-~
He, Hizashi, Nemuri, and Izuku went to get supplies a few days before their new jobs were set to begin. Izuku would need a new backpack and winter clothes, as well, so it wasn’t too much of a hassle bringing the small child.
Shouta and Hizashi would both need button up shirts and slacks, as well as blouses, skirts and new pants for Nemuri. For Izuku they bought new hoodies, sweaters and jeans, as well as rubber boots now that the snow was turning to slush and everything was getting muddier.
Hizashi, Nemuri, and Shouta were all still still feeling the effects of the night before. New Years was over, and New Years for Nemuri and Hizashi meant getting trashed on alcohol while Shouta drank much more responsibly (enough to keep the other two under control) and tried to keep them from getting themselves into some kind of horrible mishap.
They’d started drinking at eight p.m., after Izuku had settled down for bed. Shouta could remember about two hours of the night before his memory blacked out -more likely due to exhaustion from the late hour than the alcohol- and all he knew was that Nemuri had woken up in the snack cabinet, Hizashi had woken up naked and feeling sick in the bathroom,his hearing aids in another room with Takara curled around them protectively, and Shouta had woken up to find he was laying on the back of the couch, where he had presumably settled down to sleep. Which really created more questions than answers.
Izuku had, thankfully, slept in so they’d had plenty of time to right themselves and clean up the house - as well as for all of them to take showers and brush their teeth, which took Hizashi around an hour and a half to complete because he kept falling asleep against the shower wall.
But they’d gotten themselves ready and fed - as much as they could handle eating, with their stomachs staging a revolt - and had gotten Izuku up and ready to go as well.
Shouta counted himself lucky they had made it to the store. He’d blacked out around the time they’d gotten halfway through a bottle of vodka, and that usually wasn’t a very good sign. They were as hungover as he could ever remember being in his life, but at least they had made it.
Shouta had never been more thankful for Tylenol and coffee.
Izuku was excited to run around the store, as he always was, which meant they had to try and keep up to the child’s unnaturally high energy levels. Always fun.
They went to get Izuku’s stuff first - a backpack, his clothes, new shoes, etcetera. Then they went off to the office supplies so they could get the material the adults would need, Hizashi holding onto Izuku’s hand to try and get the child from running away. It just meant he was pulling against his arm in his haste.
“Tiger,” Nemuri said. “You have to slow down.” By the look on her face, it seemed talking hurt. It certainly hurt Shouta, listening to it. He had a pair of large sunglasses on to block out the light, and Hizashi and Nemuri were both wearing something similar. His ears were hurting, and his leg was acting up that day, and the combination of unpleasant sensations was nothing short of horrible. “We have headaches. When grown ups have headaches, they like being slow and boring. Slow down.”
Izuku frowned.
“Why do you all have headaches at the same time?” Izuku asked.
Shouta’s headache spiked.
Because we were idiots and got shit-faced, and now we’re facing the repercussions. Don’t drink, child.
“Allergies,” Shouta grunted.
“But it’s winter!” Izuku protested. “And you don’t got runny noses!”
Why must this child be intelligent?
“Different strain.”
Izuku frowned, like he didn’t believe him, but he slowed his quick pace considerably.
They moved about as quickly as possible to get their office supplies so they could go home. Maybe Shouta would be able to get Izuku to take a nap. Then Shouta could take a nap.
The idea was certainly appealing.
“Is that everything we need?” Hizashi asked, and Shouta could hear the hope in his voice.
“Nope!” Izuku said. “We gotta get ice cream!”
“Why do we need ice cream? We have ice cream at home.”
“... because I’m good?”
The three adults stared the child down, for a long moment, and Izuku stared right back up at them. It was Hizashi who broke first.
“Can’t argue with that logic.”
They got ice cream from a little parlor in the store.
And Izuku did not take a nap.
~-~
They started school around half a week later, and Shouta couldn’t say he wasn’t grinning, feeling a bit unhinged, when he finally got to drop Izuku off at school.
Children. Children were exhausting.
But it was finally over. Break was finally over. And he could send the child off to school. It made him feel a bit giddy.
But now he was going to U.A. To do his job. Surrounded by even more children.
He was beginning to question whether this was a good idea.
But it was too late now.
Because there he was, standing in front of the gates of U.A. for the first time in years.
He thought he could feel that familiar thrill of excitement that he’d experienced the first time he walked through the gates, years ago, at fourteen years old.
And…. it did feel like a good idea, at that moment. It did.
He might not think so a month later. Or a day later. Or even five minutes later. But, at that moment, it felt like this was what he needed to do.
And, with happiness blooming in his chest, he stepped through the gates of U.A.