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Izuku woke up before his alarm clock again. Honestly, either he needed to set it for an earlier time, or he needed to stop using it. What was the purpose of setting an alarm when you woke up on your own anyway?
Despite his annoyance, he still got up and got ready for training. He decided that it was better to train with All Might on his quirk earlier in the mornings when others weren't awake, rather than late at night where they would question why he was allowed to stay out later than curfew when they couldn't.
It wasn't that he was hiding his training with All Might from them exactly. Well, he kinda was, but he had a good reason! His quirk was literally a deadly secret, and his class would definitely ask questions about why the former number one hero was training him one on one.
Once he was ready, he headed down to start making breakfast. He was used to being up early thanks to the long shifts his mom worked at the hospital. Raising a quirkless son was hard, and expensive. She picked up extra hours often to help them out, but it usually left her exhausted. He started making her breakfast when he realized that she normally slept through both breakfast and lunch before whipping up something quickly before she left for work again. Izuku later found out that it wasn't because his mom wasn't hungry that she didn't eat, it was because she was too tired to make something and everywhere else was closed.
So Izuku got up early, made her food, made sure she ate it, and even got a whole extra hour to do whatever he wanted before he had to start getting ready for school. So he went to bed a little earlier to accommodate his new schedule, it wasn't a big deal to him.
It was actually around the beginning of the year that he realized Aizawa got off his shift around the same time as his mom. How did he come across this information? They ran into each other a few times, and while his teacher was too tired to acknowledge him, Izuku was awake enough to notice his teacher.
So, the next day when his teacher came back from patrol, Izuku was there and waiting to steer him into the kitchen and have him take a seat at a bar stool, before giving him a full meal and a hot cup of tea. He always made sure to pack in as much nutrition as possible while still making sure it tasted good.
The look on his teacher's face the first time he did it was something he would treasure. His tired teacher stared down at the food for all of 5 seconds, almost in tears of joy, before scarfing it down like it was going to disappear if he waited any longer. Izuku would eat with him in silence, watched as Aizawa went back to his room while he cleaned up, and then headed out to train as soon as he finished.
Today was no different. Izuku normally made full meals, even at breakfast. Today was particularly cold outside so he went with a mushroom soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, a little bit of leftover broccoli from last night's dinner, and a cup of decaf coffee. He was currently out of tea, so he would have to either go to the store or order some more later today. He could use some of Momo's tea, but it was all so expensive and Izuku really didn't want to risk using something and wasting it because he somehow made it wrong.
Like clockwork, Aizawa entered the dorm exactly at 3:30 am. He was dirty, and looked worse for the ware, but thankfully unharmed. There were a few times Izuku would see the teacher come in with injuries and he would forgo his breakfast to treat them while the other ate. He was certain his teacher would complain if he had the energy, but he was normally too tired to do so.
His teacher, now used to the routine, made his way to the kitchen before sitting down at the same stool as always. Izuku sat his food in front of him with a small smile. His teacher always looked so genuinely happy every time Izuku gave him food in the mornings. It was one of those rare moments where he would let his mask slip off in front of others and relax. Izuku sometimes wondered if his teacher was ever aware of the fact that Izuku was the one making him food in the mornings, but he supposed it didn't really matter in the end.
He hurried up and finished his food before cleaning up the dishes as quickly as he could. He could see his teacher walk off to his room out of the corner of his eye and went to collect the rest of the dishes from the kitchen island before slipping on his jacket and shoes and heading out the door.
* * *
Shota will admit he does not get enough sleep. It's why he carries around a sleeping bag while teaching, and why some days he just gives his students online assignments or quiet study time. Patrolling at night was far from easy, but he was an underground hero, and that's just what he did. Something he started noticing as of late was that he stopped waking up hungry. He used to be forced awake in the morning, sometimes earlier than he had to be awake, by hunger pains after not eating for hours on end with constant exercise. He had a problem with zoning out as soon as he got back to UA, but he didn't think it was to the point where he literally didn't remember anything.
After a while he checked the cameras to see what was going on, and found that his problem child, the most danger prone student he has, had been making him breakfast every morning. Or more like dinner honestly, with how full the meals were. Part of him wondered if he should be concerned that his student was up so early, but the other part of him wanted to be selfish and keep his new source of food. He never remembered much of his mornings, but he knew that the food he ate was good, and he didn't get to have home cooked meals often. It wasn't like the kid was coming back hurt, and he wasn't leaving campus either. Just for this one thing, he let himself be selfish.
He started to notice himself sleeping better too. He was less grouchy in the mornings, something his coworkers definitely picked up on. If he kept the fridge in the dorm fully stocked at all times as a result, then that was his business. If he went a little easier on his problem child when he noticed him being a little more tired than usual, then that was his business too.
He was grateful, but that didn't stop him from being curious. Something he noticed with both Bakugo and Midoriya, was that they both went to bed earlier than the rest of his class. Bakugo went to bed around 8:30 every night while Midoriya followed at 9.
So, at 8:30, when he knew that Midoriya was in his room, Shota went to find out what was going on. It took all of 10 seconds after knocking on his door for his student to answer.
"Aizawa-sensei? Is everything okay?"
"Yes. I would like to talk to you though."
His student hesitated for a moment, clearly worrying about every little thing that could possibly be wrong. Nonetheless, he opened his door wider and stepped back to let him inside. "Yeah, sure. Come on in."
The room was surprisingly clean for a teenage boy, but geez was there a lot of All Might merch. Shota didn't bother beating around the bush. "Why are you up so early every morning?"
His student paused, before he nodded like something finally made sense. "Ah, so that's what this is about. I wake up early to get some training in before school."
Okay... "Do you not feel like you are getting enough training during classes? The gyms are open to students after school hours as well."
"Oh! No! That's not it! It's just that it's clear I'm pretty far behind in terms of my quirk and I figured that if I spent some extra time to train it and figure out how to use it better then it would actually prove to be helpful during the full class training sessions later in the day. Not that I don't like training with the class! It's just I feel like I can get more done one on one and then I get to test what I learned in different situations during the class activities, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to be as prepared as possible especially because of all the villain attacks that have happened and-"
"Wow, slow down kid."
Midoriya sputtered and blushed as he apologized. Shota wasn't bothered as much as he was just no longer able to follow along to what the kid was saying. "You're not in trouble."
"I'm not?"
"No? Why would you be in trouble for training on school grounds within the open gym hours?"
"I-I just- I didn't- I thought that..."
"Relax, you didn't do anything wrong, I was just curious. Thanks for the meals by the way." Geez this kid got flustered a lot.
"Oh! No problem! My mom works night shifts at the hospital and doesn't get back until early in the morning too! I made her meals when she got home because she was often too tired to do so herself. I wasn't really sure what you liked to eat, but you seemed to eat pretty much anything I gave you."
Shota nodded. That explained where the habit came from at least. It was nice of the kid to take care of his mom like that too.
"Actually, I was meaning to go to the store to pick up some more medicinal tea today, but I lost track of time. You'll probably just get another decaf coffee tomorrow, sorry."
Shota really couldn't care less what the kid gave him, but that did strike his interest. "Medicinal tea?"
"Oh, yeah. I used to buy it for my mom. The name is in a different language and really hard to pronounce, so I usually just call it medicinal tea, but it's a quirk infused tea that helps the body better absorb the nutrients of what they eat while they sleep. Normally, people don't eat right before going to bed because then their body doesn't properly use the calories, but the tea allows the body to take the nutrients in the food they ate and use it to speed up the healing process of any injuries or vitamin deficiencies in the body."
Wow, that's actually amazing. He should let Recovery Girl know about that; he could imagine it being helpful. "A tea like that has to be pretty expensive. How'd you find out about it anyway?"
"They use it in hospitals, especially for patients with insomnia since it's also a pretty strong sleep aid."
Shota noticed the student didn't say anything about the comment he made on the pricing. "Where do you buy it?"
"I get it over the counter from a pharmacy. It's one of the few medications that can be taken by anyone, so it doesn't need doctor approval."
"What did you say it was called again?"
His student narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm not letting you pay for it."
Dammit, he was caught. Lucky for him, his son is an insomniac. "I have a son who has insomnia, you said it helps with it right?"
"You have a son?"
"Yes, and don't tell anyone."
The other looked puzzled for a moment before he smirked, "It's Shinso isn't it?"
Shota narrowed his eyes, "Smart little shit."
Midoriya let out a laugh. "Thanks. I can start giving him some at night if you'd like?"
Shota sighed, "Just tell me the damn name."
"Alright, alright. It's Kalorili Uyku Yardımı."
"And where do you normally get it?"
"Any pharmacy inside of a hospital will carry it, but they may be out of stock, so you might have to pre order it. You can check the online website first, so you don't end up driving around to find it. The hospital right next to us is currently out of stock but they should be getting more delivered in about a week. I already ordered 5 containers."
Aizawa let out a thoughtful hum. "Got it."
"Oh, and if you do have Shinso start taking it, make sure he eats something before bed. The amount of food depends on the dosage, but if he doesn't eat anything the medication can make him nauseous and cause a pretty crappy night's sleep. It should say so on the container, but I wanted to make sure you knew."
"Thanks. That actually explains a lot. I've been sleeping better lately and I'm a lot less achy when I wake up than I used to be."
Midoriya smiled, "That's good. I'm glad it's helping."
Shota nodded. He asked a few more questions about the tea before leaving to let the kid get to bed. He had to get ready for his patrol anyway.
* * *
When Izuku woke up the next morning he found that it was snowing outside. Today was going to be especially cold. He also woke up an hour early, unfortunately. There was no going back to bed for him though. He'd just have to use the time to his advantage. He was on dinner duty for the first time tonight because Kachan was going home for the weekend to visit Auntie Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru. Apparently the other said that Izuku could cook them dinner when Kaminari complained that their cook was leaving. Izuku didn't have the heart to say no.
He decided on pork and ricotta stuffed jumbo shells, something his mom would make for him during the winter growing up. He remembered her making him a lot of pasta type dishes during wintertime actually. The extra hour should allow him to make a larger batch of it that he could heat up later tonight.
Izuku was enjoying his quiet time cooking, music playing quietly from his phone on the counter next to him as he minced cloves and chopped parsley. He absolutely loved how big the fridge in the dorm was, because no matter how full it was, he could still add random ingredients they didn't have for his little meals whenever he went to the store. This dish was rather time consuming, so he was in a bit of a time crunch and was trying to move as fast as possible until he got a text from Yagi-sensei that training was canceled today because of the weather.
He couldn't see outside from the kitchen, but he was starting to worry a bit now. Would Aizawa be okay in the snow? Especially with him being outside all night. Sure, snow didn't usually stop villains when they wanted to do something, but still. Izuku still had a little over an hour before his teacher was supposed to be back.
He'd filled 5 casserole pans with the pasta (he didn't even realize they had that many) before putting them all on the oven at the same time. He really did love that the kitchen had 3 ovens. With an hour to wait before the main dish was cooked, Izuku decided on roasted carrots and quinoa salad as the side dishes. He'd make a little bit now for him and Aizawa and then would make the rest later tonight. He wanted his side dishes as fresh as possible.
When 3:30 rolled around and Aizawa didn't enter the dorms, Izuku started to worry even more. The light snowing outside had greatly picked up speed. He was almost certain class would be canceled today. By the time 4 am rolled around, Izuku was putting on his shoes and making his way to the teachers' dormitories. Aizawa tended to say in their dorm, but that was just because their class tended to be too chaotic to not be supervised. But logically, the teachers' dorm was closer to the school's entrance than theirs was, so it was possible that Aizawa could be there instead. It was freezing and the coat he had on was not made for snow, but he wouldn't be able to relax until he made sure his teacher was okay.
It took him about 15 minutes to walk to the teachers' dormitories. It would have been faster to run, but Izuku didn't want to risk slipping and getting hurt. It would just cause more issues if he had to go see Recovery Girl first, and she would throttle him for being reckless.
When he finally arrived at the dorms, the only people up were Yagi-sensei and Yamada-sensei, but both were clearly surprised to see him.
"Midoriya?"
"Young Midoriya?" Yagi-sensei's eyes widened as he quickly stood up and rushed over to him, "What on earth are you doing here?!"
Izuku took off his hoodie, which was now covered in snow, and removed his shoes. "Aizawa-sensei didn't show up at the dorms this morning."
"What?!"
Yamada-sensei was clearly surprised by his statement.
Izuku nodded. "I waited to see if he was just running late but after a while, I got worried. I was hoping he had come here but it doesn't seem like it."
His English teacher pulled out his phone and quickly called someone while rushing upstairs. Yagi-sensei, on the other hand, ushered him further inside and grabbed a blanket from a basket by the couch. His mentor made quick work of wrapping it around him before telling him to sit down and walking off towards the kitchen to do something.
His mentor came back with a mug of hot chocolate for him, which Izuku thanked the man for before going back to stare at the front door. It was 4:23 now.
Yamada-sensei came back down the stairs about 15 minutes later, followed by Midnight-sensei, and Nezu himself. His English teacher was quick to make eye contact with him before giving him a worried smile. "Shota, er, Aizawa got injured during his patrol. He's currently at Musutafu general hospital right now. Nem and I are going to drive over to him, would you like to come?"
Izuku was surprised they asked him, but he nodded nonetheless. Then he remembered the food he made for him. "Would it be alright if I stopped by the 1A dorms first?"
Midnight-sensei smiled, "Of course!"
Izuku nodded and got up, thanking his mentor before throwing his hoodie back on and sliding on his shoes with the others.
"Uh uh, no way." Yamada-sensei suddenly said from behind him. Izuku turned to see his English teacher walking over to a closet. He gave Midnight-sensei a questioning look, but she just let out a small chuckle. His other teacher came back holding a much nicer coat. "Take that wet thing off."
Izuku stared at his teacher for a moment before responding. "My hoodie?"
"Yes. It is already wet from the snow and if you go outside you're going to get sick."
"It's fine really-"
"Kid, I wouldn't argue with him if I were you." Midnight-sensei spoke up.
Izuku sighed before taking off his hoodie, which his mentor took from him with a chuckle, promising to throw it in the dryer. The expensive looking coat was handed to him immediately after. Izuku put it on carefully, worried about messing it up.
The two teachers walked him back to his dorm. Some of his classmates were already awake, but Izuku paid them no mind while he walked straight to the kitchen. The food he put out on the counter had cooled off, so he covered all but one in tin foil before putting it in the fridge for later. He then packed up his homeroom teacher's meal. He grabbed two more containers for his other two teachers as well, since he was sure they hadn't had breakfast yet. He wouldn't be able to eat this morning with how high strung he currently was, but they still should.
After putting all of the containers in a bag he walked back out to the living room to find Midnight-sensei waiting by the door while Yamada-sensei talked to Iida, probably about classes being canceled and where they were going. Izuku joined his art history teacher in waiting by the door, and the three of them headed out when his English teacher joined them.
Izuku followed his teachers to a little parking lot next to the teachers' dorms. Midnight-sensei took the passenger seat while Yamada-sensei chose to drive. Izuku quietly took a seat in the back. It wasn't until they were a few minutes into the drive that one of his teacher's spoke up.
"So, little listener, Sho mentioned you've been taking care of him for us."
'Sho' was probably his teacher's nickname for Aizawa. "I've been making him food when he comes back from patrol."
"And giving him medicine to heal faster and sleep better." Midnight-sensei chimed in.
"Yes."
"Thank you. I try to make sure he takes care of himself, but when he started staying at the 1A dorms it got a little harder to do." Yamada-sensei smiled at him through the rear-view mirror.
"It's no big deal. I used to do the same thing for my mom."
"Still, thank you."
"You're welcome."
The rest of the ride passed in silence, minus the quiet music that played from the radio. Izuku was too worried about his teacher to try to strike up a conversation, and the other's seemed perfectly fine not talking.
When they finally arrived, Izuku walked with his teacher's inside before finding out which room his teacher was in. He also learned that Aizawa and Yamada-sensei were apparently married. Izuku had suspected ever since he saw the matching rings that they wore on chains around their necks. He remained quiet the entire way up to the heroes' ward on the 4th floor. It wasn't until he saw his teacher awake and sitting up in the hospital bed that he finally took a full breath.
His English teacher immediately moved to his husband's side to see how he was doing while Midnight-sensei moved to set down a duffle bag next to Aizawa's bed. Izuku went to look at the chart on the wall to see what happened.
Stab wound and a few broken ribs. Along with a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist. Yikes.
Putting the file back, Izuku moved to the small microwave that was in the corner of the room, thankful that he didn't have to walk all the way down to the cafeteria. He put the pasta and carrots in the same container while in the dorms so he could heat them up at the same time. The salad was meant to be eaten cold, so he put them in three small separate containers. The side portions were smaller than he originally had planned, but not by too much since he divided his portion among them as well.
His three teachers were discussing something behind him, but he was too focused on heating up the food so he could make sure they had eaten to care about what was being said. He didn't know why it was such a big deal to him, it just was. When he was done, he added a fork to each container before walking over to hand one to each teacher. He had to take multiple trips since he could only carry two containers at once.
Aizawa let out a small chuckle when Izuku gave him his food, and the other two were clearly surprised to have gotten food from him at all, but it wasn't until everyone had a meal that he finally sat down and relaxed.
It was quiet for a minute before Midnight let out a groan, "Oh my gosh this is amazing."
Yamada laughed, "Agreed."
Izuku looked away from the window to see his teachers smiling at him. He could feel heat rise to his cheeks before he quickly looked away again. The others laughed but he ignored them in favor of checking in on his class. The group chat was blowing up with questions about what was going on. Along with some students who were upset to have been woken up so early.
He felt a little bad at how confused most of them were, but he was confident that Iida would be able to explain to them what happened and they would be just fine. He didn't bother messaging any further information in the class group chat since Yamada-sensei probably told them everything they needed to know and the rest was Aizawa-sensei's personal business. Honestly, Izuku was surprised to be brought along at all.
He wasn't particularly close to Aizawa-sensei. He didn't even know that man was married before today. Izuku cared about his teacher, sure, but that wasn't a feeling that was just limited to Aizawa-sensei. He cared about pretty much everyone he knew.
A new notification popped up on his phone. Shinso had messaged him.
Shinso: hey, is my dad okay? Pops said he was fine but he always downplays everything so that he doesn't worry me
Midoriya: could be worse. A stab wound, a dislocated shoulder, and a few broken bones. Nothing that can't be healed rather quickly with the quirks available at the hospital.
Shinso: you're right, it certainly could have been worse. Pops texted me a picture of the meal you made, why are you so worried about feeding my dad all the time???
Midoriya: I have no idea.
Shinso: the heck does that mean???
Midoriya: it means I literally have no idea why I feel the need to make sure he eats every morning.
Shinso: ok then...thanks anyways I guess
Midoriya: sure. It's not really a big deal, I normally make myself breakfast around that time anyway.
"Hey Midoriya, did you tell Shinso that Shota was stabbed?"
Izuku looked up from his phone to find his three teachers looking at him before directing his attention to his English teacher. "Yeah? He asked what happened. Was I not supposed to?"
"It's not that, I was just curious about how you knew what Shota's injuries were."
"I read his chart on the way in."
His teacher stared at him without saying anything for a few moments.
"How did I miss that?"
"Problem child is rather quiet in the mornings." Aizawa-sensei chuckled.
"I am?" He hadn't noticed any change in the way he conducted himself.
"Yes, you are."
"Huh."
His teachers went back to talking amongst themselves, all smiling at each other. Izuku tuned them out, letting them have their own conversation. He really couldn't help but wonder though. Was his desire to help others really so weird?