Chapter Text
“Could I get one black coffee and one chai latte please?”
“Alright, coming right up.”
The loud sounds from the people in the cafe drowned out Aylee’s tumultuous thoughts. It was a nice distraction for the time being and she relished in the sweet scent of coffee and freshly baked pastries. Lost in her own inner ramblings, the woman failed to notice that her order was ready and waiting. The busy barista cleared her throat to gain her attention. Aylee’s lips formed into a sheepish smile as she quickly took the two drinks from the barista’s hands. “Sorry and thank you!”
She walked over to the table with Aizawa sitting with his eyes closed and his sleeping bag half-zipped up. She placed his cup near his sleeping face to gently rouse him from the land of dreams. The strong caffeinated fumes somewhat revived him and allowed his eyes to crack slightly open. The zipper slowly opened and a lone hand emerged from the yellow cocoon. His eyes remained half-lidded as he took a long first gulp of his essential liquid fuel. Aylee thought she heard him murmur a reverent hallelujah under his breath but she couldn't be quite sure.
“Now that you resemble an actual functioning human being, let's get down to business.” Aizawa scoffed at her insult and continued with his wake-up routine. Is it really a routine if it’s just caffeine?
Aizawa reached beside him and tossed a thick manilla folder on the wooden tabletop. A picture of an unsmiling teenager Shoto was paperclipped to the top corner of the file.
“Is this his school file?” The hero teacher flipped open the file while taking another sip from his ceramic cup. “No. I did this for all of my students before the start of this school year.”
“Ok, I’m going to ignore that absolute major invasion of privacy, just this once. I will compliment your information-gathering and organization skills though. It’s very thorough. But, after all of this is done, we're going to talk about these files’ existence in more depth.”
Shouta quickly changed the subject, as if he could really distract her from lecturing him. “Are you sure Todoroki will be ok without you for this meeting?” Aylee nonchalantly waved her hand in the air and said, “Don’t worry, I bet he's having a blast with his babysitter.” She was so sincere that Aizawa almost wanted to believe her.
~ Back at UA ~
A tense battle of wills and wits is taking place. Two players, one table, a deck of cards, and a fierce feeling of competition in the air. In one corner we have the number 3 pro hero, Hawks, confident and smug in his strategy. In the opposing corner, is the cutest little peppermint and Aylee’s favorite person in the world (self-proclaimed), Shoto Todoroki.
Peeking over the top of his cards, sharp hawk eyes clash against his opponent’s. Shoto’s heterochromatic eyes intensely glare right back in effortless retaliation.
“Do you have any twos?” The boy starts the game off with a bang.
“Go fish.” Shoto huffed in annoyance and picked up another card from the stack of cards in between them.
Gold-slitted pupils flashed in satisfaction as he asked, “got any fives?”
“Go fish.” Hawks lazily pulled another card from the deck.
“Do you have any threes?” Hawks reluctantly gave over 3 of his cards and ultimately lost the game a couple of rounds later. Most embarrassingly though, it was not for a lack of trying.
Though, with his victory over a long-time enemy came frustration. The two-toned-haired boy laid his head face down on the table and loudly groaned in discontent. “What time is mom coming back? It’s been forever!” the boy whined into the wooden table. Hawks throws down his losing hand and sighs. “It's only been 30 minutes, bud,” he says in slight disbelief. The boy opened his cold grey eye to glare at his bodyguard through his disheveled bangs. “Well, you're bored too, “ Shoto points out the obvious and Hawks couldn’t deny that he missed seeing the brunette as well. But he was the adult in charge here. Right?
“You're not wrong but I’m just trying to pass the time with you. Do you want to play checkers or watch some tv?” Hawks tried to appeal to the fussy child with yet another pointless distraction. The boy's last attempt at playing twister was absolutely disastrous paired with Hawks' innate bulky wing span.
“No, I want to see mom.” The boy glares at his babysitter like the answer was already obvious and absolute. Hawks would just have to show the Todoroki heir that he was in for a rude awakening and that he wasn’t as pliant as Aylee. He needs to stand firm in this pathetic attempt at manipulation. He is the number three hero, highly trained and resilient in all situations. And he was going to prove it to this demanding and possessive teenager-turned-child.
“Well, that's not going to happen right now for either of us. So, how about coloring?” Hawks' false cheerful attempt severely grated on Shoto’s nerves. Who is this oversized chicken to tell him when he can or can’t see his Aylee? And with this bit of anger came another idea that he could try.
“You're just mad that mom’s on a date.” The boy not so innocently stated. Hawks’ red wings twitched at his words and a dark look crossed the usually happy hero’s face.
“It's not a date.” The winged hero managed to grit out through a strained passive expression. It didn’t fool Shoto in the slightest.
“Yes, it is.” He pressed on. Unrelenting as all children can be in their righteous convictions. A force of nature and temper tantrums all wrapped up in one. With Shoto’s abilities, the former descriptor is meant in the literal sense.
“Your mom said she had to talk with Aizawa. Two adults going for coffee together doesn't automatically mean it’s a date.” Hawks nodded while saying this as if fooling himself into believing this. The actions of a truly desperate and whipped man. Both pitiful and delusional.
“Ok, sure.” The boy sassed back and just sat there waiting. As you can guess, it didn’t take long for the simping hero to cave into the kid’s demands.
“Fine, little man. Let's go on a short field trip. But, for this to work, it has to stay a secret between us, alright?” Hawks compromised in a huff but, he almost looked excited about this impromptu stealth mission. Babysitting does get boring, especially for someone with such a fast-paced lifestyle.
Hook. Line. And sinker.
Shoto hides a small smirk but allows his temporary caretaker to witness him rolling his eyes, seemingly in annoyance. All too easy.
Shoto - 2
Hawks - 0
“Alright, we need to change into something a bit more lowkey before we go.” Hawks declared before hastily getting up from the card table. Hawks gave the boy an expectant glance to follow but is instead met with a cute yet confused face. Now, it’s Hawks' turn to hide his smirk.
“My motto is, it’s never too early to learn stealth.”
Hawks quickly gathered the items for this top-secret covert mission. Sunglasses, black hats, gloves, and of course, snacks. Shoto’s decked out in a short black beanie to cover his highly recognizable two-toned locks and a black hoodie.
Hawks briefly hesitates with the choice of his charge’s sweatshirt. “Do you have any plain hoodies, one’s without words or pictures?”
“Nope.” Shoto swung his feet in boredom while waiting for his unwanted babysitter to help him put on the black hoodie over his head.
Hawks sighed in resignation, “Ok, I guess we'll have to go with this.”
Both of them walk out to the car holding hands because Aylee would murder Hawks if anything happened on his watch. Shoto sports a black hoodie with two lone penguins waving on an ice cliff. Hawks donned dark sleek and aerodynamic shades in case they need to make a quick departure. However, Shoto’s choice of eyewear was what Aylee would call age appropriate. They were simply white and ice-blue frames patterned with polar bears. And of course, his trademark light-up sneakers.
Shoto reached for the passenger door handle. “Nope, you're in the backseat little guy. Your mom would lecture me if she saw you sitting in the front seat. Alrighty, operation secret spy mission starts now.” With their seat belts fastened, nothing can stop this dynamic pair from achieving their goal.
~ Meanwhile back at the cafe. ~
“Fuyumi, we appreciate you taking the time to meet with us for coffee.” The oldest living Todoroki sibling is seated directly in front of the two UA teachers. She felt like they were watching her every move, that she was a specimen under a microscope.
Fuyumi cleared her throat after taking a nervous sip of her chamomile tea. “It was no problem. You said you wanted to discuss Shoto’s development moving forward.” She couldn’t even appreciate her drink’s usually refreshing taste with the inevitable interrogation that was bound to ensue from this impromptu meeting. The oldest Todoroki daughter is a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. She can spot a set-up when she sees it.
Aylee started the conversation with no flattery or fluff to hide her words, “As you know, he's grown to be 7 years old again based on the updates I've sent you via text. But, with his growth spurts, we've observed some concerning behaviors for a child his age.”
“L-like what?” Fuyumi moved her fingers to push her white and red streaked hair behind her ear. Aizawa noted the nervous gesture as he analyzed her body language while Aylee originally took the lead in this discussion. Aizawa knows the importance of analyzing the person as a whole and not just their words. After all, words can be deceiving or cryptic without context.
Aizawa makes his concerns known quite plainly and without glossing over any of the details. “His father, Endeavour, from what we’ve seen as of today, is very strict and borderline hostile. Specifically regarding his son's actions and hero education. I found it strange that Shoto addressed Aylee as his mother despite being corrected multiple times and continuing to do so. Also, the most concerning observation is that there are numerous times when Shoto displays clear signs of distress and fear in the presence of his father.” Aylee nodded solemnly in agreement with Aizawa.
Fuyumi took all of his words in stride silently but looked outwardly tense and worried. Her brow remained furrowed and her face turned more grim while listening to his observations. Aizawa wondered who the concern was really for.
“We just want to understand so we can help Shoto transition even after he returns back to his original age. And to have him be in the best place that is safest for his mental and physical health.” Aylee reached out and when she saw no resistance from Fuyumi, placed her hand comfortingly over top of the cold hand tightly gripping the teacup. Fuyumi nodded in agreement and paused to form her words clearly. Right then and there, she decided to tell someone about her family for the first time ever. About who their father really is underneath his flames.
“Shoto was our father's prodigal son. His ultimate goal was to merge his and our mother's elemental powers into one perfect being. The ideal superhero in his eyes. After a couple of tries, perfection was born. Shoto. But, his achievement led to training and isolation from all of us. That started when he was deemed grown enough, he was five years old. Shoto grew up with no one else but our father to depend on. Father was afraid his failure would taint Shoto’s greatness. Our mother was deeply unhappy and depressed from our older brother’s untimely death and along with never seeing her youngest child. She became hysterical in some moments after being triggered.” Fuyumi’s eyes flitted around the mostly empty coffee shop as if afraid of being overheard. And what consequences would follow if this information would leak to the public. What Endeavor would inevitably do to her as punishment for her disgracing the family.
“What do you mean exactly by ‘triggered’?” Aylee was wary to ask this, but she needed to know if her original suspicions were sound.
Fuyumi’s grey eyes watered as she prepared to share the worst time period in the Todoroki family history. “As you know, Shoto looks very physically similar to our Father. The hair and the eyes especially. And, when our Mom did see him on occasion, she usually reacted, badly, to that side of him. And one night, she was making tea to calm herself down. And when he walked in, she lost it and burned his face with the water from the stove.”
Aylee gasps with tears in her eyes. And, Aizawa put a comforting hand on her shoulder while trying to keep his own rage inside, buried deep.
Fuyumi continued, “Our father decided to cut off all contact with our mother after that and admitted her to the hospital, indefinitely. To protect Shoto.”
Aylee pushed her own feelings aside to respond. “That's a lot to take in. I can't imagine how all of you must feel, as a family. Especially, with Shoto being so young and losing a parental figure early on in the development stages of his life.”
“Yeah, it's terrible seeing him like this and feeling helpless to do anything about it against Dad.” Fuyumi appeared far older at this moment than her 22 years. Her eyes are tired and face sullen. Becoming the glue to keep the Todoroki family together wasn’t easy on her, and it showed. But, talking about this with someone made her shoulders feel infinitely lighter than before.
“Thank you for sharing this personal matter with us. It has helped us greatly.” Fuyumi nodded and grabbed her purse and phone. She left some bills near her plate and said her goodbyes. The Todoroki woman opened the cafe door and waved to Aizawa and Aylee as she exited. Everyone failed to notice two figures slipping through the doorway and into the cafe.
Aylee angled her body to face her companion. She took a long sip from her latte, she needed it after that meeting. Her hand quickly scratched notes into her opened notebook to document the important details they learned about Shoto’s situation.
“Where do we go from here? Where do we start? The authorities? Child services?” Aylee finally looked up to pay close attention to his answer about their next steps. It was a lot to take in and frankly, she wanted to get back to Shoto and give him a big hug and lots of Soba.
Aizawa cleared his throat and drank from his slightly cold black coffee. He’ll take what he can get and needs any caffeine boost he can get right now. Working at the school and at night starts to feel tiring after so many days without rest. “We start with the main source of conflict and work our way out.”
Aylee nodded in understanding. “Bold strategy. Will it work?” Aizawa slowly blinked his red eyes and wished he brought his eye drops with him. He rubbed at his painfully dry eyes with his hands and responded, “With time. And slow action.”
Aylee glanced at his empty mug, “Let me go get you a refill.” She grabbed it from the spot on the table in front of him before he could protest. She smiled at the blank expression on his face and walked up to the counter to order. Aizawa followed her figure with his drooping eyes, watching her as she interacted with the barista. And with this distraction, he wasn’t aware of himself being watched. Usually it was the other way around.
~ Across the cafe ~
“She just smiled at him.” Shoto pointed out bluntly after they were seated inconspicuously. Of course, with a direct line of view to their targets.
Hawks scoffed at his charge. “She smiles a lot.” He sounded nonchalant but his face revealed all of his emotions. The number 3 pro hero was actually very nervous.
Shoto wanted to rub this in his face. Aylee couldn’t be with Hawks, and Shoto would make sure of it. “Now he's bringing her drink back and a muffin,” he casually pointed out.
Hawks eyed the muffin that Aylee was happily munching on. “What kind of muffin?” Might as well find out what she likes now so he can treat her later. Maybe on a date. Somewhere nicer than this small cafe. Hawks exited his daydream in time to hear Shoto’s answer.
“Her favorite, chocolate chip. And he's smiling too.” Hawks sees the smiles and thought it was weird to see the sleep deprived teacher smiling at all based on his past interactions with the erasure hero.
The blond man wanted to yell in frustration at the child’s words. But, as always and as expected, he managed to keep his cool. “A lot of people smile at each other, kid,” he said, trying to remain nonchalant.
The split red and white headed boy shook his head in immediate disagreement. “No, not Sensei. He's like those people in England.” And that was the end of Shoto sharing his insight.
The pro hero was stumped with that vague description, that made absolutely no sense. After a few seconds it finally came to him. “Do you mean the palace guards for the queen of England? With the big hats”
“Yeah, those guys.” Todoroki replied.
Hawks looked at Aizawa’s upturned lips and how his eyes remained firmly on Aylee while she spoke. “Well, not today it seems.” Hawks said they were feeling cheated. He knows it’s not right to feel this way since he barely knows Aylee and for all he knows, his feelings are entirely one-sided. Hawks’ chest tightens at that sudden and depressing thought.
Hawks used his enhanced sense to hear the conversation for this recon mission. Some people would call it essential for every operation. In this particular case it’s just invasive. “This is really exciting Aizawa! I know it's a little soon but my hopes are high.” Aylee stated with a large grin on her face as she excitedly scribbled down some more suggestions that they discussed.
Aizawa nodded and thought for a second before saying, “It's Shouta, Aylee. I think we're well past formalities at this point.” Aylee paused in her writing in shock before turning his widened eyes to meet his unwavering red gaze.
Shoto pulls Hawks’ focus away from the pair by tugging on his hoodie’s sleeve. “What are they saying?” Shoto whined and was reminded how much he hated being left out of things.
Hawks embraced his inner child at this moment. “Not telling.”
The actual child responded with, “Meanie,” and stuck out his tongue at his bodyguard. Fighting fire with fire at its core.
Hawks honed his hearing back to Aylee and Aizawa’s conversation. “Alright Shouta. But, what if he hates us for getting involved like this when he gets back to his normal self?” Hawks froze in shock at her words. His mind was struggling to understand what she meant. It was slowly unraveling.
Before he could do anything drastic Aizawa said, “We're still the adults and protectors in this situation. In the long run, it's damaging to keep him under Endeavor’s thumb. It doesn't matter what he thinks of us.” Hawks’ body relaxed slightly in his seat in relief. But after processing what the erasure hero actually said his concerns about the kid grew.
“You're right.” Aylee muffled out between taking the finishing bites of her muffin. “Thanks, this is my favorite.”
“Consider it a thank you for all that you do for our little problem.” Aylee held in a laugh as her companion took the last sip of coffee.
She smiled and looked out the window, content with the present. Aylee knows things only get tougher from here. So, she’ll continue to enjoy this moment for as long as she can. Until they have to move forward. They are close to being forced out of the frying pan, and into the fire.