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One could say that it started when Aizawa Shouta showed up every single one of the Hero Course kids in the Sports Festival. His name was non-existent until he beat Arisawa Chiba in a fast series of moves in the first round of the last part of the Festival. Then suddenly everyone was scrambling to figure out who this tiny little punk was. Really, all anyone could figure out was that he was a Gen Ed student, his name was Aizawa Shouta, and he aparently could kick all of their asses.
Including Hizashi's.
One could also say that it started when, a few days after the Festival, the day they were all going to be picking their Hero Names, Nedzu-sensei announced that they would be getting a new student in their class that day. And then in came Aizawa, sleepy-eyed and wearing a uniform just a size too big for him. The class was baffled (up until that point none of them knew that it was possible to switch courses), but none more than Hizashi.
Was he still a little sore that this tiny kid, short with messy hair and a bored expression, came out of nowhere and forced him to forfeit in the last round of the Festival? Well. Maybe. Maybe a lot. But god, he was stuck sitting next to him. Hizashi, family name Yamada, was the only student in the last row in the back of the classroom. Which meant that even thought Aizawa was alphabetically supposed to sit in the front of the class, as a transfer he was put in the back in order to not mess up the sitting arrangements for the rest of the class.
Hizashi tried to be nice. Really, he did. Greeted him with a smile and offered to show him the ropes in the Hero Course, but all the ungrateful brat did was say, “No thanks,” lay his head down, and fall asleep. So one can't really blame him for being pissy upset with the new kid. He wasn't friendly, he ignored a peace offering, and obviously wasn't taking the Hero Course seriously!
And of course, even after all of that, one could also say that it started with Hizashi telling a joke.
Keeping the spirits of his classmates up was something Hizashi took pride in. He loved bringing a smile to people's faces. It was why he not only was in the Hero Course but also taking classes that would help him get into the radio business. “I'll not only save people's lives but I'll also save them from boredom!” was something he said often, much to the amusement of pretty much everyone around him.
Yeah, it often ended up with him getting the title of Class Clown, but it was worth it. Plus his rank as Top Student in the class kept the teachers from getting too exasperated with his antics. So during the free period of the day, Hizashi sat on Tensei's desk and told his joke – a completely ridiculous concoction that was a mix of something that had happened to him as a child and many, many exaggerations that ended in a hilarious punchline, if he did say so himself. By the time he got to the end of it, his classmates were gasping for breath – Haku burying his face in his clawed hands to try and keep his fire-breath from exploding over the room – and Hizashi was preening over a joke well told.
Until he laid eyes on Aizawa.
Aizawa Shouta, sitting at his desk in the back of the room, calmly reading through his class notes and working on a sheet that was due later that day. Expression as bored as ever and not. Even. Laughing.
Hizashi felt some ugly emotion bubble up in his chest. How dare this transfer. How dare he not laugh at his joke. The one he worked to make sure would be perfect and amazing and would guarantee to make anyone spit out whatever drink they were, well, drinking. And because he was young and quite possibly stupid, he snapped over the chaos of the classroom, “What, you too good to laugh, Aizawa?”
Most of the classes' laughter pittered away into an awkward murmur, but Hizashi was too busy being irrationally irritated to care. Aizawa looked up, dark eyes just peering over the edge of his notebook. After a moment, he said, quiet and as bored as ever, “I didn't laugh because I didn't think it was funny.”
Tensei was rolling his eyes in the corner of Hizashi's vision, but oh no. He was too busy fuming. He jumped from where he was perched and marched over to the increasingly bewildered transfer student. Smacking the end of his pointer finger into the back of Aizawa's notebook, he bit out, “Just you watch, you bastard, I'll make you laugh if it's the last fucking thing I do!”
And with that he stomped away, going back to sulk next to an exasperated Tensei. He ignored Aizawa's confused, “Uh...sure?” from the back of the room.
He would do it. He'd make the bastard laugh.
That was a promise that Hizashi intended to keep, no matter the cost. Starting the very next day, Hizashi began his attack. He greeted Aizawa in the morning while wearing the most ridiculous make-up on his face – not only ridiculous, but ridiculously bad. Overdone eyeshadow, eyebrows and eyeliner contrasting colors, too-dark blush, and the worst lipstick job he could come up with. All of that topped with an obviously fake beauty mark perched on his upper-lip. “Goooood morning, Aizawa! How are you doing on this fine morning?”
It was raining outside.
And what did Aizawa do? Nothing. He barely grunted, slumped in his seat, and immediately fell asleep on his desk.
Hizashi swore he'd get his vengence while he vigorously washed the terrible make-up off his face. Or, as well as he could. Apparently he had really caked it on, much to the amusement of the rest of his classmates and his mother later that day.
A few days later he tried ending every sentence with the much revered add-on from the classic Naruto - “Dattebayo!” and even the English translation of “Believe it!” - but that only ended with Tensei trying to drown him in the showers after training that afternoon. Aizawa hardly blinked at the words. Hizashi spent the rest of the day pouting angrily.
Hizashi did everything he could think of. Singing in falsetto during training instead of his usual screaming, dying his hair obnoxious colors, deliberately getting called on in class only to answer the question with the most ridiculous comment he could think of. He even pulled a few pranks – much to the irritation of his teachers. Detention was spent angrily scrubbing the glitter paint from the hallways, trying to think of any way possible to get that weirdo punk that sat next to him to friggin' laugh.
Eventually, after complaining to Tensei about his lack of progress, Hizashi got a brilliant idea. Why didn't he try figuring out what Aizawa liked? (“I literally gave you that idea, don't take it for your own,” Tensei said. Hizashi ignored him.) So one day after school, Hizashi asked with the brightest, most charming grin on his face, “Hey, Aizawa, wanna hang out?”
Aizawa squinted at him for a moment. “...Sure.”
Score! Hizashi hid his fist pump of victory as best he could (not very well, if the furrow in Aizawa's brow was any indication). “Great! I know this really great arcade! It's not too far from the train station!”
And just like that they were off. Hizashi chattering the whole while and Aizawa. Not chattering. Which was frustration and yet somehow fascinating. Did this guy ever talk?
Several after-school hang outs later, Aizawa finally started talking back. And of all things it was because Hizashi was gushing about his aunt's cat. “Well of course she looks cute in this picture,” he scoffed, frowning at Hizashi. “Cats always look cute.”
“Wait. You like cats?”
“Yeah? Who doesn't?” Aizawa gave him the most baffled look that...Hizashi couldn't help but laugh. Damnit, he was trying to make him laugh, not laugh himself!
“Got me there!”
From there it was suddenly like Hizashi couldn't get Aizawa to shut up. Not that the other boy wouldn't stop talking. He was still the most quiet student in class, but when they were hanging out or eating lunch together (when did that become a thing?) Aizawa was suddenly much more open with him. And Hizashi? Started learning about Aizawa.
For instance, the other boy actually was taking the Hero Course seriously. The reason why Aizawa was always so tired was because he spent most evenings doing extra training – the first time Hizashi was invited along for a night of training he was completely blown away. Aizawa was a master of hardcore parkour, and good lord, how many kilos did he run a night!? It was insane the amount of training this kid did, sheesh. No wonder he slept whenever possible. Hizashi was out like a light for most of the day after that.
There was also the time that Hizashi invited him to his place, and Aizawa got. The most surprised expression on his face. When he asked what was up, Aizawa was silent for a moment before he said, “I just...I didn't think we were friends.”
Which cause Hizashi to start sputtering (and honestly, it hadn't hit him until that moment that they were either), and Aizawa was quick to explain. “I just mean – I've never – this is the first time – “
He was so flustered and anxious. “Are you – are you saying that you've. Never had a friend before?” Hizashi couldn't help but ask.
“...No.”
And well, what could Hizashi possibly do with that admission other than say, “Well, we're friends! Which means from now on you call me Hizashi, okay? No more family name nonsense!”
Aizawa hid his quickly reddening face behind his hair. “Okay. Then. You can call me Shouta.”
Shouta it was.
And after that? Hizashi started learning so much more. He learned exactly how much Shouta liked cats. (Oh wow, the first time they decided to hit up a cat cafe? He had to drag the boy out by his ankles) He learned that Shouta was absolutely terrible at English and was actually close to getting failing marks in that class – Hizashi quickly stepped up to the plate and helped tutor him. He learned that most days Shouta wanted to not go home, anxious and quiet whenever it was time to say goodbye. Why exactly he didn't want to go home, Shouta never said, but the things that Hizashi was able to put together by the way he acted made him want to keep Shouta away from whatever waited for him.
He learned that Shouta was blunt and lived by the rule of logic and rationality. He could also be incredibly self-sacrificing and hypocritical about such tendencies – yelling at him when Hizashi jumped in the way of an attack aimed at Shouta during training which landed him in Recovery Girl's tender care. He learned that Shouta had never gone to the movies before and therefore had never watched a single Disney movie in his life. Hizashi forced him into an all-weekend sleepover and they had a marathon. It was great, watching Shouta watch the classics.
Hizashi learned that Shouta was quiet because he preferred only to talk when he needed to, but doesn't mind when Hizashi chattered away about anything and everything. That Shouta felt comfortable with him, that he was gentle, that he was unbelievably kind, and that – despite how much Hizashi couldn't stand him at first – Hizashi really, really grew to love him.
So he decides, fuck it, he was going to go all in. He was going to ask Shouta out.
The actual asking out part? A very painful, anxiety-filled process. He stumbled over his words, face red and palms sweating, and could barely look Shouta in the eye the entire time. By the time he gets to the end of his long-winded rant (honestly he was trying for like...twenty words or less), Hizashi was biting his lip hard enough to bleed and waiting very impatiently for a response.
Which. Wasn't coming.
“Shouta?” He looked up finally, nervously searching Shouta's expression. Wide eyes stared back at him, mouth open in surprise. “Uh...Shouta? You there?”
No response. Shouta didn't even blink.
“Shouta? Bud?”
Nothing. Hizashi shuffled closer. If Shouta didn't start responding soon, he was going to automatically assume he had broken his best friend and potential boyfriend and panic.
“Honey? Sweetycakes? Light of my life and pudding of my heart, are you okay?”
And then came a sound Hizashi had never, not once, heard before from Shouta.
“Pffft.”
A smile – an actual smile – cracked across Shouta's face, showing his teeth, and a bright laugh escaped from him. A laugh. A real, 100% bonifide laugh. It knocked the air straight from Hizashi's lungs and left him lightheaded and breathless where he stoods.
“'Zashi,” Shouta gasped between the most adorable little 'haha's he's ever heard in his life, “I will date you for the rest of my life if you never, ever, ever call me petnames again.”
A grin spreads slowly over Hizashi's face at that, helpless against his own happiness. He stepped closer to pull the dark-haired, smiling boy into his arms and squeezed him close. “Oh, ohoho, no, Shouta, heart of mine, honey bunch, love bear – you are stuck with dating me and the petnames! It's a package deal, buttercup!”
“S-stop! Hahaha, you're such a dork!”
One could say it all started with the Sports Festival. One could say it all started when Aizawa Shouta transerred into his class. One could say it all started with a joke. Really though, it all started because Hizashi wanted to make Shouta laugh. And honestly? Hizashi was more than pleased with the results.