Archive of Our Own ^beta

Not that Musutafu was a quiet city, far from it, but even the busiest of its streets couldn’t compare to the sheer volume of background noise of Tokyo. And the Roppongi district, filled with tourist attractions and entertainment, was probably the worst. The undying cacophony was so loud, it was still reaching the height of the hundred and twenty floors of the Might Tower.

Although it seemed really distant here, mellow almost, and Shouta could imagine the murmur could even become calming after getting used to it.

“Thank you for helping me with this,” All Might offered cheerfully, and Shouta pretended not to notice that the joy in his voice sounded rather fake. “The moving company is going to pick the boxes tomorrow, but I doubt I can manage to finish packing on my own in time.”

They stood in the middle of an enormous penthouse apartment which was in a state of complete disarray. All the personal belongings that weren't already stoved into boxes were scattered across every available surface to the point Shouta couldn’t see a single clear spot. And it was saying a lot, considering this place was so big he was sure his class could have a game of soccer in the living room.

Alright, that comparison might’ve been an exaggeration, but still. How stupidly rich All Might even was?

“Don’t mention it,” Shouta shrugged, trying to move further into the apartment without tripping. That alone made him glad he barely owed anything, and his own packing took less than an hour. “Summer break ends in two days, and we won’t allow anyone but faculty staff and students into the school grounds after that. That includes people from moving companies. This has to be finished by tomorrow.”

“Ah, yes, it was only rational for you to help,” All Might replied, his cheerfulness sounding even faker than before, gone almost entirely.

That was a lie, of course. Shouta was simply trying to find a chance to thank the man for fighting in Kamino, for saving his students. He tried to do it a week earlier when they went for drinks together, but wasn’t given a chance as Hizashi and the rest of their colleagues so unceremoniously invited themselves in. Shouta’s memories became very fuzzy and unfocused after that, and he somehow ended up waking up on the floor in his apartment with a hangover, snuggling a wooden daruma doll, which was apparently a ‘gift from the establishment,’ as he ‘liked it so much.’ Huh.*

That, and also the cast on All Might’s arm was taken off only a few days prior, and while he was able to use it freely now, lifting heavy boxes was against doctor’s orders.

“I hope you understand the dormitory rooms are a little smaller than... this,” Shouta gestured vaguely around the place while making his way towards a floor-to-ceiling window that replaced one of the apartment’s walls. There, he could see almost the entire city of Tokyo and some of the neighboring ones spreading under him. It was a pretty good view, if he was entirely honest with himself. Also convenient, considering All Might was able to see larger crimes as they were occurring. Not that it was needed anymore.

“True,” All Might agreed, moving to stand closer, his own gaze moving over the scenery below. “I’m just going to pack it all and leave most of the boxes here. I’m not really losing the ownership of the place.”

Shouta couldn’t help but bite his lip. Simply living in a place like this was a waste of space, and a thought about All Might just using it for storage was making him annoyed. “Alright, let’s begin,” he said, turning his attention to the mess.

There weren’t many rooms in the apartment, just a living room, a kitchen and dining room combo, and two bedrooms, one of which was converted into an office. It was just that each of them was huge.

Either the place didn’t have much furniture to begin with, or most of it had already been packed and moved out. What was left looked like something Shota couldn’t stop rolling his eyes at, not functional but built purely for decorative purposes.

There was a single loveseat that seemed comfortable, standing opposite to a wall where at some point he suspected hung a television. A rather large model if the outline of unfaded blue paint was any indication.

This particular piece was completely mismatched, too casual, too simple in comparison to the rest of the futuristic decor. But it also looked like something All Might had actually been using, more worn out, and Shouta couldn’t help but wonder if it was because the man bought it for himself, while the other couches were picked by a shitty interior designer.

Most of the shelves were emptied, but there were a few pictures still hanging on the walls. A lot of photos were covering heroic aspects of All Might’s career. Mostly they were depicting different important people shaking his hand, or standing awkwardly next to him. All Might looked so young on some of them, likely even younger than Shouta was now.

Some of the photos were more personal. There was one made only recently, showing All Might with the entire class 1-A. One was with him as practically a kid in the U.A. uniform, another one was of a sturdy built woman with black hair. Shouta had never seen her before, and he wondered if it was his mother, or a past girlfriend. He doubted it was the latter, because it would be stupid to keep a picture of an ex hanging on a wall. Unless something bad had happened to her, which wasn’t an uncommon thing in a hero business.

Likely, Shouta was never going to find out.

In a corner further away from the entrance, right next to a real damn fountain wall and a potted plant that was probably fake, stood a live-sized statue of the Number One Hero himself. Shouta was looking at it and imagining throwing it out of the window. If only somebody could guarantee it wouldn’t land on a passer by or someone’s property.

“We’d better start packing,” he groaned. “Otherwise, we won’t finish till it’s late night.”

***

All Might owed a lot of crap. And while Shouta didn’t mean it literally, he found the comparison fitting, because of how useless most of the man’s belongings were. He had so much of his own memorabilia and brand merchandise, that it took almost an entire room. Most of it was even in the original packaging. 

“Why?” Shouta inquired, his brow twitching in frustration.

“Well,” All Might sighed, bringing his pointing fingers together as if embarrassed. “Every time someone produces a brand item, they send me a free copy. I have donated a lot of toys to kids, but some are just not entirely appropriate.”

“Did they send adult toys or something?” Shouta snorted, partially because it was an amusing thought, and partially because he was honestly curious.

All Might laughed at that, and it almost sounded like his old, muscular form self, the voice deep and booming. At the same time Shouta couldn’t miss how the man’s cheeks turned a shade redder. “Goodnes, Aizawa. Just collectible figurines that aren’t great for the kids to play with. Or shirts that are too big. Beach blankets. Dear lord, there’s been so many things with my face on it over thirty years of my career.”

Thirty years. It was incredibly difficult to even imagine that All Might was working in the field for almost as long as Shouta lived. Shouta couldn’t help but glance in his direction, trying to discern the evidence of his age. “How old are you anyway?” he asked as a matter of fact. He had no idea why he felt so chatty today, but this was a really good opportunity.

All Might looked at him with obvious amusement. “That’s a secret,” he replied in the same teasing manner he used to while answering this question to reporters. 

“Even from me?” Shouta raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t smiling, wasn’t sounding coy, but it still came out so flirtatious that it made him flinch internally. What was wrong with him?

“Well, I could tell it to a friend,” All Might proposed, and alright, the man was capable of being smooth when wanted.

“Then, I guess I’ll have to stay in the dark,” Shouta shrugged before picking up a freshly filled box and carrying it into the office room where they decided to keep everything that wasn’t going to make a trip tomorrow. “And what the hell is that?” he asked, after returning, pointing at an absolutely different container. “I swear I saw it in the ‘stays’ pile, and now it’s sitting next to the front door again.” 

All Might beamed at him. “Open it!”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Rolling his eyes, Shouta walked towards the door and crouched over the thing. It was rather big, and looked heavy but it wasn’t taped yet, so he had no problems opening it and looking inside. There he saw exactly what he’d expected to see. Even more All Might toys. “So how the hell this is diff—” he stopped mid sentence noticing one of the boxes was labeled All Right , while the package behind it contained a figurine of a familiar hero, but for some reason in a toxic green outfit. “What the hell?”

“Off brand merchandise,” All Might laughed from his spot on the floor, where he was sorting some books and magazines. “My legal department has had a share of field days with these, but I somehow started to collect them. It’s funny in a way. What people can come up with.”

“I’m glad I don’t have this problem,” Shouta sighed, eyeing a Buff Man, the Symbol of Ease figurine which was horribly painted and looked more like a very muscular rabbit, rather than a human being.

He felt a little annoyed that someone was creating things like that, but less so about All Might collecting them. It was even sort of in character for the man, something that Shouta almost expected at this point. That was why, without even intending to, he found his lips quirking up slightly as he returned the toy back into the box

“Come on, let’s pick up the pace, the sun is starting to set. I’m not wasting my night here.”

***

After convincing All Might to cut the chatter to a minimum, the two of them managed to finish packing by dinner time. Which was convenient, seeing how All Might promised to pay for Shouta’s meal for the help he provided. There were plenty of bars and restaurants in the neighborhood, too. Not that Shouta really cared what he was going to be given, as long as it sustained him till the next meal.

“Would you mind if we go to the cafeteria in the tower?” All Might asked as they were putting on their shoes before exiting the apartment. “Every other place might be too busy at this hour, and I’m honestly afraid we are going to be interrupted in any different location, given the public now knows about my true form. The cafeteria serves the Might Tower employees, and it’s the same food as in the restaurant on the first floor.”

“Yeah, sure,” Shouta shrugged.

“Only we don’t serve alcohol there. Hope it’s alright. If you want we can go someplace else, I’m sure I could arrange—”

“Stop it. You’re starting to overthink this again,” Shouta interrupted. “Do you really think I’d appreciate being doted on in such a manner?

“Yeah, sorry, you’re right.” Chuckling, All Might awkwardly scratched his cheek with his pointing finger.

Despite both the late hour, and the retirement of Number One himself, the Might Tower was bustling with activities. It was noisy, and hundreds of people were hurrying about their business. At the same time, almost nobody really bothered them, the majority of people only acknowledging the two men with a nod or a smile.

The cafeteria, however, was almost empty, likely because the employees used it mostly for lunch, preferring to end their day somewhere further away from work. It was nice, considering that now they could pick a table as far away in the corner as it was possible, which was Shouta’s favorite kind of spot.

It was a spacious place, too, larger than Lunch Rush back at U.A., which made Shouta wonder if it was really true that more people worked for All Might than they had students at the school.

Shouta couldn’t even imagine what all these people were doing. His own agency consisted of two numbers in his phone book that he called for paid legal advice, and a cat cafe that at one point used to be a warehouse with several shady individuals selling unlicensed man care products, and also making the best coffee.**

Same as the Might Restaurant, most items on the menu here were American themed, which didn’t surprise Shouta. It was a self-serve kind of place, but as soon as they appeared in the doorway, one of the workers said something about grabbing menus and ran off.

She appeared only a few moments later, bringing them fancy looking booklets in red white and blue color schemes. Not bothering to even look at them, Shouta yawned and asked to bring the biggest burger they had, because while he didn’t care what he was eating, the lifestyle of a hero and a teacher required a decent amount of calories to maintain.

“You never eat much,” he pointed out, noting All Might ordering a small plate of mashed potatoes, a bowl of cut fruit and a... dairy free, sugar free chocolate milkshake. What was even left in a milkshake without these two ingredients? Cocoa powder and ice?

“Yeah, It’s a little difficult without a stomach,” All Might shrugged as the waitress retreated into the kitchen.

The statement made Shouta freeze in his spot, both because he didn’t intend to ask the question out loud, and second, because...  “You have no stomach,” he said slowly, as if repeating the words would bring more sense to them.

“Ah, you were unaware,” All Might nodded. “When I fought the All For One before that, six years ago. He made a big hole in my left side, ripped out one of my lungs and damaged my stomach badly enough it had to be cut out.”

He was saying it all as a matter of factly somehow, as it was something so ordinary, and not even remotely one of the worst physical traumas Shouta had ever heard a person survive.

“Shit,” he said, because really, what else could you say in a situation like that? He’d figured by now that All Might had some issues with his respiratory system, hence all the blood coughing, but missing a stomach would explain the weird diet. Now he felt a little crappy for all the times he asked the other man to stop constantly snaking in the teacher’s office. Then another thought crossed his mind. “You fought All For One before?”

All Might looked closely at him, as if deciding something. “Yeah,” he said finally. “I thought I killed him, and I was in such bad shape myself, it never made into any news.”

Shouta looked down, unable to even start sorting out this information. So instead he did the most rational thing for the situation and said nothing. All Might still had his eyes on him, looking at Shouta expectedly, but after a while, he only smiled gently and relaxed into his seat, the topic seemingly forgotten.

They waited for their food in silence, but somehow it felt comfortable. It was strange in a way, because Shouta rarely felt like that in somebody else's presence. There was always an unspoken kind of obligation about trying to attempt a conversation from others. People had always expected him to talk, and he hated it.

Yet, this time All Might didn’t look at him as he waited for him to come up with something to say, and Shouta couldn’t even remember the last time it felt so easy. 

Or at least, he didn’t want to remember it.

They ate in silence, too, Shouta stuffing his mouth, trying to avoid the juices from the meat from running down his chin, because while it was a really damn good burger, he didn’t want to spend the rest of the evening smelling like grilled beef.

All Might meanwhile was eating slower, shewing carefully on the fruits, but was able to swallow mashed potatoes almost instantly. Seeing it, Shouta pondered if his entire order was based on a desire of being able to keep up, not forcing Shouta to sit there done with his own food waiting for the other man to finish. If it was the case, it was incredibly considerate.

The sun meanwhile disappeared behind the horizon completely, thousands of colorful lights coming to life behind the large window. “It’s nice,” All Might said finally, and after such a long period of silence it was almost strange to hear his voice.

“Yeah, you would like a noisy place like this,” Shouta nodded, flushing the burger down with soda that he didn’t order, but which was given to him anyway.

“I’ve always liked big cities,” All Might agreed.

“Musutafu isn’t a village either. Although, that damn penthouse you’ve got, it must be difficult to leave it behind.”

His companion fell silent for a while longer before sighing. “Actually, I hate it,” he announced solemnly.

Shouta opened his mouth, but after a second of consideration closed it again.

“All that space, it always made me feel a little agoraphobic. It’s been,” All Might paused as if trying to pick the right thing to say, or deciding if he needed to admit it at all. In the end, he only shook his head.

“Lonely?” Shouta finished, not even understanding why he spoke up.

Hizashi once compared them to water and oil, unable to mix. And while he couldn’t remember at which point the comparison was made, he could agree with it. And yet, in this one moment, he understood All Might. He could imagine him roaming in those rooms, in the amount of space that one single person could never have a use for, alone, always.

He wondered if he’d ever brought a lover in there. How many people had helped to chase this loneliness away for at least a single night. Were there any messy, dark haired men among them? 

It’s been three weeks since the Kamino fight, and in this time, All Might hasn’t made a single pass at Shouta. That was disconcerting, and not because Shouta somehow missed the attention, or was disappointed, no. It was because it served as an indicator of All Might’s well being. Or unwell being, in this case.

Before this, Shouta couldn’t imagine All Might was even capable of being unwell. All this time, he only saw one side to the man, the one that was lovably awkward and smiled for the cameras. The one that got things done, no matter the cost. But it was the first time he was really seeing this cost, and it looked so much worse than any physical injuries.

Would he like to bring a messy, dark haired man there now?

Licking his lips, Shouta looked over his companion, an unbelievably dumb idea forming in his head. He made his peace with the fact he found All Might attractive. Hell, he even partaken in some nice long self-pleasure sessions as a teen thinking about the star hero in his body-tight outfit. But all his previous fantasies were about All Might’s hero form, about trying to wrap his legs around the unrealistically wide hips of his, about being held in the arms that were each bigger than his waist.

But All Might didn’t look like that anymore. The man next to him was all skin wrapped around bones, with sunken eyes that had crow feet at the edges and wrinkles under them. He still looked rather young although, younger than he must have been. On a handsome side, too. Not what Shouta would usually consider as a potential lover, but the idea about touching All Might like this, about scraping his teeth against the skin of that long and graceful neck, about digging his fingers into the messy blond hair was far from unappealing.

Screw it, Shouta thought, downing the rest of his soda in one swing. “Hey,” he called, and as soon as All Might looked at him, he locked their gazes. “You wanna get out? Back to your place. Continue the evening there?” he asked, making sure his intonation left no room for interpretation. “I’m not blind, you know. I’m aware you’ve wanted it for a while, so what do you say?”

All Might raised his eyebrow, a small question in his eyes. Then his expression turned happy. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

***

It was surreal riding the elevator back to the place where Shouta had spent an entire day but with such a different intent. Hundred floors took some time to cover, and he was leaning against a mirror wall, eyeing All Might the entire ride.

His companion seemed relaxed, a small, content smile playing on his lips, which was sort of sweet and unexpected, considering what they were about to do. All the previous times Shouta had done something like this, his bed mates’ expressions were ones of hunger, but also indifference towards him personally.

With a sort of dread in his heart, Shouta realized it was the very first time he was about to sleep with somebody he not only knew and worked with, but also... was becoming sort of fond of.

That made a little shiver run down his spine. He couldn't say the feeling was entirely unpleasant, which on its own was not a good thing, but not an incentive enough for him to back out. 

The apartment really looked different now, when the night descended on the city. There was plenty of light still coming from the window, the heart of the country shining as bright as the sun, but it was dull this far high, and tinted in shades of neon.

It seemed quieter now somehow, too, the only distinguishable sound being a monotone hum of the air conditioner and a rustle of clothes as All Might finished taking off his shoes and was pulling the blazer off his shoulders, before hanging it on a nearby rack.

“You can go wait for me in the bedroom,” All Might proposed. “I need to find something quickly in the boxes. I already packed it.”

Shouta wanted to say he had a pack of lube and a condom in his wallet, he’d made a habit of carrying it around since even before he came of age, because it was a good practice. Yet, for all his talk of body having needs which were rational to satisfy, it’d been a really long time since he’d done this. These things had an expiration date, hadn’t they? He didn’t want to waste time looking for it on the already small packets just to discover they were only good for a garbage can.

Instead, he moved to the bedroom, finding himself in front of an enormous bed. There weren’t any fancy bed posts or curtains, but it was perhaps nine square meters. He wanted to think no human ever required something like this, but he supposed that at one point All Might had to sleep here in his larger and heavier form, so in a way it made sense.

Shouta sniffed his own armpit. Last night he came home from a patrol filthy, covered in muck and ten days old rainwater (he really wasn’t going to try hiding in open plastic barrels of unknown origin before checking the content first again), so he had to shower really well this morning and his jumpsuit was freshly washed. That was good.

He pondered if he needed to wait on the bed, or maybe start undressing before All Might returned with the things he went looking for. Then he realized he was getting nervous, which also was something he didn’t quite expect.

And how was All Might managing to stay so calm?

As soon as he thought about it, the door to the bedroom opened, the man in question appearing inside. They ended up almost colliding with each other, because Shouta had never actually moved far into the room, too lost in thought about what was coming.

Well, he decided to use it as an opportunity. Turning around, Shouta hooked his arm around All Might’s ridiculously slim waist, pulling him flush against his own frame. His hand reached up, cupping the man’s sunken cheek, and he leaned upward, pressing their lips together, his tongue darting almost immediately, asking for access into All Might’s mouth.

The motion itself was smooth, with Shouta managing not to bump awkwardly into his companion’s nose or accidentally clank their teeth together. All Might tensed up in surprise, which was also something Shouta expected, but instead of relaxing into the embrace after understanding what was happening, he went completely rigid, a sound of several things falling and hitting the floor following suit.

Shouta heard a sharp inhale and felt All Might straightening, his face moving up, suddenly out of reach. Confused, he opened his eyes and was greeted with an expression full of shock, All Might’s mouth hanging open.

“Ai... Aizawa,” he whispered, before starting to cough almost violently, covering his mouth with his hand. Neither of them turned the lights on, but there was enough illumination coming from the window to see how red his face became. “Fuck,” he gasped in English in-between the coughing fits.

Shouta blinked a few times, feeling absolutely bewildered by the reaction. Then he looked down, his eyes landing on several disk boxes under their feet. One of them, an action flick judging by the cover, opened from the impact with the hard-wood floor, the disk itself rolling away, somewhere under the bed.

“Movies?” he managed to say, his brain still catching up with the reality of what was happening. “You... wanted to watch movies with me?” he repeated, realizing now that All Might’s bedroom had a second TV. As in comparison to the television in the living room that was missing from the wall. As in, it was the only place in the apartment where they could watch something.

All Might coughed a few more times, finally managing to take it somewhat under control. “Well, yes?” he replied, wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand. His expression cleared then, eyes going even wider. “Oh dear,” he said, absolutely panicked. “Oh goodness, Aizawa. When you asked if I wanted to get out and continue the evening here, you meant... ohh... and I invited you to the bedroom right after that, oh dear lord, no wonder. But I had no idea you wanted something like that!”

Making a step backwards, Shouta slowly sat at the foot of the bed, his eyes focusing somewhere on All Might’s chest. Silence fell between them once again, but this time it was so thick with awkward tension, it was possible to slice it with a knife. “What the hell do you mean, you had no idea. You were after my ass for months.”

A pause. A blink. “What...?”

“You know, all these times you tried to invite me for dinner, or gave me something, or that stupid lunch you cooked...” Shouta felt heat rising to his face, his own confusion replaced with bright as day clarity. He misunderstood. All this time All Might was trying to simply be nice, be friendly. Well, shit.

He wanted to disappear then, wanted a villain to swing by the window and kidnap him. Anything to just find himself away from this place, from All Might looking at him with such surprised, but still gentle expression. But, because apparently the hole he dug out for himself wasn’t deep enough, he asked, “so, it’s a no then? You don’t want to?”

All Might opened his mouth and made a step forward, his hand reaching out for Shouta as if on its own accord. Then he stopped, pulling the hand away and returning it stiffly to his side. “You’re a wonderful, kind man, Aizawa. And I would be blind not to be able to admit you are a very handsome one too—”

“Yeah, that sounds like a practiced rejection speech you had to give to dozens of people,” Shouta said, getting up and putting his hands in the pockets of his pants. “And I really don’t want to suffer through it, so let me do us both a favor and get out of your hair, deal?”

All Might closed his mouth, looking at Shouta apologetically, before turning his gaze away completely. “I’m... very sorry.”

Shouta shrugged. “I thought you wanted to sleep with me, and I wasn't against the idea, so I proposed to act on it. But you don’t, and it’s cool. Apologizing for it is completely irrational.”

On that All Might actually chuckled, his voice turning warmer. “I... guess you’re right.” He looked around the room, as if trying to figure out what to do next. “I take it you don’t want to watch movies, either.”

“Ha.”

“I’ll order you a taxi. It should be at the entrance to the tower by the time you reach it.”

“Thanks,” Shouta walked out the bedroom, making his way towards the exit from the apartment. His face was still burning from the embarrassment, heart pounding so loud each beat was echoing in his ears. His eyes stung, too, his chest feeling hollow and empty, even if there was nothing rational about this reaction.

All Might didn’t say anything else, didn’t come to show him out of the door, but Shouta was thankful for it. As he was riding the elevator to the first floor, he suddenly remembered he still didn’t do what he came here for in the first place — still didn’t thank the man for the Kamino.

For some reason that was what set off the tears that ran down his cheeks. 

***

“Alright, what the hell happened with you two?” Hizashi asked, dropping onto the seat opposite of the couch in the teacher’s lounge where Shouta tried to take a nap.

Shouta opened his eyes and groaned in response. “None of your business.”

“Come on, Sho!” Hizashi complained, way too loud than it was necessary, slapping his own knee for emphasis. “You’re avoiding each-other! I mean, that's totally normal behavior for you, but All Might? Man, that’s crazy! The dude used to follow you around like a puppy. What the hell did you do?”

Shouta had absolutely no desire to answer his obnoxious friend’s questions. Instead, he wriggled himself and his sleeping bag around, so his face was turned to the backrest of the couch.

“Shoooo,” Hizashi complained. “Did you two fight? You know, if you don't answer I’ll just come up with some craaaazyyyy explanation!”

“No,” Shouta replied. Trying to ignore Hizashi was a moot point now, so he turned back and started to unzip his sleeping bag, slowly emerging out of it. “I rarely do this, but I’m asking you as a friend, please stop digging. I’m really not in the mood.”

Hizashi closed his mouth, his face turning serious, which was a very rare occasion. “That worries me. You look like you’re really hurting.”

“I don’t look any different from my usual self.”

“Alright.” Hizashi raised his hands as if in defeat. “You aren’t ready to be honest with your closest friend, it’s fine. But here’s a rational reason for you, whatever going on between you and All Might really slows you down as teachers. I even overheard students complaining how distracted he was during the last general hero studies period. Not cool.”

It’s been a few days since the Might Tower faux pas, and saying the things got awkward between them was an understatement. He and All Might barely spoke and tried to avoid being in the same room. And Hizashi was right, it was taking a toll on their professional performance. And not only because they were distracted during the classes themselves, a lot of lesson plans they needed to collaborate on were either half-assed, or were taking too long to compose because they kept emailing each-other instead of just sitting down and talking.

Dammit, but Shouta was going to have a meltdown if he saw one more ‘as per your last email’ from his colleague.

“I messed up, alright?” he sighed, rolling his bag. “I won’t tell what happened, but it’s on me.”

“All right, have you tried apologizing?”

Shouta gritted his teeth. Was it even something he should apologize for? Was it possible he offended All Might with his behavior? In his mind neither of them did anything wrong, it was just an awkward misunderstanding, so neither had a reason to feel sorry. Unfortunately, Shouta was not always able to live by the standards he preached and was unable to suppress the irrational guilt the situation made him feel.

“I’ll try talking to him,” he promised sincerely.

Hizashi started to say something else, but a loud ring of the school’s bell interrupted him. “You do that, my man.” He nodded, before switching to English, even a trace of seriousness disappearing from his mannerism. “Well, it’s teaching time, baby! See ya!”

With that, Hizashi got up and walked out of the lounge, leaving Shouta alone with his thoughts. He needed to return to work, needed to finish planning for his next period, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on it before he figured out his standing with All Might.

“Whatever,” he muttered, deciding to just make the kids run a few laps around training grounds. It wouldn’t be a waste of time either, because physical prowess was as important for heroes as having powerful Quirks. In the meantime, he was really going to try figuring out how to approach All Might and fix whatever stupid problems they had with each-other.

***

The opportunity for starting to patch things up didn't present itself that day, or the next one, or the day after that. By the end of the week, Shouta was mentally preparing himself to simply move on, adapting to a new way of existing around All Might that involved both of them pretending the other didn’t exist. It was fine, really. In fact, for him it was simply returning to the first month after All Might became a teacher at U.A., a familiar ground, so to speak.

Except it wasn’t the same, because no matter how much Shouta tried, he couldn’t miss how bad All Might looked, how pale. He didn’t even think that it was somehow different from when they first met, only that now he started to notice all these things, because for the first time he was paying attention. Even on its own that should've been a warning for Shouta, a sign but by this point he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with it.

All Might’s wellbeing, meanwhile, continued to deteriorate, until at the end of the week it came crushing down.

Shouta was standing in the middle of the communal kitchen in the teachers’ dormitory, washing a plate. It was a piece of dinnerware that belonged to him, yet was spoiled by Nemuri and left dirty in the sink. And, because a single person living alone (at least up until now) didn’t need more than that, Shouta only owned one plate, which meant he was forced to wash it before using.

It was a Saturday night, and all other teachers decided to have a small repetition of their outing from two weeks prior at the Three Monkeys. They invited him, too, but Shouta refused, looking forward to some time alone.

If only some people were more considerate and stopped touching his things without permission. Or at least cleaned them after using.

A small shuffling sound of a pair of feet attracted his attention. Shouta frowned, as he was certain he was the only person left in the building. Turning the water off, he looked up and saw All Might in the living room. He almost opened his mouth, to ask why he didn’t go out with the rest of the staff, when he noticed the man swaying.

“All Might?” Shouta called out and hurried to his side. He did it just in time, too, able to catch him mid fall.

“Ah, Aizawa?” All Might surprised, leaning now into Shouta completely, his lean frame unexpectedly heavy in his arms. “I’m so sorry, I guess I forgot to eat again.”

Shouta raised an eyebrow. Carefully, he helped the man to settle onto the couch, placing a pillow behind his back. Then he straightened up, looking him over once again, but noting no improvement in his weakened condition. There were however two wet handprints on his jacket where Shouta had to grab him to prevent from falling. “Wait here, I’ll get you something,” he offered, hurrying to wipe the remaining moisture from his hands on the sides of own sweatpants.

All Might looked as if he wanted to argue, but in the end he only nodded. “There should be some miso packs. Just add hot water.”

Shouta had seen the packs he talked about in the pantry before, so he had no difficulties locating them. There was a hot water dispenser on the counter, and Shouta poured dry miso mix into a cup, before filling it with water, stirring the mix with a spoon. Then he brought the steaming mug to All Might.

“Thank you,” the other said, accepting it. He took a sip and smiled in content, his expression relieved. To tell the truth, it was nice to see him smile again, and for a moment Shouta felt like they were back to their pre faux pas period. Before he went ahead and made a complete fool out of himself.

“How the hell do you forget to eat?”

“Oh,” All Might shrugged, taking another sip of the soup. “Stomach produces hunger hormones, you know. Without it, I don’t feel hungry, so forgetting meals is pretty easy. And well,” he added, looking away in embarrassment. “My mind was a little preoccupied recently.”

It was obvious what he meant, and Shouta bit his lip. His entire body screamed at him to leave, to get out of All Might’s sight, but he forced himself to ignore the fight or flight response. This was a good opportunity, and he doubted he was going to get one again any time soon. And so he took a seat on the U-shaped couch at the opposite end from his companion, a large coffee table between them.

They didn’t speak for a while, with All Might slowly drinking the soup, and Shouta simply watching him, his initial plan of microwaving some store bought curry he kept in a fridge was forgotten. In the end he wasn’t the one who almost collapsed from hunger, so he could wait a little longer.

“I’m sorry about it,” Shouta said finally, when he thought All Might looked well enough to listen to his apology. “About what happened at the Might Tower, I mean. I should’ve asked about your intentions without assuming anything.”

“I’m the one who should apologize,” All Might shook his head and continued before Shouta had time to protest. “I shouldn’t have let you go that night. I don’t mean I should've accepted the offer, but kicking you out like I did was very rude.”

“Kicking me out?” Shouta hummed. “I’m pretty certain I was the one who left.”

“I should’ve stopped you,” he paused, looking thoughtful. “It’s just... I was so surprised when you kissed me. Surprised somebody like you would even consider someone like me."

Shouta stared, having to force his jaw from falling. "Someone like you? What are you even talking about? I can’t even imagine there was ever a shortage of volunteers to go out with you."

All Might chuckled, before bringing his legs up onto the couch, his knees coming to his chest as he settled himself more comfortably. Or, perhaps, as he attempted to make himself smaller by curling up.  “A decade ago, surely,” he said. “But look at me now. I’m an old man who can barely keep it together. I keep forgetting to eat, for crying out loud.”

“You’re saying it like you’re already on a death door. You look plenty young to me, to be honest.”

“I’m twenty years older than you, Aizawa!”

That made Shouta raise an eyebrow again, both surprised by the admission and understanding the gap made perfect sense after some mental math. “So, you’re what... fifty-one?”

All Might looked at him almost terrified, then his expression softened, a trace of humor appearing in it. “I rounded it.”

"Rounded up or down?" Shouta grinned, and from the pitiful glare the other sent him, Shouta knew the answer to that question. “Don’t worry, old man, I’m not going to spread it around.”

At that All Might laughed, open-heartedly this time, and it was at this moment Shouta understood that it was going to be alright. That the awkwardness between them was not born out of detest. Well, they could work with that. 

“Thank you,” All Might said. “For keeping my secrets and for making me soup. It’s very good.”

It wasn’t, Shouta thought. Because it was a stupid instant miso that a complete moron could prepare. But he didn’t say it. Nor did he point out how skillfully All Might avoided answering his question, because at the end of the day, it really wasn't all that important. “Don’t mention,” he replied instead, offering a smile of his own.