Work Text:
1
Yamada didn’t know what to make of this pretty black haired Gen Ed student who was pummeling him into the ground and throwing him over the border. At first, he thought that it could be any easy win, but then his quirk wasn’t working, and the Gen Ed was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground and pulling his arms until he thought they were going to pop out of their sockets, and then dragging him to the edge.
Admittedly, Yamada was very distracted, because he was just so dang cute. And Yamada really liked him.
Then they found out that his name was Aizawa, and that he was going to be transfering into 1-A because he won the sports festival.
And Yamada was literally ecstatic because he wanted to be friends with the pretty boy and honestly… maybe a little more if he could get it.
2
“Hey!” Yamada called, and the black hair boy didn’t even look up. Iida nudged him.
“You should probably give it up by now. Aizawa clearly doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“His name is Aizawa?” Yamada asked, warmth filling his chest.
“I just got you more excited didn’t I,” Iida said flatly.
“Hey, Aizawa!” Yamada tried again, and Aizawa’s eye twitched irritably.
But Aizawa just walked away.
“Darn,” Yamada said and Iida rolled his eyes.
“Look, he doesn’t want to make friends. The people in the gen ed class said the same thing.”
“That’s why I need to be his friend,” Yamada said and Iida just sighed.
“Don’t blame me if Aizawa kills you,” he said and Yamada let out a sarcastic laugh.
3
Aizawa didn’t want to make friends.
He just wanted to become an underground hero, and the fastest route was through U.A and joining class 1-A.
He didn’t need a dumb, loud blond following him around everywhere.
No matter how hard Aizawa ignored him. No matter how many times Aizawa walked past him or didn’t even look at him, the boy never got discouraged, and it was honestly infuriating.
But Aizawa would keep ignoring him.
He didn’t need friends.
Not here, in the class full of rich kids desperate to become heroes.
4
Yamada was out of breath.
He had run halfway through the school, chasing Aizawa down in the hopes for one word. A sentence. Anything. And then Yamada had cornered him.
Admittedly… it was a little weird that he was cornering him but Aizawa needed a friend! Everyone needs a friend!
Yamada was committed.
And Aizawa was right where Yamada needed to be.
“Aizawa. Please,” he gasped out.
5
Aizawa was cornered.
Why? You may be asking.
Because the dumb blond chased him throughout the school.
And he landed himself in a dead end with no convenient windows.
“Aizawa. Please,” Yamada gasped out.
(There was a little spark of joy that Aizawa was faster and had more stamina.)
“What? What is worth chasing me around the school?” Aizawa snapped, anger flaring, squishing out the happiness.
“Lunch. 1 lunch. Sit with me?” he asked and Aizawa sighed.
“Will that get you to stop stalking me?” he asked and Yamada paused, before nodding.
“Whatever. Fine.”
6
Yamada waved Aizawa over, ecstatic as the black haired boy stared at his tray.
“Hey! How are you?” Yamada asked when Aizawa slipped into the seat across from him.
“Fine.”
“That’s good! How about that English assignment last night? Brutal!” Yamada exclaimed and started talking enough for both of them.
Aizawa snuck in a few quips and a sentence with 10 words. (10 words!)
Once lunch ended, Aizawa avoided him for the rest of the day, and Yamada was ready to call it quits.
Yamada never gave up on anything… but he had told Aizawa that he would leave him alone. And that’s what Yamada was going to do.
7
Yamada was startled when Aizawa slammed his tray on the table.
“What-”
“It’s easier than finding another place. Are you going to let me or not?” Aizawa asked, just as abrasive as before.
“Uh… yeah! Go for it!” Yamada said happily, and Iida came over with his tray.
“I see he pinned you down again?” Iida asked, and Aizawa.
Aizawa rolled his eyes, but there was a little smile on his face…
And Yamada was head over heels.
8
“Hey Aizawa! Do you want to come to my house to do homework?” Yamada asked and Aizawa shot him a look before nodding.
“Whatever.”
Yamada grinned.
Slowly, but surely, a friendship was growing.
(More like an agreement. Aizawa stuck with him and Yamada was slowly converting him so that he would accept Yamada as a friend.)
9
After spending 4 months convincing Aizawa to be his friend…
He managed to ruin it all in a split second decision.
A decision that was only executed for approximately 3 seconds.
Yamada kissed Aizawa.
And destroyed their friendship.
Aizawa ran out.
10
Honestly. Aizawa didn’t know what to do with himself.
His face was on fire.
His hands were shaking.
There was sweat… literally everywhere.
Yamada kissed him.
Yamada.
Kissed… him?
Why?
Why would Yamada, someone who could score any of the rich girls in 1-A or anyone in the entire school… kiss him?
Aizawa was just a nobody.
A short teen that had long-ish hair and a weird quirk.
A villain’s quirk.
Did… did Yamada like him?
“Of course he does, you buffoon,” Midnight cackled through the phone.
“But why?” Aizawa asked.
“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him yourself?” she asked and Aizawa rolled his eyes.
“Whatever. Thanks,” he mumbled the last part, and started making his way back to Yamada’s house.
Then he stopped.
He ran out.
He ran outside when Yamada kissed him.
Oh damn.
Yamada probably thinks that Aizawa doesn’t like him.
Regardless of the fact that Aizawa has been crushing on him since that one stupid pun that Yamada made about All Might and he had smiled so brightly and Aizawa just sunk into despair because why.
Why did it have to be the brightest, loudest, most bubbly blonde that Aizawa knew?
Why did it have to be someone who would never like him back?
Wait…
Pump the brakes on that last one, because apparently Yamada liked him back?
For whatever reason… and Aizawa had ruined it.
He had run out.
But he needed to fix this.
He began the walk of despair to Yamada’s house.
When he knocked on the door… he wasn’t sure if he was going to get an answer.
Would Yamada even want to see him anymore?
Probably not.
Aizawa couldn’t even blame him if Yamada didn’t want him there.
But then Yamada opened the door and every excuse and apology left his head.
And he kissed Yamada.
And Yamada?
He kissed back.
11
The first date was a bit awkward. Mainly because there was no need for icebreakers and they were literally only getting ice cream after school.
But they had fun.
And Yamada put whipped cream on Aizawa’s nose.
So in retaliation, Aizawa put sprinkles in his hair and by the end of the date they were both covered in ice cream toppings and needed to go home.
12
The second date was a little smoother.
One might even say a walk in the park.
Aizawa left when he made the pun.
Just left the park.
Blushing.
Rolling his eyes.
“You’re going to be such a weird dad. You’ve already got all these stupid puns,” Aizawa said and Yamada laughed.
13
“So…”
“So?” Aizawa asked.
“Do you want to be official?” Yamada asked.
“Official?” Aizawa asked, confused, finally looking up from his math homework.
“Yeah! Like… y’know. Boyfriends?” Yamada asked and Aizawa gave him that little soft smile.
“Sure.”
Yamada had no words.
Every sound got caught in his throat until Aizawa looked up again and saw the stammering blushy mess that Yamada was-
And promptly shoved Yamada off the bed.
14
“What’s your favorite color?”
“Black. Or green,” Aizawa said.
“Awe, is it because my eyes are green?” Yamada asked jokingly.
“Yes,”
Well. Whatever answer Yamada was expecting… it was not that one.
Aizawa could turn him into a hot mess so easily… it wasn’t even fair that Yamada had to deal with all the bisexual panic while Aizawa was kind of just chilling as gay.
“O-oh,” Yamada choked out before he cleared his throat and tried to continue. “Favorite animal?”
“Cat,” Aizawa said quietly.
“You like cats?” Yamada asked, his voice clearing and Aizawa nodded, a faint pink appearing on his cheeks.
“What of it?” he asked defensively.
“It’s just funny because you’re just like a cat!” Yamada said and Aizawa froze, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.
“Really?” he asked.
“Of course! You’re like my cat! You sleep a lot,” Yamada said jokingly and Aizawa smiled a little bit.
“And you’re like a dumbass parakeet.”
“Hey, there’s no need to be mean!”
15
Yamada had gotten into trouble.
First: it wasn’t his fault!
It kind of was but that’s beside the point.
He couldn’t have known that Aizawa was behind the wall he was about to scream at.
They weren’t even on the same team and the dumb teacher had gotten mad at both of them.
Both of them!
Like Aizawa wasn’t wobbling on his feet, blood slowly dripped from a cut on his forehead and the teacher didn’t even bother sending Aizawa to Recovery Girl.
He just gave the two of them detention and then took all of them back to class, many of the other students (including Iida) complaining about going back, but Yamada could only watch as Aizawa sat down heavily at the desk. He was still bleeding 3 minutes later.
He had to remind himself that head wounds bleed a lot and they should really get pressure on that.
So he burst up out of his seat only for a ruler to be slammed down on his desk.
“No moving Yamada,” the teacher growled. Then he turned to Aizawa, and slammed both his hands on Aizawa’s desk. Aizawa’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up, wobbling slightly, head lolling from side to side as he tried to clear the dizziness.
“Aizawa. Sit up straight. I don’t tolerate slouchers.”
“Yessir,” Aizawa mumbled and Yamada was a little…
A little angry.
More than a little.
“He has a head wound!” Yamada protested and the teacher shot Yamada an icy glare.
“Yamada. Silence.”
“No! He’s hurt. He needs Recovery Girl!” Yamada insisted.
“I decide who needs to go to the nurse, and I say Aizawa is fine, now sit down while I teach this class!”
“This isn’t right,” someone murmured from the back of the room.
All of them could see that Aizawa was struggling.
“Sir, as class president, I think that Aizawa needs to go to Recovery Girl,” Iida said, standing beside Yamada.
“No. He doesn’t,” the teacher insisted before turning back to the chalkboard, continuing to teach.
Iida glanced at Yamada.
Then he leaned next to Aizawa and pulled Aizawa’s arm over his shoulders, helping him to a standing position, supporting most of his weight.
Quickly, Yamada took his other arm, doing the same, and despite the teacher’s loud yelling and protests, the three walked (or in Aizawa’s case, was mostly dragged) out of the room.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Aizawa mumbled along the way and Yamada looked at him.
“What? Of course we did! You need Recovery Girl,” Yamada insisted and Aizawa’s eyes cracked open a little.
“It’s only going to get worse.”
“What do you mean?” Iida asked, even though they already knew the answer.
“He doesn’t like me. Now it’ll only get worse.”
“Why doesn’t he like you?” Yamada croaked and Aizawa’s eyes drifted shut again.
“It’s ‘cause I have a villain's quirk.”
“That’s not allowed. That’s quirk discrimination. That was outlawed 5 years ago,” Iida tried and Aizawa shrugged (as best as he could).
“Never stopped anyone before,” was all he said before he went completely limp in their arms and Yamada was so…
So scared for him.
Why?
Out of everyone in the world. The teacher? The teacher was choosing not to like Aizawa because of his quirk?
Something that he can’t control?
“We’re going to do something about this,” Yamada said and Iida glanced at him.
“I think that U.A is going to get a large donation with a note that says he should be fired, and if that doesn’t work, we’re rioting,” Iida said and Yamada did a double take.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
16
“Yamada look at this!”
It was one of the very few times that Yamada had actually heard Aizawa excited about something, so he was half expecting Aizawa to be coming at him with a cat.
But instead he was holding a huge wad of grey fabric.
“A scarf?” Yamada asked.
“Not just a scarf dumbass. It’s a capture scarf. I can maneuver it so that it’ll tie people up,” Aizawa explained.
“Who’s going to train you?” Yamada asked.
“I’m going to learn it by myself,” Aizawa said defiantly, and Yamada just nodded awed by his determination.
17
“Aizawa! I need help with the math homework!” Yamada cried helplessly.
“What is it this time?”
“What are we supposed to do for number 3? I keep getting 7 but the book says it’s something completely different!”
“Did you carry the 1?” Aizawa asked and Yamada looked down at his paper.
“Thanks Aizawa!” he said, correcting his work, and Aizawa just rolled his eyes, smiling slightly.
18
“So… Aizawa? You remember that teacher that was being mean to you?” Iida asked one day, and Aizawa narrowed his eyes.
“What did you do?” he asked.
“I’m just saying. Maybe he was fired,” Iida said and Aizawa sighed.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said and Iida stared at him, open mouthed.
“Why, I didn’t do anything! My family might’ve given a large donation to the school and Yamada might’ve started a petition to get him fired but that doesn’t mean we were the cause!” Iida said and Yamada laughed a little.
“Did anyone actually sign the petition?” Aizawa asked, bored, sarcastic.
“Yeah! Tons of people. Everyone from our class, and then Nemuri got everyone from her class to sign it and we just convinced a bunch of people too!” Yamada said and Aizawa’s brow furrowed.
“Why? No one likes me,” he said and Yamada’s heart dropped a little.
“Just because you are aloof and act all mean doesn’t mean no one likes you. And people know when someone is wrong, like that teacher was,” Yamada said and Aizawa looked at him, eyes wide and gave a little smile.
“Thank you,” he mumbled.
19
There was something tapping on his window.
Yamada didn’t know what it was, but it made him kind of nervous until he saw what it was.
Or who it was.
Aizawa slipped into his room silently.
“What are you doing here? It’s 1 in the morning!” Yamada whisper yelled.
“I’m working on my stealth,” Aizawa answered simply.
“By sneaking to my house at 1 in the morning.”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
20
Aizawa’s parents were difficult to talk to, at least in Yamada’s opinion. They were rough, and abrasive, even more so than Aizawa.
And they didn’t seem very supportive of Aizawa being a hero.
They also seemed like they didn’t like each other all that much.
Yamada wondered why they were still together.
Wondered how Aizawa returned here everyday when there was malice in the air and tension that you could cut with a knife.
21
Yamada’s moms were… so nice.
They had a jar of cookies that you could take freely out of.
“Just don’t spoil your dinner sweet,” Rina said when Yamada fished out another cookie.
“Aizawa doesn’t eat enough anyway,” Yamada said, pushing the (admittedly delicious) cookie towards him, and how could Aizawa say no to that?
“Well, we’ll have to fix that then! Rina makes enough food to feed an army,” Akina said and Rina jabbed an elbow into her side.
They were so easy to talk to.
It was so different from Aizawa’s parents, who Aizawa knew were only still together for Aizawa.
(But part of him thought that it would be easier if they split).
22
“I think I’m going to grow my hair out,” Yamada said absentmindedly one day.
“We could match,” Aizawa said offhandedly.
And that pretty much decided it.
“I’m still going to gel it up though,” Yamada said and Aizawa smiled a little.
“Good luck with that.”
23
“Yamada, I need help.”
“What do you need help with?” Yamada asked, already making his way to the training grounds that he knew Aizawa would be at.
“Just get to the training grounds. It’s embarrassing.”
When he arrived, it took everything in him not to start laughing immediately.
Aizawa was in a tangle on the ground.
“So. How’s that “learning it by yourself” thing going?” Yamada asked and Aizawa just rolled his eyes.
“Look, just help me out, please?”
And Yamada did.
Not without taking some pictures first because man that was quality blackmail material.
(Not that Yamada would ever blackmail Aizawa. It was more to look back on in the future, when they’re old and can laugh about the silly mistakes they made when they were younger).
24
“Your hair is really soft,” Yamada whispered to the darkness, and Aizawa just grumbled, rolling so that he was further in Yamada’s lap. So, Yamada took that as his opportunity to continue. With gentle hands, he braided Aizawa’s hair, a loose braid that would come apart the second he started to move, but it was soothing in a way, just braiding his boyfriend’s hair.
“My turn,” Aizawa grumbled once he was done, switching their positions and running soft hands through Yamada’s hair.
Yamada fell asleep.
Waking up in the morning, next to Aizawa, hair in loose waves… it was like a dream come true. A dream that Yamada wanted to last forever.
25
It was Yamada’s turn to make dinner for his family. Apparently they had a rotation, and once a week, Yamada would make dinner.
And Aizawa thought he would help?
But Aizawa wasn’t very good in the kitchen.
“Aizawa, what are you doing?” Yamada asked, hiding the laughter in his voice, and Aizawa blushed a little.
“Seasoning it?”
“You're going with Cayenne pepper. And a tablespoon measure?”
“Yes?” Aizawa said awkwardly and Yamada just smiled.
“We’ll go with a pinch instead okay?”
“Whatever you say,” Aizawa said, glad that he didn’t put the cayenne in yet.
26
“Why do we have to watch this?”
“Because it’ll be fun! Plus it’s more so that we can talk while it’s on, because the plot is so easy to follow, even if we miss a big chunk,” Yamada explained.
“But a rom com?”
“Don’t diss the rom coms.”
27
“You could go with Eraserhead!”
“Whatever,” Aizawa said, laying his head back down to sleep.
“That’s your hero name now. You can’t change it!” Yamada insisted.
“I won’t. It’ll be special to me,” Aizawa said and Yamada…
Yamada might’ve blushed a little.
(A lot).
28
“Did you eat this morning?” Yamada asked and Aizawa shook his head, slumping down into his desk.
“Too busy,” he mumbled.
“Here. My mom made this for you because I told her that you probably hadn’t eaten.”
“Oh,” Aizawa said quietly. Accepting breakfast and eating quickly before class started.
Yamada smiled.
29
The work studies were… rough.
Mainly because it was the first time since they started dating that they had to be seperated for a long period of time.
(It wasn’t that long, but it felt like forever).
30
It made the reunion sweeter.
Aizawa and Yamada met up at the school and they helped each other (because Aizawa had broken his wrist and Yamada had sprained his knee.)
Aizawa carried the books as best as he could, and Yamada took notes for both of them.
31
The separation led to them making plans for break.
Alternating sleep overs.
Plans for a study session.
Baking.
Their break ended up so full of plans with the other, that it wasn’t even like they were separate.
But that was what they prefered.
32
The speaker was heavy.
Almost annoyingly so…
And Yamada wore this around his neck?
“How does your neck feel?”
“Mm? Stiff. A bit,” Yamada said and Aizawa sighed.
“You should take better care of yourself,” he grumbled and Yamada’s eyes snapped towards him.
“Awe. You really do care about me!”
“No! I mean yes. But-”
“Nope! Can’t dig yourself out of this hole! You actually care about me!”
“Yeah. Course I do, you dummy.”
33
Aizawa kissed his cheek.
In front of all their friends.
And Yamada?
Yamada was blushing up a storm while Nemuri teased him.
“Awe. The two little love birds!” she calls and Yamada blushes harder.
“It’s your fault for choosing Aizawa,” Iida said absentmindedly as he stirred his lunch.
“I guess.”
Yamada wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
34
There was nothing quite as funny as seeing Yamada in a blanket.
Aizawa discovered this mostly by accident.
It was movie night, and Aizawa had thrown a blanket over Yamada and he was so…
Utterly confused by the blanket.
It was so weird.
He kept batting at it, shuffling around, adjusting it.
Like a bird almost.
“What, are your feathers ruffled?”
Yamada didn’t need to know that the sentence was… technically a pun.
35
Aizawa enjoyed training with Yamada.
Yamada was a difficult opponent- a long range fighter that pushed at Aizawa’s abilities.
Making him adapt moves to make them long range, and in retaliation, Yamada would improve on his close range, and they would be at the same odds again.
Constant evolution.
Just like their relationship.
36
“Yamada. I’m in trouble.”
“What’s up? Is something wrong? Villains? I thought you were just getting snacks for the dorm?”
“We got kicked out.”
“Kicked… out?”
“Yeah. I’ll explain when you get here,” Aizawa said, before he hung up and Yamada was forced to run to the grocery store Iida and Aizawa had been at.
“Let me get this straight,” Yamada started, pinching his brow.
“Okay,” Iida said.
“You two. The most responsible students in 1-A,” he said and Aizawa nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Got kicked out of a grocery store.”
“Yup.”
“Because Iida pushed you around really fast in a shopping cart, and you hit a wall and knocked over a display?”
“Yeah,” they said in unison.
“God. I thought I was the reckless idiot.”
37
Akina had roped Yamada and Aizawa into garden chores.
Normally, Yamada didn’t really mind that much, but he had a guest over! Technically his boyfriend, who agreed when Akina asked…
And now they were making small talk as they weeded the garden.
Aizawa was soaking up all the information Akina fed him like a sponge.
He looked ecstatic when she let him put the plant into the ground.
Yamada knew that he would have to do this more often, even if it’s just to see Aizawa be that excited.
Then an image came into his head…
And he couldn’t shake it off.
So, he ran to the field nearby, and began to weave.
When he came back, Akina and Aizawa were sitting at the table, gloves abandoned beside them, drinking lemonade while Rina admired the flowers.
Yamada snuck up behind Aizawa, and gently placed the flower crown on his head.
Aizawa turned, confused, and Yamada was blessed by the angels.
38
“I love you.”
Aizawa’s voice was so clear, and true when he said it.
Yamada wasn’t really sure how… or why?
“I love you too.”
Aizawa gave him that little smile. The one that meant he really was happy, and Yamada couldn’t help but smile back.
39
Yamada was getting his wisdom teeth out.
He was nervous, and Aizawa was going to be there.
Well, Aizawa was probably more nervous that Yamada was, because Aizawa had to be there for emotional support and…
Everyone knows that Aizawa is not exactly up to par when it comes to emotions.
But he would try his best, sitting next to Akina and Rina.
When they were allowed in, Aizawa was a little shocked by how… out of it Yamada was.
“Shouta? Oh my god I love you so much-” he blabbered on and on, tears in his eyes as he professed his love… repeatedly and nonstop and Aizawa was blushing.
A lot.
In front of his boyfriend's parents, who were just smiling.
“I love you too, you dork,” he said, and it sent Yamada into another fit of rambling and sobbing.
Worth it.
40
They were in their 3rd year.
Finally.
Work studies came and went.
Students were ready to graduate and become heroes and honestly… Aizawa didn’t feel like he was ready for it.
“C’mon. You’re the best fighter out of all of us!” Yamada insisted.
“I know. But I’m going underground. Half our class will probably never see me again, and while that’s kind of the point, I’m still worried for some reason.”
“Well. Iida and I will never forget you!” Yamada insisted.
And Aizawa smiled.
41
Training together… kind of wasn’t working anymore?
They were so used to each other.
So used to the moves they would do and it kept going on forever and forever because they were so evenly matched after all the years they spent sparring.
But they wouldn’t stop.
Sure, they would train with others, but sparring was a good way to let out some steam, especially when you didn’t have to worry about hurting the other person.
42
“You need to do your English!” Yamada said, throwing a pillow at Aizawa’s prone form.
“No.”
“Yes! It’s due tomorrow and I’ll help you!”
“It’s not worth it,” Aizawa grumbled.
“I bet it is! Because if you ace this test, we can have a sleepover,” Yamada bribed.
Aizawa looked up slightly.
Rolled his eyes.
Before he sat up again, Yamada held up the flashcards so Aizawa could see, and translate.
Aizawa did end up acing the test.
And they did have a sleepover.
43
“Aizawa! You need something other than black!” Yamada insisted and Aizawa just sighed, following Yamada into the next store.
Yamada kept dragging him to store after store.
After store…
After store.
It seemed neverending, especially to Aizawa, who usually just shopped at one or two places.
Being in a place with a lot of people was exhausting.
“Zashi? Can we leave soon?” he asked gently. He didn’t want to stop the fun.
He enjoyed spending time with Yamada.
But there were too many people.
Everywhere.
And Aizawa was really uncomfortable.
Yamada glanced at him before he nodded.
“Absolutely. I’m sorry that I took so long,” he said and Aizawa shook his head.
“You’re fine, I just- thank you.”
Yamada just smiled, and they were able to leave, just like that.
That’s never happened before.
44
“Hey Yamada,” Aizawa started and Yamada turned to him, only to see Aizawa holding two sheathed knives.
“Uh… yeah?”
“I’ve got knives.”
“I noticed.”
“We’re really close to graduating.”
“Yeah, we are,” Yamada smiled and Aizawa shot him a small once back.
45
Aizawa and Yamada tried to team up for one of their last partnered exercises.
“Nope! Aizawa and Yamada, find other partners,” their teacher yelled across the room.
“What? Why?!” Yamada protested.
“You two are good enough together. You need to practice working with others!”
Aizawa sighed and turned, trying to find another member of the class, and Yamada went to do the same.
46
Aizawa flopped on top of Yamada.
“Long day?” Yamada asked, only receiving a grunt in response.
He stroked his fingers through Aizawa’s hair, loosely braiding until Aizawa went completely limp in his lap.
Iida came in and immediately turned around, not letting anyone else come in.
47
They graduated.
They actually graduated.
As heroes.
Present Mic and Eraserhead.
Together.
Heroes.
48
“Hey Sho, do you want to move in?” Yamada asked out of nowhere one day and Aizawa wasn’t really sure… what to say?
It was true that nowadays, especially as hero work was starting up, Aizawa was spending more time at Yamada’s apartment than he was at his parent’s house.
Mostly because his parents still didn’t approve of his career and he could never be sure if they would help him if he got injured.
And if Yamada was offering…
“Sure, as long as it’s okay with you,” Aizawa said and Yamada grinned brightly.
“I wouldn’t have suggested it if it wasn’t,” he said and Aizawa smiled back.
He really loved Yamada.
Even though he was really dumb sometimes.
49
Yamada hadn’t slept in two days.
Usually it was Aizawa who made that mistake.
Along with forgetting to eat and drink and normal things like that.
It was just… weird when Yamada was not taking care of himself right.
It made Aizawa uneasy.
So uneasy that he decided to do something about it.
“Yamada, you need to sleep,” Aizawa prodded as Yamada started gelling up his hair again, ready to head to the studio again..
“I’m got to go-”
“Yamada-”
“They need more recordings and I-”
“Hizashi!”
Yamada stopped, turning to Aizawa.
“You are… you’re running yourself into the ground, and it hurts to watch,” Aizawa inhaled sharply. These conversations were always difficult, and he was usually on the receiving end. “You’re running yourself into the ground and you need to sleep, and take care of yourself before some villain gets you.”
“Oh.”
“Please?” Aizawa tried and Yamada nodded slowly, lowering the hairspray and Aizawa slowly pulled the hero uniform off, hanging it up so Yamada wouldn’t be mad. Running water and shampooing his hair. Then climbing out, getting some food into him before they curled up together on the couch.
Yamada fell asleep in about 30 seconds.
And Aizawa stayed there for the whole night.
50
Yamada was hurt.
His throat-
Aizawa was sitting next to the hospital bed, clutching Yamada’s hand as hard as he possibly could without waking him or causing him pain.
Meanwhile, Aizawa sat in silence.
Inner pain swelling until tears were dripping down his face, hitting the crisp, white hospital sheets.
51
Settling into routine meant making meals.
Although, nowadays, Aizawa was more competent than he used to be.
They were able to work together now.
Seamless in the kitchen.
Making complex dishes for dinners and lunches, and breakfasts, because they knew they wouldn’t have time in the mornings…
It was so easy.
52
Aizawa was late.
And Yamada was stressed.
Very very stressed.
Because Aizawa was very particular about his methods, informing Yamada if he was going to be late.
Yamada was told the methods.
If Aizawa isn’t there at the designated time, and if Yamada hasn’t heard from him, wait 30 minutes.
Just in case.
But 30 minutes could mean life or death for an undercover hero.
Because requesting backup was so much more difficult for them.
Too many heroes brought about attention.
It was still the longest 10 minutes of his life.
But it was only 10 minutes, until Aizawa cracked open the door, steps quiet as he held his side.
“Sorry. Clawed villain. Destroyed my pager,” he murmured as Yamada hugged him as tightly as he could.
53
“You think I can teach students?” Aizawa asked into the phone.
“Teaching?” Yamada asked.
Aizawa nodded, gesturing for Yamada to give him a moment.
“I’ll think about it. No promises,” he said before he hung up.
“What was that all about?” Yamada asked.
“Nemuri is asking if we want to teach at U.A,” Aizawa said simply.
“Both of us?” Yamada asked.
“Yeah. She says that she left a message on your phone because you were busy.”
“Oh. What do you want to do?”
“I’m… unsure. I’ll enjoy it if you worked there, but we already have heroics,” Aizawa said and Yamada nodded.
“I think it would be fun. Teaching the next generation. Hey, maybe you could improve them so we never have to deal with quirk discrimination again,” Yamada said.
Aizawa smiled a little.
And Yamada knew that they would be teaching soon.
54
Aizawa climbed the stairs slowly, the hefty basket of clothes balanced on his hip as he opened doors and headed into the living room.
And Yamada fell a little more in love.
It was just… so domestic?
And of course Aizawa knew how to work the washing machine.
(Yamada set the last one on fire… they don’t talk about that.)
But Aizawa seamlessly took control of the laundry around the house and Yamada settled into a more cleaning role, because he could clean while he waited for Aizawa to get home from patrols.
(This led to a couple of slips and falls, but those were met with laughter and no real pain.)
55
Yamada wasn’t sure what to make of the lump under Aizawa’s shirt.
It was wiggling.
And clearly unhappy.
Aizawa was trying to smuggle it up the stairs, an ice coffee in his hand.
“Whatcha got there Sho?” Yamada called and Aizawa froze, the lump moving more, like it sensed weakness.
“Coffee?” he asked and Yamada sighed.
“Under your shirt?”
“A cat…”
The cat flopped out onto the floor, having loosened the fabric enough to slip out and Yamada immediately fell a little bit in love with the little thing.
56
“Yamada? Our new cat is in a tree.”
“In a- what?!”
“She’s in the tree.”
“Uh oh,” Yamada said and Aizawa turned to him.
“Why uh oh?” he asked.
“Well. That’s the tree that has a bees nest in it?”
“Uh oh,” Aizawa said and Yamada nodded.
There was a yowl from the tree, and their new cat threw herself from the tree, away from the huge swarm of bees.
“Catch her!” Yamada yelled, and Aizawa did, catching the poor little thing before she hit the ground.
“Always getting into trouble that one,” Aizawa said, a little out of breath once they got inside.
“She’s like a bumblebee always bumping into stuff,” Yamada said and Aizawa grinned.
“That’ll be her name.”
“Bumblebee?”
57
“I promised the kids that I would have their essays graded!” Yamada shot up in his bed, much to the dismay of both his cats and his boyfriend.
“Come on. They’ll survive,” Aizawa mumbled.
“No! I’ve already put it off for two days!” Yamada said, scurrying to his briefcase, ripping out the English essays.
Aizawa just sighed and sat up, heading to the kitchen stiffly.
He put a put of coffee on the stove.
“Let's start this up. I’ll be here until you're done,” he murmured and Yamada smiled.
“Thank you.”
58
They were supposed to be making the bed.
It was time to strip the sheets, put on the clean replacements, fluff the pillows, air out the mattress.
That’s not… exactly what was happening.
The bed was a mess.
Pillows gripped tightly as they giggled and breathed together.
Until…
“Ow!”
“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”
“No. Just a little sudden. I’ll get you back,” Aizawa said, grinning evilly.
“Yeah right. We both know how this is going to go down,” Yamada said.
“Oh yeah?”
Aizawa came at him with a fury, hitting him repeatedly with the pillow until Yamada yielded.
Why?
What did you think was happening?
59
It was 3 in the morning when Aizawa finally got back to their little apartment.
He was exhausted, it seemed like every police officer had another round of paperwork for him to do and it took him 4 hours just to get out of the police station.
He wasn’t really expecting Yamada to be awake.
But he was.
Sitting in the middle of their living room, wrapped in Aizawa’s fluffiest blanket and he sat up quickly, enveloping Aizawa in a warm hug.
“Do you want dessert?”
“Dessert?” Aizawa asked, pulling away slightly
“Yeah.”
“Dessert. At 3 in the morning,” Aizawa stated and Yamada looked down a little.
“Yeah?”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Sure.”
So the two teachers (with school the next morning) shared a blanket and a tub of ice cream instead of sleeping.
60
They were exhausted.
Utterly exhausted.
Because Aizawa had picked up an extra patrol (he always had a hard time saying no to the newer underground heroes. Even when the extra patrol was running way too deep into his sleep time and on the other side of town).
And Yamada was up late at the studio, recording so much that his voice was lower, and scratchy when he got home.
Aizawa met Yamada at the door, as Yamada fumbled with his keys.
At 4 a.m.
With school starting at 6.
They were going to suffer.
But they did it gladly.
For the students, for the civilians, and for every sleepless citizen.
61
Regardless of how poorly their quirks matched up, Yamada and Aizawa were a good team.
Especially on the nights when Aizawa and Yamada’s patrols lined up.
And they could take down thugs with ease.
Aizawa attacked close range, once Yamada had knocked them off their feet.
They were good heroes.
But even better together.
62
Yamada’s neck hurt.
The directional speaker weighed so much, all the time, and it ached.
Sent shooting pains through his spine and through his shoulders and all along his neck until he was so tense that he could barely move his head.
On the worst days, when Yamada could barely raise his arms to lift the directional speaker off, Aizawa stepped in.
Comforting.
Ready with heated rice bags, to lay them across his neck until Yamada melted into a puddle, and then Aizawa would sit behind him, running his fingers up and down Yamada’s neck and back until all the tension was gone and Yamada would fall asleep.
Sometimes, it really was the little things.
63
“Hey Sho! I’m going to be late tonight. Hero work ran long and a burst pipe at the studio is going to take some time. Don’t wait up, I love you!”
Yamada’s voice crackled through Aizawa’s phone.
And he fell in love just a little bit more.
64
Contrary to popular belief, Aizawa was the gardener in the family.
Ever since Akina had brought it up to Aizawa, he had taken a liking to it.
Little boxes of herbs or pretty flowers that he enjoyed taking care of, just like he enjoyed taking care of his cats or the students at U.A.
Plus the fresh herbs tasted better, and who was Yamada going to argue with?
Expect the lady at the garden shop.
Because why the hell was lavender so expensive?
He just wanted to get a nice little pot of lavender for his boyfriend and it was going to cost him half a fortune just to get one pot?
“Sir? I don’t make the prices, lavender is just expensive,” the shop lady explained patiently.
“But why?” he cried.
“I honestly don't know. Do you still want the lavender?”
“Yes, please,” Yamada said dejectedly.
65
“Hey, Sho?” Yamada asked and Aizawa looked up.
“Yeah?”
“I kind of want to start a radio show.”
“The radio show that you were always talking about in our 3rd year at U.A, but you weren’t sure if you were going to be able to manage heroics and the show so you decided that you would let it sit until you felt you were ready?”
“You actually listened to the conversation. And here I thought you completely ignored me whenever I rambled.”
“I always listen to you,” Aizawa said simply, looking up from the homework he was grading.
“Anyway. What do you think?”
“Hizashi. You’ve wanted a radio show for years. You know that you have my support. Just make sure you still have some time to spend on school and other things,” Aizawa said simply, before looking back down at the assignments.
“Okay.”
And that’s when the radio show started.
66
Aizawa crossed the threshold into their apartment… a little worriedly.
Not worried.
But just a little?
Aizawa was clutching the poor cat to his chest and he didn’t know how Yamada would react to another cat that Aizawa brought home.
He was overweight, and huge and he was stuck in a trash can and he obviously wasn’t getting the proper care from his previous family so how could Aizawa just leave him there?
“Shouta?” Yamada called, rounding the corner and stopping.
“Hey Hizashi…”
“Okay,” Yamada said, approaching again, pulling Aizawa into a hug.
“Just… okay?” he asked.
“Well… it’s just like with Bumblebee right? I can tell that you needed to bring him home and if we can help him… that’s why we became heroes right?” Yamada asked, and Aizawa fell… just a little bit more in love with this man.
67
Bumblebee and Goblin both loved cuddling. It was a good thing their parents loved it too.
The cuddle piles, on a late night.
Yamada and Aizawa curled up together.
And Bumblebee and Goblin would know. Oh boy. They would know exactly whenever the warmth was being shared, and they would curl up on top of the two warm bodies, just to join in on the warmth.
After all.
You can’t move when there’s cats on you.
68
When Aizawa slipped in from his late night patrols, he looked exhausted. The door closed behind him, and he sank to the floor.
“Shouta?” Yamada asked gently, sliding down beside him.
“I killed someone,” he murmured and Yamada felt his heart stop a little.
“Okay. What can I do?” Yamada asked.
“Just… please?” Aizawa asked, a feather light touch on Yamada’s hand, and Yamada just smiled. Slotting his fingers with Aizawa’s, gripping tight.
They sat there until morning.
69
Aizawa didn’t want to have to deal with this right now.
He really didn’t.
But right now he was hiding in the bathroom and Yamada was on the other side, apologizing and Aizawa… didn’t really know what to do.
He didn’t know how to explain that it wasn’t Yamada’s fault he was this way.
He didn’t know how to explain that he loved Yamada, he really did, but just… not in that way?
He should’ve told Yamada ages ago.
Ages and ages ago.
Like when they first started dating.
But he didn’t.
He had tried. Many, many different times to tell Yamada. But the words slipped away, and he let himself fall back into the comfortable normalcy, where he wouldn’t have to worry about Yamada judging him for something Aizawa had no control over.
And granted, Yamada probably wouldn’t judge.
Yamada never really judged anyone too harshly.
But Aizawa was different!
Yamada was dating him, and if this was the thing that made Yamada decide that he didn’t want to date Aizawa… then Aizawa couldn’t deal with that.
Didn’t want to deal with that.
“Sho? I’m sorry, I should’ve asked,” Yamada’s voice slipped through the cracks in the door.
“It’s not your fault,” he choked out and Aizawa could practically feel Yamada tense on the other side of the door.
“Just tell me what happened? So I can make it better?” Yamada asked, and how could Aizawa say no?
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m…” Aizawa stammered out. The words kept getting stuck in his throat.
“Hey. No, it’s okay. Can I come in there?” Yamada asked. Always so gentle.
“Whatever,” Aizawa mumbled and Yamada pushed on the door, giving Aizawa time to move away before he opened it all the way.
They sat together on the bathroom floor for a second before Aizawa tried to continue.
“I’m asexual,” he mumbled.
And he was ready for rejection.
He was ready for Yamada to stand up and storm out of the house and never come back.
Hell, he was even ready for Yamada to push him down.
“Okay. What’s your comfort zone?” Yamada asked and Aizawa was so stunned that he couldn’t say anything for a few seconds.
“I- what?”
“Your comfort zone. Clearly, I made you uncomfortable earlier, but we both know that I’m a touchy feely person, so I want to know the boundaries,” Yamada explained, holding Aizawa a little closer.
“You’re… you’re not disgusted?” Aizawa asked. And he was so confused. So very very confused.
Why was Yamada just… accepting this?
“No? Shouta I love you. You being asexual doesn’t change that,” Yamada said and something loosened in Aizawa’s chest.
The tenseness that he had felt most of his life.
The knot in his stomach that insisted that he was different and gross… just uncoiled.
And tears slipped down his face.
“Sho? I’m sorry. What’s wrong? Was it something I said?” Yamada asked gingerly.
“No. I just. I’m sorry. I’m… thank you,” he mumbled and Yamada smiled, pulling Aizawa closer to his chest and kissing his head.
“I love you Sho. Nothing’s going to ever change that.”
70
Yamada was rising quickly.
Pulling himself up in the world of heroics.
His radio show guided the way in the popularity votes, and he enjoyed his work.
He enjoyed helping people.
And that was enough.
But the high rank was pretty nice too.
71
Aizawa was fucked.
Royally fucked.
Darn right screwed over.
God, when did the press get so fast.
No matter how fast Aizawa ran, or leaped or spun away, the press was waiting for him around another corner.
Aizawa’s whole thing was remaining hidden from the press.
That was the whole reason behind being an underground hero.
It's so that the press wouldn’t follow him wherever he went.
But that never really seemed to stop them.
Which is what led him here.
In an alleyway.
With no real way out.
With the press clamoring at the entrance.
He was fucked.
“Hell yeah Listeners!”
Aizawa needed to tell Yamada that he loved him.
Because he had never seen the press scurry away that quickly, just to get a look, an interview, a moment with Present Mic, who sent a wink down the alleyway, and Aizawa slipped away, leaping across buildings, smiling just a little as he finished up his patrol.
He really loved Yamada.
Aizawa would marry Yamada.
Wait a minute. Where had that thought come from?
72
Yamada was exhausted, stepping through the door, letting his hero costume fall to the floor as he shook out the tension, climbing into the shower as quickly as he could to get the gel out of his hair.
Steam filled the bathroom, Yamada’s muscles finally beginning to relax as he let the warm water soak through to his bones.
When he finally stepped out, he was bone tired but warm, and cozy, and ready to eat and sleep while Aizawa got ready to step out into the night. He rounded the corner, smelling soup and stopped.
Aizawa was standing at the stove, wearing half his hero costume… and Yamada’s leather jacket.
“Oh, hey Hizashi. Grab plates?” Aizawa asked, stepping away from the stove, spinning slowly to move the pot to the table.
“Uh… y-yeah,” Yamada said intelligently, and Aizawa shot him an odd look.
“Is everything okay?” he asked and Yamada nodded quickly, turning to the cabinets so that Aizawa couldn’t see his blush.
Look.
Aizawa was attractive on a normal day, and pretty whenever he tried just a little. But this is a different predicament. Aizawa with his leather jacket on…
He was downright gorgeous.
And Aizawa was his.
He didn’t have to share this amazing sight with anyone, and it filled his heart with joy.
Kind of made him want to marry Aizawa.
Wait what?
73
Aizawa and Yamada always tried to sit down for dinner at least once every couple of days.
It was important to them, just as important as it was to eat breakfast together.
But it was necessary, because if they didn’t, they would both get grumpy.
They genuinely enjoyed spending time together and talking about their days (though Aizawa would never admit it).
And their agencies would allow it, allow the quick schedule changes, because the last time they didn’t, Aizawa decided that he wouldn’t work for them, and he switched agencies.
The new agency learned quickly.
74
Aizawa enjoyed cuddling.
He would never tell anyone this, but he really did.
But only with Yamada.
No one else.
Because Yamada was always so soft and gentle, and he would braid his hair while they watched cheap rom coms and laugh at the bad acting while Aizawa threw popcorn up in the air because Yamada insisted that he could catch it in his mouth.
It was perfect.
75
There was something so domestic about sleeping next to each other.
Something sweet and soft that made Yamada’s heart feel all warm and comfy because he was next to his person, and that was usually enough to send Yamada into a cozy sleep.
And when it wasn’t?
Then Aizawa would rub shapes and letters into his back, and soothe the hurt that he got that day, or just hug him.
Yamada would sleep best those nights.
76
He definitely wanted to marry Yamada.
There was no use denying it anymore.
Yamada had been with him for this long ride in life and Aizawa honestly couldn’t imagine spending his life with anyone else, so why not?
But how would he propose?
How could he propose?
A dinner?
77
Yamada had picked out a ring.
He had the ring picked out and it was sitting in the box in his pocket and it was making him more nervous every time he remembered that he had it.
He had to keep it with him at all times too.
Because Aizawa was sneaky and Yamada wasn’t at all. And Yamada would forget it somewhere and Aizawa would find out and then it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore and then Aizawa wouldn’t want to marry him.
Okay.
Maybe that last part wouldn’t happen.
But it was still a bit worrisome.
78
They were sitting across from each other.
For a romantic dinner.
And each of them had boxes with rings in their pockets.
And they were both so nervous that they didn’t notice that the other one was nervous.
But then villains attacked and they put it out of their minds, because hero work came first. (Sort of? Yamada thought that he might propose once the battle was done, but then the press came and Aizawa leapt away, surprisingly nimble in the fancy suit that Yamada had wrangled him into).
79
“Shit.”
“Sho? Are you okay?”
“Ran into a villain on my way home,” Aizawa said and Yamada peered around the corner.
“You’re not hurt right?”
“No- I’m not. I just…” Aizawa sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Yamada asked.
“He crushed the flowers I got you,” Aizawa said, surprisingly upset, revealing the smushed, slightly wilted flowers in his grasp.
“Awe. Don’t worry about it! It’s the thought that counts, and I still love you just as much,” Yamada said.
“There’s a shocker,” Aizawa muttered and Yamada sighed.
“Bad day?”
“Yeah. Shitty morning and then Midoriya broke his leg and Jirou got stabbed- don’t ask me how,” Aizawa said and Yamada kissed his cheek.
“Well, it’s over now, and you can spend some more time with me, to make up for the messed up day?”
“Sounds nice.”
80
It was no secret that Yamada had a lot of bandanas.
Yes, bandanas.
It may not seem like it, because there wasn’t one on his hero uniform, but Yamada really did.
Headbands, around his neck, it was fun.
Lots of colors.
Lots and lots of colors.
But to Yamada, nothing was better than seeing Aizawa wearing one of the bandanas.
Usually he used the one black one that Yamada owned. (Yamada owned it specifically for Aizawa, because Yamada would never wear it, but there was something satisfying about seeing Aizawa wear it.)
When the black one was in the wash, however, Aizawa was forced to wear another color.
And he usually lets Yamada pick.
“Just grab a bandana?” Aizawa would say absentmindedly as he started dusting.
The world would open up to Yamada.
He could give Aizawa yellow, to match his goggles, or red to match his eyes.
Or he could pick pink.
Or blue.
Or green or purple or orange or any other color that Yamada owned, because they all stood out against the darkness of Aizawa’s hair and it served as a constant reminder that Aizawa put up with Yamada enough to wear the bright colors.
It made Yamada’s heart feel all warm and fuzzy whenever he saw Aizawa wearing his bandanas.
81
The box was pressing against his leg constantly.
Yamada wasn’t really sure how to bring it up?
So one night, instead of thinking… he just… left it on the table?
Okay- so it was technically an accident, but it ended up being better because Aizawa said yes, and then Aizawa proposed…
It was perfect.
82
“We’re going to get married.”
Yamada rolled over to see Aizawa, staring up at the ceiling.
“Yeah. We are,” he said quietly, and Aizawa turned.
“We’re really getting married,” he whispered again and Yamada couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah.”
Aizawa grabbed his hand.
“We are.”
83
“We’re getting married!” Yamada called into the phone.
“Finally!” Rina yelled back and you could hear Akina laughing in the background.
“We’re getting married,” Aizawa said.
“Oh. I see,” his mother said, before she hung up.
Yamada let himself cry and hurt because Aizawa was so used to it.
Aizawa wasn’t even surprised.
He just put the phone down.
84
“Where the hell are we going to have the wedding?” Yamada asked and Aizawa groaned.
“Lets just go to a church and not tell anyone except your moms and Nemuri,” he grumbled.
“You do realize that everyone would kill us if we didn’t invite them.”
“Who is everyone?” Aizawa asked, finally opening his eyes.
“Uhm? Everyone? Iida, his family would probably want to come, and then there Nemuri and her family, Ms. Joke, everyone that we’re friends with?” Yamada said and Aizawa sighed, slumping back into his pillows.
“Can’t we do that tomorrow?”
“If we keep putting this off we’re going to have to make all the plans the day of our wedding and I really don’t want to do that.”
“Fine,” Aizawa said, sitting up.
85
“You want me? To come to your wedding?” Midnight asked.
“Yeah?” Yamada said awkwardly.
“Of course I’ll come! I was just waiting for an official invitation, and if I didn’t get one I was going to sneak in anyway!” she exclaimed, cracking her whip and Yamada felt so very very tired.
And he still had to do this 25 more times.
86
It was midnight, and Yamada finally got in.
His thoughts had been buzzing the entire time he was at the studio.
“Hey Sho? How would you feel about having purple flowers?” Yamada called.
“Can we talk about this in the morning?” Aizawa asked.
“No! I wanna know what you think!” Yamada said playfully.
“I'm good with purple.”
“Purple it is then.”
87
“What cake should we get?” Aizawa asked suddenly.
“Well we need to make sure the baker isn’t homophobic,” Yamada prodded and Aizawa rolled his eyes.
“Other than that. What flavor?”
“We should do birthday cake flavor. Just to mess with people,” Yamada said and Aizawa glanced at him for a second.
“That’s probably the gayest flavor. Let’s do it.”
88
“So who is wearing white?” Iida asked.
“We’re not really-” Yamada started to explain.
“I am,” Aizawa interrupted.
“What?” Yamada asked and Aizawa shot him a look.
“Midnight and I discussed it. It’s what I’m going with. Plus the suit is already bought so you can’t really change that,” Aizawa said.
And Yamada was looking forward to seeing Aizawa in a color that wasn’t black or grey.
89
They had to work before their wedding.
Aizawa worked through the night, Yamada through the day and then they were off.
Off in a hurricane of flowers and doing their hair and a little bit of makeup and then being helped into their suits.
Aizawa’s new favorite sight?
Yamada in the black suit, and he knew that he made the right decision picking the white.
90
Damn.
Aizawa is a white suit? Damn.
It was the best day of Yamada’s life.
When they exchanged rings and vows in front of all their friends and family.
They ate their birthday cake with pride, took all the mandatory photos and relaxed into their new roles as husbands.
91
USJ was brutal on both of them. They were pretty much just married. Only with 3 or so months on their official marriage and Aizawa had flirted with death.
Not intentionally, but Yamada still wished that it hadn’t been Aizawa at USJ that day.
And that sounds mean. And maybe it was.
But then Yamada might’ve still been able to function like a normal human being.
But with his husband on the hospital bed, just out of the surgery that had to reconstruct almost his entire face… and all the bandages and Yamada felt worried that he was going to hurt him just by holding his hand.
But Aizawa had woken up.
And he would be fine.
He would have new scars and Yamada would stroke the one across his cheek every day until it started to smooth back into his skin.
But Aizawa was alive, and that’s really all that mattered to Yamada.
92
Adopting Hitoshi was a switch from the norm.
They had the room in their house and it wasn’t something that took ages for them to decide. It was just… a unanimous decision and then Hitoshi was in their home. Away from his previous foster home.
Safe with the two teachers.
But it was a change.
Going from living with one other person and two cats to living with two other people (the cat number stayed the same).
It took a little bit, getting used to Hitoshi’s insomnia, and the way Hitoshi ran, the frequency he worked on.
But eventually Yamada and Aizawa settled into the new shift, and so did Hitoshi.
93
And now, whenever they passed each other in the halls, Yamada had the joy of smiling at Hitoshi, who would smile back.
Because now he really knew the boy.
He wasn’t just another student.
Hitoshi was his son.
94
Eri was another switch, for all three of them this time.
She didn’t have insomnia so much as she had night terrors.
And her screams late in the night hurt.
Really hurt.
They sent Aizawa and Yamada hurtling up out of the bed to hold her and sooth her tears, Hitoshi watching from the doorway, ready to sooth if Eri needed all three of them.
But Eri also settled in with them.
Started calling Aizawa and Yamada dad and they loved her. So much.
95
Peace could never really last though.
It was finally a peaceful morning in the Aizawa-Yamada household.
Eri had slept through the night.
Hitoshi was awake easily, energized, ready for school without any prodding.
The only one who wasn’t awake was Aizawa, and that got Yamada a little bit worried.
Because Aizawa often walked with them to school. Or they all drove together, depending on the day.
But at this rate?
Aizawa was going to be late.
Then Yamada’s phone chimed.
‘I need help,’
And Yamada knew that it was going to be a bad day for Aizawa.
He hurried into their bedroom and saw that Aizawa was sitting up, but his eyes were squeezed tightly shut.
“Dizzy?” Yamada asked gingerly, and Aizawa nodded roughly. “Do you want to stand up?”
“Yeah. I’ll still teach. But someone else can cover my patrol,” he forced out and Yamada nodded, offering him hands to Aizawa.
And they moved slowly out of the bedroom.
It was the first time Hitoshi and Eri had really seen one of Aizawa’s bad days. And Yamada had them too. When Aizawa would need to do the same thing for him because they were both dumb and took pain medication on empty stomachs.
The days when every bone and joint in your body ached and you could barely stand… those were the bad days.
But Aizawa refused to stop teaching.
And Yamada would smile sadly because he couldn’t tell Aizawa off without being a hypocrite.
96
Adopting Katsuki was another change, but oddly enough, it was an easier change, at least for Aizawa and Yamada. They were getting used to keeping their doors open.
And having new kids join their family was an added bonus.
Eri and Hitoshi got attached to Katsuki.
And Katsuki got attached to all of them, and brightened their lives with colorful pottery and joyful stories.
97
Don’t blame them.
Yamada and Aizawa loved their kids.
They did.
But Yamada was pretty sure that it was time for a date night.
Something they had been unable to get since Eri entered their home.
“Dinner is on the stove,” Yamada started as he slipped earrings in.
“Call us if anything happens,” Aizawa added, standing by the door.
“Just go! We can survive for one night,” Katsuki said, rolling his eyes at their antics.
“Remember to turn off the stove. And Eri needs to be in bed by 9. And you two should be in bed by 10, latest 11. Even you Toshi. We should be home by 11, midnight if we get caught up in hero work oh! Juice is-”
“You’re acting like we’ve never been in a kitchen. Or slept. Or taken care of ourselves. Just go. Have fun. Enjoy yourselves,” Hitoshi said and Yamada swallowed, slowly nodded and he and Aizawa headed out the door.
When they got to the restaurant, they were both excited and nervous. It had been ages since they’d gone out together, but their children were trouble magnets.
“Table for Aizawa-Yamada?” Yamada asked the waitress and she stared at them.
“When are your wives coming?” she asked snobbily.
“We’re married?” Aizawa said, tone already defensive.
“Whatever,” she said, and stalked off into the restaurant.
“Do you want to leave?” Yamada asked.
“No, we can try this place, but don’t expect me to hold off if the waiter is rude,” Aizawa said and Yamada nodded.
They hurried after the hostess.
Once seated, she practically threw the menus at them, and then she left.
Yamada cracked a few jokes, got Aizawa to relax a little bit before a waiter came over.
“Oh,” he said before he turned and left.
“What was that about?” Aizawa asked and Yamada shrugged.
“Probably forgot his notebook?” he tried and Aizawa gave him a small nod.
A woman came back the next time.
“Hey, sorry about him. How can I help you gentlemen?”
The night proceeded a bit more normally.
They talked and laughed over food and a glass of wine each.
They enjoyed their time, this waitress much nicer than the hostess and the first waiter.
And when they got home, the house wasn’t burnt down, and Hitoshi was the only one still awake.
98
Adopting Shouto was a little bit rough around the edges.
He was a little rough.
A little afraid and a little nervous.
Like all the stray cats they brought in.
But he also fit in.
Landing in the middle of the family.
And settling in.
99
Movie night was always an experience.
Eri wanted Disney movies. So did Shouto. He missed out on them as a child.
Katsuki usually wanted an All Might film, no matter how bad the acting was.
And Hitoshi wanted a horror movie.
They usually settled on a Disney movie.
And then they would throw themselves onto the couch and push and shove until they were comfortable and under blankets because lord knows that all their kids are touch starved and need all the cuddles they could get.
100
They were content.
Content with their family, curled up together and cooking together and living together.