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“Yagi!”
The aforementioned man startled. Pulling too hard on the bow he had drawn caused the string to snap and the arrow to fall lightly to the ground.
He looked up from the arrow to the source of the voice to see one Aizawa Shouta marching towards him like a man on the hunt. His aura was practically visible even from a distance.
Trying to keep his cheery demeanor, he turned back to the student he had been trying to instruct and smiled as he handed them the broken bow.
“Do you mind taking this to Maijima to get it fixed? Go ahead and tell him I broke it, he won’t be mad at you. I might have to do some apologizing but it’ll be fine.”
The student just looked blankly back at him, barely comprehending the fact that a man that looked like a skeleton with skin had just casually snapped a bow which required 70 pounds of pressure to even draw properly. After a second they took the bow and walked off just as Aizawa made it up to Yagi.
“Hello, Aizawa. Is something the matter?”
Completely ignoring his calm tone, Aizawa got a little too close with raging red eyes that screamed death to all that crossed his path. An icy chill ran up Yagi’s spine. He wasn’t the son of Hades for nothing.
“There is a rumor going around about one of the newest campers.”
“Midoriya?”
His mouth snapped closed when this made Aizawa’s eyes narrow.
“Funny you know which one I’m talking about,” he growled out. “The rumor is that he isn’t the son of a god but a grandson and one of our few adult half-bloods is his father. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
Relieved that Aizawa wasn’t right but also terrified of this man a foot shorter than him, Yagi tried to smile placatingly.
“I’m afraid not, my friend. I was only his teacher for a partial school year. I’ve never gotten the chance to meet his mother and outside of her, I wouldn’t know who to ask. Let’s just hope that during campfire tomorrow, his godly parent or grandparent will claim him so we can at least get him out of the Hermes cabin.”
For the horrifying second that he was silent, Aizawa looked ready to start shouting but managed to keep his voice at an acceptable level. It seemed a bit overkill but Aizawa had never been one to be irrationally angry like this and honestly, Yagi was more worried than offended.
“I swear I don’t know anything about it Aizawa. Yes I know him, I was the one to direct him towards camp when I was still in the city looking for potential demigods. I was actually a bit too busy to help him at that moment trying to wrestle a hellhound but I trusted young Uraraka got her charge to camp safely even if she added a particularly explosive camper to their group.”
The chill in the air leveled out to match the hazy New York summer heat as Aizawa sighed and his eyes dimmed back into their usual silver-grey.
“Alright, I believe you. But you understand my concern, right? Having a kid and not bringing him to camp until he’s 15 could have gotten him killed years ago.”
“I understand that but I thought you just said you understood that he isn’t my son.”
Aizawa bit back another comment, trying to will himself to calm down. A flicker of shame crossed his face before he schooled it back to his neutral stare.
“I’m sorry for going off on you. That wasn’t appropriate. I was concerned for Midoriya’s safety and the effects on his relations in the camp. It made too much sense the first time I heard the rumors and I overreacted,” he said with a sigh.
When Yagi didn’t accept the apology right away, Aizawa’s tension took over, continuing the conversation like he had accepted it.
“Can you please keep a close eye on him for me? He’s skittish around all of the adults except for you and I think he might have trust issues with teachers and I’m worried he’s going to start hiding things like injuries and bullying. He’s already made excuses for Bakugou on numerous occasions despite being the target of genuine violence.”
Any kind of smile fell from Yagi’s face at hearing this. He knew Bakugou was volatile but Midoriya had been adamant that he was just a bit loud and overdramatic rather than violent.
“Oh dear. I’ll see what I can gather from them. I might have to ask some of the other senior campers to talk to him about his temper. I doubt he’ll listen to me but I think he’ll listen to the Ares kids, especially if they turn out to be his siblings. Thank you for telling me.”
As much as he tried to exude friendliness to his fellow teacher, Aizawa didn’t seem to be in that kind of mood, expression stony as he locked down his emotions.
He started to turn to walk away but Yagi wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Wait a moment, Aizawa. Is something wrong? You seem...agitated. If it’s something I can help with or if you just need someone to listen, I am here.”
“What makes you think I’m agitated?” Aizawa grit out, not at all sounding like he was about to jump behind the closest cabin and shadow travel to literally anywhere else.
When Yagi didn’t dignify the stupid question with a response, Aizawa sighed and turned all the way back around to face him.
“I’ve just been having issues with nightmares the past few days. On top of my usual shitty sleep patterns, I’m barely getting in twenty minutes at a time before I’m scared awake. It’ll pass.”
“Have you talked to one of Hypnos’ kids?” Yagi asked, worry tinting his voice. “I’m pretty sure Shinsou would be glad to help you.”
That statement just seemed to make Aizawa more apprehensive.
“No, I’m fine. It’s just hard to sleep. I don’t need to be bothering campers with my issues.”
“Well, I can’t imagine it being all that nice sleeping alone in a cabin decorated like a haunted house attraction. Maybe ask one of the senior campers to sleep in his apartment for a while? I’d offer to share the Zeus cabin but I-.”
“I’m fine Yagi. Drop i-t.”
Yagi fell silent, shaken by the fact that Aizawa’s voice had changed to being practically...soft when he said that, the slight crack making it even more pitiful. It wasn’t that Aizawa could never be soft, it was more the rapid change in temperament.
Rather than wait for a response, Aizawa turned away and stalked back to his cabin, leaving Yagi staring after him, feeling a bizarre sense of loneliness.
Gods don’t always arrive on time.
That’s what Yagi kept repeating over and over to himself as minutes slowly ticked past and Midoriya was still left standing unclaimed.
He really hadn’t meant to let Midoriya stand there that long, lone and nervous as all eyes were on him. It was supposed to be quick and easy like it had always been since Yagi had made his request of the gods. Instead, the seconds then minutes ticked by as the other campers became more and more restless.
He had been hoping that there was just a delay.
Instead, he was now holding a sobbing Midoriya, the kids’ face buried into Yagi’s shirt, shaking like a leaf and sounding like he could barely catch his breath.
As much as Yagi tried to soothe the kid, it took until the other campers had been dismissed for Midoriya to take it down enough that he could process Yagi’s gentle words.
“Midoriya, my boy. It’s going to be alright. I know you’re worried but there should be no reason you were not claimed. Every demigod matters here and I swear anyone at camp who could possibly help is going to be looking into this. Okay?”
The kid nodded, still buried in Yagi’s chest.
“I remember how much it hurt not to be claimed originally and at the time it wasn’t expected. I can’t imagine how it feels for you when we’ve been preparing you for it all week. But whatever happens, I’m going to be right there for you.”
This elicits a slightly stronger response as Midoriya raised his head in response.
He wanted to talk more and possibly get the kid a water bottle considering how much he was crying but near the fire, he could see the Iida brothers and Uraraka waiting and trying to subtly watch for Midoriya. The female satir kept oscillating between ready to fight the gods and smother Midoriya in affection as she kept shifting her weight from one hoof to another. Soft bleats of worry could faintly be heard over the distance.
“It’s getting late, you need to get some sleep. Your first capture the flag game is always a lifelong memory and you should be as rested as can be for tomorrow.”
“Am I going to be on the Hermes team then?” Midoriya asked in a small voice, no longer looking at his mentor.
“Well, yes. Hermes is the only cabin we have explicit permission to keep unclaimed kids in. But if it makes you feel better, Zeus and Hermes are on the red team this week. I don’t mind taking you under my wing for the game or even letting you go off with your friends.”
Midoriya nodded without responding, shoulders slumped and head hung low as he scurried off to meet up with his friends and cabinmates.
Rather than have a minute to gather his thoughts, Yagi was startled by someone walking up beside him. He yelped and lashed out with his fist but was stopped by Aizawa’s forearm poised over his face.
“Sorry, I thought you noticed me.”
“Your whole schtick is shadows and darkness!” Yagi snapped. “How do you expect me to notice you in the dark?!”
Visibly taken aback by Yagi’s jagged attitude, Aizawa retreated slightly.
“Sorry.”
“For what?” Yagi mumbled, resigned. “You seem to apologize to me every time we talk.”
“How about for all of the bullshit the gods have tossed at you in your lifetime. Or maybe for snapping at you yesterday. I know I already said sorry for that but I don’t think you believed it. I was being irrational by letting rumors get to me and taking out my emotions on you.”
“It’s the sleep-deprivation talking. I know you can be irritable sometimes and aren’t trying to be mean,” Yagi sighed, starting his way back towards camp. “but now we’ve got other problems.”
Aizawa wordlessly followed him, knowing from years of working together, Yagi would feel better pacing while thinking aloud.
“If a god is breaking an oath they swore on the River Styx, then something is seriously wrong up there. I can Iris message Saisaki tonight to give him a heads up about a potential prophecy so he knows we’re on guard. But that also means-.”
Yagi stopped mid-stride, clasping his hands over his eyes in frustration.
“I forgot to exchange my cash for drachmas when I came back to camp. I probably only have a couple left and I doubt that’s all it will take to contact all of the deities I need to so I can get to the bottom of this. Iris has started charging me extra for trying to contact the main twelve gods because of that fit Dionysus threw when I interrupted a party.”
Though a little crude, Aizawa could help but smirk at the memory of the mountain of grapevines covering Zeus’ cabin like a new roof. Even worse every single grape was insanely sour and immediately made you drunk in a very bad way. Yagi had been out cold and the rest of the senior campers had to spend the whole day picking every single grape off the indestructible plants so that underage campers couldn’t get to them.
“At least you are confident enough that you can get through to more than one major god. I barely can get through to Persephone who’s is only a minor deity so you’d expect it to be easier. She acts like a stepmom to me and yet I barely can get a word in before there’s a riot in the underworld or a hellhound just had puppies and she has to go.”
It was a bit strange to be sharing the information aloud but it was universal among half-bloods that bonding over absent parents was a thing. At least he could help out with this one thing tonight.
“But don’t worry about the drachmas. I’ll give you some and as long as you use them to figure out this mess, don’t worry about paying me back.”
The worry lines softened on Yagi’s face, leaving him looking much more like himself.
“That’s-”
Yagi’s thoughts were interrupted by the muffled rumble of thunder. Dark swirling clouds that weren’t there a few minutes ago gathered in the distance. The strangeness of the situation rubbed them both the wrong way.
Aizawa looked at Yagi, one eyebrow raised.
“Really?”
Yagi stiffened before meeting Aizawa’s gaze and saying, “It wasn’t me. If it was, there would be rain here, not over there.”
Aizawa was still looking at him with suspicion before relaxing into a lazy smirk when Yagi started pouting.
“You’re too easy to tease. You’re always welcome to get me back if you wa-”
With no warning beside the initial thunder, rain poured from the sky, immediately drenching the two demigods.
“Yagi…” Aizawa growled, now suspicious.
“It’s not me, I swear. I don’t know what is going on. Something might be up with my dad so I still need to see if I get a response,” Yagi replied, his hands up in defense.
“Just use the drachmas you have for tonight. I’ll bring you more tomorrow. I am not running around in a thunderstorm in the middle of the night. And don’t wake anyone up calling them if you can’t guarantee you can take them in a fight. ”
Yagi, still indignant about being accused, didn’t get the chance to respond before Aizawa rushed off towards the Hades cabin.
He waited where he was standing, soaked to the bone, barely processing Aizawa’s temperament before another roar of thunder reminded him that he ought to get inside.
He was lighting resistant. Not lightning proof.
It’s the dead of night and the middle of a thunderstorm when the door to Yagi’s cabin was flung open.
Even from a deep sleep it only took a moment for Yagi to startle awake and fling himself out of bed, half on his feet, and crackling with electricity.
Once he had a moment to process what was going on, he realized that the glowing red eyes staring back at him were not a monster’s but Aizawa’s.
“Damn it,” Yagi groaned, wiping the sleep from his face. “Aizawa what the hell are you doing slamming my door open in the middle of the night? I could have electrocuted you!”
When Aizawa didn’t answer immediately, Yagi was concerned but no longer expected an emergency. If there was imminent danger, Aizawa wasn’t exactly the quiet one in the crowd.
He fumbled around in the dark for a moment before finding his desk lamp and snapping it on.
Most of his frustration died when he turned back around to see Aizawa soaked to the bone in his pjs, shivering and swaying on his feet. There was another clap of thunder and Yagi watched as Aizawa’s entire body recoiled.
“Aizawa? Can you shut the door behind you for me?”
The other man obeyed silently, having to fight the wind just to get it to latch, not reacting beyond that. Yagi took the moment to dig through his things for a bath towel. When he found one, he walked back over, trying to make his movements slow and deliberate so he didn't scare Aizawa too harshly out of the half-asleep trance he was in.
“Shouta?”
This caught his attention, causing him to blink the red out of his eyes and really look at Yagi for the first time since he walked in.
“Sorry Toshi, I lost my grip on the door in the wind.”
Yagi huffed muted annoyance and proceeded to start pat-drying his hair.
“I think we’re past that,” Yagi said, smoothing out his voice. “What are you doing out here so late?”
Shouta said nothing back, just leaning into Yagi’s touch as he was dried off.
“Let me get you some dry clothes. Just wash ‘em before you return them.”
He had started to turn around but was surprised when Shouta hugged him from behind, his still-damp hair and soaking shirt dampening Yagi’s own sleepwear.
“Shouta?”
“More nightmares,” Shouta responded roughly, his voice muffled against Yagi’s back. “I don’t know if it’s the sleep deprivation or the thunder but I feel like I’m going to cry or puke or vibrate out of my skin or something.”
“Ah.”
It felt like an oversimilified and stupid response but it was all Yagi had for the moment where he just stood there and waited for Shouta’s grip to loosen.
Even though it sometimes gave him whiplash seeing the changes in Aizawa the camp leader versus Shouta his boyfriend, Toshinori wouldn’t give Shouta up for the world.
The past few days might have been a little rough with everything happening at once and them not being able to sneak away to reunite properly, but it was undoubtedly true to Yagi that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
He finally managed to shift around to where he could hold Shouta from the front. Despite still being damp, Yagi pressed his mouth against Shouta’s hair, knowing that it was a comfort for both of them.
“That bad? You’ve never risked sneaking into my cabin before.”
“If you’re worried about it, stop getting yourself killed in my dreams,” Shouta growled without any real heat to it.
“Shouta.”
“Toshi,” Shouts grumbled back in the same tone.
Toshinori pulled back, happy to grab the towel again and drop it on Shouta’s head, causing the other man to sputter in indigance.
When Shouta let go to grab at the towel, Toshi took a step back to start pulling out more clothes, now needing a dry set for himself.
He quickly pulled his damp shirt off over his head, causing his hair to go everywhere as his usual extra-strength static build up sent it straight into the air. His signature bangs now looked like bunny ears.
Behind him Shouta huffed out a near-silent laugh. More than most people could get from him when he was sober. It was music to Yagi’s ears especially with what was going on.
He started to pull off his sleep shorts which were only a little damp with transferred rain but still uncomfortable when he felt someone staring.
Of course when he looked up, Shouta was very interested in Yagi’s lamp rather than his boyfriend getting undressed. As much as he wanted to goof around with it, Shouta was almost dead on his feet from sleep deprivation and they both were participating in capture the flag tomorrow.
With one towel and one dresser of clothes between them, they managed to get dried and dressed without any more incidents. Unless you counted one catching the other staring a few times.
As Toshi moved about the near-empty cabin, looking for places to spread their clothes to dry, he started chuckling at Shouta’s choice of sleepwear.
“I’m guessing Yamada and Nemuri gifted you these. The black cats are cute but I don't see you as one to buy Halloween themed clothing. Very cute Sho-chan.”
Shouta, without looking up, threw a pillow at him, nailing him in the back of the head.
Toshi scrambled to catch it before it hit the wet marble, shooting a half-hearted glare over his shoulder.
“Just get in bed already you grumpy cat.”
Rather than retort, Shouta paused, hesitating as he glanced at the bed and back to Toshi again.
“I’m just going to wake you up a bunch of times and probably kick you. I can take a bed on the other side of the cabin. I don’t make a lot of noise when I wake up from nightmares so-”
“Shouta, don’t you think that maybe I’ll stop dying in your nightmares if I’m right here? Or at least you’ll have a better wakeup call than lying alone with my father’s statue staring at you.”
There was only one bed in the entire cabin that was hidden from that damn statue and Yagi had gladly claimed it the first night he slept there.
Shouta’s expression pinched in worry but his knowledge about his boyfriend’s stubbornness prevented him from arguing.
“Fine.”
He shuffled over to Toshinori’s bed and flopped down on it before curling up facing the wall. It was a common Shouta signal that he wanted held but didn’t want to say it outloud. He even took Toshi’s lion stuffed animal he had been jokingly gifted after surviving a manticore attack at the Dallas Zoo.
Toshi gladly took the hint and carefully stepped over the still damp spots on the marble floor to make it over to turn off the lamp, leaving the cabin bathed in only the light of the moon and the sparse cracks of lightning.
Finally getting back to his bed, Toshi sighed happily when the pressure was off his legs and he could curl up with his blankets and the most adorable tsundere kitten he knew. Even Shouta’s damp hair sticking to his face didn’t bring down the high that came from being able to openly cuddle his boyfriend.
He expected Shouta to go silent, normal for the few times they’ve been actually trying to sleep in the same bed. Instead Shouta shifted back a bit to press fully into Toshi’s chest and began to speak so quietly it was almost lost to the white noise of the storm.
“I’m sorry for scaring you again.”
“Hmm?” Toshi grumbled, putting his head on Shouta’s shoulder to hear him better.
“I keep scaring you and I’m pretty sure you’re suppressing how pissed you are about it. I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to fix that. I’m still trying.”
Toshi just huffed out a laugh and grinned despite neither being able to see it. He slightly backed off so he wouldn’t be speaking directly into Shouta’s ear.
“I was kind of annoyed the first time because you literally shouted at me when I had an arrow knocked which was extremely dangerous. The other times though were accidents, you thought I saw you coming up after the campfire and you just lost your hold on the door when it blew open. Why would I be mad about things you can’t control?”
“I get pissed when you keep shocking me because you’re nervous. You aren’t trying to piss me off but I still get angry.”
Toshi reached over Shouta’s side, grabbing his hand and holding it tight while he spoke.
“We’re just human. Half god or not we’re allowed to make mistakes and then get mad when others make them too. I’ve just been blessed with strong empathy”
“You’re too forgiving anyway. Accuse me of being an ass and then decide to be my friend anyway like Kayama did. I’m pretty sure Hizashi would have too if we hadn’t grown up with each other.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I decided to be your boyfriend instead.”
“For fu-”
Shouta wiggled out of Toshinori’s grip, flipped over and buried his face in his boyfriend’s chest.
“Stop being so positive,” Shouta grumbled.
Yagi chuckled, jostling Shouta a bit before saying, “I’d say stop being so negative but I don’t think I’m all that interested in having you change.”
Shouta just groaned at the mushy sentiment, muffled into Yagi’s shirt.
Folding back more laughter, Yagi slowly began to rub slow circles into his boyfriend’s back.
“Okay fine. If you’re so sure I should be angry, we can settle it in capture the flag tomorrow. Red team bribed me by taking over bathroom cleaning duty this week. I couldn't resist.”
Shouta opened his eyes at this, looking up at his boyfriend in silent exasperation.
“Don’t worry, Sho. I have complete trust in your ability to kick my ass. As long as you feel well enough to compete tomorrow which would probably be easier to do if I stopped trying to encourage you and let you fall asleep.”
Even in the dim light of the moon, Shouta could see the sheepish smile on his boyfriend’s face. Overcome with a rush of exhaustion and a warmth in his chest, he leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to his boyfriend’s lips.
“Don’t worry, I think I’m feeling better already.”
For most people, you don’t mention Aizawa’s sleep patterns or his mood unless you wanted a one-way ticket to the underworld where he would appear and kick your ass for the second time.
That is unless you’re Yamada Hizashi.
“Shouta! Did you hear that Mina saw someone sneaking up from behind the Hades cabin and all the way up to the past Apollo? I was worried it was something dangerous but Nezu says everything is fine and Yagi said that Nighteye, or whatever his real name is, says that no prophecies have come through. I think it might be a romance thing.”
Not allowing his inner turmoil to show on his face, Shouta barely blinked before growling, “There was a possible intruder at camp and no one was alerted?”
“Hey, give her some credit. She might not be book smart but she’s not that dumb. She told Kayama who went and got Nezu. He’s the one who said it’s probably just a camper sneaking out. I think he’s going to make an announcement about staying inside your cabin at night or something about late night makeout sessions are not worth Aizawa’s wrath.”
As much exasperation as he was expressing towards using him as a threat, Shouta was very glad that Hizashi didn’t seem to suspect him. Dude might be a son of Apollo but he could out-gossip the entire Aphrodite cabin.
“You wouldn’t happen to know who it was do you?” Hizashi leaned in closer and purred this in Shouta’s ear, earning him a hard shove which sent him back half a step. He laughed despite this and grinned like he won the lottery.
“I knew it. Kayama and I have spent months trying to figure out what’s up with you. Like, if this were a normal week, you’d stubbornly try to deal with your nightmares alone until you passed out in the middle of training. But I’m pretty sure you actually slept last night.”
Shouta huffed, turning the full might of his glare on Hizashi. Not that it affected him much anymore.
“If I’m not telling you something, then you know there is a serious reason it’s a secret.” He stopped for a second to glare at Hizashi to cut him off. “I didn’t mind the jokes about my love life when there was none but now that it’s not just me, I’m putting my foot down.”
Hizashi deflated a bit, looking apologetic.
“Oh, sorry man. I didn’t realize this was different.” he perked up slightly smiling again. “I’ll relay the message to Kayama if you promise that I’m the first one to know when you decide to open up about it.”
Rather than answer that particular question, Shouta gestured at Hizashi’s helmet under his arm.
“Red team this week?”
Undeterred, Hizashi proudly hoisted it onto his shoulder, showing off the red plume.
“Yep! Athena cabin had to do a lot to get us to agree but we’re gonna kick butt this week.”
Shouta huffed a laugh and poked Hizashi’s side. “I guess I’ll be watching for you then. If I can just catch a cricket and put it in your pocket, you’ll take out half your team on your own.”
“Tha-at was almost ten years ago! Let it go,” Hizashi barked back, voice cracking from embarrassment.
“Just go join your team. They’ll be pissed if you don’t get the plan before the game starts.”
He pointedly ignored Hizashi’s pout as he walked over to his own team, gesturing for a few specific kids to come to him so he could get them up to speed before an Ares kid could convince them that all they needed to do was ‘fight good’.
As he went through the bare bones of a plan for their squadron, he often glanced over at the red team, obviously too far away to hear but he could easily pick out Toshinori’s golden hair.
The other man seemed even more ecstatic than normal when Senior campers were allowed to join capture-the-flag. It might have something to do with the bright-eyed and green-haired kid eagerly listening to what was probably a motivational speech from him.
Even Bakugou, who seemed reluctant to even be near Midoriya, was listening intently. Probably putting that Athena intelligence to work trying to figure out how to stay as far away from ‘Deku’ as possible but also win at the same time.
At the very least, they were on the same team so no there was minimal worry about Bakugou blindly going after Midoriya. There was some serious shit there that they didn’t need to be airing out on the battlefield especially with the fact that this was an actual swords and shields battlefield.
A few minutes before they were to start setting up, Shouta glanced up one more time only to notice Toshinori was staring right back at him. They kept eye contact for only a moment longer before Toshi broke out into a grin, throwing up an awkward peace sign as some of the campers on both teams laughed at the interaction.
Outwardly, Shouta just rolled his eyes but on the inside he could feel his chest squeeze in response.
Toshi was too cute for his own good.
“Pick up your feet,” Aizawa hissed, grabbing Shinsou by the arm and hauling him back to his feet. “The environment can get you killed just as easily as a missing weapon or faulty shield.”
Shinsou only slightly hesitated before scurrying to catch up with his teacher and the other few Hypnos kids who could get out of bed early enough to join. They were all agitated after being led astray by some Iris kids and were now trying to make it back towards their team’s base.
Shinsou tried to say something only to wait when Aizawa suddenly stopped mid-stride, holding out a hand to prevent any of the campers from running into him.
On instinct, they grouped up, back to back, listening and watching for what Aizawa had noticed.
Shinsou had to muffle a yelp when someone jumped from a nearby tree, red plume on his helmet distinguishing him from their group.
“Yagi,” Aizawa snarled, adjusting his grip on his sword.
Instead of immediately attacking, Yagi smirked and casually leaned on his sword.
“I’d suggest letting the kids run off to go do whatever you planned. I’m just here to distract you. And we don’t have to put anyone else in danger to do that.”
The two stared each other down for a long moment, the faint sounds of battle momentarily catching their attention before swiveling back to their opponent.
“Shinsou, take point. Watch for an ambush. Follow the plan.”
Every muscle in his body tenses in protest of leaving Aizawa alone with a guy he’s seen chop off a fury’s head but he listens to the two years of training that tells him to go.
As the small group went rushing off, Yagi pulled himself out of his relaxed stance. Calmness shifting into the hardened figure of a veteran warrior. The morning sunlight glinted off the golden shield he wielded.
“It’s more fun fighting someone closer to your level. Don’t you think.”
Aizawa said nothing as he raised his own shield before charging at the other man.
Yagi got out half of a laugh before grunting at the force of Aizawa ramming their shields together, his silvery sword a stark contrast against the gold of Yagi’s. The move forced him back slightly only for his body to crackle with electricity, sending Aizawa back with a mild shock.
The motion threw his helmet off, leaving him vulnerable and unnerved as he scrambled to grab it while still having a firm hold on his shield and sword in case Yagi decided to charge at him.
Either mocking Aizawa’s plight or with a true sense of sportsmanship, Yagi pulled his own helmet off by the plume, tossing it to the ground before smiling at his fallen foe.
This practically boiled Aizawa’s blood as Yagi’s line between confidence and cockyness was scrubbed out with that one move. If one thing was a hair trigger for him, it was demigods who were too confident in their abilities.
Yagi lurched at him again and Aizawa rolled with the motion before scrambling to his feet just in time to block a wide swing of Yagi’s sword with his shield, electricity still crackling between them. Thankfully Aizawa had commissioned this particular shield with insulation just for dealing with this particular demigod.
With all of the strength he could muster, Aizawa pushed back against Yagi as soon as the man pulled back his sword.
This managed to stop him just long enough for Aizawa to put a significant distance between them. The strange move had Yagi confused and he stilled just long enough to watch as Aizawa pulled a dagger from his belt and cut a near-invisible rope tied to the nearest tree.
Yagi tried to move fast enough but even several steps didn’t have him out of the range of a net meant for a whole group of demigods. The wide swath of rope under his feet caught him easily, practically launching him in the air before leaving him swinging from the tree.
His first reaction was to hack at the rope. It was a long way down and he was never very good at controlling his flight abilities but it should be enough to not hurt himself when he landed. Right?
It took only two seconds to realize the net was made of woven bronze. Damn Hephestus cabin.
He looked down to see Aizawa standing under him, smiling in a way that was rare and infuriating as hell to see.
“You okay up there, Sparky? My other option was to grab you and shadow-travel you to the other side of the field but I didn’t think it was fair considering how bad your motion sickness can get.”
Yagi ignored the jab too busy looking up at the still mostly cloudy sky quickly growing darker, then at the base of the tree.
“I’d stand back if I were you. Yamada would kill me if he had to treat you for electrical burns in addition to the bruising I’m going to give you.”
“Don’t try it. Yagi. You’ll electrocute yourself before you get the tree down.”
A deafening crack of thunder and the blinding light of a lightning strike threw Aizawa to the ground and them both into silence as they struggled to process it.
Yagi was the first to recover, frantically looking around to see if he had pulled his power in too quickly without meaning to and struck too close to Aizawa. Instead, he watched Aizawa push himself off the tree he was leaning on, looking stunned but unhurt.
“What the hell, Yagi?!”
“It wasn’t me,” Yagi shouted back, still trying to unscramble his brain enough to process the situation.
He only had a moment to think and Aizawa’s single command of, “Fly!” before he was falling, barely cushioned by the wind.
For a second he thought he was destined for the med tent but strong arms grabbed him, sending them both crashing to the ground.
Again, he wasn’t allowed to process anything (let alone the fact that Aizawa was holding him) before Aizawa was tugging him to his feet and shouting something about checking on the kids and making sure that an univited monster hadn't somehow busted into camp.
They didn’t even get two steps towards the noise before they were almost barreled over by the younger Iida brother, running like hellhounds were on his tail.
“Tenya,” Aizawa barked.
The kid skidded to a stop, glanced at the blue plume over Aizawa’s head before settling into a shaky fighting stance.
“Time out,” Aizawa snapped as Yagi came up behind him. “What happened? Is this a monster attack or part of the game?”
Iida hesitated for a moment before the rumble of a charge of demigods could be felt through the ground. The two adults looked to where Iida had come from and were greeted with the sight of the elder Iida brother with the blue team’s flag slung over his shoulder, multiple Hermes kids flanking him before breaking off to fight off attackers.
Surprised but excited, Yagi let out a loud ‘woop’ before running off to join the procession. Aizawa cursed at himself for believing the trick the other man must have pulled before chasing after him.
Pulling all of the anger and frustration at the situation, Aizawa slammed his hands into the ground, sending out a wave of force into the dirt below him, just enough to mimic an earthquake around him.
It was enough to trip up Tensei, who went crashing to the ground, dropping the flag. The other demigods were too busy with each other to be able to grab for it.
For a moment, Aizawa thought he had a chance to reclaim the flag. He stumbled to his feet, exhausted from the power usage and his shoulders aching from catching Yagi.
Suddenly the hair on the back of his neck stood up and the smell of ozone permeated his senses. Both signs of an imminent natural lighting strike.
The cause, rather than a genuine lightning strike, ran past the quarreling demigods, scooping up the flag in his electrified hands before sprinting towards his base.
On instinct, Aizawa almost shouted for Yagi but was interrupted by someone grabbing his arm. He looked up to see Yagi grinning like a madman at him.
“Come on. We’ve got to see the end of this.”
Aizawa didn’t get the chance to voice his confusion before they were joining the running crowd, no longer caring about teams or divistions. Now he was too busy freaking out about why Midoriya was electrified and glowing.
They make it into the clearing just in time to see Bakugou tackle an Ares kid reaching for Midoriya and Midoriya taking a running leap over both of them.
There wasn’t even a moment longer to process that significance before Midoriya practically flew over the river.
The red team absolutely lost their minds, screeching and cheering, some campers even falling over with exhaustion but still elated at their victory.
Shouta managed to stop gasping for air and started to check for serious injuries and such when the changing of the flag caught his attention. The stark bloody red flag with a deep black boar that once marked the Ares cabin as the victors shimmered, glowing bright enough to make you flinch away.
Most who hadn’t seen Midoriya fighting, Aizawa included, expected the yellow and orange design of the Hermes cabin. The flag always changed to the cabin of the kid who brought it over the boundary.
Instead, thunder rumbled, much closer than it should have been, and when the light died down and the flag was revealed, over a stark golden background was a single lightning bolt carried by a giant eagle.
The cheers died down as more and more campers noticed the flag’s change.
Despite it being a bit overkill with the rest of the ‘hints’ going on, a small golden lightning bolt appeared over Midoriya’s head, the little thing following his movements as he tried to lean around to see the flag’s change.
Stunned silence followed for only a split second before Yagi rushed Midoriya, easily hoisting the boy onto his shoulder and letting out a thunderous cheer.
Reinvigorated, the red team joined in, more and more kids coming up to see what the abnormal freak out was about. Kids swarmed Midoriya shouting congratulations and demanding high fives. Others thankfully took the time to congratulate the Iida brothers for getting the flag so far and Bakugou for taking out that last Ares kid.
Despite technically losing, Aizawa couldn’t let go of the joy he was feeling as he watched a kid who was obviously overlooked too much suddenly have a crowd of people cheering for him. He could do without the waterworks but he would give the kid a break for that day.
He earned it.
Even after an afternoon to rest, Shouta’s shoulders were still killing him.
Chiyo told him he was lucky that one or both hadn’t been ripped out of their sockets when he had gone to try and catch Toshi. He could’ve taken the offered ambrosia but he was already feeling exhausted after trying to literally make an earthquake right after busting his shoulders.
And tonight he wanted to be awake to see this.
Across the dining hall, Toshinori was happily recounting the tale of him losing control of his flight and having to be dragged out of a lion enclosure that happened to house an angry manticore. His friend Dave ended up having to jury-rig a golf cart to explode just to give them long enough to escape.
Midoriya seemed transfixed on him, like he wanted to start taking notes on a power he didn’t even know if he had. He barely changed expressions beyond a small smile even when Toshi explained how the completely mortal prophet Nighteye had climbed a service gate and fought it off.
It was a story that was rare to come directly from Toshi without prompting but he seemed more than happy to spill even the most embarrassing stories to make his little brother smile.
Shouta was so busy staring, he nearly missed Shinsou coming up to him and almost covered him in teriyaki chicken and rice.
Catching his balance, he shot an unimpressed look at the kid which the kid returned with a smile.
“You’re the one too busy staring down Yagi to notice me. What happened to situational awareness?”
Shouta bit back some choice words he would have said in response to that particular statement if it were an adult saying that.
“Shouldn’t you have better things to do than to sass me?” He drawled, subtly taking in Shinsou’s bruises but mostly uninjured figure.
“Shouldn’t you go sit with Yagi rather than stare at him from across the room?”
The cocky smile Shinsou had on slowly dropped off the longer Shouta stared unamused at him, his natural red glow rising up to be near-blinding.
“I think I heard Kaminari calling me. I’m gonna...go.”
“You do that,” Shouta drawled, letting Shinsou run off to fake interest in the Hephestus kids' conversation.
That still left him standing awkwardly in the middle of the dinning hall with rapidly cooling food and an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Baby steps. Right? He doesn’t have to throw himself into his boyfriend’s arms in the middle of dinner but he could deal with gently reminding everyone that he doesn’t actually dislike Toshi, contrary to his volatile reactions the past few days.
If no one lost their shit at this, maybe he could approach his boyfriend about being a little more publicly affectionate and maybe even transparent about their relationship. It wasn’t like Toshi was the one who had been opposed to it for this long.
If anything, the other campers would be grateful for the change because with one night of better than awful sleep that his boyfriend facilitated, he had been more or less himself again. Otherwise, he might have either passed out mid-way through the forest or just continued being progressively more irritable and tired until he was taken out in the middle of a real battle.
So yeah. Being able to be openly affectionate in public might help a bit.
Instead of walking over and asking about taking a seat, when Shouta noticed one of the campers leave the table, he calmly and casually walked up and stood beside Midoriya hesitating only a moment before he sat, leaving Midoriya as a buffer between him and Toshi.
There was a full second of stunned silence as everyone processed the aloof man before Toshi broke it with a big grin.
“Ah, Aizawa. I wasn’t expecting you to join us tonight. Not that you aren’t allowed to, it’s just that you tend to prefer the quieter tables and we’re feeling a bit rowdy after today’s game.”
Managing to keep a cool facade despite internally screaming, “What the hell am I doing?” Shouta responded succinctly.
“I was curious about your brother. Another son of the Big Three is big news. And besides, I can’t let you have free reign with him. You’ll give Nezu a heart attack with two of you running around.”
Stifled laughter came from the rest of the table but the loudest was Bakugo. Midoriya and Toshinori both curled into themselves, making bad attempts to hide their embarrassed faces
“Calm down you two, it was just a jab,” Shouta huffed, making momentary eye contact with Toshi to emphasize his point. “But considering the similarities that are starting to make sense maybe we ought to keep an eye on how much mirroring Midoriya starts doing before he decides to challenge Kronos.”
The few older campers and even the more experienced young ones all sobered up a bit at the statement. Not knowing the history behind this comment, the two newest campers continued without catching the subdued reaction from everyone else.
There was a moment where everyone else held their breath, waiting for a squabble to start between Toshinori and Shouta. Even in a relationship, Shouta had never been afraid to criticize his boyfriend’s teaching technique and the bad example he often set without meaning to.
It didn’t help that they often avoided each other when around others just as not to chance one of them forgetting they weren’t publicly dating and doing something too affectionate.
“Understandable. But that is why we are always working towards making the next generation better. So that they do not make the same mistakes that we do.”
“Good. Then maybe I won’t have to warn Shinsou about falling Zeus kids. I’m not even sure how I’m supposed to train for that situation.”
Toshi sputtered into his drink, spilling over his hand while Midoriya whipped around to look directly at Shouta.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your big brother can fly but not well and that when I cut him out of a trap this afternoon during capture the flag, instead of using his wind powers to catch himself, I almost had my arms ripped out of their sockets trying to prevent him from breaking his bony butt.”
Before Toshi could interject with his own view of that event, Bakugou almost shot up out of his seat just to see over Toshi to shout at Shouta.
“You’re claiming you managed to catch The All Mighty in a damn net!?” He screeched, looking red in the face and having to be grabbed by Toshi before he toppled over.
What little amusement he had drained out of Shouta’s body as he watched Bakugou start on some weird rant about Toshi being some superhero who had defeated the titans with one hand tied behind his back.
“Bakugou, either sit down here and be quiet or sit down at another table. Pick one.”
The aforementioned camper stopped, clearly warring with his desire to shout more against his desire to not be kicked out of the group. Eventually, after a moment, he yielded to Shouta’s stare and sat down. But Shouta wasn’t done with him yet.
“I would hope that a son of Athena would know that strength can be overcome with cunning. I’ve spent years training with one of the strongest daughters of Aphrodite that has ever lived at Camp Half-blood and so I know what I’m saying when I say you can lead anyone into a trap with the right bait.”
He had meant it so that the campers would infer that he had taunted Toshinori or tricked him into thinking he was critically injured or something. Completely normal types of bait.
Instead, Toshi’s face slowly turned redder and redder until his ears were starting to color as well. Midoriya noticed first, too fast for Toshi to hide his bewildered expression, followed by Bakugou who immediately got the wrong idea.
“Are you seriously that ashamed of getting trapped?” Bakugou barked, not letting Toshi shush him. “What the hell did he say to get you to fall for that shit? You should’ve known-”
“Or.”
Bakugou thankfully shut up as everyone’s attention turned to Ashido who had randomly appeared at some point. Her glowing amber eyes shined with mischief when the lamplight flickered across them.
“That is not the blush of an ashamed man. That is the blush of a bashful one. Ms. Nemuri specializes in one type of trickery and it isn’t the taunting kind-.”
“Ashido,” Shouta snapped, not letting her get further. “If you are insinuating something inappropriate-”
“I’m not,” she whined in her defense, “All of my siblings are too scared to say it but I think you and Mr. Yagi have great chemistry, and if you’d step out of your roles as demigods for one second then maybe you’d see that.”
Everyone sat stunned for a second, either warily watching for Shouta to unleash the underworld or waiting to see if Toshinori would start steaming.
Before either could happen, Nemuri popped up behind Ashido and grabbed her shoulder in a death grip.
“I told you to leave them alone. Don’t blame me if Aizawa has you mucking out the stables for the rest of the summer.”
She started to pull the girl away from the table but stopped to look back at Shouta.
“Yamada and I haven’t said anything because we know how sensitive you are about relationships but now that it’s out in the open, please just give him a chance. If I have to drag my mom into this just so she can point out how well you are made for each other, then none of us are going to be happy for a while.”
And she walked away, leaving behind two thoroughly embarrassed senior campers and a dozen baby campers reeling from the secondhand embarrassment.
Thankfully, Toshi’s softer nature let him break the silence before Shouta’s rapidly rising blood pressure could.
“And that, children, is why you never anger a child of a love goddess. She will air your dirty laundry out then stick a spotlight on it just to make sure you can’t run away from what she thinks is best. I’m sorry for all of this, Aizawa. I-”
“So, do we tell them we’ve been dating for five months already?”
Somehow it got even quieter than before, the only sound inside their little bubble being Midoriya’s gasp.
“I, um, didn’t have any plans to, considering you wanted to avoid it.”
“Well, obviously even though we tried hard to be secretive, we didn’t avoid being called out so there isn’t much of a point to sneaking around. We probably gave half-a-dozen people heart attacks last night just trying to sneak around to get a quiet place to talk and Nezu would appreciate the lowered stress levels.”
Toshi seemed calmer if only marginally. “Well, if you’re really sure.”
“I wouldn’t have said anything if I wasn’t. Especially in front of a half-dozen campers and within earshot of a dozen more. I was trying to plan out how to slowly introduce the idea to everyone to reduce the shock factor but I guess this is easier.”
He started to casually pick up his chopsticks but one look at his cold chicken killed his appetite so he dropped them and stood while picking up his tray.
“I’m tired and not in the mood to be interrogated so I’m going to go catch up on sleep or paperwork. Whichever makes me hate my life less in the morning.”
He stepped over the bench, ignoring everyone’s bewildered expressions, and started to turn away before he stopped to say one more thing.
“You can say whatever you’d like about this but if I hear a single lie or exaggeration-”
His eyes flashed red, pinning everyone down with the chill of death.
“-I will create hell on Earth for you.”
Despite it not being aimed at him, Yagi was the one to respond by getting up and standing next to Shouta, gently touching his shoulder in a way that he had been denied in public for months.
“Let’s try and give the kids the benefit of the doubt, we don’t need to worry about it too much. What I am worried about though is you skipping meals again.”
Shouta groaned and started to walk away again without comment. Toshi struggled to catch up while grabbing his own tray, half-stumbling over one of the Dionysus campers who only came up to his knee.
Thankfully Shouta wasn’t actually angry and just putting on a show for the campers. Even when Toshi had to stop to apologize to the pint-sized kid and put his tray away, he still found Shouta in an alcove just outside the pavilion, contently licking applesauce straight out of the container.
“Did you need a spoon?” Toshinori asked cautiously, watching for that little twitch that let him know Shouta was actually mad and not just being aloof. When it didn’t show, he ventured closer.
“I’m fine Toshi,” Shouta mumbled, wiping the mess from his lips, “and before you ask, I’m okay with all of this. I wasn’t lying when I said that this is just a faster version of my original plan.”
“But still…” Toshi mumbled as he got close enough behind Shouta to wrap his arms around his boyfriend’s shoulders. When the affection wasn’t rejected, a soft smile blossomed across his face, gently resting his head on top of Shouta’s.
Just the slight action made chills run up Toshi’s spine, once again feeling like a lanky string bean of a teenager sneaking around, afraid to get caught out past lights out. They weren’t even doing anything sordid, just holding each other while watching the summer sun set over the horizon.
An easy fix.
“Toshi, do you-” Shouta was startled into silence when Toshi pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.
“Well, aren’t you feeling scandalous,” Shouta chuckled, looking up at his boyfriend.
“Consider it my revenge for blindsiding me with suddenly going public. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy but I feel like I got whiplash from the sudden change in pace. Next time consult with me first.”
Shouta scoffed. “Yes, next time I want to announce we are dating I’ll ask first.”
Toshi hugged Shouta tighter in revenge, chuckling as Shouta half-heartedly tried to wiggle out of it.
Neither had a chance to address this before they were distracted.
“HE SAID WHAT!?”
Both men startled a little, Toshi ready to run towards the commotion before he recognized the screech.
“Is that Nemuri?” Toshi wondered aloud as Shouta wriggled out of his arms.
“I’m guessing the news finally trickled down to her. Took longer than I expected honestly.”
“WHERE IS HE?”
“And that would be our cue to run.”
Toshi had no time to protest before the prince of the underworld was dragging him away, encouraging him to join in a sprint as they tried to put as much distance between them and the raging woman behind them.
Even as his heart threatened to pound out of his chest worse than in any battle, Toshi caught a glimpse of the spark in Shouta’s eyes. There was an energy there now that had been dulled in the months they had stuck to the shadows. The slightest grin made that energy look manic but in reality, he was happy in a way that had been missing.
So maybe he could be forgiven for outing them, just this once.