Chapter Text
Fog
Jim said he believed it was spirits, but I says: no, spirits wouldn't say 'dern the dern fog'.
-Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
It all started when Shinsou proposed a deal.
He suggested that if he got a perfect score in all his subject at UA, they would allow him to get anything he wanted as a gift. Aizawa was doubtful about the deal, but his husband, Hizashi, didn't see anything wrong with it and accepted the conditions. It was no surprise when a few months later, their son came back with a perfect report card.
"So, what do you want?" Hizashi asks him, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the table.
"A Tattoo," Shinsou tells them.
"No," Shota refused, but feels his husband nudge him behind the table with his knee.
"Sho, it's just a tattoo," the blonde tries to defend him.
"He can wait till he is eighteen to get a tattoo," he says and crosses his arms.
"Well, I guess I'll have to tell Todoroki I won't go with him to his new workplace of which you know nothing about,"
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"Thanks for giving me a ride, Aizawa-sensei," his student says as he and Shinsou sit on the back seat.
He knows his son manipulated him. But while part of him feels like a fool for falling for his mind games, another part is proud of him. He taught the kid well. "No problem, Todoroki. Where is your job?" the teen writes down the location on his phone's GPS, and he starts the car. "So... how did you end up working at a Tattoo shop?" he asks while he watches the scarred teen through the rearview mirror.
"My brother is the owner," Todoroki tells him.
"Wasn't he studying medicine?" if he remembered correctly, Natsuo was still in college.
"No, my other brother," the teen explains. "The one who ran away at 14 and we thought was dead but reunited with recently," he says in a monotone which Shota can't tell if it's a joke or not.
"You need to sell the rights of your family history one day," Shinsou says after a pause. "You're gonna make millions," he comments.
"That's our plan once the old fart's money runs out," the double coloured one says with a shrug.
What the hell did Shota agreed to?
It doesn't take them too long to arrive at the location, but the moment Shota park, he wants to turn away. The place screams danger. There is a bar next to a gun range. If that isn't a formula for disaster, he doesn't know what else could be. He also notices the windows of the shops are thick and mirrored, allowing the people inside to see the outside, but not vice-versa. There are also scratches on the cement and bad lit alleyways that the security cameras from the street can't capture footage off.
He sees Shinsou feel the same danger he does. His nervousness showing as he swallows and his eyes dart from place to place. The other teen, however, is unfazed by the scenery, and he walks with normalcy to the shop 'Inferno' as if nothing was wrong. Shota and Shinsou follow him, stepping inside the place as a guitar riff goes off when the door opens.
"Who is it!?" a scream is heard over the background music and the buzz of a machine.
"It's me," Todoroki answers, peeking his head through the curtain leading to another room. "I brought you a new customer," he announces.
"You can't just bring people and expect me to drop everything, and tattoo whoever you bring!" the voice responds. "I still have an hour with this one!"
"Can you wait?" the teen turns back to them, getting a sigh and a sure from Aizawa. "They can wait," he says back to whoever was on that room. They don't hear him get an answer, but Todoroki nods, so he probably got one. He goes behind the piercing display and bring Shinsou a few portfolios he explains are some of the samples he can choose from. Aizawa takes ones to check what he is dealing with. It surprises him to find the drawings were actually pretty good. A little dull on colours with sharp traces, but really well done.
They waited for Todoroki's brother, sitting in the small lounge area he had. 'Toshi started chatting with his classmate, while he checked his phone and texted Hizashi. Then, by the hour, a woman steps out of the curtains. She had black skin, and when she gave her back to him to pay, he saw her entire back had two hummingbird escaping a cage tattooed on it. It was really well made, and somehow, Shota could feel the longing for freedom coming off of it.
"Bye, Dabi," the woman says, once she pays.
"See ya, Michiko, say hi to Hatchin for me," the same voice that they heard earlier says, as a man also steps out of the curtains.
The guy, Dabi, who must be Todoroki's brother, was ... something. He was tattooed from head to toe as well as pierced on body parts he didn't know people could put a piercing on. But that wasn't so strange giving his line of work. What really surprised him was the scars that the tattoos tried to cover and his stare. It was cold and hard, and the same one Todoroki had, but a little more hunting. Shota stands up as the artist moves closer to his son.
"Did something caught your attention?" Dabi asks.
"Not really," the boy admits. "I mean, they're really good but-"
"Not what you want," the older man finishes. "I get it. Did you have anything in mind?"
"I might have one or two ideas,"
"Good. Shouto, pass me my sketchbook and print the paperwork for the old man to sign," he bosses. Shota signs the document, that agreed he consented to allowing Dabi to tattoo the person he was in charge of. As he goes back to his seat, Shinsou and Dabi talking about what he wants.
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The last day they saw him was at the end of summer vacation.
The rented RV was starting to smell like teenagers and dead bodies with how much time they had spent on it. Oboro was at the wheel, since it was his turn, and the only of three people who could drive. A soft tune of the summer hit of the year played softly as the excitement of vacation was slowly replaced with the relief of coming home. Tensei was taking the last bag of chips they had from the pantry, Kan was at the table with Nemuri playing poker and on the back was the newly formed couple of Hizashi and Shota were being sappy. There was a sort of peace to the scene. They had come from two weeks of none-stop parting, and the return home was the down-time they needed. They felt like new people, and after today they would be, for better or for worse.
The RV finally comes to a stop, outside an expensive-looking house, the Iida residence. Tensei stretches and gets his luggage as he reminds the others that school will start in two days and they need to be there. They boo him, for reminding them school still exists, and he opens the door to step outside. Before he leaves though, Shirakumo throws him a printed T-shirt, with a picture of Aizawa sleeping on Yamada's shoulder as the two drool circled by a heart and the phrase 'Zashi + Shota = Love' under it. The three friends that were able to see it laughed at it, but when the couple popped their heads through the door, Tensei quickly hid the gift. He said one final goodbye before stepping outside with his things, back to his home.
The next to be dropped of was Kan. They could hear his dog barking from the RV. Kan picks his stuff up and starts to leave, but not without getting his gift T-shirt and screaming that dogs were better than cats. Which was a challenge Aizawa was glad to fight against, popping his head back from the bedroom and screaming back to say that to his face. For the next drive, the couple comes out of hiding, sitting with Nemuri at the table while Oboro drove. They drop her next. Nemuri wishing the happy couple a 'happy humping' as Oboro throws her the T-shirt, and she steps away with her stuff. Shota and Zashi look at him with risen eyebrow, suspicious at his actions as he keeps driving.
"Don't worry about it," Shirakumo waves them off. "It's just a little reminder of the trip. I have a pair for you too, don't worry," he smiles, in that lively way he did.
"Alright!" Zashi exclaims. "Anyway, Sho said his parents aren't home at the time, so we can all spend the rest of the evening there," he tells him.
"And watch you two be gross? No, thanks," Oboro answers with a chuckle. "I don't want to interrupt your date,"
"It's not a date," Aizawa clears, his cheeks turning pink. "We are just going to rest on something that is not a shaking cage and maybe watch a movie,"
"Yeah, besides, just because Sho and I are dating now doesn't mean we can't hang out the three of us," the blonde says. "We are still friends, nothing has to change too much!"
"I know, and I don't feel like you two are leaving me behind," the albino tells them. "But after two weeks of being together in this melting coffee-pot, I want to be alone for a while. Not to mention, I have to return the RV and check in with my boss. Knowing him, he will already have a list of errands he wants me to take care of," he sighs.
"Your job is strange," Aizawa comments.
"You have no idea," Oboro says under his breath, and the RV stops at Shota's home. "Alright, we are here, love-birds! Here are your T-shirts," he throws the last pair at them. "You know, you should wear them while you make-out," he grins and Shota turns red when he sees what's printed on them. He takes his things and stomps away, flipping him the middle finger, Hizashi behind him trying to contain his laugh.
Little did they know, that would be the last they would see of him. When the close of the vehicle shut, the image of the smiling albino boy who always had his head on the clouds would be gone forever. That as RV went away, so did their friend.
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Shinsou, in the end, decided on a wrist and shoulder tattoo. The one on his wrist was going to be three laying cats, and the one of his shoulder a tarot card, the star. He wouldn't be able to get the two that day, though. Shinsou requested Dabi designed the drawing instead of getting the most popular one, and it would take time to do it. Not to mention that it would take longer to tattoo the shoulder one, and they didn't have much time.
The one with the cats though, he got that day. The tattooer said it would help him estimate how much pain Shinsou could tolerate and it would only take half an hour to tattoo, since it was small. Aizawa stayed at the front of the store as his son went behind the curtain. Todoroki, the young one, brought him over some magazines for him to read, as he waited. Aizawa didn't really focus on the magazines, but instead used them as an excuse to subtly hear the buzzing and small bits of conversation from behind the curtain. He didn't hear a lot, even when his student turned down the music when he asked. His mind was so concentrated on it, he didn't notice someone had come in until he heard his student talk.
"Hello, Kurogiri," Todoroki greeted, calling to Shota's attention. "Do you need something?" he heard, but still didn't redirect his eyes from the pages. For all he knew this was just another customer, maybe a regular one.
"Good evening, young Shouto," the stranger said. "Your brother told me he had the pictures for this week's party, ready. I just came to collect them," he listens as Todoroki responds and shuffles a few papers as he searches.
But his mind is elsewhere, not with the magazine, or with Shinsou, where it should be, but on the stranger. The man is tall and wearing a bartender suit. His hair is as black as night, sometimes even purple with the right amount of light. His skin is a toasted almond colour, and Aizawa can't keep his eyes off. He would love to say it's because he finds the man attractive, but that would be a lie.
His voice is exactly like his late friend, Shirakumo Oboro. A little lower and rougher than the teen, but the same nonetheless. He knew it was the same. He heard that same voice pleading for help in his nightmares. The same voice that in panic screamed and demanded answers of why didn't he do anything, why none of them did.
He stares at the phantom in front of him, the glossy magazine forgotten in his hand. He stares at this stranger as if they would turn and give him an answer. For what? He doesn't know. But then the man turns, feeling the eyes digging on his.
Red eyes met blue, and it's over.
Shota is in front of a ghost. An apparition of his deceased friend, who they didn't save. Except he isn't either. There's a scar that ranges from his forehead to his cheek. And a hardness in his eyes that can only come with experiencing something one shouldn't. But at the same time, he is. The same blue that stared at his so long ago. The expression-lines of somebody who smiled too much. It was still Shirakumo Oboro, but at the same time not. There is recognition and fear in his eyes. The same way they shone whenever the issue of his home was brought up.
Aizawa doesn't know how much he and the stranger stared at one another. But the man who looks like the resuscitated version of his friend looks away first. "Here they are, Kurogiri," Todoroki interrupts and hands him a stack of papers.
"Thanks, young Shouto," the man says. He grabs the papers, and then takes a pair of thin, long, glasses with yellow lenses out of his pocket and puts them on.
He quickly makes his way out of the shop. But not before crossing eyes with Aizawa one last time. Said man follows him with his eyes as he leaves and disappears from sight. "Todoroki, who was that?" he asks, trying to not show his inner turmoil.
"That's Kurogiri. He owns the bar at the end of the street," the teen explains.
Aizawa is about to ask more, but he is interrupted by Dabi. The man step out from behind the curtain, cracking his fingers, as he announces he is done. Shinsou comes out after him, holding his left wrists and staring at the new drawing inked in it. It's a black cat laying down, a yellow cat that is sitting next to it, and a white kitten on top of the black one. All of them posing on Shinsou's wrist, on top of his hand.
Aizawa pays for the tattoo while Shinsou makes an appointment for next week. After Dabi tells him how to take care of the newly inked skin, father and son leave Inferno and return home. The teacher did offer his other student to drive him back to the school, but Shouto refused, saying he still had another hour before his shift ended. When they get home, they found Eri finishing her homework on the living room. Hizashi is next to her, typing on his computer.
"Hitoshi!" Eri exclaims and leaves what she was doing to greet them. She throws herself at Shinsou for a hug, making the teen kneel down to catch her. "Dad!" she then moves to Aizawa. "Where did you go?" she asks as Aizawa puts her down.
"I got a tattoo," Shinsou tells her and shows her the ink drawing in his wrist. Eri awes with innocent abandon and Hizashi, who left his computer at the coffee table, comes to check it out too.
Aizawa goes to his room, however. It's been a weird day, fulled with confusing feelings and he is ready for it to end. He takes his clothes off and goes into the shower, thinking a shower might help him settle his head. It doesn't. The gaze of that stranger, who looked too much like Oboro to be a coincidence, haunted him. It brought back feelings of nostalgia and helplessness he hasn't felt since he was a stupid teen. He still remembered that day clearly. The last day they had seen Oboro. Maybe if they had pushed more, or if they didn't let him leave, he would still be here.
Once he gets out of the private bathroom, he changes into a pair of sweatpants and ties his wet hair on a high ponytail. As he looks for a comfortable shirt to put on, he hears someone enter his room. "Hey, you okay, Sho?" Hizashi asks as he comes in.
"Yeah, I guess it's been a weird day," he answers and comes upon a surprise, a T-shirt with a picture of Aizawa sleeping on Yamada's shoulder as the two drool circled by a heart and the phrase 'Zashi + Shota = Love' under it. The one Shirakumo had made before he died.
"I don't understand your aversion to tattoos," Zashi comments and lays on the bed. "I have a tattoo, and you seem to like it~," he sings as Shota rolls his eyes. He did like his husband's tattoo. It was a few thorn vines wrapped around some music notes on his left hip.
"It's just so... permanent," he puts on another shirt and goes to the end of the bed to look at his husband. "Once it's done, you can't come back from it," he crosses his arms, trying to push the memory of his dead friend away.
"Well, he is almost eighteen. I don't think our disapproval would have stopped him from getting one," Hizashi shrugs. "And he did manipulate you like a pro," he chuckles.
Shota groans and drops face down on the bed, next to Hizashi. The blonde is chuckling amused as he pets his husband's head. Aizawa grabs his hand without moving his head and squeezes it, trying to convey his gratitude. Hizashi had always been his rock, his solid ground. People, when they meet them, though that Shota was the level-headed one, the one who made the hard decision. But it wasn't him. While his husband was cheery and sometimes acted like an idiot, he had had his shit together. And whenever his brain started to conspire against him, he knew Zashi would be there to ground him. Just like he would be there to rile him in when he became too extra.
Rolling his body to be face to face with Hizashi, he leans on and kisses him, Zashi meeting him half-way. The two get lost in each other. Hizashi slowly starts to move on top of him, as the kiss turns hot and sensual. The mood is interrupted though, by a knock on their door. The two sigh frustrated and Shota goes to open the door. He is welcomed to the image of Shinsou holding Eri in his arms as the small girl clutches her new markers on her hand.
"Eri wants to play skin artist," the teen announces. "But you don't like that game, right? Can you tell her we have to play something else?" Hitoshi says, silently pleading for his help.
"What is the game 'skin artist'?" he asks, naively, getting a glare from his son.
"I make Toshi beautiful by drawing cute pictures in his skin! Like the cat one he has!" Eri explains and he hums, as if he was thinking about it.
"I think that is an excellent game," he grins, looking directly at Shinsou. "Have fun!" he shuts the door and turns back to his husband. "Where were we?"