Work Text:
Aizawa always loved this part. Sitting down at his desk after a long day at the coffee shop, a warm cup of his very own coffee, his mic in front of him.
He loved sitting in the comfortable chair with his blanket, quietly talking to someone that wasn't really there. But he could pretend they were. He could pretend that every little utterance of "it's okay", and "relax", and "breathe" were to someone who would say the same things to him when he couldn't sleep.
He had had his YouTube channel for about seven years, but he hadn't really done anything with it for the first three.
Aizawa couldn't remember exactly how long ago it was, or what video it was, but Nemuri had sent him a video to "help him sleep".
And it had worked.
Aizawa knew at the time that Nemuri did 18+ audios, often posting snippets on YouTube and her Patreon. She said that making them relaxed her, and according to her comments, relaxed her followers too.
Aizawa had started digging into the community, finding meditation videos, x listener videos, asmr videos, and so much more.
He listened to some, and stopped halfway through on others. Sometimes he woke up with his phone dead, tangled up in his headphones.
But at least he slept.
Nemuri had brought it up at his favorite cat café.
Maybe he should try it for himself.
She asked him to maybe even join her in one of her videos. And he said yes, as long as he didn't have to moan into the microphone for an hour.
The experience was actually more fun than he originally thought it would be.
Nemuri showed him how to work the microphone, plugging it up to the computer. She showed him how to work the editing software and add gentle melodies into the background of the video. She showed him how to pick out a thumbnail, and how to post the video on several sites.
And then, she showed him what brands were best and where to order the equipment.
He didn't tell her, but within the next six months, he had all the equipment he needed. Good thing he had been saving up.
He looked at videos for inspiration, wondering what kind of video he would make himself. What he wanted to see, and to produce.
He ended up with something halfway between meditation help, sleep help, and comfort for his first video. To this day, he stayed in those three areas.
He had told Nemuri when he posted his first video.
She had squealed, hugging him.
Soon, she had a post on her Instagram, asking what "her best friend's YouTube channel should be called". The name Eraserhead stuck out, commented by a private account. The profile photo is of a man with blonde hair, shirt off at the beach.
Soon as the name was decided, his YouTube was up and running, and so was the newly made Instagram. Not that he really used it at first.
Nemuri had explained to him that if he ever got popular (he already had around 50 subscribers thanks to Nemuri's 287k Instagram followers), he could make a patreon and actually make money off of it.
So, he set off to work.
In some videos he would gently talk about his day, others he would sip his coffee and sing praises of his cats. Every video was different, but they were all equally relaxing.
One day his cat came up to the microphone, purring as he pet her, eventually curling up and falling asleep on his desk.
This ended up giving him a few interesting minutes of audio, starting with the rough scrapes of the cat's fur on the microphone and Aizawa's curses, and ending with purring in the background as he explained the sweet scene in front of him.
It was a video to remember, and was one of his most popular.
Aizawa rarely checked his subscriber count. He had a Patreon that helped with bills, and a hobby he enjoyed. He didn't really have anything to worry about.
His gaze did drift up to the number today, surprised to see 501k. Not quite as much as Nemuri's almost 900k, but not too far away.
He felt the slightest bit of guilt. That was a big milestone that he had missed, a thank you he owed.
He clicked on the videos tab, finding his most recent video and scrolling through the comments.
It seemed his subscriber's were more aware of him hitting this number than he was himself, the comments full of congratulations and ideas for further videos and compliments on the video quality.
But there was one comment that caught Aizawa's attention. It was the second comment under his (he often checked in, pinning a comment saying goodnight and to sleep well).
headphonejack
okay but like!!! imagine eraser and presentmic doing a collab????? dude, that would be fucking awesome!!
There were seventy-three replies, and quickly clicking through them, Aizawa could tell that many people agreed with this idea.
Aizawa hummed, opening up another tab and quickly typing in PresentMic.
Aizawa had seen a few channels like this, never really interested. X listeners with characters from animes he didn't even know existed, or never watched.
He clicked on the man's profile scrolling over his videos. The videos consisted of "___ and you spending a day on the beach", "cuddles with ___". None of the material seemed to interest Aizawa, until he clicked on one of the videos.
The man's voice was intoxicating, to say the least. Warm, comforting.
After the first video was over, he clicked on another one with a completely different character. He was surprised to find that the man's voice was completely different, but still had a hint of his own comforting drawl.
Aizawa was quick to open up two more tabs, searching up the two characters and finding voice clips, comparing this VA's voice to the voices of the anime characters.
It was so accurate it was scary.
That's when Aizawa went to the description of the video, thinking this was one of those channels that hired different voice actors, but saw no link to any other people.
Aizawa was about to give up then, but his curiosity pushed him forward, convincing him to pull out his phone and open up Instagram.
He was quick to search up the voice actor's name, finding an Instagram account almost instantly.
Clicking it open, he scrolled through. There were lopsided pictures of computers, editing software up, with descriptions of "watch out for the video being posted tomorrow,".
What stood out to Aizawa the most, though, were the occasional pictures of the voice actor himself.
He was blonde with an odd mustache, eyes so bright green they were nearly glowing, and a lightly freckled complexion. He was beautiful, to say the least.
But what was the most surprising, is that he was a lone voice actor, changing his voice in millions of ways to get a character just right. Aizawa was impressed.
He stared at the message button for a few seconds, before closing out of the app.
---
"Oh yeah, PresentMic? He's really popular. He has, like, a million subscribers? He's been around for quite a few years. Five, if I recall correctly? He's cool, we talked once. Did a collab a while back. He can do, like, so many voices."
"I noticed." His voice is dry, sarcastic, and tired.
"Now order, my break is in," he looks at the clock, "eleven minutes. And, there's a long line behind you."
She huffs, ordering her usual two shot espresso and muffin, before running off to go sit down.
Aizawa talks to a few more customers, handling a few more orders, before his boss is patting his shoulder and handing him a cookie, telling him to go sit down.
His boss has blue, deep set eyes, a kind smile, and blonde hair. They hadn't gotten along much at first. Aizawa had lost his temper and gotten onto his boss for letting his young son try and handle the hot coffee. Surprisingly, he just apologized. There were no reprimands and Aizawa wasn't fired.
That's when Aizawa took the little sucker under his wing.
Izuku Midoriya is a wild, green haired ball of freckles and fluff. He is excitable, and clumsy.
He had spilled hot coffee on his arm the first time he had come in. Aizawa remembered him crying. The burns had been pretty nasty.
Better than the restaurant down the road. The owner's son had it worse.
"So he's really popular?" Aizawa slid into the booth across from Nemuri, putting his wrapped cookie on the table.
"Oh my gosh, yes! He's amazing too. Wait, you said you knew. Have you listened to some of his videos? He's so good! His voices, oh my GOSH." Nemuri is practically swooning, raving on about how amazing he is and how sweet he is. Aizawa has to admit, it's slightly annoying.
"Yeah. I watched a few."
Nemuri let's out an excited squeak, jumping up and down in the booth, making it Goran in response.
"Oh my gosh yes, have you seen—"
"I got 500k subs the other day. They want us to do a collab."
Nemuri stops short, a smile spreading across her face at lightning speed. "Oh, yeah! I watched the video you uploaded yesterday and saw that! Congrats, by the way!" She jerks her head down, looking at the table, and then taps her finger on the table three times, brows furrowed in concentration. Her head once again jerks violently, going straight up. She makes eye contact with Shouta, and smiles.
"Yes! You two would work really well together. You could probably do, like, I dunno. You could have a conversation as characters from an anime for his channel, and talk about your days and just chat for a bit for your channel! Oh my gosh, yes! Hand me your phone."
Nemuri leans across the table, hand outstretched. Aizawa, amused, grabs his phone out of his pocket.
He goes to hand it to her, before holding it up, out of her reach. He makes eye contact with her once again, his face blank, before letting a smirk show.
She snatches the phone.
Her fingers fly across the face of his phone as she puts in the password. She continues to swipe through his phone, before she stops short, looking at Shouta and then the phone.
"He beat me to it."
Shouta is about to ask, but Nemuri slides the phone over to him, and he freezes as he stares at the message.
the.real.present.mic
yo!!!! congrats on 500k dude. some of my listeners wanted us to collab. you down?????
"Aizawa!" Aizawa looks up to his manager, waving at him from behind the counter. He checks the time at the top of his phone, seeing his break is over. He gets up, turning off his phone and nodding to Nemuri.
He leaves PresentMic on read.
---
"You answered him yet?"
Aizawa leans back, throwing an arm over the couch. He glances over to where Nemuri is sitting, Emi in lap, contentedly chewing on popcorn.
"Nah."
"Who?" Emi leans back onto Nemuri, putting the back of her head on Nemuri's shoulder with a raised brow.
"Shouta doesn't seem to want to do a collab with PresentMic."
Emi hums. "You did one with him a while back. December, yeah?"
"Yeah. Kakashi was popular then. He really got into it, if y'know what I mean." Nemuri wiggles her eyebrows, and Emi laughs.
"You really should reply, though. You got the message, what, Thursday? You've had three days to think. And it's just a collab, not marriage." Nemuri fixes him with an unwavering stare, and he knows he has no choice.
He looks at the TV with a pout, before digging his phone out of his pocket.
eraser_head
Sure.
He shoves his phone back in his pocket, letting out a sigh. "There."
Nemuri seems satisfied, now braiding her girlfriend's aqua hair, bandana sitting on her thigh.
Aizawa gets to watch only a few more seconds of the move before his phone buzzes in his pocket.
the.real.present.mic
coolio, dude! got any ideas??
Aizawa looks at the screen for a moment in contemplation, daring to think that maybe he should show Memories the text and ask for assistance.
eraser_head
No. U?
As soon as the message is sent, Aizawa can see the three dots at the bottom of the screen. A response comes soon after.
the.real.present.mic
well, your place is sorta chill, yeah? we could just facetime or somethin and talk. record that.
Aizawa liked the idea, but a) he didn't want PresentMic to see his face and b) it would be a bit more difficult to film.
eraser_head
Could we call? And what about ur channel?
the.real.present.mic
you secretly a scary old man? jk.
yea we can call, and idk we can plan something for mine. anything is cool
eraser_head
Yeah.
Kk.
From there, they plan a date. There's a bit of conversation about PresentMic's channel, and some old script submissions he has, as well as a few late-night scripts he wrote himself.
It's all set up. And Shouta? Shouta feels good.
---
The mic is hooked up, the call is going, and everything is recording. It's going well.
They had already filmed the video for mic's channel. He explained beforehand that he had written the script a while ago and made a few revisions late at night, apologizing for any spelling mistakes.
They both got through it with minimal mess ups, PresentMic occasionally breaking out into a nervous laugh or stutter.
But now Shouta is a bit more nervous.
This feels more real. Now they're talking as humans, about how they are and their day. Gentle, whispered voices to help relax whoever is listening.
Shouta never liked talking, never felt the need. But here he finds peace in talking. But, the nervousness is clogging up his brain and making his throat go tight. He's supposed to talk, and he's scared he might not be able to do it.
Shouta let's Hizashi do the greeting, introducing himself and quietly explaining the reason he's here.
Then they really start. Shouta asks PresentMic about his day, and tells a small story about his cat.
The conversation drifts easily along, moving from one topic to another. Soon enough, Aizawa isn't focused on the video, just Mic's voice and the conversation they're having.
But the conversation is starting to wane, and it's late, and Aizawa has the early shift tomorrow, so he ends the video and says goodbye to Mic.
He tells himself he'll edit the video tomorrow, slightly put off by exactly how long the video is. A full forty minutes.
Shouta loved his little office, where he felt safe to talk and ramble. Even with Nemuri, he felt the need to cut his sentences short.
But in these videos, he could talk and talk and talk, and people enjoyed it.
He didn't feel like he needed to cut himself off. He felt like he could describe in detail the book he read last week, and how he found his cat had closed itself in his shirt drawer overnight, and the rude customer he had the other day. He felt comfortable, and he knew Mic wouldn't judge him. It was comforting.
He climbed into bed, curling into his nest of covers.
The thought had crossed his mind before, but now he was a bit more sure. Perhaps making an internet friend wouldn't be a bad thing.
He had been opposed to the idea before. For no real reason, actually.
But today Aizawa had been proved incorrect so many times that he was willing to give it a try.
The only issue?
He didn't know a single thing about how to go about making an internet friend, and he definitely didn't know who exactly this internet friend would be.
He groans, shifting over to bury his head in a pillow.
He makes another decision that night.
He decides that he would be better off alone, that making an internet friend was too big a project.
He tells himself that Mic hates the sound of his voice, and despises the conversation they shared.
---
But why was it his most popular video? Why did it bring in more subscribers and more views then he could have ever dreamed of getting?
Why did Mic keep in contact with him?
Aizawa sighs, looking at the rather empty coffee shop in front of him. There is a couple in a booth in the back, most definitely enjoying themselves, and one lone businessman happily enjoying his coffee and scone.
Besides that, it is completely empty.
Aizawa pushes himself up, grabbing a pen and sliding his hand under the counter to grab a napkin.
He quickly slides it up onto the table, using one hand to keep it still as he scribbles on it.
He draws a chart, one side labeled "pros", the other labeled "cons". He goes to write on this, before growling under his breath, scribbling it out and flipping the napkin over.
This time he starts with a bullet point.
"You collaborated on a project"
"He was nice"
"Nemuri says you need more friends"
He stops right as his pen reaches the napkin for the fourth and final point, before scribbling it down and looking at the paper.
"He sends you good morning texts"
Shouta Aizawa had always been oblivious as hell, but he knew that wasn't normal.
He writes over everything in big blue, capital letters.
"YOU SHOULDN'T CARE"
He looks at the napkin for a few moments, thinking before he signs and throws it away.
He didn't need to do this. He could just ignore him. He wasn't obligated to text back, or talk to him, or make more videos with him. It was fine.
He sighs a breath of relief, his head clearing of his swimming thoughts for the first time in days.
He wanted a cup of coffee.
---
PresentMic had been sending Aizawa good morning and good night texts, occasionally checking on Aizawa.
It had taken only two weeks before Aizawa had started answering back with more than one word.
His "fine"'s turned into "I'm doing fine, you?"'s.
He actually started to enjoy himself at one point, smiling at the posts that PresentMic had sent overnight. It seemed the man never slept.
One day, cats came up in conversation, and from then on a picture of a cat never ceased to come with each morning text.
It was refreshing, talking to someone and now being bored out of his mind, or at least a little miffed. Or annoyed and tired of sexual comments, as it always went with Nemuri.
He checked his phone as it buzzed again in his pocket, glancing around to make sure his boss wasn't there to see. It wasn't like there were many customers anyways.
the.real.present.mic
okay so hear me out.
i have this one thing I've been wanting to do for a while for my channel, yeah? but I just now finished ironing out the fine details and I need a second person
and your voice would be peeeeerfect!
Aizawa looks at the message, working out why he should do this, and why he shouldn't. But, he already knows he's made his decision.
He sighs, responding before clicking off his phone and returning to the counter.
---
PresentMic had wanted to do a fantasy based story with several characters. He had planned out a whole series.
Looking over the script, Aizawa was surprised. There were several episodes with several characters, all working around the listeners in some epic quest.
He looked at his phone on the table, scrolling down to the next page of the script.
He was on a phone call with Mic, who had just emailed him the script, and was now rambling on about the storyline with child-like glee. It was adorable.
He interrupts quickly. "This will take more than one episode. Do you need my help with more than this one?"
Mic stops short, before sputtering out a response in panicked words. "Yeah, I might! But if you can't help that's alright, I get it, people get busy and stuff. And, uh, yeah…" as his voice trails off, Aizawa snorts.
"It's fine. I'll help."
"Really?!"
"Ask again and I'll change my mind."
"Oh, okay!"
The video was filmed. Aizawa was the narrator in the beginning, later going on to play the disgruntled tavern owner. Mic was the bard, who decided to drag both the tavern owner and the listener on a quest to save the King.
Aizawa was actually having fun with it, reading over the script and getting into characters. Occasionally he would impulsively respond with a sarcastic comment instead of what was on the paper, and Mic would laugh, saying he would definitely keep it in.
Mic was doing some improv on his own, occasionally breaking out into song or over explaining things. It gave the bard more character, and occasionally made Aizawa let out a huff of laughter.
When the first video was filmed, Mic said he would edit it.
Aizawa was expecting him to say bye and hang up, it was rather late, but instead he asked Aizawa a question.
"Hey, Eraser?"
"Huh?"
Aizawa leaned back in his office chair, wrapping himself up further. He had grabbed the blanket off the chair a few minutes into recording, well aware he might nod off.
"Are you… no, no. Do you? I… ugh, shit."
Aizawa closes his laptop, having already powered it down, looking at his phone with a raised brow.
"You alright?"
"No, yes? I, gosh, I just— ugh, I'm gay."
"Okay. And?"
The other line goes quiet for a moment, and Aizawa hears a sniffle.
"You're… okay with it?"
"It doesn't affect me? Why do you ask?"
The other line is quiet again, and Aizawa is starting to feel the dread crawl up his stomach. Something is seriously wrong.
Mic sighs.
"Just… saw some relatives today. They're… not too fond of not having a daughter in law, y'know? But it's fine."
Aizawa, blunt as ever, says, "your 'relatives' sound like a bunch of asses."
Yamaha laughs, it sounds watery and half-hearted. "Yeah, but they're my real family and all, so, y'know. And family is forever and that shit.
"Family is forever, yeah, but your family is who you love."
"Huh?"
"Like— ugh," Aizawa rustled around, sitting up straight, mumbling a quiet "fuck I'm not good at this" under his breath.
"Choose your family. It's like choosing a team in gym class. And fuck your family." Aizawa waits a few seconds for suspense. "But not literally."
There's a quiet giggle from the other line, and Aizawa sighs in relief.
"Ewwww! That's so gross, dude!"
Aizawa just lets out a quiet, amused snort, shaking his head. At least Mic was okay.
"You alright now?"
Mic sighs, though this time it's more of a contented sigh than a broken one. "Yeah. I am. Thank you, really."
"Welcome. Night."
"Oh, wait!"
Aizawa's finger pauses before he hits the disconnect button, and hums.
"I'm Yamada, by the way!" He laughs awkwardly.
"Aizawa. Night."
"Goodnight!" Yamada pauses. "Have a good night, Aizawa. Thank you again!"
"Mhm."
---
"You've seriously never played Animal Crossing?"
"No? Is this a problem?"
Yamada gasps. "Damn right it's a problem! It's right up your alley. There are, like, cats and everything! You should come to my house or something one day, and we can play. Seriously, though, I don't know how you haven't played it yet."
Aizawa perks up at that. "Sure."
"Huh?"
"I'm starting to wonder if you're deaf."
Yamada laughs from the other end. "I am, actually! Well, sorta. I have to wear hearing aids. My moms got them for me when I was younger."
"Hah." Aizawa barks. "And you say I'm the old man."
Yamada laughs, and Aizawa speaks up again.
"Moms?"
Yamada gasps. "OH! Yeah. I don't think I ever explained my complicated ass family to you! So basically, I'm adopted, and I have two moms. But I also have, like, a biological dad. So… double the family? I don't know, dude."
"Wow." Aizawa says. "Complicated family indeed."
"Yeah! But it's cool. Call my moms twice a month and just sorta enjoy life. I took your advice by the way!"
Aizawa raises his eyebrow. When had he given Yamada advice? "What?"
"I flipped my dad off. And sorta told him to shove it."
Aizawa grunts. "Proud of you."
Yamada sputters, embarrassed, on the other end of the line. Something that Aizawa was more than used to by now.
"Wait, really?"
Aizawa scoffs. "I'm not repeating myself."
"You're so soft. And amazing. WAIT! Back onto topic."
"Your dad sucks?"
"No, no, no. The old topic. Come to my house. WAIT. Where do you live?"
"Stranger danger." Aizawa grunts out dryly. Yamada let's out an exasperated huff.
"Funny, funny. But seriously! Even if I did try to, like, kidnap you or something, you'd probably beat my ass."
"I live in Musutafu."
"Wait, really?!" Yamada's voice is high pitched and overjoyed.
"I have to repeat things a lot with you."
"Wait, yes! Okay, I used to live in Musutafu, but I moved to Tokyo a year or so ago for my studio and everything. You could come visit! Or I could visit you!"
"I probably haven't dusted in two months."
"You could come visit me!"
Aizawa huffs. "Okay. I just need to get some time off."
Yamada squeals. "Yes! Oh my gosh. I don't know what you look like."
Aizawa shrugs, well aware Yamada can't see it. "You'll find out, I guess."
"Awe, okay!"
"Night, Yamada."
"Goodnight, Aizawa! I'll talk to you tomorrow!"
Aizawa hangs up.
---
Aizawa was starting to realize that maybe this was a bad idea. He was planning to go to a random stranger's house. Yes, this stranger and him had known each other for almost half a year, and it was the closest Aizawa had ever been with anybody, but he still didn't really know the guy.
Aizawa had voiced his concerns during one of their calls, which, strangely enough, had become regular, even when they weren't filming.
"Okay! I gotcha, though! I've been thinking the same thing! There are some hotels in my area, and we could meet at a coffee shop. There are, like, a lot of cat cafes here, so! Oh, and you can bring Kayama if you'd like. We met up at a Con a little while ago, I'd love to see her again! Ooh! I'm so excited! Wait. Do you want to meet up? If you don't want to meet up we don't have to, I—"
"I want to meet you."
"Oh, that's great, okay!"
Aizawa looks at his desk with a sigh. "We probably won't be able to stay too long." Hotels are expensive. Even with the large amount of money Kayama makes.
"Oh, yeah! I gotcha." It's cheery, but not as cheery as it should be, considering who it's coming from.
Aizawa makes a disgruntled face. Dread was crawling in his stomach and constricting his chest. He really didn't want to leave after two or three days.
He decides that the excitement from the few days spent with Yamada should be enough to sustain him for a lifetime, though.
He realizes with a hint of disdain that he's never really tried so hard to meet up with someone.
"I talked to my boss."
"Ooh!" Yamada chirps, excited. Then he goes quiet. "About what?"
Aizawa's exhausted sigh is heavy on the other line.
"Getting time off so I can actually come see you. Next week Friday to Sunday work? I have to be back by Monday to take the afternoon shift."
Yamada squeals. "OH my gosh! YES. Okay. So, have I told you I also work at a radio station?"
"I thought you were a farmer."
"Ha ha, very funny. But seriously, I do! I've had my own show for a bit now. Usually comes on around three in the morning? And I…" his voice fades off. "I forgot what my point was! But, yeah, that!"
Aizawa snorts.
"Is that laughter I hear?"
"No," Aizawa is quick to grunt out.
"You must make the most adorable faces, I swear."
The line goes silent.
Aizawa, flustered, shuffles around, looking at the time on his phone.
"It's getting late."
"Huh? Oh! Damn. I have to be up in a couple hours. See ya, 'Zawa! Have a good night. Cuddle those kittens for me, eh?" Aizawa can practically hear the wink in his voice.
"Goodnight, Yamada. I will."
---
Aizawa swore loudly. Alas, it was blocked out by the way-too-loud pop music blasting from the car radio. If Aizawa wasn't as scared of Nemuri as he is, he would turn the music down.
They had been driving for about three hours now. Aizawa was starting to get a headache, and he swore he probably hadn't been awake this long in years.
Before the long trip began, they had stopped by a gas station. Shouta had gotten two overly sweetened cans of coffee, the girls getting snacks that Shouta had ended up stealing some of.
It had actually been fun for the first two minutes. The other 178 minutes? Not so much.
But in only two hours they would be at their capsule hotel in Tokyo, and in four hours they would be meeting up with Hizashi at a ramen shop. It was one Hizashi had recommended, saying he always went there when he was in a rush.
Aizawa had to admit he was nervous, his leg bouncing to the beat of music he didn't really care for.
The rest of the trip passed in a blur. Two hours endlessly driving on crowding roads. He had no real memory of where he was going or the conversations that were had. Shouta Aizawa hated it, but he was nervous.
---
Shouta blinks open his eyes at the sound of his phone going off. He groans.
As soon as he had gotten to the hotel, he had taken a shower and gotten dressed in something somewhat presentable.
He had then laid down in said clothes (much to Nemuri's displeasure), alas, he had not gotten a wink of sleep, nor rest. He had tossed and turned, assuredly wrinkling his top.
But now it was time to see Yamada. The blonde had no idea what Aizawa even looked like. He had insisted that they not video call, joking—very dryly—that he was a burnout and looked as such.
Aizawa was absolutely aware of just how beautiful Yamada always looked, and that he was the complete opposite of Yamada in that aspect.
He sighs, climbing out of his sleeping bag and small pod and going to the lobby to meet with Nemuri and Emi.
Even after the road trip they had been full of energy, and had told Aizawa they were going sight-seeing while he slept.
He reaches the lobby with small, unconfident steps.
"Wow." Nemuri says, rather loudly. "You're really nervous."
Aizawa glares, before rolling his eyes.
"Afraid your boyfriend won't like you?" She asks. It's teasing, but has an empathetic lilt.
Aizawa is about to defend himself when Emi speaks up.
"I really feel like I should know more about this guy than I do." She turns to Aizawa, making goo-goo eyes. "Especially if he's gonna steal my man."
Nemuri snorts and Aizawa grimaces.
"He's not going to steal me."
Emi's smile almost goes ear to ear at that. "So you admit you're mine?"
Aizawa scoffs. "No."
Joke pouts, but it's fake and over exaggerated, so Aizawa knows he didn't actually offend her.
Not that he would care if he did.
They all walk through the crowded streets of Tokyo, fighting through clustered groups of people and trying to figure out where the ramen shop is.
They finally turned a corner onto a slightly-less-crowded street, and there, in all its beauty, was a run-down ramen shop. It was called 'Golden Ramen', and looked like it used to be as such. Now the gold paint has flaked and the wallpaper curled.
Aizawa feels as if he may have just walked into a murders trap. At least the murderer is sexy as hell.
Kayama seems completely unperturbed, grabbing the hand of both Aizawa and her girlfriend, leading them through the doors rather quickly.
There's a small wall with a podium in front of it, two doorways on each side leading to a general dining area.
When asked how many of them there are, Kayama says that there are four, and that they have someone waiting on them. When given the name, the waiter perks up, quickly leading them through the doorway.
Aizawa misses most of what is said, scanning the crowds to try and find Yamada.
Yamada's head is like a sun surrounded by many multi-coloured planets. Aizawa had seen how blonde Yamada was on Instagram, but he seemed even more so in real life.
It's not that his hair looked lighter in real life, but it seemed to glow more. Much more golden rather than yellow.
Then Aizawa isn't looking at Mic's hair anymore. Mic turns his head, spotting the waiter and three people heading his way. He scans the small crowd, knowing what Kayama looks like and knowing well that Aizawa looks considerably more masculine than the aqua-haired girl by him.
As emerald green meets charcoal grey, Yamada smiles, his odd mustache tilting awkwardly atop his upper lip. Aizawa gives a disgruntled smile in return, and is quickly pushed into the booth beside Yamada. Emi and Nemuri take the two chairs opposite them.
The waiter takes their drink orders, and as they walk away, the table goes silent.
Yamada stares at Aizawa. His smile, starting out adorable, had turned idiotically dopey the moment Aizawa sat down. Aizawa seemed to be handling the situation much worse, staring back at Yamada with something akin to confusion, anxiousness, and maybe constipation.
Finally, Yamada speaks up.
"Oh my God. You're so pretty!" It's so child-like that Aizawa has to blink a few times.
"What?"
"You said you looked like a burnout and stuff and I guess I pictured you as like a dude in his upper fifties with scoliosis or something, I don't know. But, you're, like, really cool and stuff!"
Yamada makes this entire monolog with his hands moving, constantly making wide gestures. He almost hit Aizawa twice, not that he noticed. He's exactly what Aizawa expected. Well, he did have a picture.
Before Aizawa can even squeak out a thanks, Nemuri speaks up.
"Yeah, you're not too far off. But he's about twenty years younger than that."
Yamada whips his head to the side, and Aizawa realizes with dismay that he may have just found another Nemuri.
"Hold up! How old are you?"
Aizawa shrugs. "Thirty."
Yamada grins widely. "OH my gosh! Same! Wait, how have we not covered this already? Wait. Neuritis OH my gosh it's been so long. Emi! Good to see you!"
Yamada seems overwhelmed, bouncing from one person to another fleetingly. It almost makes Aizawa dizzy.
When their drinks come, Yamada resorts to sipping on his soda quietly as Nemuri talks to everyone (much more calmly).
She goes over the road trip, and talks about how Aizawa got his channel. She talks about her collaboration with Yamada, and how Emi's comedy channel is running. It surprises even Aizawa on how she holds a crowd, knowing everyone and how they tick and how to calm them. She knows every drama going on but never gets into it, knows every channel and social media star and can effectively talk to anyone about them.
Meanwhile Shouta is staying quiet and Yamada is bouncing his leg, letting out the occasional comment.
But, it works.
They realize at one point that they all need to see what they want. Yamada recommends his favourite dish, and everyone ends up getting it, much more interested in the conversation at this point in time.
Finally, all is said and done. Plates are empty and everything is quiet. Yamada and Aizawa haven't said much of anything to each other after their first meeting. Kayama is watching this with trained eyes, hoping this will all work out.
"The parks near here, yeah?" Yamada turns his head at Nemuri's question, and nods.
"Yeah, it is!"
Nemuri smiles. "Wanna head over after?"
She gets a reply from nearly everyone at the table, sends Aizawa a pointed look, and then gets up and starts to head out the door. They had split the check four ways.
Yamada leads them all to a park only a few blocks away. Despite being surrounded by buildings and cars, it's a rather peaceful, forested area.
Nemuri and Emi pick a trail and the four all start down the sidewalk, through the park.
Nemuri and Emi are in front, holding hands. Yamada and Aizawa are in the back, socially awkward, hella gay, and quiet.
"So," Yamada finally says, breaking the silence between the two males.
Aizawa raises his eyebrow, and Yamada smiles.
"We finally got to see each other! Honestly, I wasn't expecting," he pauses, gesturing to Aizawa "this." He furrows his eyebrows, and then his eyes go wide.
"I don't mean that in a bad way! I just—"
Aizawa tilts his head and interrupts. "What were you expecting?"
When Yamada's face scrunches up into something like discomfort, Aizawa continues to speak.
"I'm not mad or anything. Just curious."
Yamada loosens at that, smiling. "I mean, with your voice, I either thought you were a big lumberjack or a really sickly dude. You sound like you just woke up most of the time… no offense."
Aizawa lets out an amused huff. "Usually I have just woken up."
Yamada laughs.
Aizawa decides that maybe this trip would be fun after all.
---
"Oh my God, Hizashi, come here."
Yamada laughs and leans over to see the gaming device in Shouta's hands. On it is Aizawa's character interacting with a cat villager. Hizashi laughs again.
"I told you that you would like Animal Crossing!"
"I love it. 'Zashi, it's a talking cat."
Hizashi smiles. "Well, I have the game. You could come over and play whenever."
Aizawa looks up from the game, leaning back into the couch cushions. He turns his full attention on Hizashi, setting the gaming device in his lap and giving the blonde a teasing glare.
"Are you trying to bribe me to visit more often?"
Yamada gives him an awkward—albeit hopeful—look.
"I mean… sorta..?"
Aizawa makes intense eye contact with him for another few seconds. Yamada shifts slightly, eyebrows pulling in, beginning to chew on his bottom lip.
After the first visit, Aizawa began visiting more and more. He had lost track of just how many times he'd been to Tokyo as of late, attempting to visit every month and calling every night he wasn't in town.
He had begun to become attached to Yamada, and Yamada to him.
"Uhm. Y'know that Cafe a few blocks down?" Aizawa speaks up rather quietly, breaking the silence.
Yamada tilts his head. "Yeah. You hungry?"
Aizawa reaches back to scratch the back of his neck. "No— I mean, well, yeah sorta. I mean, I just—" Aizawa sighs, shaking his head.
"Do you wanna go there?"
Yamada raises his eyebrow and opens his mouth to reply, but Aizawa beats him to it.
"Like, as a date?"
Yamada's mouth goes dry almost instantly, and he freezes up. After a few moments, he tries to take in a deep breath, mouth still open. He chokes on his own spit, bending over and coughing, it quickly turns into a laugh, though, turning Aizawa's worry to relief.
"Yeah, sure, of course, Shou!" Yamada finally laughs out.
Aizawa tilts his head down, letting his hair cover his face.
When Hizashi takes Aizawa's cheeks in his hands and tilts his face up, he sees a small smile and flushed cheeks.
He presses a quick kiss to Shouta's forehead before winking and racing to the door, pulling Shouta behind him.
---
Aizawa had his eyes closed, face buried in his boyfriend's stomach, arms wrapped around his waist, and head in his lap.
Yamada was using Aizawa's shoulder as a table, writing a script draft, humming quietly.
Aizawa speaks up.
"'Zashi?"
"Mhmm?"
"I… miss you sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
"When I'm not… here."
Yamada pauses his work, closing the notebook and setting it on the back of the couch. He moves his hands forward, gently running them through Aizawa's hair.
"I miss you too, baby... I love ya."
Aizawa rolls over slightly, turning to make eye contact with Hizashi.
At that, Hizashi leans forward, connecting their lips for a few seconds before pulling back.
Aizawa looks at the ceiling, dazed, pressing a tentative finger to his lips. He finally seems to snap out of it, turning back over to bury his slowly reddening face into Hizashi's stomach with a groan.
"Hey!" Hizashi squeaks with false offense.
"Do I not get one back?"
Aizawa grunts in reply.
---
Today would be marking Shouta and Hizashi's fourth year of being together. And Shouta had a plan.
They had moved in together almost two years ago, not being able to handle the distance.
Nemuri and Emi were not far behind, saying they wanted to find a place to live together, and Tokyo seemed pretty nice.
They all moved into the same Apartment building on the edge of the city. It was affordable and okay.
Shouta had to quit his job at the coffee shop, sad to move away from the green little heathen he taught.
When moving to Tokyo, he had found a new job, with better pay in an area close to Hizashi's apartment.
UA high.
He got accepted, and took the position as 1-A's teacher.
It didn't leave him too much time to make videos, having to adjust his schedule a bit. But, after making some adjustments, it worked out all right.
After two years of teaching, two years of living together, and four years of dating, Aizawa is ready.
But what he didn't know is that Yamada is too.
Aizawa isn't a social man by any means. The last thing he wants to do is propose in front of a large crowd. But, he knows Hizashi wouldn't mind. In fact, he might like it.
So, he decided to compromise.
Propose in an area with a medium amount of people, preferably all friends.
Aizawa planned this, but never went through with it, on account that the moment never seemed right.
Until it did.
The plan was to go out with Nemuri and Emi to an arcade and then the park.
Aizawa decided that the park would be the best place. So, he put on his nicest looking casual clothes, trying not to be suspicious, slipped the ring box in his pocket, and then got in the car.
Aizawa is nervous as could be, walking in with friends who seem completely fine.
They're all quick to get in line and buy tokens, and then they all separate, Yamada dragging Aizawa around and explaining his favorite games.
At some point Emi and Nemuri both ran out of tokens, and they decided to follow Shouta and Yamada around until they, too, were out of tokens.
That's when they went to turn in their tickets for prizes.
Aizawa stays back with Nemuri and talks while Emi and Yamada spend their tickets on little trinkets.
Aizawa had just begun to complain about them taking so long, when Hizashi and Emi approached.
Emi has a small stuffed animal in her arms, and Hizashi has his hands behind his back with a nervous expression.
Nemuri is quick to run over, fawning over the stuffed toy.
Hizashi, on the other hand, awkwardly walks up to Aizawa, hands still behind his back.
"If you have a knife behind there, you better hurry up and stab me." Aizawa quips dryly.
Yamada laughs at that, but it's wavy and hollow. This sobers Aizawa quickly.
"Are you okay? We can step outside if—"
"Y'know how I'm really impulsive?"
Aizawa snorts, and, trying to lift the mood, says, "if you kissed Fukukado, I swear..."
Yamada stampers at that, going red. Aizawa's voice is stuck in his throat, and his chest tightens.
Finally, Yamada spits out, "uh, yeah, no."
Then.
Then he gets on one knee.
Aizawa takes in a deep breath, muttering, "you're fucking kidding me," under his breath.
Hizashi pulls a thin plastic ring from behind his back. It's purple with a little bat.
"I swear I'll get you an actual ring," is what Yamada starts with. "But you're, like, really pretty? And I can't help myself and I really love you and you're so amazing… and stuff. And yeah. Uh, tax evasion? Or, well, we wouldn't be evading tax, but, like, marry me? For taxes? But I also love you and stuff and… uh. I'm rambling. Please stop me."
And Aizawa does stop him.
He stops him with the word "no".
Hizashi's eyes go wide, and then he looks to the side. The crowd that has gathered starts to murmur. Someone very loudly says, "poor thing".
That's when Aizawa gets down on one knee.
"You're gonna marry me."
Hizashi turns, his mouth agape.
Shouta pops open the ring box, and offers Yamada the ring.
Instead of taking the ring, Yamada falls forward and engulfs his boyfriend in a large hug, now crying.
Shouta hears a sniffy, "you ass," and gets a weak punch to the shoulder.
"Is that a yes?"
Yamada gives a nod, smearing tears (or snot; Aizawa doesn't know, nor does he care) on his fiancé's shirt.
The people in the arcade scream and clap as they trade rings, one a gold band, the other purple and plastic.
Once they're in the car, Hizashi wipes his tears and squeals.
Aizawa shares his enthusiasm.
---
Aizawa was home late from work. He had to help out one of his co-workers, as well as host detention.
All he wanted to do was go home and rest, and that is exactly what he planned to do.
He entered his house, took a shower, and then got ready for bed.
But when the time came, Hizashi wasn't in bed.
Aizawa began to search their apartment, softly calling out Hizashi's name until he heard a muffled, "in here, babe!"
He tiredly ambled into Hizashi and his shared office where they would often film. The light was dimmed, and Hizashi was sitting in his chair in front of a bright computer screen.
"Hey, listener!" Yamada chirps cheerfully. "I'm streaming right now. I'll be in bed soon. Sorry 'bout that." The blonde casts a shy glance towards the cameras, then looks back to Aizawa, his eyes bright with mischief.
"Can I introduce you to everyone?" Yamada asks, energy filling his voice once more.
Aizawa sighs. "It depends on who 'everyone' is."
Yamada smiles. "I'm streaming honey. 'Everyone' is most likely the people who watch me."
Aizawa sighs again. "Fine."
Yamada is quick to leap from his chair, taking a grasp on Aizawa and pulling him back.
Aizawa tumbles into Yamada's lap on the swiveling chair, and the blonde shoves them into the camera's view.
Yamaha makes a wide gesture and does jazz hands, hitting Aizawa in the nose in the process.
He doesn't realize though, too busy announcing the 'special guest'.
"Everyone, meet my husband! Also known as the great Eraserhead!" As he announces his husband's username, he does jazz hands again, this time avoiding Aizawa's face.
Aizawa huffs, shaking his head. He's quick to get out of Yamada's lap and head for the door.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
"To bed."