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Chapter Text

   Shouta had not expected to be so well accepted in the class of students of the heroic course after the Sports Festival. It was not that he thought they would all be assholes about it – in fact it was – but... he felt it was a healthy suspicion to expect a few cheap shots as he was not one of them. It had not happened, but tonight was the first class’s party he attended and as the guest of honour he could not refuse to come. He had tried, of course, but they had simply offered more dates to accommodate, not understanding his introverted-guy cues.

   He had expected something to happen, even if he was generally ignored, the blonde guy who acted like one of those ridiculous American Popstars always seemed to get the group's attention back as soon as they started talking about other people, especially Shouta.

   It was very annoying and self-centred behaviour, but he was taking advantage of it so he did not call him out on his narcissism. He probably would soon though, because the guy was obnoxiously loud.

   And he was also so... confident and self-assured that it annoyed Shouta. The kind of flashy, LOUD confidence and behaviour that could only come from someone who had never had any doubts about his Quirk and his worth as an individual. Someone who had not been the first transfer ever from Japan's top heroic high school after participating in a Sports Festival that was not intended for him but not explicitly forbidden either.

   But he was still an unspoken leader in the class, hypocritically encouraging everyone, giving presents at already birthdays of classmates he did not really talk to, always smiling and enthusiastic, so Shouta could not make an enemy of him if he wanted to survive his high school years.

   He had already been bullied during his middle school years, he had promised himself to keep a low profile in high school, so... no outbursts that could be unfavourable to him, even if he only dreamed of one thing: giving Yamada a scathing black look that would make him stop making so much noise around him. They were sitting right next to each other in class, Dammit!

   When he blinked very slowly again, his chin in his black wool scarf, he noticed that they had decided to play the spin the bottle while he was not listening. The worst game in the world.

   Shirakumo, the one guy he got along with pretty well – because he was not trying to talk to him – was challenged to kiss a girl he'd fortunately known for a long time so neither of them was bothered by the kiss. Tanaka had a shapeshifting Quirk and turned into a snake at the request of the cloud-boy, who wanted to touch one but did not dare approach a real one. Then Tanaka challenged Sato who chose the truth and revealed with an embarrassed look that she had never had a boyfriend. Shouta felt embarrassed for her, he had not been in a relationship either and would not like to be in her shoes, everyone was starting to tease her and she was turning red.

     - "I'm bored!" Yamada grumbled, regaining attention once again. "When is it my turn?"

   The idiot was granted immediately after Ito explained at Sato's request where the scar on his arm came from, thank the gods, and received a challenge that made Shouta's embarrassment and discomfort rise exponentially. Do a striptease. Without hesitation, in front of his wide eyes and other slightly more interested and admiring glances, with grandiloquent movements and an amused laugh to accompany his permanent smile, the blond stripped off his clothes, whistling a tune Shouta could not recognize, throwing his clothes on his comrades. Thank basic decency, he threw his trousers at a boy, even though his jacket, shirt and tie landed on girls. Thanks a million, he also stopped at his pants, did a few poses and got dressed again more calmly, looking... absolutely not bothered. As if undressing in front of almost strangers was nothing. Yeah, Shouta really could not understand, could he?

   Yamada sat back down and then asked Satou if the other girl named Satou in the general section was related to her, and since she had chosen the truth she admitted that she was, the two girls were cousins. That was... incredibly moderate, he had expected something incredibly trashier. He should have been more careful after Satou made Takahashi take off her bra and wear it on her head like an extremely strange scrunchie. He was not really concentrating on the betting outside of being relieved that the jacket actually hid the body so well that the lack of a bra was of no consequence. He should, however, have remained focused on his surroundings, be on his guard, even if it would not have made a difference. At least he would have been mentally prepared.

     - Aizawa-kun, truth or dare?

     - "Dare," he answered automatically, having no desire to confide in him about his personal life.

     - Hmm... girls, any ideas?

   Shimura shrugged, thankfully she seemed to have exhausted her wacky and truly embarrassing ideas for the evening.

     - Something classic, we're still getting to know him, keep it simple.

     - "Simple... so a kiss! And with a boy, otherwise it wouldn't be fun." Takahashi decided with a soft and pleasant air.

   Shouta decided at that very moment that he would never trust this girl: anyone who could look so innocent when talking about something so socially awkward was someone not to be underestimated.

     - A boy, a boy... Alright, Aizawa-kun, give Yamada-kun a kiss on-

     - "A bug-AHHH!" cried the blond man he was being directed towards, leaping and speeding away through the trees.

   With his Quirk, even the distance could not stop them from hearing him screaming bloody murder. Poor locals, they probably had not imagined hearing such screams in such a quiet park, frequented only by families.

     - "What was wrong with him?" He asked when no one seemed surprised.

     - "Yamada-kun has a phobia of insects," Sato whispered with a small, sympathetic smile.

    - "Once at the beginning of the year he refused to go near his desk because there was a wasp on it," a very quiet boy in the class agreed, shaking his head affectionately. "Frankly, it's reassuring that even such a flamboyant guy has fears."

     - So... Is it off?

     - "Nope!" The girl who was challenging him announced with a cheerful look. "Go get him, he's not the type to turn down a challenge, he'll do it I'm sure."

   Shouta sighed but stood up anyway. He wished he could get away with it, kissing a guy he had only known for a few weeks and who annoyed him on a daily basis and kept him from taking his naps in peace was not something he wanted to do.

   This would be his first kiss.

   By the time he found Yamada, the blond had calmed down and was walking back to the group, an apologetic smile on his lips.

     - Ah, sorry Aizawa-kun, I... really don't like bugs.

     - Hm.

   The blonde shrugged, relaxed, and looked at him quietly.

     - "I guess you don't mind if we do it here, do you? Or we can do it in front of our classmates," the blond said, looking completely oblivious to Shouta's discomfort.

   Wait a second...

   Oh by all the fucking gods of the Creation!

     - "Here!" He snapped immediately, so relieved not to have to humiliate himself that he might actually kiss Yamada just for that.

     - "It works for me," the boy who had won the Sports Festival agreed again without any problems or hesitation. "By the way, did Takahashi-chan give you any more specific conditions after I left?"

     - "Conditions?" Shouta repeated, eyebrows furrowed in incomprehension.

     - "When I left, she asked that you kiss me, she didn't say where," the blond man said with a relaxed smile that made Shouta stop and think about it.

   It was true.

     - But wasn't it implied that it would be the mouth?

     - "If she didn't say it, she didn't say it," Yamada promised with an amused look. "Don't worry about that. Come on, choose between kissing the top of my hand and my cheek and we'll go home."

   As if in a dream, Shouta took the other boy's hand a little abruptly and put his lips on it for barely a second and stepped back, his cheeks hot despite the innocent contact.

     - And here we are! Let's go back, I can't wait to see what happened without us!

   It was not until he was in front of the large circle of other members of their class that Shouta realized that Yamada had spoken much more softly when they were talking one-on-one than when he was in the group, for he immediately shouted a proud "It's done, Takahashi-chan!" with excitement and strutted like a peacock to sit back down.

   Shouta did not understand why, there was no pride in kissing Shouta, they had not even done anything to deserve this kind of behaviour, but when the other interrupted the focus on him again by nonchalantly asking Shouta if he would train with him for the next couple of duet training sessions... well, he had not refused.

   He had saved his first kiss and his pride, he could make an effort.

Chapter Text

   At this point, Shouta had become accustomed to the extravagant and playful personalities of his classmates for several months. When he had decided to take revenge for the unfair entrance exam to the UA Heroic course by sabotaging the Sport Festival and ridiculing as many people as possible in a nationally watched event, he had not expected to actually do so well in the tests that he would finish third. None of the students had expected to face someone who could neutralise their Quirks, their bodies were weak and they were unable to cope, clumsy and awkward. He had landed on the fucking podium, and convinced so many teachers and Pro Heroes that he had received a golden opportunity he never thought he would get, and he had accepted, of course he had accepted, he was not stupid enough to waste such a second chance just on misplaced pride. Pride was stupid, and very illogical. Useless too.

   He did not have any friends to regret in the general course, they only had a month together before Shouta had miraculously been switched to a different class and course, but since the beginning of May he had the time to get to know the people he would be hanging around with for the next few years, and... it should be fine. He even made a friend, Shirakumo, and... yeah, Yamada too. He did not seen it coming, but the loud blonde was... a good person.

   He was deeply a good person, a kind boy who was always willing to help and who really tried to make the people around him happy. He was not stupid with an airy brain as he had first suspected, eaten away by prejudice as he was. Yamada was in fact the opposite. He was brilliant. He dominated the academic grades of their class in every subject and helped anyone who asked him for help with homework, revealing an innate gift for teaching. Could a person be more perfect than this? Well, yes, because in addition to being handsome, kind, athletic and intelligent, Yamada was a born leader with an excellent team spirit, a well-defined life plan, a studied and thought-out hero image, the ambition to develop a radio show and... a clear vision of the world.

   Shouta had known that he had found a soul mate in Yamada when the blond had declared loudly and clearly at an eloquence event where all classes of people of different ages and backgrounds competed, that the first duty of a true Hero was to save lives. Fame was not important, arresting a criminal was not important, the Hero's first duty would always be to save civilians.

   Many had said it was stupid, naive or foolishly idealistic, but it was the essence of a true Hero, and even if they had not won the student award, they had won the teacher award, and the whole class had secretly organized a marshmallow party during their training camp for their last week of October for Hizashi.

   Keeping it a secret had been easy for him, and he had managed to keep his new friend busy, usually well aided by Shirakumo who was amused by their easy interactions for two guys as different as they were.

   It was just... easy with Yamada. Hizashi. He had told him to call him Hizashi, and Shouta had finally offered to do the same a few weeks later, though he was still hesitant to think of him as Hizashi, let alone say it out loud. It was so... intimate, he was not used to the feeling, though he understood why the blond had proposed it and why he had accepted. Their relationship was just so... obvious.

   He had no problem being his friend, he never felt like he was being asked for more than he was willing to give, and he usually got silence and quiet when he needed it, so that was really good.

   Never would he have imagined that friendship could be like this when he saw groups of friends at a distance or just two people leaning over each other, exchanging knowing whispers. He would not have imagined living it either.

   And yet here he was, lying on one of the dozens of blankets they had spread on the ground around their campfire to protect them from the dirt – and especially from the bugs, because it was in Hizashi's honour and they really did not want his screams to disturb their teachers – his head resting on Hizashi's thigh, ideally lulled by his friend's incessant chatter.

   The evening was beautiful, everything was going well, but Shouta had preferred to close his eyes and try to fall asleep despite the good mood surrounding him. He just wanted peace and quiet, real peace and quiet. Not to be solicited, not to-

     - Aizawa-kun, please turn off Suzuki's Quirk!

   Shouta held back a sigh. Beyond boredom, there was only fatigue and panic. How could he just dodge attention when he was trying so hard to be transparent?

     - Aizawa-kun!

   Tsk.

   He opened his eyes only to see a red hoodie sleeve blocking his view, the arm to which it belonged above him.

     - "Shhh, he's sleeping!" Hizashi whispered loudly, placing a hand over Shouta's ear to block the sound.

   Except Shouta was not sleeping.

   But no one knew that, and his classmates immediately lowered their voices to speak more softly, careful not to disturb him during what they thought was one of his few true moments of sleep. His insomnia was unfortunately a matter of public record now.

   Maybe it was a bit of a lie, just lying there, but... he was feeling so tired from all the constant interactions, this whole class trip was exhausting since he had no quiet time just for himself, so... he said nothing. He did not move, just stood still and silent, curled up on his side, trying not to flinch when he felt something fall on him. Jacket? But he had his own. Then he caught the scent of a light perfume and relaxed even more. Hizashi.

   His friend pulled the jacket up high enough to actually cover his face, giving the excuse that it was to dim the light coming in on his face, and Shouta was finally... isolated. Alone in a tiny bubble where no one saw him, no one looked at him, no one expected anything from him.

   It was his paradise, especially when Hizashi lifted him up on one of Shirakumo’s clouds to take him back to their room and put him in his bed, being careful to be gentle.

   He could not remember the last time someone had been so gentle, and caring, even if it was while he was supposedly asleep.

   That was... good, wasn't it? Anyway, he liked the warmth in his belly and the shiver of excitement that ran through his body.

Chapter Text

     - Shouta, where are you? Have you heard from Hizashi?

   Oboro's voice was almost completely overwhelmed by loud music that made him frown and he pulled his phone further away from his ear. Too loud. Far too loud.

     - "You are looking for Hizashi?" He asked, not understanding why he was calling Shouta and not directly Hizashi or at least his house.

     - Yeah, he's not answering!

   It was no wonder, Hizashi usually turned his phone on silent when they worked together. In fact, he was very little on his phone when he was with his friends, he always made sure to give them his full attention.

     - He's with me, we're working at his home, why?

     - What?! Shouta, the festival, how are you going to get there on time? The trains to Tokyo will be full at this time!

     - "Festival?" He repeated without understanding, trying to breathe slowly through his anxiety symptoms.

   Chest tightness, difficulty to breath, thoughts running in circles...

   Of course, Oboro had continued to speak, and Shouta had not been able to retain a single word of what he had said.

     - late now for-

     - Shouta, are you alright?

   Hizashi's voice brought him back to his friend in front of him, who was looking at him with that eternal patience and gentle concern. Caution and attention. Care.

   Was he all right? Hard to say, he did not know how he was, something was disrupting his planned, predictable, nice pattern of a Saturday afternoon hanging out with one of his best friends and he... he was not okay?

   Knowing that Hizashi would know he was lying if he tried, Shouta considered not saying anything before changing his mind. They had been best friends for over a year, Hizashi had always supported and helped him, just because others had disappointed him at every opportunity did not mean Hizashi was suddenly going to be a jerk. That was just his insecurities talking.

   He motioned negatively to Hizashi who nodded seriously and pointed to his phone with his chin, hand outstretched.

   After a staring match that continued despite the blinking eyes of the insistent – stubborn - and determined - obtuse – blond, Shouta gave in and concentrated as best he could on his homework rather than the conversation Hizashi had moved to the balcony.

   The mathematical formulas were muddling up before his eyes, the numbers he had to use seemed to change and nothing made sense anymore.

   What was going on? What had he forgotten? Why was Oboro talking about a... festival? Had he really forgotten a Matsuri? They had been to one to celebrate summer, then another for the stars, and two more for local festivals in their prefecture, were there that many at this time of year? If that was the case, then why was Hizashi still here? The blond was always the first one at these events, always volunteering to watch fireworks until dawn came, always finding something to satisfy his playful and competitive temperament at the stands, and sometimes even refusing to eat at noon to make sure he had enough appetite to eat whatever would be offered in the evening.

   It was not... logical, but at least rational thought had put him back on track and he made way for Eraserhead and his relentless logic that was so extolled by their teachers in their practical exercises.

   The few bursts of voices he could hear sounded... well, not as worried as Shouta had feared. He heard the words "sorry" and "I thought-!" but after that Hizashi seemed to remember to lower his voice and Shouta could not hear a thing.

   Since he was still in deepest misunderstanding, he did what he knew best and already enjoyed most about being a Hero: searching for information. Festival, festival...

   He could only find one that he thought really fit, well, according to the internet, a music festival, the Summer Sonic Festival, which started in Osaka and ended in Tokyo… today. He liked music, and he liked rock pretty well, do not get him wrong but...

   An international festival?

   Just the thought of the crowd, the amount of people and the amount of noise made Shouta want to retreat to his room. Being surrounded by screams, the smell of perfumes, sweat and alcohol, ears filled with the shouts and the clatter of deafening musical instruments and heart pounding as the speakers spewed out their sound far too loud...

   It was the worst kind of place for him, the complete opposite of what he liked. Wait a second... was this the "little festival" their class was going to to celebrate the fact that they had all gotten a satisfying internship for their senior year of high school? Wasn't it supposed to be next weekend? That was what Hizashi had said when he informed him, wasn't it?

   Shouta was not on any social network, so he was always informed of class meetings or social activities by Hizashi or Oboro, but it's true that the major drawback was that he was often informed at the last moment, being reminded a few days before the event that it even existed. Usually this was fine for him, he did not have time to worry about his social awkwardness and gathering of people or his need to interact even when he did not want to, but maybe today there had been a mix-up.

     - Hey, Shouta?

   Hizashi's voice was totally in that apologetic tone.

     - Yeah?

     - So... you know how I told you that the class wanted to go to a festival?

     - "The one next week?" He asked, at least satisfied that his deduction was accurate even if it meant they had a problem.

   The blonde ran a hand through his hair, looking away before coming to sit across from him again.

     - Yeah, that one. It's today.

     - I got that.

     - "Look, it's really late, but if you want we can still go and enjoy it for a few hours," Hizashi offered with a serious look.

     - It's too late for that, right? Most of the groups will have performed.

   It was mostly that he would rather take advantage of this unexpected opportunity to stay with Hizashi for the weekend than this, but he doubted that was a socially acceptable thing to say. At least not to his best friend who had made a mistake and was trying to make up for it.

   Something else had to be said to reassure him.

     - "I'm not upset, it's okay," he promised before retrieving his pen and bringing his maths book closer to reread the statement of the exercise he was stuck on.

     - Sorry about that, next year I'll make sure you get to go.

   Uh... no, please don't, just give up.

     - Hizashi. We'll be young Pro Heroes with probably incompatible work schedules and we don't even know where we'll be working yet, it doesn't make sense to do that. I assure you, it's nothing. We can easily find the groups' performance on the internet.

   The blond did not answer him, prompting him to look up to see that the blond was pouting, looking at the ceiling pensively, before looking at the dark-haired boy.

     - Hey, I have an idea! To make it up to you, when we finish our homework, how about we go to that cat cafe we spotted the last time we came back from Yuei? They don't close too early, and then we can have a sleepover, you know my parents won't mind you staying for dinner and sleep.

     - "Okay," he agreed immediately before tucking his chin into his scarf to hide the joy and relief he felt at Hizashi's proposal.

   Coffee with a cat, a quiet dinner with parents who were not going to remind him at every moment how imperfect he was, video games or a movie, and sleeping in a bed that Hizashi always piled extra blankets on when Shouta stayed. The perfect day program in his opinion.

   Plus, for some reason, Shouta had noticed that he slept oddly soundly when he slept with someone. Well, with Hizashi since he had only slept at Hizashi's house, Oboro's house was far too busy and noisy with his siblings for the clouded-Quirk boy to offer to invite him, knowing his insomnia.

   Oboro... Oboro was great, but he did not know how to calm him down like Hizashi did, so he was relieved to be left behind with the noisy boy in class who actually managed to keep his mouth shut, and more than he would have suspected when he was still young and prejudiced. His other friend would probably have suggested bowling, and Shouta would have said yes, because he liked his friend, but Hizashi... well, luckily their tastes and desires seemed to coincide really well. Hizashi also loved loud, electric and noisy things, as a good music fan he loved karaoke, but tonight he had not proposed it, he had not proposed an event with other people either...

   Maybe deep down, Hizashi was like him and needed to recharge his battery in peace. In any case, he was really lucky that Hizashi did not keep a more precise and reliable schedule for group outings.

   The evening promised to be great.

Chapter Text

     - "I look completely ridiculous," Shouta grumbled as he repositioned his already perfectly positioned tie for the seventh time.

     - "Shut up," he received as a reply. "Nemuri-chan was right, the suit is perfect so stop bitching."

     - How is it perfect?

     - "It shows off your godlike biceps and thighs that would prompt a healthy sexuality reassessment in anyone," Hizashi replied absentmindedly from the bathroom. "I'm done with my hair, come here so I can do yours."

   Shouta ignored the heat that rose in him at the compliment. Hizashi did not even know he was gay, he said it innocently, always generous with compliments for Shouta because Eraserhead was a man with a lot of insecurities about anything other than heroism, that was all. He was just being nice, it was not like he looked at him with desire.

     - Hizashi, I don't want to be recognized and I don't want to be noticed, I won't-

     - "Aizawa Shouta," the other replied as he walked out of the room without having time to see the wary scowl of someone who knew the threat that usually came after this man spoke his name completely. "Are you concussed?"

   Well, he hadn't anticipated that particular question. Perhaps he was indeed concussed, was it a psychotic delusion?

     - I don't think so, why?

     - It's a gala reception, you've got to look your best.

     - "I shaved," he sulked.

   It was a lot of effort for him.

     - "You idiot," the blond man stated as a matter of fact with a quiet affectionate smile. "I know you don't like it, but this is an event with a certain dress code. Everyone is going to get dressed up, and while your usual attire is perfectly practical and optimised for working at night and away from the journalists, this technique is totally inappropriate under the light of the cameras."

     - "I might just not come, you know," he called back hopefully.

     - "Do I need to remind you that the invitation is for you because your agency wants to force you to network and build a reputation with the other Pro Heroes of our generation in your prefecture and I'm only going with you because I'm a great friend?"

   Perhaps Shouta's selective mind had deliberately overlooked this detail. He sighed, looking longingly at his favourite yellow sleeping bag. So nice, warm, soft and padded. If only he could-

     - Come on, come here.

     - You still haven't made a convincing argument.

     - You mean, apart from the fact that I want it and we both know I'm going to win?

   Shouta had to restrain himself at the last moment from saying an amused "yeah".

     - Hmm.

   Hizashi strode across the room with a renewed energy in his step and pulled his blue jacket over his white shirt before crossing his arms right in front of him. The shoes might have been missing, but he was already stunning. Not as muscular as Shouta, but Hizashi's muscles had never been very apparent anyway. It was not necessary though, as long as they were functional enough to punch and lift people, that was the main thing. Shouta had a crush anyway.

     - It's simple though. In a crowd of colourful Heroes trying to stand out, you look so dull and plain at first glance that you're invisible, but tonight every detail will be observed, so, in order not to attract attention, you have to match expectations.

     - Wait, what?

     - Shouta, you have the appearance of a traditional pre-Quirk Japanese man, which is a kind of ideal that our society has never really forgotten. You don't have a mutant-type Quirk. You're not famous. You're in an ultra-classic suit. Everything in you screams "Don't look at me" at this kind of party even if you feel like it’s the opposite. If you come in with that bird's nest-like hair of yours, everyone will be looking at you all night, trust me.

   Of course, put like that, Shouta did not have much choice, did he?

     - Okay, but keep it simple.

     - Sure, just a little braid on each side of the temples to clear the face and I'll do a bun at the back of the head.

   It was only a matter of minutes before Hizashi got the result he wanted and he dragged them into a photo booth to relax Shouta with silly faces... and the worst part about it was that it worked.

   They arrived in good mood and right on time, Shouta paid the taxi and slipped quietly up to the event reception with his invitation, whispering to the man that Hizashi/Present Mic was his plus one. He saw the man's surprise as he checked his invitation more carefully, looking as if he didn't understand how a no-name like him could get the company of someone as flamboyant as the most popular young Hero on social media among people their age. 

   When he looked back, Shouta saw it too.

   Hizashi was in his element in front of the press, confident and in full control of his environment, handling attention and questions like a puppeteer putting on a show. He was a Hero... a true Hero in a way that Shouta would never be. The kind of hero Oboro would have become.

   Breathe, don't think of Oboro. Don't think about Sato from their class who had almost died just a few months after beginning her career when her family was targeted because of her very risky career choice. Not to think of Oyama, the second person in their class to die before their twenty-fifth birthday. Not to think of Fujioka who had lost an arm.

   A familiar burst of laughter brought him back to the present and he found himself frozen like a prey before a predator. Except that here the predator was his ally. Hizashi winked contentedly and pointed inside to ask if everything was okay, and smiled even more brightly when Shouta signalled that everything was set, preceding him down the corridors to the... huge, crowded room.

   What the hell.

   Why was this his life?

   Why couldn't he just do his thing in the middle of the night without drawing attention? He didn't care about the others as long as they did their jobs and didn't mind if their paths happened to cross.

   At least, as Hizashi had predicted, no one was paying any attention to him and he managed to dodge most of the people who seemed to want to approach him, chatting here and there with a few people who were fortunately quickly distracted by an always miraculous and welcome arrival of Hizashi who might as well have had a teleportation Quirk or an awkward social situation alert as his timing was always precise and impeccable. To take nothing away, the blonde always knew who these people were and never struggled to engage them in conversation and make them forget about the subdued, dull, boring and vaguely creepy Eraserhead.

   When he came out, he had the new Yuei headmaster's card in his pocket as well as Hizashi and a proposal to train as a teacher at his old high school.

   He must have been really desperate to think of them.

   Hizashi became strongly offended when he said this out loud and began a new lecture on his qualities and why he shouldn't doubt him so much.

   Even the scolding of Shouta and some local residents annoyed by the noise at about two o'clock in the morning had no effect on the blonde's enthusiasm for complimenting Shouta. At this point he suspected that nothing could.

     - "Thanks for coming," he remembered he wanted to say.

     - Oh man, you know I love these parties, let's do it again sometime!

     - Never.

     - Ahahah, you hermit before your time!

     - SHH!

Chapter Text

   Receiving tight hugs from Hizashi was, according to Shouta, a cross between torture and a divine blessing. All people desperately in love with their best friends surely understood this.

   To be close to someone, to love them with all your heart while knowing full well that you would never be loved the way you wanted to be when all around you others had that chance...

   Ah, it was terrible, but every happy smile of Hizashi's when he was happily coupled and bubbling with euphoria and love reminded him that even if he wasn't the one who made him happy in that way, he was the one who remained when all the others were just passing through in the blonde's life. To his relief of course, he didn't know what he would do if Hizashi had a serious relationship that lasted more than a few months at the risk of ending in marriage.

   He didn't know if his heart could handle being the best man at the wedding of the love of his life.

   Shouta's heart had always been too fragile for its own good, hence the high walls that only a bold, loud, insistent blond could break through out of sheer determination. At this point in his life, he had accepted the fact that there was only one man in his romantic life, even if he had to be content to float in his orbit. There were worse fates than living always facing the sun.

   A few years after establishing a stable career on their own, Shouta had crossed paths with Yuei's principal again and to his surprise the job offer was still on the table. This time he had accepted.

   All his friends had found it very illogical on his part, even though they had celebrated the news and the distance reduction since Nemuri had been teaching there for six months for some special lectures, and Tensei and Hizashi were working nearby that prefecture.

   It was actually very logical, but in a way that only made sense for Shouta.

   He missed Hizashi, that's what it came down to. They hardly ever saw each other in person, their schedules were too different, and between Shouta's bad sleeping habits that tired and exhausted him and Hizashi's double career, even their calls had become scarce. It was just too hard for him, he felt himself cracking mentally and knowing he was sinking into depression wasn't helping him. He was too lonely to get better, so he made up his mind and within a few weeks he had resigned, found a new flat, signed a contract with UA and found a new agency in the city itself. The advantage of being in the city of the best heroic high school in Japan... and of being a teacher there.

   Completely enthralled by his dull, drab tales of teaching lessons about what life was like to kids with no desire or plan for life other than to be rich and famous, Hizashi had volunteered the following year to teach English. It made sense, since he was bilingual, but still...

   Oh, and then what? He didn't even have the mental strength to disapprove of the man juggling his three jobs, because now he saw Hizashi several times a day and ate with him at least three lunches a week.

   He couldn't remember being this happy since... Oboro’s death.

     - Aizawa! I want to hear Aizawa!

   Shouta sighed. This, on the other hand, was the negative aspect of being part of a teaching team: the social outings.

   Sometimes he felt like he was back in high school as a student who was dragged to every class event against his will in the name of sacrosanct socialising.

   He kept his typical scowl and pretended he hadn't heard Nemuri. Sometimes the only thing to do was to act naive, if she was drunk enough it might work.

   Except she wasn't the only one who liked the idea of him making a fool of himself at karaoke, awkwardly mumbling the lyrics to some obscure pop group song he didn't care about in front of a small, drunken audience unable to hold back their laughter.

     - Great idea!

     - What I wouldn't give to see that.

     - Aizawa, it's decided, what song-

   Suddenly there was a loud splashing sound and the whole table turned as one to the end of the table where Hizashi was looking down at his own beer-soaked shirt, his eyes seemingly unable to really concentrate.

     - Huh?

     - "Wow, Mic, you're way more wasted than I thought, man!" Nemuri chuckled to herself.

     - "Nope, not at all!" The other argued like a child, holding up a finger to wave it around like an adult trying to gently reprimand a child. Except that he was doing it towards Shouta.

     - "Too bad, he'd better go home now or tomorrow will be hell for him and he has a recording scheduled," someone declared, not that Shouta cared when Hizashi smiled so broadly at him like he'd hung every star in the sky for him.

     - Well, Aizawa, take your high school friend's sorry ass home safely.

     - Hng.

     - "What? Hey, I can walk!" The blond declared as he struggled before stumbling and keeping an arm around Shouta's shoulders.

   It was to steady himself, for safety, relax Aizawa Shouta.

   He dragged the other Hero behind him, happily letting someone else grab the microphone to sing something insipid and leaving the establishment with Hizashi's face turned towards him. It wouldn't be very good publicity for Present Mic, it just made sense.

   The obscene gesture he gave to Nemuri through the window was less so, but it was revenge for his completely unsubtle attempt to send him to the metaphorical slaughterhouse that was the little scene in that karaoke bar that was too loud for him.

   Suddenly, Hizashi straightened up completely. Shouta immediately stretched out his arms, ready to catch his friend, but the blond continued to move forward with confidence and did not stumble. Now that Shouta was paying attention... his balance was perfect.

     - "What... you're not drunk." He declared in a passive aggressive accusatory tone.

     - "Nope! Well, just a little bit, but not enough to spill my drink, I mean, even when I'm completely wasted I've never dropped a glass," the other one rambled happily with a proud, arrogant smile, pulling his hair back.

   Was there even a situation that could make him serious?

   Shouta carefully avoided thinking about the look of utter fury almost displaced by his intensity when Hizashi had arrived with a rescue team to save his and two other Underground Heroes' skins three weeks earlier. That was an exception.

     - "Why did you do that?" He asked, relying on the alcohol to loosen Hizashi's tongue.

   He was hopefully even more talkative once he had enough alcohol in his blood, so it was now or never.

     - They were going to annoy you into singing in front of them.

   It was... was irrelevant. Nothing to do with what he asked.

     - Yeah, and?

     - "You hate it," his friend said simply.

   It was still true, but nevertheless irrelevant again.

     - How is that relevant? Hizashi, you spilled beer on yourself, it wasn't-

     - Shouta.

   The serious tone caught his attention long enough for Hizashi to approach and place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

     - Don't worry man, I've got your back.

   Then the blond man nodded, looking satisfied, and continued forward.

   Shouta blinked slowly. His eyes were dry. He put a few drops of eyewash in his eyes and followed his friend with his still excessively lively and enthusiastic strides, thoughtful.

   Hizashi was watching his back? He didn't doubt it, but this wasn't a life or death situation, danger or even heroism, just... Shouta being a socially unfit idiot.

   I've got your back...

   It was a confident and self-assured statement. There was only one possible deduction:

     - Wait, you mean you've already done it?!

     - Yeah? Of course I have, you're my favourite person in the world. It's not that hard, you're always struggling to be selfish for yourself, you always put yourself in situations you don't like for other people, so the least I can do is make them look at me to get over you.

   ... what.

   How many times had he done it?

     - "How the fuck am I supposed to not fall in love with you when you say things like that?" He muttered under his breath.

   He realised his mistake too late when his face met a shoulder blade.

     - Shouta?

     - Hmm?

     - What did you just say?

     - "Have you ever done it?" He thought, surprised.

     - No, the part about... you... in love... with me?

   Shouta being fast, he had done the only thing to do in this situation other than find refuge in his unfortunately inaccessible sleeping bag: flee. Except that Hizashi knew him too well and succeeded in blocking him where he was by a devious manipulation of his capture weapon.

   Before he could react, Hizashi tugged on his scarf to pull him closer, and the next thing he knew, lips were on his.

     - "I know I should have asked before I did it, but I really didn't want to chase after you," the blonde explained as he ran a hand through his hair.

   Shouta worried briefly that he'd misunderstood when he pulled Hizashi forward for another kiss, but eventually the other responded enthusiastically. It was all right.

     - "I don't want a one-night-stand," Hizashi whispered softly, "I-"

     - "Be my boyfriend," Shouta cut him off.

   After that, several promises to never forget or doubt the truth of their words – Hizashi had even forced him to send text messages repeating his confession of love to have a physical record – they went back to Hizashi's house and cuddled.

   Sleep had never come so quickly to him. The fingers in his hair didn't bother him.

   They never had and never would.

Chapter Text

     - Shit!

     - Hng?

     - Oh, sorry love, it's just that Mist has just been admitted to hospital, her agency apologises.

     - "Are you aware of every Heroes’ situation?" Shouta asked, eyes still closed, wrapped in a blanket on his partner's couch.

   Mist... wasn't this girl one of the UA students who graduated three years earlier? She hadn't been in his class but he had seen her at the Sports Festivals, she was good. Strangely though, he didn't remember ever hearing about her.

     - No, can you imagine how many Pro Heroes there are in the whole country? That's because she's the Pro Hero Underground I was going to interview tonight for my show. Gosh, I hope she gets over it, she was nice.

     - Do you have someone to replace her?

     - Uh, actually no, she was already replacing a duo who haven't returned from a long undercover mission, and you know how complicated it is to even find Undergrounds, so getting them out of their caves and onto the radio...

     - "I can do it," he offered without really thinking about it.

   This wasn't how he would describe his idyllic evening, but since he was going to listen to the show anyway and then stay up until Hizashi was safely home, it made sense to offer.

     - No no no, don't worry, I'll figure something out.

     - Something in less than seven hours? For a multi-hour thing schedule in the middle of the night? Not a chance, the Underground works at night and none of them will want to give up their duty for a radio show, even if it's yours.

     - I know, but-

     - "Don't you want me to come on your show?" Shouta asked, curious but neutral on the subject.

   The sudden movement warned him that he had probably been more fragile, plaintive and insecure than he had intended so he opened his eyes to look steadily at Hizashi.

     - Honey, you're capable and I'd love to have you there, but you hate being the centre of attention, do you have any idea how many people listen to my show?

     - Too many considering it's so late.

   Hizashi laughed softly but nodded.

     - They'll soon forget about me when you host Nemuri next week.

     - But-

     - Tensei is the absolute darling of your fans and yet you interviewed him almost a year ago. I'd still be a vague memory to them.

     - What if criminals are listening?

     - Hizashi, don't be paranoid, I'm not a complete secret, my profile appears on the school website, and anyway my enemies rarely have time to see me before I make my move.

     - But you don't like that.

     - "I don't like to cook either," he shrugged, "but I do. I don't mind, it's to help you."

   Hizashi cooed but blushed a little.

     - Anyway, you'll draw attention to yourself, won't you?

     - Yeah... yeah, right. Thanks, Shouta.

     - Hmm...

   The next time Shouta opened his eyes, Hizashi was sitting on the couch next to him, writing on a notepad.

     - We're leaving in half an hour to make sure we're on time.

     - Okay.

     - Do you want to go over the questions with me?

     - "What are you going to say?" He asked as he sat down, groggy.

     - They won't have any information about you other than your Hero name, for your safety and anonymity. Everything else is just conversation with the people asking the questions. I can also ask basic questions about balancing heroic and private life, romantic relationships, what it's like to combine several jobs, do you like teaching, stuff like that.

     - I'm fine with that, none of it will make me uncomfortable. I'll make an effort to be more... well, better.

     - "No," the blond answered immediately, simple and firm. "I love you the way you are, I don't need you to try to change."

     - Not even for your show?

     - Not even for this.

   Seeing the backstage area of a show he'd only ever listen through his radio was strange, but fun. They introduced Shouta to the staff, checked the equipment settings. Eventually Shouta even fell asleep in his chair while the others continued talking, apparently doing justice to Hizashi's description of him.

   He'd been less amused to hear that he'd been described as a grumpy cat, but hey... it was still pretty accurate.

     - "Here we go, let's start!" Hizashi exclaimed eagerly, kicking his chair to wake him up.

     - "Too loud," he muttered in revenge to the blonde who stuck out his tongue.

     - This week a special guest my listeners! Eraserhead, Pro Underground Hero! I know I said it would be Mist on the social networks for those who have been following but what can we do, the job sometimes gives us a taste of unexpected, but I'm looking forward to welcoming the lady when our schedules match again! As usual, don't hesitate to ask your questions, we will...

   Shouta was his critical, bored and sanctimonious self and Hizashi was his optimistic, loud and excited self. All was going well until a less than stellar call.

     - Hey, Eraserhead! You and Present Mic went to high school together, right?

     - We did.

     - I hear Mic is a fag, is that-

   Beep. Beep. Beep.

     - "Oh, my bad," Shouta declared, his tone of voice curt as his irritated eyes.

     - "What... Eraserhead?" Hizashi questioned, looking worried.

     - Yeah?

     - Did you just hang up?

     - Is that what that button was for? I thought it was to turn the sound down.

     - You...

   Then Hizashi understood his insistent look and smiled brightly.

     - Ahahah of course, there's a lot of new material for you here!

     - Yeah. Shouldn't we take another call at this point?

     - Probably, sorry again about that accident! Hello listener, you're on the air!

   They distinctly heard the sound of a phone being picked up by someone who really didn't expect to get an answer.

     - Erm... Hello?

   High, soft, quiet voice. Probably minor.

     - Hi, welcome back, you're on the air!

     - "I've got a question for Eraserhead," the kid said with a little more alacrity.

     - "Oooh! Someone has a fan!" Hizashi cooed with a teasing wink at Shouta. "He is listening to you, go ahead."

     - I have... a complicated Quirk, everyone's afraid of me as soon as they know, but... I really want to become a Pro Hero... do you think it's possible?

     - It is possible. A Quirk is like anything else, it can be learned, used, adapted. Even a pretty, cute, crowd-pleasing Quirk could do monumental damage, so don't worry about that and don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do.

     - And you think can I go to UA?

     - "The entrance exam is completely discriminating with those who don't have a Quirk directly usable in combat, it might be complicated," he immediately warned.

     - "But if you have the motivation, then you can do anything! Eraserhead here entered the heroic course after starting with the general section, don't lose hope!" Hizashi added, much more encouragingly.

     - Yeah... as he said.

     - I... Thank you!

     - Take care, kid.

   The last seven minutes were just the two of them discussing what it was like to make collaborations between day and night Pro Heroes, the differences in behaviour, habits or even temperaments that sometimes caused problems.

   They didn't want to take the risk that some idiot would insult Hizashi again. Or, to be more precise, no one in the team wanted to take the risk of Shouta hanging up on a listener a second time. Accidents happened soooo quickly.

     - "My Hero," Hizashi teased as soon as everything was off, but Shouta knew that beyond the spectacle for the amused radio crew, he was sincere.

   He smiled back into his scarf, knowing that the other would see past his scowling face to the crowds.

   He was glad he had come.