Work Text:
Tooru couldn’t sleep. She had spent most of the night tossing and turning, so she thought maybe a walk would help. She quietly slipped from her dorm and wandered down the hall. A short elevator ride down to the first floor later, she was spilling out into the common room, stifling a yawn. With a stretch, she padded into the kitchen. Maybe tea would also help.
She filled the kettle and had just placed it on the stove when a sharp intake of breath and an odd scuffling reached her ears. She peered into the common room, just as a foot stretched over the arm of the couch that faced away from her. Curious, she crept over for a look. Who could be sleeping down here?
Leaning over the back of the couch, she was greeted with a sleeping sensei. She pulled back immediately, stifling a gasp. She waited a moment, two. Why was he here? He’d never slept here before… When he didn’t stir, she carefully leaned back over the back of the couch.
He was wearing pajamas, a black t-shirt and his infamous pink sweatpants. So, he came after we all went to bed… He'd had the blanket that was usually hanging over the back of the couch over himself at some point, it seemed, but it was currently sliding toward the floor. Another sharp inhale had her gaze flicking back toward his face—his brows were pinched rather tightly, and his jaw was rapidly clenching and unclenching.
Oh, he's having a nightmare… I should wake him.
She inched closer toward his head, reaching out with a finger, she poked his cheek. “Aizawa-sensei…?”
His cheek twitched but he just swatted her hand away as he whimpered, turning his back to her.
She let out a huff, reaching out and nudging his shoulder blade gently. She had recalled one of their lessons about waking persons who suffered from PTSD—it was better to be gentle and stay as far back as you could in case they startled. So, she stayed behind the couch, to have something solid between them.
“Sensei…?” she tried again, carefully trailing her finger slowly up and down his back.
A few seconds later he shifted, his shoulder tucking up to his ear momentarily and a huff escaped him, the tail end of which sounded like a chuckle. But he had yet to wake up.
She pulled back and crept around to the front of the couch, his brow seemed slightly less creased, but his jaw was still working. Hmm… She bit her lip. She looked him up and down, from his screwed up face to the bare foot still propped up on the arm of the couch. He looked tense all over, but she was sure he'd been relaxing, at least a little. And it had sounded like he'd giggled. Not that he would ever admit that…
She exhaled through her nose. “Just trying to help you, Aizawa-sensei…” she said, mostly to herself.
She shifted to the end of the couch where his foot still hung over. This was as far as she could get and with his leg extended as it was, she should be a safe distance away.
Slowly, she lifted her finger to his foot, lightly trailing it along the heel as she leaned around the couch to watch his face. As soon as he opened his eyes, she'd stop. His foot twitched, as did the corner of his mouth. Oh, he's… that's adorably… unexpected…
Stifling a giggle, she wiggled her finger slowly up the center of the sole of his foot. It flexed and shifted slightly under her touch but she was focused on his face. His lips twitched and his brows relaxed—until she stopped. Tightly furrowed brows and tightly pressed lips returned.
“C'mon, sensei, wake up…” she murmured, sweeping her finger in slow spirals from the ball of his foot to his heel and back up.
His toes curled and flexed, and as she looked at his face, she was pleased to see it was relaxed and a smile was pulling at his lips—a kind she had never seen before.
Aww… she trailed her fingernail along the ball of his foot, stifling her giggles as a gasp escaped her still-sleeping sensei, his foot jerking back for a few moments before shifting back into place. She left her nail flick slowly along his arch, holding her breath as a giggle bubbled out of his chest. And then another.
So. Cute.
Shaking her head, she moved to standing behind the couch again, chewing her lip. He really needed to wake up, but she didn't want to startle him. She reached out tentatively, wiggling her finger gently along his upper ribs.
His arm clamped protectively to his side as he arched away, swatting uselessly with the other. “Gehehehmhmphehe!” That never-before-seen smile was pulling at his lips again.
“Aww…” Tooru cooed, a little loudly, as her finger wiggled against the crease of his arm and side.
“AHA! Gahhahehe—” Aizawa shot up into a sitting position so suddenly, Tooru jerked away with a yelp, ducking behind the couch.
She held her breath, didn't move a muscle. Above her, she could hear Aizawa trying to catch his breath, a few giggles escaping. And then she heard the shifting of couch cushions, and a shadow fell over her, with a flash of red. Crap!
“I-I can explain, Aizawa-sensei…” she said, slowly turning to face him.
“Can you?” he asked through gritted teeth. “You can explain why you were tickling me in my sleep—or at all?” His eyes flashed again as he glared at her, but she could see a pink tinge to his cheeks.
Tooru shrank away, awkwardly scratching at her cheek as she gave a nod he likely couldn't perceive. “Y-You were having a n-nightmare, sensei,” she rushed to explain, only stuttering a couple times as she glanced up at him. “We just learned about PTSD earlier today… so I didn't—I wasn't,” she sighed, hugging herself around the waist. “It was completely unintentional, ah, at first…”
“At first,” he said flatly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Well, when you started, uh, squirming and—uh!” she shook her head quickly as his quirk flared to life again. “I thought you'd wake up—and you did—but I got carried away…” she giggled, nervously.
The blush on his cheeks intensified. “I'm sure I don't need to tell you, but this needs to stay between us.”
“Of course, sir!”
He gave a curt nod, his blush finally dissipating, “You should get to bed.”
“I couldn't sleep… I came to make tea… would you, uh, like some, sensei?” she asked, slowly getting to her feet.
“Sure—thank you,” he said quietly, and then watched her disappear into the kitchen before he settled properly against the couch cushions, his eyes sliding closed.
A few minutes later, the whistling reached Shouta’s ears. Oh right, tea… His cheeks flushed as he recalled why he was waiting for tea in the first place. His stomach churned. He was sure he was going to lose the respect of his class, there was no way Hagakure could keep this to herself.
“Sensei, do you take honey in your tea…?”
“Just a little, thanks…” he exhaled through his nose.
A couple minutes later, the couch cushion next to him dipped and he cracked one eye open, then the other, sitting up to accept the offered cup of tea with a nod.
“Sensei, can I ask you something?” Hagakure asked, taking a sip from her own mug.
“Go on,” Shouta acquiesced, sipping from his own mug, humming in appreciation. It was pretty good.
“Why were you sleeping here, and not in your dorm?” The question was quiet, like she was hesitant to ask. She probably was.
He looked to where he guessed her face was, and then away, taking a slow pull from his mug. “It usually helps keep the worst of the nightmares away.”
“Oh. I'm sorry if that was personal. And that you still had them when you were in a place you felt safe.”
He hummed, carefully reaching out to pat the top of her head, aware of the color flaring on his cheeks again. “Thanks, Hagakure. You should get some sleep, now.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, downing the rest of her tea. She stood and headed toward the kitchen to put her mug in the sink. Heading toward the elevators, she paused. “You know, sensei. It'd be nice if you showed us more of your human side. It wouldn't dampen our respect for you. I don't think there's anything that could. You went toe-to-toe with like fifty villains alone, to protect us—kids you had only known for three days. And yeah, that's your job as a hero, sure. But, Aizawa-sensei, it was really fucking badass. Thank you.”
And then, he was alone.
“You're welcome,” he murmured to the empty room, wiping a single tear from his right eye.