Work Text:
Shouta is accustomed to interruptions in the break room. It’s a hazard of being friends with Kayama and Yamada—something he has been intimately familiar with since high school. His daytime naps at school are rarely successful due to the nature of his coworkers, so he isn’t particularly surprised when he’s startled out of his slumber by a booming, “I AM HERE!”
He zips up his sleeping bag over his face, in the hopes of deterring Toshinori and maybe catching a few more seconds of peace before someone else comes striding into the room, intent on disturbing him.
It doesn’t work.
Toshinori’s heavy footsteps make a beeline for the corner Shouta has claimed, and then come to a stop beside him. “Aizawa-kun! May I humbly ask for your assistance?”
A snarky No, is on the tip of Shouta’s tongue, but the question has him vaguely intrigued. So he unzips the sleeping bag just enough to peer up at Toshinori and reply with a dry, “It must be dire if you’re asking for help.”
Toshinori smiles that wide, too-tight All Might smile Shouta has come to know means he’s only still grinning because there’s no other expression he allows himself to wear in this form. So whatever his issue is must rank somewhere below a villain attack and above merely fishing for attention from the one person least likely to give it.
“Well?” he prompts. “Get on with it, or I’m going back to sleep.”
Toshinori heaves out a sigh, finally letting his smile drop. “Principal Nezu suggested I ask for your assistance with my lesson plans.”
Ah.
Shouta feels the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. Toshinori isn’t a bad teacher my any means, but given that he came in with no prior experience, he’s lacking in certain areas. Such as creating lesson plans. Shouta can’t judge too harshly, considering he was much the same way in his first year—he spent many sleepless nights at Kayama’s apartment agonizing over all of the teacher duties he hadn’t anticipated being so difficult—but it’s amusing to see the Number 1 Hero find something he isn’t instantly an expert at.
He hums, mostly to watch Toshinori sweat at the prospective of being told no. If Shouta had to guess, Nezu didn’t send him to Aizawa specifically—just advised he discuss his upcoming lesson plans with any other staff member who might be free to help out. But, of course, Toshinori came straight to him.
Shouta could be cruel and send him elsewhere, but there’s no one else in the break room right now, so he’s feeling generous. Maybe if they get through things quickly enough, he’ll still have time for a five-minute nap before he has to teach again. And he’s loath to turn down time with Toshinori when they already get so little of it between being both teachers and actively working Pros.
So, with a sigh, he climbs out of his sleeping bag and stands to his feet.
“Thank you, Aiziawa-kun! I am forever in your debt!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s get this over with.”
Shouta drags his sleeping bag with him over to the couch, where Toshinori must have set his things when he came in. He has several folders and notebooks laid out, as well as his laptop and an assortment of colorful pens. Shouta frowns when he notices that all three of his notebooks have various All Might-themed designs on them. He’s not sure he’s seen any hero with as much of their own merch as Toshinori—apart from Yamada, perhaps. Kayama has a fair amount as well, but hers aren’t often items she can show off in public.
(Why does Shouta seem to attract this certain type of person to himself?)
He drops himself onto the couch, letting his sleeping bag fall in a heap on the floor beside him. “What have you got so far?”
“Ah!” Toshinori starts, like he hadn’t been expecting Aizawa to immediately begin in the most logical way possible. “Give me just a moment.” He opens his laptop, quickly logging in and pulling up what appears to be his planning document. He places it on Shouta’s lap, and then begins rifling through some of his other papers.
Shouta ignores that for the time being, electing instead to begin perusing what’s on Toshinori’s laptop. He can tell the biggest issue is an inability to properly estimate how long various activities will take, and how long he has with the students each day. Some lessons are a brief fifteen-minute lecture while others are instruction and an activity that will take far too much time for a single class period.
It’s mostly a matter of readjusting things.
Shouta glances at the clock. He’s certain Nezu’s expectations are for him to help Toshinori rather than simply fix everything for him, but hopefully, it won’t take long. Toshinori didn’t become the Number 1 Hero for no reason, after all—he can pick things up quickly.
He clears his throat, commanding Toshinori’s attention. He immediately sits upright, angling himself towards Shouta like a student ready to learn. He looks a bit humorous, so attentive, in that hideous bright yellow suit of his, but it’s endearing at the same time. His smile is eager and genuine now, rather than a mask to hide discomfort. It’s a good thing they’re in the break room rather than one of their apartments, because Shouta can think of a great many ways he would rather they be spending their time right now that have nothing to do with lesson plans.
He takes a breath, refocusing his thoughts on the matter at hand.
“We need to work on your time management skills,” Shouta says.
Toshinori’s face falls, and Shouta cannot deny the mild delight he feels at his new role instructing the Number 1 Hero as if he’s a struggling student.
Thankfully, Toshinori is ready and willing to learn, which makes Shouta’s job much easier. Time passes quickly as they work together, and he’s not ignorant to the fact that Toshinori keeps scooting closer to him, but given that they’re currently alone, he allows it to happen. He certainly doesn’t mind Toshinori pressed against him, dwarfing Shouta in both height and shape. Although, admittedly, it is mildly distracting to be faced with such a constant reminder of his partner’s immeasurable strength—how he’s capable of lifting Shouta without breaking a sweat or crushing him with a single flex of his biceps.
By the time they’re finishing, every point of contact between them seems to burn Shouta, and yet—he can’t get enough of it. He’s also growing exhausted, thanks to the lack of a nap, and Toshinori must notice because he says, “Thank you greatly for all the help, Aizawa-kun, but I believe I can handle things from here.”
Shouta hums. “If you’re sure…”
“I am sure! You should rest!”
Shouta could argue, but he imagines it will only be a waste of his time and energy. Toshinori is impossibly stubborn, and he can read Shouta far better than he’d like. He’s acutely aware of Shouta’s tells for when his social battery has drained and always conscious of providing an out for him when needed. He eyes his sleeping bag where it lays on the ground, and then glances towards the corner he had been hiding in when Toshinori arrived.
Then, he looks to Toshinori, eyes raking over the rippling muscles of his arms and legs. Toshinori responds with a curious expression, but before he can question Shouta, he says, “Alright. Wake me up if anyone else comes in,” before resting his head against Toshinori’s arm and letting his eyes fall shut.
He expects Toshinori to panic—and he does sense a brief moment of tension, but it’s quickly over. Toshinori chuckles, quiet and good-natured—before running his free hand through Shouta’s hair.
“Sleep well, Aizawa-kun,” he whispers. It’s followed by a gentle kiss to the top of his head that has Shouta’s heartbeat traitorously picking up speed in his chest.
(He only manages a measly five minutes of sleep before Yamada comes parading into the room, but it’s far more comfortable than the hour he could have gotten on the floor, so he’ll take the victory. And he’ll be kind enough to let Toshinori kiss his cheek before they go their separate ways for the rest of the workday, too.)