The Heart is a World of Small Things

3.1

Aizawa was exhausted. Training after a long day of teaching followed by a brief meeting regarding the hero course was too much. And he also had a shift for tonight.

Last time he walked into his apartment, Daisuke was gargling water next to the sink and Tsukauchi was raiding his fridge.

This time he stood by the kitchen and watched Daisuke recklessly wave away smoke from the smoke detector with oven mitts and a hand towel.

"Aizawa-san!" Daisuke shouted almost out of relief. The towel slipped from his hand and was sent flying.

Aizawa ducked, towel flying over him, "What are you doing?"

Daisuke waves away the last of the smoke, successfully avoiding the alarm from going off.

"I left the food for too long in the oven," Daisuke grinned. "It kinda caught fire."

Aizawa raised a brow. "Right." This wouldn't be the first time Daisuke left something unattended only to get burned.

"We're having steamed fish for dinner." Daisuke proudly announced. "If not steamed, surely well cooked by now."

"I don't think that's how cooking works." Aizawa sighed.

Daisuke began plating the food as Aizawa headed to the living room.

"What's this?" Daisuke glanced over where the sleep deprived hero held a stack of mail.

"Bills." Daisuke blandly replied, focusing on trying to make the food look appetizing. The veggies had taken the most of the burnt.

"And this?" Aizawa held up a small envelope. "Who are you mailing this to?"

Daisuke's cheek lightly twitched, "Damn this broccoli is no good now."

"Daisuke." a drip of tension in his words, "Who are you mailing this to?" he asked again.

Daisuke tossed the broccoli into the trash, "It's a magazine survey. Been doing them for a while."

Aizawa suspiciously eyed the already printed address and then the magazine from which it came from. "You're filling out a survey for a desserts magazine?" He asked, almost accusingly.

Daisuke scoffed, already taking his seat at the dinner table, "You've never given me an allowance. Naomasa won't buy me seven servings, and I'm trying to save up. Of course I'm gonna wanna start making my own desserts."

Aizawa frowned, "Why the survey?"

Daisuke gestured for the man to sit and eat, "They asked what else they should feature and gave options. I wrote my option. Getting tired of reading about cookies and matcha stuff."

Aizawa felt a small tug of guilt. "Didn't know you wanted to start baking." he told Daisuke who decided to go ahead and eat without him.

Placing the envelope down he finally went to join him.

"I just started thinking about it this past week." Daisuke told him, "Naomasa didn't want to buy me this cool seasonal chiffon cake– which according to him is like any other but I told him it's not and how it's actually more difficult to make with—"

Aizawa sat listening to Daisuke's complaint, eating dinner at ease.

Of course Daisuke's problem now was not being able to indulge in desserts. Aizawa thought it was a miracle he'd never gotten a cavity with how much he loves to eat them. Daisuke was clean, free of crime, and had a better future laid out for him now.