Anywhere but There

Emotional Talks

Their Maths and Japanese exams came and went. Izuku came round for dinner and revised as planned. Everything was going smoothly, until curiosity got the better of Izuku.

"So you're living with two of our teachers, right?" Shouto nodded with an agreeable hum, "couldn't you just ask them about the practical exam?" the other faltered for a second, pen stilling in his hand.

"I could ask, but they wouldn't answer." Izuku slumped in his seat.

"That's shitty." he said. Shouto snorted.

"I'm just as curious as everyone else. Besides, they like to separate their work and private lives. If dad does bring work home, he's doing it at 2am so that everyone else is asleep." there was another pause, where Izuku decided to sit himself up properly.

"Ok, back to Chemistry!" Izuku said cheerfully, making the other groan.

——

After Izuku left, Shouto glanced around the house. Both resident teachers were in their room; doing something Shouto didn't want to know about. His eyes zeroed in on the bag that Aizawa had brought home that evening- sitting innocently by the front door. Biting his lip, his eyes flitted over to their bedroom door again. Unzipping the bag, he looked at the bundles of papers inside. Too focused on trying to read what was on the papers without dislodging them from their place, he didn't notice the owner of said bag emerge from his room; not until he was directly behind Shouto; not until he was grabbing him by the collar. He was yanked back, stumbling over his own feet and landing against aizawas chest. The man growled in Shouto's ear, craning his neck to look into the others eyes (a courtesy the younger wouldn't return).

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked. His voice was calm and his body was stock still. Shouto wasn't used to this response, had been taught that adults were only capable the kind of hot anger Enji had inflicted. To him, anger was loud, violent- malicious. It demanded attention; fear. Aizawa's anger wasn't like this. It was a kind cold of anger. To Aizawa, anger was quiet, patient and lacked aggression. Although it still wanted attention, it asked for it. So, for the first time, Shouto looked an angry man in the eye.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't've gone through your bag." he said instead of answering the original question. Aizawa hummed and began to guide them away from the bag.

"Okay, how about this, you do the dishes for the rest of the week and we'll forget about the whole incident." Aizawa offered. The younger nodded in agreement. Dazed, he stumbled into his own room. His back slid down the door, chest heaving unevenly in sobs that shook his whole body into alertness and then numbing haze once more. Back-forth-and back again.

——

In the adults room, aizawa flopped back down onto his waiting husband, eliciting a groan from both of them.

"When are we supposed to tell him?" Aizawa mumbled into the blond's shoulder. The other hummed and stroked his back.

"After his exams." Yamada offered, although it sounded more like a question than an answer. Aizawa huffed, snuggling closer to his husband.

"Stupid Enji. Stupid parental rights. I just want him to be safe and happy." he grumbeld into the others chest.

"Me too..." Yamada sighed, "Me too."