Merry Christmas everyone!! A special update for you all (I know!! Two days in a row?! What is this??) I hope you enjoy this much lighter chapter in favor of the Holiday Season~!
Today is Christmas. Hanukkah started two days ago, and Kwanzaa starts tomorrow. So Happy Holidays to those who celebrate the holidays this year, and Happy Random Gift Giving Day for those who celebrate none. :)
Random fact about me: My favorite Christmas songs are Carol of the Bells and Greensleeves.
Chapter 13: Family
Izuku groaned lightly as he rolled out of bed. It'd been three weeks since they'd been rescued, and today was the day Shouta was finally going back to teaching. Izuku was nervous, to be honest, but Nana Chiyo would be there with Shouta, and he trusted her to help keep an eye on him. And Papa Zashi would stay home with him, today.
He felt bad, keeping him from his own classes, but he really didn't want to be alone. It was a very deep fear for him right now. Hizashi seemed to understand that, and when Izuku had hesitantly tugged on his sleeve two days prior and asked him in a small, nervous voice to stay with him while Shouta went off to school, the blond had smiled and gently pulled Izuku into hug, saying he'd already asked for the first three days off. And Nemuri had the rest of the week off.
Next week, Izuku would return to school, himself. He was nervous, but he felt a lot more confident in himself now. He'd withstood actual torture, after all. He could handle a few bullies, and Kacchan's explosions had nothing on the Serum.
Izuku was finally able to sleep alone, now. Shouta had stayed by his side constantly for the first week. They only really left one other to shower and use the restroom. They knew it bothered Zashi, Nem, and Chiyo, but nobody said anything. They were grateful—they just needed to reassure one another that they were alive and safe.
During the second week, the two started testing themselves, seeing how far one could go from the other before that familiar tightness in their chest started up, indicating a panic attack. That first day, they couldn't even make it halfway across the living room.
But by the end of that week, the two could be on the other side of the house from one another without freaking out. It was massive progress. Izuku felt very proud of himself for keeping it together enough that just five days ago, he could sleep on his own without Shouta's heartbeat to lull him into the realm of dreams.
Though he still had nightmares. Constantly. But so did Shouta, according to Papa. Usually, they could handle the nightmares themselves, without needing to disturb anyone. Izuku would snuggle with Yuki (who was a ginormous help with these nightmares) and Shouta would snuggle with Hizashi.
Sometimes, though, these nightmares were bad. Really, really bad. The first time it happened, Izuku had watched his mother be tortured to death, before the monster had come for him. And while he'd been under the influence of that horrid Serum (and he'd felt that pain in his dream), he'd cried and watched as the monster murdered Shouta, painfully.
He'd woken up in such a terrible state, jaw clenched as the phantom pains (which didn't feel all too phantom at the time) put him in a flashback. His mantra, don't scream repeated in his mind.
Yuki, apparently, had gone and woken Shouta, who was out the door instantly with Hizashi on his heels.
The moment Shou had seen his clenched jaw and rigid form, he knew exactly what kind of flashback Izuku was in, and had quickly wrapped one hand around his left wrist, reminding him that the shackle wasn't there.
"Zuzu. It's okay. It's done. It's gone. We're safe, you didn't scream. It's okay." It took him ten minutes to fully pull him out of it, and when he did Izuku collapsed into Shouta's waiting arms.
Poor Hizashi had been horrified by the entire thing. Izuku slept between Shouta and Hizashi that night, taking comfort in their presence.
Izuku didn't really remember when it had happened, but at one point they'd been called out to hear the contents of Inko's Will. Izuku had been a terrified mess, worried that he'd be put into the foster care system.
His worries were for nothing, though. His mother had changed her Will at some point, and listed Shouta and Hizashi as his guardians should something happen to her. If they were unavailable, then he would be placed with Auntie Nemuri.
So his Dad and his Papa were now officially his dad and papa. Izuku was still trying to decide if he should change his name or not.
By this point, they'd moved all of Izuku's things from his mother's house to theirs. His bedroom was now as it had been, Eraserhead themed with accents of Present Mic and peppered with hero merch for just about any other hero (except Endeavor, the man always rubbed him wrong) in some manner. And absolutely no All Might.
He'd never been angry with the man, for what he'd done. But Shouta and Hizashi sure were. He got the feeling that they were still cross with him.
But now that they'd reached the end of Week 3 of recovery, Izuku and Shouta were much better. Shouta was even going out on short patrols again, and Izuku didn't have panic attacks when he left (he had the first time, though, and that scared the hell out of Auntie Nem).
He padded into the kitchen on silent feet, making sure that the chair scraped the floor to announce his presence.
"Morning, Little Listener~" Hizashi grinned as he poured Izuku a cup of heaven—er... coffee. "How'd you sleep?"
"Morning Pa. I slept really well. No nightmares, for once." He smiled as Yuki jumped up on his shoulders. He absently pet the growing feline as he gave Nana Chiyo a smile. "Morning Nana."
"Good morning, Izuku." She smiled and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Nana Chiyo had been a constant presence in the Yamazawa (as Izuku referred to the family) household. She'd taken up the open position of the grandmother that Izuku never had, and she never missed the opportunity to spoil him rotten. She always had gummies and other treats for him, and he found himself grinning whenever she came over.
Sometimes, she'd take him out to go do something fun, just the two of them. Izuku found himself comfortable around her, and she was the only person other than Shouta who could pull him out of panic attacks consistently. Even Hizashi couldn't always manage.
He sat down and started on his cup of coffee as Shouta shuffled into the room. The circles under his eyes were worse than they'd been before the kidnapping, but better than he'd seen them in three weeks. He looked tired, but that was normal, and he ruffled Izuku's hair gently as he passed him. Long sleeves covered the new scars around his wrists.
"Good morning, Problem Child." He smiled.
"Good morning, Problem Dad." Izuku replied cheekily, grinning as Hizashi laughed and Chiyo gave Izuku an amused smirk.
"Who said I'm a problem dad?" He eyed Hizashi.
"Well, I had to get it from somewhere, and I take after you the most." Izuku smirked.
Shouta shook his head, and Izuku counted that as a win. Auntie Nem came out twenty minutes later, looking much more like her old self. There were still bags under her eyes, but they weren't really noticeable, especially with her makeup.
"All right." Nana Chiyo said after they'd eaten breakfast. "Come on you two, we need to get going or we'll be late." She beckoned Shouta and Nemuri.
Izuku caught Shouta's brief hesitation. "Go on, Dad. I'll be fine, I've got Pa with me." He grinned, seeing Shou's shoulders relax. "Go give those kids hell."
"If I find they've been slacking off, I will." Shouta promised with a wicked smirk, the kind that only Izuku could replicate.
Izuku kept his smile until the door shut behind them. "Pa?" He asked in a quiet voice.
"Yes, Izuku?"
"I'm lonely. Can we snuggle and watch a movie?"
"Of course." Hizashi grinned, ruffling his hair. He didn't flinch this time, and relaxed into his papa's hug. I think... I'll actually be okay.
Okay,soIgetthefeelingthatdoingthislinethingisentertainingforyouall,soIguessit'sathingnow
Shouta would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about returning to work. Chiyo—upon his request—hadn't explained the nature of his absence beyond the fact that he'd been injured in an incident and was on medical house rest for a bit.
Patrols had been terrible at first, but he'd found his rhythm again, and they were becoming easier and easier. The worst part was being away from Izuku. But logically, he knew that he'd have to return to work sometime. And Hizashi was at home with him, with strict instructions from Shouta to keep him updated on everything.
He smiled a little when he saw the picture that Hizashi sent him of Izuku curled into his side watching a Disney movie.
He ran his hand absently over his Capture Weapon. It was a huge comfort for him to be wearing it again—and he knew Izuku felt the same with his own (kid hardly took it off, now). He could do this. His First Year class was only 5 students this year, and they didn't have long until the end of the year. It was the final stretch, and then Shouta could spend the entirety of break with Hizashi, Nemuri, Chiyo, and Izuku.
And Shouta was honestly impressed at Izuku's ability to bring Chiyo into their little family. It was strange, at first, to see the strict nurse so domestic, but she quickly fit right in and took up the position of Nana in the Yamazawa household—and damnit, kid, that name kept popping up!
Shouta was seriously starting to think about making that their legal last name, now.
He got out of the car soon after they parked, and made his way up to the quiet gates of U.A., tugging down his sleeves self-consciously as he did so. He didn't want to answer any questions about that right now. Or ever, preferably.
Chiyo parted ways with them not too long after, going off to her office. Nemuri accompanied him into the staff room where the other teachers were preparing for their morning classes and homerooms.
A quiet hush settled around them as they saw him enter.
"Shouta! Good to see you alive." Kan Sekijiro—better known as Vlad King—gave him a smile. His relief was palpable, as was the relief of the other staff.
Shouta supposed it made sense; he'd never really been one to let his injuries keep him from his work. Hell, he'd once come into work just five days after having been admitted to the hospital in critical condition. So the fact that he'd missed two weeks of school (he wasn't sure if they were aware that this was week 4, now)... He supposed they assumed his injuries were physical. The only one who knew was Nezu, and that was because he probably wouldn't have approved the sudden leave of absence otherwise.
"You were gone for two weeks... We've been really worried about you." Thirteen explained, handing him a cup of coffee. Shouta took it with grateful surprise. Nobody just handed Shouta coffee. They must've been really worried. Plus, they already had his favorite napping spot open for him (which also happened to be one of Kan's favorite spots for grading).
"Where's Yamada?" Cementoss looked around as Shouta gratefully took his spot.
"He's staying home today, looking after our son." Shouta answered without a second thought.
"Your son?" Power Loader choked.
"Nice one." Nemuri giggled.
"I don't want to hear that from you." He sent her a glare. She huffed at the reminder. When they were still in U.A., she'd gone through great lengths to get Shouta, Hizashi, and Tensei to keep a surprise party for Sekijiro a secret. The man had still been having trouble with bullying over his blood-related Quirk. But Nemuri herself had blown the secret party royally the day of, and none of them had let her live it down.
Sekijiro smirked as he realized what Shouta was referring to.
"Still, you were the one adamant about keeping Izu a secret~"
"You have a son?" Sekijiro spoke up again.
"Yes, Hizashi and I officially adopted him just a few weeks ago." Shouta explained.
"His mother was a dear friend of ours." Nemuri looked down for a moment. They didn't need to spell it out.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Thirteen said sincerely.
Shouta sat down in his chair with a heavy sigh. He saw them eyeing his lack of injuries, though they didn't speak up about it. If they didn't ask, that was fine by him. He didn't want to answer those questions right now, anyways.
"Just so you know, since I know Shouta here won't say anything..." Nemuri shot Shouta a disapproving look. He rolled his eyes and went about looking over his papers for today. "He's still recovering from a nasty concussion, among other things. He's expected to have some problems for another few weeks or so, so please keep an eye out for Shouta for us. If anything happens, get Chiyo." The others nodded.
"I'll be fine, Nem." Shouta shot her a mild glare.
"Just in case, Shouta." She crossed her arms. He went to argue, but she cut him off. "For Izu." He closed his mouth with an audible click.
"Fine." He relented. The room blinked.
"You really have a soft spot for this son of yours." Sekijiro chuckled with a grin.
"Oh, trust me, once you meet my nephew, you'll have a soft spot of your own. He's such a little angel~" Nemuri gushed.
Shouta glanced at the clock before gathering up his papers. It was time for homeroom. "I suggest that those of you with homerooms get moving, or you'll be late."
"Shou~ You're no fun! Don't you wanna brag about how amazing Izuku is?" Nemuri grinned.
"No. I will not brag about my Problem Child." He sent her a glare. "Izuku will show them his skills when he enters U.A.'s hero course himself."
"You've got a lot of faith in your son." Sekijiro grinned. Shouta grinned back, unsettling the room.
"Of course I do. He'll be an amazing hero one day." He promised. Shouta never called potential heroes amazing.
"I'll look forward to meeting him, then." Cementoss smiled.
The chatter in his classroom stopped abruptly when he entered as his first years stared at him wide-eyed. He'd heard them whispering none-too-quietly about theories of his absence. It ranged from playing hooky to injuries to running away and eloping with Joke (and that one rather pissed him off).
"If you have the time to spread baseless rumors about me, then you've got time to train. If I hear any more talk of this, I'll expel you." He threatened. One only had to look at how few seats were in the classroom to understand that this was no idle threat. "Now, unless anyone has anything to share, we'll get the class started." He settled back into his normal routine, and if he happened to be a little more on edge about something, then nobody brought it up and it was attributed to the aforementioned rumors.
Shouta was ready for a nap by the time lunch rolled around, and he slinked into the staff room with every intention of taking one. He slipped into his favorite yellow sleeping bag and curled up on the couch in his favorite nap spot.
Snipe looked up as he did so, a smile in his voice as he spoke. "Welcome back, Aizawa. We've missed you."
"I'm going to nap. I forgot how exhausting teaching teenagers was." He yawned.
"I'll wake you ten till, then." Snipe chuckled.
"Thank you."
"Oh no you don't!" Chiyo stalked into the room, making Snipe and Shouta jump. "Yamazawa Shouta, what did I tell you about skipping meals?!"
"I'm sorry." He apologized, sitting up with a heavy sigh.
"You won't let Izuku skip his meals, and I won't let you." She set down a bowl of white rice and some miso soup. Her expression softened to what Shouta was coming to think of as Nana Chiyo. "I figured you weren't that hungry, so please do try to eat this, dear." Snipe did a double take at Chiyo's unexpected soft side.
"Arigatou, Chiyo." He nodded his thanks as he ate. He made sure to pace himself to avoid another lecture before setting the dishes aside to take care of when he awoke.
He settled back down for his long overdue nap, and Chiyo tossed a soft blanket over his sleeping bag, tucking him in like a mother. He sent her a mild glare, but she just laughed it off before leaving the room. "Honestly, sometimes I swear she's my mother."
"She looked like it for a second there." Snipe chuckled. Shouta was sure he was going to tell the rest of the staff about how soft Chiyo was on him now. Great. More rumors about me. "Get some rest, Aizawa. Your students don't need a cranky expulsion-happy sensei."
Shouta glared at him for a moment before letting his eyelids shut. The light pounding in his skull started to recede as he fell into the blissful embrace of sleep. His last thought was missing the warmth of Izuku.
THISLINEISAPPARENTLYVERYANGRYBECAUSEITISYELLING...
Shouta sighed as he relaxed into the back seat of Chiyo's car. Today had been long and exhausting. Going back to teaching was more challenging than he'd expected. He'd expelled another one of his first-years, as they'd slacked off royally in their training. Beyond that, the kid had said some extremely degrading things to another student, when he thought Shouta wasn't listening, infuriating the normally calm man (not that he showed it, mind you).
So it was with a grateful smile that he opened the door to his home, Chiyo following behind him. "Tadaima." He called out, and a blur of green slammed into him with a tight hug.
"Okaerinasai, Dad~!" Izuku's bright grin and familiar presence washed away any lingering worries or troubles from his day. He smiled back and ruffled his son's hair.
"How was your day?" He asked, taking off his shoes.
"Pa and I watched movies and baked cookies together!" He grinned, holding up a cat-shaped cookie for Shouta. He took a bite out of it with a grin. Hizashi may have had to go to Inko's Cooking Boot Camp to learn how not to burn water, but he'd always had a special touch with baking. Shouta thought his husband's baked goods were worth starting a war over.
"They're good." He complimented, and watched as Izuku lit up in joy. Such a simple child to please; he was grateful.
Chiyo smiled as she came in and made herself at home. He idly wondered if she was planning to move in, too. Nemuri practically lived here, already. He may have to take down his office, if that was the case. Hizashi wouldn't take down his soundproofed radio station in their basement, after all. (And though Shouta and Izuku wouldn't admit it, the two of them had a small fear of basements, now.)
"Welcome home, babe." Hizashi greeted Shouta with a passionate kiss, causing Izuku to turn red and Chiyo to giggle. Shouta felt his face heat up.
"My, my. Young love." Chiyo commented slyly, causing Shouta to turn darker. Izuku snickered. The little devil must've planned this. Shouta pouted.
"C'mon, Dad!" Izuku tugged his hand towards the couch, and Shouta chuckled under his breath.
"Slow down, Zuzu! I can't keep up with you."
"You're not that old yet!" Izuku rolled his eyes, as he made Shouta sit down.
"I'm not old at all! I'm 29, I'll have you know!" Shouta shot back.
"But next year, you'll be 30, and there's no turning back from that." Izuku pointed out, and Shouta let out a betrayed gasp, causing Hizashi to laugh.
"You'll be 30 before me, cockatoo." Shouta reminded him mercilessly, causing his overly dramatic husband to cry out in horror.
"Pa, you sit down, too!" Izuku turned around and made Hizashi sit down next to Shouta.
"All right, Little Listener." He grinned as he threw an arm around Shouta. "What do you want to show us?"
Izuku's grin widened as he dashed off to his bedroom with the strict instructions to stay put. Nemuri, who'd stayed a little later at U.A. to finish up a few things, came in the door not a moment later.
"What're you two doing?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as she took off her shoes.
"Izuku has a surprise for us. He's been in his room all day working on it." Hizashi grinned.
"I think he's been working on it for a week, actually." Chiyo cut in, handing everyone a cup of coffee.
Izuku came whizzing around the corner a moment later, a box held gingerly in his hands, Yuki comfortably draped around his shoulders. The cat absolutely loved curling up around Izuku's shoulders. Especially when he wore his Capture Weapon—which was always.
Shouta was considering making Yuki Izuku's official Emotional Support Animal. Or perhaps even Hero Partner. That cat was way too smart, and in certain situations, a hero was allowed an official animal companion to help them out—provided they were either very well trained and behaved, or had a Quirk. Shouta was leaning towards the latter, to be honest. Then Izuku could take him to U.A. with him.
"What's this?" Hizashi asked, taking the proffered box.
"I made you guys something."
"What's the occasion, cub?" Shouta tilted his head.
He flipped back and forth between nicknames for his son. Problem Child was when he was exasperated or annoyed, Zuzu was for when he was scared or when Shouta was being especially gentle, Zuku was a default for everyone in the family, Little Hero was reserved for flashbacks and nightmares of that place, and cub was... cub was how he let Izuku know that he'd always protect him. To tell him he wasn't alone anymore—and never would be again. He only used that one around the family.
Izuku beamed. "For our becoming an official family! It's a little late, since the adoption papers went through a while ago, but I wanted us to have something to commemorate the occasion!"
Carefully, Shouta opened the box. Izuku, he decided, had gotten much better at woodcarving. And painting said carvings.
It was a panther, tail curled protectively around a little panther cub. The father panther had a familiar yellow pair of goggles around his neck. A cockatoo was perched protectively on the panther's shoulder, eyes watching for any sign of danger. He was a bit bigger than a normal cockatoo, and had a familiar pair of blue headphones on. Next to the panther was a lioness. She was sprawled out, but her tail was currently entertaining the cub. Lastly, a grand old elephant stood behind them all, trunk laid protectively over the shoulder of the panther.
Shouta looked up at the others with moist eyes. Hizashi was quietly crying, and so was—to his surprise—Chiyo. Nemuri had a gentle smile on her face.
"You're all my family!" Izuku grinned. "And I wanted us to have something to show that. I'm happy, here. A-and... I wanted you to know... that..." He shifted, face burning. "I love you."
Nemuri scooped him up into a giant hug, tears pouring down her face. "OH! You're so precious!! I love you so much, Zuku!"
"Stop that!" Chiyo scolded. "He'll choke!" But as soon as Nemuri relinquished her hold, Chiyo swooped in for a hug of her own.
"You just wanted him all to yourself!" Nemuri accused.
"I'm old, be nice to your elders." Chiyo stuck out her tongue.
Shouta and Hizashi shared a grin before the two scooped Izuku and Chiyo into a hug, making the nurse yelp in surprise.
The photo that Nemuri snapped—having joined the hug herself before the timer went off—would later be framed on their wall, right next to their Christmas photo with Inko. And if a copy was kept in Shouta's wallet, then nobody but Hizashi knew.
Idon'tunderstandwhythiswebsitewon'tdoafreakingline,butokayhereyougolaughatmegoahead
Over the next week, Shouta's coworkers slowly started to back off on their 'Eraserhead Protection Squad' bullshit. Seriously, that's what they named the group chat (he'd caught a glimpse of it when Hizashi left his phone lying around).
It'd been getting annoying, with everyone watching him like a worried mother hawk—making sure he ate, always asking him how he was, offering to help him with this or that... It made him feel uncomfortable and irritated. He just wanted them to stop and forget the entire thing.
Shouta had only been back for three days before he'd snapped at Thirteen, who'd innocently asked him if he had eaten anything that day. Normally, he would've simply answered the question and been done with it. Unfortunately, Thirteen had been the sixth person to ask him that exact question in the last twenty minutes. And Shouta had had it up to here with their coddling.
He'd apologized to Thirteen immediately after. He hadn't meant to hurt their feelings. Thankfully, Thirteen was one of the most easygoing and understanding of the lot, and completely understood where Shouta was coming from.
Shouta realized that Thirteen must've told the others to back off, because they were a lot more manageable for the rest of that day.
Nothing noteworthy happened until the day after next. Day 5. Shouta had been in the staff room with Sekijiro, Thirteen and Cementoss, grading some papers for his class. Sekijiro and Cementoss talked about some of their students, Thirteen chiming in here and there. Shouta had reached for his coffee absently, not noticing the way his sleeve slid up his arm just enough for the other three to catch sight of the scar from his shackles.
He'd known Vlad King since school. They'd been in the same U.A. class, and he would even call the man a good friend. Not as close as Nemuri and Hizashi, or even Tensei, but a friend nonetheless—enough so for him to insist on Shouta calling him by his given name, and Shouta allowing him the same privilege. So normally, Sekijiro reaching out and grabbing his wrist to get a better look wouldn't be too much of an invasion of privacy, especially since it was out of concern.
But the minute his hand grabbed his wrist, Shouta panicked. He panicked because in that moment, he was back in that basement, watching Izuku whimper in agony unable to do anything. He was back to that same fear and uncertainty and uselessness.
He tore his hand away from Sekijiro with a low growl—"Don't touch me!"—as he leapt back so fast his chair clattered to the floor. He held his wrist gingerly, as if it were still hurt as he fell into a low defensive crouch, fangs growing and eyes becoming cat-like slits.
The room froze; the only sound was Shouta's shaking breaths. It took Shouta only a moment to come back to himself. He straightened up, cheeks burning with shame. He shrunk his fangs (something he'd been learning to control over the last month). "S-sorry. Shit." He owed them some kind of explanation, now.
"What...?" Sekijiro stared at him with wide eyes. Shouta pulled down his sleeve to cover his scars.
"You weren't absent because of physical injuries." Thirteen realized.
"I'd been kidnapped." He admitted quietly as he righted his chair and sat back down.
"You were... what?" Cementoss balked.
"I was held captive for six days or so. Only Hizashi, Nemuri, Nezu, and Chiyo know." He absently rubbed his wrist. "I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourselves." He didn't want to mention Izuku's involvement if he didn't have to. Nezu knew, and that was the only person who needed to know right now. He'd tell them when Izuku became a student, but hopefully it wouldn't be a touchy topic anymore by that point. Or, at least, it would be easier to explain.
"Right. Is there anything we should know? Things to avoid? Triggers?" Thirteen asked. Shouta knew Thirteen was very familiar with trauma. They often helped the people they'd rescued long after the rescue. But it was almost unheard of for a pro to get kidnapped like this.
"Don't touch me without permission, and you'll be fine." He paused for a long moment, taking the time to shuffle and organize his papers. "I'm doing better. It happened during the first week of break."
"So that's why you were gone." Sekijiro realized.
"Yeah..." Shouta sighed, changing the topic. "So is Narumi only having troubles in my class, or are you all experiencing similar issues?" The other three went along with it, and the entire awkward conversation became a thing of the past.
The rest of the week passed by without incident, though Hizashi, Nemuri, and Chiyo were informed about Cementoss, Thirteen, and Sekijiro's new knowledge of the situation.
Shouta smiled. Going back to teaching was difficult, but rewarding. He really did love teaching the future generation of heroes. All things considered, he was happy with how things were settling. I think I'll be okay.