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His muscles scream at him as he climbs the steps. Mouth set into a thin line as he digs through the pouches on his belt for the one that holds his apartment keys. He’s been living in this complex for less than two weeks now and he’s already regretting it. It’s close to the agency, they said. It’s only on the fourth floor it should be fine, he said. Aizawa rolls his eyes, already feeling 30 instead of the 20 he was pushing.
“Ah, Aizawa…” he hears a voice call softly. He looks up at the owner through his long bangs, eyebrow raised as he lifts a jelly packet to his mouth.
Standing in front him is his neighbor, in the process of opening her own apartment door. She is a small woman with a kind face, green hair and equally green eyes. Hiding behind her legs is her son, who looks like an exact copy of his mother. The kid watches Aizawa as he moves closer, shrinking further behind his mom’s legs.
“Good Morning, ah Ms….?” Aizawa trails off, having already forgotten the lady's name a week after meeting her.
Her smile tells him that she doesn’t mind he has forgotten her name, a hand reaching down to thread through the kids green curls.
“Mrs. Midoriya. You can call me Inko if that works better for you to remember?”
He shakes his head, already feeling weird calling her Inko before he can even say the name. His dark eyes glance down once more at the kid who has moved just a bit out from behind his mother’s legs, only to hide again when he is noticed. Aizawa hides a smirk behind his scarf, going back to facing Mrs. Midoriya.
“Is there something you need?” he asks, not meaning to sound rude but also meaning to sound rude. He wants to sleep.
Mrs. Midoriya's green eyes widen, “Oh yes, hold on,” she looks down at the child, “Go on inside, Izuku, I’ll be there in a second. I have to speak to Aizawa here, okay.”
Green curls bounce as the kid, Izuku, opens his door and steps inside. The door closes with a click and Izuku is gone. Mrs. Midoriya opens her mouth just as the door opens again and her kid pokes his head out. “Can I watch tv?” he asks, voice soft.
His mother blinks, “Of course, now back inside.” The child does as asked, leaving the two adults alone in the apartment hallway.
Mrs. Midoriya purses her lips together with brow furrowed, “Aizawa,” she begins and he tenses, ready to deflect any suspicion that he was whatever she thought he was, “would you like to come to Izuku’s birthday party?”
“What.”
“I know you barely know us, so this is no doubt a strange request, but Izuku already likes you…”
“I’ve barely interacted with him? How can he like me if I’ve only said ‘hi’ to him whenever I see him heading to school?” Aizawa splutters.
Mrs. Midoriya shrugs, like she too doesn't know why her son likes a scruffy looking man that looks as if he crawled out of a dumpster on a good day. “I don’t know but he often goes on and on about you.”
“How.” his voice cracks. Really, how.
She chuckles, “He imitates you often. Trying to match your tone of voice, saying, ‘Hi’ all around the house. He mentions how cool you look and how you should probably sleep more. Izuku said once that he saw you asleep at the bottom of the stairs one morning?” Her kind green eyes turn sharp as they pierce into his soul, “Did you sleep at the bottom of the stairs, Aizawa?”
Shota tenses, looking everywhere but at the woman. “N-no,” another look at her has him admitting that yes, he did fall asleep at the bottom of the stairs. “I was tired.”
She clicks her tongue at him and he feels scolded for the first time since he left his parents place. 5 years ago.
Inko’s eyes search him again, “Next time you don't want to climb the stairs to your apartment just ask Mr. Hyuga to let you crash on his couch. He lives on the first floor. Tell him I sent you.”
He nods slowly, if only to get her to stop mothering him.
“Now back to what I was saying, Izuku’s party is on Saturday at 2pm. He really likes heroes, specifically All Might.” And then she was opening the door to her apartment and leaving Aizawa reeling over what just happened.
“I’m not good with kids,” he chokes out as she steps into the doorway.
“And you’ll make it won’t you, Aizawa.” she smiles sweetly at him, a shiver going down his spine. He has a feeling she ignored what he said.
“Yes, ma’am,” he nods, and Mrs. Inko titters like she didn’t just threaten him into showing up to her kid's party.
“Good. See you then!” She chirps, entering her apartment and leaving him standing alone in the hallway.
He blinks his dark eyes at the apartment door, letting out a heavy sigh as he pinches the bridge of his nose. What did he just get himself into.
A couple of days later, he finds himself sitting at his favorite cat cafe with a very loud cockatoo. He stirs at his now cold coffee, watching the milk he poured in there for fun swirl around in the dark liquid.
"What do I give a five year old for his birthday?” he questions out loud. Suddenly remembering that he was invited to his neighbor's kid's party, and that he isn't alone. His present company lets out a shout that rattles the windows. Cats scamper away from them.
Aizawa glares at his companion, hair defying the laws of gravity as he activates his quirk to silence the noise. “Shut it will you.”
The silenced blonde nods and gives a sheepish smile.
“What are you doing with a five year old?” The loudmouth asks at, thankfully, normal volume.
One brave cat trots back to them, settling themselves in Aizawa's lap with a short meow in greeting.
Aizawa sighs, running a hand through the fur, “He’s not mine. My neighbor just invited me to his birthday party this weekend…”
There was a blessed moment of silence before he has to activate his quirk again to stop the loud ‘aww’ coming from his friend's mouth, scaring the cats.
"Can I come see the little guy too!”
“No.” Is his short answer.
A whine. "Please, Shota. I’ll be good, I promise.”
He makes a face, “Don’t ever say that in my presence again. And it's not up to me, you’d have to ask the kid's mother. Though I doubt she would agree. She barely knows me, much less you.”
Green eyes roll behind tinted glasses, “Yeah but I have a winning personality unlike someone here.”
Dark eyes glance down at the cat in his lap. “I think Miss Thang has a better 'winning personality' than you do.”
Silence then. “Why are you mean to me, Shota! I thought we were friends!”
“Must’ve done something wrong to make you think that.”
The blonde's eyes narrow at him. “Ass.”
“Yeah, and what of it.”
The cat in his lap meows.
“Did the mom tell you what the kid likes?”
Shota's hand stops petting the cat.
“I may have forgotten.”
“Shota!”
He releases his quirk for the third, and definitely not last, time of the day. “Stop using your quirk indoors, Hizashi!”
The conversation with the blonde doesn’t help him much. They are kicked out not long after for disturbing the poor cats. In retaliation, he wraps Hizashi in his scarf as punishment and lets the blonde hang out in a tree for a bit as he thinks about what to get Izuku.
And then it is Saturday.
Evening.
He is looking for his keys again when his hand touches paper. Slowly he pulls it out and stares blankly at the crayon All Might drawn in his signature pose and below the child's drawing are the words, ‘Izuku’s Birthday Party!’
“Fuck,” he whispered, the invitation crumpling in his hand.
“Fuck.” he says again, just to drive the point home.
Quickly he enters his apartment, digging through the boxes he still has yet to unpack for civilian clothes instead of his hero outfit. Hastily he pulls on a black sweater, trips himself into jeans before stumbling into his boots and exiting his apartment. Stealing his nerves, he knocks on Mrs. Midoriya's apartment door. His hands hits hard plastic as he ties his hair back in a bun, cursing under his breath as he rips the goggles off his neck and shoves them in his pocket just in time for the door to open.
Green eyes brimming with unshed tears look at him in surprise, “Aizawa.”
He coughs, “Sorry I’m late. I got….caught up with work.”
Mrs. Midoriya nods, wiping her eyes as she steps aside to let him in. “It’s fine. I figured as much.”
Aizawa raises a dark eyebrow in response and she lets out a snort. “I may be a civilian Aizawa, but I know a pro hero when I see one. You’re not exactly quiet stumbling up those stairs dead on your feet you know.”
A wince and a shrug is all the answer he gives her. She shakes her head and leads him down the short hallway to the dining room.
The sight before him pierces his heart and rips it to shreds. The kid is sitting at the head of the table, All Might party hat resting crookedly in his curls as tears run down freckled cheeks. All around him are empty seats with empty plates. A cake sits in the center uneaten. Aizawa looks to Mrs. Midoriya with wide eyes and she motions for him to follow.
In the kitchen, she busies herself with getting a glass of water, handing it to him when she's done. He ignores the glass. “I took him to the quirk doctor a week ago.”
Shota feels the dread rising in his gut, gripping the edge of the counter tightly. He has a feeling he knows what she will say, yet he hopes against it and says nothing as she continues.
“We found out that Izuku’s quirkless.”
The wind is knocked out of his chest at those words. He casts his eyes over to the crying kid sitting alone on his birthday and knows that the kids quirklessness is the reason he's alone.
“He told his classmates the next day and…” she trails off, looking over at her son, eyes filled with sadness and guilt.
“And they didn’t take it well did they,” Aizawa finishes.
She shakes her head, “Izuku tells me everything's fine but….I see the bruises. The loneliness in his eyes. I thought maybe if Izuku invited his class he could see that no one thinks less of him, that he still has friends.”
Inko stops, wiping her hands on her skirt, “Not even his best friend showed up.”
She looks to him like he could fix it, but he is just a man. A pro hero. He can’t fix what society broke. Already, the poor kid is set to fail. He knows the statistics of quirkless people and he hates the number. Curses his heart for already wanting to save this kid with the odds stacked against him.
“C-can,” he swallows, his throat is tight, “Can I call a friend over?”
She stares at him, green eyes searching his dark ones for a moment before nodding. He excuses himself and walks out the apartment phone in hand, dialing a familiar number.
“‘Lo? Sho?” is the muffled answer.
Aizawa presses the heels of his hand into his eyes, gathering his composure before he speaks.
“Shota? You there? You better not be bleeding to death.”
“No, I’m fine.”
A pause, “You don't sound fine.”
“I’m at the kid's party.” he says instead of opening that can of worms. He knows once he starts he won’t stop.
“Oh! That was today, didn’t you say it was at 2 not,” a shuffle, “7. It’s 7pm Shota and you arrived at the kids party late. Are you calling to tell me that you didn’t get any cake?” His friend teases.
“There’s enough cake.”
“Oh, okay,” Hizashi replies slowly, “So then why are you calling me?”
“Because the cake’s not eaten.” he grits out, he can hear his phone creak with how tightly he holds onto it. Anger rushing through him because Hizashi isn't getting it.
“Have they not gotten to the cake eating part yet? Slow party-”
“It’s not eaten because no one the kid invited showed up!” he hisses, his normally dry eyes burn hot with tears. “He’s quirkless, Hizashi.” The anger drains out of him as quickly as it came and he slumps back against the wall.
That one word answers all the questions he knows are sitting on his friend's tongue. They fall into silence, Aizawa taking deep breaths to reign in his anger.
“Do you want me to come over and say ‘Hi’ to the little guy?”
Aizawa grunts.
“Do I bring a present?”
“Do whatever you want, just, just come over.”
“I’m bringing a present.”
He hangs up after that. Shota rests a hand on the doorknob of the Midoriya's apartment for a second and then turns on his heel to his apartment. He has to dig through several boxes, cursing himself again for not unpacking, before finding what he is looking for. He doesn’t bother wrapping it or finding a bag, just shoves it into his sweater pocket and returns to his neighbor's apartment.
It's not long after when Hizashi texts him that he’s standing in the hallway between their apartments. Aizawa has to inform Mrs. Midoriya who the blonde is and her shoulders relax a bit as she hears that his friend is also a pro hero. Together they step back into the dining room.
“Izuku,” she calls softly, and her son picks his head up, eyes widening as he steps out from behind the kid's mother.
Shota gives a short wave, making sure the thing he grabbed is hidden in his sweater. “‘Zawa?” the kids mutters and Aizawa has to stop himself from clutching his heart at the name. That shit is cute and he doesn’t think he’d live it down if he died from being called ‘Zawa.
“Hey there kid. Happy birthday.” He smiles awkwardly; there was nothing happy about the scene but he has to pretend that everything's a-okay. “I brought a friend with me," he moves further into the dining room, making space for the blonde to step in.
“What’s up little guy, my name is Hizashi! Happy birthday!”
He can see that Hizashi’s smile is about as strained as his is. Aizawa looks back at the kid and sees those green eyes sparkle. They are still red rimmed and tear tracks mark the child's face, but he looks happier now that there are two people who came to his party.
“I brought a present for you too, if it's cool with your mom that I give it to you now?” Yamada looks to the kid's mother questioningly. Mrs. Midoriaya nods, having already inspected the gift and given her approval. Aizawa's friend kneels next to the kid who has turned in his seat to face the blonde. Hizashi brings out a figurine from his jacket and hands it over.
“This right here,” he taps the plastic with a finger, “Is the first ever Present Mic action figure. Got it just for you since your grumpy neighbor told me you liked heroes.” Aizawa didn't tell him that though he feels like he knew that already?
Izuku holds the toy in both hands, “Really! But mama said they're not even out yet! The stores say not for a few months! How did you get it!”
Hizashi preens, and Aizawa swears his friend is a bird sometimes, “I have my ways.” Aizawa coughs. “Oh right, this grumpy cat has a present for you too!”
That is not why he coughed, not at all. But those green eyes looking at him like he hung the freaking moon and stars break down his walls and he sighs. He shoves his friend out of the way, ignoring the squawk the blonde makes and smirking as the kid laughs. Gently he takes the thing he searched messily for out of his sweater pocket.
It’s an old thing that Mrs. Midoriya had debated on him with. Hesitant to give her son something so….old looking. He won that argument with, “He needs it more than me.”
Carefully he holds it out, waiting. Watching those green eyes take in the once black fabric now grey and covered in small off color patches. At one yellow button eye held down by green thread and the other a crudely stitched white ‘x’. The eyes sparkle even more as he takes in the two triangles sitting atop the head.
Small hands eagerly reach for the plush and Aizawa reluctantly lets the kids take it.
“Eraserhead,” Izuku says suddenly and all three of them are startled. He shouldn't know who Eraserhead is much less know that his neighbor is Eraserhead. The kid makes a face, holding up the stuffed toy in the air, “The cat’s name is Eraserhead.”
Shota releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. He moves to get up but a small hand stops him. He raises an eyebrow at Izuku who is refusing to look at him as he mumbles, “Do you think I can become a hero like All Might?”
Aizawa blinks, looking at the child who is already trembling in his seat and waiting for him to say no. He sighs, “No,” the kids full body flinches and his heart aches, “no one can be a hero like All Might. But, I believe you can be a hero, Izuku.”
Between one moment and the next he’s flat on his ass and has a crying kid in his arms repeating ‘thank you’ over and over again. Mrs. Midoriya freets next to them but he waves her concern off. At the corner of his eye he see’s Hizashi pull out his phone to take pictures.
“It’s no problem, kid.” he hugs the boy close, “I think you’ll become a great hero.”
He kicks Hizashi out of his apartment after their return from the Midoriyas. The blonde crowing that he has a little brother now and does that make him a brother as well or an uncle. He does save the image that Yamada sent him with Izuku grinning at the camera face covered in cake and his old cat plush held snugly in freckled arms.
Yeah, he thinks agreeing with what Hizashi said before he kicked the blonde out, he would burn down the world for that kid.