Chapter Text
Izuku loved being a teacher, but sometimes his students made him want to rip his hair out.
Today was one of those days.
Izuku had had quite the day at school; between meeting parents, a few scraped knees at recess, and many, many temper tantrums, he was dead on his feet.
He'd barely remembered to call Hitoshi when he got home.
“Hitoshi, you will not believe what my kids did today,” Izuku said, flopping himself down on the lumpy couch of his small apartment.
Hitoshi snorted, the phone making it sound slightly distorted. “I’m sure it can’t be that bad. They’re what? Two? Three? What could they possibly get up to that you—a 25-year-old man—can’t handle?” Izuku could practically see the mocking grin on Hitoshi’s face.
“They’re five, thank you very much,” Izuku huffed. “And you try wrangling twenty overpowered children and see how you like it. I swear I love them, I do, but they can be a real nightmare.” He grabbed a pillow and shoved his face in it. He really needed a nap.
“Well, what did they do? Chuck rocks at each other on the playground? Stage a coup and kick you out of class?” Hitoshi’s laughter rang out through the speaker, mocking him.
Izuku couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. “What? No, they didn’t stage a coup! They’re five, Hitoshi; they don’t even know what a coup is, let alone how to stage one.” He slumped further into the couch, turning his gaze to the ceiling.
Izuku sighed, closing his eyes before continuing, “One of my kids ate a tube of glue when I wasn’t looking. And then they started crying because it tasted gross. Which, of course, made the other kids start crying. It was a mess. I had to call Sugawara-san in to help, and he just laughed at me, the little traitor.”
The line was silent for a moment.
Then, a disgusted whisper. “They ate glue?”
Izuku simply hummed in confirmation.
Hitoshi scoffed. “This is why I don’t teach elementary school. I’d much rather deal with students blowing up a building than… that. That’s fucking disgusting. Ugh, I think I’d just quit on the spot. No, thank you.”
He knew Hitoshi didn’t really mean that. His kids had done much worse than eating a tube of glue, and he hadn’t quit teaching yet.
Though, he never was the best with small children. Izuku remembered this one time in high school where Hitoshi tried to kick a little kid because he asked if he had a zombie quirk.
To be fair to that little kid, Hitoshi had looked kind of like a zombie.
Izuku got up from the couch and trudged his way to the kitchen. He wouldn’t have time for a nap, no matter how desperately he wanted one, so a cup of (very strong) coffee would have to suffice for now.
“Yeah, well, dealing with your problem children sounds exhausting, thanks,” Izuku said teasingly as he poured his coffee. “I have a hard enough time when a lego building gets knocked over; I think I’d just cry if a real one did.”
“Mmm, it’s not terrible, actually. Nedzu takes care of all of that; we don’t really do much besides making sure the kids don’t die,” Hitoshi hummed. “Oh, by the way, are you still coming over for dinner tonight? Pops wouldn’t stop complaining about how he misses you, and I had to stop myself from brainwashing Eri because she kept talking about how much she loves you.”
Izuku smiled. “Aww, tell Eri I love her too. And yes, I’m still coming over. You know I wouldn’t miss Pop’s cooking for anything!”
The six of them had a tradition for the first day of the school year; they would get together for dinner, swap stories about their newest problem children, and then have a movie night to relax. It was honestly the highlight of Izuku’s year—he got to see his best friend and eat food that has more than two ingredients. (Don’t judge him, he’s a mostly broke school teacher; instant ramen, rice, and coffee are the staples of his diet.)
Izuku always looked forward to Hizashi’s cooking. Shouta couldn't cook for shit, but Hizashi was a natural at it. (Shouta once burned rice. In a rice cooker. How he managed that, Izuku will never know.)
“Denki’s gonna be there, right? Or did he get scheduled to patrol after all?” Izuku said before taking a sip of his still-too-hot coffee. He quickly set his coffee down, grimacing at his slightly burnt tongue.
Hitoshi sighed. “He really wanted to be there tonight, but Kendo had a family emergency and needed someone to cover for her. He’s there now, and hopefully, he can make it back in time for the movie.”
Ah, well, that sucked. Izuku was hoping to get some input from Denki on one of his students. The kid had an electric-type quirk pretty similar to his, so Izuku had hoped he might know some techniques to manage it. Well, he could always text him later.
“Alright, well, I’ll see you guys in a few hours then. Also, no brainwashing your sister!” Izuku scolded, rolling his eyes. Honestly, Hitoshi probably got more quirk practice brainwashing Eri than he did any other way.
He only received a grunt in return.
“See you then. Don’t be late; Pops might cry.” Hitoshi didn't wait for a response before hanging up.
“I won’t,” Izuku huffed a laugh, looking down at the dark screen.
“Uncle Deku!”
“Eri!”
Izuku opened his arms as Eri sprinted toward him, her hair whipping behind her. She crashed into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tight.
“How’s my favorite girl?” Izuku asked, smiling brightly. It had been a few weeks since he’d been able to stop by for long enough to catch up with Eri. Ever since Shouta and Hizashi adopted her in his first year, the young girl had become like family. They all had, really.
Eri giggled in his arms. “I’m doing great!” She moved out of his arms and dragged him to the couch. “I already submitted your name to Principal Nedzu for my internship this year! Technically, we don’t need to turn those in for another three weeks, but I already knew I wanted to go with you! And I’m sure Nedzu will say yes!” She grinned at him before flopping down to lay her head on his lap.
Izuku chuckled. “Well, I’m flattered. Hopefully, I can give you a good internship experience.”
Izuku remembered his own internship with Ms. Joke—or Emi, as she insisted he calls her—back in his second year. He had spent his week at Ketsubutsu grading papers and trying to herd hero students twice his size. It was challenging, for sure, but also insanely rewarding.
Emi was one of the most interesting and kind teachers he had ever had the pleasure of working with. She taught Izuku what it really meant to be involved with his students and accommodate their needs.
He had lots of good memories from that internship, and he hoped Eri would have just as much fun with him as he had with Ms. Joke. Though, having fun was sort of her specialty. It might be hard for him to outdo her on that front.
“I’m sure I’ll have lots of fun with you, Uncle Deku!” Eri grinned up at him.
They both turned towards the door when they heard the lock jiggle. The door opened to reveal Hitoshi, looking just as tired as ever, followed by Shouta and Hizashi. They had needed to stay behind for an impromptu staff meeting, so they were just now getting back. (Hizashi had tried to play hooky, but Shouta caught him before he could get very far. He was pouting for most of the meeting.)
“‘Toshi!” Izuku waved from the couch, unwilling to kick Eri off of him.
Hitoshi smiled at him. “Izu. Parasite,” He said, nodding to both him and Eri, respectively.
Izuku sighed. “‘Toshi, you have got to stop calling your sister a parasite.” He shook his head, patting Eri’s hair.
“Yeah, Nii-san, I’m not a parasite! Be nice to me!” Eri stuck her tongue out playfully, a mischievous grin growing on her face.
Hitoshi sent her a glare without any real heat behind it. “Would you rather me call her a freeloader?” He challenged.
“I’d rather you call her something nice. She’s a sweetheart!”
“She’s a fucking gremlin; that’s what she is. Taught my birds to say ‘zombie’ whenever I walk into a room. Can’t get the damn things to quit,” Hitoshi grumbled, stalking off to the kitchen.
Izuku raised an eyebrow at Eri, who was looking at him innocently.
Yeah, she definitely did it.
“Little Listener! How’s it going!” Hizashi yelled, sitting down on the couch next to Eri. “Did ya have a good first day?”
Izuku leaned his head back, groaning. “Ugh, don’t remind me. Half my class ended up in tears today after one kid decided it would be a good idea to eat glue.”
Shouta frowned from his place in the kitchen. “That’s disgusting.”
“That’s what I said,” Hitoshi snorted.
“They’re five. They do gross things sometimes,” Izuku deadpaned. “Anyway,” Izuku rolled his eyes, “we managed to get through the day without any quirk accidents, but that probably won’t last for long.”
Never does, Izuku thought.
Hizashi patted his shoulder. “Well, I’m sorry that happened to ya. But you did it! So let's just hope the little listener learned their lesson, and you won’t have any more issues with kids eating… glue.” Hizashi’s smile strained a bit at the end, but the sentiment was appreciated nonetheless.
The five eventually migrated to the kitchen for dinner—this time, it was Katsudon— and dessert. Dinners at the Aizawa-Yamada household were never quiet, though Shouta always didn’t speak much, laughter permeating the small space. It was a nice feeling, Izuku thought, being surrounded by people who loved him unconditionally.
Of course, he had his mother, but she moved to Tokyo last year, following a promotion she had worked really hard for. They didn’t get to see each other as often as he would've liked, but he and his mom both did their best to make time for each other. They both loved and supported each other, and that’s all that really mattered.
His dad had moved back to Japan after he graduated high school, though it had taken a bit of time for them to get reacquainted with one another. It was awkward at first, but Izuku was really happy to have his dad back. (They had done a lot of video calls while he was overseas, but it’s not really the same as having your dad actually be there.)
His dad ended up moving to Tokyo with his mom, but Hisashi made sure to call Izuku once a week. He guessed that his dad didn’t want them to grow apart again. He can’t really say he minds.
Denki showed up a bit after they wrapped up dinner, already changed into his civilian clothes.
“Denki!” Eri tackled him into a hug. “You made it! We’re just about to pick the movie!” She quickly dragged him to the couch, where Hitoshi was waiting for his boyfriend.
Denki lit up in excitement. “Sweet! I say we watch one of those pre-quirk movies Izuku showed us! The one with the quirkless heroes?” He leaned forward, looking to Shouta and Hizashi for their approval. He pointedly ignored his boyfriend, who was grumbling about how he would rather watch a horror movie.
Shouta grunted in agreement while Hizashi let out an ear-splitting “Yeah!”
Eri scrambled to grab a DVD from the stack that Izuku kept at their apartment. (He didn’t want to risk them getting stolen—UA had much better security than his shitty apartment complex—, and no one really had a problem with it.)
As she set up the movie, Denki turned to Izuku. He had a teasing grin on his face that Izuku did not like. Not one bit.
“So, Izuku… How’s the love life?” He said, wiggling his eyebrows at him.
Izuku groaned.
It was inevitable. Any time Izuku came over to their apartment, Denki asked about his love life. Literally every time. And Izuku’s answer was always the same.
“You know I’m not seeing anyone right now.” He gave Denki an unamused stare.
“Oh, come on, man! You gotta meet someone eventually! You spend all day, every day, with a bunch of five-year-olds! Get out there; live a little!” Denki exclaimed. “Seriously, dude, I could set you up with someone like, right now! You’re a real catch, and I have a bunch of friends who would love you!”
Izuku rubbed his eyes, leaning on the armrest of the couch. “Denki, really, I’m okay. I’m sure your friends are wonderful, but I don’t think a bunch of pro-heroes in their prime are really looking to date a kindergarten teacher,” he said, trying not to sound too exasperated. He knew Denki meant well, but he just didn’t see the point in going on a date that was bound to fail.
Izuku had already been on plenty of those.
Denki whined, shaking Hitoshi’s arm. “Awww! ‘Toshi, help me out here! Wouldn’t he be so cute with Kiri? I know you see it too!” He put an accusing finger in his boyfriend's face.
Eri perked up at this. “Uncle Deku and Kiri?” she gasped, eyes sparkling. “Uncle Deku, you totally would! He’s really nice, I promise!” She was practically vibrating in her spot on the floor.
Izuku put a hand on the back of his neck. He knew exactly who they were talking about, and he tried to keep Denki from seeing the redness on his face. Izuku has had a small crush on “Kiri” since high school, but no one needed to know that. Denki especially didn’t need to know that.
He had hoped that his crush would fade after they graduated, but unfortunately for Izuku, seeing Kirishima in the news constantly was not helpful. (Fuck you, 24-hour news cycle.)
Izuku looked to Shouta and Hizashi for help but found none. Shouta was resolutely ignoring the situation in favor of petting their cats—Chunk and Bastard; Hizashi was attempting to hide his laughter behind his hand and failing miserably. Is this what betrayal felt like? Izuku thought so.
He schooled his expression before looking down at Eri. “Sorry, kiddo, but I’m gonna focus on school for right now. Hate to disappoint, but it is what it is.” He turned to face Denki. “And as for you—don’t you have better things to do than trying to set me up with your friends?”
Denki scoffed. “Like what?”
“Oh, I don't know, actual hero work?” Izuku deadpanned.
Denki threw his hands up in defeat. “Ugh, fine! You win this round, but I will get you to agree eventually! And when the two of you fall in love and get married, I’m gonna be there to tell you ‘I told you so’!”
Izuku’s eyes widened at that. “Woah! Who said anything about marriage! I haven't even talked to the guy!” He tried uselessly to fight the blush slowly rising on his face.
“Well, we can change that!” Denki looked about ready to strangle him.
Finally, Izuku’s savior appeared in the form of a disgruntled Aizawa Shouta. “Kaminari. Let it go; let’s just watch the movie. You can pester him about Kirishima later.”
He pouted at Shouta but complied anyway.
Izuku breathed a sigh of relief, sinking into the couch cushions. He was glad to be done with that conversation. He didn’t need anyone finding out about his silly crush on Kirishima. He was obviously out of Izuku’s league—he’s a pro-hero, for crying out loud!
Even on the off chance that Kirishima would want to go on a date with Izuku, would it really have lasted that long? Kirishima was a very important, very attractive busy guy. Izuku didn’t want to distract him from his hero career! Sure, Denki and ‘Toshi made it work, but they’d been dating since high school and were both licensed pros. Izuku was just some random kindergarten teacher. He didn’t really see how it would last.
Maybe he was just too pessimistic. He didn’t know.
For now, he’d just focus on his students and getting ready for Eri’s internship. Kirishima would be the furthest thing from his mind.
At least when he wasn't watching the news.