Chapter Text
XXX
Izuku propped the phone up on his shoulder as he struggled with the zipper on his suitcase. "I promise I'm going to come back, 'Chako. I'm not running away for forever. I'll be back after Christmas is over, just a couple of weeks."
Finally winning against the zipper, he let out a long sigh and sat on the bed. He admitted quietly, "I'm not doing as well as I've been saying that I have." He let out a hoarse chuckle at her response. "Rude, you could've let me at least believe that I've been fooling all of you a little bit."
He ran a hand through his hair. "But yeah, ever since I found Katsuki with that other guy, things have been rough. I know that he's brash and abrasive sometimes, but I never actually thought that he would do something like that. I mean, his parents adore each other and all of his family members seem to be loyal to their significant others, so I assumed that he would be too."
He let out a quiet scoff, "Guess it's my fault for assuming, huh? I mean, I always knew that he was driven and thought that he deserved the best of everything. I just thought that he saw me as the best for him. And that he wanted me as much as I wanted him. And it hurts that I wasn't-- that I wasn’t good enough."
He half listened to the furious tirade coming from the other side of the phone about how Izuku was the best and that Bakugou was a blind idiot for daring to even think about cheating on someone as amazing as Izuku was. And while Izuku wished that he could truly believe in his friend's words, the wound was still too raw, too fresh for him to look at with any sort of rationality.
Thus why he was going now to visit his dad in America for Christmas. From his past visits, he knew that Christmas there was much more family-oriented than Japan's, where the holiday seemed to revolve more around couples and love. It was like the entire country became one of those damn Hallmark Christmas movies where the poor nanny falls in love with a prince in disguise or some other rotten fairy tale that always ended in true love’s kiss. Every ad, commercial, and radio station seemed determined to rub his nose in the fact that Izuku was currently single and he just needed a break.
Feeling his phone buzz, he glanced at it to see a notification that his cab was there. Clearing his throat, he said quietly, "Listen, 'Chako, I appreciate all of you guys, I really do. But I need to get away and clear my head for a little while. My cab is here, so I gotta go. Thanks for agreeing to water my plants and I'll text you when I'm settled over there. You're the best and I'll see you in a few weeks, okay?"
He smiled at her words before repeating his promise that he was coming back and then he finally managed to hang up. Messaging the cab that he was on his way down, he took one last look around his apartment, the silence heavy and depressing. He really did need to get away for a while.
Picking up his suitcase, he headed out and shut the door firmly behind him. It was time for him to start taking care of himself.
XXX
Shouta sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the waiting room chair. His nurse had told him that the hospital admin would most likely be too busy to see him, something about taking some time off because of family but Shouta admitted that he wasn't listening too closely. He had insisted upon waiting anyway on the off chance that the man would be able to fit him in. All he needed was a few minutes of the man's time.
It was drawing close to the end of the day and he was resigning himself to returning to his room unsuccessfully when the office door finally opened. A familiar tired dark-haired man stood there, a stack of papers clutched tiredly in one hand. "Sorry for the wait, Aizawa-san. I'm trying to get everything wrapped up so I can spend some time with my son who’s visiting, but I swear the paperwork is multiplying every time I glance away."
Shouta gave him a sympathetic grimace, "It's fine, Midoriya-san, I understand. Paperwork is the bane of every industry."
The man took a step back and gestured tiredly at his office. "Well, why don't you come in and we can get you sorted out."
Shouta pushed to his feet, grimacing internally at the way the prosthetic shifted and irritated his leg. He should probably mention it to someone, but he was tired of being poked and prodded like some sort of medical experiment. As much as he appreciated Nedzu pulling all of these strings for him, he was sick and tired of hospitals.
He followed Midoriya into his office and took the seat offered, falling into it more than actually managing to sit gracefully. If he were a cat, his ears would've been pinned back in irritation and embarrassment. Instead, he did his best to keep his face composed and prayed that the much too perceptive man had somehow missed it.
Thankfully, although the other man raised an eyebrow, he kept his mouth shut about it. Taking his seat, he set the stack of papers aside. "So, tell me what brings you in search of me today, Aizawa-san? Hopefully not a complaint, the staff have told me that your recovery is progressing nicely."
He shook his head, having appreciated the efficiency and competence of the hospital staff. "Not at all. I have no complaints about your people. The staff here have lived up to Nedzu's recommendations and then some. I wish that some of the heroes I know were half as efficient and competent as the staff here."
Hisashi looked pleased at the praise. "That's good to hear. I would hate for Nedzu to be disappointed about the care that you received in our facility. Then would you perhaps like a change of view? I'm sure that it can be tiresome to see the same thing from day to day. There would probably be other patients willing to switch as well."
Shouta jumped on the opening, although he chose his words with the utmost care. "Actually, that's very close to what I wished to speak to you about. My leg has been healing very well under the care of the staff here. I can't believe how much progress has been made over the past few months. However, they're telling me that I have to be here for another two months."
He took a deep breath, gathering himself. "Is there perhaps any way that I could return to Japan and just come once a month for appointments or something like that? After all, the quirk has done its job to start regrowing the leg. There isn't going to be any further quirk use, I'm just being kept here for observation on the off-chance that something might happen. But nothing has happened in the past three months, so there’s really no need for me to keep taking up hospital space and resources."
Hisashi looked thoughtful at his words. "Do you wish to go home and visit family? I can understand the need to be close to family during this time of year. And it's easy to agree to a long stay and then get homesick halfway through."
Shouta sighed, wishing he could lie and say yes, but his morals wouldn't let him. "No, nothing like that. Everyone over there is well aware of how long I'm supposed to be here, and my friends have taken turns visiting, so there's no one expecting me in Japan for the holidays."
He paused from where he was pulling out a sheet of paper. "Then what are your reasons for wanting to leave our facility? The reason that there hasn't been an issue with the regrowth has been because of the rigorous oversight displayed by the staff. I'm sure that Nedzu explained thoroughly why outpatient does not work with these kinds of procedures."
Oh yeah, the rat had made it all excruciatingly clear why Shouta would be spending several months in America, complete with a three-hour PowerPoint presentation that he had forced Shouta to sit through not once, but twice. The second time happened when Shouta had complained about the procedure not being necessary at all. Losing his leg had not slowed down his hero work at all. Nedzu had disagreed. Shouta had countered. Nedzu won.
Shouta agreed pleasantly, "Nedzu did explain why outpatient wouldn't work. But that was before we knew that everything would go so smoothly. Surely, it would be fine for me to return to Japan and at least do desk work instead of just staying here and taking up resources that don't need to be used on me."
Hisashi suddenly gave a tired smile, running his hand through his dark, curly hair. "Ahhh, I see the problem now, Aizawa-san. You're a hero."
Shouta bristled at the amusement in the other man's voice. "And that’s relevant why?"
Midoriya smiled, waving away the indignation, "Oh, I didn't mean it like that, Aizawa-san. You see, my son is a hero over in Japan as well. And the thing about heroes is that they need to be busy, to help people out. Nedzu and I thought that this might be a nice way for you to catch a break, to rest and relax for a little while before throwing yourself and your newly healed leg back into the fray. However, it seems like we may have miscalculated."
Shouta relaxed slightly at that, although he was intrigued to learn that Midoriya's son was a hero as well. "What is your son's hero name? Maybe I know him?"
Hisashi smiled, his expression filled with mirth as if he were enjoying a great private joke. Then his expression shifted into a thoughtful one instead. "You might, but that's not important right now. You see, he's here on vacation for the next couple of weeks. However, because of some unexpected administrative issues that came up, I've been forced to leave him on his own for the past few days."
He leaned forward conspiratorially, "He doesn't do well being idle either, he's rearranged my kitchen three times so far and if he does it again, I won't be able to find anything for months. So how about this? Let my son visit you for the next couple of days to keep him from going stir-crazy while I finish up this work. You guys can talk cases or whatever it is you hero types do. Then, if you're still bored by the time I have this all straightened out, I'll see about figuring out how to either get you a liaison with a local hero agency or find a way for you to return to Japan temporarily."
Shouta narrowed his eyes and studied the man, trying to figure out what the catch might be. After all, babysitting a younger hero for a few days to keep him out of trouble didn't seem to be worth all the trouble of what Midoriya was counter-offering. Was his son like Endeavor or Bakugou or something? Still, with his quirk, he could make sure that the hospital didn't burn down. Plus, if he was an arrogant Spotty, there was at least the potential fun of puncturing his ego down to size. Within reason, of course, he didn’t want his offer revoked because the heroling went whining to his daddy about the mean Under.
He said cautiously, "What if your son dislikes spending time with me?"
Hisashi smirked, "Somehow I doubt that would ever be the case. However, if you and Izuku don't get along, I’ll still do my best to work out something to your satisfaction."
Sensing that he was probably going to regret this, Shouta nodded slowly. "All right, I'll do my best, Midoriya-san. If nothing else, I can show him a couple of the local spots until your work is all done."
Midoriya grinned brightly and Shouta felt a shiver of dread pass through him. Surely, it wouldn't take too long for the admin to finish up his work, right?
Hisashi stood and walked him to the door, "I appreciate your help, Aizawa-san. I'll bring my son by to your room first thing tomorrow. Have a wonderful rest of your day."
Shouta slowly made his way back to his room wondering what in the world he’d just managed to get talked into. He was going to regret this, he just knew it.
XXX
Shouta had been up since dawn, his sleep schedule still off despite all of his months in the hospital. He’d been careful not to get too settled into a pampered sleep schedule, not wanting to be off his game when he jumped back into hero work once he was back in Japan.
However, this meant that hours had passed while he was waiting for this hero to show up. He'd spent a bit of that time messaging Nem and Hizashi, but the time difference made it so that the conversations had to be short. Next he’d settled himself into one of the room's ridiculously soft chairs and set about untangling the Rat's most recent cipher that the devious mammal had sent to keep him busy.
That helped pass a bit of time, but by nine 'o'clock, Shouta was mentally debating the benefits of pacing or simply throwing the arrogant heroling out the window when, and if, he should ever arrive. It was 9:03 when there was a quiet knock and a nurse stuck her head in the door, smiling brightly when she saw him sitting and glowering in her direction.
"Oh good, you're up, Aizawa-san. You have a guest."
Without waiting for a response, which was wise because it would've just been a rude one anyway, she called over her shoulder, "He's up, you can go on in, Mr. Midoriya."
There was a soft murmur of thanks and the nurse disappeared, no doubt off to finish her rounds. However, he couldn't bring himself to care, too shocked by the person standing sheepishly in the doorway. Midoriya-san had failed to inform him that the son he wanted Shouta to entertain was none other than All Might's protege, Dekiru.
Oh, Shouta was doomed. Completely and utterly doomed.
He was never going to get out of this hospital room.