“Mic-sensei,” Shinsou says, doing his best to keep his voice flat and unaffected in front of other students. “I have a question. About the course work.”
He’s sure that Mic-sensei sees through him immediately, but at least his general studies classmates likely won’t. Mic’s eyes are far too wise for comfort behind his glasses when he looks at Shinsou.
“Sure, listener! What’s your question?” Mic asks. His full attention is on Shinsou and they both wait while the last of Shinsou’s classmates file out of the room.
“Is he okay?,” Shinsou asks. His voice is a little quieter than usual, but he holds eye contact with Mic-sensei without any visible discomfort.
“He’s fine, Shinsou. It’s just a migraine. He tried his best to come to class today, but he can hardly see straight. He’ll probably be back tomorrow or the day after. He said you could use today as a rest day, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did.” Shinsou pauses, mildly confused. “Why?”
“Well, I would suggest you use today to rest. Maybe you can even convince someone else to rest, too. You better get to your next class. Do you need a note?”
Shinsou is absolutely positive that his face is on fire. His heart is racing, and he’s pretty sure he stopped breathing, too. Mic-sensei knows. Does Aizawa-sensei know, too? Does Aizawa-sensei know that Mic-sensei knows?
“Shinsou, did you need a note?” Mic-sensei asks again, completely composed, without so much as a blink.
Hitoshi takes a breath, far too deep and burning. His eyes water at the sensation and he quickly shakes his head before fleeing the classroom.
Hizashi is mildly concerned about Shinsou passing out from a panic attack when he flees the classroom, but he seems to have been alright. Shouta is probably going to murder him for heavily implying that Shinsou should go see him. Hizashi isn’t sure how intimidated he is by that notion today. Not when Aizawa was worried about Shinsou not taking his absence well, and Shinsou is clearly not taking his absence well. They both need to get some sleep anyway, so hopefully Shinsou will take his advice.
Hizashi purses his lips, realizing that Shinsou is probably going to need another little push to get him to go over to Aizawa’s. He picks up his classroom phone to make a call. Maybe he could ensure that the two of them got a decent meal.
Shinsou is nervous when he quietly opens the door to Aizawa’s apartment. It’s almost never locked when Aizawa is home, and now is no exception. It’s irresponsible of Aizawa-sensei to leave his home vulnerable when he’s not feeling well, but it’s Aizawa-sensei, so it’s not really surprising.
He does his best to keep his breathing calm, even as his heart is clearly trying to be heard over the soft buzz of electronics in the otherwise quiet apartment. He slips his shoes off and walks into the kitchen, glancing to the living area couch.
There’s an abandoned nest of blankets there, evidence that Aizawa is around somewhere. Hitoshi silently moves through the apartment to Aizawa’s room, where he spots his mentor laid out on his back, one arm draped over his eyes.
“I told you to take a rest day,” Aizawa-sensei lifts his arm just enough to make eye contact with Shinsou in the warm, hazy light that filters in through the curtained windows. His voice is rough, and it’s obvious that he’s still in pain. Shinsou’s chest constricts. His mentor has never let his guard down like this with him.
“Mic-sensei and Midnight-sensei seemed pretty convinced that I would be able to convince you to eat something.” Shinsou responds as quietly as he can from the doorway. “I brought some stir fry. Midnight-sensei sent some coffee, too. Not prepared, just - for tomorrow.”
“Guess that means I have to get up.” Aizawa heaves a sigh.
“I could bring it to you, if you want.”
“I don’t usually eat in bed.”
“It might be a good time for an exception.”
“Cute. Go pick out a movie, and I’ll be there in a minute.”
Shinsou’s face is on fire all over again. He moves back to the kitchen just as quietly as he’d gone looking for Aizawa.
He’s set up a couple of plates of stir fry, gotten some water, and pain meds for Aizawa by the time he emerges from his room, slowly maneuvering himself down the hall. He watches out of the corner of his eye while pulling up Howl’s Moving Castle.
“This one again?,” Aizawa asks without judgment while settling himself on the couch.
“I like this one,” Shinsou mumbles, plainly pouting. “I can change it. You’re the sick one, you should get final say.”
“It’s fine, Shinsou,” Aizawa reaches for the glass of water set on the coffee table in front of him.
“Take the meds, too, please?”
Aizawa groans, but picks up the little pills from the table as well. He looks at Shinsou with raised brows, silently asking if he’s pleased. Shinsou looks back, unimpressed, until Aizawa actually takes the medication.
They both settle into the couch with their meals while the film starts, and Shinsou’s nerves calm as familiar music washes over him. When their meals are finished, Shinsou plucks the empty plate from Aizawa’s hands before he can make a move to get up.
By the time Shinsou is finished cleaning up the kitchen and refilling Aizawa’s water, Aizawa has curled up on the couch under a blanket, and the sun is starting to set.
“Are you feeling better?” Shinsou asks before hitting play on the paused film. He tries to be unassuming about it, to keep his voice mostly unconcerned, but if the look on Aizawa’s face is anything to go by, it doesn’t work.
“Come here, Toshi,” Aizawa yawns and lifts one side of his blanket. Shinsou’s blushing again, and hoping that the room is dark enough that Aizawa can’t see it.
He does as instructed while he grumbles softly about the unfairness of using nicknames. Aizawa hides a grin while Shinsou gets settled against his side. Maybe it was a little unfair to use the nickname, but Aizawa knows Shinsou will do anything when he calls him Toshi and he’s clearly exhausted, probably from the anxiety that he tries to pretend doesn’t plague him.
“I’m just fine,” Aizawa assures him, tucking the blanket around Shinsou before wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I was getting better before you got here, but the food, the water, the meds all helped. Thank you for taking care of me.” Aizawa squeezes Hitoshi’s shoulders closer, and before he can think too much about it, presses a kiss to his favorite student’s hairline.
Shinsou’s eyes are as wide as saucers and he’s sure he’s grinning like a fool, curled against his mentor, his favorite person in the world. These moments are the ones he lives for, when Aizawa offers him affection that he’s hardly gotten anywhere else. Aizawa never comments on Shinsou’s eager acceptance, but always makes sure to ruffle his hair, or pull him into a short hug after training. These moments, though, when Aizawa decides it’s time for a break, and they get to exist together quietly, are special.
The movie plays on, and Shinsou is dangerously comfortable, tucked into Aizawa’s side under a warm blanket. His nerves are truly calm for the first time all day, he’s warm, the feeling of another person against him is comfortable. Aizawa’s steady presence is always a comfort and he’s done for when Aizawa starts absentmindedly running fingers through his hair. Exhaustion takes over entirely by the time the credits start rolling and Shinsou is a dead weight against Aizawa.
Aizawa finds himself hard pressed to keep his own eyes open, and Shinsou looks so peaceful, he can’t find it in himself to wake him up. So, Aizawa carefully shifts to a more comfortable position and allows himself to sleep.
A few hours later, Hizashi quietly opens the door to the apartment that he shares with Shouta. The exact scene he was hoping for greets him in the living room, Shouta and Shinsou curled together on the couch, deep asleep.
He snaps a quick photo before gently nudging Shouta awake. In careful silence, he gathers Shinsou up in his arms and motions for Shouta to follow. Shinsou isn’t typically a deep sleeper, but he always seems to sleep well enough here with the two of them, and he doesn’t so much as twitch while Hizashi tucks him into the bed he normally shares with Shouta before excusing himself to shower.
Shouta has Shinsou pulled against his chest and is already back to sleep when he returns. He watches them with fondness for a minute before sliding into the bed on Shouta’s other side. He mimics Shouta’s position, curling himself around the other man.
Morning comes far too quickly, but Hizashi pops up from bed when the alarm goes off. Shouta and Shinsou whine in sync, but slowly start to move while Hizashi herds them into the kitchen. Shinsou starts on making the coffee that Nemuri sent with him the day before. Shouta pulls leftover stir fry from the fridge and bentos from the cabinet while Hizashi turns on music before starting on making breakfast.
He loves these mornings, when Shinsou is still too sleepy and comfortable to be anxious. He reminds Hizashi so much of Shouta when they were teenagers, it’s a relief, to be able to be a safe place, a safe person for Shinsou to be around.
“You’re very quiet. Do you have a migraine now?” Shinsou asks softly, voice thick with sleep while he pouts at Hizashi. Hizashi gladly wraps Shinsou in a hug.
“Nope! Just felt like a quiet morning,” Hizashi grins down at the teenager who gives up on wiggling out of his grip to get to the coffee and leans on Hizashi instead.
Hizashi is pretty sure this interaction will make Shinsou anxious later, but every minute of comfort he can offer, he will. It certainly doesn’t hurt that when Hizashi does manage to wrap Shinsou in hugs, it makes Shouta jealous enough to bully his way into it as well. It’s a bit like herding cats, really, but he can’t complain when he has his two favorite listeners cozy and warm in his arms.
It’s been a couple of weeks since Shinsou fell asleep pressed against his mentor, and his perpetual exhaustion has been exacerbated by a flare up in his insomnia. He’s processing everything slower and it feels like his mind is operating through cold maple syrup.
It’s impossible not to notice, and Shinsou is sure that Aizawa is going to berate him for not getting enough rest, mostly because he’s berating himself for not getting enough rest.
He’s surprised when he meets Aizawa in their usual spot to find both Aizawa and Yamada standing there with their things, looking ready to go home.
“Today we’re resting.” Aizawa tells his perplexed student without an ounce of hesitation. He takes Shinsou’s bag, and leads him to Yamada’s car. “We can watch Howl’s Moving Castle, if you want.”
“Again?,” Yamada sounds shocked, looking at Shinsou who ducks his head. “Well, Howl’s Moving Castle it is.”
“NO!” Yamada looks scandalized. “Rest, not coffee. Shouta! What are you teaching him? Next thing you know, he’s going to be asking for jelly packs.”
“Oh, do you have a mango one?” Shinsou asks with a straight face.
“He’s joking.” There’s a pause. “He prefers the strawberry one.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
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