Nemuri lounges in Hizashi’s office and groans. His coach is way more comfortable than hers, she should ask him where he got it some time.
He ignores her, continuing to mark essays and squint at poor grammar choices.
“Hizashi…” She complains.
Izuku hesitantly reaches across from his place on the chair next to her and pats her arm in comfort, light as a feather.
“Awww, thanks Izuku.” She coos. Nemuri knew he’d make a great nephew.
“If you get started now, I bet you won’t even need help.” Hizashi comments mildly.
Nemuri narrows her eyes at him.
“This is about the vodka incident isn’t it.”
He hums, innocent.
“Nemuri, dear, I think you may be projecting.” He scribbles the next grade at the top of the page with a flourish.
“Hizashi…”
“You’ll be fine.” Wow, not an ounce of sympathy to be had, this is ridiculous. Shouta slumps into the room and Nemuri lights up. “Don’t even think about it. I am not rescheduling this date a third time.” Hizashi doesn’t even look up from his stack of papers.
“Ugh. Fine.” She bites out, rolling gracelessly off the couch. “Just you watch, I’m going to be buried in essays until the end of time.”
“Good luck, don’t forget to get dinner.” He waves absently before getting back to his stack.
She huffs on her way out, only pausing long enough to ruffle her darling nephew’s adorable hair.
“Just for that, Izuku and I are getting cake for dinner.”
“Nemuri…” She shuts the door before he can finish.
-
Nemuri glares at her stack. Why does she even assign essays this time of year? She sighs and starts searching her desk for a red pen.
“Um?” Comes a hesitant voice. Nemuri nearly knocks a picture frame off the desk when she startles up from where she was digging through her drawers.
“Izuku?” She pauses to give him her full attention. “Everything okay? They leave for their reservation already?”
“Y-yeah. Um, Yamada-san f-finished early, sorry to b-bother you but-”
“Nonsense.” Nemuri will not have her adorable little nephew thinking he’s a bother.
“I was-, I was w-wondering if, maybe, we could go sh-shopping before you t-take me home?” The last part comes out in a rushed squeak.
He visibly relaxes as Nemuri lights up, ecstatic.
“I would love to! Where are you thinking?”
“Um, maybe the m-mall? The one on the w-way.”
Nemuri considers it, running through her internal map in her mind.
“That’ll work.” She nods.
“C-cool.” He smiles and settles in on her significantly less comfortable couch to wait.
As it turns out, adorable little nephews with mysterious shopping plans are a great motivator. She reaches a good stopping point in no time at all.
“Ready to go?” She stretches with a sigh.
“Yeah.”
Nemuri tries not to ask what they’re going for, even though she definitely wants to. Izuku asked her if they could go, bypassing the easier option of his guardians, which probably means he doesn’t want Hizashi or Shouta to know about his plans.
She holds herself back until they make it into the mall and Izuku starts staring intently at the map.
“So… you want to let me in on whatever this is?”
He pauses, glances up at her in a way that tells Nemuri he was expecting her to ask but still isn’t very excited about answering.
“I’m getting pr-presents.”
“Oh yeah? For who?” Nemuri’s heard about his friends but both Hizashi and Shouta would be happy to help shop for them so she isn’t sure that’s it.
“Yamada-san and Aizawa-san.” He mumbles.
“Oh,” that’s… really sweet. Hizashi will die of affection. “You know you don’t have to…” Nemuri would hate for this to be some sort of payback thing.
“I know.” He says with a firmness she isn’t used to hearing from him and starts guiding her to a store on the other end of the mall.
-
Nemuri has changed her mind about Izuku, not only is he adorable and precious, he’s also absolutely hilarious. An underrated comedic talent.
“D-do you think he’ll like it?” He asks, suddenly nervous now that he’s actually standing in line with his gift in hand.
Nemuri will not laugh, she could never, not at this little freckled boy earnestly asking for her honest opinion.
“I think he’ll love it.” She smiles and reaches out to ruffle his hair, taking Shouta’s gift from his arms so he doesn’t have to lug it by himself all the way through the mall in search of Hizashi’s gift.
She’s not even lying, Shouta will love it. Nemuri has seen the way his eyes crinkle when Izuku gets excited and how he frowns when Izuku forgets he’s safe. Izuku could probably give Shouta the ugliest tie in this mall and there's no question in her mind that Shouta would wear it all the time. He would wear one every day for this kid.
“Now, before we get to whatever lovely idea you have cooked up for Hizashi, we really should find something to eat.” Nemuri turns in search of the food court. “Unfortunately, I’ve been informed that cake is not an acceptable meal.” She laments.
He giggles and it warms something in Nemuri’s heart to see him so happy. She can remember meeting him, nervous and hurt and small. She can’t help but pull him into her side, giving him plenty of time to pull away and smiles when he carefully leans in closer.
They settle on sushi and Nemuri tells Izuku all about the cat that shares its name, not about how she came to care for him but the happier stories of mischief and trouble.
In return Izuku chatters about Sake’s latest shenanigans and attempts to bother Aiko and Tuna.
It’s nice and Nemuri almost wants the moment to last forever. Alas, she’s always been a practical thing underneath it all.
“Well, shall we get back to it? I’m dying to find out what you have in store for Hizashi.”
“Alright.” He smiles.
Izuku isn’t scared.
He’s not scared.
He’s… well, nervous is probably the right word.
Yeah, nervous.
He’s never done this before, at least that he can remember, gotten something for someone just because he can. He’s never had the money for it, or anyone he’d ever want to give something to. He can’t even remember giving his school art projects to anyone or picking flowers on the way home from school. Izuku learned how to keep himself safe from more than physical pain a very long time ago.
But, Kayama-san gave him money for New Years and so did Yamada-san and Aizawa-san, not to mention the money they give him for other things he hardly spends.
He could hardly bear to look at it, it felt like too much. Then, the idea popped into his head and wouldn’t go away.
No one expects him to get them presents. There’s no younger kids he has to watch or mountains of endless chores to do. They aren’t keeping him for the money or free labor.
It’s a weird feeling, to just exist with no unfair demands or cruel expectations he has to try to reach. There’s no inevitable moment of failure lying in wait for him.
It’s an incredible feeling.
They saved him.
From more than just a knife.
He’s alive, alive and almost giddy with the joy of it all sometimes.
This isn’t about paying back. This is about love.
This is about every little smile and ruffled hair and meal made with care.
This is about Izuku, who has never been enough. This is about the people he’s starting to think might really be forever. This is about the bubbling affection and care he feels every time he stumbles into his seat for breakfast, bleary-eyed and hair still a mess. The bright relief of stepping over the threshold after school, shoulders untensing and truly safe.
They make him happy and Izuku isn’t sure he could ever explain how much it means to him, how much they mean to him.
He isn’t sure he could ever try.
He can give them something that might make them happy, something to show them just how much they mean to him.
He hopes they like his choices.
Kayama-san gives him an enthusiastic thumbs up as he pays for the last item on his list.
He breathes in, breathes out.
They’ll like them.
It’ll be alright.
He knows it will.
“That everything?” She asks.
Izuku nods, biting his lip.
She nudges his arm with her elbow and grins. “They’re gonna love it, both of them.”
Izuku nods again. He really hopes so. His smile feels wrong on his face, shaky and nervous.
“You know, I’ve known both those idiots since high school. I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on ‘em by now.” She reminds him.
“Yeah. Um, c-could you, maybe, not m-mention this?” He’s not ready yet.
She mimes zipping her lips and winks.
“My lips are sealed, not to worry.”
“Th-thanks.”
“Of course.” She shrugs, as if it’s really that simple, and leads him out of the store.
“Um, do you-, is there anything you n-need to get?” Izuku can come along, since they’re here anyway.
“Well… I am feeling in the mood for something sweet.” She says. “Want to get some dessert on the way back? I could kill for a cupcake right about now.”
“Sure.” Sugar actually sounds amazing right now.
They examine the options presented at the incredibly fancy cupcake place with, in Izuku’s opinion, perhaps too much care. He thinks Kayama-san might be flirting, the cashier’s blushing bright red like she is at least.
Maybe it’s their quirk, that would be really interesting. Izuku wonders what kind of quirk would have a side effect like that. Does she turn different colors? Is it emotion-based? Maybe it's the temperature?
“Izuku?” Kayama-san looks a little amused, he really hopes he wasn’t mumbling. The cashier isn’t the only one blushing anymore.
“Um, th-that one please.” He points to a cupcake with fancy white frosting and a pretty decorative flower on it.
They sit at a tiny little table to eat their cupcakes and Izuku listens as Kayama-san fills the silence with probably slightly censored stories of her heroics. It’s nice, she’s had a lot of very interesting adventures in Izuku’s opinion.
He lets her hold his hand on the way home and squeezes it just a little as she fiddles with the lock. Aizawa-san and Yamada-san are still gone when they walk in the door.
Izuku fumbles out of his coat and shoes and into slippers. Kayama-san hands him his gifts with a wink and waves him on. He hides them in the back of his closet and hopes that’s good enough.
It will be.
No one searches through his things here, no one scatters his belongings everywhere and yells about whatever they’ve found.
He’s safe and so are his gifts. He wouldn't have gotten them if he wasn't.
“Izuku?” He hurries back to the living room and Kayama-san waves him over. “Done?”
He nods.
“Great! What do you say to a movie? I think we’ve got time before the lovebirds make it back.”
“Alright.” He smiles, it's not shaky this time.
They settle on the couch with blankets and pillows, Kayama-san apparently considers it an absolute necessity for an authentic experience.
He’s sound asleep long before the end credits roll.
Hizashi knows there’s something going on the moment he gets home.
He’d like to say it’s because his parenting skills are astoundingly good but really it’s because Nemuri has that look in her eyes that spells nothing but trouble.
She smiles and Shouta narrows his eyes from Hizashi’s side.
“Nope.” She says. “I’m not saying anything.”
She looks actually serious so they both let it slide for now.
Izuku is curled up on the couch next to her, completely asleep.
Hizashi resists the urge to coo at him and instead watches his husband carefully get him up and into his room without waking him.
“Thanks for watching him.” He sighs with a small smile.
“Nonsense.” She waves him off. “Izuku was perfectly angelic.”
He follows her to the door and she turns. “You have a good kid, ‘Zashi.”
“Yeah.” He smiles and she laughs so he must look hopelessly gone on the kid when he does.
“I’ll see you guys Monday, let me know how it goes.”
“How what goes?” She shuts the door before he’s finished the question.
-
He’s forgotten all about Nemuri’s words by the morning, content and happy to sit and eat breakfast with his family.
He does notice that Izuku seems tense, stiff in a way he rarely is now.
It makes Hizashi want to find out exactly what’s making him feel that way and fix it, or punch it, he’s a flexible guy.
“You doing okay?” Shouta asks.
“I’m f-fine, um, I just-, I’d like-, I have s-something for y-you.”
“For me?” Shouta sounds bewildered.
“B-both of you.”
Hizashi exchanges a confused glance with Shouta.
“Alright, is after breakfast okay?”
Izuku nods and doesn’t say anything more.
-
They settle on the couch and Izuku moves one of the chairs to face them.
Hizashi hates to see Izuku so anxious, wringing his hands and darting his eyes between them but this isn’t something he can fix.
Not really, whatever this is, it’s important. More than that, it’s something Izuku wants to do himself.
It’s clear in the deep breaths he takes and the way he tries to steady himself, mumbling reassurances and promises to himself everything will be okay.
Shouta glances over and meets Hizashi’s gaze and he knows they both see it. Their kid is trying his best, at something, they still aren’t clear on what exactly.
“Um, I was, I’ve been th-thinking.” He starts and fidgets for a moment before stilling again. “I th-thought-.”
Izuku glances back and forth between the two of them and slumps.
“Here.” He turns and grabs something hidden behind the chair and shoves it into Shouta’s arms.
It’s huge, bulky and obscured by a giant shopping bag.
Shouta takes it on reflex, clearly baffled.
“I just-, I wanted-, I know I don’t have to or anything but I w-wanted to-, to get you something and, well, um, it’s for y-you.”
Shouta meets Hizashi’s eye and raises an eyebrow. They’ll just have to trust that Nemuri made sure he isn’t trying to pay them back or something.
“Alright…”
Shouta opens it carefully and looks inside.
Hizashi has never seen a more gaudy looking sleeping bag in his life and that is saying something.
It’s amazing.
He didn’t even know they made those in bright yellow.
Shouta just about melts at the sight and Hizashi can’t even blame him. He isn’t doing much better.
“Um, I just-, I thought, you nap in b-bad places some-sometimes and um, Yamada-san says your j-joints are important so-, yeah.”
Shouta nods like that makes sense and smiles, one of those smaller ones he does when he really loves something, or someone.
“Thank you, Izuku.”
“Y-your welcome.” He mumbles.
Shouta examines it while they wait for Izuku to calm himself again. Hizashi would not be surprised if he decides a nap is in order once they're done.
“That’s a great gift Izuku.” Hizashi smiles. “Can I ask what made you pick the color?”
He wants to know so badly. What made his shy little kid pick the brightest yellow he could find.
Izuku shrugs a little.
“I thought-, uh, I thought he might want something to m-match his goggles.”
His goggles.
His goggles.
The only splash of proper color Shouta ever allows anywhere near his wardrobe and Izuku color-coordinated his sleeping bag to match.
Nemuri must have been dying.
That’s maybe the sweetest thing Hizashi has ever heard.
Just, it’s really cute.
Hizashi really wants to hug him right now.
He holds himself back, barely. Izuku isn’t done and he doesn’t want to interrupt.
He watches him relax slightly at the fact Shouta obviously doesn’t hate his gift.
Izuku takes a deep breath and whirls around the chair for another bag.
“H-here.”
Hizashi holds it like it’s something precious. Izuku went through the effort of getting him something and that honestly means more to him than the actual gift itself.
He opens it carefully, it’s much less bulky than Shouta’s gift and pulls the contents out.
“I just-, I like b-baking with you and y-you said you l-liked paper recipes.”
It’s a recipe book.
He pages through it and finds muffins and cakes and baked-goods, some he’s mentioned wanting to try and some he’s never heard of.
Izuku spent time looking for it, he realizes.
This would have taken research.
He not only went and found a recipe book Hizashi didn’t already have, he found one that Hizashi would like, that has recipes he would enjoy.
Izuku’s been paying a lot more attention to his kitchen ramblings than he’d realized.
Hizashi sets the book gently next to him on the couch and stops holding himself back.
Izuku squeaks as Hizashi pulls him onto the couch and into a hug.
“I love it.” He whispers into curly hair.
“R-really?”
Hizashi just squeezes a little tighter.
“Of course.”
Shouta tugs on his sleeve to get his attention and Hizashi pouts but lets him steal Izuku into his embrace.
“You did good, kid.”
Izuku doesn’t say anything, just hugs him back.
It takes a few minutes but eventually he pulls back. They both ignore the way he rubs at his eyes and sniffles.
“Hey, Izu.”
“Yeah?” He responds.
“Want to pick something?” Hizashi holds his new book up with a smile.
Izuku nods and shuffles over to look at the options. They whisper their way into a final decision while Shouta wins his internal debate over sleep and tries out his new, bright yellow, sleeping bag.
Hizashi doesn’t think they’ve ever made a better batch of muffins.