Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Eraserhead, the erasure hero they called him. Yet he could not erase all those thoughts going through his head. He had managed to protect his students, they had carried out their mission by saving young Eri and yet... If only he had arrived faster, if he had not been so careless as not to be able to erase Overhaul’s quirk, then perhaps things would have gone differently. Maybe Nighteye would still be alive. He pinched the bridge of his nose; he knew he should stop thinking about all of the “if only” but he couldn’t help himself. The clock was striking midnight and he was still at the hospital, the students long gone except for Togata. He decided to leave Eri’s room and grab a coffee at the vending machine. He was going for his eighth cup of the day, but he was used to it. Most of the time, his own body moved only thanks to the power of micro naps he would take between classes (or during them) and coffee. Eight hours of sleep was for the weak after all, or for any functional human. The corridors were quiet. It had been a couple of hours since a nurse told him to go home. Aizawa started to think that maybe they gave up.They were right though, he should go. The little girl was still asleep and as he said to Midoriya, the best was to rest while waiting for her to wake up. The doctor taking care of her said she wouldn’t wake up right away. He went to check up on her one last time. When he opened the door, he found her just like when he left her : deeply asleep.

He didn’t want to return to the teachers dormitory. He was not ready to face him , not after today ’s events. He chased the vision of him from his mind. The academy could do without him for the night, right ? He grabbed his phone and sent Hizashi a text. Thinking about going home for today. They aren’t expecting the girl to wake up just now so I’m leaving the hospital. Please inform the principal .  He regretted it instantly. He should have sent it to Nemuri or even Sekjiro. The last one wouldn’t pry like the first two. A few minutes later, as he was leaving the room, his phone rang. Hizashi’s name popped up on his screen. He would’ve preferred a long text but it was Mic after all, he had to voice his thoughts.

“ Where are you, ma man ? ” he asked less enthusiastically than usual. Aizawa cursed internally, Mic was obviously worried. He hated it.

“ I just left Eri’s room, was about to call a cab .”

“ I’m coming to get you, I will be there in ten minutes. Don’t you dare to leave on your own ! ” and with that, he hung up on him.

Aizawa sighed, he had a rough day and now he would have a rough night too. When Mic was worried about him, he would stick around him like glue. He didn’t blame Hizashi. They had been friends since high school, he knew how he could be an emotional mess sometimes. He decided to wait for him in front of the hospital. The last thing the patients needed was a lousy old man roaming the corridors. Thus far Aizawa didn’t know if God or some other entity gave a lousy quirk to a lousy person or if Mic was like this because of his quirk. He would bet his salary on the first option. As he was exiting the building, a strong chill went through his body. He regretted not having his sleeping bag with him. He was cold and his body was starting to feel heavy. He waited for about six to seven minutes in the cold. As he was pondering if he should go back inside, he saw a tall slim man with blond spiky hair opening a cab’s door.

“ Sorry, traffic was hell, but I’m here now ! Are you mad ? ” he asked while waving his hand to make sure Aizawa was seeing him. 

Even if he wasn’t, he sure could hear him. He was attracting attention as always. Some things never changed, no matter how many years passed. While Aizawa Shōta was a quiet man, he was constantly surrounded by loud and energetic people. They always had this grumpy grandpa/energetic grandson dynamic. He  wanted to answer that he wasn't mad, just tired but instead he just entered the cab without saying a word. Mic began to give him the latest news. Earlier that night, he saw Izuku and his friends arriving at the dormitory. Later, as he was leaving the academy, he saw the principal and informed him as Aizawa had requested. Nezu gave him the day off.  In conclusion, he didn’t have to worry about a thing. 

" I wasn't worried ", the eraser hero told his friend with a nonchalant tone.

" Riiiight, sure. Just thought you should know ", Mic replied amused. He knew how much his friend cared for everyone at the academy. This year, he seemed quite particularly fond of the A-1. 

At the beginning of the year, Hizashi and Nemuri placed bets on who Aizawa would expel first. While the blond thought the cheerful Midoriya would be the first because of his quirk resembling that of a certain Symbol of Peace, Midnight placed his bet on Bakugou, the student with a personality as explosive as his quirk. Neither of them won in the end. That was for the best; it meant their friend finally grew attached to other people. He would never admit it, but Aizawa could be quite the softie sometimes. The dark-haired man noticed that his friend was more quiet than usual. After a while, he noticed that they weren’t  heading to his house. Furthermore, Mic hadn’t said a word to the driver since he entered. 

“ Where are we heading Zashi ? You better tell me that we’re just taking a shortcut to my house ”, the Eraser hero replied with a faux menacing tone. 

The blond looked guilty for a second before replying with a forced smile, “ I thought you needed a drink and a friend to vent to. I’m already here, so we’re on our way to get you some drinks ”. 

Aizawa sighed for the second time that night. He should have known, it was Mic after all. He wouldn’t let him go like that. At that point, he just hoped he hadn't invited Nemuri or any other person. He didn’t need more people for his pity party.  

“ Ok, fine but just one drink ! After that I’m going home ”, Aizawa finally gave up to his friends schemes.

His friend’s face lit up. Hizashi was always up for drinks and karaokes. He could always count on Zashi to drag him too no matter what. Since it was the blond who dragged him to Neon Nights, the dark-haired man made sure he knew that it was his treat.  When exiting the cab, Aizawa was in a better mood than when he entered it. Nevertheless, it didn’t last long. He was there too, sitting at the counter with a beer in hand. The pub wasn’t too crowded so he was hard to miss. Usually he would light up the whole room with his smile and his energy. Not today. The man who used to carry the world on his shoulders seemed so fragile sitting there, like he could crumble at any moment. He didn’t need to see his face to imagine how he must be feeling at that moment, what kind of thoughts were racing through his head. He wasn’t ready to face him, not here, not yet. He took a step behind, he wanted to leave.  “Shota ? Are you okay ?” Mic asked and as he spoke, All Might turned around and saw them.

Anybody who didn’t know him would say that he smiled at them as usual but both pro heroes knew better. If the former number one hero was really fine, he wouldn’t be at a bar so late in the night. They approached him and ordered their drinks. In an attempt of having a little more privacy, they moved to a table in the back. They started a light and casual conversation about different topics like the weather or their classes. It was always a bit awkward everytime Aizawa and All Might were alone, so Mic was the key to a good mood… Until he was not. 

“ By the way All Might, I thought you didn’t drink. Last time you only ordered juices and cocktails without alcohol ” Hizashi pointed out. 

Suddenly, Aizawa felt the air becoming heavier. Given the situation, it was no surprise that he didn’t drink.  All Might’s injury was no longer a secret, and given the damage, he probably has to take several medications daily. However, they had never seen him do it. He certainly did not want others pity. He had taken care of others for so long, that he  forgot how to let others take care of him too.  

“  I can’t  take alcohol too well, never did.  But somehow I ended up here while taking a walk and it felt like the right thing to do ”, he replied while rubbing his neck. He started to take in his surroundings, like he was remembering something. 

“ I came here once or twice with Nighteye. He used to have so much work because of me back when he was my sidekick. I felt sorry for him. After one particular rough shift, I brought him here to have a drink ”. After that, he fell silent. 

Hizashi being who he was,  could not let the gloom take over them for too long. He decided to make a toast in the memory of Sir Nighteye. The late pro hero didn’t want them to be sad and cry over him anyway. Sir Nighteye wanted them to fill the world with joy and laughter, not tears. Still, Shota wanted to apologize. He couldn’t help feeling guilt when looking at the former hero. There was so much he wanted to say but couldn't. Not in front of Hizashi, not while being this sober. Once again, it was good to have him here... Until he was not. As if the blond read his mind, he came up with a lame excuse to leave not long after the toast.

 “ I have to get going. Unlike you  I have to teach the heroes of tomorrow… Or so Nezu says. Have fun you two, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do ”, he said while waving them goodbye. Aizawa hated when Mic tried to be a wise-ish person. He quickly and discreetly texted him.  

Eraser

Comeback !

Weren’t you supposed to keep me company ? You still owe me a ride home.

Delivered at 00:30 A.M

Present Mic 

All Might can keep you company just fine. It seemed like you had a lot to talk about. You should come clean about everything. You can’t keep living like this. 

Delivered at 00:33 A.M

I mean it Sho ! ù_ù

Delivered at 00:33 A.M

Eraser

Stop talking nonsense and come back here. 

Delivered at 00:34 A.M

Present Mic

 I don’t want to be the third wheel. Just call me if anything happens !!

Delivered at 00:36 A.M

He cursed Hizashi and his stupids ideas under his breath. He was tired, emotionally drained out and was starting to feel slightly tipsy. When he looked at All Might, he noticed the blond was also looking at him with a faint smile. He started a conversation by telling him  how it must be nice to have such a good and cheerful friend like Mic. Aizawa kept listening to him with a middle-absent mind. He would never admit it, but like millions of people, Aizawa lived for his smile. So seeing him like this was heartbreaking. All Might reminded him of sunflowers. They needed love and light in order to grow and survive. Lately he was bathed in too much misery. If things continue as they were, he would eventually wither. He couldn’t stand the thought of seeing something like that happen. Having finished their drinks, Eraser offered to take him home. They exited the bar and started heading to the blond’s apartment. The streets were almost empty. They were walking silently under the lamp posts lights. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol really starting kicking in or a sudden burst of courage that was moving him right now. He stopped dead in his tracks and spoke quietly. 

“ Why aren’t you mad ? ”

“ Aizawa-kun ? ” All Might looked at him slightly fazed.

“ You should be mad ! You should be fucking pissed. So why aren’t you ? Why were you there, drinking all alone. Why ? How can you still smile at me after today’s event. - At this point, his voice was breaking. -  If only I had arrived earlier... I shouldn’t have let them catch me in the first place. I shouldn’t but I was. You should curse me, be mad at me, at the world. It should have been me. Even back then, it should have been me ”. Aizawa continued, his voice getting loud and louder with every sentence. 

He wouldn't mention that, even to Mic. However, even without them saying anything about it, Mic knew how much Aizawa blamed himself for the death of their friend during their time at the academy. Nighteye’ death had somehow rubbed salt in that still open wound. He saw a fire in his piercing blue eyes. For the first time since they met, Aizawa saw his colleague raising his voice. Yes, he said he should be mad but now that he finally seemed pissed, Aizawa was afraid of the outcome. The blond did the last thing Aizawa expected him to do, he took a step towards him and held him tight. Once again, he had only shown him kindness. It was like he saw how broken he was and he held the little pieces of his being together to keep him from breaking apart.

“ You’re right, I should be mad. I’m so angry hearing you saying that you should have been the one dying, when you’re the reason I decided to continue living. I have so many regrets regarding Nighteye. But I’ll prove him wrong by keeping living.  - He buried his face in Aizawa's hair.  His voice muffled, he continued - There’s so many things I want to do. I want to watch young Midoriya become a great hero and I want to continue to teach them… with you. I want to be near you for as long as you let me. So please don’t say such nonsense”.

Aizawa’s words had hurted the Symbol of Peace more than any cut, blow or attack he may have suffered during his career as a hero. We could feel several emotions in his voice: sadness, regret, hope and above all, love. He had just openly revealed his heart to him. It was another side of him that Eraser had just discovered: without false smiles, without forced laughter or the usual shyness that he showed at the academy between professors. It wasn’t All Might in front of him, but the man hiding behind the suit, behind the name. The one he was starting getting to know, the man he was learning to love. They stayed there for a while, holding and clinging onto each other. They didn’t feel cold or tired at that moment. They could just feel each other.  

“ Won't you stay with me ? ” All Might asked with a pleading tone. His voice was low,  as if whispering to him a sweet secret that could only be heard by the two of them.

Aizawa could feel the other man’s muscles tensing up. The proud and fearless number one hero feared his answer. There was a funny and ironic side to the situation. However, he did not want to ruin the moment so he kept his remark for later. While Aizawa took his time to answer, All Might moved him slightly away from him in order to look the dark-haired man in the eye. The eyes being the window of the heart, Eraser wondered what the blond could see in them. Could he convey all his feelings with just one glance ? He doubted that; All Might could be thick headed sometimes. Little did he know he was thick headed too. A simple “yes” wouldn’t convey all of his feelings but he didn’t want to risk and ruin the moment with too many words. In the end, he took his large and bony hand in his and nodded. 

Aizawa didn’t know if he was asking for the night or for the rest of his life; he didn’t care. Maybe it was the drink or maybe the moonlight but the dark-haired man was feeling particularly sentimental that night. Screw that , he thought. He would deal with the consequences in the morning. They headed home hand in hand; Aizawa Shouta slept peacefully that night knowing that nothing bad could happen to him as long as he was beside him. All Might wasn’t just the Symbol of Peace, he was his peace.

Chapter Text

Hello everyone ! It's been a while since I really posted anything here. I'm making this post to announce something that I've been working on for some time now. As you can see, I'm a huge fan of Boku No Hero Academia. That's why me and a friend are launching a BNHA fanzine !

As BNHA is entering its darkest arc, we figured that students, heroes and villains alike are in need of some love. That’s why we’re launching the Spectrum Of Love fanzine. Spectrum of Love takes its inspiration from the eight types of love according to Ancient Greece.

We just launched the interest check for the zine. It would be great if you could check out our twitter account, reply to the interest check (please be honest when replying), retweet... If you have any question, you can leave a comment, I'll reply as soon as I can. I promise I'll be back soon with a new chapter for this story !

Twitter account : https:// /bnha_zine
Interest check : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0kONZczNCZokiceIzZOP9W_A5ldVTchgOcGE_wR1PRy7FMA/viewform?usp=pp_url