Chapter Text
Logically, Midoryia should be one of the last people Shouta would ask to babysit Eri during his patrol. It was a school night, after all. The third year should be at home sleeping, or preparing for tomorrows ethics exam. Shouta had friends he could ask to watch his daughter. But... Hizashi and Nemuri were both busy, Tensei just got off of a 12 hour shift and Eri herself was adamant that her 'Izu-chan' be the one to take care of her. Shouta genuinely couldn't think of anyone else to call so last minuet, and Eri wouldn't accept anyone else either, going by the way she clung to Midoriya when she saw him that morning. So here he was, calling his biggest Problem Child while trying to wrestle a hyper eight-year-old into her pyjamas.
"Sensei? Are you okay? Is Eri okay?" Was the first thing Midoriya said when he picked up the phone. Shouta rolled his eyes fondly, expecting that exact sort of answer.
"Yes, kid, we're both fine. I was actually hoping you could do me a favour. I have a last minuet patrol in about an hour, and I can't get anyone to watch Eri. Only person that's free is Vlad and Eri threw a full on tantrum when I told her I would ask him to watch her. Started demanding you. I know its really last minuet and weekdays aren't ideal, but would you mind? You know I'll pay you for it, and you can crash here tonight if you need. It's not like I won't be driving to UA tomorrow anyway." There was a pause on the other end on the line, Shouta only able to hear the faint shuffling of someone moving about near the phone, then Midoriya spoke.
"Sorry I was putting shoes on. I can be there in about 20 minuets? And if you drive me to school in the morning you don't have to pay me." The 'Breakfast is included' was left unsaid, but Shouta knew. It was the unspoken agreement they had. Whenever Midoriya babysat Eri long enough to end up staying all night, Shouta would cook him breakfast before sending(or taking) him home, and tomorrow would be no different. Shouta would still pay the kid; even if he again insisted that 'It isn't even babysitting at this point, Aizawa!'.
"Of course I'll take you, problem child. Thank you, I'll see you soon."
25 minuet later, Midoriya walked through the unlocked front door, only to immediately have an armful of little girl.
"Hey there little unicorn. You had a good day?" Eri nodded enthusiastically and began talking about her day in the same fast paced ramble that Izuku himself used when he was excited. Izuku nodded along, listening intently while gently guiding her back though into the living room where Aizawa was sat on the sofa, going through some of his current first year's ethics essays.
Aizawa gave an apologetic smile as the third-year student sat down with Eri pressed to his side. Izuku grinned back, clearly unbothered by the ambush. Eri talked for a while, and just as she finished detailing her day, Aizawa packed up the papers and cleared his throat, attracting the attention of both his daughter and her favourite person. He spoke to Midoriya first.
"Right, lights out for Eri is still 7.30. She hasn't brushed her teeth yet, so if you could convince her i will be very grateful. We've already eaten so no more snacks, but milk is okay. There are leftovers in the fridge, please help yourself Midoriya. I should be back around midnight, but I'll let you know if anything changes. You know where the blankets are. Any questions?" Shouta looked between the two curled up on his sofa. Both shook their heads, and Shouta nodded.
"Okay then. Goodnight Eri, I Love you so much. Please be good for Izu-Chan." he said, leaning down to kiss his daughter on the forehead. Eri giggled and nodded. She was always good for Izuku! The one time she wasn't he put her in time out and said he was disappointed… she didn't like that. Shouta thanked Izuku again and left for patrol, leaving the duo to their own devices.
The evening went smoothly. Eri asked for some milk around 7 o'clock. Izuku gave her some in her favourite cup, before taking her to brush her teeth and get into bed. They read a couple of stories with Eri tucked up in her bed, and at exactly 7.30 Izuku flipped off the light switch in Eri's room, with a whispered "I love you" as the little girl drifted off to sleep.
Once Eri was down, Izuku grabbed a blanket from the cupboard in the hallway before settling on the sofa. He decided to catch up on a show he'd been watching last time he babysat Eri, and that was how the green-haired student spent his evening.
Until someone knocked on the door at least.
The knock came, It startled Izuku. He'd been entranced by his show, and wasn't expecting anyone to knock at - he checked his watch- 10pm…
The hero student got up and walked cautiously to the front door, careful to avoid creaky floorboards. When he reached the door he peeked out of the peephole.
Stood on the other side of the door was an older woman. She had black, curly hair, around the same length Aizawa-sensei's was before the war. She looked very much like his teacher, actually. It confused Izuku, and for a moment he simply stared. Then the woman huffed impatiently, and knocked again. Louder this time.
With the door still on the safety leash thing, Izuku opened the door slowly, expecting to simply ask the woman to leave.
"Uhm, can I help you ma'am?" he asked through the crack between the door and its frame.
"Yes, you can let me in so i can see my son." The woman replied haughtily.
"I'm sorry ma'am but I don't know who you are. Maybe you have the wrong apartment?" Izuku replied, hoping the woman would leave.
"Nonsense. This is where my son lives, now let me in." The woman's eyes flashed a menacing shade of red and suddenly, Izuku understood. This was Aizawa's mother. And now Izuku knew where Aizawa got his harsh demeanour from.
"Let me just double check that you are who I think you are, Ma'am. It hopefully won't take too long. He's… out… right now, you see, And I'm not about to let some stranger in without checking first." The woman rolled her eyes at his excuse as Izuku pulled out his phone to text Aizawa.
"Or, you could stop being difficult and just let me to into the damn apartment!" the woman shot back, voice raising far more than necessary. Something shifted inside Izuku at the volume, and tone. He thought about Eri, sleeping in her bedroom, and Aizawa's neighbours; who would surely have a problem with this woman being so loud right around the time they'd be settling to bed themselves.
"I am being very polite right now, ma'am, but if you do not keep your voice down I will become very unpleasant." Izuku warned. To anyone that knew him, the warning and tone of voice would be... new. Unnerving, even. But to Izuku, it felt natural. He was protecting. Eri was sleeping, and this random woman who was claiming to be Aizawa's mother was risking waking her.
The woman's eyes widened slightly before narrowing accusingly. Then she asked in almost a shout: "Who are you to tell me how to behave? All I'm trying to do is see my baby boy and you have no right to keep him from me. My baby needs his mommy and you are in my way!"
Izuku glared daggers at the woman for her volume and scrapped texting Aizawa, opting instead to call. The phone rang only once before the call picked up.
"Everything okay, Midoriya?"
"I'm not sure. There's some woman at the door claiming to be your mother. She keeps shouting and is talking about you like you're a toddler."
"Black hair, cakey makeup and red eyes?" Izuku confirmed and Aizawa sighed, stating that is was, in fact, his mother, and that he would try and get someone to finish his patrol so he could come back early.
Once they had hung up, Izuku took a deep breath and unlatched the door, allowing the woman a full view of the apartment. Before she could even step over the threshold though, Izuku stopped her with a large hand held up in a 'stop' motion: the same he would use with Eri when she needed both words and sign to fully grasp some things.
"Before you come in, I have a couple of rules, and you will follow them. I don't care who's mother you are. First and most important'; You will keep. Your. Voice. Down. There is a child sleeping here, and you will not wake her up. Second, take your shoes off here. You're not tracking grime through the place unnecessarily. Finally, if anyone here finds your presence more distressing than not, you will be asked, and then made to leave. Understood?" The woman narrowed her eyes at him again but nodded in agreement. Then, she dumped her bags in the entrance alongside her shoes and sauntered into the living room, leaving izuku to drag her shit to some place more acceptable.
"Tea." She demanded from where she had made herself comfortable on the sofa. Izuku decided he should have added 'If you act like a toddler, you will be treated like one.' or 'Your energy with be matched, so don't test me' to his impromptu demands.
Once tea had been made and Izuku had settled on the other end of the sofa, the woman began talking again.
"Honestly, though, I still cannot understand why my little Shouta decided to start teaching. He was doing so well as a full-time hero. Made so much more money. I mean, look at this dump. He could be living in a high-rise by now if he had stuck with his first career choice. He did it for that boy, you know. The blue one he met in his first year. That's the same time he stopped spending so much time with me. Then the brat went and died and my baby hid away even more." Izuku tuned the woman out after that, letting her simply ramble. He didn't want to know what else this vile person was saying about his teachers dead best friend.
He unfortunately had to tune back in when her voice began rising above an acceptable level again. At first he simply shushed her a bit, while intentionally, and obviously, using the appropriate sign. Then he was a little harsher. Finally, as he heard shuffling in the hallway, Izuku spoke up.
"Will you please lower your voice. I told you already that a child is sleeping here. But you ignored me, and now you've gone and woken her up." As he said that, white hair and red eyes peeked out from around the doorway. Eri stared at the two on the sofa, eyes wide and brow furrowed with fear and confusion. Izuku immediately felt his features soften as he smiled at his the little one.
"It's okay, baby. She's loud, but she won't hurt you. Want to come say hi?" The little girl shook her head minutely, and Izuku nodded in understanding, excusing himself to go and tuck her back into bed.
It took a good amount of cuddles and a promise that "Daddy will come say goodnight when he gets home" for Eri to fall back to sleep. Eventually though, she did go back down, and Izuku was able to slip back out of the room, already wondering how exactly to deal with the woman sat in the living room; acting as if she owned the place.
Finally, after what felt like hours(but was only about 20 minuet) Aizawa walked through the door. The woman's face lit up as they listened to Aizawa shuck off his boots in the entrance and trudge through the hall towards them.
"Hi, how was everything?" He asked as he walked in. Aizawa's mother jumped up from her place on the sofa to envelope the man in a bear hug, planting kisses in his face and head as she did so, despite the man leaning away, trying to gently move away from the assault.
"It was okay, apart from the unexpected guest." Izuku cut in firmly, causing Mrs Aizawa to pause and glare back at him.
"Eri did wake up because of her. Wouldn't go back to sleep until I promised you would go in and say goodnight when you get home." Aizawa nodded in understanding, a small, appreciative smile pulling at his lips.
The man turned to his mother.
"Is there something you needed?" he asked in the same deadpan he used for people clearly wasting time.
"Can't I just visit my baby? It's been months since we've talked sweetheart! Mommy missed you so much." Aizawa flinched minutely. Not obvious, but enough for Izuku to see. The man looked so uncomfortable.
"He's been a little busy." Izuku said, stepping between them. " And if you really wanted to catch up, you could have texted. Or at least come at a reasonable time, rather the the middle of the night."
Just then, muffled crying could be heard from down the hall. Izuku gently pushed on the small of Aizawa's back, sending him in the direction of the crying.
"Go take care of her. I can deal with this one." He reassured. Aizawa hesitated for a moment, searching Izuku's face for any sign or discomfort, before nodding and making his way down the hall, towards their his daughter.
I Izuku turned back to the woman before him, expression stern, eyes tired, and looking twice his age.
"You have two choices. You shut up, and go to sleep here on the sofa, and your son can decide whether he wants to see you in the morning, or you can leave right now. It's up to you, if you make the choice now." his voice left no room for argument, and if Izuku hadn't spent the last two years basically building a family with the man he was currently protecting, he would have surprised himself.
The woman studied him. His relaxed, but unmoving form, his hardened features, his war-won scars and muscled figure. Then she sat. Hard, and decisive. Once settled, the woman looked away from Izuku, and stared at the wall, a strangely triumphant look in her face. Izuku shrugged, telling her that she could use the blanket already next to her, before turning and walking away.
Down the hall, Izuku settled himself in Eri's open doorway and watched the scene happening inside. Aizawa was sat on the bed, back against the headrest with Eri curled up on his lap. He was telling her about something that happened on patrol, a soft smile gracing his features as he stroked her hair gently. Izuku took the opportunity to really look at Aizawa. The way the stubble on his face was greying faster than the hair on his head. The fact that he still looks younger with his hair cut short and jagged. Izuku took in the way every part of the man's face softened as he held their his daughter. He looked almost completely at ease. Izuku thought the scene was beautiful. he wondered for a moment, exactly when had he started to see his teacher in this way?
When Aizawa noticed him standing there, he motioned for Izuku to come further into the room. The younger obliged, gently perching on the edge of the bed, high up enough that his thigh pressed against Aizawa's, so that he could reach out to place a hand on the little girl's head. A silent sign that he was there too. Eri let out a content sigh and melted completely, happy now that she had both of her parents with her.
The trio stayed like that for a while, in silence. Just basking in the warmth of family. When they were sure Eri was asleep, Aizawa broke the silence.
"Thank you. You didn't need to go against her like that."
"You were uncomfortable, and trapped. Why wouldn't I help? Besides, I'm pretty sure your daughter should be your priority over her now, right?" Aizawa couldn't disagree with that.
"Still. Thank you. Though, now I have to warn you, the last person who spoke to her like that was Oboro. She did everything she possibly could to make him miserable any time they were near each other. Now that she knows where I live, she's going to keep inviting herself over." Izuku understood what Aizawa was warning about. He could handle it.
"Eh, can't be worse than Endeavour hating your guts." That got a small laugh from the other hero and Izuku couldn't help but feel smug about it.
"C'mon problem child. Bedtime."
They worked together to transfer Eri from Aizawa's lap back onto her mattress before leaving the room. Izuku warning Aizawa that his mother had decided to stay on the sofa for the night.
Aizawa led them to his own bedroom instead of the living room with that information, not wanting to subject thew younger to spending a night around his wildly overbearing mother.
When they reached the room, Midoriya took his overnight bag into Shouta's bathroom to change, while the older man changed in the bedroom. then he pulled out the futon he kept in his closet in case of multiple guests, setting it up quickly and efficiently before settling on his usual side of his own bed. A few minuets later, Midoriya finally walked out of the bathroom, looking slightly grey. Shouta simply raised a questioning eyebrow, knowing that if the younger man wanted to share what was going on in his head, he would.
"I gentle parented your mother." he said plainly, sitting on the edge of Shouta's bed with a sigh.
"I know, It was impressive."Shouta replied, allowing his amusement at the situation to bleed into his voice.
"Okay, I know I have like, confidence and shit now, but I treated her like a tantruming toddler, and then threatened her. How are you laughing right now? You're the one that's going to get the shit for it!" Shouta did his best to put of a straight face for Midoriya's sake, but gave up pretty quickly.
"yeah, maybe. But I also got to see just how much confidence you've built up. you stood your ground against a stranger with a lot of potential power, because you believed it was the right thing to do. And like I said earlier, no one has spoken to her like that since Oboro. It was nice to see her be stood up to again."
Shouta watched Midoriya has he sat back to lean against the headboard and think. Mulling Shouta's words over in his mind. He saw the question coming before he heard it.
"Why don't you?" Midoriya refused to look at him when he asked, fiddling with the hem of his sleep shirt nervously. Shouta looked away from the younger and stared straight ahead, chewing on the different ways he could explain it before speaking.
"I… don't really know how. It sounds silly but I've never been able to. She's manipulative and smart and I think genuinely loves me just enough to make it all believable. Every time I try to talk to her, establish boundaries, tell her she made me uncomfortable, she puts on this act. Tells me she loves me and she's sorry, she'll do better, begs me not to cut her off, and every time I fall for it. I Know she's lying, I just don't know how to fight her." Shouta takes a deep breath after talking, Feeling the relief of having finally told someone wash over him like a gentle wave. Then he takes another, much sharper breath as realisation and guilt crash into him like a bus.
"I am so sorry Midoriya, that wasn't something you needed to hear, I shouldn't have put you in this position in the first place, that was wildly unprof-"
"Hey," Midoriya cut him off mid-ramble. "it's okay. Aizawa, I asked. You wouldn't have told me if you didn't think I could handle it. Clearly you needed to talk, and that's okay. I'm not going to judge you, or look at you differently for not being able to do something. I'd be a hypocrite if I did." Midoriya was looking at him now, expression soft and genuine. Out of the corner of his eye Shouta could see worry, and something else entirely, etched onto his features.
"Thank you. Still, I'm sorry." Midoriya just nodded, and they sat in silence for a few minutes, simply processing the evening in the own ways. Eventually, Midoriya broke the silence.
"You want to watch a movie before sleeping?" Shouta really did.
Once the movie had ended, Izuku moved to the Futon Aizawa had set up for him, While the older man turned off the TV hanging on the wall and settled down himself. The two muttered a goodnight, and fell asleep easily.
When a tiny finger poked Izuku in the nose, his first instinct was to burrow further into his bedding. when he was poked for a second, then third time, he cracked his eyes open carefully, falling back into consciousness far quicker than he would have liked to.
Admittedly, this was not the first time he had woken up, onto to see a pair of wide red eyes inches away from his face. Aizawa would like to make it clear that you wouldn't know that this was a regular occurrence, from the instinctual screech the younger lets out, before realising he was looking at his own a child.
After a deep breath to compose himself, Izuku propped himself up onto his elbow and smiled down at the child tiredly.
"Sorry baby. You okay?"
"I had a bad dream." The girl whispered, used to the way her Izu-chan wakes up by now. "Can I sleep with you?"
Izuku nodded and shuffled over on the futon to make room for the little one, but she shook her head and pointed up at the bed, where Aizawa had rolled over to watch the two.
"Both of you please." She said, innocent, and clearly still upset. Izuku glanced up at the bed himself, catching Aizawa's eye in silent communication: 'it's your choice'. The older man thought for a moment before reaching across the bed to move the sheets, a silent invitation for the two to join him. Izuku got up and helped Eri climb into the bed before slipping in himself. Eri shuffled up close to Aizawa, pressing herself into his chest and Izuku laid himself down beside her, threading a hand through her tangled hair comfortingly.
The Hero student found himself rather shocked at how natural it all felt, lying in bed with Aizawa, and the girl had helped raise. he forced himself to dismiss the train of thought, and took a breath to ask Eri if she wanted to talk about her dream, only to be interrupted by a soft snore from the girl in question. He huffed out a fond laugh and settled further into the plush mattress and soft black sheets. He fell back to sleep quickly, one hand still resting on Eri's head, and completely oblivious to the dark eyes of his teacher watching him with a whole new kind of fondness.
The three of them slept through the rest of the night. Including Aizawa's first three alarms.
When the small family finally emerged into the communal living space the next morning, dressed and rushing, trying to not be late, Aizawa's mother was already gone. The blanket Izuku had used last night was folded neatly, and a note was left on top. Aizawa read the note quickly.
"She realised she was intruding in the middle of the night. didn't want to bother us anymore and left." Aizawa explained to Izuku in the car. "The wording is familiar. She wants me to feel bad."
"You have no reason to feel bad, Aizawa. She was intruding." Aizawa hummed noncommittally and the conversation was over.
Izuku continued to spend time with Eri, and at Aizawa's apartment as he usually did, and the only mentions of the elder's mother came as jokes about how best to deal with her next time. Izuku enjoyed making those jokes.
On Izuku's 18th birthday, his own mother was at work, so he had dinner with Eri and Aizawa, more than happy to spend his birthday with two of his favourite people.
Once dinner had finished, and the three of them were curled up on the sofa together, Eri sat up a little straighter, and turned to Izuku.
"Izu-chan. I want to ask you something. You can say no if you want! I promise! But I wanted to ask you aaages ago, and daddy said I have to wait 'till you're a grownup. And you are now!" Aizawa took in a sharp breath, clearly not expecting her to ask the question today.
"Sure, baby. Ask away!" Izuku laughed.
"Can um… CanyoubemyMama? I remember when I was really little I asked you what a mama and daddy was and you told me, and I was allowed to call 'zawa daddy 'cus that's what he is, but he said you needed to be a grownup to choose to be a mama or daddy and you weren't then so he said you couldn't be a mama yet. But you could be now!" Izuku teared up as Eri rambled, absently noting the way she'd definitely picked it up from him.
He took Eri's hands in his, then looked to Aizawa. He needed to know that the other man was okay with it before saying anything. When he looked at Aizawa's face, all he saw was love, pride and encouragement, and he realised that Eri wouldn't have asked at all if Aizawa wasn't okay with it. His heart swelled at the realisation.
"Eri, I would absolutely love to be your mama. I love you so much baby. More than you'll ever know." Izuku watched as his daughter's face crumpled in relief. she threw herself at him, burying her face in his chest and holding on as tight as possible. Izuku held her just as tightly, savouring the moment, before eventually readjusting so he was sat right next to Aizawa with their daughter in his lap. they stayed there for hours, movies playing in the background while the three basked in the feeling of family. eventually, as it got later and later, Izuku allowed his head to rest on Aizawa's shoulder while his eyes drooped, already half asleep. He felt Aizawa wrap his arm around him to stabilise them, and felt something warm settle in his chest.
"Best birthday ever." He whispered as the last dregs of consciousness finally left him.
Not much changed after his birthday. Eri started calling him "mama" occasionally, building up it's frequency over a few weeks, and he and Aizawa sat down and talked about adoption and potential custody arrangements, in case of something happening to Aizawa. Overall it continued to be very domestic, while Aizawa and Izuku continued to largely hold each other and arms length.
Until one evening, while Shouta was on patrol, and Izuku was with Eri.
The knock on the door interrupted story time, this time. It was sharp and loud, leaving no chance of ignoring it. And somehow, Izuku already knew exactly who it was. he directed Eri to stay in her room: "Mama will be back in a few minuets baby." and pulled out his phone to text Aizawa.
'Zawa🐈⬛
Midoriya🥦
She's back. You know that joke I made last time? could i try it?
'Zawa🐈⬛
Sure, just don't giver her a heart attack with Eri in the house
Midoriya🥦
😒😎😘