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Family and Friends
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They were comfortably stretched out on their backs, a yellow and an orange sleeping bag beneath each of them, basking in the rooftop sun like a pair of lazy Sunday cats. Aizawa had his hands behind his head, and Hayate used his bent arm as a pillow for her head. They had been lying there for a sufficient length of time for her to assume him asleep, and she was nearly nodding off herself.
"The culture festival is coming up."
Hayate stirred, shifting her chin up slightly to glance up at him. He hadn't even opened his eyes when he spoke.
"Oh, yeah. I'd like to see it."
Aizawa gave a faint hum of acknowledgment but otherwise remained silent. She looked at him for a moment more and then lowered her eyelids and adjusted her chin on his chest.
"... I suppose it's about time I told you where I work."
She cracked her eyes open again, looking back up at him. "Ohhh…? You've never been inclined to talk about it."
He gave a minimal shrug of his shoulders. "It is a high profile place, to be honest…" She watched his brow and lips shift in displeasure. "People are always overhyping it and making a big deal out of everything it does… it's just not worth bringing it up."
She listened to him grumble with increasing curiosity, her eyes opening fully. "Really…? So then where is it?"
He paused for a moment, then disinterestedly replied with his eyes still closed. "U.A. High School." He felt her head lift quickly.
"What?"
He felt her turn onto her side, and he peeked at her from beneath heavy eyelids, finding intrigue and surprise on her face at him so casually name-dropping his association with the top hero school in the nation.
"You mean they let you get away with not shaving and dragging a sleeping bag around at a place like that?"
He shrugged slightly. "Mmhmm…"
It hardly seemed worthy of even an acknowledgment to him given the fact that he'd been sleeping and dressing as he pleased at the school even in his teens. Hayate mentally compared this to the stricter policies on self-expression enforced at more typical high schools, though. He watched her think with pondering brows for a number of seconds, then they pulled up with curiosity alighting in her eyes. "Wait, if you work at U.A. then… you must work with Midnight, right?"
"Uh, yeah?"
Her face split into a grin and she covered her mouth. "Hahaha—! Oh my gosh."
It struck him as a peculiar reaction, and he raised an eyebrow at her with his cracked-open eyelids creeping up. "Didn't strike me that you were one of her fans." A somewhat concerning thought given Kayama's sexual inclinations.
Shaking her head, the hand across her mouth dropped suddenly to his chest, hitting it with a sense of excitement.
"Aizawa. She's my cousin."
His eyes snapped fully open. He forgot how to breathe or speak for a second, then slowly he pulled his hands out from behind his head to brace them behind him as he sat up partway, looking at her directly. "... Say that again."
She was still grinning in bemused disbelief. "Midnight—Kayama Nemuri—is my cousin. You work with my cousin, Aizawa!"
He kept staring at her. His brain slowly whirred back into action, then his thoughts were whizzing by. Hayate. Kayama. Cousins. How did that even—their eyes. He'd studied how their blue rings were similar, but it hadn't been enough to make a connection alone. Their Quirks. That was more obvious, but still, the thought it was through genetic relation never crossed his mind. There were over a hundred million people in Japan; two of them having a similar quirk wasn't uncommon. Dating Kayama's cousin. His brain whirred on to the natural conclusion of such an arrangement: joining Kayama's family. A flicker of dread crossed his eyes. She was never going to let him live this down.
His face betrayed his alarm, and Hayate's grin dropped into perplexity. "Hey, are you alright? Do you not like her?"
"U-Uh, n-no, that's not… not the issue," he stammered, cleared his throat, and sat all the way up. Hayate shifted up as well, sitting beside him. His hands tented in front of his mouth as he stopped to think for a long moment, then he lowered his hands and breathed, looking over at her.
"So, um… how close are you two, exactly?"
"Our moms are sisters, so… first cousins."
"... And uh, personally, are you two close?"
"Ummm." She thought about it with a squint. "I mean… we were pretty close when we were kids since we're similar in age, but I'd say we grew out of it. We say 'hi' at family reunions, but we don't really have a lot in common, so that's about it."
He contemplated that information in silence. Related by blood, but personally rather distant. It settled his nerves a little. Maybe Kayama wouldn't be as nosey as he feared.
It was Hayate's turn to question him then, watching his face curiously.
"Are you friends with her?"
"Uh, yeah… I've known her since high school. She was a year ahead of me."
"Wow, you've known her that long?" She thought about it and smiled. "That's kind of crazy. We could have met way earlier than this!"
"... Mmhm." He didn't seem as entertained by the idea, distracting thoughts still in his eyes.
Her mind was similarly still running, and a new thought sparked. "Wait, Nemi went to U.A.—okay, so you not only work there, you graduated from the best hero school in the country?"
"'Best' is a rather subjective term. There are things even now they could do more rationally… but yes. Anyway." The school really didn't matter now. He looked back at her. "... Did she really never mention us?"
"Us?"
"Er, my friends and I."
She thought about it with a hand at her chin. "Mmmmm... no, not that I recall… but we didn't really hang out or talk much by high school, so I don't know why she would."
He considered that in silence, and she looked at him with the same curiosity. He didn't seem particularly happy about this connection. Her brow creased a little.
"Um… this isn't like a… deal-breaker, or something, is it?"
He was quick to look at her. "What? No, it's just… unexpected." Aizawa glanced away and ran a hand up through his hair with a light scoffing sound in his throat. "Geez, she's going to be a pain about this, eh?" Assuming she knew the same Kayama he did.
"... Yeah." Her voice was quieter than he expected, so he looked back to check her expression. Hayate appeared a little troubled with her eyes looking distantly to the side. "... Um, we don't have to tell her right away. I mean… she'd only want to bug us at the festival if she knew I was there, yeah?" She looked back at him, hopeful.
It surprised him a little. "Uh, I guess… So, when do you want to tell her, then?"
Her eyes squinted like the thought wasn't pleasant. "... I mean… it's not exactly any of her business."
Aizawa stared at her for a moment. "Sure…? But she'll make it her business. We both have connections to her that'll come out eventually."
"Eh, you're right. Well… after the festival, then? I don't care when, let's just enjoy that and then worry about it." She looked at him expectantly for his approval.
Aizawa looked at her for a while, his brows uneven. He could pick up on something in her hesitance but wasn't sure what. It wasn't a disagreeable plan, though, with the image of Kayama pestering them around the festival more than enough for him to agree.
"... Sure. We'll do that."
She smiled. "Great." Then she straightened and stretched out her arms. "Well, now that I know you're awake—wanna go do something? I'm getting kind of stiff."
"Oh, sure." He noted the sudden change of topic but didn't comment. "Like what?"
She got up with a thoughtful hum and started rolling up her sleeping bag and he followed her example. "Let's just take a walk."
He didn't object, returning them to level ground. They stretched their legs around the neighborhood sharing a few stories along the way and concluded the tour with a sly grin and a diversion into a quiet garden corner for some catnip.
Kayama and U.A. didn't come up again.
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It occurred to Aizawa in the days that followed that he was faced with a looming problem. He thought about it as he walked around campus observing noticeable preparations for the coming festival, and again when he got into the teachers' room where his eyes drifted often to Kayama. The conclusion he reached after this deliberation was that he needed help. His eyes settled on Yamada and he sent a text.
Want to eat lunch together?
The beaming grin he got back spoke for itself.
Aizawa picked their lunchtime destination, retracing his steps to the conference room that Hound Dog had taken him to upon remembering the comfy chairs. No one (specifically, Kayama) would think to look for them there, either; except for maybe Hound Dog himself, though at this point Aizawa wasn't worried about him.
"What's with this top-secret location?" Yamada ribbed him as they walked in. "Ya got something scandalous to say?"
"Not quite the word I'd use, but… something to that effect." Yamada looked at his back curiously as Aizawa picked a chair.
"Ohhhhh, you got something on your gal? Hayate, hm?"
"Hm." Aizawa sunk into his seat with a low affirmative.
Yamada popped over the side of the opposite chair and sat sidewise, kicking his feet up over the armrest with a bento box along for the ride in one hand and chopsticks in the other. "Oh yeah! Lunchtime gossip is the best."
Aizawa's lip curled up slightly. "It's not gossip. What are you, fifteen?"
"Psshh, you're the one having girl troubles," Yamada shot back with a jab of his chopsticks.
"It's not—trouble with her, just…" Aizawa started to argue back but thought better of it at the last second. "... Look, I'll just explain."
He settled his hands together in front of him, arms on his knees.
"I learned something about her… familial relationships."
"Uh…? You say it like that isn't a good thing." Yamada popped open the bento.
"It's not that it's a bad thing, either, exactly..."
Yamada just raised an eyebrow at him. Aizawa took a breath.
"... Kayama is her cousin."
Yamada's hands went still. He stared at Aizawa, who stared back with a bracing look in his eyes, ready for the shit he was about to get for this.
"AHA-HA!" A single trumpeting laugh popped out of Yamada's mouth suddenly, and then his hand was across his mouth and he was leaning back over the armrest laughing. "Whaaat!?" His head came back up, aimed at Aizawa.
"... You heard me," Aizawa muttered through clenched teeth.
Yamada leaned back and laughed again, bento shaking in his hands. Aizawa just waited for him with a scowl, taking out a meal shake pack to sip at while he waited. Finally, Yamada straightened up with a wheeze and spun around to face him in the seat. "Duuuuude, how did you manage this?! Your first girlfriend and Kayama?! Small world, seriously!"
"I didn't do this on purpose," Aizawa grumbled back. "It's just a terrible coincidence. Can we move on, now?"
Yamada wiped his eye. "Okay, okay, I think I can see where this is going, 'cuz no way you can keep that on the down-low, yeah?"
Aizawa glanced off to the side. "Well, the thing is… Hayate wants to come to the culture festival. But I know Kayama is going to be there, too. So unless I know where she's at, we might run into each other, and then she'll pester us the rest of the day, so—"
"Ummmm, I see where this is going," Yamada cut in, waving a fried shrimp up between his chopsticks. "You want me to spend the whole day keeping tabs on Kayama so you can have an uninterrupted sweet date, yeah?"
Aizawa huffed, then gave a dead monosyllable. "... Yes."
"Hmmmmm," Yamada weighed the decision with the moving shrimp back and forth. "I dunno, man…"
Aizawa looked a little surprised, expecting a more supportive response. Yamada continued, talking with his chopsticks hand. "You know what she's like. Just some of the things she says are enough to make your balls hurt! And I gotta go a whole day alone?"
"I didn't say you had to do it for free," Aizawa retorted. "I get it, next drinks are on me for sure."
Yamada's teeth flashed. "Not just drinks!" He pointed the shrimp at him. "Drinks with yer girl!"
"Uh, what?"
"I wanna meet her!" Yamada repeated, lifting the bento with his arms spread up. "You've been holding out on me, man! I can't contain this curiosity any longer!" Lowering his arms, he finally ate the shrimp. "And buy dinner, too. My pick."
Aizawa considered his terms for a moment then nodded. "Deal. I'll ask her if she's free this Sunday."
"Heh." Yamada took a smug bite, satisfied with the negotiation and already thinking of the dining venue, but then he suddenly balked. "Wait a minute!"
Aizawa arched an eyebrow at his squawk. "What?"
"You can't buy me dinner this Sunday!"
"Why's that?"
Yamada looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Um, dude! This Sunday's the eighth! It's YOUR birthday!" The eighth of November.
Aizawa looked completely unruffled. "Oh. Is that all? It's fine."
"No, no, no, this completely breaks social conventions," Yamada dramatically swiped the air negatively. "You can't be footing the bill!" There were few enough scenarios that Aizawa would tolerate being treated with any open affection, and taking him for a meal on his birthday was one of them.
Aizawa sighed at the unnecessary hassle. "I really don't care."
"Well, I do!"
Seeing Yamada's hard stance on the issue, Aizawa paused to think with a frown. "... How about you just consider keeping Kayama busy at the festival as my gift and leave it at that?"
"Pssh! It's not a gift if it's an exchange!" Yamada countered. "Though, speaking of Kayama…" He thought for a moment with his hand on his chin, then lifted his fingers with a snap. "I've got it! Y'all are gonna have to meet her at some point, yeah? I'll come, too! You can buy for me, then, and I'll buy this weekend for you and Hayate, yeah!"
Aizawa thought about it, then sighed and nodded wearily. "This is more hassle than it's worth but fine." Sheesh, he was just a year older. Nothing to write home about.
"Fantastic! It's settled, then!"
Yamada hummed happily to his bento for the rest of the meal, and Aizawa mutely sipped on his shake, feeling more secure in the plan for the festival.
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The next morning, at the train station...
"I have a veterinary conference this weekend, remember?"
Aizawa looked at her blank-faced. "Uh… I do remember, now." Whoops. "... What time do you get back?"
"I'll leave Thursday evening and get back Sunday evening."
So much for Yamada's birthday plan. "Hm… Any other time this week that'll work?"
Hayate thought with an uncertain sound, eyes on the train tracks. "I mean… I get off work later than you, and I might be kind of gross depending on what goes on that day. I'd rather have a shower before heading out, ya know?"
"Mmmm… sounds like it's getting pushed back to next week, then." He scratched his head with a furrowed brow. "But that Saturday is the festival. Guess I'll have to tell him to wait until after."
Hayate's hand hadn't left her chin, eyes still pondering the rails. "… Maybe this Sunday would work, though. I shouldn't be getting back too late in the evening, so dinner would be at a good time. We'd just have to play the exact time by ear a little. And the conference would make for an interesting topic of conversation, I'm sure."
She looked at him for confirmation. He didn't have to think about it for long, finding it reasonable with a nod. "That sounds alright. I'll let him know." He thought for a moment, then with a new thought looked back at her and added. "Sorry for the trouble. He wants to buy dinner for us, at least."
She raised an eyebrow. "What trouble? That's kind of him. I'm eager to meet your best friend."
"Well... maybe just prepare yourself. He's a bit over the top."
Hayate looked incredulous. "Really? I can't imagine you hanging out with someone like that."
"… I guess you'll see," was all that he said in reply, deciding that meeting Yamada in the flesh would do far more justice than any description.
It seemed to only increase Hayate's curiosity, but she was willing to save it and savor the wait for the weekend, anticipating a very interesting encounter.
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Sunday evening...
Hayate arrived back home to the welcoming meows of Tenten rushing up to the door. She stopped her rolling suitcase in the entryway and stooped to greet the happy feline. After petting her for a second, she brought her bag into her bedroom dropping things off as she went. Next, she moved into the bathroom for a few quick touch-ups, checked her appearance in the mirror, and then she was petting the cat goodbye as she headed out just scarcely after coming in. She lifted her phone and texted Aizawa, informing him of her heading to the station. A peppering of texts had kept him updated on her return that evening.
"Alright, I hope you know where we're going, because I'm hungry," Hayate greeted him with a quick peck and a smile at their bench.
He resisted the urge to snort. "Yeah." Yamada had gone over the top as usual with a venue costing far more than necessary for something as trivial as a birthday. As much as he didn't care about social propriety, Aizawa knew better than to wear his raggedy sleeves to this kind of place.
Hayate didn't think to question it, too busy checking him out with some subtle side-eye as they waited then boarded the train. She discovered that he did, in fact, own at least one article of clothing that wasn't black—a white button-up shirt to go with slacks. He'd combed his hair back, too. Surprisingly, considering his normal appearance, he could pass rather easily as an office worker—a rough-cut one, taking notice of his five-o'clock shadow and his sleeves rolled unevenly partway up his forearms. The only thing that could make them look better in her opinion would be the sight of him rolling them all the way up, but she'd settle for following the veins up over his wrists. Lovely wrists.
Wistfully, she thought of wearing something a little more inventive than the pantsuit from the day's conference, but several hours of public travel had not been the time to draw attention to herself, nor did the effort of changing after said travel with the two of them waiting on her arrival appeal to her. At least she'd done her hair up with more style than necessary for business.
She solaced herself with running her hand down his exposed arm to his hand, lacing them together. They remained that way until they got to their stop. Aizawa led them to Yamada's restaurant of choice: Kashiba.
He saw Yamada waiting outside for them, and when Yamada caught sight of him, Aizawa watched him set his attention on Hayate, give her a once over, then lock eyes with him with a smirk and bob of his eyebrows. Nice!
"Heeeey! There you lovebirds are!" Yamada stepped forward with a dramatic wave.
"How long have you been waiting?" Aizawa replied.
"Oh, only a minute," Yamada waved it away as they approached him and Hayate curiously looked over the flamboyant man addressing them. He wore a black leather jacket, red button-up shirt, white pants, black dress shoes, and various jewelry on his wrists and neck. His hair was tied back neatly and he had red-framed glasses over dazzling green eyes. Altogether, he was far more fashion-aware than she expected from anyone that Aizawa would call his best friend.
When they stopped walking, he set his full attention on Hayate with a gracious smile and bowed swiftly. "Yamada Hizashi! Glad to meet ya!"
Wow, so loud. She smiled back at him and bowed. "Hayate Aika, nice to meet you."
He zipped straight back up and spun on his heel for the restaurant door. "Alright! Let's get this started!"
They went in and Hayate observed Yamada's exuberant greeting to the waitress, and they were escorted to a table. The room had a rectangular shape with the sushi bar around the chef on their right and tables down the left wall. The lighting was warm with red lamps overhead and extra white lights lining the chef's area. The decor was chic and modern with a twist on traditional motifs like stylistic waves with sharp lines and colors and shoji screens. It seemed like a popular place with most of the seats full.
"The house saki! If there are no objections?" Yamada looked around the table, and there were none. The waitress went to get a bottle. "They've got great stuff to drink here," Yamada continued happily, picking up a menu.
"Never been here before," Hayate said, looking at the items as well. Expensive place! She glanced up at Yamada, suddenly very conscientious of this kind acquaintance's offer to buy their meal. I'll just make my total match his, whatever he gets.
"Never? It's great! These are the best—!" Yamada leaned forward and pointed to multiple items and Hayate calculated the total in real-time.
He has some expensive taste! Maybe she shouldn't match his meal cost! Ohhh, but they sure did sound good, her stomach nudged with a quiet gurgle. She glanced over at Aizawa fretfully. What about his? He hadn't even lifted the menu, his eyes content to drift across them, the table, and the room.
"... What are your favorites?"
He glanced back at her then at the menu methodically pointed out the cheapest and simplest option from several categories. She winced internally. That's a tough price to match!
"He gets the same meal every time," Yamada commented. "Boooring!"
"At this price, I expect all of the ingredients are of equally high quality. The portions being likewise equally small, the cheapest options get the most food for the same price," Aizawa retorted blandly.
Yamada looked at Hayate. "He says that every time we point it out, too." Then he swiped his hand wide. "But I say—man, if it was portions I was after, I'd order takeout! I'm here to have something takeout doesn't! Ya feel me?" He looked at her expectantly.
"U-Uh, yeah, I can see that," she replied quickly, then looking down at the prices again added, "Though budgeting to have more of a good thing isn't a bad thought either…" I'll just have to mix and match them. Her mind started crunching through price totals.
"Taking the middle ground, eh? Very reasonable," Yamada nodded knowingly. "Aizawa's told me how you're a sensible gal."
She lifted her eyes briefly from the menu to give him an appreciative glance, then back at the food descriptions. Definitely the king salmon belly. And seared tuna…!
"He's been tight-lipped for the most part, though! So you tell me about you since he hasn't, yeah?" Yamada settled his emerald gaze on her attentively.
He has pretty eyes. They reminded her of Tenten's. She looked back at the menu as she thought. "Oh, well, where to start?"
Monkfish liver, that's where. Definitely. And *uni! A rare and expensive treat. Like shopping, it was dangerous to come to an expensive dining experience on an empty stomach.
"Give me the 411, we'll start from there, yeah?!"
"Okay… I'm from Tokyo originally, though I lived in Nagano for several years growing up. I came back here for school to be a veterinarian, and I've been here since. I'm currently earning my specialization in shelter medicine… um, I have one cat, sometimes more if fostering… I like reading, or going hiking and camping, doing community shelter programs, spending time with my brother's family… I don't have a lot of free time, heh, so that's the gist of it."
Hayate crunched the numbers this way and that as she talked, trying to be respectably close to Aizawa's totals—as absurdly unfulfilling that was. She dropped the seared tuna from the total with a secret tear. For a moment, her mental calculator paused as she glanced at Aizawa and thumbed towards him in conclusion. "Oh, and I like this guy, heheh."
"Dawww," Yamada gushed at them.
Aizawa didn't appear particularly affected, though his eyes stayed on her instead of wandering around the room.
Hayate looked back at Yamada. "And uh, you?"
"Hehehe!" He looked at Aizawa with a grin. "Tokyo natives all-around this table! I go way back with this guy to high school. Same class, same hangouts! You wouldn't know it by listening to him tell it, but we're best buds! You might know me better by my hero name, though." He paused for dramatic effect. "Present Mic!" He struck a pose.
"Oh, yeah." Hayate looked his face over more closely. "You put your hair up like—" she swooshed her hand back over her head.
"Yeah! That's me."
"How much hair gel does that take?" She wondered curiously, trying to run dual calculations of hair product and food.
"Eheh, I'll spare you the sticker shock." For the briefest moment, he looked sheepish, but then he quickly puffed up again. "But it's worth it for that sleek look! It stands right out in a crowd, yeah?!"
"It does. I take it you like cockatoos or cockatiels?" The resemblance to the bird's head feathers was uncanny; along with the loudness, energy, and musical inclination.
"My spirit animal right there!" He positively gushed. "They know how to rock out and look fly while doing it."
Hah, fly. She appreciated that pun. Aizawa didn't care for puns, and now she wondered if she was sitting across from the reason why.
"Do you see any of them as a vet?"
"Sometimes, though it's not an everyday occurrence," she nodded, setting down the menu briefly. She stretched out her right hand and with her left pointed out a scar on the backside of her thumb. "I owe that scar to a cockatoo."
"Ewwww, youch!" He checked out the mark, and the smaller countermark on the other side of her thumb as she turned her hand over.
"He was going for my face, but I decided I like my face the way it is and would rather him have the hand, instead," she elaborated, pulling her hand back.
"Yeesh, no kidding! 'Kay, that's one thing I don't do like them! Hey, Aizawa said you were at a veterinary conference this weekend? Any birds there? Never been to one, obviously!"
"I was, and no birds in the flesh, but I did attend a seminar on avian medicine. They can be rather delicate patients and I don't see them as often, so it's important to keep up to date."
"I see! What else?"
Hayate picked up the menu again and summarized the topics of the last three days of conference attendance as she rather sadly whittled down her dinner picks to a total close to Aizawa's. Her stomach ached for more, but no, that was the respectable thing to do. Yamada continued with a continual stream of questions and exuberant comments. The waitress, keeping an eye on them, noted when they were done with the menus and came over. Aizawa told his order immediately with an automatic tone, then Yamada and lastly Hayate.
At the top of her list, the monkfish liver and the king salmon were guaranteed and the sea urchin a treat. Aizawa's eyes flicked across the menu at her picks as she said them, silently noting the total. Her eyes had been particularly focused while deciding. He glanced back at her, his voice bland.
"... You said you were hungry?"
"Uh, yes," she replied in a quiet voice. But I mean, I can have a cheap snack when I get home.
Yamada heard. "What?! You should get more! Come on, eat up, it's my treat!"
"The yellowtail collar and black cod," she pointed without a moment's hesitation. Bless him. If she was ordering at his insistence, well, that changed the equation altogether, now didn't it?
The waitress left, and Yamada settled forward on the table.
"Liver, hm?" He commented on the monkfish.
"Yeah, I love organ meats," she nodded happily.
"More for you, then!" Yamada held up his hands in an 'X' in front of himself, then gestured a hand at Aizawa. "Unlike this guy! He'll eat anything you give him, ya know?"
Hayate looked at him curiously. "But that doesn't mean you like everything, does it?"
Aizawa gave a minimal shrug. "Even if I didn't like it, I'd just tolerate it. Someone went to the effort of making it. It would be wasteful not to."
Waste not, want not, she approved.
"A habit we've taken full advantage of on multiple occasions!" Yamada chuckled deviously. "Just to see what he'll eat to keep his money where his mouth is!"
She smiled at that. "So, what's the worst thing you've been convinced to eat?"
Aizawa thought for a moment, his gaze flicking up and to the side. His eyes squinted. "Ehh… **shirako."
Her nose scrunched. "Ew, with you on that! And you ate that willingly?"
Yamada answered for him with a wave of his hand. "Pshh! Easy! We just handed it to him on a plate and said 'you gotta try this! It's like uni, but better'! He didn't even question it!"
Yamada laughed and Hayate chuckled with him, watching Aizawa's frown form at the teasing.
"That didn't strike you as suspicious?"
Aizawa grumbled. "I didn't say it was a smart thing to do. I'm just saying it was something I did."
That struck both of them as even funnier, and they laughed harder while Aizawa frowned deeper. Wasn't planning on being the night's entertainment.
She settled down enough to ask. "Does he drag you into a lot of things like that?"
Aizawa looked straight at Yamada. "He's like a bad cold that keeps sticking around."
Yamada waved him off. "Awww, come on, man! You like me better than that, admit it."
"No."
Hayate looked between them, counting up the accumulating number of differences in their presentations and dispositions. Aside from a few superficial commonalities like attending the same school, they couldn't seem to be more different.
"... I'm surprised at how different you two are. I wasn't expecting it."
"You weren't? Guess Aizawa hasn't been talking much about his best bud, either!" Yamada looked at him with faux despair. The look was completely ineffective on Aizawa, who just stared him down. "Sheesh! Cold shoulder! Come oooon, you love me better than that, Energy-Saver-Sho-cha—ow!"
Yamada pulled up his leg as Aizawa kicked his shin under the table.
Hayate's brow furrowed. "Energy—what?"
"Er, nothing." Yamada thought better of sharing any more high school nicknames as he rubbed his smarting shin, knowing that he was well within range for more and harder kicks if he continued.
He settled forward on his elbows with a matter-of-fact air. "Anyway, he was the dopey-mopey introvert that got adopted by us loudmouths!"
She considered him thoughtfully. "'Us?'"
Focused on Yamada, Hayate missed the way Aizawa's eyes sharpened on Yamada with a hard look. Yamada seemed to miss half a beat, then—
"Kayama!"
"Ah," Her tone sounded flattened as Hayate looked away from them, and Aizawa's eyelids relaxed with his gaze lowering to the table.
"Yeaaahhh, we go way back with her, too! She got us our internship gigs back in school! Can't believe you gals are family! Crazy small world, right?"
"... Yep."
He waited expectantly for her to say something more, but she suddenly seemed very interested in the wall decor.
"Heck! We could've been hanging out ages ago! Did she ever talk about us?"
"Mmmmm, nope, can't say she did… not that we hung out much, though."
"Ahh, you two aren't very close, then?"
Hayate made a sound like it was complicated. "Well, the thing is… I mean, you guys know her. My parents didn't think she was a very good influence when we were growing up."
Yamada and Aizawa both paused to imagine a teenage Kayama in her debut Birthday Suit costume, spouting lines about bodily fluids and youthful joys.
"... Smart parents," Aizawa deadpanned, and Yamada nodded.
"Yeah."
Hayate's lip twitched. "Well, they got some things right… So yeah, I mean, we're family, we'll say 'hi' at reunions, but we don't really have much in common to talk about."
"Gotcha… Well, I guess this is something to talk about now, eh?" Yamada lifted his hands at the two of them together.
Hayate's eyes hung to the side. "Yeah…" She looked back at him suddenly. "So, uh, do you read? Anything?"
"Mm?"
"Books? Do you have a favorite genre?"
"Ah. Nahhh, not a big reader, personally. I teach English though if you count educational material."
"Ah, I see..." The thread died off, and sensing her desire to switch topics, Yamada quickly picked up another.
"What about TV shows? I follow more series than I can handle! Or movies? I love dramas and action!"
"Ah, no, nothing in particular. I feel like the books are always better than the movies, heheh. My friend follows a few series, though. Have you watched any of them?" She listed several of the shows that Kasuya raved about and looked at Yamada hopefully.
He paused for a moment to consider them. "Nope!"
"Ah." Her hope died out.
"But what about music?" He tried. "I do nonstop music on Friday radio, have you ever tuned into my high-energy presentation?!"
"Uh, I think we might catch you at work if we've got the right station on. But it's always late in the day."
"Ah, yeah, I guess you'd be nearly closing by the time I get on the air. What's your favorite music, then?"
"Classical, especially piano. I also like instrumental playlists, the sort of thing that goes well in the background… It was always easier for me to study to music that didn't have lyrics in it through vet school."
"Hm! I see! Well, I can't tell Bach from Chopin, but I can name everything on the top ten pop chart! I doubt they'd let me on the radio if I couldn't!"
"Right, that makes sense…" As scarcely as she listened to the radio, Hayate wasn't even sure she could name any titles on that list. "Um, do you play an instrument?"
"Bass and guitar, you bet!"
"Oh, neat, I play the piano." Her brain floundered for a bit, and she chewed the inside of her lip. "... So, ever get out of the city? Go for a hike?"
"Oh no!" He balked at the thought, waving his hands in front of him. "I can't stand the woods! Way too many creepy crawlies!"
Her heart sank at that admonishment of one of her favorite activities. "Gotcha… not a fan of bugs, huh. I'm not particularly crazy about them, either, though I try to treat them well. I mean, they can't help the way they are." She looked over at Aizawa. "Though worth mentioning: I'm allergic to bees."
He nodded, dutifully noting that safety fact for future reference.
"Ugh, that bites! Or strings? Either way, those little jerks are nasty!" Yamada full-heartedly agreed. "Those must be THE worst for you, am I right?"
"Well, no..."
"Oh? What's your worst bug then—the one you'd rather never see?!"
An unpleasant flashback ran through her eyes.
"...Fluffy white moths."
They both stared at her blankly, but she didn't offer any explanation. Yamada started slowly.
"I mean, they aren't greaaat… but spiders are WAY worse!"
She could have cried. "I save spiders."
"Ewwww! You get that close to them?!"
"I take it you squish them?"
"Nononono—I evacuate the room! While he squishes them!" He pointed at Aizawa who had been following along mutely on the sidelines. Hayate looked, too.
Aizawa's eyes flicked between them, suddenly finding himself caught between the spider savers and naysayers. "Errrr… actually, to be honest, I don't squish them."
Yamada looked aghast. "Wha—? What do you mean you don't squish them?! Are you telling me they're still inside my space?!"
Aizawa rubbed his neck and grumbled. "No, I just… scoop them up and put them outside. And then I tell you that I squished them so you shut up."
"Whhyyyy?!"
"Because I don't see a logical reason to kill them when they control pests, and at least outside they have a higher chance of survival than they would versus your thrown shoe."
Yamada crossed his arms and leaned back.
"I've been lied to my whole life about the spiders!"
Aizawa scoffed. "You're being dramatic."
Hayate watched them with a hand covering her mouth, a grin fighting its way through. This was not the best friend drama she'd expected to discover tonight.
She cleared her throat. "W-Well, uh, what about other animals, like pets? Do you like them?"
"Oh, sure! Not so much dogs with the slobber, but cats are neat. And birds—yeah, you know I feel on parrots." Yamada's eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait a minute—Sushi!"
They looked at him questioningly. Yes, they were in a sushi restaurant.
"I mean the cat! Kayama's cat!" He elaborated, looking back and forth between them and settling on Hayate. "Do you know her cat?"
He saw the recognition in her eyes. "Oh yeah, I know Sushi. I've examined him before, actually."
Yamada gesticulated excitedly between him and Aizawa. "We got her that cat, ya know, waaay back when!"
"Oh really?"
How's he doing, huh? Kayama still sends pictures our way of the little guy."
Hayate raised an eyebrow. Little? "Heh, enjoying a few too many treats last I saw of him. But he's doing great for a cat his age."
"That's great to hear! To many more years of Sushi!"
Yamada held up his sake cup and downed it. It seemed like an interesting declaration to make in a sushi restaurant, but Hayate didn't comment, taking a sip with him. It did have a great taste like he said it would, though dryer than she usually picked. Glancing over at Aizawa as he refilled his cup, it occurred to her that she'd caught him refilling it a few times now from the corner of her eye. He didn't have much to say, and she wondered if liquor was his way of tolerating the energy radiating from the other man.
"And you have a cat, too, you said?"
"Yep, Tenten. She's a calico." Hayate took out her phone and pulled up a picture to show him.
"Awww, she's a pretty kitty!"
Hayate flicked to a few more of her. "I adopted her years ago. She's a cuddle bug, and really likes getting into everything."
"Ohhh!" Mic pointed at a new picture that came up. "She has kittens?"
"Oh no, those aren't hers, they're—" Hayate's brain did a full stop, scanning over the picture of Tenten, Mona, Sesame, and—
"...Mic."
Yamada looked at her expectantly. "Yes?"
Hayate turned her head to Aizawa and leaned in with a broadening smile and a glint in her eye. "Mic."
She watched his eyes widen as he realized the dots she'd connected. He lifted the hand from under his propped chin hastily, suddenly finding the motivation to sit up. "Er, you don't have to tell him about that."
"I don't have to, but I caaan…?" He looked at her flatly.
"No."
"But it's cute!" She insisted.
"No."
"Why not?" She felt his other hand under the table press down on her knee.
"No."
"What? What?! What is it?! Something about me? What'd he say?!" Yamada leaned in, too, eager to cash in on whatever it was.
Aizawa pleaded with his eyes and Hayate just kept her lips tucked in a grin like the cat that ate the cockatiel as she debated her choices. But she was a loyal sort, and he rarely asked for anything. She turned her head back to Yamada with her eyes slid Aizawa's way slyly.
"Oh, it's nothing… just an inside joke."
Yamada groaned. "Oh come on! Don't pull that couple's schtick on me! It's something juicy, isn't it?"
She feigned ignorance with a shrug. "Dunno, who can say?"
"You can say!"
But she didn't, biting back a laugh and pointing down at the phone screen. "Anyway… Tenten is a great foster mom to kittens. I think she must have had a litter or two of her own because she takes to kittens right away. These were the last three I had." She looked at Aizawa. "They're kind of the reason we met. He petted them while waiting for the train."
Yamada looked between the two of them with a pout, truly quiet for the first time that night, then gave in and let them have a pass on whatever tantalizingly secret story they had involving him!
"So these are the ones that started it all, huh?"
"That one's Mona, the only girl, then Sesame, and…" Her voice trailed off and Aizawa sweated, watching her tensely. Her finger pointed at the screen curled. "... Hm. I'm drawing a blank all of a sudden." She looked up from the phone to Aizawa with a smirk. "Do you remember this one?"
He mentally scrambled. "Uh, M—Miku. I think?"
"Ah, that's right. Mik—u." He squeezed her knee crossly at the emphasis she paid it, and she suppressed a snicker. She pulled her phone back and put it away in her pocket, pinching the back of his hand before returning hers to the table. "They were all adopted over the summer, so it's back to just Tenten now."
"That's good news! Are you going to get any more?" Yamada asked.
"Yeah," she nodded immediately. "It'll happen again, I'm sure. I'll take in difficult cases, or for special circumstances whenever."
"Well, I know someone happy to hear that," Yamada snickered, looking at Aizawa pointedly.
Aizawa pretended not to notice. He did notice the food coming their way, though, and the conversation paused for the dishes to be placed on the table.
Yamada was quick to pick it back up again, praising the food as they ate and continuing with a steady stream of questions flitting from topic to topic. He asked her questions that Aizawa would have never thought to ask himself in his logic-mindedness, and though he preferred to eat and observe them silently, it wasn't without interest in the stories about her that he wouldn't have heard otherwise.
Frankly, his observation was that Hayate and Yamada didn't have much in common. They tried equally hard to find some points of commonality, though, which made up for the awkward turns in conversation. If they had something noticeably in common, it was a desire to make sure everyone involved was enjoying themselves; Yamada by filling any awkward silence before it could grow, however brashly, and Hayate by smoothing over whatever he came up with tactfully.
But Aizawa could tell as the meal neared completion and he watched her stifle another yawn that she was struggling to match the high-energy state that Yamada existed in by default. He also noticed her shift in her seat and begin to subtly massage her hands. As soon as they were done eating, he spoke up.
"It's getting late. Best wrap this up."
"Such a party-pooper," Yamada complained to him, giving a thumbs-down. "Come on! You can stay up on your own birthday!
Hayate was mid-way through suppressing another yawn now that her stomach was satisfied when he said this, and her eyes filled with surprise.
"Wait—it's your birthday?" She turned to Aizawa. "You didn't tell me."
He glanced away disinterestedly. "Yes, and it's of little significance."
She didn't seem to agree, looking thoughtful. "Come to think of it, I do remember you saying it was in November. Darn."
Yamada sided with her. "Seriously?! You didn't even tell your girlfriend?"
"I don't care," Aizawa firmly maintained his stance.
"Heh! Well, you better care come hers, yeah?" Yamada looked at her sympathetically. "When is it? I'll remind him."
She smiled. "June sixth."
Yamada tapped it into his phone. "Save the date!"
"We all have work tomorrow. We should get going." Aizawa groused trying to move things along, and that seemed to get the rest of the party moving.
Yamada paid and they left the table for a final parting word outside the building.
"Yo! It was great meeting you, Hayate-san! Between you and me, you're cooler than this guy!" He held up his hand by his mouth as he bowed his head like it was a secret, but said it so loudly it was obvious that he wanted Aizawa to hear the tease.
"Aw, thank you, and for paying for the meal. This was fun meeting you, too. I'm sure we'll meet again." She bowed back politely.
"Later." Aizawa turned away without any fanfare.
"Yeah, you too, man! Later!" Yamada held both arms up and pointed down at Aizawa as he back-stepped away from them, then spun around and started walking with a spring in his step.
Hayate settled into pace beside Aizawa tucking her arm through his. She checked back over her shoulder in a bit to confirm that they were out of earshot, then she let out a long sigh and deflated against him, head slumping onto his shoulder.
"Wow, that was like drinking from a fire hose. Is he always that energetic?"
"Yes," Aizawa deadpanned.
"I'm exhausted just from keeping up! Is this why you're always so tired?"
"One of the reasons, surely."
"I can't believe you named Mic after your best friend." She lifted her head to smile adoringly at him.
"That's so sweet!"
He scoffed and turned his chin away with a grumble.
"Oh, shut up."
It didn't deter her in the slightest, and she stretched up to kiss his cheek before settling her head on his shoulder again. After all the activity of the conference and travel, Yamada's steady outpouring of conversation had wiped out whatever she had left in her. By contrast, Aizawa's steady and silent company was a welcome reprieve.
They returned to the train station without a word and boarded. Sitting down in their seats, Hayate reversed their usual arrangement by resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes while Aizawa stayed alert to watch for their stop. His gaze remained on her for most of the journey, studying her relaxed features with his face tilted close to her hair, breathing in her Quirk.
She'd been keeping a tight grip on it during the meal and surely all during her travel and conference that day. Now that she was comfortably alone with him, she let it relax. Though she wasn't actively using it nor had she called any attention to it, he could tell it was strong. He recalled how it had felt a month ago the last time she'd ovulated and felt satisfied in some progress made. He ran his thumb all around her hand in his, offering the sensitive nerves of her fingers some relief for her sore Quirk. He saw her smile faintly, and she shifted her other hand near his as well.
When their stop came, he nudged her and watched her eyelids flutter back open.
He noted how dark the sky was as they stepped outside the station and cast an eye around at the bare street. They paused as they typically did, facing each other and about to part ways.
"Tonight was fun." She rubbed her arms, feeling the autumn chill away from him. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah…" He rubbed his neck, the other hand buried in his pocket. "It's… kind of late… I could walk with you. If you want," he mumbled, eyes wandering to the side.
She stepped up beside him and looped a hand through his arm again without delay. He looked back at her quickly seeing the pleased smile that had sprung onto her face, and the uncertain hand dropped from his neck.
She started them on her route home, the two of them quiet and content as before. He looked around a bit more than he usually would, noting his familiarity with the buildings from having scoped out the whole neighborhood on patrols. There were more single-family homes in this direction that broke up the taller lines of apartment complexes as it was the older, quieter side of what was already a sleepy area. It didn't give him any reason for concern, so he didn't patrol this way any more than necessary to keep his memory familiar.
Hayate looked over at one small home as they passed it. "That's where Fujino lives."
He followed her gaze to it, jotting down the simple traditional appearance and house number in his memory bank.
"If we were here earlier when she fed them dinner, we'd probably see cats around. They like her backyard."
It wasn't visible from here, but he jotted down another mental note for future cat petting reference.
As for Hayate's residence, they continued on to a small and old apartment complex with three floors. He added it to his mental map. It was equidistant to the train station with his own residence, though they were in approximately perpendicular directions to it.
"Lots of older people live around here." She gestured at the other doors as they went up to the second floor. She stopped at the third door down and turned to face him, standing close with her arms around his sides.
"Well, here it is." She looked reluctant to let go of him, bobbing back on her heels a little instead. "Thanks for walking with me."
He nodded. "No problem." His hands around her back didn't move, either.
They stood still for a moment, then she bobbed from her heels to her toes to give him a kiss. When she came down, she smiled and peeled her arms away. "Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow."
"You too." He put his hands in his pockets and stepped aside, waiting until she was inside to start trudging back toward the stairs, feeling as though a magnetic pull back to her door resisted him.
Inside, Hayate heard and saw Tenten come hurrying down the hall, a long greeting meow bouncing in pitch with each step. She smiled at her as she slipped out of her shoes and started to stoop down to greet her, but froze with a sudden thought that had her zipping back up and turning to the door.
She poked her head outside and was relieved to see him still there heading down the hall. The words tumbled out of her mouth.
"I don't have anything for your birthday, but would you like to meet Tenten?"
Aizawa stopped walking and turned with taken aback eyes at her unexpected reappearance. She looked back at him through the cracked open door with a hopeful gaze.
"Uh… sure." Why not?
She grinned and gestured for him to come back to the door, and he did so with a quickened pace shuffling his hands in his pockets.
He heard the cat inside meowing with a long, whiny note at the owner ignoring her as he approached. Hayate opened the door for him and he took a small step forward, peering down.
A pair of inquisitive green eyes looked back at him in surprise. Tenten took another step closer and stretched out her neck for a sniff of him. He felt Hayate's hand on his back.
"Come inside. We're letting the cold air in."
"Oh, right."
He did as she instructed and Tenten spun away and circled back, looking him up and down. She meowed in a friendly voice, and he pulled his other hand from his pocket as he crouched down to her level. He held out a hand in polite greeting for a sniff, which she did intensely before rubbing her cheek against his fingers.
Her fur was medium in length, pleasantly soft, and splattered all about with the multi-colored blotches of her namesake that were familiar to him from pictures and the small ceramic cat he had at home.
Hayate stood beside him with a smile watching him run a hand down Tenten's back to the base of her tail, which flicked up. She was already purring like a motorboat. Hayate moved around them to take a seat on the step of the genkan entryway, and Tenten trotted right over to her with a meow.
"She hasn't seen me for a few days, so she's extra excited for any attention," Hayate explained as she petted her.
Aizawa adjusted to join her on the step, and Hayate shifted closer to lean into his side. They petted her as Tenten circled back and forth in front of them from one side to the other, sniffing all over their pantlegs and feet along the way. She put her front feet on the step beside Aizawa to stretch up for a sniff at the rest of him, and he leaned forward a little for her. The next thing he knew, he had a cat nose in front of his as she full-heartedly accepted his invitation.
"Inquisitive," he stated the obvious.
"She has no sense of personal boundaries, like any proper cat," Hayate agreed. "She'd sleep on my face if I let her."
Tenten pulled back and circled around to Hayate, stepping onto her legs. Aizawa watched Hayate's legs tense.
"Claws, ouch, no, no, this is a suit." She held up a hand to stop the feline and carefully extracted her nails from the fabric before setting her back on the step. Tenten went back down to the genkan level and, apparently satisfied with her investigation, flopped onto her side. Hayate bent over to reach her chin. Aizawa leaned forward with her to also pet the cat, who soaked up every bit of the attention.
Hayate stroked her fingers up and down Tenten's neck, and the cat tilted her head back to expose it further. After a bit, Hayate moved lower to draw slow circles in the fur around Tenten's chest.
"She likes to be pet here…" Tenten's half-closed eyes were relaxed.
"But not here." Hayate moved her hand a fraction of an inch lower between Tenten's arms, and the eyes snapped open.
"Oop, see that? Crossed the line!" Hayate moved back up with a giggle.
Aizawa smiled. "Very specific."
"Yeah, she must have ticklish armpits. Tummy is a no-go zone, too."
Aizawa moved his hand over to give it a try, and Hayate shifted to giving long, slow pets down her side. They didn't say anything for a while, Tenten's purring the only sound in the space. Suddenly, the cat pulled her head up with the purrs pausing momentarily as she licked her shoulder diligently. Just as abruptly, she rose to her feet and circled around them. They both craned their heads around to watch her trot up the hall and out of sight around the corner in sudden indifference of them.
Hayate chuckled. "Whelp, the cat has spoken. Time for bed."
She started to get up, and Aizawa rose with her. They shuffled over to the door and faced each other, reluctant yet again. Hayate smiled and leaned in, wrapping her arms around his neck for a lingering kiss with his arms tightening around her back.
When she pulled her face away, the smile resumed with a playful note to her voice. "Well, you know where I live now, so… if you wanna hang out, rooftop views are nice, but indoors is a lot warmer. Gettin' cold out."
"Right... I'll keep that in mind…" His eyes drifted past her head to the hall with a faint smile, seeing a feline head poking around the corner to investigate their delay.
They separated, and Hayate opened the door with a final touch on his arm in farewell as he stepped outside.
"Goodnight."
Aizawa started walking back to the stairs again, his heart feeling a bit lighter after that interaction but his feet even heavier. As he started heading back to his place, he pulled out his phone to check the time and noticed a message, which he opened. It read:
Yamada: Your gal ROCKS! You kids have fun at the festival! Kayama won't be a problem at all!
=^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^=
Hmmm, and on that foreboding note~
A/N: BAM! There it is! Did Kayama surprise you, or did you follow the trail of hints I left for you? It began right from the beginning in chapter one with Aizawa's line "A scent like that would have made Midnight weep" to subliminally plant her name in your brains. Since then, I've included Hayate's Quirk itself which is scent-based and affects men more than women, Aizawa noting their eyes, Hayate mentioning she has a cousin who is a Pro Hero, Hayate mentioning "Nemi" and "unsolicited advice" to her brother which is uncannily similar to "Nemuri" and her off-brand variety of advice, and last but not least, Hayate and Kayama both have the kanji for "fragrance" in their names. They also both have cats, wear glasses, and have dark blue/dark purple hair which are similar shades, but that was more incidental than intentional. You might be surprised by how casually I just dropped it into the beginning of this chapter, but it is part of a bigger plan. Stay tuned~
-Writing Yamada is pure joy for me. He is too fun. A ton of dialogue in this chapter, and several subtle things being communicated as well.
-One month has passed since the last chapter. Going to do more time skips as we go.
-Sushi the cat would be about 12 years old at this point. He is from the Vigilantes spinoff.
-There's this locally famous sushi place called Sushi Kashiba where I live in Seattle that inspired the name of the place in this chapter if you'd like to check it out.
*Uni is sea urchin.
**Shirako is the milt, or sperm sac, of a cod fish. It is apparently a delicacy in Japan, though an acquired taste for even many Japanese. The word "Shirako" means "white children". And there is your "fun" fact of the day x)
-In Japan, dishes that use organ meats (which Hayate is fond of) and other offal bits often discarded are referred to as horumon or motsu. They fit perfectly in the mentality of mottainai (avoiding wastefulness) which values using as much of the animal as possible. Pieces that are used vary greatly, including esophagus, heart, diaphragm, liver, kidney, pancreas, uterus, intestine, and even rectum. Got to hand it to them for making a literal butthole into an edible dish. (Well, okay, the rectum is technically part of the intestine while the anus is the butthole, but close enough, I digress). Would you try any of these parts? The heart and liver I wouldn't bat an eye at. In the spirit of adventure, I would try them all once. Based on that, we'd see about a second bite!