(A/N: Surprise update because its my birthday! :D Sh-sh-shout out to fellow September 4thers! This is my gift to you. Enjoy!)
...
Hitoshi and Izuku cautiously followed behind their mentor and took off their shoes before heading further into the apartment. The entrance opened to a living room next to a kitchen from where they could hear whistling.
"I'm home, Zashi," Aizawa called out and the whistling stopped.
From the kitchen came a tall man with long blonde hair pulled into a low ponytail and had on plain silver framed glasses. He wore a white t-shirt with a headphones logo and little music notes coming out of them along with loose fitting black yoga pants and white socks. Said man walked towards their homeroom teacher and greeted, "Welcome back, Shou!"
The blonde planted a peck on the other's stubble covered cheek who shoved his face away with no true malice on his own face. Though there was a hint of a blush. Hitoshi was reeling a little at learning that his mentor lived with and was seemingly closer than friends with a man. Not that he had anything against it or whatever. More of a shocking reveal than anything else. But apparently that wasn't the only surprise in store. Not according to the Hero fanboy in the room.
"Holy shit," Izuku gasped, green eyes zeroed in on the silver band on the blonde man's left ring finger.
"What?" Hitoshi asked, confused.
Instead of answering, the greenette snapped his focus to Aizawa and blurts out, "You and Present Mic are married!?"
In an instant, he was wrapped in Aizawa's scarf as the man yanked him forward and growled, "Say it louder. I don't think the League heard you."
"I mean I had a theory that you two were close," Izuku rambled on despite the wrappings. "Possibly dating but married?!"
"Guess the cats out of the bag, eh, Shou?" the man, Yamada, chuckled as he winked as he rested an elbow on Aizawa's shoulder.
"Holy shit," Hitoshi quietly exclaimed in a whisper as he finally registered the similar yellow, albeit down instead of banana shaped, hair paired with familiar bespectacled green eyes and small mustache. "Civilian Present Mic."
"Technically, the cat is always out of the bag here," Aizawa said, releasing the green one while halfheartedly shrugging off his husband's arm.
"Unless they're actually in one!" Yamada cheerfully shot back.
"Eh?" Izuku let out.
"We have cats," Aizawa answered flatly with a hint of fondness.
'Cats'? Plural? As in more than one?
"Well, that's cool!" Izuku chirped in excitement as he had never had a pet before. "You like cat's right, Hitoshi-kun?"
The greenette turned to his friend only to find the purple haired teen distracted. The shorter boy waved a hand in front of his face but those purple eyes were locked onto something.
"Um…Hitoshi-kun?" Izuku prodded with a poke to his friend's arm.
"Cat," the taller replied.
"Eh?" the shorter lilted.
"CAT," Hitoshi repeated with gusto before he carefully but determinedly beelined to the couch while leaving his bag behind.
Green eyes followed and took notice of the feline laying on the dark grey cushions of the three-seater couch. It was an orange tabby cat whose own green eyes curiously watched the approaching teen. Hitoshi, being the cat connoisseur that he was, lifted a hand for the cat to sniff. Once the cat did, it rubbed its cheek against his hand before flopping unceremoniously onto its back to reveal its fuzzy tummy.
"That's DJ," Yamada introduced with a grin. "Short for Disc Jockey. He's a rescue and super cuddly."
"And a moron," Aizawa added earning a gasp from the blonde.
"DON'T INsult my baby!" the loud man partially shouted when the Erasure Hero reflexively cancelled out the other's Quirk.
"It's not an insult if it's true," the tired man shot back. "Remind me again how many times he's managed to trap himself in various potentially dangerous places?"
"That was one time that we found him in the washing machine," Yamada retorted.
"And countless times in the dryer," Aizawa shot back.
"He just likes the feel of warm clean clothes!" the blonde defended.
"Thereby making them unclean immediately," the tired man chided earning a pout from his husband.
The married couple continued to bicker over the supposed stupidity of one of their cats. During which time Izuku had also moved over to the cat and had followed Hitoshi's lead in earning the cat's permission for pets. He was enjoying petting the feline, who had turned back over, in tandem with Hitoshi. DJ laid there with his eyes closed basking in the attention.
"So, you said 'cats'," Hitoshi said, glancing up at their mentor with curiosity.
"Yes, there's another one up there," Aizawa answered, pointing to a white cat with very fluffy fur and a scar across one of its blue eyes that was perched on top of a book case. "That's Espionage. Esp for short. I found her in an alley injured and took her home. She likes pets on her own terms and prefers to be the one to seek out attention."
Hitoshi nodded as he continued to pet DJ with Izuku.
"There's also our shadow cat," the tired man added. "But she's scared of strangers so you may not see her at all."
"Gotcha," the purple haired teen said with a nod.
"Well then!" Yamada said, clapping his hands together. "Shall we give you a tour? Then we can let you two settle in for a bit before having dinner. Sound good?"
The two students nodded, still surprised to learn their two mentors for the Sports Festival were married. But they were finding it easy to accept as they watched the two interact. They did bicker like an old married couple after all.
The apartment wasn't too big or too small. Just enough for two grown men and three cats to cohabitate. There was the living room and kitchen. Master bedroom across from those. Yamada showed the teens the bathroom down the hall that they could use as well as where the towels were in the hall closet. Then he showed them to a room that served as an office as well as a guest bedroom. He let them know where the futons were so they could pull those out when it was time for bed.
"And for the crown jewel of this lovely tour!" Yamada proclaimed as he moved to a closed cabinet while Aizawa let out a tired sigh as he rolled his eyes. "Is the unofficial official dedicated merch collection of the best Hero ever…" He paused for dramatic effect before throwing open the cabinet doors. "…Eraserhead!"
The two teens stared as they took in the sight before letting out a twinned, "Woah."
Inside the cabinet was a shit ton of Hero merch all themed to one elusive Underground Hero. Who was currently hiding his face in his scarf as his husband gushed over his shrine to him. There were figurines, buttons, pins, plushies, and so on in the display. In the drawers were blankets, pillows, and various styles of clothes. There were also fan replicas of his older goggles and scarf. It was an impressive collection rivaling the Hero fanboy's recently sold one of All Might.
Izuku immediately started to becoming that fanboy as he gushed over the collection with the enthusiastic blonde. While Hitoshi teased Aizawa who just rolled his eyes before leaving the room. The purple haired teen then joined the other two because even he agreed that the collection was impressive.
"So, what's the most embarrassing Eraserhead merch you got?" Hitoshi asked as he picked up a small figurine to look at.
"I have a body pillow of him," Yamada answered with a smirk. "I cuddle it when he's away on missions. He complains I replaced him every time."
The two teens snickered at that.
"Anyway," the Voice Hero said with a clap of his hands. "To commemorate your transfer to the Hero Course and landing an internship with the grumpiest of human cats…"
The tall blonde stooped down to rummage through the bottom drawer of the cabinet before pulling two wrapped bundles out.
"…I got you kiddos these!"
The loud man offered the bundles to the teens who took the gifts carefully. Together they unwrapped their packages to reveal a matching pair of Eraserhead hoodies. They were black in color with a simplistic design of his yellow goggles on the hood with eye slits and a few grey strips across the shoulders to represent his scarf. The two teens didn't know what to say as they both looked at the hoodies in shock.
"I got these special ordered before the Sports Festival," Yamada explained with a smile. "Knew you two were going to rock it. And before you go saying you can't accept them, don't. You deserve them and it's not like they'll fit me. Besides…"
A glint of mischief grew in those yellow green eyes as he leaned forward in a mock whisper.
"…Shouta doesn't know they exist."
The teens piqued up at that bit of information. The pair exchanged a conspiratorial glance as Yamada excused himself so they could 'settle in' and he could continue working on dinner. It didn't take long for both boys to change out of their uniforms into comfier clothes. It was a bit warm for the hoodies themselves especially with the hoods up, but two teens did so anyways. Besides, the 'so done' look on the tired man's face upon entering the kitchen made it so worth it.
They chatted over a dinner of chicken, rice, and steamed vegetables about what Aizawa had planned for the week while DJ begged for scraps and pets. The next couple of days were going to be much like today had been. Physical training of some kind in the morning and then Quirk and Support Item training for Hitoshi and Izuku respectively in the afternoon. Though the tired man did mention they would be going on patrol on the third day.
"Where are we going to patrol?" Izuku asked between bites.
"Technically, since I'm an independent Hero without an agency, we could go anywhere," Aizawa replied. "All I would have to do is inform the local agencies I would be patrolling that area. It would be no different with interns."
"I'll be helping out too with a bit of day time patrol," the Voice Hero added as he snuck DJ a piece of chicken. "Give you a taste of a different side of Heroics other than his trash filled alleyways."
The blonde sent a teasing smirk to his husband who simply flipped him off as he continued to eat. Hitoshi snickered while the greenette was contemplating quietly before he asked, "If you don't have a specific place in mind, could I make a request?"
"Depends," Aizawa answered with a curious quirked brow. "Where were you thinking?"
Izuku glanced down at his own food nervously before looking up and hesitantly asking, "Hosu?"
The Erasure Hero considered his charge for a moment before sighing as he said, "You're worried about Iida."
The greenette simply nodded. He was sure his friend would be fine. He said he had no intention of going after the Hero Killer and had simply chosen the city to be near his brother. But the Quirkless teen had this weird gut feeling that something was going to go wrong. He couldn't explain it. It was just…there. A reason why he had felt compelled to place a tracker on the other aspiring Hero's suit.
"I'll think about it," the tired man said. "If there's no other areas in need of patrols, we might go there. But don't worry about it for now. Instead focus on your training, got it?"
"Yes, sir," the teen answered with a nod.
"By the way, Midoriya, I've been meaning to ask," Aizawa said as they continued to eat. "You mentioned something about my hair giving my Quirk away. What would you suggest to fix that?"
The teen finished chewing his bite and swallowed before replying, "A hair tie?"
There was a moment of mostly silences as Yamada and Hitoshi snickered while Aizawa gave him a deadpan look.
"What?" the teen replied with a slight tilt of his head.
"Seriously?" the Erasure Hero asked incredulously. "That's it?"
"That's it," Izuku responded with a shrug. "You don't need fancy solutions for everything. Sometimes the simplest solution is best. Especially since it's already been invented."
Aizawa let out an exasperated huff, annoyed that he had the answer the whole time and it just happened to be in their shared bathroom mixed amongst his husband's many hair products. Ones that he would use on occasion to tie his hair up in a messy bun while grading papers but never thought to keep on his person for work. Though he couldn't help but to agree with the boy. Sometimes simplest was best.
The rest of the evening went by quickly. They finished dinner and the two teens helped Yamada clean up with DJ watching with interest. They also helped prepare the cats' food setting the dishes for the cuddly DJ and aloof Esp in the kitchen while the blonde went off to find the 'shadow cat' who was most likely hiding in their bedroom.
Aizawa went to work on some paperwork on the couch with Esp blessing him with her company while DJ followed after Yamada. Hitoshi and Izuku took turns taking a shower before changing into their pajamas. Both carefully folding up their Eraserhead hoodies next to their other things. They worked together to set up the futons and everyone settled in for the night.
The next morning, they were woken up by the loud clanking of two pans being banged together by their homeroom teacher. Aizawa smirked at the two boys shooting up out of their futons at the sound. The teens gave him unappreciative glares which he reveled in before leaving the room. The students quickly got up and ready for the day before going to the kitchen for breakfast.
Yamada was whistling as he worked on a traditional Japanese breakfast of grilled fish, miso soup, and rice with sides of pickled cucumbers and fried eggs. The blonde wanted the internship week to start with a step in the right nutritional direction. Because of this, he kept shooing his husband away from the fridge and his usual gel packets. The teens snickered at the slight pout on the tired man's face while they helped out any way they could until breakfast was ready. But Yamada appeased his husband with an offered coffee with cinnamon which he drank with appreciative gusto.
They quickly ate and cleaned up before heading to UA. The teachers in their usual costumes and the students in their uniforms. Same as the day before the teens changed into their workout gear before heading to one of the gyms. Yamada left to go do some paperwork before heading off to an early morning patrol but would be joining them in the afternoon to work with Hitoshi. Leaving the interns in the Erasure Hero's capable hands.
The training began with the usual stretching and warming up. Aizawa then had them spar for a few rounds before introducing a dirtier form of fighting. One that was essential and necessary especially as an Underground Hero.
"This is not an official match," Aizawa explained. "Well, it is official in the sense that you would be a Pro Hero, but it is not a match like in the Sports Festival. No rules or regulations. A fight. Sometimes between life and death. So, if you can find some way, any way, to stay alive, then do it."
The interns gave determined nods in acceptance. That morning session was spent learning the weak points of the body and how to exploit them. From the traditional shot to the groin to throwing dirt in eyes to even just literally biting if necessary. It was a different way of fighting than Izuku had learned in all his years of self-defense but it made sense that fighting in a regulated environment wouldn't be the same as fighting in the streets. Out there in the real world there were no rules.
When lunch came around, they took a break and ate the bentos left by Yamada for them with the Voice Hero himself joining them part way through. Afterward, the blonde and purple haired teen left to go to work on his voice while the other two went to the studio to pick up Izuku's gear and Hitoshi's mask to mess with later. Aizawa had him first spar with the Support Items on but not using them to get used to the feel of them again. Then when satisfied, he had the teen use them one at a time in their sparring before allowing him to mix and match.
It was a challenge for both of them. For Izuku, he was going up against a trained and experienced Pro Hero. One who kicked his ass again and again while giving him pointers on how to be better. For Aizawa, it was much like going up against a mutant type Quirk that Erasure had no effect on. Except this was up against gadgets instead.
Much like the day before, Yamada and Hitoshi joined them after a while to not overwork the teen's vocal cords. Though they did show he could do a pretty decent Aizawa impression of yelling 'you're expelled' without the mask and an even better one with it. The blonde and greenette were openly laughing while recording it. Aizawa gave a very unamused glare at their antics though he did dip his chin into his scarf to hide an actually amused smirk.
That night they got permission for Hitoshi to take the mask back to the intern-dubbed EraserMic apartment though neither teen would ever let Aizawa know they called it that. Though Yamada would probably be amused by it. The evening was spent with the teens petting DJ while Izuku looking up different videos of Heroes and such for Hitoshi to practice imitating with his mask. Who knows when a good ol' All Might 'I am here!' would be useful against an unsuspecting enemy.
The next day the boys made sure to set an early alarm and despite being tired as hell, they were rewarded with a mixed expression from their mentor. Aizawa was both disappointed that he didn't get to scare them awake again but was pleased that they learned fast. The morning went much like the day before with getting ready and eating breakfast. However, their schedule changed when they got to UA with the arrival of their costumes.
Neither costume was flashy and both had gone with a one-piece jumpsuit which helped with the rushed order. Izuku's was based off an old sketch he had made in one of his notebooks but modified. Mostly to work better with his Support Items and general fighting style. But also, because Hitoshi had commented that the homage to All Might's hair tuffs made him look like a bunny. Which while meant as a joke, it was nice to have a different association to them other than All Might. But either way, he nixed that part of the design.
The suit was mostly a dark green to go with his general green motif with black accents and splashes of red here and there. Black lines outlined his arms and legs. There was also a black 'X' shape across his chest with his self-declared 'Q' logo on his upper right chest in red. He had black padding on his shoulders, elbows, and knees as well as black gloves with knuckle guards and grounding so he wouldn't get electrocuted again. All made of a sturdy but comfortable material to prevent him from getting too scuffed up.
The ensemble went well with his other gear. His goggles matched the green of the suit. His arm wrappings, belt, and Jet shoes were a dark red in contrast to the green. While his fire mask and escrima rods were a metallic grey. It was a suit he was proud of and excitedly put on. Finally having it set in with the feel of the fabric on his skin that he was really going to be a Hero. That he was Edge.
Hitoshi's suit was very similar to Eraserhead's but instead of black it was a dark purple. Such a copycat with the black utility belt and boots with the grey capture weapon around his shoulders. He was also a copycat of Izuku having black elbow and knee pads along with black protective fingerless gloves. He too had a black 'X' across his chest that he got the idea from looking at Izuku's design. Which the greenette was fine with because it was a way of tying them together as a team and, as Mei had deemed upon seeing the designs, made them the 'batsu boys'.
The brainwasher also had his voice changing mask which he decided to call his Artificial Vocal Cords. The mask's shiftable plates were black and could be manipulated to help change his voice. The ear pieces were metallic grey and would signal when he got a mimicked voice right as he adjusted the dials on either side of the mask. It also had a gas filter installed courtesy of Mei.
It was good that they got their costumes that day because Aizawa had said they would be going on patrol later. Starting in the afternoon with Present Mic and into the evening with Eraserhead. To give them experience in both kinds of patrol which would be interesting to see the difference themselves. The tired man also let them know they would indeed be going to Hosu as requested because it was as good a place as any to patrol. Also, the Hero agencies there were welcome to have the extra sets of hands during their current troubled times with the Hero Killer on the loose.
That morning their mentor had them train with their costumes on for a while before having them stop to talk about the patrol rules. How they were to stay with either him or Yamada at all times unless told otherwise. That they were to follow any instructions given to them without question. Because they were the interns and the men were the Pro Heroes who actually knew what they were doing. They were also not to just jump into a fight if they stumbled upon one unless given permission. The students were to take the teachers' leads in any situation.
After a quick lunch, Hitoshi and Izuku left UA with Yamada and traveled to Hosu city in Tokyo via bullet train. The commute wasn't too eventful but it certainly wasn't boring. Present Mic being a household name meant that the Voice Hero got attention from fans and posed for pictures and signed autographs. And he wasn't the only one. Hitoshi and Izuku were recognized as the second and first place winners of the festival and were approached as well.
It was certainly an odd experience getting all of this attention. Though thankfully it was on the positive side. Anyone who didn't want to associate with them kept their distance. Probably because they were accompanying Present Mic who was a beloved public figure and Hero. Who was known for his easy going attitude but also his staunch distaste for discrimination of any kind. It would do the negative Nelly's in the crowd no good going up against a man who could literally scream them into submission.
This fan service lasted through their commute and continued during their patrol after checking in with the Idaten agency. The group of three patrolled the streets taking periodic breaks to rest. As the afternoon began to turn to evening, they were joined by Aizawa who took over as their mentor. Yamada bid them well wishes before hailing a taxi and driving away.
Patrolling next to Eraserhead was different than it was with Present Mic. The people didn't approach them as much for pictures and such since they didn't recognize Aizawa as a Pro Hero. Though Izuku did hear some speculation that maybe he was more than just a hobo seeing as two Hero interns were following him. Then there were those judgmental assholes who grew a bit bolder with their discrimination when it came to Izuku. But they were quickly shut up by a pointed Quirked glare from their teacher.
However, the biggest difference wasn't the people and their reactions to the trio. No. That was nothing compared to the interrupted peace as the city was suddenly infiltrated by creatures created to cause chaos.
Noumu were attacking Hosu.
...
Tumblr blog name: ja0-s-blank-canvas-fic
Notes extension: post/661420411998945280/part-2-chapter-27-learning-curve
The Cats: post/661420019027165184/blank-canvas-convictions-the-cats
Izuku's and Hitoshi's Hero Costumes: post/661420215196958720/blank-canvas-convictions-izukus-and-hitoshis