A Day Like Any Other
By Spunky0ne
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Just a cute fic to celebrate a man and his 'useless kids.' Happy birthday Mr. Aizawa!
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A rational man to the core, Shota Aizawa could only see his birthday or anyone else's as just a day like any other. The passage of a year in one person's life wasn't a thing that had much effect on a much greater universe. It didn't mean one was any less likely to have bad things happen or to die, just because the powers that be had chosen that day to send one crashing down onto the earth, usually kicking and screaming. The sun would still rise and set. He would still have to get up and go to work, although he was quite aware that if he'd asked, he would have been given the day off. Still, taking a day off would only leave work to catch up on when he got back. Worse, it might lure others to slack off to join him for celebration and they would get behind in their work too. No, considering a birthday to be more than another day was not rational.
Of course, if you were All Might, you could break the rules, but there was only one All Might, so a birthday was just a day like any other.
This was what Aizawa told himself as he curled up in his favorite yellow sleeping bag in his rather spartan quarters (not a home, just a place to keep things, make food and lie down when he was tired). It was a few minutes before midnight would mark the end of one day and the beginning of the next, which was not any more or less special. He drew in a slow breath, gathering together all of the little, irritating things his kids had done that day: Bakugo not so accidentally blowing up training dummies clearly marked 'citizen' because they didn't get out of his way, Shinso getting endlessly entangled in his binding cloth (okay, that did bring back some fond memories, and it was amusing to watch), Eri refusing to wear her the coat he'd just bought her (which was perfect and he could see no rational reason for her not to like it), Hanto Sero getting wrapped up in his own tape, Mineta being Mineta, and the list went on, but he was tired, so he let everything out in a long sigh and closed his eyes.
He slept peacefully until the clock struck midnight.
That was when one of the small security bots scooted into his room, beeping madly to get his attention. He sat up, shrugging the sleeping bag off his shoulders, a little twinge of worry striking for a moment, then fading into a low snarl of barely controlled anger at the bot's message.
"Mr. Aizawa, two of your students are out of bed and appear to be fighting in Ground Beta. The identities of the…"
"Bakugo," the Erasure hero growled, "and Midoriya."
The bot stopped talking then, but being a machine, it could only express its surprise by gazing at him through wide, unblinking robot eyes. His teeth clenching, Aizawa squirmed the rest of the way out of his sleeping bag, planning already at least two months of cleaning duty for the two, and that was if they begged for mercy.
I warned those two the last time what would happen if they didn't stop taking every opportunity to fight each other. I can see how it's more of a Bakugo problem, but…
The thought trailed off as the angry teacher stomped out of his quarters, heading out of the building and into the chill of night. He could hear the distant booms of Bakugo's explosion quirk already and the sounds of whatever was being destroyed crashing to the ground. Then, Midoriya's voice sounded.
"Delaware S-M-A-S-H!"
Another shattering impact and the ground rumbled beneath Aizawa more swiftly moving feet. His hair was rising and his eyes were blazing red before he was even close enough to see the two and to stop their destructive blows.
Four months! No, SIX for this outrage! he steamed inwardly.
He burst into Ground Beta, skidding to a stop as he realized that the booming sound had stopped. They were certainly still in the area, he deduced. There simply hadn't been enough time for the two to make an escape, and it was hardly rational to think that they would escape punishment after being identified and a teacher sent anyway.
What are you two up to?
"Bakugo, Midoriya, you might as well come out," he said sternly, "If you think that hiding will save you from being punished for sneaking out and fighting without teacher permission, think again."
He moved forward, the breeze catching the ends of his binding cloth and a little flicker of indecision rising up.
What's going on here?
The was still some smoke from the conflict obscuring the air around him, but he could see no one else on the street. He moved forward, peering into each of the building entrances, looking for any hint of movement.
I should expel them both, should've done it the last time.
"Midoriya! Bakugo! I won't tell you again, he snapped, "Show yourselves now or…"
He turned a corner and stopped, staring at the brightly lit center square of the training area. A cement curb encircled a grassy area where tables had been set out and huge floodlights illuminated the environs revealing colorful lights, party trays filled with food and the full contingent of Class 1A (Midoriya and Bakugo looking battered and dust covered) as well as Principal Nezu, Present Mic and a brightly smiling All Might.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. AIZAWA!" they called out together.
Ridiculous.
He spotted Shinso and Eri alongside Hizashi, Eri proudly wearing the coat she'd refused to wear only that morning and smiling as she waved around a candied apple.
It's just my group of useless kids.
"Come on and join the fun!" Nezu laughed, gesturing towards the tables.
It's just another day, barely the beginning of another day.
His feet carried him forward, but he refused to wear a smile.
It doesn't change anything, all of the food, the laughter and the colors.
Fresh, hot apple cider sent warmth flooding his body and it only seemed polite to drink it as he moved to where a large cake made in the shape of his own head and binding cloth blazed with burning candles.
Has it really been this many years?
But he didn't feel sad, the way he had for so many birthdays after the first he'd spent without his best friend (which was only about a year since he and the other boy had met). He didn't need to try to ignore everything around him and tell himself it didn't matter. It didn't change anything.
Like that one birthday he'd been granted in the presence of the boy he loved, even though it was just another day, it felt inexplicably…warm.