Hey, I accidentally timed posting Yuudai's birthday chapter on the same day as my actually birthday. Fun. Also, my friend helped bleach my hair so now I apparently look like Kenma. Later today we're dying it blue/purple so yee. Next update: August 6th, the birthday continuation.
Currently it is 3am. 3am on a school day, specifically Tuesday. What exactly was Aizawa Shota doing awake and driving on a Tuesday at 3am? Good question. The answer to that lies an hour earlier.
Aizawa had miraculously been able to fall asleep at a "normal" time according to Yamada, at least. Considering both of them had a tendency to fall asleep at an average time of 2:20am, the both of them sleeping at 12am was a miracle. It is also more common for Aizawa to fall asleep on the couch and more often than not Yamada falls asleep on the bed surrounded by papers from his students. That being said, Aizawa is in the middle of a nice, peaceful sleep when he is awoken by an alarm.
Aizawa doesn't remember setting an alarm for 2am and he does his best to ignore it. That is until he remembers the alarm ringing is the ring tone Yamada had set for the hospital's contact. That fact manages to get Aizawa awake enough to roll off of the couch and to the kitchen counter where his phone is loudly ringing.
Aizawa lazily but yet quickly answers with a dull, "What?"
"Hi, Eraser Head," a lady, maybe a nurse, says way too cheerfully for a person with a 2am shift, "I'm a nurse working under Kojiko Yuudai's doctor. I was just checking in on Kojiko-kun and I was very surprised to find that he has gone missing. Again."
That wakes Aizawa up a little bit more.
"What'd you mean by that?" Aizawa asks, words still mumbled from just waking up.
The nurse's voice gains more of a fake happy tone, "What I mean, Eraser Head-san, is that your ward has run away."
Aizawa grumbles, "Have you checked the garden?"
"Yes, we have," she sounds even more fake, "Currently we don't have any hints as to where Kojiko-kun has gone. Therefore we have called you, being his appointed guardian this is one of the few duties of a parent now it's time for you to learn it, Eraser Head-san."
"Wha-"
"What I'm saying is that your child has run away and it's your job to go find him," the nurse repeats, sounding even more exhausted, "Kojiko-kun has run us into the ground in the past couple of months with his disappearances. You are his legal guardian and should know where he is. Right? Right."
Aizawa can't really say anything against the exhausted nurse.
"That being said, please, go find your child and bring him back. Thank you," and with that the nurse curtly hung up.
Aizawa wanted to fall back onto the couch and fall back asleep but the nurse had a point. A very, very minor point. Sure, the court decided that the kid was now legally under his care but that didn't mean he was suddenly Yuudai's father. On the other hand, this is his student and...ward. As a teacher, he was worried for his student but as a guardian...well those feelings could be dealt with later. For now, just find out where the kid ran off to.
And that's how Aizawa ended up in his car, on the freeway, at 3am. He honestly didn't know where to look, but maybe Midoriya or someone else would. They spent more time with Yuudai and probably knew more about what spots he liked to go to. Unluckily for Aizawa, Midoriya had fallen asleep at 11pm and didn't answer his phone. The next person Aizawa thought of was Shinso, he wasn't sure why but it was what he thought of. The last message in their history was Aizawa sending a file of corrections and suggestions for Shinso's training. And Shinso would definitely be awake at 3am.
"Hello?" Shinso answers tiredly.
Aizawa turns into the driveway of the hospital and parks, "Shinso."
"Aizawa-sensei?" Shinso says with a bit more energy, "Did you need something at...at three in the morning?"
"Just a quick question," Aizawa walks into the hospital and up to Yuudai's room, "Did Kojiko ever mention anything to you?"
Shinso must have walked into the kitchen because Aizawa heard a door open, "You're going to have to be more specific, Aizawa-sensei."
Aizawa rubs his eyes and sighs, Yuudai's room was indeed empty, "What I mean is, did he mention that he wanted to go anywhere? What has he talked about recently?"
Shinso sounds really tired, "Listen, Aizawa-sensei, I haven't talked to Kojiko-kun since last week. I saw him at lunch with Midoriya-kun yesterday but that's the most recent interaction I had with him. You might want to ask someone else."
Aizawa sighs, "Thanks, Shinso."
"No problem," Aizawa hears a clink of glass.
"Are you going to sleep anytime soon?" Aizawa asks offhandedly, peeking into the bathroom to see if Yuudai was hiding in there.
Another click of a glass, "Probably not, why?"
"Just," Aizawa pauses, "Actually, I need you to call Midoriya."
"Midoriya-kun?" Some water noises, "He's asleep at this time. Do you need him for something?"
Aizawa rubs his eyes again, "It's just that...Kojiko has sort of gone...missing."
A louder clink of glass, "Missing?!"
Ruffling of clothes, "Aizawa-sensei, start with that!"
"You don-" Aizawa starts.
"I'm headed out now. Don't worry, I'll be careful but Midoriya doesn't wake up because of a simple phone call. I know his address so I'll run over there now," Aizawa hears a door slam and keys.
"Thank you, Shinso-kun," Aizawa says gratefully, he hated having to ask his students to run around the city at 3am even if it did help him out.
"No problem," Shinso says, out of breath, "Now call other people. I don't know who Kojiko-kun's been hanging out with lately but Midoriya-kun mentioned he had a fight with a couple people? Maybe call them."
"Thanks again," Aizawa repeats and ends the call.
Those two people would be Kirshima and Bakugou. Did Yuudai talk to them about anything? Maybe Todoroki or Iida would know more. Was there anyone else in Class 1-A that Yuudai somehow befriended in the previous day?
"Hello?" Kirishima's voice sounds deeper than usual and super sleepy, he was definitely not awake.
Aizawa gets back in his car but doesn't go anywhere, "Kirishima."
"Aizawa-sensei!" Aizawa can hear Kirishima sit up straighter, "Did you need something from me?"
"You and Bakugou, yesterday, did Kojiko say anything to you?"
Kirishima hums, "No, nothing too out of place. Why?"
"It's nothing," Aizawa says quickly, "Has he talked to anyone else in class?"
"I think I saw him with Kaminari before gym class," Kirishima says, "But why do you need to know? Did something happen?"
Aizawa shakes his head, "No, if anything does then I'll let you know. Do you know Midoriya's address?"
"I know Bakugou-kun's address and they live near each other so basically, yeah," Kirishima's voice had gotten lighter and less sleepy.
Aizawa nods, "In that case, would you mind heading over there? Shinso will fill you in when you get there."
"I don't understand, Aizawa-sensei," Kirishima says, slipping on one shoe, "It's a school night and you're calling me at 3am. Did something happen to Kojiko?"
"Just get to Midoriya's place. Shinso can explain." Aizawa sighs and hangs up the phone, the city was big and Yuudai didn't trust that many people. He'd need all the help he could get.
His phone rings.
"Aizawa-sensei!" Kaminari exclaims loudly.
Aizawa winces back a bit, "Kaminari, what are you doing awake?"
"I could say that to you!" Kaminari says, "Kirishima messaged me saying that something's up with Kojiko!"
"It's-"
"Anyways, I'm awake so I'd like to help!" Kaminari sounds like a determined smile, "I'm not sure if Kojiko really thinks of me as a friend but I like to think we're getting there! If I can be helpful then I'd like to help."
Aizawa almost smiles, "Thank you, Kaminari."
"No problem, Aizawa-sensei! For now just tell me where to go."
"Do you know where the hospital Kojiko is staying at is?"
"Wait, Kojiko's still in the hospital? I thought he was all cleared to go back to class. What abou-"
"Kaminari." Aizawa urges.
"Right, no but I can ask someone," Kaminari says.
Aizawa grunts, "I'll send it to you. Just say you're there for Kojiko Yuudai and wait in the garden. If you find a man with light blue hair that's the groundskeeper, ask him if he's seen Kojiko anywhere."
"Blue hair, groundskeeper, got it," Kaminari repeats the information.
"I'm sending you the location now," Aizawa sends Kaminari a pin on the map and then starts up his car, "I'll tell you now but Kojiko has run off somewhere. You're staying at the hospital in case he comes back. I'll probably send Kirishima and Bakugou to look around that area so just wait."
"Got it!" Kaminari says energetically then hangs up.
Aizawa sighs, "This kid is going to give everyone grey hair."
Aizawa gets back on the road, this time on his way to Midoriya's house. Hopefully Midoriya's mother wouldn't mind a sudden horde of guests at 4am.
"Aizawa-sensei!" Midoriya waves at Aizawa as he steps out of his car.
Standing in front of Midoriya's house was one tired Shinso, one normal Kirishima, one grumpy Bakugou, one sleepy Todoroki, one out of breath Iida, and one worried Midoriya. Not to say everyone isn't worried, well Bakugou isn't exactly worried but everyone else is.
"Good, you got everyone," Aizawa nods at Todoroki and Iida, "In that case everyone should know what's going on by now."
"Right, Kojiko-kun's run away?" Midoriya asks.
Aizawa sighs, "Basically. The nurse said he was gone at around 2am. Do any of you know where he might have gone?"
Bakugou grumbles under his breath, "Why the hell do we gotta do this shit."
Kirishima smiles tiredly at Bakugou, "Because we're all worried about Kojiko."
"Lately he hasn't really talked about anything about wanting to go anywhere," Iida says.
Todoroki nods, "We talked about his mom a few days ago but that was about it."
Midoriya snaps his fingers, "It's not what he's talked about, it's what he's feeling."
"Feeling?" Shinso echoes.
"Yeah," Midoriya nods, "I mean, when was the last time he saw his mom? Last time he went home?"
"What do you mean 'went home?'" Kirishima pipes up a little concerned, "Is his home life difficult?"
"Ahhh," Midoriya drawls out, "It's a little more complicated than that," Midoriya makes eye contact with Bakugou for a split second then looks away, "Anyways, he probably got homesick."
"Homesick, as in he went home?" Kirishima asks.
Midoriya plays with his fingers, "For lack of better word."
"So where does the shitty Blueberry live? He's probably there," Bakugou says sharply, "Is it really that fucking difficult to figure out?"
"Kacchan…"
Bakugou spins around and marches off to his house, "I'm going back to bed. You extras have a shitty time looking for that fucking Blueberry."
Kirishima reaches towards Bakugou but then lets him walk away with a sigh.
"It's okay, Kirishima-kun," Midoriya smiles softly at him, "Kacchan has...things…with family talk."
Aizawa frowns then focuses back on Yuudai, "In that case, I know his old address," Aizawa surveys his students, "I don't think all of us should go, though."
"Meaning?"
"I have Kaminari at the hospital waiting. Two of you should go there and look around. Maybe Kojiko will return before we find him," Aizawa states.
Iida raises his hand, "I'm willing to go."
"Don't use your Quirk to run around the city, Iida," Aizawa warns, "Todoroki you can go, too."
Kirishima points at himself, "Is it really okay for me to go? I don't really know the guy and I-"
Todoroki pats Kirishima on the shoulder, "It's fine. You're probably the better person for this anyways."
"This?" Kirishima questions.
Todoroki walks towards the nearest train station, it would take only a little time to get to the hospital by train and running. Iida hurries after him after saying a quick goodbye and good luck.
Kirishima squeaks again, "I still don't understand what he meant by 'this.'"
Midoriya smiles, "You're good with people, Kirishima-kun. Plus, Kojiko-kun already knows you because you two have sparred."
"What does that have to do with the current situation?" Kirishima gapes as Midoriya hops into Aizawa's backseat.
Shinso slides his way to shotgun and yawns, "It's probably something to do with his family."
Midoriya pats the seat next to him and Kirishima hops in, "Kojiko-kun's situation...it's complicated. His accident caused a few problems and he's been out of school for two years."
Kirishima nods, "He mentioned that part in class."
Shinso does his best to stay awake, but it's 4am and he's so tired. He really did want to learn more about his sudden new friend.
Midoriya shakes his head, "The whole story is a lot more complicated, it's not my place to tell you but his family. Well, his dad was a hero and right now his mom has...a type of amnesia is the best way to put it."
"Amnesia?"
"To put it bluntly, Kojiko's mother doesn't remember having a son," Aizawa says from the front seat as he drives, "Kojiko's been in the hospital for two years because of his accident and coma. He only woke up a few months ago and has been staying at the hospital since."
Kirishima sinks back into his seat, soaking up the information while Midoriya holds back his protests of personal privacy and boundaries. Shinso took a short nap, waking up when his forehead hit the window after Aizawa drove over a speed bump. The drive is silent and they arrive at a convenience store at 4:30am. Aizawa says it's near the house and they can walk the rest of the day. It's not as quiet as they thought it would be at 4:40 am, there's birds starting to wake up and even some people already awake and heading to work. Aizawa got a message from Kaminari saying that Iida and Todoroki were searching around and that Yuudai hadn't returned yet.
"Aizawa-sensei," Midoriya yawns, "Do you really know Kojiko-kun's exact address?"
Aizawa frowns, he now realized that these kids would probably end up falling asleep in class. A minor consequence for finding Yuudai, but still something he didn't want happening. At least he was able to have a bit control for a more relaxed day for Class 1-A but he wouldn't be able to help Shinso in his class.
"There!" Kirishima says quietly and directs their attention to a park a few blocks to their right.
Sitting on the railing, facing away from them, was Yuudai. He looks the same as he always does when he sits on the wall; like he wasn't looking at the same thing everyone else was seeing. He's sitting on the railings that block the dirt entrance to the park, swinging his legs and doing something with his hands. Midoriya barely notices a plastic bag hanging from his arm.
"Kojiko!" Kirishima shouts with a smile.
Midoriya stops Kirishima from running towards him.
He looks sideways at Midoriya, "Midoriya?"
"It's the same," Midoriya says in a normal voice, not quieted down or anything.
"Same as what?" Kirishima looks back at Yuudai.
Midoriya's eyes fill with concern, "At the hospital, he sits on the garden wall sometimes. Whenever he does...it's like he's not there anymore and he never really talks about what he thinks about or what he's doing at that time. He just does it and after a while he's back to normal."
"So you let him sit?" Shinso asks.
Midoriya smiles, "We don't know what else to do."
Kirishima waves his arms in Yuudai direction, "Isn't it really unhealthy to just let your thoughts stir and build up? How am I supposed to just stand here and watch?"
"The thing is…" Midoriya starts then stops.
Kirishima marches towards Yuudai, Midoriya and Aizawa following him closely. Kirishima hops over the railing and plops down next to Yuudai, who doesn't react to Kirishima's presence. Midoriya follows Kirishima's lead and sits on another railing on the other side of Yuudai while Aizawa settles for leaning on a wall nearby. Shinso takes the spot next to Midoriya, the railings can only fit two people comfortably.
"Kojiko?" Kirishima speaks softly.
Yuudai doesn't respond but he keeps looking at the slide on the playground. Yuudai's eyes drift around and eventually he moves, startling Kirishima a little. He opens the plastic bag around his arm and pulls out a box of blue popsicles. He meets Kirishima's eyes then hands him one, also giving one to Midoriya and Shinso, saving one for himself. The box was a pack of four.
"Ooo, is this for me?" Kirishima gladly takes the popsicle, although he did think it was a little early for popsicles, "Thanks, Kojiko."
Yuudai doesn't respond but he nods, he seems less distant now.
"Kojiko-kun," Midoriya whispers, "Isn't it a bit early for popsicles?"
Shinso gladly takes the sugar, he would need something to keep him awake. Maybe the convenience store would have something with caffeine...
Kirishima unwraps his and grins, "It's fine isn't it? Hurry up or it'll melt, Midoriya."
Midoriya glances at Yuudai before eating his popsicle. Yuudai only starts eating once he can see that both Kirishima, Shinso, and Midoriya have opened theirs. He swings his legs and stares at the slide again.
"So," Kirishima says through a bite of popsicle, "why're you out here so early, Kojiko?"
Yuudai takes in a deep breath and sighs.
"I just felt...something," Yuudai says quietly.
Midoriya holds his breath, wondering if that was all there was.
Kirishima keeps smiling, "It's not good to scare everyone like that dude. You're gonna make Aizawa-sensei go grey."
That gets a small laugh out of Yuudai.
"Actually, he managed to get everyone together to look for you," Shinso mentions quietly, "Called me at 2am and asked me to go to Midoriya-kun's house."
Yuudai tilts his head, "Why'd he do that?"
"I dunno," Shinso shrugs, "Aizawa-sensei does care about his students, though."
Kirishima nods enthusiastically, "If anything Aizawa-sensei protects his students like cats."
"Cats?"
"You didn't know?" Kirishima smiles, "Aizawa-sensei likes cats, apparently Ashido saw him rescue a cat from a dog a few weeks ago. He'll worry and watch but only step in if we're in danger."
"It's only a little strange that he'd wake us all up," Midoriya adds on, "He's probably worried that we're all going to fall asleep in class today."
"I can hear you," Aizawa says loudly.
Yuudai looks over his shoulder, "We know."
Kirishima chomps down the rest of his ice, "So, why the popsicles?"
Yuudai smiles softly and goes back to looking at the playground, "It's just a thing that I used to do with my parents."
"A tradition?" Midoriya guesses.
Yuudai chuckles, "Sure."
"So blue popsicles for breakfast?" Kirishima grins, "Sounds like a good way to start a birthday."
Yuudai stares at Kirishima, "You remembered?"
"Well, yeah," Kirishima shrugs, "It's your birthday and you're my friend. How could I forget?" Kirishima smacks his forehead, "I forgot your present at home!"
Yuudai laughs, "How could you forget if you didn't even know you'd be here?"
Kirishima and Midoriya laugh with him, "I'll get it to you at school, then."
"When did you even have time to buy me anything?"
"I went with Bakugou after school yesterday," Kirishima grins, "I think you'll like it."
Yuudai gasps a little, "Oooo, you made Bakugou buy me a present?"
Kirishima smiles sheepishly, "It's more like I dragged him along. But he did help me pick what to get you!"
Midoriya hums, "I got you something, too! But it's amazing that you got Kacchan to buy Kojiko a present."
Yuudai eats the rest of his popsicle and stands up, "You guys really didn't have to buy me anything."
Aizawa steps forwards and grunts, "I've informed the others that we found you. They're heading home to get a little more sleep before school. We should do the same."
Midoriya nods, "Shinso-kun and Yuudai-kun probably haven't slept at all."
"I slept in the car," Shinso argues.
Yuudai flips the popsicles stick between his fingers, "I'm surprised you found out I was out here. Normally the nurses don't check on me until six or seven."
Aizawa huffs, "What were you even thinking? I thought you learned your lesson from the Sports Festival."
Yuudai looks at the ground, "I already said I thought I wouldn't get caught."
"Well you did," Aizawa retorts, "Now let's get going."
"Okay," the four sleepy students say and shuffle their way back to the car.
"So you came out here at 2am," Kirishima starts casually, "Did you have something to do?"
Yuudai shrugs, "I got a little homesick, can you blame me?"
"Kojiko-kun, there's plenty of ways we could have done this," Midoriya sighs.
Shinso yawns, "Like not at 5am."
Yuudai smiles sheepishly, "I didn't mean to get you guys involved, sorry."
"Don't apologize," Kirishima grins, "I got a free popsicle, I think that's a good trade."
"Actually," Shinso raises his hand up a little, "I seriously want to know why exactly this couldn't have waited until after school."
Yuudai takes a breath, "The hospital was too quiet and I couldn't sleep, that's it. Really."
"Kojiko-kun…" Midoriya looks at Yuudai's eyes.
"Really," Yuudai stares back at Midoriya, "That's all there is. I couldn't sleep and I wanted to come back here."
"You wanted to go home," Kirishima restates and shrugs when Midoriya looks at him in a way that says 'a little too blunt,' "There's no other way to say it. I mean, being cooped up in a hospital for two and a half years would make me want to go home, too."
Yuudai huffs a laugh, "I guess so, yeah. Home."
"Sorry," Kirishima realizes he may have stumbled on a sensitive topic, "Was I out of line? Ahhh, how unmanly of me."
Yuudai waves it off, "It's fine, Kirishima-kun. You hit it right on the head. My mom works late and I wanted to see her so I snuck out. It's just strange to celebrate my birthday without my parents. My mom...she's the only family I've got left and she doesn't even remember me."
"In that case," Shinso grins, "I heard Yamada-sensei say something interesting."
Aizawa lifts his head up, it couldn't be?
"Hmm?" Yuudai tilts his head, "You mean Present Mic?"
Shinso nods, "Yeah, him. I heard him talking to Aizawa-sensei after our training and I think, if I heard correctly, that Aizawa-sensei's your legal guardian right now!"
Yuudai almost trips over his own feet and Aizawa just sighs, maybe he wanted it to be a secret? Yuudai stares at Aizawa, who's walking ahead by a few steps.
"You're joking, right?" Yuudai gapes, "No waayyy. Eraser Head, did you actually, really, in fact, take me as your ward?"
"It's more like the position was assigned to me," Aizawa grumbles.
Yuudai bounces to walk next to Aizawa, "Does that mean you're like my dad now? Do I call you-"
"No. No, no, no," Aizawa cuts him off, "I'm just your guardian."
Yuudai seems even happier, "You're my teacher and my parental figure! Like that dude from-"
"I'm not Iron Man and you're not Spider Man," Aizawa says immediately.
"I was gonna say something else but that works," Yuudai smiles, "I'm surprised to hear you know American films."
Midoriya nods, "You really don't look like the type of person to watch superhero films, Sensei."
Aizawa mumbles, "Yamada likes watching American films."
"You watch them with him?" Yuudai teases.
"Sometimes."
Yuudai, Midoriya, Kirishima, and Shinso exchange glances.
"Well, we should hurry and get everyone home," Kirisima breaks the silence first.
Midoriya nods, "Right, we should hurry."
Aizawa looked slightly more grumpy while driving as Shinso decided to play an American Superhero Film Soundtrack playlist he found online. For the first ten minutes of the drive, the four students, crammed into Aizawa's car, danced all their energy away. They all fall asleep soon after the fourth song starts. Aizawa only slightly regrets waking everyone up at 2am.