"Remind me again why we're the ones taking care of All Might?" Shouta sighed, glancing at the rear view mirror to check if the four year old was still strapped into his car seat. Baby Yagi was excitedly staring out the window, pointing out all of the large buildings and waving to other cars that passed by their own.
"Because the UA staff figured he needed someone to protect him while he's under the age regression quirk," Hizashi sighed, flicking on the turn signal to pull onto the path leading to their apartment. "You can't leave a high profile hero like All Might by himself when he's this vulnerable. He might be retired, but there are sure to be villains that would still want to get their hands on him."
"Yeah, but why us?" Shouta mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he reminded himself to breathe through his frustration.
"Because… well, Nemuri thought… you know why, Shouta! Don't make me say it!" Hizashi hissed, his grip on his steering wheel tightening as his face heated up.
The whole staff office was fussing over a tiny Yagi this morning when the hero had a run in with a villain with an age regression quirk. Snipe had been sent to pick up the former number one hero from the police station and was met with an uproar from his coworkers when he spotted four year old Yagi sitting in his arms.
Nemuri had wasted no time running to the nearby mall to buy a small All Might onesie for Yagi, screaming in delight when he gave her the thumbs up and his signature smile, thanking her for the gift. Needless to say, the students were just as chaotic. Midoriya had nearly fainted when Yagi had referred to him as "Midoriya-niichan". Kirishima and Denki enthusiastically showed off flashy battle moves while the girls insisted on taking multiple group photos with the small child.
It was a strange day at UA. Yagi had spent a majority of his time helping the staff members organize the office. He'd also bring cups of warm tea to the teachers whenever they sat down at their desk after teaching their class. Yagi had even run to the cafeteria to bring back a set meal for Shouta when he had seen him eat nothing but juice pouches throughout the day.
By the end of the day, Nedzu had decided to place young Yagi in the care of Shouta and Hizashi. Shouta had protested. Why in the world would they think the sleep deprived and loudmouth duo would be the most logical choice to take care of All Might? After Shouta reined in the urge to fight the whole staff in hand to hand combat to let the victor decide Yagi's living situation, Nedzu had intervened and stated that it made sense to have two heroes watch over the young hero during this time. It was double the protection and out of all the staff members, their apartment had the most space since the two lived together.
"Oh, and Midnight had volunteered you two! She said it would be a great way to complete your marriage! So, it's settled then!"
Shouta nearly broke the door handle as he pulled himself out of the car while recalling their prior conversation. Leave it to Nemuri to give him and Hizashi a kid to deal with. Being a teacher was one thing but taking care of a toddler was another. To make matters worse, the kid had to be his coworker, the symbol of peace, the man who was the polar opposite of himself.
"Stop moping so much," Hizashi sighed, grabbing a few bags of supplies out of the back trunk of the car. "It doesn't hurt to get the parental experience."
Shouta rolled his eyes as his husband wiggled his eyebrows at him. He unbuckled Yagi from the baby seat and was greeted with extended arms and wide, expectant blue eyes. He ignored the small "aww" he heard from Hizashi as he picked up Yagi and held him in his arms.
"Plus we were told the quirk shouldn't last more than a few days. It'll be fun to act like a small little family," Hizashi said, bumping his elbow against Shouta.
"We already are a small little family," Shouta sighed, adjusting baby Yagi in his arms as he pulled out their house keys.
"You're really counting our cat?"
"You're not?" Shouta huffed in annoyance.
"Come on, this'll be fun," Hizashi said, slipping off his boots to join Shouta in their apartment. "May as well enjoy it instead of moping about it."
"Tadaima!"
Shouta and Hizashi flinched at the unexpected outburst, turning their heads to see Yagi smiling brightly at them.
"It's what you say when you're home!" he said, fidgeting in Shouta's arms to escape his hold. Once Shouta put him down, he nearly rushed into the apartment until Shouta grabbed his arm.
"Hey, take off your shoes, kid!" Shouta scolded, sighing when Yagi replied with a quiet "oh yeah". He quickly removed his shoes and ran to explore the living room.
"I'll let you take care of our new kid while I get his room ready," Hizashi said, laughing as he dashed to Shouta's old room before he could receive a response. Yagi was going to stay in Shouta's old room. It had become a guest room ever since Shouta and Hizashi had decided to share a bedroom together.
If stares could kill, Hizashi assumed the glare he was receiving right now would destroy him instantly.
"Papa Hizashi will be joining you shortly!" Shouta heard Hizashi scream down the hallway. He fought down the urge to strangle his husband, suddenly questioning the legitimacy of their marriage.
Sighing loudly, Shouta loosened his capture weapon as he flicked on the lights to the living room. He found Yagi lifting up the couch cushions in curiosity before gently stuffing them back into place. His eyes immediately lit up when he heard soft pattering on the wooden floor.
"Kitty!" Yagi exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he spotted the brown, long haired cat run pass the living room to quickly rub itself against Shouta's legs. He was met with a hiss when Yagi ran to try and pet him.
"Woah, careful!" Shouta muttered, quickly lifting the cat up before it could pounce at the small child. Yagi stood on his toes, trying to reach the cat that Shouta was holding, the hood of his All Might onesie falling off from jumping up and down.
After watching the cat jump onto Shouta's shoulders to distance himself from the four year old, Yagi's jumping slowed. His eyebrows furrowed sadly as he frowned and tugged back on his hood.
"Does he not like me?" he asked dejectedly.
Shouta was speechless as he stared into Yagi's disheartened blue eyes. It briefly reminded him of the face he received when Yagi would come to him for advice on how to fix an error on his computer.
"That's okay. I don't want to bother him," he said when he was met with silence, pouting his lower lip as he turned his gaze to the wooden floor.
Shouta grit his teeth at the sad display that any ordinary person would call "cute". He watched Yagi straighten out his shirt, his head drooping as he went back to play with the couch cushion.
Sighing for the 30th time today, Shouta pulled the cat off his shoulders, cradling it in his arms as he made his way to the kitchen to pull out a bag of cat treats. The brown cat in his arms immediately perked up, meowing softly as he tilted its head up and stared at Shouta as if he were the most perfect person in the world.
"You have to earn it," Shouta whispered, quickly kissing the top of the cat's head when he was sure no one was looking.
He made his way back to the living room and took a seat on the couch, his cat continuously "meowing" and pawing gently at him. Yagi stopped going through their DVD collection and turned to curiously stare at the erasure hero.
"Come here," Shouta said, patting the seat next to him before turning to face their cat and muttering a quick, "and you need to behave."
Yagi cautiously climbed onto the sofa, nervously eyeing the cat that was studying his every move. The cat's attention immediately turned away from him when Shouta popped open the bag of cat treats. Shouta took out a piece, pushing the cat's face away gently as he broke it in half and handed it to Yagi. He was met with a pair of puzzled eyes, tilting his head to the side in question.
Shouta huffed, lowering the treat into reaching distance. The cat quickly took it out of his hands, pouncing off his lap to eat his winnings on the wooden floorboards.
"Just wait. He'll come back for your's next," Shouta instructed. As Yagi watched the cat eat, he vigorously nodded, sitting up straighter as he waited patiently for the cat to return to the couch. Just as Shouta had predicted, the cat eventually finished its treat, licking its paws and whiskers as it turned back to face the pair. It gracefully hopped back up into Shouta's lap, rubbing itself against his black jumpsuit before twitching its nose at the treat in Yagi's hands.
"Kitty, here," Yagi spoke softly, trying his best not to scare the cat away. He held out the treat in his palms, quietly waiting for the cat to approach him. The cat cautiously stalked over, picked up the treat, and retreated back into Shouta's lap.
As the cat nibbled on the treat, Yagi slowly reached out his hand. The cat paused, sniffing his hand before turning back to finish the rest of the treat. Yagi hesitated, turning his gaze to Shouta as if asking for permission to pet the cat.
Shouta raised an eyebrow, gesturing with his head to continue.
Yagi turned his attention back to the cat, gently petting the soft brown fur. He immediately broke out into a smile, delighted with his small accomplishment.
"Kitty likes it!" Yagi said, smiling contently as he continued to pet the cat.
"His name is 'Meatball'," Shouta hummed, a hint of a smile escaping his demeanor as he watched his house cat begin to purr in his lap.
The sound of footsteps was heard in their hallway, indicating that Hizashi was done tidying up the room.
"I see that softie smile," he heard Hizashi tease as his husband made his way over to them. He squeezed his way between Shouta and the edge of the couch, ignoring the glare he received from his partner.
"You're done with the room?"
"Yeah, it's not like it took long. All I did was put away his clothes and toys and made the bed," Hizashi said, throwing his arm around Shouta to pull him into a loose hug.
After a few minutes of cuddling, Shouta eventually turned on the television, leaving Yagi in the living room with Meatball. The two started using his capture weapon as a toy. Meatball pawed at the scarf as Yagi attempted to throw it, successfully tangling himself in it. Shouta decided to confiscate it to avoid accidentally choking the kid, trading him his yellow goggles to play with instead.
While Yagi busied himself in the living room, he and Hizashi took the time to change out of their hero costumes, shower, and make a quick dinner. They eventually all squeezed back onto the couch to watch a cartoon with Yagi as they ate their fried rice. Shouta forgot how messy kids were, finding himself constantly having to wipe Yagi's mouth whenever he spoke with his mouth full to point out something on the television screen. It didn't help when the voice hero nearly spit out his food at a particular funny scene.
It's like taking care of two kids instead of one, Shouta thought as he threw a napkin into Hizashi's face.
After finishing their dinner and tidying up, the two helped clean Yagi off in the bathtub. Shouta had planned for it to last no more than 15 minutes, but once Hizashi playfully sprayed Yagi with the shower head, it became an all out water war. It left Shouta soaked in his fresh t-shirt and pajama pants. He banned Hizashi from the bathroom, kicking him out and throwing a towel in his face, yelling at him to "dry off and go to bed".
Once Yagi was changed into his All Might printed pajamas and had his hair blow dried, Shouta lead the four year old to his temporary room to tuck him into bed. He cringed at the Present Mic plushie that was left on top of the pillow. Leave it to his husband to give out his own merchandise. He double checked that the nightlight was on and assured him that his and Hizashi's bedroom were just across the hall.
Receiving a small nod in response, Shouta left the bedroom door open a crack. He crawled into bed with Hizashi, receiving a light kiss to the cheek in greeting as he settled under the covers. He turned off the lamp and closed his eyes.
Shouta must have dozed off for a moment during this time because by the time he woke up, he heard raindrops pelting their window, lightning flashing briefly followed by a loud roar. He blurrily blinked his sleep filled eyes as he heard a few knocks on their bedroom door.
"Hizashi, someone's at the door," Shouta slurred, elbowing his husband who woke with a snort.
"Huh, what's going on?" Hizashi mumbled, lifting his head up to see Yagi peek through their door. The four year old was holding the Present Mic plushie to his chest while his other hand was apprehensively gripping his blanket.
"I am here," Yagi said nervously.
The phrase made Shouta sit up, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Was the age regression quirk wearing off? No one had taught the kid his signature hero catch phrase.
He was broken out of his thoughts with another clap of thunder lightly echoing through their bedroom. He didn't miss how Yagi flinched at the noise.
Hizashi yawned, mustering a sweet smile through his sleep addled state.
"It's pretty scary out there right now. Why don't you come sleep with us?" Hizashi said, his voice lower than usual from just being woken up. "Shouta and I could use the extra protection."
Yagi didn't need to be asked twice. He quickly fumbled his way into bed with the two, finding his place between the two of them in the middle of the bed.
Shouta blinked in confusion as he felt the small child press himself close against his chest, the feeling of the Present Mic plush's hair being pressed against his shirt.
"Good night!" Yagi said, nuzzling against his human shield.
Shouta weakly glared at Hizashi who was snickering at his predicament.
With a sigh and a gruff "yeah, good night", Shouta loosely threw his arm over the small body, gently patting his back as he slowly dozed off again.
He prayed that Yagi would forget about this when he returned to his normal state. But as far as things went, taking care of a four year old Yagi with Hizashi wasn't so bad.