This was Shota Aizawa's worst nightmare. Being stuck in this overly large building with what felt like every hero in the country. Plus more members of the press than he ever wanted to see. There were more here than outside the school after they learned All Might was going to be teaching there.

"Hey," an elbow nudged his arm. "Quit looking so glum. This is exciting!"

Leave it to Hizashi Yamada to find anything positive about this place. Aizawa sighed as his gaze flickered around the large auditorium. Most of the UA teachers were sitting near the front in a section roped off for them. Heroes from the other schools were seated around them.

"Aizawa is here! Hey, Aizawa! Hey!" the voice of Ms. Joke called. Numerous eyes turned toward them, and Aizawa felt himself shrinking into his capture weapon that was wrapped around his neck like a scarf. At least he tried to. Someone wrapped an arm around his shoulders, nestling their arm into what was supposed to be his sanctuary and forcing him out of it.

"Say hi," Hizashi reprimanded. His attempt to be serious was ruined by the huge grin on his face. Aizawa glared at those cheerful eyes hiding behind the colored glasses. "Come on. Don't be rude."

"Hi," Aizawa said in a low voice.

"You asked for it," Hizashi warned as he turned his head. "HE SAYS HI!"

Hizashi didn't have his quirk activated, but might as well have because he was shouting directly into Aizawa's ear. The pro hero flinched and felt his scowl deepening.

"Will you knock it off?" Aizawa demanded.

"DOES HE WANT TO GET MARRIED?" Ms. Joke responded. Aizawa felt his cheeks burning as he tried to slide further into his capture weapon, but Hizashi's arm was firmly around his neck. It was normally a romantic gesture, but this didn't feel so romantic. Just suffocating.

"NOT UNLESS IT IS TO ME!"

He knew the night was going to end in a migraine, but he didn't think it was going to be so soon. Nor by Hizashi trying to yell his ear off. Ms. Joke bounded toward them and grinned, "Hey hey, Hizashi. Don't let the grumpy head here ruin the night!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Hizashi said as he kissed Aizawa's temple, and if the man's cheeks weren't burning before, they were on fire now.

"What has gotten into you?" Aizawa complained as he slipped out of his husband's grasp.

"We never get to go out in public," Hizashi stated. "And besides, none of the reporters are looking this way. We can have a real date for once."

Aizawa grunted. They had real dates once a month at the least. And he made sure they had dinner together once or twice a week. Even when things were getting chaotic. He understood why Hizashi wanted to be a couple in public for once.

But this was not the place. This wasn't Aizawa and Hizashi going on a date. Their hero costumes meant it was Present Mic and Eraserhead going out. Which was irrational. No one could know that Eraserhead had feelings for anyone. Nor that Present Mic had a husband.

Each hero had villains that hated their guts and wanted to hurt them. The last thing Aizawa wanted was for one of his enemies to attempt to hurt him through Hizashi. Or worse, he would have to deal with an enemy of Present Mic. All of them were loud and obnoxious. Each wanted to prove they were louder than the loudest man that Aizawa had ever met.

It was bad enough that Eraserhead had gained more of a reputation thanks to the attacks on the UA. He wanted to stay in the shadows. Stay hidden. No one needed to know that there was a man behind the myth. That the ghost was simply flesh and bone.

"I'LL CATCH YOU TWO LATER! HEY, MIDNIGHT!"

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep breath, A hand pressed against his back, and Hizashi moved closer to him, "Sorry. I got caught up in the moment. The atmosphere."

"It's okay," Aizawa sighed. He slid his hand into Hizashi's and squeezed it. "I know you can get overexcited. After all, you did rank one hundred and forty two."

"You hear that! Looking at one hundred and forty two!" Hizashi exclaimed. The top three hundred heroes, excluding the top ten, had been released at the start of the day. A curious glance over the list showed that the name Eraserhead was nowhere to be found.

Most UA teachers were ranked around the one hundred mark. Though, there were exceptions like Midnight. And All Might of course before his retirement. Principal Nezu had even managed to rank in the top fifty, though that probably has something to do with the most recent incident that involved a group of hostages and Nezu of all heroes saving the day.

"Let's go out to eat after this," Aizawa decided as he looked at Hizashi. A grin grew on his husband's face. "After we change of course."

"And sit back and enjoy the show," Hizashi said. Aizawa rolled his eyes. They all knew what was going to happen. A few in the top ten would move up or down in ranking. Endeavor would take the number one spot. Not that Aizawa could see the flame hero anywhere.

"Why do they have to make an event out of this anyway?" Aizawa asked as they took their seats. He gave various nods to his fellow teachers and other heroes that were around. He noticed a few members of the press seemed to be trying to slink their way further back into the auditorium.

"To lift the mood after the events of the last few months," Nemuri commented as she sat in front of them.

"Hey, Midnight," Hizashi said as he waved. "I got Grumpy to get out of the house."

Aizawa simply nodded a greeting to her. He settled back in his seat and crossed his arms. Despite the noise of all the heroes talking and the press trying to get various interviews or scoops, he felt his body relaxing. His head lulled forward.

It felt like he blinked and was awake a moment later. And he didn't feel as rested as he normally did after a small nap. It felt like he hadn't even taken one at all. His eyes darted to the side as he noticed Hizashi sitting forward, full attention on the stage.

Aizawa blinked a few times and looked around. Most of the pro heroes were sitting, and the rest of the press was finding their seats. It seemed as if the show was starting. It would be easy to slip into a nap. But as he settled back in his seat, he found himself unable to keep his eyes closed.

It was an odd sensation. Normally, he fought to keep his eyes open at a time like this. Just sitting in one place meant that sleep was only moments away. Except now. Which bothered him because he didn't want to show up in the first place. He only did it because Hizashi begged so much.

Aizawa found himself absentmindedly playing with his capture weapon. He hardly paid attention to the words on stage. The woman that spoke, some newscaster on Japan's most popular station, had an enthusiastic smile as she greeted everyone and thanked them for coming or tuning in.

Her words were buzzing in his ears. Something about All Might retiring and it being a shame and they had a new list. Not that Aizawa paid them any attention. He just played with his capture weapon and hummed to himself.

"And with that, let us introduce our top ten heroes as voted on by the nation. At number ten: Ryukyu!"

"She's so cool," Hizashi whispered as he leaned on Aizawa. Both of them stared at the screen on the stage as it showed a picture of Ryukyu in her dragoon form. The hero stood from her seat and started to walk toward the stage as the room filled with respectful clapping. "I wish I could fly like her."

Aizawa grunted. While he would agree that Ryukyu was cool, her quirk was too flashy for his liking. It left her too exposed. Though he did get to ride on her back for a joint mission. Hizashi had been so jealous.

"And the number eight hero: Wash!"

"Love that guy," Hizashi said as he nudged Aizawa. While Aizawa loved Wash as well, he would never admit it out loud. And he was more focused on how he must have zoned out as he missed who the number nine hero was.

Not that he cared.

And so the list continued. Aizawa hardly paid attention as his gaze lazily swept across the auditorium. It seemed like everyone that he knew was here. And more. It almost felt like all of Japan was stuffed into this auditorium. Aizawa let out a deep breath. This was fine. This was not suffocating at all.

Oh, who was he kidding? There were too many people here. Too many people around. Hell, there were too many in the row. It felt like everyone was staring at him even though they had their rapt attention on the stage.

Everyone was focused on the announced heroes. Cheering as they walked to the stage and staying silent as a small speech of thanks was given. After the hero spoke, they lined up on the stage and waited patiently.

It was such a waste of time. Aizawa could be doing anything else. Playing with cats. Sleeping! Anything besides sitting here and feeling like everyone kept glancing over at him. He started to bring his finger to his mouth to chew on the nails, but he stopped himself and instead pulled at his capture weapon.

He shifted every few seconds, and his leg kept brushing against Hizashi. His husband paid no attention, instead staring at the stage. It didn't even bother him as Aizawa's fingers began tapping on both of their knees. It was a clear sign he needed Hizashi.

But his husband only had eyes for the stage. Aizawa tried to settle back in his seat. Maybe it was because of the USJ that he didn't like to be in large spaces like this. Or maybe it was just the day itself throwing him off. Having this many heroes in such a proximity was just daring a bold villain.

Aizawa breathed a sigh of relief as Hawks was announced as the number two hero. That meant they would announce Endeavor as the number one hero soon, and he could slip out the back without drawing too much attention. The media would love the story of Endeavor finally realizing his dream of becoming the number one hero.

Hawks' speech was focused on his approval rating, and Aizawa had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. These young heroes didn't understand. Being flashy only meant so much, and it wasn't sustainable. Hawks was going to fly too close to the sun one day.

There was louder and longer clapping and even some cheers from some of the sections as Hawks finished his speech. If there was one thing the man had, it was charisma. Maybe, Aizawa could slip out now while everyone was focused on the number two hero. The problem was that he was in the middle of the long row, and it wouldn't be a simple task of slipping by everyone without causing a ruckus.

"Thank you, Hawks. Or should I say Mr. Number Two," the newscaster said. Hawks winked at her before stepping to his place in line. Finally. The newscaster looked back at the crowd with a huge grin on her face.

"And the moment that you all have been waiting for..." the anticipation in the air was palatable. Almost everyone in the room held their breath. Aizawa sighed as he slunk down in his seat. Could they just get this over with? "The number one hero in Japan is... Eraserhead?!"

Aizawa's blood turned cold as he processed the words. He stared at the screen on the stage as it showed a picture of him in his hero costume. There weren't many pictures of him in uniform throughout the years as he did his damnedest to avoid media attention.

But the picture shown on stage was directly from the feed of their final exams where he faced off against Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. His trademark goggles were pulled slightly above his eyes, and a smirk was on his face. This wasn't a picture that could be grabbed off of the internet. It must have been given to them directly by Nezu.

The traitorous bastard.

And now, every eye in the building was turning to face him. None of this made sense. He was an underground hero. The media hardly knew his face, and the most he had ever done was be questioned by reporters after Bakugo was kidnapped. And that certainly didn't help his popularity.

So why and how had he won this?

"Come on!" Hizashi said as he slapped Aizawa's knee. Before Aizawa could protest, he was being pulled to his feet. Everyone in the room and everyone in Japan had their eyes focused on him. His pulse started to race, and he had to get out of there.

"Don't be shy!" Hizashi said as he gave Aizawa a gentle shove.

"I told you people didn't hate you," Nemuri called from behind him.

"THAT'S THE MAN I'M GOING TO MARRY!" Ms Joke shouted from across a few rows. She said something else he couldn't make out, but people were laughing. So she must have activated her quirk. Or they were laughing at him.

Because he was the number one hero?

Because he was nothing more than a joke who could hardly defend his students. Who let Bakugo get captured?

He didn't deserve this award. And it wasn't like he cared about it anyway.

All he cared about was getting all of these eyes off of him. Cameras seemed to be pointing at him in every direction as everyone waited for him to walk onto the stage and give some kind of speech. Aizawa's heart jumped to his throat.

Someone, maybe Hizashi, forced him forward and into the walkway. His legs moved on their own as he slowly made his way to the stage, which seemed to be getting further and further away. Heroes all around him were muttering. Some asking who he was. Others lamenting his failures.

The reporters were practically pushing over each other, asking him so many questions his brain couldn't keep track. Cameras flashed all around.

He didn't want to be the center of attention. He had to get out of here. Needed to get out of here. He-

Aizawa's eyes snapped open, and panicked breaths left him. He could still see the reporters at the edges of his vision, asking a million questions. He could still hear the comments from the other heroes.

He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. The arm around his waist tightened. He exhaled and reopened his eyes, focusing on the wall in front of him. He was at his home.

"Sho..."

"I'm fine," Aizawa said as he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He moved his palm to his eye to rub the sleep away. "Just a nightmare."

"Nightmare," Hizashi repeated as he slipped his arm under Aizawa's back and pulled him closer. Aizawa hummed and allowed the movement to roll him on his side as he tried to force himself to relax. "What kind of nightmare?"

"That I became the number one hero."

"Ha! That one again?!"

"It's not funny."

"Were you dressed up in a suit? Did you have to give a speech? Did you vomit on stage again?" Hizashi interrogated as he pulled away completely and sat up in bed. Aizawa sighed and buried his face into his pillow. "Tell me all the details! Wait. What number was I?"

"One hundred forty two."

"Eventually, I'll rank in the top ten. Then I can warm up the crowd for you," Hizashi teased. "Now, come on. Tell me all the details."

"No," Aizawa grunted. He flickered his eyes up. Despite the grin on Hizashi's face, there was tension in his shoulders. In his eyes. Like he thought the nightmare was going to be much worse. "You'll be back to number two hundred in no time."

"As long as you're number one," Hizashi said as he collapsed back onto the bed, throwing himself onto Aizawa. "Just know that you are the number one in my heart."
"Go back to sleep."

"Next time you have the dream, you can make me number two! Or I can be number one and you be-"

"Shut up."

"Are you mad at me for what I did in your dream?" Hizashi asked as his tone became more serious.

"I'm not mad at you for ignoring me in my dream," Aizawa commented, which wasn't a total lie. He was more hurt than mad. Even if it had been a figment of his own imagination. Hizashi pushed himself up on the bed and stared down at Aizawa's face.

"Well, that's how you know it's not real. I would never ignore you," Hizashi whispered. He gently kissed Aizawa's forehead. "Not when you're having a panic attack and don't want to admit it. Not when you're overwhelmed by your senses. Not when you're grumpy. And especially not when you become the number one hero."

Aizawa rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt, but he couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. Hizashi fully collapsed onto him and sighed, "Was Emi there?"

"It's what makes it a nightmare after all," Aizawa answered.

"You can admit that you like her as a friend. Especially after you two stopped that jewel thief," Hizashi whispered.

"Worst team up of my life," Aizawa commented as he wrapped both arms around his husband. They rested their foreheads together. "If it makes you feel better, you were just annoying in the nightmare as you are in real life."

"And I bet you were just as grouchy," Hizashi returned. Aizawa rolled his eyes and pulled his husband close. His body started to relax. He should have known it wasn't real the second Hizashi ignored him. But now, all that mattered was that they were here together.

None of his thoughts could hurt him. Not when he was wrapped up with someone who had enough confidence for both of them. Not when Hizashi never gave up him. Hizashi looked at him, "I was thinking. We should go out tomorrow. We have to celebrate you becoming number one after all."

Aizawa groaned and laid his head back, "You're incorrigible."

"And here I was thinking you were going to call me irrational," Hizashi commented. He grinned down at Aizawa. "But, you love me."

A genuine smile came to Aizawa's face before he captured his husband's lips in a kiss, "Yeah. I do."