Aizawa X Poc!reader - Tumblr Posts

dry wells

summary: being dependable is hard when you have no one to fall back on. you learn that the hard way. aizawa is there to remind you that all you have to do is ask. 

word count: 3.0 k

pairing(s): aizawa shouta x reader

genre | includes: stress, comfort, sfw, gender neutral reader, poc friendly reader, one (1) swear word, brief self-deprecation

author’s note: this is my first work on here and it is purely self indulgent. i hope anyone who feels the same way gets some form of comfort and reassurance from this ! please let me know what you think ! also please ignore me mentioning in the heights in absolutely everything i do. i can’t help it lol

Shouta values functional relationships. Quality over quantity, as cliché as it is, is the bread and butter of his social interactions. His brunch meetups and nights on the town are few and far between, but, contrary to common belief, he enjoys them very much. He doesn’t spend extra time around people he dislikes, so if he’s doing anything, he does it with company he enjoys. It’s as simple as that. The amount of people that belong in his circle are small, and the number has been waning gradually over the years. Without question, his closest companions are Hizashi and Nemuri. As fed up as he acts with them, he leaves every moment with them feeling lighter.

Except for when they’re working. He’d never get used to their faculty room antics no matter how hard he tried. And they weren’t the only problem. There's just something about the fluorescent lighting in the school building that drains every ounce of energy from him. Factor all that in with less than 4 hours of sleep and problem children at every corner? Coffee never stood a chance. (That doesn’t mean he’ll stop trying.)

Yes, it was exhausting, but Shouta likes to think he’s got it all under control. At least he knows what to expect. By now, it’s routine; Nemuri gossips about student drama (“Kobayashi Mariko from one of the second year support classes cheated on their girlfriend with a business department third year”), Hizashi reacts at a volume louder than necessary (“You’re kidding. The poor girl must be crushed”), everyone hears and begins to chime in (“I thought they already broke up, I saw her with Kato Misaki from general studies at the mall last weekend” “Well, that doesn’t mean anything. People go to the mall with their friends all the time” “But they kissed” “Tell me you’re joking”), Shouta sighs a deep, aching sigh in preparation for the headache that's about to kick in, and less than a minute later, right on schedule, a low chuckle comes from beside him as you set down a cup of coffee and greet him with a cheeky, “good morning, sunshine”.

Living the life of a hero, constantly stepping out into the world unsure if he’d return, Shouta has come to be appreciative of the slight pleasures in his life. One of those pleasures is you. He couldn’t always afford the luxury of routine, yet there you always were. You were just enough joy to last the day. Gentle when the time calls for it; brutally honest when need be. Comfortable in your skin, you expressed yourself in the way you knew others would understand while being unapologetically yourself. When Shouta started working at UA, he’d shadowed you for a semester, learning your tips and tricks for nurturing the new generation of heroes. Despite graduating the year after him, you’d established an aura of authority and dependability that not even he could ignore. Long after he’d done the same, you still offered your services and assistance in whatever way you could. How you managed to take on other people’s workloads he’d never know, he just knew he was grateful for you. 

You were a different kind of teasing than Nemuri, a tamer happy than Hizashi. You were reliable in every sense and unwavering in your identity. Students flocked to you for advice as you undulated naturally between teacher and older sibling. You could easily take command of a room and just as quickly get everyone laughing. You stomped out defiance and made tiktok references in the same breath. Your presence brought relief; if you were here, everything would be figured out. Everyone just knew no matter what it is, (y/n)’s got it under control. 

So when you shuffled into the faculty room half an hour late, eyes puffy and bloodshot, your usual confidence nowhere in sight, Shouta did a double take. The other teachers were preoccupied with this week’s “tea” (he’d heard Ashido use the term alongside other colloquial phrases he was far too removed to understand) and had yet to notice you. Judging by how you’d flinched at a louder than necessary gasp, it was a good thing. 

What was normally a purposeful strut to the coffee station was now an aimless lumber. You changed course several times as if you’d forgotten the configuration of the room. Your arms were unsure as they unfolded and reached for the pot. From where he sat, Shouta could see your hands shake while pouring your coffee. They hovered over the countertop awkwardly as usual routine became foreign to your distracted mind. You clumsily spilled sugar and whimpered as creamer splashed over the rim of the cup. Your arm knocked over the nearly empty container of stirrers as you reached for napkins and it seemed to be the final straw. Blinking rapidly at the ceiling and taking shaky breaths did nothing to stop the silent tears from burning trails down your cheeks. You sniffled once, twice, and rubbed frantically at your eyes. Shouta wasn’t one for comfort, but leaving you to break down in a high school teacher’s lounge over a cup of coffee at 7:30 am didn’t sit quite right with him. As he stood to confront you (confront sounded violent and all too certain for what he was about to do. What exactly he was about to do, he had no clue), you let out a choked sob and escaped to the door, leaving the coffee and stirrers in disarray on the countertop. 

“What’s wrong with (y/n)?” someone asked, as you pushed past Vlad and made a mad dash to somewhere beyond the lounge’s field of vision. Shouta was too preoccupied with packing his files and following you to check who said it. 

Sometimes Shouta forgets that you’re also a stealth hero, but moments like this remind him (he says “moments like this” like this happens often. He wouldn’t be chasing after you if this wasn’t out of the ordinary- if he wasn’t concerned). You were fast and, by God, were you hard to find. It didn’t help that classes started in less than half an hour and the early-bird students had started wandering campus. At least this proved you were more than capable as a hero; even in your distress, you could blend into a crowd with ease. 

He chased your trail until you hit a quiet stairwell and collapsed into a heap of sorrow under the railing. Now that you were within reach, Shouta realized he honestly didn’t know what to do. Operating at night and dwelling in the shadows for the majority of his career, Shouta had broken up trafficking rings, rescued victims of abuse, and toppled organized crime circuits, but comforting his colleague was way above his pay grade. But there was very little about this profession that involved staying in one’s comfort zone. It was as he’d overheard All Might tell Problem Child #1 (they weren’t slick; neither of them could whisper very well, let alone keep secrets), a hero’s body moves before they think. So here he was, body in a forgotten stairwell, mind still in the teacher’s lounge 3 floors and a 5 minute cardio workout away.

He didn’t know how many times he had to say it, but you’d been nothing but dependable. He’d never once had to worry about you. If he thought back far enough, your few encounters with him as UA students served memories of the same. You came just after Hizashi and Nemuri on the list of people he could tolerate, but higher than them at the same time. He wasn’t sure why. 

You always called a cab for him after faculty bar crawls, regardless of whether or not he was sober. You were the first face he saw after the USJ incident at the beginning of the year. You’d often come to his apartment (now his room in the dorms) to keep him company while you both graded papers. Late into an evening of exasperated comments and mood-lightening jokes, you, without fail, would snatch away his stacks of papers and force him to sleep. By the time he woke up, they were graded and organized by student and subject. 

He… liked having you around. Not just because you did things to help him, it was more than that, Shouta just had no idea what else it was. Maybe it was that way that before he entered the cabs you called for him, you always demanded he text you to let you know he was home. It may be hidden in how you would grab his arm when he waved off your worry, and you’d look into the depths of his soul with searching eyes. “I’m serious, Shouta. Promise me,” and he would, because he could never lie to you. 

Maybe the answer lies within the time you told everyone to get rest as you stayed to listen to the nurses explain how to change his bandages when the Nomu left him bedbound. How, like clockwork, you’d knock on his front door, push him onto his couch, and ignore his protests to change the bandages he had been neglecting for school assignments and patrol. Had it been Hizashi, he wouldn’t have made it past the door. Don’t get him wrong, Hizashi is still Shouta’s closest friend, but neither of them would have lasted the period of time it took to properly unwrap, discard, disinfect, apply, and rewrap. It was probably because he knew you’d make it easier that Shouta let you stay. That was definitely it. And it was because he was comfortable around you that he gave you the second spare key to his room. That’s also why he let you detangle his hair while he slept and you finished grading papers under his kotatsu. You made him comfortable and he was grateful, that’s all. Had he ever done anything to pay you back? He was too young for his memory to fail him, so the answer was probably no.

That changed today.

Your shoulders shook more violently as time passed and it made Shouta realize how long he’d been lost in thoughts about you and that he was yet to actually help you. Trance now broken, he took a seat next to your trembling form and inhaled deeply before speaking. 

“Is it okay if I touch you?” stupid stupid stupid stupid why was that the first thing to come out of your mouth what the fuck they’re gonna say no and never speak to you agai-

You looked up abruptly, startling Shouta the slightest bit. You looked… awful. He wasn’t going to sugar coat it. Dried tears left tracks down your cheeks and fresh, hot ones made new trails right through them. Your eyes were hesitant- glossy and unfocused, lips etched in a wobbly frown. Your nose was running and your brows were pinched. Maybe this was more than Shouta signed up for. Before he could back away or call Nemuri or Hizashi for help, you scooted closer to him and wrapped your arms around his torso. When your wet face buried into his shoulder, Shouta sighed once again. When he asked if he could touch you he really only expected to put a consoling hand on your shoulder. Nevertheless, he wrapped his arms around your frame as you shook.

You both sat like that for a short while. No words were exchanged. Just you clinging to the fabric of his clothes and him holding you in place. You counted the dull thudding of your heartbeat. Somewhere in the back of your mind you acknowledged that it was beating in time with Shouta’s. At the calming realization that you weren’t alone, your hiccups slowed and reduced to occasional sniffles. That was good. You began to pull away, wiping at your face. That was not good. Shouta’s mind came to a record scratching halt. Why exactly was it not good? Sure he enjoyed having you in his arms but- no. He was going to stop there. This was much too dangerous a thought path to be going down. He was only here to comfort you. Let’s get back to that. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Shouta looked down at you, still somewhat curled into yourself. Curled into him.

You then sighed and straightened, “I don’t know what there is to talk about. I don’t know what’s wrong. It’s all just too much, I can’t catch a break,” your voice wobbled again for a moment and Shouta was afraid you’d cry again. You swallowed thickly before continuing.

“There’s too much going on and no time to address any of it. Things keep getting piled onto my plate, but I can’t sacrifice the rest of what has to be done. Crime is skyrocketing, we’re switching curriculums, I just got assigned to the Shie Hassaikai case, and my family is in town. On top of that, Hound Dog doesn’t have enough space in his schedule to accommodate the influx of students seeking help, so I’m the temporary counselor. I’m applying for grad school right now and once I start there’s no end in sight,” as you made yourself vulnerable in front of someone for the first time, your voice increased in pitch.

“Everyone is suffering and I feel like I’m the only one who can fix everything, but I can’t. And it frustrates me so much because I always fix everything, so there has to be something wrong with me if I can’t do it now. I’m tired, but I can’t be. I’m drowning but I have to make sure everyone else gets to shore first. I’m scared of letting everyone down.” There. It was all out. Your dirty laundry was out in the open. The words that hung heavy in the air brought clarity as they washed over Shouta like the eye drops you once had to force him to use. He watched in understanding as you sagged against the steps behind you.

Of course you felt like you couldn’t catch a break. You were doing everything for everyone all the time. Everyone could depend on you but who could you depend on? Shouta cursed himself internally for not picking up the signs earlier. He prides himself on his perceptiveness, but he couldn’t see that one of his closest companions was working themselves to the bone. He was doing a terrible job. But there would be time to berate himself later, you were his priority right now.

“There’s only so much one person can give. A well has no use when it’s run dry. It doesn’t make sense for you to do everything in the name of pleasing others. You’re entitled to being selfish. You can say no. Nobody will fault you for it. You are a good person regardless of whether or not you help whenever the opportunity arises. You’ve done more than enough to last several lifetimes. Everyone cannot rely on you all the time. You cannot shoulder everyone’s burdens. Don’t forget that you can ask for help too,” that was more than Shouta had said at once in at least a week. How special were you?

“Does that mean I’m allowed to rely on you?” you peeked at him from the corner of your eyes, trying to conceal… something. Was it hope? Relief? Admiration? Whatever it was, it made Shouta nervous. He looked away.

“Of course. We’re... coworkers. And you’ve always been helpful, it would be remiss of me not to return the favor,” his words left a soft smile on your face. He hadn’t done much, just told you what you needed to hear. You’d need time to internalize it, but you were already feeling more grounded. And this coworkers thing...

“Just coworkers? You don’t sound so sure,” you teased as the tell-tale glow of red eyes and floating hair from Shouta’s quirk accompanied a light dusting of red on the apples of his cheeks. 

He stood quickly, brushing the dirt from the stairs off of his pants, “Class starts in 10 minutes, you should get cleaned up.”

You chuckled (that was good) and stood beside him. Without a second thought, you grabbed his arm and began to walk in the direction of the faculty room. You didn’t teach during the first period of the day, but he still needed his folders.

“I will. I just wanted to escort my coworker to his classroom first,” you reply cheekily. The pep returned to your step and your heart felt lighter. The only evidence that you had been anything other than happy was the redness of your eyes and the wet splotches in Shouta’s shirt. It felt good to have someone to rely on so you let yourself indulge in the feeling a little longer. You leaned into him as you conversed about everything from lesson plans to the menu Lunch Rush posted for the day.

“That musical you like, In The Heights, they made it into a movie right?” Shouta blurted before he could stop himself. Stupid stupid stupid stupid-

“Yes, they did. Why?” you knew why. You could hardly conceal your smile.

“Would you like to see it this weekend? With me, I mean. We could get coffee after. You deserve the break. Or we could just grade papers because-”

“Because we’re just coworkers right?” you cut him off with a sly smirk as you came to a stop in front of the teacher’s lounge’s doors, “I’d love to. We’ll talk details later, yeah? Class starts in 2 minutes.”

“Okay,”

“Okay,” there was that hesitation in your eyes again. Before Shouta got the chance to analyze what it could have meant, you leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek and turned on your heels. You were going to talk to Nezu about taking a break.

He couldn’t keep the small smile off his face if he tried.

— —

“-And I heard from Rokuda from 3-C who heard from Kobayashi from 3-E who was walking with Takane from 2-D that (y/n) kissed Aizawa in the hallways yesterday.”

“I heard it was a little more than that, I’m talking janitor’s closet” “No” “Don’t shoot the messenger. That’s what I heard from Tsukino from 2-B” “Oh my God”

As you slid the door open, Shouta in tow, you cocked a brow at the quick hushes and suspicious eye-contact from everyone in the room.

“Did I miss something?”

© mamasbakeria 2021. do not repost, translate (without permission), or modify 

"Mido-rya, Baku-o and Todo-ki is the coolest!"

pairings: gn!parent!poc!reader x dad!aizawa description: when your 3 year old son, sakai, goes to work with his father. warning(s): just fluff, not proof-read (I'll go back and fix it later if needed) word count: 1.2k

The shrill sound of the alarm blared from the table beside him, causing a yawn to escape from his mouth as he sat up begrudgingly and clicked STOP on his lockscreen.

Aizawa Shota was NOT a morning person, but the sweet and earthy smell of the coffee brewing from the kitchen downstairs caught his attention and coaxed him from under the sheets.

His tired eyes glanced at his phone screen to check the time. 6:15 am. He stumbled down the stairs, careful to avoid the slightly creaky landing step that would trigger your sleeping child to wake up.

"Good morning, Sho." You smiled, sliding the cup of coffee carefully across the island counter to his waiting hands.

"Morning, Love." He replied back, pressing a kiss to your cheeks and then your lips before drinking some of the hot coffee that you had poured in his favorite cup.

He had refused to use any other cup since your son, Sakai, had made it for him for Christmas a year ago. It was a messily decorated blue cup with paint splatters of red, orange, black, and white; different random shapes painted on over it and finished off with a few lines and splatters of glittery silver paint. Your son was still learning about patience and had grabbed the mug before it was done drying, leaving his tiny handprint on the side, but Shota loved it even more.

You both didn't need to get up as early as you did, but you both enjoyed the quiet time that the morning gave. You both stood at the large window in your kitchen above the empty sink, watching the wind blow the leaves and flower petals around, Shota's hand around your waist.

"Is your presentation today?" He asked you after a period of silence.

"Yeah, I think it'll go well..." You replied. "Well...I hope so." You laughed lightly.

"You're the smartest person I know." He stated almost immediately afterwards. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about." He kissed your cheek again.

"What are you going to do with your students today?" You asked, setting your coffee cup back down on the counter as he did too.

"Another quirk assessment." He stated after thinking about it. "I want them to see for themselves how far they've come since the beginning of the year."

"You're a good teacher, Sho." You smiled at him softly, causing him to smile at your compliment.

"You think so?"

"I'm not the only one who thinks so. Kai thinks so too. He kept running around the house yesterday saying, 'I'm gonna be just like Daddy!'"

Shota couldn't help the wide smile that appeared on his face before he glanced at the time again. It was already time for him to start getting ready.

The two of you had already discussed Shota taking Sakai to UA with him that day, though you had yet to tell your son. You knew that if you had told him the night before he would have barely slept due to all the excitement.

Shota walked back up the stairs after washing his mug and setting it to the side to dry, doing yours also. He went to his son's door, pushing it open and carefully walking over to his son's bed, being careful to avoid the few toys that laid in the dark.

"Good morning Kai." He said softly, smoothing his son's dark hair. He had gotten his hair color from Shota, though the hair texture was the same as yours.

His eyes opened before he sat up and wrapped his small arms around his father. His eyes were the same color as yours, though the shape was uncannily Shota's. He couldn't help but smile every time he looked at Sakai, seeing the perfect mix of each of you in him.

"Do you want to go to work with me today Kai?" He asked as the three year old pulled away his wide excited eyes locking with his father's as he nodded vigorously.

"YES!" He said as he jumped out of Shota's arms and ran towards his closet.

"Do you need help picking out what you're gonna wear while Daddy gets dressed?" You questioned, standing in the doorway.

Sakai shook his head no quickly, already knowing exactly what he wanted to wear. He grabbed his father's hand dragging him towards the door before pushing him out and closing it, telling his parents that it was going to be a surprise and he was a big boy that didn't need any help.

You simply smiled at each other before heading to get ready yourself.

A few moments later Sakai was ready, Shota's eyes widening slightly before a large smile appeared on his face. Sakai had chosen to wear black jeans and a black long sleeve shirt, wearing capture tape in the same way his father did.

"(y/n)!" Shota called for you as you appeared, a smile instantly appearing on your face at your son in his father's arms, his little outfit an obvious tribute to his all time favorite hero.

"Love you two! Be safe!" You called, kissing your husband goodbye before kissing your son's head. They waved before heading off to UA.

Shota stopped in the teacher's lounge first, saying hello to the few teachers there before grabbing a few snacks and putting them into his son's bright yellow backpack, continuing down the hall and to class 1-A.

"Aizawa-Sensei!" Tenya Iida said as Shota entered the room. He was one of the first students there, early every day. Bakugou Katsuki and Todoroki Shoto were there too, but they remained quiet.

Shota nodded in response before leading his son over to sit in the desk chair, the three year old taking the small yellow coat off and putting it behind him on the chair like the two of you had taught him to do.

The rest of the students arrived pretty quickly after that, everyone taking their seats and quieting down. Mina and Momo smiled at the little boy who was looking around the room in awe, he waved back at them causing them both to coo.

"Before we begin, you may have noticed that-"

"Hi!" Sakai said excitedly interrupting his father as he waved at everyone.

Shota smiled before turning to his son. "Do you want to introduce yourself?" He asked him as Sakai looked slightly unsure before nodding.

"I'm Aizawa Sakai. I'm 3!" He said, holding up the number on his hand before hiding behind his father's leg.

"You have a kid?!" Kaminari asked after everyone awwed at the little boy. Shota nodded simply, as if he didn't just reveal something quite major.

"Why haven't you brought him before?" Hagakure asked him.

"He had off from school today and he thinks you're all very cool." Shota answered simply.

"Who's your favorite?" Kaminari questioned your son before Bakugou chimed in with an "It's definitely me."

"Mido-rya, Baku-o and Todo-ki are the coolest!" He said shyly, butchering the names slightly but that didn't stop the three boys from smiling proudly, Midoriya almost passing out due to happiness and awe.

"M-me? Wow! T-thanks!" Midoriya managed to get out, clutching his hand to his chest as he bowed in his seat a few times, willing himself not to cry.

"What are we doing today Sensei?" Iida questioned as everyone quieted again.

"You'll be having a quirk assessment test." The older Aizawa answered simply, ignoring almost everyone's protests.