The cheerful ringing of Shouta's phone has him grumbling and blindly grabbing for it in the darkness. It takes some wiggling to get far enough out of Toshinori's grasp to reach it. A quick check of the time has him groaning. Four in the morning. And being that it's Nezu calling, he can't ignore it.

"Aizawa here." His voice is heavy from sleep, but that's what the principal gets for calling him so early.

"I'm happy I caught you Aizawa! I just got off the phone with Might Tower. Apparently, every news station in Japan was going to announce that All Might had returned and not only that but apparently, he's officially no longer a bachelor. Luckily, we caught wind of it in time and are forcing them to wait for a press conference later today. You wouldn't happen to know how that leaked would you?" The principal's fake politeness grates on the teacher's nerves. He has the disappointed parent act down. Nezu knows exactly how it was leaked.

Already knowing this was going to be an unpleasant conversation for him, Shouta snuggles deeper into Toshinori's embrace. Figuring he might as well get comfortable, if he's going to get chewed out.

The taller man grunts at being jostled, automatically pulling Shouta closer, to rest his chin atop black curls. A happy warmth creeps through him and he has to fight to keep the pleased note out of his voice when he responds to Nezu. "You know I wouldn't go to the press on purpose, it was an emergency situation. Did they not tell you about the dragon ravaging the city?"

"A dragon you say? I'm glad everyone's alright then. Apparently, the various media outlets decided All Might's love life and return was more important news. It's times like these that cause me to worry about the human race."

Snorting, Shouta fully agrees with Nezu on this one. "If that's all Nezu, it's too early to be up and my bed is calling me." Shouta complains.

"Well, actually, I thought I would wake you up early, to give you some extra time to prepare for today. Since this is a high-profile news story, I'll need both you and All Might here an hour earlier than normal. Wear suits. Your classes are canceled for the day and you'll be in meetings most of the morning to prepare for the press conference. We'll have a PR rep from Might Tower here to greet you. I think that's everything, I'll see you two soon!"

The phone line goes dead, and Aizawa sighs, knowing today is going to be another long one. Tossing the phone on the nightstand, he decides how best to wake his bedmate. Stretching, he reaches up behind himself to secure his arms around Toshinori's neck. He gently uses the extra leverage to pull himself up and the other man closer. Craning his head, he nips lightly at a strong jaw.

A sharp intake of breath, and this close, Shouta can feel the shudder that rolls through Toshinori's body. Shouta's lips are captured in the next second, as the blond maneuvers him so that their fronts are flush against each other.

Breaking apart, Shouta latches his mouth to Toshinori's neck, working the skin underneath his teeth. "Sh-Shouta… Please." The breathy moan from above him, sends a jolt of electricity scorching through the teacher's body.

They don't have time to continue. They should stop. The problem was, Shouta didn't want to. Last night he was willing, practically begging for the tall hero to take advantage of him. Despite that, Toshi took care of him and in doing so, solidified the fact that the man before him is his Toshi. The dissonance is still there, but it was softer now, muted. The core, the very being of the man before him, is everything his husband was.

…And if that doesn't make Shouta want to ravage him.

Focusing his attention along Toshi's Adam's apple, Shouta can feel the vibrations from it as Toshi stutters his words. "Sho- Sho, please. Just, you were- so out of it, last night." A few shaky gasps, as the eraser hero moves to the junction where the neck and shoulder meet, biting. "and I'm wo-worried that you- you're still not... okay"

The concern laced through his husband's words has Shouta melting into a ball of goo.

With strength he didn't know he had, he pulls away from his husband's embrace. "Thank you," Shouta says, while showing his affection with a little peck to Toshi's nose. "For being you." Resigned to his fate of not seducing the walking wet dream in front of him, he taps twice on one of the blond's thick arms. "We'll have to continue this later, for now we need to get up. We're going to be facing the worst kind of villains today."

"Oh?" It's cute how Toshi perks up at the prospect of fighting evildoers.

"Reporters." Shouta deadpans.

"Oh."

He can practically see the rabbit ears droop. Laughing, he wiggles out of Toshi's arms, the grip around him loose enough for Shouta to escape off the bed, grabbing his phone on the way. "Come on, you can make us breakfast, while I try to get someone to escort Eri to school. Don't want to force to suffer an early morning with us."

Dragging his heels, Toshi reluctantly follows Shouta out of the room, obviously not wanting to face the media again after the disaster that happened yesterday.

Taking Toshi's hand in his own, Shouta gives him a light squeeze to reassure him, bumping their shoulders together. "I'll be with you the entire time, don't worry so much."

"Oh? Well in that case I really don't have anything to fear! My very own knight and shinning armor!" Toshi teases, sneaking in a press of his lips to the top of Shouta's head, darting off to the kitchen before the eraser hero has a chance at a comeback.

Shouta thinks he might be falling in love with his husband all over again. Shaking his head to clear it from such sappy thoughts, he calls Lemillion. The younger hero is already up, training, and agrees to come over to help immediately, brushing off any apologies for the inconvenience. Confident that they'll have a decent amount of time before the enthusiastic hero gets here, Shouta hunts down his husband in the kitchen.

He finds Toshi enamored by the candied apples that Eri made a few days earlier. When he notices Shouta standing in the doorway, he proudly holds one up for display. "Look how cute these are! Little All Mights! They even have my hair!"

"Eri designed them, she was going to have me bring you one during lunch."

"Eri made these? She's so talented! I have such an amazing daughter!" Toshi fawns over his daughter's work, excitedly pointing out all the little details she added in. "They're almost too cute to eat." He says, putting them back in the fridge in exchange for some eggs.

"She'll be offended if you don't, so try to get over any reservations you have about eating yourself."

"Well I didn't have any reservations about it before you said something." The tall man pouts. Whisking the eggs, a thoughtful expression crosses his face. "You two sure have a lot of All Might themed things around! Don't tell me my husband is a fanboy?" Tosh smirks at the underground hero, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Shouta is overcome with a sense of déjà vu, at how closely Toshinori resembles his Toshi in that moment. With a smirk that says he knows he's hot and his blond brows dancing, it makes the blond look like a complete goofball. Fortunately, he recovers quickly, amusement beating out the melancholic longing for his lost husband.

Tilting his head, a smug smirk on his lips, the teacher snickers, "You Dork. You're the fanboy."

"Me? I can't believe I'm such a fanboy of myself! That's a little embarrassing." Cheeks flushed, Toshi scratches at the back of his neck with a bashful smile.

"I always found it cute. It's the only reason I let you get away with bringing home so much of your own merchandise." Smirk fading, Shouta knows they should address last night before the press conference. Though he doesn't look forward to it. Tone falling into a more serious one, he says "Toshi, about yesterday, mind filling me in on what happened? I know why Shinso was upset, but I never knew you to dislike someone so quickly."

Toshi is suddenly very interested in whisking his eggs. "Ah, that was… a long day! It was just a long day. I'm sure the… young man is pleasant once you get to know him!" Laughing awkwardly, the tall hero tries to brush off any of Shouta's concerns.

"I can already tell we're going to need help with the reporters if that's your best when it comes to changing the subject." Not wanting his husband to think he's in trouble, Shouta places a hand on the crook of a strong elbow, stilling Toshi's movements. "I'm not upset with you; I just want to understand what happened. Shinso is one of the best student's I've ever had the joy of teaching. You were both on good terms before. Help me understand what went wrong between you two."

Avoiding Shouta's gaze, the blond stares into his bowl of beaten eggs, setting the whisk to the side with a defeated exhale. "I was… jealous."

"Why?" The very idea that Shinso of all people could make All Might jealous is a foreign concept for Shouta. The Toshi he knew always had a quiet confidence about himself, sure he had self-doubt every now and then, but he was never one to be jealous.

Fidgeting, Toshi twiddles his fingers together, reluctance to talk about this evident in his movements. "Last night Eri was starting to warm up around me. She even let me hold her while we jumped back home! I was ecstatic. But then we arrived back home…"

Pausing, he runs a hand through his blond locks, trying to find the right words. "Shinso was there, I didn't know he was a friend, so I… restrained him."

Shouta is just barely able to keep his expression from changing out of his natural bored look, a twitch of his eye the only sign betraying his inner thoughts. Judging by the waves of guilt radiating off the tall hero, he did a little more than just 'restrain' his former student. His husband is so painfully obvious with his emotions.

"Eri became upset with me. It seemed like all our progress this afternoon meant nothing. She was terrified of me." The distant look and frustrated way Toshi is talking has Shouta suspicious the other man might be sinking into a darker headspace. Attempting to ground the tall man, he wraps his arms around a well-defined waist, resting his head just under tense shoulder blades. Letting the warmth of his own body seep into Toshi's.

"It'll be okay. You know as well as I do that trauma doesn't disappear after one day." Shouta says, feeling a little strange to be spooning like this. Toshi being so much taller and broader than him. It's not nearly as easy as before his husband's transformation, when Shouta was able to wrap his arms fully around Toshinori's waist.

"I know that. I do. I'll gladly give her all the time and support she needs. But the way she looked at me… as if I were a villain. I never knew I could feel so… small."

Shouta tightens the hug in a brief squeeze to remind Toshi that he's not alone. One of the blond's calloused hand rests on his own and Shouta automatically threads them together. They're sticky from the eggs, but Shouta doesn't mind, running his thumb along the edge of the other's index finger. Some of the tension bunching up Toshi's shoulders drains away.

"Shinso was able to calm Eri so easily. The rest of the night he refused to let me near her. I wasn't even allowed to help with the cooking or… anything really. He was right though, she needed space. If only he wasn't so condescending the entire time. By the end of the night, it was obvious that I was the third wheel."

Shouta regrets that he didn't talk to Toshi first last night. At least then he would have known to address Shinso's appalling behavior towards All Might. His student had always had a knack for finding a person's weakness and digging straight into them. It was one of the many reasons the purple haired man made such a good underground hero.

Ducking around Toshinori, so he's facing the other man, Shouta has to lean up on the tips of his toes to reach his tall husband's face for a quick peck on the cheek. Smirking with his favorite Cheshire cat grin, he whispers in Toshi's ear, "You have my full permission to 'Carolina Smash' Shinso the next time you see him."

Choking on a laugh, Toshi wheezes, "Did you just give me permission to beat up your student?"

Shouta leans back down on his heels, satisfied that his husband's soured mood was returning to normal. "Former student, and he should know better by now than to antagonize stronger opponents. It would make for a well-deserved life lesson."

Chuckling, Toshi follows him down, kissing Shouta full on the mouth. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I've been doing rather well with not pummeling people that annoy me. Only three incidents this past month! That's down from my normal five."

"Dork." Affection runs through Shouta's tone, as he lightly tugs on a bold bang.

"It seems like everyone was worried for nothing, you two are still so cute!" Togata's cheerful voice rings out.

Before Shouta can blink, the world blurs, as he's suddenly forced behind Toshinori. His husband has taken a defensive stand, not yet attacking, having learned from yesterday with Shinso.

"Oh! Sorry! I probably should have knocked. Wasn't even thinking. Ah, but you probably don't remember me, I'm Mirio Togata! Aizawa recruited me to help with Eri today."

Slipping out from behind Toshi, Shouta gives silent thanks that Togata has all his clothes on. "Togata, I'm sure breakfast will be done soon if you want to join us? Eri shouldn't be up for another hour or so."

Sending Toshi a questioning look, the other man nods, and finishes up his task of making breakfast. Togata offers to help with the cooking and after both of the blonds start talking, Shouta's relieved at how swiftly the two seem to get along. Seeing as Togata is the physical embodiment of a ray of sunshine, it's hard to imagine anyone not liking him.

They quickly finish eating breakfast and Togata is finishing up a tale of one of his misadventures, causing both Toshi and Shouta to laugh. The teacher wonders at how his students has managed to stay alive all these years. If he didn't know any better, he would say his past students were competing on who could pull the biggest stunt and still survive.

"It's a good thing your mentor was there! Sir Nighteye, correct? I would love to meet him someday!"

The laughter dies instantly. Shouta turns to catch Togata's eye and all he sees is the same horrific realization reflected on his own face; All Might doesn't remember Sir Nighteye. Doesn't remember their shared past or the sacrifice he made for Eri.

"Is… Everything okay?" Toshi is looking nervous and Shouta quickly schools his expression back into a more neutral one. Sending a worried glance at Lemillion, only to find former student forming a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Everything's fine! I think I'm done with breakfast, I'll go clean my plate!" Shouta winces as in his haste Togata crashes into the door, forgetting to faze through it. Shaking off the impact, he retreats into the kitchen.

"Did I do something?" Ever the hero, Toshi looks a second away from chasing after Togata.

"No, it's… complicated. A long story that I don't think we have enough time to do justice. At least not this morning. As soon as we get some time, I'll go over it with you. I'm going to check on Togata, I'll be back in a second." Picking up his own plate, along with Toshi's, Shouta makes his way into the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Shouta say, voice laced with concern as he sets the dishes next to the sink.

"Yeah, I'm alright. It was just a shock, you know? Sir Nighteye loved All Might, it seems cruel that All Might wouldn't remember him." There's a sad air about Togata, with his fist clenched and strained breathing, it's clear to see how this situation is affecting him.

"It does. I didn't realize just how much is missing from All Might's life." Because it seemed like All Might's life started with his arrival back in Japan. His time in America is rarely spoken of and his UA days might as well be nonexistent.

Picking up a plate, his former student starts mechanically washing off their breakfast. "Eri was right, huh? He really must be feeling lonely. To have been thrust into a world where everyone knows you, and you don't know anyone else."

Lemillion raises a good point. David Shield and Gran Torino are the only two people that this Toshi should know and both of those prospects aren't ideal. Dave was released from prison a few years ago, but he's still under house arrest, and Shouta's not ready to deal with that can of worms. Gran Torino on the other hand… has always been a bit of a rough spot for Toshi. He's not sure if their relationship can ever be healed.

Other than those two, the Eraser hero can't think of another person that would be acquainted with Toshi. His husband never talked much about his younger years, a leftover habit from his time spent evading the media on the subject. Yesterday, before the dragon incident, was the first time Toshi had been so open about his past and even then, the only person he really talked about was Dave. How many other friends that he doesn't know about has Toshi lost? Loved ones?

That's not acceptable. Shouta wants his husband to be able to have his own friends, like what he had with Naomasa. People Toshi can feel comfortable talking to, confiding in, because sometimes an outside perspective is needed.

"I have my work cut out for me, getting him back into the social circles he used to run. I'll have to start attending get-togethers again. I don't want him to only have me and Eri. Toshi's never done well in isolation."

Scoffing, Togata says, "Don't be silly Aizawa! He could never think of his time with you as isolation! But I do see your point. I'll work on getting some people for him to meet."

That's just like his former student, always eager to lend a helping hand. "Thank you, and are you sure you're alright? I can find someone else to escort Eri to school if needed."

"I promise you I'm fine. Nothing a good snuggle with Tamaki can't fix. You two better get ready for your interviews or you'll be late, and you know how Nezu gets when you're late! I'll take care of Eri, don't you worry! Now hurry up and get out of here."

Waving goodbye, he heads back into the dining area where Toshi's sitting, sipping on his coffee. The large man's eyes crinkle when he sees that Shouta has returned, smile hidden behind is cup. Shouta's attention is instantly captivated by the blond before him. He almost can't believe that just a few days ago, he was the one teasing Toshi into a flustered mess, now it seems like one look from the other man sends butterflies straight through Shouta. Guess he really is falling in love again.

Nodding towards the bedroom, the black haired hero waves Toshi over. "Come on, I'll find you something to wear. We don't have much time, so let's get going."

Going through their shared closest send a wave of longing in Shouta's heart. Thumbing over a sleeve, he lets himself indulge in the feeling. It's okay to miss his husband. It's okay to miss what was lost. As long as he doesn't let himself drown himself in it.

Allowing himself a few moments longer, Shouta focuses back on his main task. Only to discover that finding a decent suit in Toshi's size is harder than he thought. Almost all the clothes are fitted for a thinner frame and there's no way in hell he's allowing his husband to appear on in a dated yellow pinstripe suit.

After digging into the back of the closet, hidden away in some boxes, Shouta finds a decent black suit for Toshi to wear. They both scramble to get dressed, already running behind. Eri is sitting at the table with Togata by the time they both run out of the room. Waving a quick goodbye to her, they head out, ready to face the next challenge together.

Hey everyone, thank you for following this story, since I've decided to up the rating, I'm putting future updates on Archive of Our Own. You can find my story there under the same name!

Thank you for reading!