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Shouta thought he knew what green looked like.
Ever since he first locked eyes with Hizashi all those years ago and the world filled with a brand new colour — trees coming to life all around him, the grass, no longer plain white, becoming a chartreuse ocean — he’d thought he understood the beauty of the colour.
Hizashi made the world more lovely, just by existing in it. And the shades of green that Shouta now got to experience served as living proof of that.
Because that was what he was… life. Pure and joyous, and so filled with kindness and warmth that he made Shouta’s heart feel like it was going to burst just being in the man’s presence.
He liked to think that even without the shock of suddenly seeing a whole new colour he would have known Hizashi was everything he’d ever wanted and more just from how happy the guy made him.
They’d go for walks through the park, hiking through forests for ‘training’ (they’d really just wanted to go on a camping holiday), and he filled the house with potted plants — carefully placed out of reach of the cats — so that everywhere he looked he was reminded of his husband, and the love that they shared.
It used to make him nervous, how beautiful the world that Hizashi showed him was, when all he could offer was the dark abyss of his irises.
At first he was scared that he’d leave him because of it. Back when he could just say ‘it’s over’ and walk out of his life without having to go through any legal process.
And then he took Hizashi on a date one night, a walk up a grassy hill and then a picnic dinner. It was the most romantic thing he’d ever set up and he’d had a lot of help from Nemuri to make it work. They watched the sun set over the city and then lay back on the blanket and stargazed. He pointed out every constellation he knew, holding Hizashi’s hand so they could trace them together, connecting the dots from so many miles away.
It wasn’t until Hizashi started crying and thanked him that he realised quite how perfect the evening was.
Because without the darkness of the sky he’d never been able to see the stars before.
It was in that moment that Shouta knew, Hizashi wasn’t going anywhere.
And he didn’t.
Years passed. He proposed on that same hill, under the same starry sky. They got married; the happiest day of his life as he got to look into those golden-green eyes and show everyone what he already knew — this one’s mine, and I am his.
He watched his husband grow with so much pride it was overwhelming. First as a spotlight hero, he rose up the ranks, and then even more so when he started his radio show.
Shouta knew he felt the same about him as he grew to be one of the most well-respected underground heroes in their profession, even though most things about him were such a mystery to the people he worked with. He didn’t need them to know him, didn’t want them to. Hizashi did and that would always be more than enough.
And when Nedzu approached them offering jobs at UA, it just felt right. Hizashi was so good with kids and Shouta was so determined to improve the standard of heroics that it was the only logical choice to accept.
So they did. Together.
They helped shape the next generation of heroes, and despite how apathetic he often seemed to his students, he loved watching them grow and improve. He had no time for those unwilling to do so, but for those who put the effort in, he did everything he could to prepare them for a career in heroics.
It was frustrating at times, as he saw them struggle, but rewarding when they made it and he knew there was one more competent hero in the field.
There were times when it was almost too much. When a past student of his got hurt and he would lie awake wondering if he could have prevented it if he’d just taught them better, when he’d stay up, going over and over his lesson plans with all the ghosts of those who didn’t make it in mind.
He nearly quit on several occasions, but as he stared into wide green eyes he was so, so glad he stuck it out.
Because they were green eyes that looked nothing like Hizashi’s.
They were far wider, huge and shining up at him, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. They were a darker shade of green than his husband’s, a richer colour than he’d known existed before, even though he could now see it in the distance, the world around him shifting as the new shade created contrast among the trees, some darker than others to extents he’d never realised possible.
And when his gaze focused back on the boy in front of him he realised his hair was the same vibrant colour, not the white he’d thought it was when he sat in the middle of his classroom that morning.
There were tears pooling in Midoriya’s eyes, and Shouta released him from his capture weapon in a panic, thinking he’d hurt the kid who was supposed to be, would be, so important to him.
But when his gaze stayed fixed on Shouta he realised that he must be experiencing the same thing, darkness creating shadows and adding little details to their surroundings.
“A-aizawa-sensei?” The kid stuttered, a couple of tears finally escaping. He wanted to wipe them away, ruffle his fluffy hair (it looked so soft) and just… talk to him. But he couldn’t, not right now.
He forced himself to break eye contact, continuing the assessment in a daze. He kept glancing over at the kid, whether it was to check on him or to reassure himself that his hair really was that colour, that such a shade existed, he wasn’t sure.
As soon as they completed the last activity he pulled the scoreboard up, realising with a jolt of panic that the student who was going to be so important to him was in last place. He couldn’t expel him, he just couldn’t, so he made something up about it being a ‘logical ruse’ and felt just as relieved as Midoriya looked.
He sent the other kids back to the changing rooms and walked Midoriya to Recovery Girl’s office. She raised an eyebrow when he walked in and tutted, muttering something about ‘injuries on the first day Eraser, really?’. He ignored the snide remark, waiting impatiently as she healed him.
Thankfully, because it was only his finger, he didn’t need to rest, and Shouta wordlessly escorted him to the teacher’s lounge.
Midoriya was muttering and twitching beside him, he kept shooting anxious glances up at him, but Shouta had to know first. That this wasn’t just him.
The idea that Hizashi didn’t share this bond with the kid scared the hell out of him, he had no idea how they’d proceed if he didn’t.
Shouta pushed the door open, huffing a laugh as Midoriya hesitated just outside.
“C’mon, you’re allowed in kid, you’re with me,” he told him monotonously, too busy scanning the room for his husband to put any semblance of effort into sounding energetic.
Hizashi was easy to find, what with his ridiculous hair adding a good foot to his height. He waved enthusiastically when he saw Shouta and bounded over to say hello, pausing when he spotted Midoriya peeking out from behind him.
“Hi Eraser, hey little listener!” He grinned and Shouta felt his heart stop.
He’d looked directly at him, they must have made eye contact. But he hadn’t reacted in the slightest.
“We should go somewhere more private,” he said, swallowing the lump in his throat.
“Okay,” Hizashi looked concerned, but followed nonetheless, smiling again at Midoriya, who was starting to look as green as his hair.
Shouta led them to Hizashi’s classroom because it was more nicely decorated than his. His husband had claimed something about ‘making the kiddos feel welcome!’ but Shouta secretly thought it was because he just loved to decorate. He was responsible for pretty much all the random nick-knacks that their cats loved so much, and as such was usually the one to clean up the pieces when they were inevitably swiped onto the floor.
He pulled three chairs into a little group and sat down, frowning as Midoriya bit his lip so hard he was on the verge of making it bleed. Shouta reached over and poked his chin, startling him into looking up from his lap, eyes wide and confused. He poked him again, closer to his lip this time and he blinked as he realised what he was after, letting go of his lip with a small pout.
Shouta shouldn’t have found it as adorable as he did.
He looked back at his husband, who had watched the whole exchange, a bewildered expression on his face. He raised an eyebrow in silent question and Shouta struggled to find the words.
In the end, Midoriya spoke up so he didn’t have to, “Your eyes are dark,” he whispered nervously, “I didn’t know a colour so dark could exist.”
Hizashi’s eyes widened at the words. “Neither did I,” he spoke just as softly, the lack of volume so out of character that Shouta felt himself panicking again. “Wha- how? I don’t understand.”
“And the green of your eyes,” he said quietly, “I’ve never seen that shade.”
Hizashi’s gaze flickered between the two of them, and Shouta couldn’t bear to look him in the eye, too afraid to see his reaction.
“You’re soulmates,” Midoriya realised and they both nodded. “But you have… two now… what, what does that mean?” He asked nervously.
“Soulmates aren’t necessarily romantic,” Hizashi spoke up, voice surprisingly steady. “That’s all people focus on these days but… the colours just tell us that the other person’s gonna be important to us. Sometimes they’re platonic, sometimes… familial…” he trailed off.
“I don’t— I don’t have a family,” the kid choked out, and Shouta internally cursed himself for forgetting. He’d read Midoriya’s file, he knew he lived in a group home; kicked out by his own parents when he was little. It had made him so angry, how could anyone just abandon their kid? “Does this— are—” he struggled to find the words, but they both already knew what he was asking. “Does this mean you’re gonna… be family to me?” He whispered the last words like he couldn’t possibly comprehend the idea, and it broke Shouta’s heart to hear. All he wanted was to say ‘yes, yes absolutely’ and hold him tight. But didn’t get to make that decision on his own.
He looked over at his husband, the question unspoken but clear. Are we?
Hizashi stared at him for a moment and he could see the fear in his eyes. He knew his husband would make an effort to love anyone important to Shouta, but the mere fact that he didn’t have that connection created so much tension.
Because how could anyone be as important to Shouta as Hizashi was, and yet not be just as close to him.
Hizashi frowned, creased eyebrows almost disappearing behind the rim of his hero glasses as his eyes welled up.
“I don’t— I don’t know. What does this mean?”
He looked to Shouta for an answer, and Midoriya mirrored the action, but neither of them got one. He was staring, transfixed, at Hizashi.
More specifically, at Hizashi’s glasses. Hizashi’s tinted glasses.
His heart was in his throat and his hands shook slightly as he reached forward. Could it be? Was there hope after all?
He pulled them off gently, his husband’s eyes widening as he did so, the world no doubt becoming blurry, but all the colours brighter, no more orange hue to his vision.
He kept his eyes locked on Shouta’s for a moment, afraid to look, to check. Scared that it would be just the same as before. Nothing new, nothing special.
Hizashi swallowed nervously, before turning to face Midoriya.
He gasped instantly, both their eyes welled up with tears and Shouta felt the swirl of dark emotions he’d been drowning in shatter as relief broke through.
“Wow,” Hizashi breathed, reaching out to bury a hand in Midoriya’s forest-green locks. The kid looked slightly stunned at the action, but leant in to it instinctively. He looked like a kitten and Shouta’s heart couldn’t take it.
He and Hizashi made eye contact, and the blinding smile on his husband’s face was all the confirmation he needed.
“Yeah,” he said, smiling gently at the kid, a smile that normally only his husband got to see. “I think we are.”
Midoriya promptly burst into tears and launched himself at Shouta. Surprisingly strong arms latched around him tightly as he sobbed against his shoulder and Hizashi laughed at the blank look on Shouta’s face as he processed the action, before wrapping his own arms around the kid, one hand reaching up to hold the back of his head.
His fingers sank into the curls and he felt his own eyes widen, they were even more soft than they looked. Hizashi mouthed an amazed ‘I know’ at him over Midoriya’s head and he chuckled, beckoning him over.
His husband smiled again, his tears finally spilling over as he knelt beside the two of them, joining the hug.
And if Shouta’s eyes got a little misty too… well that was a family secret.