the luck i've had can make a good man turn bad
i meant to make a more fleshed out companion piece to my erasermight fic halley’s comet with alternative universe scenes or more reunions but i never came around to finish it so i’m just gonna post what i had here because i want it to see the light of day, i actually quite liked what i had so far.
if you dont feel like reading the original story, it’s an au where yagi and aizawa met in the first workplace experience aizawa had while they both were in high school.
Shōta flinched and turned around. The 1-B class had moved to the training grounds to hold a practical exercise with the two top students of Yūei and now one of them was jogging towards him. Shōta looked at him, his eyes inevitably following the movement of blond bangs swinging from side to side.
“I didn’t know you were in this class!” The way his smile broadened when he caught up to him felt like a bludgeon to the face. “How’ve you been? I didn’t hear from you since---”
“Oooh, does Aizawa have a private tutor for today’s assignment?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yamada---”
“Oh, hi Yamada!” Yagi slightly bowed his head at the loud underclassman. “Thank you again for inviting me to your radio show!”
Any trace of sarcasm in Yamada Hizashi’s face was wiped away by the honest enthusiasm in that voice. Shōta saw how his best friend started to stand on his tiptoes, his center of gravity shifting towards Yagi.
“Ah! I’m so thankful you can appear on my humble attempt at journalism!”
Shōta frowned. “You call hero gossip ‘journalism’?”
“Aizawa! So mean! It’s not gossip!”
“You always talk about your so called ‘sources’ but I have yet to--”
A soft chuckle made them both look at Yagi. His blue eyes crinckled at the edges and Shōta could see for the very first time how his eyelashes were the same color of his hair. Shōta closed his mouth so fast it made him wince.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to laugh at you! It’s just that--," he tilted his head. “You really make a great pair.”
They blinked almost in synch but while Yamada laughed in his outdoors level yet again, Shōta lowered his head, trying to hide his flaming cheeks behind his hair.
“Oh, right! You met at field training, right? Did Aizawa behave?”
He frowned. “You are the problem child out of the two of us, Yamada.”
“Aizawa, buddy, you flatter me but you do have a nasty mouth of your own.”
“It’s not nasty if I just state the truth.”
Yagi’s head jumped from one face to the other, like he was following a very close tennis match.
“I’m sorry to say no one wants your truth, dude.”
“Aizawa was a great help, really!” Yagi moved his hands in front of him, like he was trying to physically disperse their worries. “Even if his wording was a bit… eh.”
Shōta glared at him on instinct and Yagi scratched his cheek.
“Even Yagi noticed! Were you mean to him, Aizawa? That’s so not cool.”
“I wasn’t,” Shōta crossed his arms and tried very hard not to look like a sulking child. “Plus, I learned a lot from my guide," Yagi perked up, his eyebrows lifting in anticipation. Shōta felt his face heating up again.
He knew that--- Yamada knew. His annoying best friend had gotten better at reading him and he was sure he was pale enough for him to notice his blush. If Shōta didn’t say what he knew they were expecting, they would just tease him until he gave in. He would probably feel even more embarrassed and end up in an awkward position. It would be better if he made it quick, painless.
Like ripping off a band-aid.
Shōta blinked. “And Yagi, too.”
That earned him a pleased smile and a soft flush colouring still-round cheeks. In the heartbeat before Yamada started cooing at him, Shōta thought it was worth it.
“Hey, Yagi!” They turned their heads towards the voice and were met by a menacing scowl. “Get your ass over here, we have to start the demonstration.”
“Ah, sorry, Todoroki!" He turned back, a slight frown creasing his forehead. “Aizawa, could you stay after class? There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
They saw him jog to the front of the training field where Todoroki waited for him with his hands on his pockets. Shōta blinked. Did he---?
“Did you just get asked out?”
He inhaled. “If you say anything more I swear to god, Yamada, I’ll fill your locker to the brim with cockroaches.”
“Ew! Aizawa, you’re awful!”