Simple Misunderstanding

4 | Worry

Aizawa couldn't stop worrying. That was obvious. He paced back and forth as he tried to comprehend what happened last night. Everything had happened so fast.

There was the obvious fact that his problem child was having a panic attack and he had comforted him throughout it.

Like a father would.

But, the feeling wouldn't leave him. He felt a sort of overprotective feeling over Midoriya. Like he had to protect him from everything. Though, he didn't understand why.

Maybe it was from last night.

Yet, he was also bothered by some other things.

He couldn't get the night out of his head.

FLASHBACK

Izuku was awake, with his knees to his chest. Tears rolled down his cheeks, as Aizawa spotted the hands that were covering the greenette's ears. He heard the ragged breathing, the hyperventilation.

He rushed over, bending down to Izuku's eye level. He placed his hands over the greenette's. "Midoriya, can you hear me?"

Midoriya's eyes shot open, filled with pain and panic. "M-Mr A-Aizawa?.." he stuttered.

Aizawa smiled, a smile that was reassuring and understanding. "Are you alright?"

"N-n-no! The v-voices won't g-go away!" He yelled, his breathing becoming irregular again as tears streamed down his face.

END OF FLASHBACK

He wouldn't admit it, but in that moment, he felt overprotective and somewhat nurturing. Like he had to protect and care for Midoriya, regardless of the cost. But he couldn't worry about that at the moment. He had something else to worry about.

Midoriya had confessed that no one had helped him with his panic attacks. That made Shota question what had happened in his past. He had explained that his mother worked most hours and that he didn't have friends in middle school. But that only made Shota question how Izuku was treated in middle school if he was 'friendless'.

He knew that Izuku would probably not remember the confession in the morning. He was still in a somewhat state of panic when he had confessed that. There wasn't a chance he would remember it.

Pushing that to the back of his mind, he questioned how often the greenette had them. By the looks of last night, he could assume he had them regularly. But that only begged the question, why did no one else from his class help him?

They couldn't be ignoring him, right? There's no way they didn't hear Midoriya's strangled, painful cries. His room was just a flight of stairs away from the common room, where he had seen most of the class that evening. So how didn't they hear him? And, if they did, why didn't they help him?

He was sure something was going on.

Shota sat down as he tried to think over the night. He remembered how Izuku had called him 'Dad'. His cheeks heated up as Hizashi walked into the room.

"Hey Sh-- why are you red?" he asked.

Shota looked away, flustered. "Nothing."

FLASHBACK

The ravenette stood up, sitting next to the boy on the bed. Then, all of a sudden, he pulled the greenette into a hug, rubbing circles on his back. It felt nice. It felt safe.

He felt loved.

So, Izuku cried onto his shoulder. His broken sobs filled the air, Shota's heart aching at the sound.

Though, Izuku smiled sadly. The man in front of him was like a father figure to him. He was giving the greenette the fatherly love he had never received, having grown up without a father at all.

He leaned into the ravenette's touch, resting on his shoulder as his eyes began to get heavy. "Thank you.. dad.. " Izuku responded, before falling asleep in the ravenette's arms.

D-dad?

Aizawa blushed, the heat rushing to his cheeks. Never in any of his years of teaching did he think a student would call him 'Dad'. He smiled softly as he repositioned Midoriya in his bed. He pulled the covers over his shoulders, making sure he was warm enough before standing up and walking towards the door.

"Goodnight, son." Aizawa replied as he closed the dorm room door.

He felt the heat leave his cheeks, his face feeling cooler as he walked back towards the teachers' dorms. He saw most of Class 1-A in the common room, playing board games and having fun. Their laughter filled the air as Bakugou chased Kaminari around the main tables, his palm glowing brightly.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Sho?" Hizashi asked, sitting next to him.

Shota refocused as his husband planted his hand firmly on Aizawa's shoulder.

"Sho? You alright?" Yamada asked. "You zoned out for a while."

Aizawa sighed. "I was just thinking about problem child."

The blonde's face represented confusion. "Midoriya?" He suddenly grew concerned. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes. Multiple things, actually." Aizawa couldn't help but feel guilty. He didn't know why. He just felt guilty. Guilty for not helping him before.

"What's wrong with the lil' listener?" Yamada questioned, hints of concern in his tone.

Shota couldn't help but look miserable. "Last night he had a panic attack and confessed some.. things before falling asleep.."

Hizashi held his husband's hand, seeing his distressed face. "What happened?"

"He told me that no one helped him with his panic attacks before yesterday." He averted his eyes, not daring to look into his husband's eyes. "It was horrible. He couldn't even breathe properly until I calmed him down.."

He thought about the 'Dad' thing. It only begged the question, did Midoriya have a father figure? Why would he call his own teacher 'Dad' if he already had one? And, if that was the case, who looked after him while his mother worked?

"Sho? What's on your mind? You keep zoning out."

Aizawa looked his husband in the eyes. "He called me 'Dad', Hizashi. It's adorable, I know, but it also has me concerned."

"How so?" The blonde hid his excitement of Aizawa being a father figure to someone, calming himself down to listen to the man.

"Zashi, he told me his mother couldn't help with his panic attacks as she was working long hours. So, who looked after him, or looked out for him? Not to mention, him calling me such a name confirms that he grew up without a father. It's worrying."

"Wouldn't he have had friends to help him?" Hizashi inquired.

He took a deep breath. "He told me he didn't have friends in middle school. Which makes me question how he was treated." He felt his heart ache. "Who knows how fast he had to grow up?"

Yamada squeezed his husband's hand, a way of telling him everything would be okay. "Sho, it's okay. We'll help him as much as we can. Maybe we can even give him some tips on how to handle his panic attacks."

Shota nodded as a new goal formed.

I will help you, problem child.