Chapter Text
“So since my kids are all he talks about, what do your kids think about ‘Present Mic’?” Nemuri asked Shouta upon his entrance to the teacher’s lounge with a devilish grin.
Shouta’s lips twisted with distaste, “They think he’s... ‘woke’.”
He put air quotes on the last word that had Nemuri barking out a laugh. The other teachers in the lounge, currently only Toshinori and Sekijiro, looked up in interest.
“Seriously?” Nemuri’s eyes gleamed with delight but there was a gentleness to her smile, “Wait till he hears that one.”
“Wait, are you guys talking about that new podcast that all the kids are talking about? On the Mic with Present Mic?” Sekijiro asked as he turned in his desk.
“Mhmm,” Nemuri hummed as Shouta made a noncommittal noise and focused on refilling his coffee mug.
“One of the study groups made me listen to an episode in their free period, Midoriya and his friends,” Toshinori piped up from his desk next to Shouta’s, “I can see why the kids like him. The guy is relatable.”
“And pretty funny,” Sekijiro agreed with a shrug, “Do you guys not like him?”
“He’s loud.” Shouta deadpanned with a glare as he shuffled through the files on his desk trying to find his blank tests and ignored Nemuri’s giggle, “The kids want me to put it on when they have free periods. It’s... distracting.”
He’s not going to say a damn word about the fact that hearing that honey smooth voice drift around his classroom is distracting in some not so innocent ways.
And also some very innocent ways in that it really makes him just want to pack up and go home.
“But his enthusiasm is good for the kids! He covers current news and sometimes he does deep dives into some pretty heavily researched science topics.” Sekijiro argued with a frown.
“Careful, you sound like a fan.” Nemuri teased.
Shouta rolled his eyes; she was enjoying this too much.
“I’m just saying, Present Mic seems like an okay guy.” Sekijiro shrugged nonchalantly.
“Oh!” Fukukado made a noise from the entrance to the lounge as she pushed the door open, “Your students won’t stop talking about that guy either? How in the world are all the students in the school listening to the same show!?”
“One of the students must have recommended his podcast to one of the classes and it spread from there.” Toshinori observed thoughtfully as he tapped his bony chin.
“It was Jirou,” Nemuri supplied as she sauntered over to her desk with a fresh cup of tea, “Her parents work at the same studio that produces On the Mic so she heard about it before the show blew up.”
“I mean, I like his humor,” Fukukado continued as she walked behind Shouta’s desk to get to her own, “And this doesn’t leave this room, but that guy has a seriously sexy voice.”
Shouta’s eyebrow twitched and he took a steadying breath.
He ignored the feeling of Nemuri’s gaze boring into the back of his head.
"You don't say?" Nemuri asked teasingly with a laugh.
"Oh yeah," Fukukado grinned suggestively, "What I wouldn't give to hear that guy's pillow talk."
“Isn’t he gay though?” Toshinori asked as he stroked his chin thoughtfully, “In the episode that Midoriya and the others were listening to he was talking about coming out in high school because he started dating another boy.”
“Yeah sorry to crush any dreams, but he’s also definitely taken,” Sekijiro piped in as Shouta flipped through his fifth folder, “He did an episode on the legalization of gay marriage and he mentioned marrying his high school sweetheart.”
Fukukado's eyes sparkled, “I know, I know! Have you guys heard what he calls his husband? ‘His kitten’ - ah! So cute, I bet he’s like, a super awesome spouse. I mean, seriously-“
“Stop!” Shouta finally slammed the folder on his desk shut with an exasperated groan, internally wincing when the loud sound sparked his growing headache, “Enough. If I hear one more word about Present Mic or his show, I’m gonna lose it.”
“Alright, alright, grumpy pants.” Fukukado eased as she waved her hands, “We’ll change the subject. Or do you need quiet?”
The other teachers were well-accustomed to Shouta’s harsh exterior, having worked with him for over a year at this point, going on two.
It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to silence them when the teacher’s lounge got too boisterous for his liking.
Nemuri was watching him with a devilish, knowing grin.
Shouta glared at her.
“Just be quieter,” He said finally as he snatched his eye drops from the corner of his desk and marched off toward the bathroom.
He checked his phone on the way and felt the tiniest bit of tension bleed out of him when he saw a text waiting there.
‘Hi love, hope your day is going well! Can we order in tonight? I can already tell I’m gonna be too tired to cook and I know you’re staying late for parent-teacher confs...’
The words were followed by a series of emojis including the drooling face, the puppy dog eyes face, and a series of yellow hearts. Shouta shook his head.
‘Sure. Text me where you order from and I’ll pick it up on my way home.’ He responded before pocketing his phone.