Chapter Text
Shouta strode through the common room on a direct path for the coffee maker, only half-listening to Hizashi's chattering since it had devolved into trying a new set of horrible, disgustingly cheesy pet names that was at the same time comforting in its inanity.
". . . snugglemuffin, hugglepuff, sugarfly." He paused, voice becoming softer, more genuine. "Moonlight."
He faltered. That. . . "Stop it," he said, voice strained as he turned to face him, and he felt a pang of guilt at the crestfallen expression on Hizashi's face.
"Do you not like it?"
"It. . . sounds too pretty," Shouta muttered self-consciously.
"But you're gorgeous," he said earnestly, taking his hands as he only hid further behind his scarf. "Can I tell you why I chose it?" A reluctant nod. Hizashi took a deep breath.
"At a glance, the moon is unassuming. It's not bright or flashy, and it's got it's fair share of scars." He ran his thumb across hands that were callused and scarred from using the capture weapon for over half their lives now, knuckles rough from punching things a little too hard a little too often, gaze on the crescent beneath his eye earned defending his kids with his life, knowing there were far too many more hidden by his clothes. "But it's so much more, for so many."
"It keeps the tides, and it lights the way at night for people to make their way through the dark." As an Underground Hero, Shouta represented safety and a watchful eye to many of society's most overlooked - even among his fellows, he was one of the best in recent memory. As a teacher, he meant the same to every student that came through his classroom. And as a parental figure, both officially to Eri and Hitoshi, and only somewhat unofficially to the rest of 1-A -- all twenty one of whom he knew were watching from around the corner -- he was a guiding hand, a safe embrace, a reliable path to follow. He gave everything to those he protected, and though many did not realize the extent of his dedication, those who did were all the more devoted in return.
"And," he added softly, leaning in to rest their foreheads together, "even though it doesn't shine itself, all it needs is a little light from the sun to remember that it's still just as bright. It even reminds the sun itself how bright it is."
When Shouta finally looked up at him, he wasn't trying to hide his smile anymore. "You're a language teacher," he said, "you're supposed to be good at metaphors. That wasn't abstract at all."
"It wasn't supposed to be," he replied, dropping to one knee amid a chorus of hushed squeals and gasps of excitement, and holding out the box he'd been hiding in his pocket for the last week. Shouta didn't seem to hear them, lips parted slightly in surprise and eyes unusually shiny.
"Aizawa Shouta, love of my life, the moonlight to my sun, will you marry me?"
A heartbeat passed in dead silence and Hizashi thought his might stop before Shouta joined him on the floor and their arms were wrapped around each other. "My answer for you," he murmured thickly, "has always been yes."