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Aizawa needs to do something about Bakugou and Todoroki.
He misses first year, when doing something about Bakugou and Todoroki meant keeping Bakugou from dragging Todoroki into a spar and exploding a training gym or two.
These days, he gathers that the matter has gotten more delicate.
At least, from what he’s heard.
And from what he wishes he hadn’t heard.
The Venn diagram there is pretty much a circle, but still.
Todoroki could use some self-preservation if he’s letting Bakugou of all people put his canines a little too close to his neck on the regular and not even putting up a fight beforehand.
Aizawa could excuse an exploded training gym then. Hell, he might even tell Todoroki he did well. Give him a headpat, or something. Kid looks like he needs it.
And, lamentably, in the meanwhile it falls within Aizawa’s job description to show him where to get that self-preservation.
Because—
There is the omega thing. He’s noticed Todoroki getting closer with the girls, ever since he presented, and how he’s always fussing with a blanket or two in the winter despite his quirk, like he’s still trying to get used to the nesting instinct, and—
And, sure, half the girls are omegas, but Todoroki’s the only male omega in the class, and—and Aizawa doubts Endeavor took that particular tidbit of news well when he presented, or that he prepared Todoroki for it at all, so.
There are the obvious implications of Todoroki getting the majority of his sex-ed from a bunch of teenage girls who squeal and are probably also painting his nails and think that what he’s got going on with Bakugou is so romantic.
The obvious implications that Aizawa needs to sit him down and have a talk about teenage pregnancy.
It’s too early in the morning. He hasn’t slept. Todoroki looks similarly ruffled, still in his pajamas on a weekend, probably wondering what got him dragged out of the comfort of his bed and called into a teacher’s office this time.
Aizawa just figured he’d be easier to deal with than Bakugou, to start.
“Um,” Todoroki says. “Sensei?”
Aizawa takes a deep breath. He pictures having to teach a little menace with an explosive ice and fire quirk in sixteen years or so, and steels himself for this conversation. “The pull-out method is extremely ineffective,” he says. “I hope you know.”
Todoroki blinks, cheeks flushing. “The pull-out method?”
Aizawa nods. “Particularly problematic with young alphas, although you might have already noticed that in practice. You see, once the knot swells, it gets a little tricky—”
“There’s nothing to pull out,” Todoroki yelps, now beet-red sitting there in his cat pajamas. “Bakugou isn’t putting anything in. I promise.”
Aizawa arches an eyebrow at him. “There’s no shame in being young,” he says. “But I would prefer not to have any awkward phone calls to make in nine months or so. Especially considering one of those calls would have to be to Endeavor.”
Todoroki goes white as a sheet. “We’re not—Bakugou isn’t knotting me,” he says. “We’re friends. He buys me pancakes. There’s no knotting involved anywhere in that process.”
Out of the goodness of his heart, Aizawa is sure.
Purely without any hidden intentions.
He’s just loading Todoroki up on refined sugar to sabotage his future competition. Clearly. And the fact they’re so obviously meticulously planned dates with just enough plausible deniability baked in to save his dignity if Todoroki happens to turn him down to anyone with half a working braincell is wholly coincidental, he’s sure.
“Kid,” Aizawa says. “I got slammed into a building five hours ago, cut the crap.”
“But I’m not lying,” Todoroki insists. “Sensei, Bakugou doesn’t like me like that.”
The horrible possibility that he is now caught in the middle of some still-unfolding teenage love story dawns on him.
“So you’re telling me he buys everyone pancakes?”
“Um, no?” says Todoroki. “Just me, but that’s—”
“Does he ever let you pay?”
“No, he says Endeavor’s money is no good, and—and sometimes he’ll say something about wanting to spoil me, but really—”
“And does he walk you back to your dorm?”
Todoroki blinks. “Yes?” he says. “Is that bad?”
Aizawa pinches the bridge of his nose. He hasn’t slept, he hasn’t had breakfast, and now he has to worry about the imminence of a pregnant omega on his hands.
“That’s courting,” he says. “Look it up in the dictionary, kid, you’ll find a picture of Bakugou lingering by your doorstep.”
Todoroki’s nose scrunches. “Um, sensei?” he says. “Are you sure you have this right? Maybe it’s different with alphas. I mean, you are a beta.”
“I could be a jellyfish,” Aizawa says. “And I still wouldn’t get this wrong. Todoroki, that boy wants to mate you.”
“But I’m only seventeen,” Todoroki says, like he has no objections to the rest of that sentence. “I’m too young to get mated.” He considers it some more, and then says, “Shouldn’t we kiss first?”
“You were wearing Bakugou’s clothes to class over your uniform for a week straight, last month,” Aizawa tells him. “I was there when he threatened to bite Kirishima’s head off because he put a hand on your shoulder.”
“Oh,” Todoroki says, flushing some more. “That. He said it was too close to my mating gland, and I shouldn’t be careless like that with alphas when I’m close to my heat and give them ideas.”
“Yes,” Aizawa says pointedly. “And Bakugou’s what? A scented candle?”
“No,” Shouto says slowly. “He’s an alpha, obviously, but he doesn’t count.”
“And why’s that?”
He should ask for a raise after this. A nice 20%. For emotional damages. The villains he can handle, but unwanted fatherhood might take him out. Or at least give him a hell of a migraine.
“He’s Bakugou,” Todoroki says, like it’s obvious. “He’s not like other alphas. He—he just isn’t.”
“Todoroki,” he says. “I’m sure a few years from now, I'll have a lovely time at your wedding. You might even rope me into giving a toast. But, right now, for your own good, don’t get pregnant. Okay? You have a bright future ahead of you.”
“Well,” Todoroki says. “I guess it wouldn’t be bad? With Bakugou. Not—not now, obviously, but—you know?”
Aizawa doesn’t know. Aizawa doesn’t want to know. Ideally, right now, he’d like a nap.
“I am familiar with teenage hormones, yes,” he says. “And as your—ahem, as a trusted adult, I think I should tell you that you can do better.”
“Than Bakugou?” Todoroki asks. “But he gets me strawberry milkshakes. With the pancakes. I don’t even have to ask him.”
Well, then. Obviously this entire conversation is pointless in the face of Bakugou anticipating Todoroki’s sugary needs, and Aizawa will soon find himself a godfather or some such. “Is this because he got a driver’s license?” he asks. “Is it the motorcycle?”
“Well,” says Todoroki. “The motorcycle is nice. He took me for a drive. It was fun. The moon was pretty.”
Aizawa sighs. “If you’re going to throw your career away, it’s a good thing he has a motorcycle,” he says. “But make him get something child-safe when the time comes.”
“Sensei,” Todoroki says. “We really aren’t—doing that. Bakugou almost exploded my sleeve when he tried to hold my hand.”
Handholding and milkshakes? Aizawa might as well have slept in.
“Either way,” he says. “Stop by Recovery Girl. Tell her I sent you. And yes, they do make protection that accommodates a knot despite the size. No matter what the average teenaged alpha might tell you in his own best interest.”
Todoroki’s eyebrows furrow. “Bakugou wouldn’t do that,” he says. “He’s really sweet.” And then, a little softer, he says, “Sensei?”
Aizawa already regrets his whole life.
“Yes?” he says. “What is it now, problem child?”
“Um,” says Todoroki, pink all over. “Do knots hurt? Like—inside? For your first time?”
Great. So he was, in fact, just giving him ideas. Amazing. Bakugou owes him a stiff drink when he’s old enough.
“And you assume I would know because...?”
“Oh,” says Todoroki. “Well, the girls have this, uh, bet? About you and Present Mic? So I assumed—well, yeah. He’s an alpha, so. Although, I guess taking a knot would be different for betas? Is it even more work, sensei?”
Aizawa’s temple throbs. “Don’t leave Recovery Girl’s office without condoms,” he says. “Okay?”
“Okay,” says Shouto. “But, sensei, I really don’t think I’m going to need them.”
“Oh,” Aizawa says, looking to the ceiling for strength. “You’ll need them. Eventually, you will. Better safe than sorry.”
“What about biting?” Todoroki blurts. “I’m really not ready to get mated yet.”
“Get a thick collar,” Aizawa says. “And don’t take it off. Now come on. I won’t sleep well if I don’t make sure you get to Recovery Girl myself.”
With that, he takes Todoroki by the shoulder and starts walking him there.
Todoroki is still in the middle of protesting about sensei and are you sure? and, most egregiously, it probably won’t even fit, come on, is this really necessary? when they run into Bakugou.
Bakugou, whose eyebrows furrow at the scent of Todoroki’s distress.
Well.
Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
“You’re coming too, loverboy,” Aizawa tells him, tugging him along.
“Oi, what’s this about?” Bakugou huffs. “I was going to wash up after my run, where are you—?”
“Sensei thinks you’re going to get me pregnant,” Todoroki tells him, very seriously. “He is of the opinion that you should, ah, what is it Kaminari says? Wrap it before you tap it?”
Bakugou goes quiet. He also goes very, very red.
Aizawa thinks about his raise. And a nap. Definitely a nap. He’s earned it.