Gold, Raven, & Lavender: An Erasermic Family Fanfic

Chapter 8: Baby's First Christmas

The next morning, Shouta woke up much earlier than his two housemates. Sitting up, he glanced around the room and his eyes landed on the baby monitor on his bedside table. Leaning closer, he cocked his head to listen for any signs of stirring. Silence.
Shouta climbed out of bed, being careful not to disturb the sleep-talking blonde to his right, and lumbered out of the room with a yawn. He made his way into the kitchen to get breakfast started: setting up the coffeemaker, measuring out rice, and setting a pot of water on the stove for Hitoshi's bottle. Aizawa decided to set up camp in the living room and watch the news while he waited for the coffee to brew and the rice to cook. After all, neither he nor Hizashi had found the time to catch up on current events since Hitoshi came along.

Rounding the corner into the living room, Shouta noticed the tree had been moved from the nursery in the night. It now sat against the far wall in front of the window with a few wrapped packages sitting underneath. They were shoddily put together at best, closer resembling clumps of paper, string, and tape than presents. Shouta chuckled, knowing Mic must have set this up and tried to wrap the gifts himself. Snagging the remote from the coffee table, Aizawa switched on the television and muted it as to not disturb the rest of the house. He watched the news banners lazily scroll by, telling of villain attacks and heroic saves by his colleagues. The newscasters all seemed to be in the spirit of the holiday and wore a variety of festive garb. Everything from the sweaters and Santa hats, to the strings of halogen lights and ornaments one newscaster had entwined in his antlers.

It wasn't until old footage of All Might started playing that Aizawa noticed a rustling noise coming from Hitoshi's room. He stood to investigate, tiptoeing into the dimly lit nursery. Hitoshi was lying belly-down in his crib, diapered bottom in the air and hugging Cat Stevens. His eyes were still closed but his little brow was furrowed and his legs were kicking sporadically. Soft, pitiful whines were coming from him as he slept.

"Nightmare?" Shouta wondered, moving closer to the fidgeting baby. He watched for a moment as Hitoshi squirmed in his sleep, unsure of how to help him.
"Obviously it's unwise to wake a sleeping baby, but under these circumstances...?"

He didn't have long to ponder before Hitoshi awoke with a yelp, purple eyes wide with fear before welling with tears. He sobbed and desperately clutched onto his plush toy for comfort. Shouta rushed to pick him up and cradle him tightly. He murmured soothing words, soft and low, in Hitoshi's ear.

"Shhhh. It's okay. It was just a bad dream. You're safe, I promise. Nothing's going to hurt you while I'm here..."

Hitoshi gradually settled, lulled by the warmth of Aizawa's body and and rumble of his voice. With a few shaky sniffles, Hitoshi looked up at Shouta. Shouta smirked back him, giving him a firm pat on the back.
"There we go. See? Nothing to be afraid of."
Hitoshi whimpered and reached for Shouta's hair. Shouta shifted his grip on Hitoshi, holding him flush against his chest with one hand and using the other to sweep his hair behind him, out of the baby's reach. Hitoshi scowled at losing his prize, garnering a small laugh from the dark-haired hero.

"Nice try, kid. But after last night, your hair pulling privileges are revoked. Now let's get you dressed. Hizashi will be up soon and he's going to want to see you."

Once Hitoshi was changed, Shouta opted to simply dress him in a warmer pair of pajamas. He figured since it was Christmas, they could all be a little lazy. He picked out a a fluffy, brown onesie with a hood; tiny rounded ears were attached to the top of the hood and a bobtail was on the backside making Hitoshi look like a stuffed animal. Adding a pair of socks, Shouta deemed the ensemble satisfactory and carried Hitoshi and Cat Stevens into the living room. He set them down in Hitoshi's playpen, along with a few other toys, and went to check on breakfast. The coffee had finished percolating and Shouta filled two deep mugs with the ink-black brew, inhaling deeply and taking a swig from his own.