Shōta Aizawa, once a renowned underground Pro Hero and Sensei at UA High Academy, now decided to pursue a rather unconventional profession: He was now a tattoo artist.

One never would've expected a job switch as extreme as that, but the truth was, Shōta was incredibly artistic and gifted. He was a painter, a drawer, a pianist, and dabbled in Kintsugi.

Needless to say, he was a man of many talents.

So, he utilized some of his savings to open his own tattoo parlor, and in no time, he developed regular clients.

Business was good. He did not regret his career shift, though he did miss his problem children.

However, he had adopted a child whom he had always assumed was a cisgender girl. But life was funny and had other plans.

This teenager tugged on Shōta's heartstrings when they were a first year, and since then, he took them under his wing until he stepped in to be their legal guardian.

Today, a woman who was a regular, that he found highly attractive and fascinating, came in for her 4th tattoo in the last few months.

She requested a Medusa symbol on her wrist today, and it broke his heart. If you know, you know.

"Medusa, huh?" His gruff voice was soft as he looked at her with compassion.

She nodded. "Yes... I want 14 snakes and at least 4 flowers..." She whispered.

Shōta looked pained. In this context, the snakes represented the number of years it lasted... the flowers represented the number of people. And God, this woman was only 20.

He clenched his jaw. "I don't think it'll fit on your wrist, but can I suggest elsewhere? Maybe your back?"

She looked a bit weary but nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. It'll be a big one... won't it?"

He nodded, beginning to prepare his work. He had done quite a few Medusa tattoos in his time since beginning his job.

Finally, he began the process, playing classical music for the woman to relax, the steady hum of the tattoo pen, an oddly comforting sound.

Shōta decided to tell the woman a funny story in hopes to lighten the mood.

"You know... my son came out to me as Trans about a week ago. He decided to announce it to me with homemade cupcakes with blue frosting and a greeting card that read, 'It's a boy'."

The woman's eyes softened as she lay on her stomach while being tattooed. "That's cute." She giggled.

He huffed. "It was NOT cute... I thought my damn kid was pregnant!"

The woman began to shake with laughter, which made Shōta have to stop tattooing until she could regain her composure.

"That's hilarious!" She giggled.

His eyes softened, and he couldn't help but laugh in spite of himself. "Yeah, it is now. But that day? Not so much. That kid is gonna give me a heart attack."

She hummed thoughtfully. "Is he dating anyone?"

Shōta shook his head. "Not that I know of, but... God, I hope not. I'm too young yet to be a grandfather. I'm only going on 33 now." He sighed.

"Damn." She wheezed. "But - to be fair... if he were your biological son, you'd be right around that age, too."

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Fair point. Doesn't mean I like it. I just... my son has been through awful things. I don't want him getting hurt... you know? God forbid he asks me for a Medusa tattoo..." He swallowed hard.

There was heavy silence before the woman whispered, "Just be there for him every step of the way. You sound like an amazing father."

His heart fluttered in spite of itself, and he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right."

He resumed tattooing when he heard his text alert go off. It was his son.

"Oh, sorry. I need to check this quick. It's my son."

She nodded, and Shōta checked the message:

Son: Hey, Dad! Can I hang out with (insert crushes' name here) until you get me from work?

Shōta groaned.

Shōta: Will their parents be home?

A beat of silence

Son: Yes.

Shōta narrowed his eyes.

Shōta: Kid, don't lie to me. You'd better have their parents call me, or I'm saying no.

Son: UGH! YOU'RE THE WORRRSSST!

Shōta smirked.

Shōta: *Sorry, kid. My rules. But if you get their parents to call me, then you can. Your choice."