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Despite what some of his students may believe, Shouta did remember what it was like to be a kid.
Fuck, Shouta still felt like he was a kid most of the time. Like, he was still a First Year General Education brat watching the Hero students train from his 1-C classroom, watching with narrowed eyes and analyzing each move he made. Like he was still a Second Year Hero brat himself, being pulled into shenanigans by Oboro, Hizashi, and Nemuri that would inevitably end in a mess that would, one day, be a great story to talk about. Like he was still a Third Year Hero student, attached at Hizashi’s hip and the two of them just trying to get through their final year without their third and final piece to their puzzle. Shouta remembered, he remembered, just how hard life was when he was his students’ age. He was thirty, not ancient. He of course remembered just how difficult life had been for him back then.
He remembered how difficult it had been to trust any adults. Even the ones who sincerely wanted to help him.
Shouta remembered, very clearly, the days that he would go to school after a bad night at one of his foster homes where he would lie to his teachers’ faces about why he had a new bruise that hadn’t been there the day before, why it was clear that he hadn’t slept at all that night, why his stomach growled all through class. He remembered how even when they asked him to just, “Please, Aizawa-kun, trust us to help you,” Shouta could only feel the twisting feeling in his gut and think about just how much trouble he’d be in if he actually spoke up and told the truth. Shouta wasn’t an idiot, he remembered how hard it was to trust any adult in his life, even the ones who deserved said trust.
But, fuck, remembering his own past mistrust in adults did nothing to ease the annoyance he felt at his current Apprentice’s mistrust in adults. Because despite Shouta not being an idiot and being about to piece together basic clues, Midoriya refused to say a single word about his past with Bakugou Katsuki.
Even ignoring the scars littering Midoriya’s hands and the ones Shouta could see peeking out below the sleeves of his jacket, the way that Bakugou had screamed at Midoriya the moment he saw him step into the classroom with Shouta, the way that he glared at him through the entire Assessment Test, and the way that Bakugou had called Shouta’s Apprentice that degrading name of Deku, Shouta liked to believe that he would’ve picked up the fact that something was wrong simply by the way Midoriya danced around the topic when Shouta had tried to bring it up. Instead of telling Shouta where exactly he got those star like burns on his skin or why Bakugou felt the need to call Midoriya nothing but Deku, Midoriya had deflected each time. After Yaoyorozu had left the office with her list of foods to avoid, Shouta had sat back down in his seat to restart the conversation.
But Midoriya refused to budge. Bakugou was going to be a brilliant Hero one day and the fact that he may or may not have harmed Midoriya on that path to greatness meant nothing. And if Shouta couldn’t remember so clearly how many times he himself had covered for people hurting him when he was younger, He expected that he would’ve felt a lot more annoyed about the situation than he actually was. As it was, he just felt tired. Tired and just so upset that things like this were still happening in their world.
Which led Shouta to where he was now. Parked outside Midoriya’s apartment with Hizashi to pick him up for the second day of school ten minutes before the agreed upon meeting time with both Bakugou and Midoriya’s files in his lap and combing over each word for more information about the two boys. And, fuck, what he was finding wasn’t anything good.
Hizashi was leaning back against his seat, sipping at his hot drink – not coffee because Hizashi was a heathen and hated coffee – and glancing over the files of his own 1-C students. “So,” he noted, flipping through the file of one Togeike Chikuchi and not even looking up at Shouta, “you look like you want to fight God.”
“I kind of do,” Shouta muttered, slowly flipping a page of his Apprentice’s file. He had read it before, of course, but he had been more concerned with his grades and any personality issues he might have to stomp out back then. Now, he was far more concerned with the little comments that teachers left about his young student. Shouta hadn’t really been concerned with them before. He knew exactly what comments his middle school teachers left on his file. He preferred to give his students the benefit of the doubt. As long as there were no marks of bullying or harassment written down on the file, Shouta tended to ignore those little comments. But they were helpful at times. As long as one knew how to read between the lines.
Midoriya’s file was riddled with comments saying various things about him, all soaked in Quirkism. Some were trying to be nice about it, like his First Year middle school teacher, writing that Midoriya was a “Sweet and very polite boy who needs to be more aware of his limits.” Comments about Midoriya should perhaps consider a “safe career” instead of chasing after his “pipe dream” of Heroics. Comments about how Midoriya was very clumsy and often showed up to class hurt. From bumps to bruises to cuts to burns. According to the First Year middle school teacher, Shouta has an extremely accident-prone apprentice. One who developed sudden burns in the brief walk from the homeroom classroom to the gym. How clumsy of him.
The Third Year homeroom teacher didn’t even try.
Shouta had to take deep breaths as he read comments about how Midoriya – someone who Shouta knew to be shy and quiet and passionate about Heroics – was apparently disruptive, constantly provoking, “Stronger, Quirked kids” into fights that ended with him being hurt – which, the Third Year teacher had written, was his own fault - and how he needed to get it through his head that there were just certain things that Quirkless kids couldn’t do that Quirked kids could. Notes detailing all of the times that Midoriya arrived late to class, always with a fresh new burn or bruise accompanying him. And how the homeroom teacher would always just publicly scold Midoriya before telling him to sit. Not even sending him to a nurse for any of the injuries.
According to these past teachers, Shouta’s sweet, hardworking, passionate Apprentice was an attention seeking liar.
As for Bakugou’s file? Well, over the years, Shouta had read many files of kids with Heroic Quirks and they all tended to follow the same pattern. And Bakugou Katsuki was no exception. A real leader, top in his Quirk Control classes, and not a single comment against him. Really passionate about Heroics and how he was most obviously born to be a Hero. If Shouta hadn’t taught and expelled multiple of kids in the past with files that were basically a carbon copy of this one, he would be absolutely thrilled to have this kid in his class. As it was, action said much more than words. And from Bakugou’s actions the day before, Shouta was not feeling too enthusiastic.
“This fucking kid,” Shouta sighed, looking up from the last page of Midoriya’s file and leaning his chin against his fist. He glanced over at Hizashi and cocked an eyebrow. “Are we old, Hizashi?”
Hizashi snorted and tossed Togeike’s file back into the backseat along with the files of the rest of his students. “Yes. Ancient, Shouchan, we’re ancient. At least according to the kids we teach anyway.” He snickered and shook his head. “I heard one of my students actually comment to their friend that they couldn’t believe I’m thirty because I don’t look old.”
Shouta huffed. “They’re fucking fetuses,” he muttered, snapping Midoriya’s file closed and tucking it away in the glove compartment along with Bakugou’s. “. . . Do me a favour today, would you? If you see anything happening with Bakugou and Midoriya then tell me? I have a feeling that things go deeper than the roughhousing Problem Child claims. Especially considering how Bakugou reacted to seeing him yesterday. And that name he called him . . . Let’s just say that I’m happy that Midoriya is only sharing Homeroom, Law and Ethics, and Fundamental Heroics with the kid.” Fundamental Heroics that was going to be taught by All Might. God, Shouta could already feel the headache developing. At least he knew what was going to be taught.
The year before, when he had heard that he was being switched from First Year Heroics to Third Year Heroics and a new, fresh teacher was being switched in, Shouta had taken it upon himself to put away all lesson plans that he had used for the past several years for the new teacher. Of course, back then, he had been under the misconception that the teacher coming in was just someone with a recently received teacher’s license and wanted to help the fresh blood out a little before they could feel confident drawing up their own lesson plans. But now? With a man who hadn’t even tried getting his teacher’s license for his teacher’s position? Shouta was more than relieved that not only had he filed away those lesson plans but also added plenty of helpful notes.
Of course, Shouta planning on shadowing All Might’s classes to make sure that the Number One Hero treated his Apprentice correctly helped with that feeling of relief too.
“Well, seeing as I don’t teach any classes with both Midoriya and Bakugou in it, I’ll do my best,” Hizashi snarked. He looked over at Shouta with a soft, loving look and reached out, taking Shouta’s hand in his and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “Relax, would you? Maybe the two of them just don’t get along.”
“The kid left burns on my Apprentice, ‘Zashi.”
Hizashi winced and pressed another kiss to Shouta’s knuckles, causing heat to rush to Shouta’s cheeks. Fuck, his husband was embarrassing. “We’ll keep an eye on it, Shouta,” he promised, gently cupping Shouta’s cheek. “I promise, if I happen to see anything, I’ll jump on it immediately. Okay?” He wrinkled his nose, making Shouta have to bite his lip to stop himself from smiling at his husband’s ridiculous. “Mind turning off Dad Mode for just a few minutes? At least until your kid comes down?”
Shouta wrinkled his nose. “My Apprentice, ‘Zashi. Not my kid. I’m his sensei, not his Dad.”
“Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that,” Hizashi chuckled, leaning forward to press a kiss to Shouta’s cheek. Shouta, cheekily, turned his head at the last second and Hizashi huffed a laugh against his lips. It was the facts that they were both in public and that Midoriya was due to arrive any second that stopped Shouta from deepening the kiss.
As it was, he pulled back after a few moments and gently pushed Hizashi back in his seat, glancing out the driver’s window and watching his Apprentice step outside of the apartment building. “Stop it, we’re going to scar the kid,” he muttered, looking Midoriya over with a sharp eye. The kid had chosen his dark green tie today to go with his standard uniform. It didn’t look half bad on him. Shouta told Hizashi that he had some fashion sense.
“You’re such a dad,” Hizashi snickered, pulling away and settling back in his seat just as Midoriya slipped into the backseat with a cheerily chirped, “M-morning, Aizawa-sensei, Yamada-san!” He glanced back at Midoriya with a bright smile. “Morning, lil’ listener!”
Shouta glanced at the radio clock and hummed. “Cutting it close there, Problem Child,” he noted as the time switched from 6:59 to 7AM. “Did you get your morning jog in?”
“Yes, sensei! I took the same route that you outlined for me!”
Shouta hummed in approval. Good. With the route he had outlined then the kid would be properly warmed up for the day with a nice, simple, two mile jog. He glanced back at his Apprentice as Hizashi pulled onto the road and started the trek down to Yuuei. He arched an eyebrow at the book in Midoriya’s lap, narrowing his eyes at the title. “Kid . . . Is that a Quirk Analytic textbook? Like, a college level one?” Like, Shouta knew that his student was advanced when it came to Quirk Analysis but if the kid was reading college level Analysis books as a hobby then he was going to have his work cut out for him.
Fuck, looks like the kid was going to need those lessons with Nedzu after all. Fuck.
Midoriya blushed and ducked his head. “U-um, Yaoyorozu-san, she m-messaged me last night and said, said that she really l-liked Quirk Analysis books and I mentioned that, that I have this one. And she got really excited so I said t-that I’d bring it in for her to look at today d-during free period.”
God, this sweet, wonderful, poor, poor kid. He had no idea that Yaoyorozu had drawn the first blood of friendship in the war that was brewing in the halls of Yuuei. The other Legacy kids would be frantic in their attempts to catch up now before they got left behind. And that was without even mentioning that Monoma Neito would probably be frothing at the mouth once he heard that there was a Hero Apprentice in his year. He would probably be clinging to Midoriya during 1-B’s Law and Ethics classes. Monomas tended to be pretty clingy once they found a friend. Shouta would know. He had taught six different Monomas in the past and had actually briefly dated one after high school. One he was still friends with, though them moving to China meant not seeing them as often.
This poor, poor kid. He would be absolutely drowning in potential friends soon.
Shouta thought briefly about warning Midoriya about the tsunami coming his way before dismissing the thought and turning back to the front. “That’s nice, Problem Child,” he hummed, mentally wishing his poor Apprentice well.
Ah well. Kid could use more friends anyway.
When Shouta had walked into the classroom, the Legacy kids were having a war meeting.
Shouta arched his eyebrow at the three 1-A Legacy kids and, surprisingly, Monoma Neito, gathered at the back of the homeroom class. Other than Kaminari, who was on his phone and absorbed into talking to whom Shouta assumed was his family back in Canada, they were the only other kids currently in the classroom. Suddenly, he felt kind of relieved that he had Midoriya run back to Shouta’s office to collect some things for him. The kid was basically a nervous rabbit on the best of days. He would’ve been just utterly spooked at this gathering of sharks. Shouta fought a sigh and just went to the desk at the front of the classroom, keeping one ear on the kids who were planning on kidnapping his poor, unsuspecting Apprentice. Especially since none of them seemed to notice his entrance.
Great. He was going to have to teach these brats situational awareness then. For both these four and Kaminari for not listening in on this conversation. Great.
“-cannot believe that there’s a Hero Apprentice at Yuuei this year,” Monoma was hissing to the others, bouncing on the balls of his feet and waving his hands around excitedly. “Why did I have to hear this from the gossip vine?! You three don’t get to hoard him for yourself!”
“We’re not planning on hoarding him,” Todoroki said calmly. The kid’s expression didn’t falter even a little from its dull, deadpan expression. The kid could probably watch a nuke be detonated and still wouldn't twitch a single cheekbone. Shouta was, admittedly, a little impressed. “I don’t think Aizawa-sensei would be okay with his Apprentice being stolen away like that anyway. You’re free to be his friend as well, Monoma-san.” The boy slowly turned his head to look at Yaoyorozu, reminding Shouta both of a cute little kitten and a predator taking a look at the prey it was about to tear into. “Of course, Yaoyorozu-san may be thinking differently about hoarding him. Since she already exchanged numbers with him.”
Shouta watched the three boys narrow in on Yaoyorozu like it was a scene from one of his and Hizashi’s favourite soap operas. Full of tension, high emotions, and betrayal. As it was, Yaoyorozu just sighed and explained calmly, “Just because I was the first to get his phone number means nothing. I asked if he’d like to exchange numbers and he agreed. I don’t remember signing any agreement saying that we had to approach him as a group.” She tilted her chin up and said firmly, “We should focus on making Midoriya our friend, not fighting each other for each step forward made. I’ve paved the way forward for us all.”
Iida nodded sharply. “Indeed. Fighting against each out would do nothing but harm our chances here. It would most likely be better for the four of us to work together in this endeavour instead of against each other.”
God, Shouta didn’t know if this was adorable or just plain sad. Four kids in their First Year of high school felt so desperate for a friend that they wouldn’t need to hide from their families that they were having an actual meeting about it.
Had Tensei and Nemuri felt just as desperate to make friends when they first started Yuuei? If there had been a Hero Apprentice trailing after one of their teachers back then, would they had worked together to become friends with them just so they wouldn’t have to sneak around with them like Nemuri has to with Shouta and Hizashi? . . . Actually, no, Nemuri probably would’ve kept tripping Tensei just so she could get to the Apprentice first. And Tensei would’ve pulled Nemuri’s hair until he could get the first hello in. Shouta’s friends were amazing and he loved them, though he’d never tell them that to their faces, but, as teenagers, they were absolutely starved for both affection and their parents not chewing them out.
No, just sad. This was just plain sad.
“Midoriya-kun will be joining both 1-A and 1-B for Law and Ethics and 1-A for Heroics,” Iida said, all three of Shouta’s students ignoring Vlad’s student muttering about favouritism. “Hopefully, the four of us will find similar interests with him.” He glanced over at Yaoyorozu with a curious frown. “Ah, you said you spoke to him, yes Yaoyorozu-san? Did he mention what his Quirk is? I was thinking on it last night and I can’t remember either he or Aizawa-sensei mentioning it.”
. . . Oh. They didn’t know.
Shouta paused briefly in his sorting of his papers, wondering just how they missed it. Primordial shoes might not be a common household name but almost everyone Shouta knew at least could at least connect the brand Primordial with Quirkless people. It was an Asian brand that catered solely to Quirkless people and their footwear. If he was being honest to himself, Shouta had only really expected to have Kaminari and Aoyama – both having come from countries with a much higher percentage of Quirkless people and more companies catering to them and their needs – to be clueless on what the bright red, strangely wide shoes meant. Hell, growing up in the foster system as he had, Shouta had a master of spotting which foster siblings were Quirkless by just glancing at the shade of red that only Primordial used.
But, now that Shouta thought about it, it would make sense that Legacy kids would be utterly naïve on Quirkless people and how their shoes were basically a big neon sign stating their Quirk Status. Families like theirs tended to keep “undesirables” out of the kids’ lives. As if those with no Quirks or Quirks they found undesirable would dirty their precious legacies just by being near them. Hell, Tensei was one of the only kids in Shouta’s year in high school who had been surprised by this fact when they had their small section about Quirkless people during their second year. Fuck, it was how Shouta’s two year long relationship with the Monoma in his year ended. If Monoma Kenji’s entire family hadn’t turned against Shouta and the two of them hadn’t broken up to salvage both Kenji’s relationship with his family and their friendship then Shouta could’ve very well woken up this morning to a Monoma instead of a Yamada.
It made sense that these four wouldn’t know that Shouta’s student was Quirkless. But, what Shouta wanted to know, was how they’d feel about it. Midoriya might not be a Yuuei student but that did not mean that Shouta wouldn’t eagerly sign expulsion papers if any of his students felt the need to discriminate against his Apprentice.
He kept one careful eye on the situation as Yaoyorozu hesitated. Ah, so she did know then. Either Midoriya had decided to tell her himself in the brief time that Shouta had left the two alone or she actually did know about the Primordial brand. From the very brief meetings he had had with Yaoyorozu Ichiro, the international Hero Absorb and someone who Shouta loathed interacting with anytime the two of happened to cross paths, certainly didn’t seem like the man who would allow his one daughter to interact with those he considered less than. Either Midoriya had told her himself or Yaoyorozu was one of the few Legacy kids in the school who could spot a Quirkless kid by shoes alone. “Ah, yes, he did tell me,” she said slowly, looking and sounding reluctant. “However, I don’t believe Midoriya-san would like me spreading it around.” She seemed to struggle for a reason for a moment before saying, “He is going Underground, yes? Since his mentor is an Underground Hero? It would make sense that he would like his Quirk Status to remain secret.”
Shouta felt a little sliver of approval go Yaoyorozu’s way. Smart girl. While it might be fairly easy to spot a Quirkless person by their shoes, that didn’t mean that it was good manners to go pointing that out to people who didn’t know. After all, one could never know who would brush off the Quirk Status and who would immediately turn on the Quirkless person in disgust and even anger.
Monoma mini seemed to accept the excuse rather easily, just shrugging it off. “That makes sense. He must have a Non-offensive Quirk of some kind that would force him to fight Quirkless at times like me.” He lit up, grinning brightly. “Perhaps he’d like to come over to my house at some point to train in Quirkless sparing.”
Shouta did a mental search of the Monoma family tree – fuck, there were so many Monomas, they bred like fucking rabbits – and felt himself relax when he realized that Monoma’s parents would be the two Monomas who had actually supported Kenji and Shouta’s relationship and later on return to friendship when they broke up. Midoriya would be safe spending a few hours over at their house.
Tensei the Younger frowned and crossed his arms. “Or perhaps he has a speed or agility Quirk of some sort. He could come train with myself and my brother at my house.”
Not a terrible idea. Not that Midoriya had an agility Quirk or would be able to keep up with the two Iidas without a Support item of some kind. But if there was anyone Shouta would trust his Apprentice with besides himself and Hizashi, it would definitely be Tensei. The man-child would show Midoriya kindness and friendliness, something that Midoriya desperately needed.
Todoroki Lite frowned before looking away. “. . . He won’t be going to my house,” he said firmly and darkly, cutting off the idea immediately. Shouta frowned a little at the tone, obviously implying something that Shouta didn’t understand. He’d have to keep an eye on that. “But the two of us could train at the Young Heroes Facility.”
Shouta took in the four Legacy students – somehow both standing together and yet facing off – and had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. They might be banding together to make friends with Midoriya but for the title of Best Friend? Oh no, that was completely a free for all. Oh, his poor, poor Apprentice.
Midoriya wasn’t going to know what hit him. Maybe Shouta should warn him.
Speaking of the Devil, all four Legacy students snapped their heads around when Shouta’s Apprentice walked into the classroom with the papers that Shouta sent him to grab in his arms. “Here, sensei, where d-do you want them?”
“Give them here, Problem Child,” Shouta mumbled, taking the stack from his Apprentice and giving him a gentle pat on the head. Midoriya smiled and leaned up slightly into the pat, causing Shouta’s own lips to quirk up slightly. He ignored the other kids jumping a little at his “sudden appearance” and nodded towards a desk at the back of the classroom, behind Todoroki’s desk. “That’s your desk, kid. You’ll find a desk like that in 1-A, 1-B, and 1-C, all at the back of the class so you don’t distract the other brats and they won’t distract you.” He set the papers down on his desk and pulled out a package that he had put together for his Apprentice from his messenger bag. “Here, you’re going to be taking the morning to look over this. It’s a package of five different case studies and a few simple questions I put together for you.” Nothing complicated but it would be useful to get Midoriya introduced to case studies and something to work on until his online classes started up next week.
“Yes, sensei,” Midoriya chirped. He turned around and jumped back, squeaking a little at how Monoma was suddenly right fucking there. Shouta put a steadying hand on his shoulder before he could trip and crack his head upon on the floor. Midoriya blinked in confusion, shying back shyly. “O-oh, hi?”
“Hi,” Monoma chirped, grinning brightly. He held out a hand, almost vibrating in eagerness. Holy fuck, Shouta had nearly forgotten just how . . . much Monomas could be. He’d have to call up Kenji soon so he could refamiliarize himself to it if he had to teach this kid on the daily. “I’m Monoma Neito, from 1-B. You’re Midoriya Izuku, right?”
“Y-yes,” Izuku said, taking Monoma’s hand shyly and smiling in slight wariness and confusion. “It’s nice to meet you, Monoma-kun.” He blinked in confusion when the rest of the Legacies quickly joined them. “Oh, hi, Yaoyorozu-san. I brought the book that you mentioned.”
Yaoyorozu smiled sheepishly, ducking her head a little. “Thank you, Midoriya-san. I look forward to looking at it with you during free period.” Well, Yaoyorozu was moving fucking fast. Someone was looking for a Best Friend. She glanced at Iida and Todoroki, gesturing at the two of them. “Midoriya-san, this is Iida Tenya and Todoroki Shouto.”
Shouta closed his eyes at the loud – too fucking loud for this early in the morning – greeting Iida gave and mentally wondered if it was too late to let Vlad have some of the Legacy kids. At least one. Midoriya seemed to be at least fledging friends with Yaoyorozu so she couldn’t have him. And Tensei would never stop complaining if Shouta gave his little brother over to Vlad. But Todoroki . . . no, Endeavour would throw a fucking fit if his son wasn’t in the A class. Even though there were no differences between the actual classes.
Fuck.
Well, at least he could mitigate the annoyance. Shouta glanced back at where he had placed Midoriya’s desk. Directly behind two Legacy students? No. No fucking way could he handle that. “Todoroki,” he said, cutting off Midoriya’s shy hello to an equally shy Todoroki. He waited until Todoroki looked at him before turning to Kaminari. “Kaminari, you’ll be switching desks with Todoroki. It was meant to be that way from the start but I happened to get your spots mixed up when I was writing out the seating plan.” Was it was a lie? Yes. Did Shouta feel bad about it?
. . . Initially no but then Todoroki’s face fell slightly. Fuck. Whatever, the kid could kidnap Shouta’s student during lunch with the rest of the Legacies. Shouta needed to think about his poor head and the headache he’d receive if he allowed a Hero Apprentice to sit in the same vicinity as two Legacy students.
“Oh, sure, Aizawa-sensei,” Kaminari said with a bright grin, hanging up his phone with a quick goodbye to his family in English. He tucked his phone away and stood up, grinning at Midoriya as he grabbed his bag. “Hey, Midoriya-kun! Morning!”
“Morning, Kami-Kaminari-kun,” Midoriya stuttered with a soft smile. Shouta gave him a little nudge forward and gave the rest of the kids a stern look. “School will be starting soon. Get to your seats. Monoma, you’re not my problem. Out of my classroom.”
Shouta turned back to his own paperwork as the kids moved away in a flurry, Monoma reluctantly leaving the classroom as the other kids took their seats, Todoroki moving to the center of the class where his new seat was and Midoriya shyly chatting to an exuberate Kaminari as they took their spots at the back of the class.
Well, at least Shouta’s student was making friends quick enough. And one of them wasn’t even a Legacy kid. Small mercies.
As Shouta walked away in the opposite direction of his student who was being dragged away to lunch by a happily eager Monoma, he could only thank God that there hadn’t been any big explosions so far. And then he fought a sigh as he remembered that the day was only halfway over.
The morning had gone alright so far. While Bakugou had made a move when he had walked inside the room, as if he was going to confront Midoriya, but he had glanced at Shouta, seen how Shouta had arched his eyebrow, and just sullenly walked to his seat near the front of the class. Other than that, there had been no big issues. Midoriya had worked away with his case studies silently and with an obvious passion that Shouta readily approved in. Passion like that would serve Midoriya well in Heroics, especially Underground Heroics.
The kid was coming along nicely, very nicely. Yes, he did still have some hesitation when it came to fighting but several students who went on to thrive in Heroics started out as shy and flighty. Hell, a member of this year’s Big Three, Amajiki Tamaki, was still shy and flighty but could fight better than most in his year. The kid was close with the other Big Three and the therapy that his homeroom teacher had mandated had obviously helped with his severe social anxiety.
. . . Maybe Shouta’s little Apprentice could do with a student mentor. Someone close to his age. Shouta would think on it.
He sighed as he walked into the teachers’ lounge, head ducked into the stack of in-class essays that both 1-A and 1-B had written about their views on Ethics in the Hero industry. Just one page, though many had written more than that, but it would definitely help Shouta figure out what he had to work with when it came to this bunch. See what kind of mindsets he was working with and how he would have to work to mould these young minds.
And also see if there were any dangerous ideals that he would have to stomp out.
Shouta leaned down, without looking, and pressed a kiss to Hizashi’s cheek as he passed him. He hummed at Hizashi’s quickly returned kiss and moved to his desk, pulling out the bento box that he had made for himself the night before. He had made Hizashi an identical one and Midoriya as well. Which did not mean that Shouta was feeling any parental feelings towards his Apprentice. It just meant that the bentos that Midoriya had brought with him to training before had been lacklustre – his mother obviously not bothering to stick to the meal plan that Shouta had set up for his student, he would have to discuss that with her urgently and ask Midoriya if this was just a lunch thing or an all meals’ thing – and that Shouta would rather his Apprentice eating an actual meal that he knew was full of nutrition and other junk. He pointedly ignored both Yagi – Small Might, his mind produced as he saw that the man was in his small form - and Vlad sitting on the couch, Vlad looking over something with pursed lips, and turned to Nemuri. “So,” he drawled as he took in her rubbing at her temples, “good first day?”
“Third Year business course kids are fucking insane,” she sighed, grabbing her mug of tea and taking a large gulp. She gestured with it. “Do you remember that old chant that started up in the Business course when we were students? Like, how at our Second Year Sports Festival where that one girl got third?” She made quotation marks with her fingers. “Business Student Superiority? Yeah, I have no idea where they heard that phrase but my kids have taken it up again.”
Shouta frowned thoughtfully, thinking back to his Second Year and that Sports Festival. Right, he remembered that girl. He had nearly lost to her. Not a Hero Hopeful or even someone who wanted the chance to transfer into Heroics. Apparently, she had just been having a bad week and needed to blow off some steam. And seeing as how she got third? Fuck, she had definitely had a lot of it to blow off. “Right, I remember her,” he hummed with a smirk. “Sounds like you had a fun homeroom then.”
“If any of my kids decide to actually compete in the Sports Festival this year,” Nemuri warned, pointing a finger at him, “then the Third Years Hero students might have their work cut out for them. Can you imagine the scandal? Third Years Hero students being beat by Management kids?”
Shouta shrugged. “Not my class, not my problem.” He grabbed his chopsticks and broke them apart, stabbing at his grilled chicken and popping it in his mouth. “I have Heroics with my First Year class today anyway so that’ll be fun.”
Hizashi leaned forward from his spot across from Shouta’s desk and arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you have Third Year Heroics today too, Shou?”
“Nope,” Shouta grunted around his mouthful of chicken. He swallowed and shrugged. “They’re having a lecture with Nedzu today, talking about the responsibly they have as Third Years and announcing which students are this year’s Big Three.” Which would then immediately make the rest of the Third Years turn their competitive eyes onto Amajiki, Togata, and Hado to try and take them down before the end of the year. Which would be fun for Shouta to deal with during Heroics. Fucking Rat. “At least it’ll only be Costume Critique today. And that I know there’s going to be at least one kid with a good costume.”
Nemuri smirked. “Let me guess, your kid?” She huffed out a laugh at Shouta’s answering smirk and shrug. “Where did you even get a costume for him? Did you go to a Support Company for him? Or did you convince Nedzu-san into putting him under 1-A’s costume budget and he’s getting his costume from that Support Company Yuuei uses for First Years’ costumes?”
Shouta shook his head and leaned back in his chair, looking around until he spotted Power Loader sitting at his own desk, slurping at his bowl of cold Soba. “Higari-kun,” he grunted, waving his chopsticks around until the man looked up. “You got the costume done,” he asked, ignoring how both Hizashi’s eyebrows shot up and Nemuri nearly choked on her tea.
Higari wasn’t just a good Support Hero. He was also a man who was seen as one of Japan’s best costume designers. He designed maybe two or three costumes a year and they always cost top dollar because he was just that good. The man was best well known for designing costumes of those in the Top Twenty. The ones with good fucking costumes anyway. Miruko was a badass but Shouta had listened to more than one rant about how she – and most female Heroes – had terrible costume designers by the man. Normally, no Hero student except for a few richer Third Years even had costumes made by Higari himself.
Luckily for Shouta, he hadn’t been the only student in his year who had transferred to their Dream Course. And he was good friends with the other one who both had – the two of them having bonded over their bitterness of being in General Education - and who owed him a few favours.
Higari grunted and nodded, slurping up some more noodles before pushing his hair out of his eyes to look at Shouta and nod. “Yeah,” he affirmed. “Thanks for steering your kid away from stupid designs, Erase. Got it done for him to use this afternoon. Tell me if something doesn’t fit right?”
“Will do,” Shouta hummed, turning back to his own lunch. He’d have to have Midoriya write a thank you letter for Higari. “Thanks for the help, Higari-kun.” It would’ve been a pain in the ass to go out and find a Support Company that would design a costume for a Quirkless kid. “And I didn’t design shit. Asked the kid to design his costume about a week ago and he came back the next day with this design.”
There was a long pause. “. . . Kid interested in Support?”
“No. Don’t even fucking try it.” Shouta suddenly paused as something hit his back and slowly turned around to see a stress ball on the floor right behind his chair and Vlad frozen in the wide up to throw another. Shouta stared right into his eyes and put his chopsticks down with a little thud, his free hand moving to grab his capture scarf. “Think before you throw that stress ball, Vlad.”
Slowly, Vlad lowered his arm and rolled his eyes. “Aizawa, get the fuck over here,” he said with a heavy sigh. He waved the paper in his hands. “I need you to look at this lesson plan for First Year Heroics with me.”
Shouta arched an eyebrow, already feeling regret for turning around in the first place. He should’ve just ignored them. “I already know the lesson plan for today, Vlad. I was the one who drew it up.” He went to turn back to his lunch but froze when he heard Yagi’s booming, obnoxious voice.
“Actually, Young Aizawa – Ah, I mean Aizawa-san – I decided to draw up my own lesson plan for today.”
. . . Motherfucker, why did the Universe curse Shouta to have to deal with morons?
Shouta fought the urge to groan as he stood up, pushing his chair back and walking over. He snatched the papers from Vlad’s hand, scanning the lesson plan with a close eye. As he read, he could almost feel his brain leaking out from his ears at just how stupid it was. He slowly looked up at Yagi and, looking directly in his eyes, ripped the lesson plan in twos, then fours, and then eights before dumping the lesson plan directly into the trashbin. He ignored Yagi’s slightly insulted look and leaned forward, barely keeping his Quirk in check. “There,” he said lowly but his voice building in intensity with each word, “is no way on Earth that you are going to have students with no experience fight each other with said Quirks in a building that you are not in with no way to stop the fight before injuries happen.”
Yagi coughed into his hand, looking at Shouta in pure confusion. “Aizawa-san, just what is wrong with my lesson plan? I remember having exercises just like the one I wrote out when I was learning at Yuuei!”
Shouta fought the urge to groan. “Yagi-san,” he hissed, “I am teaching Third Year Heroics this year and this is the first year they’ll be doing a Battle Trial and it will be with me in the same fucking building in case I need to stop it. You are not having my fucking First Years doing a Battle Trial.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Where are the lesson plans I sent to your email? You should be sticking with those and those alone.”
“Ah, well, I thought that Battle Trials would be the best way to test the students’ potentials!”
Fuuuuck, it was too early in the morning for this bullshit. “Yagi,” he hissed, “my students have never used their Quirks in battle situations before. Some of them have very powerful, destructive Quirks that could result in terrible injuries or death if they use them without proper instruction or help. And that is without even mentioning that some of them are receiving weapons that they’ll need proper instruction with using before just throwing them into a situation. My own Apprentice is getting a bō staff today that he’ll be learning how to use properly.” The Capture Scarf that Shouta would be giving him would be used solely in his and Midoriya’s private lessons until Shouta was happy enough with the kid’s performance. A Capture Scarf was an extremely dangerous weapon, to both the user and the people they were using it against. Which was why Shouta had put off teaching Midoriya how to use it until Yuuei started and they could use the same training room that Shouta learnt how to use his in.
Maybe it was a little superstitious but Shouta did like believing in good luck.
Yagi’s eyes seemed to lit up in realization and Shouta, for just the briefest of moments, believed that Yagi finally understood and he might be able to finish his lunch and maybe even get a nap in before classes started up again. And then Yagi opened his mouth with a laugh. “Well, Aizawa-san, you should’ve told me that this was about your Apprentice! I would’ve told you that I already plan on having Young Midoriya do different tasks than the rest during Heroics.”
And Shouta paused before slowly, dangerously, asking, “You planned on doing what?”
Vlad, as stupid as he might’ve been when he first heard of a Quirkless kid trying for a chance at Heroics, must’ve heard the danger in Shouta’s voice because he quickly stood up to escape to the back of the room where Hizashi, Nemuri, and Higari was most likely watching with wide, eager eyes. Yagi even hesitated, looking like he knew he had just made a mistake. “Ah, well, Nedzu-san said that your Apprentice was Young Midoriya, yes? The Quirkless boy? I was planning on having him run laps or another easy task while 1-A ran their exercises. Something easy for him, you know, so he doesn’t hurt,” he trailed off as a red light washed over his face.
Shouta quickly shut his eyes and tried to force himself to calm down. He could actually feel anger started to flood each pore of his body and he had to stop himself from actually snarling when he spoke, “Don’t you even think of continuing that sentence. My Apprentice will do the exact same exercises as 1-A and any other First Year in the Hero Course and I will be right there in the same room as you as you teach him this.”
“Ah, but Aizawa-san-“
“Today,” he hissed, feeling the fragile control he had over his Quirk start to strain, “1-A and 1-B will be doing Costume Critique. The students whose costumes don’t pass our look over will be sitting on the sidelines with a notebook to write down changes they could make. The students whose costumes pass our inspection will run an obstacle course, without their Quirks, to make sure their costumes fit correctly and they can move around freely in it. Midoriya Izuku will be running the obstacle course just as the other students will be if his costume passes our inspection –“
“What the fuck do you mean if, Asshole?!”
Shouta rolled his eyes to the ceiling at Higari’s comment. “When his costume passes our inspection. When his costume passes our inspection, Midoriya Izuku will be running the obstacle course just like everyone else.” He looked back down at Yagi and narrowed his eyes. “And you will not attempt to stop him from doing this.” He ignored Yagi opening his mouth to argue, Shouta really didn’t have the patience for this today, and whirled around. “I’m going to eat my lunch in my homeroom. The idiocy in this room is stifling.” He picked up his bento box, pausing to press another kiss to Hizashi’s cheek, before marching out of the room with a scowl.
Suddenly, Shouta was looking forward a whole lot less to class 1-A’s Heroic Lesson then he had just a few minutes before.