Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shota let out a hot breath of air as he hid his face deeper into his capture weapon, long black hair curling around his head and shoulders in the process. Sure, his makeshift scarf provided at least some solace from the low temperature that came with early January, but it still wasn't enough to completely shield him from the cold. And the air conditioner in Nezu's office that kept blowing more air into his face certainly wasn't helping. He crossed his arms and sunk a little deeper into the plush green chair.

It's only been a few minutes since he was called into Nezu's office, but he still doesn't know the reason why he's here in the first place. He'd never say it out loud to the... mouse? Bear? Chimera? He'd never say it out loud to his boss, but for a genius with a quirk like high spec, he made some pretty illogical decisions sometimes. It was currently 7:08 in the morning on a Monday, a time when he would usually be taking his pre-class nap, but instead, he's been dragged into this jasmine tea smelling room to discuss god knows what.

If he doesn't get at least 15 minutes of sleep before having to deal with his hell class, his mood will be even worse than it normally is, forcing everyone around him to deal with the fallout. And Nezu should know better than anyone that a person should never want to be caught in the crossfire between Shota and his sleep-deprived antics.

The last time it happened... Well, he won't go too much into detail, but let's just say that by 2:45, multiple glass windows had been shattered as a result of a chair barreling through them and Vlad King ended up needing a few sessions with Hound Dog. Shota was still thinking about the traumatized look on Vlad's face when a clinking sound broke him out of his stupor. A cup of steaming earl gray tea was placed in front of him along with a small plate of lavender shortbread cookies. His favorite. Huh, so Nezu taking the bribery route today? Interesting. The underground hero narrowed his eyes as his boss hopped onto his chair, sitting directly across from him behind the desk. His boss took the time to straighten a stack of papers before finally speaking.

"Aizawa-kun." Nezu chirped, nodding his head in greeting. Shota grunted in return. "I assume you're wondering why you were called in here today, right before you could take your morning nap?" Oh, so he was aware of the risk he was taking, good to know. Shota gave another grunt. "I suppose I've already wasted enough of your time, so I'll just get straight to the point. The Hero Commission called me yesterday afternoon, organizing a meeting with me tomorrow to discuss the funding and budget of UA with all of its donors and alumni. Unfortunately, this event will be held in an offsite location outside of Musutafu, thereby requiring me to take an untimely business trip.

"Normally this wouldn't be a cause for concern, but in this case, the event is a week-long matter, due to a particularly stubborn hero, and I won't be able to look after UA until my return next Monday. Therefore..." Nezu trailed off, unsaid words still floating the cold air around them, but Shota didn't care. He didn't need to hear the rest of the chimera's sentence to know exactly what he was implying, and that he sure as hell didn't like it.

"No," Shota stated, not bothering with an explanation. Because Nezu sure as hell didn't need one to understand, either.

"I truly do apologize for the inconvenience this may cause for you and you're students, but I really have run out of all other options." The rat stated, not looking apologetic in the slightest. "None of the other staff members would be fit for the role of the temporary principal besides you, Aizawa-kun." No. No way. No way in hell was he going to take over this job, even if it's just for a week. He's seen his boss on multiple occasions typing at the speed of light on his computer as well as signing hundreds of forms and letters in a single day, there's no possible way for Aizawa to handle that workload on top of his own lesson plans, teaching, and patrols.

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" Shota pressed in a slightly pleading voice. "What about Mic?"

"He would throw too many parties and nothing would ever get done."

"Midnight?"

"There would be too many sexual harassment lawsuits." Fair enough. He still doesn't know why she's allowed around teenagers.

"Vla- no, not him." Shota scowled, he would rather give up all his naps than live to see the day where  Sekijiro Kan  of all people became his superior. "Snipe?!" The erasure hero was leaning forward, eyebrows furrowing as his hands gripped the arms of his chair so tight that his knuckles turned white. To anyone who paid close enough attention to details, it wasn't hard to sense the man's desperation for a way out. Unfortunately for him, the only one in this room who fit that description was Nezu, a well-known sadist that made Shota seem like some merciful holy spirit in comparison.

"Not emotionally available at the moment as he is currently battling his romantic feelings for Kayama-san." Shota shot back down.

"For the love of god-!"

"As you can see, me appointing you as principal is the only logical decision available," Nezu said, eyes gleaming with ruthless satisfaction at the hero's suffering.  Logical , Shota mentally sneered. How dare he throw his own words back at him. And that's not even the worse part, no. The worst part about all of this was that Nezu was completely and utterly  right . He always was, and that's what Shota hates most about him.

"It's just- I-" Shota sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You've seen what happens when I miss a single nap, do you really want to see what I'm like when I cut out over three more hours?" UA will feel his wrath and burn to the ground, that's what'll happen.

"No, I do not. And we won't have to!" With that, Nezu lifted a single piece of paper with his paws and slid it over the desk to Aizawa, who's eyes scanned over the contents of the page. "This would be your new schedule this week, should you take my offer. Some things stay the same, but it's mostly a complete reorganization. You won't take this job because it would be too much to juggle on top of your hero patrols and teaching," His quirk is high spec, not psychic. How does he always manage to know what people are thinking? It aggravated the underground hero to no end. "but things can be arranged to lighten the load. Class 2-A's heroics class would be merged with class 2-B, much like the joint training session you guys had last year, except for a week. Therefore, you would only need to manage your class during homeroom, and lesson plans and assignment grading would be left to someone else."

"...Who?" Shota dared to ask. Nezu's face broke out into a sinister smile that screamed tales of agony and pain.

"Vlad King." God freaking damnit, this was getting to be too tempting. Nezu knew  exactly  what he was doing by assigning the work to Kan, but Shota refused to take the bait. "Furthermore, your duties as a principal would differ from what I usually do. I may be miles away from the Musutafu district but that will not prevent me from making the usual calls and sending out my usual emails. All you would need to do here is check up on  other  people's work and make sure that everything is business as usual. Sure, you might need to handle the disciplinary actions for students who get sent to this office, but I doubt that'll be too difficult for you."

...Okay, so maybe he was taking the bait.

Shota's slowly crumbling resolve must have shown on his face, despite his best attempts for them not to, because suddenly Nezu became even more chipper than usual as he began to cackle madly, tea spilling everywhere. He shivered, is this what his students feel like whenever he flashes his 'logical ruse' smirk at them?

"Wonderful!" He feels dead inside. "I'll inform the staff of this recent development and leave it up to them to tell their respective classes. In the meantime, I suggest you start preparing your new courses of action." Pardon?

"New courses of action?" He grumbled out, words slightly muffled from underneath his scarf.

"This may be a temporary position, Aizawa-kun, but it still grants you all the powers I would usually have in the day to day affairs. For the time being, you're allowed to manage this school in all the ways you see fit, with little need to refer to your co-workers. Or should I say, inferiors." The heroics teacher microscopically perked up in his seat, a gleam of interest entering his charcoal-colored eyes. It was at times like these when the attendants of UA high school were able to see the similarities between the grumpy underground hero and the evil genius that was Nezu. Both of them had signature smiles that could put the fear of God into anyone it was aimed at. Both of them would do whatever they needed to accomplish their goals, barreling through obstacles like a sadistic bulldozer. And most importantly, both of them could analyze words and situations with an inhuman amount of precision, calculating every possibility and loophole available to them.

The last of which Shota was doing right now at this very moment. Nezu said he would be given all the powers and superiority that came with this new position, and he knew full well what that statement entailed. Question is, how far did Nezu expect him to take that power? How far  could  he take that power without getting fired and having his teaching and hero license revoked? He wasn't aware of what he was limited to, but that didn't mean he was going to outright ask the chimera. Not asking questions means not getting an answer, but in this case, that answer could go against everything Shota was hoping to achieve with this new development. So he stayed silent.

"Now then, any more questions?" Nezu hummed.

"Yes, actually. I have three." Nezu nodded his head, signaling for him to proceed. "First off, when exactly are you leaving for your trip." Nezu checked his pocket watch.

"In exactly 16 minutes, 46 seconds, and 13 milliseconds a car will arrive at the gates of UA to take me to the airport." Nezu held out his hand and gestured to the opposite side of the room, where a single miniature suitcase rested beside the door. "As you can see I'm already packed." Shota sighed for the fifteenth time today. Of course, Nezu called him in here on short notice already knowing that he would take the job offer. He chose to push down his irritation with his boss and continue.

"Second, is it too late to go back to sleep?"

"Yes." Well, at least that's out of the way. Shota paused before asking his next question. Depending on the rat's answer, this week could either be a lot easier or a lot harder.

"My... hypothetical new courses of action would require a lot more time and effort than usual, but I'd like to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Therefore, I'm thinking of taking someone on as a... secretary, of sorts, to help out." God, he hopes this isn't the biggest mistake of his life. "I'm assuming it didn't take you any longer than two minutes to arrange a new schedule for me, would you be able to do the same for a student?" Nezu grinned, baring his sharp teeth, and hovered his pen over a new, blank sheet of paper.

"All I need is a name."

Yeah, this was definitely the biggest mistake of his life.

>>>>> <<<<<

From the moment Izuku stepped into class, he knew something was wrong. But he seemed to be the only one that noticed it.

He can't exactly blame the others, though, to the untrained eye it looked completely normal. Iida was reprimanding his classmates, as usual, chopping his hands up and down in frustration as they refused to get into their seats. Ashido, Sero, and Kaminari were throwing vine references back at each other, pointedly ignoring Iida. Hagakure, Tsuyu- after much insistence he finally calls her that- and Uraraka were busy discussing the latest chapter in some shoujo manga. And Kirishima was retelling a 'manly' story to Kaachan with tears pouring down his cheeks as the explosive blonde's hands sparked in anger. Like he said, completely normal. But there was something off in the atmosphere of this room that he couldn't quite place his finger on.

Izuku quickly made his way over to his chair, politely asking Mineta to not sit on his desk as he had been doing recently- He didn't want to be rude, he really didn't! But he'd rather shut it down now instead of seeing it become a habit.- before sitting down. The strange feeling still hadn't gone away. He'd taken a headcount and everyone was present in class today, so it couldn't be any of them. Did they have a test today in English? Or was that next week? Was there homework he didn't know about? Oh god, he picked the wrong time to lose his planner! Usually, he had no trouble remembering things but this morning had him feeling all paranoid. Are the legs on his chair uneven? Is the temperature slightly colder than yesterday? Is-

"GOD DAMNIT STUPID DEKU! SHUT THE HELL UP!" Izuku flinched, silently apologizing to the blonde before sinking deeper into his seat. Kaachan certainly got a lot calmer compared to middle school and their first year at UA, but old habits die hard. Or in this case, old habits die after Kaachan beats them to death with a stick slowly and painfully. His short-tempered classmate still couldn't stand the sound of his endless string of mutterings. Or his obsessive notetaking in his hero analysis notebooks. Or his face. He basically couldn't stand the concept of Izuku in general.

"Midoriya." A low voice said, and he perked up his seat to face the culprit. "You seem to be quite fidgety today. Is anything amiss with your spiritual aura?" Izuku ignored the language used, far used to his Tokoyami's antics by now. The green-haired teen gave a wobbly smile and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed to know that someone had noticed his odd behavior.

"A-ah, sorry about that Tokoyami, just one of those days, y-you know?" For all Izuku knew, that could have been the truth. But even if it wasn't, he didn't want to make his friends worried by sharing his own unreasonable concerns. "Thanks for asking, though!" Tokoyami nodded, but still seemed unsatisfied with his answer. The silent consideration in his classmate's eyes seemed familiar, though. In fact, it reminded him a lot of Mr. Aiza-

Oh.

Oh.

Izuku whipped back around to face the front of the classroom, eyes scanning furiously over every little detail because  this had to be it. This had to be what was bothering him all morning.  He knew Kaachan was giving him the side-eye but Izuku couldn't seem to care right now, he had more important things to do than worry about whatever was bothering him now.

Finally, his searching stopped as his gaze rested on his dry-eyed teacher, who was currently leaning against his podium and waiting for class to start instead of in his signature yellow sleeping bag.

For any other teacher, this would be considered normal, more than normal, but this isn't just any teacher. This is Aizawa-sensei. A man who cherishes peace and quiet above all else, perhaps even his own life, and second only to cats. Aizawa-sensei wouldn't dare not take advantage of spare time to get a quick nap in. After all, that's what he does every day.

The one time he  hadn't  taken his morning nap was during their first year, the 22nd of April, to be specific. The only reason Izuku even remembers the exact date is that he'd written down all of the events that transpired that day in hopes that it would  never happen again . Honestly, he's never been more terrified of his teacher than he was during homeroom that day. And he thinks he can speak for everyone when he says that he does not want a repeat of that occasion.

But just because he doesn't want it doesn't mean it's not going to happen. Is this innocent Monday morning going to be as disastrous as the last one was? Should he start running to Nezu's office and call another window repairman? Or should he just head back home and pray that Aizawa-sensei's wrath is limited to a single building and not the entire district of Musutafu. Before Izuku could dwell on it any further, the school bell rang and his classmates scattered into their seats. The ninth user of one for all made a silent prayer to whatever god was listening and waited for all hell to break loose.

"Class," His grumpy teacher began, "Today's lesson will be a little different."  Oh my god oh my god oh my god HE KNEW IT . He has to warn the others, but how?! Should he pass around a note or would that be too obvious? Maybe he should try out some morse code and pray they know what S.O.S is. "And that's because I won't be the one teaching it." ...Come again? He saw his classmates' looking confused at the statement, and he couldn't help but relate.

"I won't be available during any other class besides homeroom, so you'll be doing joint training for the week with Vlad King and Class 2-B for heroics." He grumbled out, and Kirishima raised his hand.

"Um, hope you don't mind me asking, but... why won't you don't be available." Apparently, that was the wrong question to ask because the nonchalant expression his teacher had on his face faded into something reluctant and pained. Usually, Aizawa-sensei wasn't this easy to read, so his answer must be something pretty serious. Maybe it was the reason why he skipped his nap? Izuku placed his hand on his chin, a habit he developed whenever he was deep in thought.

"I suppose it's better you asked now rather than find out later." What did  that  mean?! "Nezu's going on a week-long business trip with the Hero Commission and has asked that I take his place for the time being as... principal." The underground hero spat that word out with so much loathing and disgust it made Izuku wondered what made him accept the job in the first place. However, this is Nezu that asked him to be principal, and it was foolish to think there was ever another option besides 'Yes'. " So I won't have time to teach you guys at the same time." In the middle of his mental rant, it finally occurred to Izuku.

Aizawa-sensei was going to be principal.

Principal.

He saw Ashido's and Kaminari's eyes widen in fear, and had to agree. God have mercy on the poor souls that get sent to his office.

"Oh, and that reminds me," Izuku snapped out of it and looked back at the teacher, who just happened to be staring directly at him. The green-haired child flinched.  Why was he looking at him? Oh my god, did he say that mercy part out loud? Is he going to be sent to his office now?!  He whipped his head around in every direction, trying to determine by his classmate's expressions if they had heard him. "Midoriya, you're also excused from every other class besides homeroom."

"HAAH?!"

"Lucky bastard!"

"Mido whATTTT?!"

"So MANLY."

"I knew the aura was off..."

Izuku froze, his brain short-circuiting just like Kaminari when he reaches his voltage limit. He was out of it enough for the only reply to come out of his mouth being, "Uh... huh?" Is this some sort of suspension? No, that couldn't be it, or else he'd be banned from everything, Aizawa-sensei shows no mercy. So what exactly was he being punished for?

"Nezu and I have decided that as long as I'm principal, there needs to be someone who can keep pace and document everything that happens down. We have agreed that someone is now you."

"I- But- Why- Nezu- Notes- HUH?!" Izuku sputtered, still not understanding a single thing that was being said as he frantically waved his arms around. The only thing he could comprehend right now was his friends' incredulous looks, Uraraka especially, all directed at him.

"Nezu left thirty minutes ago, actually," Aizawa said, checking the clock on the wall, "and we need to get started right away. So it'd be appreciated if you could get a move on." Like hell!

Why was he of all people chosen?! Sure, he takes a lot of notes, quite obsessively according to Uraraka, but quantity doesn't equal quality! Iida would be much better for the job, Momo too. They are some of the top students, after all. And besides, his notes are limited to school work and hero analysis, not... whatever this is. How could they possibly expect him to do a good job on this when he has no experience in this topic?!

While Izuku was muttering, he didn't notice the grey capture weapon shooting towards him and curling around his torso, effectively picking him up out of his seat. He also didn't notice said capture weapon floating him out the door and down the hallway with Aizawa-sensei leading the way. He only became aware of his surroundings when he heard the sound of the door shutting behind him and his feet making firm contact with the ground again.

He looked up to see Aizawa-sensei staring down at him, hand outstretched towards him holding a fresh notebook and a brand new mechanical pencil. The kind of pencil you would stare at in a store but never be allowed to buy because, despite its good quality, the packaging was just too expensive for your shopping budget.

Izuku stared at the items before reluctantly taking them and sighed.

Why couldn't his teacher just throw a chair through a window and call it a day?

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota watched as his student took the items, seemingly resigned to his fate. And he accepted it a hell of a lot faster than the underground hero thought he would. Not that he's complaining, though, it would have been plenty inconvenient if Midoriya had refused the position. Not that he really had a choice in the matter, but arguing back and forth about something that could only end in one way would waste even more time. Simply put, it was illogical.

"So," Midoriya's eyes snapped back up to look at him.  Good, he's already attentive.  "I said you would be documenting everything that happens while I'm principal, but that's pretty vague all things considered, and I imagine you'd want a more detailed description of what your job is this week." Midoriya nodded so fast it seemed like his head would fly off. Shota delved into an explanation.

"Nezu has stated that although this position is temporary, I will be given all the powers he would have on a regular basis. Therefore, any changes I wanted to make with this school that I couldn't accomplish as a teacher, is now available to me."

"...You're not going to expel students from other classes, right?" If Shota was that emotionally stable, he might have laughed at the pure seriousness in Midoriya's voice as he asked that question. But laughing would be as good as a 'no', and he's not so sure it's a no.

"...It most likely won't be necessary." They both knew that wasn't an actual answer, but neither chose to acknowledge it. A smart move on his student's part.

"Then... what changes a-are you gonna make?" Shota gave a sadistic smile and immediately noticed how the curiosity pooling in Midoriya's green eyes quickly contorted into fearful anxiety of what was to come. The gruff teacher couldn't blame him.

"That's where you come in." Even more anxiety. "I already have a few ideas in mind about what's wrong with UA but I'm about 80% sure that you do, too." The green-haired child began waving his arms around, attempting to cover his face like Shota and the rest of the class had seen him do so many times before. It's a common occurrence to see Midoriya panicked about something.

"Wha- what do you mean?!" The kid yelled out, way too loud for this time of day and making Shota cringe from the noise. "There's nothing wrong with UA! I-it's amazing here! All Might is a teacher and alumni here! UA was named the number 1 hero school in Japan in every ranking magazine and website. As well as best business course, support course, general education course, best cafeteria menu, be-" Shota held up, effectively silencing the chatterbox from spiraling into another rant.

"Yes, I'm well aware of the rankings UA has. But there are many factors pointing to the magazines being biased. Do you think any tabloid company would risk their reputation by stating that UA, the alma mater of the  Symbol of Peace , is only second best?"

"Well... uh..." Midoriya looked down, deep in thought.  Another good trait, he's taking this seriously.

"Exactly. And while UA is no doubt worthy of its prestigious title, there are still many things that can be improved."

"Don't you think that saying UA isn't at its current best will lead to the school receiving public backlash?" Midoriya asked, concern clouding his features and bleeding into his voice.

"It's a possibility, but I sincerely doubt it. By acknowledging this school's flaws, we're showing that we're open to change." Shota assured him.

"Change..." His student muttered. The underground hero gave him a weird look. Midoriya didn't sound thoughtful when he said that, rather a bit... dreamy, if that's the right word. And Shota wondered what kind of experiences the kid must've had had to say it with that kind of emotion. Midoriya quickly schooled his expression before continuing. "So I write down changes that this school could make? Absolutely no limits?" Once again, Shota gave him a weird look but nodded nonetheless.

"Unfortunately, being principal doesn't automatically make me omnipotent, so I'll still have to discuss these decisions with the staff and school board. It is during those meetings that you're notetaking will come in handy." Midoriya nodded, determination shining in his eyes. "Much like a court clerk, you'll be taking record of everything everyone says, as well as any other observations you notice about their behavior. It may seem excessive but-"

"Documenting their dialogue and reactions can help us see who agrees and disagrees, as well as giving clues as to why they feel that way. After that, we can decide the best courses of action to change their minds or change the decision in general to make a compromise of sorts. This will prevent any hypothetical backlash or outrage that will arise within the hero community." The bush haired student finished, caught up in his own mind, and oblivious to the sleepy man in front of him.

Against his will, a steady stream of pride flowed into Shota's chest for his student. He knew Midoriya's analytical abilities were exceptional for his age group,- they had to be, judging by his rapid note-taking in almost every class- but this... wow. It made him wonder why the kid didn't show this side of himself in heroics training. It was obvious to Shota that Midoriya was trying to replicate All Might's fighting style, but in reality, they were nothing alike.

Of course, on the outside, they seemed like carbon copies of each other. They both had that unwavering heroic spirit, they both smiled like the sun even during the hardest of times, and they both had no sense of self-preservation. Hell, they even had similar quirks. But while All Might chose to power through things with brute force, Midoriya had the ability to devise a flawless plan and analyze every possibility for the best outcome. He just wished he would use that ability. Maybe this whole secretary thing would help him realize that.

"Precisely," The teacher said instead. "Now, once the job starts we won't have another break for a long time. So is there anything else you need to have with you before we get started?"

"Yeah... I'll take my payment in the form of packs of fancy mechanical pencils." Midoriya started, causing his teacher to quirk an eyebrow in amusement. "I'm also gonna need, like, four more notebooks."

Aizawa grinned sadistically. And for a second, the twitch of Midoriya's lips suggested he wanted to, too. Interesting.

This was gonna be one hell of a week.

Chapter Text

Shota gripped the mug of coffee with both hands, relishing in its warmth and breathing in the fumes of the steaming black coffee. One upside of being principal? Access to Nezu's private kitchen, equipped with the best tea bags and coffee grounds known to man. The black-haired man wasn't so bold as to use any of Nezu's antique china, but raiding his cupboards felt like a big enough power move to satisfy him. Sure, Nezu would kick him out of his office next Monday, but he'll be damned if he doesn't take the drinks with him. He'll enjoy it while it lasts.

And it seems as if Midoriya had the same idea. From where he was currently seated behind Nezu's desk, he could see the child scribbling down all the brand names he saw to reference at a later date. Shota will have to ask him for a copy of that list later on...

"Umm... Shota?" He turned around to face the speaker, and was met with the sight of Nemuri, wrapping the end of her whip around her fingers before unraveling them and repeating the process. "I'm really digging the whole blooming romance you got going on between you and your caffeine addiction-" He scowled, "but in case you haven't noticed, I still don't know why I'm in here." No, he was absolutely aware of that, this was simply another power move. And maybe, just maybe, if this was him taking his petty grievances against Nezu out on his coworkers, well then... nobody had to know. Nonetheless, Shota straightened in his seat and reluctantly placed down his mug, diving into the conversation

"It's about the first new course of action," He stated simply, "I've decided to finally change the design of UA's entrance exam. That way, applicants with mental quirks or just less flashy quirks, in general, have an equal chance at passing as the others do."

"Or the quirkless..." Midoriya muttered to himself, still jotting everything down, and Shota froze as he was the only one who heard the little comment. Quirkless kids? In this day and age? It was unlikely, but not entirely impossible. Most of the quirkless population was made up of senior citizens, the ones born before the rising of quirks, so most people brushed them aside. It was cruel, in Shota's opinion, but that's beside the point.

Quirkless kids had essentially the same chance of becoming heroes as quirked children did, if not a little disadvantaged. It was fine, though, nothing that couldn't be solved with intense training and some support items. That's how it was for Shota, after all, he basically fought quirkless against his opponents. The only thing his erasure quirk did was level the playing field, mutant quirks excluded, So yeah, he agreed, this entrance exam leveled the playing field for all types of quirks, and those born without them.

"Oh," Nemuri breathed out, a little shocked at how fast he was moving forward with this project, "Okay, then. But why are you only telling me this, why not tell the whole staff? You're going to need their assistance and majority vote if you want the school board to even consider whatever your plan is..." Shota smirked and snapped his fingers to point to his right, where Midoriya was currently perching on the kitchen countertop. Nemuri flinched,  did she seriously not notice him sitting there this whole time?  Midoriya lifted his head out of his notebook for the first time in ages and delved into a detailed explanation.

"You're one of the only teachers besides Aizawa-sensei that could properly advocate for this change. Your quirk, Somnambulist, enables you to release a purple substance that has effects similar to that of sleeping gas, except without the toxic chemical properties. It causes anyone who inhales it to pass out for a specific period of time, working better on males than it does on females for unknown reasons. And, of course, absolutely useless on robots.

"You, much like Aizawa-sensei, require a human target to properly use your quirk. This is why had you taken the initial entrance exam, you would have failed. The only reason Aizawa-sensei was admitted into the hero course was that he came in first place during the sports festival of his first year. And according to school records, he was the only general education student able to do so in the history of UA. Meaning that unless you tore apart the robots with your bare hands or got a ridiculously high amount of rescue points like me, you got in through recommendation.

"You didn't even bother with the robots, because you knew it would be a meaningless fight. Therefore, you know first hand how unfair the entrance exam is, and can attest to this new course of action. Of course, Aizawa-sensei could, too, but everyone already knows his opinions on the matter. Another jab from him at the test's design wouldn't even make a dent, that's why you need to be the one to do it."

Ah yes, another pro of being principal: He has a secretary like Midoriya to thoroughly explain things instead of waste time doing it himself. Nemuri was gobsmacked, jaw hanging open and so wide it could catch flies. Clearly, she had underestimated how much the bushy-haired child could ramble, which was a lot. Although, using the term 'ramble' made it sound like pointless chatter with no end goal in mind, which this was anything but. It was a focused, thought out, and sophisticated report.

"I- Wha- How did you-" Nemuri stuttered, incredulousness lacing her tone, and Aizawa held up a hand to interrupt her.

"Nope. He's not done, yet." Shota smirked even wider at Nemuri's pain. God, this was more entertaining than watching All Might use flashcards when presenting a lesson. Finally finding an opening, Midoriya continued.

"Judging by the videos I found online of you fighting, a frequent technique you use against villains is drawing them in with faux friendliness and then attacking them with your quirk and support weapons once they're within range. You convincing the other teachers of UA would essentially be the same thing." Midoriya hesitated for a second before continuing, "...Except they aren't villains and you won't be physically attacking them."

"Well," Shota butted in, "desperate times call for desperate measures. So just put attacking them in the grey area between psychological warfare and physical harassment." At first, Midoriya looked like he wanted to protest, but after a second of consideration, seemed like he actually  agreed . And Shota didn't know whether he should be concerned or proud, perhaps both. Nemuri gave them both a look that screamed 'what the actual hell is wrong with you people?' but his green-haired student was already explaining the second portion of the plan.

"In a sense, this could be considered psychological warfare," Shota vaguely heard a soft 'I can't handle two of them in the same building' come from the purple-haired woman, but chose not to address it, for the time being, trusting that Midoriya would write it down for him. "BUT, I think a better and much lighter term would be just a slight emotional manipulation of peers." Midoriya cheered. A friendly smile and welcoming eyes on his face that didn't quite match his words. Shota found himself holding back a snort at the kid's antics and what he considered 'better' and 'lighter'. If anything, he made it sound way worse.

...Hey, wait a second, since when does he have the urge to snort at things?

Midoriya's eyes suddenly took on a new look, darkening and contorting into something a tad bit feral. Once again, Shota found himself intrigued at the immediate change in personality. And once again, Nemuri looked five seconds away from either having a mental breakdown or fleeing the country, whatever's more financially convenient.

"According to recent observations, your relationships with your coworkers have become fairly obvious. Your hero art history class takes place right before lunch, and you can usually be seen walking off with pro hero Thirteen holding your lunches when the bell rings. Therefore, I can safely assume that you two are close enough to share lunch breaks 2-3 times a week. The photos on your desk depict images of your high school years with both Aizawa-sensei and Mic-sensei, suggesting that the three of you have been friends since high school and have not broken the bond since. Vlad-sensei, too, but eh... One time I saw you, Cementoss, and Ectoplasm having tea and holding three copies of the book ' Of Mice and Men' , suggesting you meet at regular times for a book club of sorts. Oh, and everyone can see that Snipe-sensei has a crush on you.

"Your responsibility would be to schedule regular meetings with those you have bonds with a subtly but frequently mention topics that include the following:" Midoriya took a deep breath of air and suddenly it occurred to both teachers that the student hadn't taken a single breath during his other reports. The hell kind of lungs does this kid have? "Quirk discrimination, childhood friends you used to know that had dreams of becoming heroes but didn't have the chance, tests, school board, the importance of democracy, robot sci-fi movies, wiring-"

"H-how would I casually bring up wiring in a book club meeting?" Nemuri rasped out looking worse for wear. Midoriya didn't even hesitate before responding.

"Spill some tea on your phone and loudly exclaim how you might have to get a new one because the liquid will mess up the wiring. Then complain about how if you could fix the wiring yourself, you would, but you aren't strong enough to rip apart that kind of advanced technology."

"...Oh..."

"Doing this repeatedly will guarantee that these thoughts will be stuck in their heads. That way, by the time Aizawa presents the new entrance exam design, they've essentially been buttered up and will be more open to it." They sat in silent anticipation for a few seconds before Midoriya finally realized what was going on and spoke up. "Oh! Yeah, I'm done."

"That was... a lot." The spiky-haired woman choked out hoarsely. "But sure, I think I could help out with that. And if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is the new plan?" Oh, Shota could answer this.

"There's two, whichever one works best is what we'll go with. The first one is making everyone fight robots, but permitting certain applicants to use support items, depending on their quirk status and the support item they chose. For example, a pipe or bo staff to mess up a robot's wiring and shut it down would be okay but requesting the use of a- I don't know, a flame thrower wouldn't be allowed." It might be absurd to suggest that a student would go so far as to bring that kind of lethal weapon to an exam, but judging by that Hatsume girl in class 2-H, it sounds like a pretty reasonable concern to him. "The second one is once again keeping the robots, but giving applicants the option of requesting to fight a member of staff or third-year students, depending on their quirk status. It'd give them a chance to show either their exceptional combat abilities, the usefulness of their quirk on the job, or both."

"So kind of like how students in other courses can use support items during the sports festival but hero students can't. It's just making up for their disadvantages in certain departments." Shota nodded, but Nemuri still had something on her mind. "You know Vlad's gonna try his hardest to fight you on this thing, right? Done it before and he'll do it again. He's narrow-minded when it comes to these things, it's not going to be easy, or maybe even possible, to convince him otherwise."

"We have a plan" Shota and Midoriya said perfectly in sync, with the same intense determination on their faces and seriousness in their voice. And they did have a plan, one that involved a particular lavender-haired child that is currently transferring to the hero course and a mad inventor that could bring the world to its knees.

"And even if the plan fails and Vlad-sensei doesn't change his opinion on the matter, as long as you keep others from listening to him, it won't change a thing. Majority vote wins, after all, and in the end, he's basically useless!" Midoriya stated while grinning, oblivious to how badly he just roasted Vlad. Shota found himself unable to hold back a fond smirk at that, which earned him a weird look from Nemuri.

The R rated hero looked back and forth between the new principal and his green-eyed secretary, an expression on her face that Shota couldn't manage to read. She must have been thinking of something pretty amusing, though, judging by the mischievous smile that left her face as quickly as it had appeared. Shota didn't know why, yet, but something about her suspicious smiles rubbed him the wrong way. Finally, Nemuri spoke.

"Is this a common occurrence with you, Shota? Do you influence your students to share your hate of Vlad King and make plans for his downfall?"

"First off, I wouldn't call it influencing so much as bringing along a spiritual awakening. Second, yes, I do make plans for his downfall. And third, no, this was all him. So far it's the only proof I have that generations are mentally evolving as time passes." Shota stated with a straight face, causing Nemuri to let out a loud cackle. Midoriya just tilted his head, looking eerily similar to a confused puppy. Or rather, a confused kitten. The boy was a genius at analyzing everything and everyone until it came to himself. Nemuri cooed at the boy's obliviousness before standing up and heading to the door. But before she could fully step out, she turned around to say one more thing.

"By the way, Midoriya, your essay on gothic architecture is due tomorrow." The child gave a firm nod, "Also, Shota, you never gave me a limit to how far I could go when convincing Snipe. Therefore, all hypothetical lawsuits that come as a result of this psychological warfare now rest on your soldiers. Have a fun day you two~" Nemuri cooed at them after dropping that whole bombshell, walking out the door and moving to close it behind her. The last thing the R rated heroine heard before the two's discussion became muffled was a boyish voice screaming,

"SLIGHT EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION-"

>>>>> <<<<<

"So, there are two ways we could go about this."

Izuku stared up at his teacher, hanging on every word. He may not have wanted to do this job in the beginning but fortunately, there was a lot more strategic planning involved than he had originally thought. He supposed it would be good practice for his analysis skills, so he wasn't going to slack off. Not that he would have slacked off either way but now was especially motivated not to. Not that he isn't always extremely motivated but-

"We could either do your plan or my plan. Take a pick." Right! He was supposed to be planning right now! He did find it kind of strange that Aizawa-sensei trusted him enough to let him pick the plan, though. This seemed like a really meaningful cause to his teacher and he didn't want to risk ruining it. Might as well give it his all! Midoriya held his hand to his chin, deep in thought, and began to mumble.

"According to Midnight-sensei, Vlad-sensei has repeatedly shut down all your attempts at changing the entrance exam design, meaning that at some point he has already heard all of your pieces of evidence and reasonings and completely ignored them." In Izuku's opinion, it seemed greatly prejudiced, but it'd be rude to talk about his teacher, a  pro hero,  that way. So he kept that little thought to himself and hoped that he'd never accidentally blurted it out to anyone. "So it'd be a waste of time to try and start with your plan. I say we start with my plan, get him all freaked out with the drama, and then you start your statistical report during the actual vote" Izuku hesitated for a few seconds before continuing. "Also, Shinso's already here and Mei won't be happy about having to wait any longer." Aizawa gave a firm nod.

"Sounds about right. Feel free to get started then, but try not to break too many bones, or else Recovery Girl will have my head on a platter." Recovery Girl... that's another problem he'd been meaning to discuss. "Once Vlad looks like he's at his lowest emotional point, you three can evacuate the area and pretend you're going back to the support lab or something." With that, Aizawa-sensei slipped into the shadows like an alley cat, disappearing from sight.

Izuku shifted from side to side on his feet, the feeling of Mei's prototype red shoes against his skin grounding him to the situation. He tried hyping himself up, telling himself that there was no way he could possibly mess this up. After all, he'd gone over it like a million times in his head and had been planning it ever since Aizawa-sensei told him about Vlad's hardheaded opinions. Shinso had memorized his lines, Mei had already convinced Power Loader to not expel her for this, and Izuku was about 70% sure this wouldn't end in an explosion, which was pretty impressive given Mei's reputation. Ironically, the only other thing at stake here for Izuku was  his  reputation. Finally, as soon as the green-haired child saw the red of Vlad King's suit make its way around the corner, he took a deep breath and had only one thought on his mind:

It's go time.

Izuku kicked the heels of his red shoes together, just like Dorothy did from that really old pre-quirk movie, and watched in fascination as two jets emerged from the bottom. Pushing down his uneasiness, Izuku waited for his target to get into the perfect position before blasting off with enough speed and force to dent a wall. Not that he wants to, but something a few notches under that should be guaranteed to catch the duo's attention.

...Wait, duo?

Izuku's eyes widened as he realized that there was another person standing beside Vlad King. Said person was much shorter and appeared to be wearing a hero course school uniform. Said student also had vivid red eyes and ash blonde hair. Kaachan. But it was already too late to change his trajectory, and Izuku could only watch in horror as he collided with his hot-headed classmate, tumbling to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs.

"PFT" Kaachan spat, trying to get his mouth out of Izuku's obnoxiously curly hair. "WHAT THE HELL DEKU?! DO YOU REGULARLY SHOOT ACROSS HALLWAYS OR SOMETHING? YOU GET EXCUSED FROM CLASSES JUST TO PULL THIS SHI-"

"OHH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY!" Izuku yelled, waving his arms around in the familiar frantic motion that ended up accidentally whacking Kaachan in the face. Ah jeez, today's the day he dies, huh? Tell his mom he loves her. Tell his dad he'd probably say the same if he knew where he was. "AH- SORRY FOR THAT TOO!"

"STOP APOLOGIZING AND JUST GET OFF ME, DUMBASS!" Oh, right. Izuku rolled off the angry blonde and on to his back, the first thing he sees when he looks up being Vlad's stunned face staring down at them. And that was the moment the green-haired child realized that he was still in the middle of a performance and that Shinso and Mei were still eagerly awaiting their cue to come in. Crap, he can't mess this up now! His friends are relying on him! Aizawa-sensei is relying on him! QUIRKLESS KIDS EVERYWHERE ARE RELYING ON HIM. So without thinking of the consequences, Izuku hid his face from Vlad and gave Kaachan the dirtiest glare he could. Like Aizawa-sensei said, desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Look, I'm really, really sorry for knocking you to the ground, but  don't you dare get in my way ." He growled out. Does he have a death wish or something?! And since when does he growl at people?! Luckily, it seemed like Kaachan was too shocked by his outburst at the moment to formulate a proper reply. Izuku jumped right back into his role.

"NO. GOD PLEASE NO. NO. NO. NOOOOO." He screamed out in fake anguish. Kaachan was even more shocked now, it was a weird expression to see on the angry pomeranian's face.

"Mido?!" A male voice called out, footsteps drawing closer. But Izuku didn't have to guess who it was, he already knew the voice belonged to a particular purple-eyed insomniac. He also didn't have to guess because he heard Kaachan grumble something along the lines of 'Eyebags', so it could really only be one person. "I thought Mei warned you to control the shoes' settings before blasting off!" Damn, Shinso, talk about acting skills.

"I did!" Izuku squeaked out, feigning panicked confusion. "But then it started sparking and by the time I realized it was malfunctioning I was already airborne! Technology is just difficult to handle sometimes!" Shinso gave him a fake dead stare.

"Seriously? You got defeated by a hunk of metal?" Shinso asked snarkily, and Izuku squawked in offense. To be honest, acting like this wasn't hard, considering this is the tone and actions they would normally do.

"Excuse you, it's not a hunk of metal that can be shut down just by tapping it!" See where he's going with this? As he said to Midnight-sensei, you have to subtly put the ideas in your targets head. "The jet was just one of its settings, it still has three more. Hell, one of them even shoots lasers!" Okay, so, Izuku can't really tell if that's being subtle anymore. But judging by the thoughtful expression on Vlad's face, the technique was working. "Imagine how badly I could have been hurt if I just randomly started hitting it midair, and in the end, it would have been a useless effort anyway!"

"You have that superpower quirk, don't you? Why didn't you just use that to make a blast of air in the opposite direction and even out the force or something?" Shinso asked. And bring it home!

"You expect me to make a blast in the hallway? I've already caused enough property damage, Shinso, I don't need any more of it! And besides, we aren't allowed to use our quirks outside of heroics class. So if you think about it," the tip of his mouth twitched, and he had to physically restrain himself from smirking. He's been holding back quite a lot of smirks this morning ever since he got the secretary job, is it a coincidence? "I'm basically quirkless."

Silence. Complete silence. Kaachan, who looked like he was just getting over the shock of nerdy little Deku growling at him, seemed to be thrown back into another spiraling crisis, probably confused as to why Izuku would bring up that chapter of his life. He didn't know why it was so shocking, though, he may have one for all now but it's not like that erases his past. Erases who he truly was at heart. Shinso didn't have as much restraint as Izuku did and was full-on grinning. And Vlad King... oh boy.

Vlad King was frozen; fingers, eyebrows, and nose twitching for some unknown reason. But he thinks he can speak for Aizawa-sensei and Shinso when he says he hopes it's regret and realization. But the trio wasn't done yet.

"It'd be suicide as a quirkless person, or just anyone without an offensive quirk," Yeah, he's really laying it on thick right now. "to try and go up against a death-machine piece of robotics. Why even bother?"

"IZU!" A pink-haired girl with goggles and a belt full of tools bounded over to him and kneeled by his side. Not to check on him, though, but rather the prototype shoes. "Huh, so my baby glitched out." She muttered, examining the sides.

" You don't say ." Kaachan gritted out, they all chose to ignore him, something that they would dearly pay for during their next meeting.

"I guess I could change up the design to make it more manageable for people, regardless of their quirk status." Vlad looked sick. "Or maybe I could give you another device to shut the shoes down if it reacts this way again. Hah, a support item for a support item! Well, thanks for testing my babies out!" Mei handed him his actual pair of red shoes and he quickly interchanged them for the ones on his feet, giving her the prototype back. Hopefully, he got to use it later, though, it would be amazing to use once Mei figures out the logistics of it. For a few seconds they all stood in silence, Kaachan surprisingly included. Although whether that's the result of a concussion, Izuku didn't know. He'll just enjoy it while it lasts. Finally, Shinso spoke up.

"I, uh, got to get to math. So..." Right! Aizawa said to evacuate once Vlad looked bad enough, which he definitely did. Izuku didn't want to be cruel, but this is just his job as a secretary. He has no other choice and that's the only reason he went this extreme.

...Right? Hopefully.

Izuku coughed. "Yeah. I have, like, secretary stuff. So I'll see you guys later."

"Cool! I have to fix my babies anyway! Bye!" Mei cheered, skipping off to class. Shinso soon followed, but with much less enthusiasm.

"Bye!" Izuku spared none of them another glance and started speed walking away in the direction he knew Aizawa-sensei was hiding in. As soon they were sure nobody could see them, his teacher left the cold comfort of the shadows and stepped out into the open, cringing at the lights in his eyes before turning to Izuku.

"On a scale of 1-10, how uncomfortable did Vlad look?" The underground hero asked bluntly. Although, something about his teacher's slightly trembling lips suggested he was on the verge of laughing at something. But it most likely just Izuku imagining things again, 'cause Aizawa-sensei never laughs.

"At first he was just shocked, so like a two, but then when Shinso and I mentioned metal and technology, he rose to a weird 3. And then after mentioning malfunctions, lasers, and property damage he was a 4. But like as soon as I said quirkless he just shot up to a 7. And then Mei laid it on thick with the topic of remodeling and support items so he's a solid 9 by now." He rambled excitedly, happy to know that his slight emotional manipulation was paying off. But also slightly scared.

"Great." Wow, Aizawa-sensei said great! Usually, it's an 'adequate' or 'okay' or 'that could be considered logical', but never a great. Izuku started bouncing on his feet even more, but his teacher narrowed his eyes. "Why are you more fidgety than usual. I'd pass it off as giddiness but you keep looking towards the hallway. You waiting for something?"  Crap, he noticed . The tired hero narrowed his eyes even more as the boy froze. "Someone?" Izuku twiddled his fingers looking down.

"I knocked Kaachan to the floor when I was blasting in the hallway and I'm like 60% sure he has a concussion. But if I'm wrong, then I have about ten seconds before he-"

"DEKU!"

Izuku sprinted to Nezu's office and didn't look back, Aizawa-sensei didn't need his help getting back anyway and they had a meeting to attend to.

He'd rather get a pay decrease in his pens than deal with his explosive rival today.

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota was once again reunited with his mug of coffee, except over four hours had passed and the warmth was long gone, replaced with an icy chill that replicated the temperature of his heart. But it was fine, at least he wasn't the only one suffering right now. Shota gave a sly smile as he looked in Vlad's direction, the man was an absolute mess.

Now, Shota doesn't laugh. He doesn't. The last time he wholeheartedly laughed was during his second year of UA, and ever since then, nothing. The most he's been seen doing is a mischievous grin at someone else's suffering. But today... my god. He didn't laugh, because he's a pro hero and has learned about self-restraint for three years straight, but it was one hell of a close call. Any more of that incredibly scripted performance and Shota might have ruined his cold-hearted emo reputation.

He'd be lying if he said it wasn't at least a bit entertaining to watch Midoriya and his ragtag group of friends give Vlad a run for his money. Even now the hero looked a bit green. Vaguely, Aizawa felt like he was influencing the next generation, sharing his wise knowledge with them about the world. But in this case, it's not the world so much as it is the concept of knocking some sense into that blood wielding knucklehead. He'll past down his methods of psychological warfare- or, as Midoriya likes to call it, a slight emotional manipulation- just like Nezu did for him.

...Why does this sound like some demented family tree?

Shota blinked hard, snapping himself out of his thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking of pointless nonsense, it was illogical and he had better things to do right now. Better things such as starting the UA staff meeting, which they were currently waiting on Snipe and Midnight- he doesn't want to know why it was specifically them and  only  them alone- to start. Shota lifted his head and gave a withering look to the ten pairs of eyes that currently rested on him. Or rather, nine. All Might's attention was focused elsewhere.

"Uh... young Aizawa-kun," He fixed his intense stare on All Might, enjoying the way the man seemed to flinch under it. "If you don't me asking, why is young Midoriya here in the faculty room instead of English with the rest of the class 2-A." Oh, right. No one besides himself, Nezu, Midnight, and class 2-A knew about Midoriya's position. He would have told them but he was already running on less sleep than usual and didn't have the time nor energy to worry about others. Now is as good a time as any, he supposes.

"Nezu and I agreed to make Midoriya my secretary for the week while I'm principal, to document observations and events, and assist with planning." He stated simply.

"Right!" Midoriya exclaimed while slightly pumping up his fist, as excited as ever. If he listened really closely, he could everyone in the room coo a quick 'aww' under their breaths. Typical, the green-haired child had the entire school wrapped around his finger. Not that Shota's complaining, though, they had some pretty solid reasoning. The kid was practically a ray of sunshine.

"Secretary? Wait, does that mean I can give you my coffee order?" Power Loader asked, surprisingly serious. What kind of question was that? Midoriya's job is to give professional reports, not be somebody's gofer.

"Get it yourself." Shota said at the same time Midoriya enthusiastically asked "Cream and sugar?"

He- what?

Shota whirled around in his chair to give Midoriya, who was currently sitting in the smaller chair next to him, an incredulous look. The kid in question returned the look with a confused one of his own. Did... did the kid actually think it was his job to run errands for the other teachers? Shota just silently shook his head and watched as his student made an 'o' shape with his mouth, nodding in understanding before flipping to a random page in his book and scribbling something out. Shota doesn't even want to know what he had written down. The gruff man gave another hard blink to snap himself out of it before facing his coworkers again and was surprised to see them looking back and forth between himself and the kid while narrowing their eyes. Well, actually, just like last time All Might was ever the outlier, having a fond expression on his face. It's the same thing Nemuri did in his office when he and the kid were going back and forth about the warfare plan. Is there something he's not understanding or...?

The faculty room door burst open, drawing everyone's attention off of the principal and secretary duo, much to the underground hero's relief. Skipping through the door like some lovestruck school girl, Snipe took his seat, blushing all the way. And right on his heels was none other than Nemuri, a sly smirk on her face as she took the chair right of Shota's. He glowered at her and whispered,

" The hell did you do to Snipe?"   Midoriya once again jotted his every word down, and this might have been the one conversation Shota wished he wasn't so diligent about.

"Oh you know," She waved him off, "a little wine and dine, the regular."

"You realize it's only 1:30 in the afternoon, right?" She gave him a sharp look.

"Hey, anything in or near the 'p.m' area is fair game." He rolled his eyes and did the same snapping/pointing gesture to Midoriya as he did that morning.

"Studies show that although drinking alcoholic beverages may delay the occurrence of a hangover, it's almost guaranteed that you will experience the after-effects later on, perhaps even during your drive home. And if you had alcohol the night before, then even the slightest amount could put you over your limit, possibly causing a car accident. Doctors can also attest to the fact that people who drink early in the day, combined with an empty stomach, are more likely to develop alcoholic liver disease and alcoholic dementia." Midoriya finished reading from his book and looked up at both of them with big green eyes, practically begging to be validated for the report. Shota gave an approving nod in return, watching out of the corner of his eye as the kid shared a victorious smile with himself.

Nemuri stared for a second before sighing. "I don't know whether I should be impressed that you just have that written in your notebook already for unknown purposes or very, very concerned."

"Both." Shota and the bushy-haired child said in sync. What is it with them and speaking in sync? It's only been a few hours since Midoriya became his secretary. Nemuri was the one to roll her eyes this time.

"Now I have to deal with three sadistic geniuses." She muttered under her breath. "But whatever, it paid off in the end, didn't it? That psychological warfare-"

"Slight emotional manipulation-" Midoriya's teacher breathed out a laugh. Wait, what?

"-worked like a charm! We got Snipe's vote in the bag." She whispered, giving a playful slap to Shota's arm before crossing her arms behind her head and leaning back to relax in her chair. Shota decided to turn a blind eye to whatever she and his coworker did and just move on with the meeting.

"So," he addressed the room, "I'll just cut to the chase. The first course of action I'm making as a temporary principal is the remodeling of the hero course entrance exam." An eruption of voices broke out and he activated his quirk, flashing them a glare with his scorching red eyes. "The favoritism towards flashy, physical quirks has become prominent in hero society, and what kind of hero school would we be if we didn't fight back against that kind of bias?"

"Damnnn Aizawa, kicking off you're entrance exam advocacy on the very first day of being principal." Power Loader bumped his fist against his heart two times, "Respect."

"Maybe senpai starting this project today was destiny!" Thirteen cheered, animatedly moving their hands as they talked. "I don't know about you guys but I've been thinking about robots and quirk discrimination all day, reminded me a lot of my childhood back when my classmates got freaked out by the fact that I didn't have a physical body. I think it's a sign." Ah, yes, quirk discrimination, something Shota can definitely relate to. If he took a nap for every time someone called him a villain just by seeing his quirk in action, his eyebags might have been a much lighter shade of purple.

Agreements rose up from all around the table, all speaking of the similar thoughts they'd had throughout the day. Shota, Nemuri, and Midoriya shared a small smirk at that. But it left their faces just as quickly as it had come once Vlad spoke up.

"You're kidding," Vlad said slowly, clearly trying, and failing, to keep the shock out of his voice at his coworkers' words. "right?" Shota tilted his head.

"Whatever suggested that?" The underground hero prodded, and everyone soon came to realize that this was the calm before the storm.

"W-well, it's just that- Uhm." Vlad sputtered, ears tinging red in a mixture of both embarrassment and frustration, "There's no way you could just change the entrance exam! Fighting the robots is practically a tradition at UA, we've done it for years!"

"Just because it's been done for years doesn't make it right. It can always be improved." Shota rebutted. Vlad was getting on his nerves with his narrow-minded statements.

"Do you even have a plan for this? Or is this just another half-assed project with no real depth behind i-"

"Midoriya," The tired, but more annoyed, teacher snapped his fingers, "if you would." Midoriya flipped to a page in his notebook- his  second  notebook, might he add, and pulled out eleven sheets of paper, distributing them among the staff. They were the remodeling options that they discussed with Nemuri a few hours ago, only way more detailed.

"Aizawa-sensei has drafted two possible plans for the new hero course entrance exam, both of which have been reviewed and approved by the fundamentals of law teacher in UA's business course, Hyun Gong. Who, by the way, has several Ph.D.'s and has been praised by Nezu himself for her published books. The sheets you have been given include the summary of the plans, how they would work, why the would work, and the funds needed to accomplish either of them.

'After emailing UA's accounting and finance department, we were informed that Nezu had been filtering 5% of this school's annual donations into a bank account that has increased with 1.5% interest every quarter for the past fifty years as a fail-safe of sorts. There's more than enough money to do either of these plans without even making a 0.01% dent in the net worth. All you guys need to do is vote on a plan, and it'll be mailed to the school board and hero commission right away for approval."

Shota swore he could hear a pin drop from how quiet the faculty room was after Midoriya's lengthy report. He doesn't know what they were expecting his bright-eyed student to say, but he knows that no matter what standards they held for the kid, he surpassed it. He's been doing that a lot, lately, and Shota's disappointed in himself for only noticing now, in his second year.

"Hey, kid," A tight voice called out, and the underground hero saw Midoriya lift his head out of his notebook to face the speaker, which just happened to be Vlad King. Shota swears to god if he says anything rude to his student... "Why are you doing this?" His student looked taken aback at the question letting out a quiet,

"Huh?"

"I asked, why are you doing this? Is it for extra credit or something? It has to be because there's no other logical explanation for why'd you  help develop  this silly project." How dare the word logical fall from his lips. "You love UA, don't you? You like the way we operate here. So why fight against it?"

"W-well, it's not really fighting, i-is it?" Oh no, Shota could physically watch as Midoriya retreated back into his shell, self-confidence being doubted and questioned from Vlad's tone of voice. "Isn't it m-more like improving for the g-greater good-" The blood bending pro hero cut him off.

"Greater good? UA already  is  the greater good, there are no flaws and nothing needs to be improved upon or changed! We have a system here and the system always works. It worked for you, didn't it?" Shota's eyes darkened, he didn't like where this was going but if he stopped Vlad now it'd make him seem like he can't handle opposing views. "You took the entrance exam and got in fair and square, and now you're one of the star students! That's good enough proof that-"

"But how many potential 'star students' were turned away because of the horrible design of the entrance exam? Say there was a student who had a touch activation color-changing quirk, it'd be perfect for underground heroics and concealing her identity. But how is she going to get the teachers to see that when she isn't able to show her usefulness? You think making the robot blue is going to help anyone? And even if she had martial arts training, no one should expect her to be able to kick the head off a robot." Nemuri snorted at Vlad's scandalized expression but quickly passed it off as a cough, probably fooling everyone but Shota. Midoriya hadn't even said it in a rude way, just stated it as facts, which it was. And maybe that's what made it so important, because it wasn't just about his emotions anymore.

"F-fine!" Ugh, he sounds like a whiny child. "But so what if it's good for concealing identities? If her quirk isn't suited for combat than she shouldn't be a hero." Does he even realize there are people around him with quirks just like the ones he's describing, the ones that aren't 'suited for combat'? "You, on the other hand, have a quirk that perfect for heroics! You don't  need  to worry about others, because if they really wanted to be a hero, they would do it by themselves. So why even consider them?"

"Meddling in matters that don't concern you is what makes a true hero. I'm helping this project move forward so others don't have to go through the same struggle that w-" Midoriya paused, seeming as if he just became aware of house loud his voice was getting, not that Shota or anyone else here would blame him. Vlad King can't seem to form one sentence without sounding like a bigot. But what exactly did his student mean by the 'same struggle'? Same as who? Shota promised himself that he'd find out later. "The population of people with mental quirks, quirks considered villainous, or no quirk at all have had to face more obstacles than you or anyone else could  possibly  know about. They don't have the resources or support to become a hero by themselves, which is all the more reason to make these changes."

Shota wanted to get up out of his seat and applaud the kid, and he's sure everyone else here did, too. Well, except Vlad, that is. He just looked embarrassed beyond repair.  Good . He had asked Midoriya if this was some extra credit project and even if it really wasn't, there's nothing holding the proud teacher back from doing so anyway. Shota was already flashing him a wicked smirk and preparing to start the vote when suddenly everyone at the table realized something: Midoriya wasn't finished. It wasn't that he had any else to tell them, he'd said enough for everyone to know that he had won the debate. But if there's one more thing they all know, it's that actions speak louder than words. And Midoriya must have known that, too, since for the first time in... ever, the kid leveled his eyes on Vlad's and

glared.

That's right: UA's resident sunshine child just glared at Class 2-B's homeroom teacher, a  pro hero . Everyone knew at the beginning of the debate that it was the calm before the storm, but they never expected  Midoriya  to be the storm. And it wasn't some pathetic dirty look you'd give to your friends when they pissed you off, this was the type of glare you'd give to your enemy- the type of glare a hero would give a villain. A searing pressure filled the room as venomous green eyes seemed to glow and crackle like lightning, waiting to strike it's next victim the second they make a single sound. In this case, that victim was Vlad King. Who wilted under the stare and tried to hide a gulp. And that's when it struck Shota that the boy beside him was no longer Midoriya Izuku, it was someone else.  Something  else. It was a hero.

It was Deku.

Then, almost like it had never happened, the pressure was gone. His eyes faded back to their usual forest green. The lightning had receded back into the soft clouds, replaced by a striking rainbow. And most importantly, the Deku persona was gone, leaving the Midoriya Izuku they all know and love in its wake. The green-haired child, as if he was oblivious to the situation, gave a cheery, kind smile and clapped his hands together.

"It's voting time!"

In the end, much to Shota's delight,- or as delighted as someone that tired could be- the plan allowing applicants to request to fight a UA student or member of staff as the physical entrance exam had come out on top. And it was a unanimous vote.

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota leaned against Hizashi's car as he waited for the loud blonde to finish grading the last of class 2-C's assignments. His friend- not that he'd  ever  say it out loud- had offered to drive him to his apartment for today. And Shota, ever the minimalist, accepted, knowing that he would take any opportunity he could to save money on public transportation. The underground hero sighed while thinking over recent events. Today had been a productive day, a good day. Maybe even great. He couldn't describe what the light feeling in his chest was but if he had to take an educated guess... he'd say it was content.

He'd been trying to get one of these remodeling plans approved ever since he accepted Nezu's teaching position at UA, but every single time he'd been shut down. Now, on his first day as temporary principal, he was able to erase years of struggling in the span of just six hours. Is this what it was like to be in Nezu's position? Knowing that because of your superior status, the school, and possibly the future of hero society was at your mercy? It's like he was the puppeteer of this complex performance, the pillars of society attached to his fingertips by strings that he can fully manipulate, not that he would. And he could see why so many people in this corrupt world craved so much power for themselves, not that he'd ever be that selfish. But still, he wouldn't mind living life like this for more than a week. And he could honestly say that he was excited for whatever new changes tomorrow would bring. He could also honestly say that the same applied for having Midoriya as his secretary for more than a week, too.

He turned his head to see the green-haired child in question still by the front steps of the school, jumping up and down as he chattered away, no doubt relaying his experiences as a secretary today to his friends. Shota then observed how Midoriya gradually stopped his jumping as his hand was slowly brought up to his chin and his mouth started moving a mile a minute, not even pausing to take a breath. The teacher- or he guessed principal, for now, looked away from the quartet of friends as he felt something fond shine through his chest, just like it had this morning when he had first pulled the kid out of class to assist him in planning. It was unfamiliar but in no way unwelcomed. Now was the prime time in Shota's life to experience new things, and he guessed that applied to emotions too.

But he immediately snapped out of his trance the moment a pair of deep red sneakers entered his view, and Shota lifted his eyes from the ground to see Midoriya standing in front of him, acting unusually fidgety.

"Problem child," The gruff man greeted, "Do you need something?"

"A-Aizawa-sensei! Hi! Um, I was just wondering..." Midoriya hesitated for a few seconds before continuing, "VladKingisn'tgoingtoreportmetoNezuoncehecomesbackright?" ...What?

"You're gonna have to slow down a bit for me to understand... whatever you just said," Shota tells him, and Midoriya fidgets for a few more seconds before regaining- sort of- his confidence.

"Vlad King isn't going to report me to Nezu for what I did once he comes back and try to expel me... right?" Shota, no. Don't do it.  Don't you dare-

He snorted. Just once. And to think a single sound from his throat was enough to scare the living daylights out of his student, judging by how Midoriya's eyes widened and he started fidgeting even more.

"No, Problem Child, he's not going to expel you. Mostly because I'm the only teacher Nezu gave that power to, and because he's too terrified of either of us to try that." Midoriya squeaked.

"Wha...? Why would he be terrified of me?!" Is... is he joking? Shota gave him an incredulous look.

"Your glare lasted five seconds and you still managed to put the fear of God into him, looked like he was on the verge of shitting his pants," Shota stated amusedly, he wishes he had a camera to immortalize that moment.

"Oh!" Midoriya exclaimed, surprise clear in his face and voice as he broke out into a smile, "So it worked!" He whipped out his notebook and scribbling something down. Except it wasn't any of the notebooks Shota gave him, but rather something called 'Hero Analysis Notebook No. 14'. Huh, so this was the one he was always hunching over in class. Shota had seen the way his classmates reacted to it- Uraraka tried to get as far away as possible and Bakugo attempts to blow it up- but he's never actually seen what's inside. It must be pretty damn detailed if  Midoriya  is writing it, though. But that's not important.

"It worked?" Shota asked once the boy lifted his head, "What worked?"

"There are lots of people that use glaring as an intimidation technique during battle or in an interrogation: Endeavor, Bakugo, Mirko, and Todoroki are the ones I've seen the most. It's a useful skill to have, so I figured I should try my hand at replicating it from a person I know." Midoriya explained, animatedly moving his hands around as he explained.

"Is this person Bakugo?" Bakugo did glare a lot, and it would make sense if Midoriya took inspiration from him. But it still seemed wrong, in a way. Whenever Bakugo glared, it just got people to flinch and back off. When Midoriya glared...

"Hm? Oh, nah!" Midoriya waved his guess off before replying. "I learned it from my dad. He did it a lot when I was little and the first time I glared, my mom said it must have run in the family genes." Midoriya cheerfully recounted.

"Huh, interesting." Midoriya agreed, rapidly nodding his head. And that's when Shota had a not so moral idea. "If you want to collect data about the way people react to your glare, you should try it on classmates and compare results. Start with Bakugo." Should he feel bad? Maybe. Does he? God no.

The green-haired child looked at him like he'd just given him the answers of the universe and wrote it all down, mumbling the whole way. And it was only when the kid realized that Shinso was calling for him that he packed up his book and yelled a quick 'Bye!' at Shota, sprinting away to the lilac-haired boy and disappearing out the gates. Eventually, Hizashi came skipping towards him with a greeting and unlocked the car, letting Shota get in, but Shota was still deep in thought. Midoriya's father, huh?

He must be one terrifying man.

Chapter Text

Izuku stared at his notebook, the one he was still writing in, by the way. Aizawa-sensei wanted him to write down all the problems he could find with UA, and unfortunately, or maybe fortunately now, there was quite a lot. It's going to be a bit of a challenge to accomplish these before next Monday but... if they worked hard, he's sure they could do it.

His teacher plopping down into Nezu's- or is it his now?- lush leather chair and propping his feet up on the desk snapped Izuku out of his inspirational thought process. The gruff man took one look at the boy's notebook and sighed, but something about the way he did it made him sound almost fond. But that couldn't be right, right? Why would his teacher ever be happy about more work? And yesterday Izuku swore he'd heard the man snort at something he had said, but his teacher never laughs, either!

It's only been a day and Aizawa-sensei is already acting much differently than usual. Although to be fair, Izuku could be considered to be the exact same. He growled at Kaachan, even glared at him today even though it was purely for scientific purposes, and he called out a teacher for his stupidity. Overall, he doesn't know how he's alive right now. Or dead. But it was a welcome enough change. What's wrong with a little more confidence? He was going to need it if he wanted to be the new symbol of peace.

...Yeah, it was to be the symbol of peace.

"When I said not to hold back on UA's list of issues, I didn't think you'd go that far." Aizawa-sensei said, emphasizing his words, "How many's on there? 20? 30?"

"38." His teacher let out a long whistle and Izuku immediately backtracked, flushing in embarrassment and waving his arms around. "I mean of course they're all, like, really minor! Just stuff I've noticed during my time here, but then again that isn't a lot. Only one and a half years, I'm not even a third year yet. These probably won't change much around here, anyway. Sorry about that, I think I got a little too caught up in the smaller things for the 'greater good'. I should have known it was just an expression and not meant to be taken seriously-"

"Midoriya," His teacher cut in sternly, and Izuku halted in the middle of his rambling, "No problem is too small when it comes to UA, everything here matters. And knowing you, it'll probably change a lot." Izuku didn't entirely know what his teacher made by that, but it didn't sound like an insult, so he stayed silent. "It's better we handle it now then watch it snowball and blow up in our faces later." Although Izuku was still a little unsure, he nodded. If his teacher chose to acknowledge everything he wrote down then that must mean it had some value to it, right? He hoped so.

"So," Izuku started quietly, still confused as to how he was supposed to react to the... encouragement? Praise? He didn't know what it was but it certainly couldn't be that, his teacher rarely ever bluntly praises people. "Sports Festival for general education or connections?"

"Both. If I have to meet with Power Loader I'd rather we get it all done at once instead of dragging it out to two meetings. Plus, there's another problem you didn't write down yet about the sports festival that I plan on having another vote for." Wow, three changes at once, and he thought yesterday was a lot. He's not complaining, though, more changes equal more plans, and by god does he like making plans. Especially since it appears that Aizawa-sensei gave him permission to do more slight emotional manipulation.

Although, when his teacher said those exact words he started holding back laughter again. And Izuku doesn't know if he should be worried about why he's laughing at the term or the fact that he's laughing in general.

"...Wait," Izuku muttered, "What's the second vote for?"

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota stared at the fresh pot of coffee, once again drawn to the deep pool of bitter liquid that would scorch his tongue as he drank from his mug. Except this time, there were two mugs. One was white and filled with plain black coffee, and the other was exactly the same if you ignore the countless sugar packets dumped in and the way too much cream. By now, one can probably guess which belonged to Midoriya. He sat in Nezu's chair, just like he had during his meeting with Nemuri yesterday, as Midoriya sat in the smaller chair on the left side of the desk. The sound of the boy's unending scribbling in his notebook could have lulled him to sleep, and for a second, he almost forgot the real reason they were in here.

"C'mon Aizawa, the pot's right there!" Power Loader whined, gesturing toward the sacred object as he sat parallel to Shota, "Can I please just pour myself one cup? Just one?" The pro hero was practically begging at this point, and while Midoriya might have shown sympathy, Shota has none.

"Where was that 'pour myself' attitude yesterday when you asked my secretary to get you coffee." He heard Midoriya choke on his drink. Power Loader, known to the rest of the staff as Majima, deflated and slumped in his seat. Shota smirked, serves him right for being an ignorant ass. Even if his green-haired student hadn't been offended, it sure as hell wasn't right, and the grumpy man wasn't going to let those kinds of questions pass as long as he had something to say about it. "Precisely."

"Fine. But can you at least tell me why you called me here? 'Cause I have a feeling it wasn't just to call me out on the coffee comment." Majima huffed but still looked a little nervous. Once again, good . "Yesterday it was Kayama and today it's me. Are you planning on singling one of us out every morning for the next week? Because that's what it's starting to look like." No, he wasn't. But if that's what the others were thinking then he wasn't going to step in, intimidation techniques weren't limited to just glaring, after all.

Shota quirked an eyebrow in interest, he should probably tell Midoriya to write that down later, as well as give him a few more examples of intimidation to try out. Not only would it be helpful for the kid's future career as a pro hero, but it would be amusing as hell. And he knew the boy would listen to him, too. During class 2-A's homeroom this morning he'd walked in only to see the entire room stuck in chilling silence, the only sound coming from his forest-eyed student as he happily scribbled in his notebook with a smile.

Every other one of his students was pale as a sheet of paper and had the most haunted looks on their faces. While it may have been a confusing sight to everyone else, it took Shota only three seconds to understand what had occurred. Midoriya had listened to his advice and ran a few more trials to test out his glaring skills, no doubt getting his ideal reaction results.

And that's not even the best part, no, it was Bakugo that really topped it off. Shota isn't one to be petty if he doesn't have a reason, so thank god he had a reason. Don't get him wrong, it's nothing personal, but he's not the one that gets yelled at every day just for speaking by a blond with anger issues- he should really discuss that issue later on. That's Midoriya. And everyone knows that Midoriya isn't one to hold a grudge, let alone take action because of it- although, yesterday's interaction with Vlad had him questioning that fact- but the kids' little 'rivalry' has gone too far. It would do more harm than good for Shota to step in himself, so all he did was give his oblivious student a step in the right- or he guessed petty- direction. He thought it would teach him a valuable lesson about picking and choosing his battles.

And my god, it absolutely did.

Bakugo looked like he had seen a ghost, in by far the worst shape among his classmates. Opening and closing his mouth, finger shaking as he pointed to Midoriya, then himself, then Midoriya, then himself, and then just repeated that entire process all over again. Kirishima tried to comfort him but there wasn't much he could do when he was just as scared. It made him wish he was there to see it all go down, but he guessed he could settle for this. And besides, after the voting process yesterday he'd realized that Nezu planted security cameras in almost every office and classroom, so now he could just make the security feed of Midoriya his screen saver and the audio of Vlad getting roasted his ring tone.

It was the best morning he'd had in a while. But back to the conversation.

"It's about our-" Majima lifted his eyebrows at the word 'our' for some reason, and Shota suddenly felt like he was the confused one in this room now. "second course of action."

"Dayum Aizawa! Starting your second project already?" Majima lifted his fist to his chest and opened his mouth, ready to speak, but Shota cut him off before he could utter a single word.

"Respect. I know." The underground hero rolled his eyes at his coworker's antics. It was Kirishima's 'manly' situation all over again, and he'll be damned if he has to deal with two of them. Not to mention Tetsutetsu.

"What does it have to do with me specifically, though?"

"The plan- or I guess, plans, there's multiple- directly affects the support course students as well as your job. So-" Shota stopped short as he saw Majima wearing a fearful expression on his face. "What?"

"Are- are you firing me?!" He- Jesus Christ.

"No, Majima, I'm not going to fire you. The hell did you get that idea from?" Nezu might have given him the go-ahead to teach his class as he pleased and expel who he saw fit, but that sure as hell didn't apply to his coworkers. And besides, Shota sticks to his word, he won't be petty if he doesn't have a reason to be.

"Nezu gave you complete power as principal, you expelled your entire class two years ago, last week I spilled coffee on your sleeping bag and didn't wash it out-"

" That was you?" 

"and you and your secretary destroyed Vlad yesterday and made Midnight walk out of this office looking like death itself. You two are practically bulldozing through this school and I thought I was your next target to run over." Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose with both index fingers, inhaling and exhaling deeply to try and keep his bubbling rage from exploding.

Contrary to popular belief, he does take good care of himself. He keeps up with daily personal hygiene, he gets at least some sleep every day, he always has proper calorie intake, and he washes his belongings to keep them clean. Personal belongings such as his yellow sleeping bag. And yeah, it wasn't that hard to wash out the coffee stain, but that didn't mean he enjoyed the mid-day surprise the hot liquid left for him when he tried taking a nap. Now he really does have a reason to be petty to Majima. But he's nothing if not tolerant.

"Midoriya," He breathed out, not even bothering to do the snapping gesture that he'd grown so fond of in only a single day, "explain the first plan to Power Loader before I really do hit him with my car." The child gave a nod of understanding- since when does he understand the urge to hit people with a car? Eh, whatever, either way, he agrees- and continued without question.

"The first plan is actually quite minor on your part, but it could possibly help a lot of students. During the annual UA sports festival, almost every course has a specialty or role. The hero course has advanced training in combat and quirk use, the support course is able to bring support items as long as they design and construct them by themselves, and the business department can use this as an opportunity to scout future members of their agencies or for their legal dealings. But G.E has none of those roles or advantages, and as all those students said, they're pretty much just there to make the hero students look good.

"Of course, a lot of them are trying to get into the hero course, but there's only ever one spot available. And it would be cruel to suggest that everyone wants to be heroes, anyway, so much so that would want to get out of G.E as fast as possible. So they would need other goals, that don't insult their school course, in order to have a good time and stay motivated.

"Therefore, we were hoping you could help give them a chance to have a role or just a real shot in general. How long, on average, do you think it would take for one of your students to build a few functioning support items?" Midoriya asked, before adding one more comment. "Oh! And please don't include Mei in that average." Ah yes, a very reasonable request. Majima thought it over a bit before answering.

"About a week, give or take since they only get about an hour a day to work on personal projects."

"Good, then starting next year, would you consider leaving your lab open for about an hour each day for a week after school for some other students to come in and develop their items?" As soon as Midoriya asked his question, Majima's fearful anticipation was gone, now it's just fear.

"You're kidding, right?" Shota rolled his eyes, what is it with his coworkers and thinking he's kidding? Does he honestly look like the type of person to tell a joke, let alone laugh at anything? Yesterday excluded. "Hatsume's a support course genius and she still blows up the lab every other day. Can you imagine what an inexperienced student could do?"

"Unfortunately, yes, but that's where you come in! Mei doesn't allow anyone to monitor her projects' development, because she thinks it dilutes her creative genius, but she's pretty unique. With these other students, you can make it a requirement for them to allow you to overlook their progress and work, that way you can verify their safety.

"Also, they wouldn't be completely inexperienced. Another requirement we were thinking of adding is making any student that wants to design a support item for sports festival use fill out an assessment, to see if they have enough knowledge and experience about the topic before being allowed to work. If you deem them unfit, then you don't have to let them in. In the end, it's all up to you, since you get to decide how many and which students can be in the lab after school.' Midoriya finished explaining the first plan to Majima, looking hopeful. "So, would you be willing to do it, then?"

Majima still looked a little unsure, but after hearing all the precautions they came up with, a lot more open to the idea. Finally, after thinking it over and getting puppy eyes from Midoriya- Shota swears those are lethal weapons, it's never been used on him before but he saw the effects it had on Shoji once- he gave in.

"Ah, okay, you got me! Can't say no to those eyes!" Midoriya tilted his head in confusion. You're only proving his point, Shota thought in fond exasperation. "But on one condition, I get the final say on whether or not their product is good to go. I don't do this with my own students, but that's because I know for a fact they can handle themselves. With these kids, if there's even the slightest chance of failure in their items, I'll be forced to reject them. But if it's safe, I'll give my stamp of approval. Can't be too safe, you know? I don't want these kids getting injured on my watch."

And just like that, Shota saw Majima in a new light. His coworker was childish and valued humor above his own paycheck, but he was responsible. The guy's been a hero for years, he's seen how badly civilians and heroes alike can get injured in freak accidents, and he doesn't want the same thing to happen in a school where the kids are supposed to feel safe and protected. He may talk like a surfer, but this is something that Shota would always respect him for.

Especially after the USJ disaster last year.

"Of course!" Midoriya's cheery voice brought him out of his mind before he could continue down that train of thought. Majima released a breath that nobody knew he was holding, his relief palpable for some reason.

"Oh thank god. I was worried you were gonna go all Aizawa on me like you did with Vlad." Did... did he just use Shota's name? And to describe an action his student did? What exactly was Majima suggesting?

"Huh?" The green-haired child asked, "What do you-"

"Anyway," Shota was not letting the kid continue that thought. He might not have known what it meant, but judging by Majima's stupidly smug smile it must be annoying enough for Shota to want to avoid. "Onto the second change. Problem child, if you will."

"Right! So, it's known worldwide that UA offers multiple courses: Hero, Support, Business, and general. But even though they're all in the same building, they're mostly kept separate. And, unfortunately, this leads to a lot of bad blood between the departments. Just last year a lot of students were pissed at us first years in heroics because all of the constant villain attacks were annoying them, the problem was only solved after everyone got to know each other in the school festival.

"But school festivals only happen once a year, meanwhile the departments could get into heated battles with each other at any time and have no means of working through them. Just the other day I saw Ayano from Business throw a banana peel at Monoma. He deserved it, but that's not the point.

"In a few years, all of the departments are going to be working together as professionals. Hero students need to be scouted by pros and business students working at agencies, support technicians need to be hired by said Hero students for equipment, and Gen. Ed students are just of wildcards for potentially great connections to have. But none of them are going to be happy about that if they all despise each other. Keeping them separate, and unable to interact and personally understand one another, is just setting them up for failure in the future. Therefore..." The kid gave a dramatic pause as he whipped out a piece of paper that had an interior design remodeling of the cafeteria on it.

"Yesterday during lunch I made a few observations about the atmosphere in the cafeteria. Something I've just noticed is that even though we all have the same lunch periods, departments are kept separate by a bunch of retractable barrier posts. In order to merge the sitting area together to get all of them to interact, I thought about just removing the barricades, but then I realized that'd never work." Majima cut into Midoriya's explanation.

"Huh? Why not?" Ah, might as well give the kid some breathing time and answer the question for him.

"Once teenagers find a group of friends and a table to sit at, they tend to stick to that area for the next three years, barriers won't change a thing." Majima gave him a weird look as if wondering why he knew that. What? He was a teenager once, too, despite apparent popular belief from his class.

"Mhm. So the only other option is to literally force them to move to the same area. Students are possessive of their seating areas, they don't want to sit anywhere other than the table they're used to. If you sit in their seat without permission they'll most likely kick you out, or just use their quirk to shove you off." Midoriya muttered that last part, but Shota's training as an underground hero has allowed him to hear even the faintest of sounds.

He knows for a fact nobody has ever used their quirk to fend someone off from their chair. Sure, they might have politely asked them to move, but quirk usage outside of heroics is strictly prohibited. What kind of school did Midoriya go to that let their students mercilessly run wild like that? It was something Shota would have to save for later, though, because the green-eyed child perked back up from his brief solemn state to continue his rant.

"Therefore, I suggest we just scatter the arrangement of the tables, and they'll know we did it since they all have numbers on them. The preparation isn't complicated at all, it's their reactions to it that matter. I've made sure to keep certain groups separate, since they may cause more problems in close proximity to each other, and I put others together that I think could get along or at least have a mutual understanding.

"For example, the Bakusquad," The what? They have group names now? "and Monoma are as far away as possible, along with all of Monoma's friends. Iida is out of Mei's range since he's still a little salty about last year's festival. And Shinso and Oijrio are separate for the exact same reasons. However, there are also examples of friendly relationships.

"Kendo is close to Monoma, to drag him away from bothering others, and she's also close to Momo since they have a nice rivalry going on." Yes, that's a perfectly healthy example of a rivalry. Take notes, Midoriya. "Kirishima and Tetsutetsu, they're clones, Tokoyami and Kuroiro over their mutual love of darkness, Ayano and Ashido, Rumiko and Mei, Mafuyu and Hagakure, and so on. Hopefully, with this, they'll build a few friendships and make promises to work together after graduation." His bushy-haired students paused a bit before continuing. "Or just tolerate each other in general."

"Huh," Majima flipped through the paper that now rested in his hands, "well, you've certainly thought this through. But aren't you worried about all the confusion this is going to cause as soon as lunch starts?" Shota's eyes darkened and to all of their surprise, so did Midoriya's. The black-haired man opened his mouth to reply.

"Yes, actually, very. But it's a risk we're going to have to take if we want a positive outcome in the end. I only hope that they keep property damage to a minimum." He sighed.

"Property damage?"

"Bakugo." One word is all it took for the support hero to immediately understand. Perking up, his cheery student spoke.

"That reminds me! I've already asked Cementoss-sensei to start moving around the tables now so we don't need your help in that department, but you do have a big role in this." So small yet so big.

"And what's that?"

"Prevent Mei from testing out her inventions on other students during lunch."

Shota's not gonna lie, that's probably one of the hardest jobs in this school. Hatsume isn't even one of his students but she might as well be, given how much stress she gives him. Last week she 'upgraded' Bakugo's grenades, which then proceeded to malfunction and destroy half of a building in training ground beta. And the girl didn't even bat an eye at the destruction she caused, only pouting at her 'baby' before cackling madly and running to her lab to improve them. He has no problem with the mad cackling, he just hates what comes after and the sleep he loses because of it. There's no doubt in the erasure heroes mind that given the chance, she'll make grenades for everyone in that cafeteria.

Majima didn't seem to be fairing too well, either, since he's had to deal with her every weekday since last year. The principal and secretary duo just hoped the man wouldn't accidentally get himself blown up in thirty minutes. But let's be honest,

that was never an option to begin with.

>>>>> <<<<<

Izuku dug his teeth into the shiny red apple as he stared across the cafeteria, savoring the taste of the juice and the crisp crunch sound it made. Lunch Rush had also offered Aizawa-sensei an apple but he opted to go for another one of his juice pouches today. He always thought those things would have tasted like... well, nothing. Just flavorless, grey mush that served no other purpose than to keep a person healthy.

Because that was the kind of person he'd always seen Aizawa-sensei as, a person who gets nothing but basic necessities and does nothing than the basic necessities. His office desk was devoid of any personal items, he only slept for the minimum requirement of hours, and of course, digests nothing but juice pouches, water, and coffee. But one look at the front of the pouch, the words 'Mango Edition' written across it, had him second-guessing everything he thought he knew.

'Oh! So you're trying to merge the departments together during lunch period?" Aizawa-sensei paused in his slurping to glance at the lunch hero.

"Mhm." And then he went right back to slurping.

"Nice! I always love it when new friendships are born." Izuku heard a dreamy sigh through the hero's mask. "I hope the arrangement was thought out though. It'd be a shame if this whole mixer-" His grumpy teacher mumbled out a quick 'mixer?', "was ruined because a few students decided to have a squabble." The hero-in-training flashed a bright smile.

"We did! I made sure to match them up based on personality traits, reasons for choosing the academic path they did, hobbies, whether they think the dress is black and blue or white and gold, favorite-" Izuku was cut off by a loud, yet nervous, laugh.

"Well, aren't you a thorough bunch! Unfortunately, there are some occasions when great friendships can cause great problems." The chef said with a sigh, oblivious to the panic he has just caused. Izuku and his teacher turned to share a look with each other, eyes wide in fear of what that statement implied. Wasting no time, the green-haired child turned to the chef.

"What problems? Which friendships?!" He was just about restraining himself from shaking the older man's shoulders to get an answer out of him, but he figured it would be perfectly justified. Just the slightest mishap in the next forty-five minutes could cause everything to come tumbling down. He had to destroy this hypothetical problem before it got the chance to plant its seed.

"Huh? Oh. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu. I love their dynamic but Jesus Christ the others' reactions are a pain to deal with."

"WHAT?!" Izuku yelled, because that's absurd. Those two are amazing together! Their quirks are similar, they both love the word 'manly', they both interned for Fourth Kind, hell! They even have the same teeth! How could that bond lead to anything but the manliest- Oh god, that word has officially ingrained itself in his brain- friendship in the universe!

"Ohhh yeah!" The hero stated matter-of-factly, "They're so alike, they're practically clones. But that means it's basically double of every part of them. Double worshipping of Crimson Riot, double the word 'bro', and double the... manliness." The chef shivered and that's when Izuku realized the word 'manly' was ingrained into everyone's brain now. "Personally, I think it's adorable, but I can imagine how the boys' friends may find that extremely annoying."

Okay, yeah, that makes sense. But at least it's their friends, right? And that means they cherish them enough to tolerate their little habits! It wouldn't cause a big enough problem to start a whole fight, right? Because what kind of psycho would resort to violence for something as simple as that-

Oh.

Oh.

Izuku's stomach dropped and his head whipped back to face Aizawa-sensei, who seemed to have realized the exact same thing he did at the exact same time. They both know what kind of psycho would do that, they have to deal with that psycho every morning. Kaachan. The explosive blond would no doubt resort to violence the second Kirishima and Tetsutetsu did their new secret- it's hardly a secret anymore given how often they do it- handshake.

He could see it now: The explosions, the fire, the property damage, everything. The one thing he and Aizawa-sensei promised to do was keep school destruction to a minimum, and look at them now! He should have known it was an impossible dream to have. But still, Izuku is nothing if not determined!

There's still a way to fix this, he knows there is! All they have to do is rearrange about 2-3 tables and problem solved! Sure, the tables are a bit heavy and he might scratch the floor a bit, but there's nothing a little full cowl can't handle and-

Crap.

The green bean more or less heard them before he saw them, their loud footsteps speed walking towards the cafeteria doors and ready to burst through them and scatter at any moment. The door was about ten feet from the closest table, though, and they seemed to be about halfway down the hall to the door if his hearing was good enough to go by. He'd say they had a solid thirty seconds to fix this mess before anyone would get suspicious and they would miss the reactions to new table placements.

"You take Tetsutetsu's table and I'll take Bakugo's." Was all he heard from his teacher before they both shot in different directions, Izuku activating full cowl at the highest percentage he could handle to lift up the steel boy's table and sprint to the left. Once he was about four seating areas away from its previous spot, he kicked a few tables apart and shifted them down to make room for the table he was currently holding.

Relieved that he completed the job, he turned to see if Aizawa-sensei was done yet, but his gaze shifted to the man just in time to see his capture weapon shoot out and wrap around the table, gripping it. His teacher than yanked on his scarf to pull the large object towards him and made contact with it just to slam it into the newly available space on the ground. Far, far away from Tetsutetsu's spot.

"Holy crap! What's the tensile strength on that thing?!" Izuku asked, his fanboy mode activating. "Scratch that, how do you even control it? Someone once told me that it was connected to your brainwaves, which I guess would explain how you're able to dictate where it goes midair, but how could carbon fibers and a metal alloy manage to pull that off? Whenever you activate your quirk, your hair floats, and maybe that's the reason your scarf does, too? But does that mean it's laced with your DNA somehow? Oh my god, can you float yourself if you try hard enough?! Have you had a minor telekinesis quirk this entire time and never told anybody because of underground hero secrets? Your eyes glow red to float your hair and scarf, could you move that red light down the rest of your body and even spread it to other objects-?"

This time, it wasn't another person that cut off his rambling, it was Izuku himself. And that's already a rare enough occurrence. The reason he cut himself off wasn't that he realized the students were still approaching, it wasn't because of embarrassment, and it wasn't because of the stunned (Or awed? Hah, what is he talking about? That's impossible.) look on Aizawa-sensei's face, either. It was because he had just noticed where his teacher placed Kaachan's table.

"U-um, Aizawa-sensei..." The hero trainee pointed a shaking figure towards him, "You placed Kaachan's table right next to mine."

And just like that, their stomachs dropped ten stories further down. Kaachan and his friends couldn't sit anywhere near his table, or else it'd just be another screaming match between them that'll last the whole period. They had to move the Bakusquad's table somewhere else and they had to do it fast. In a split second, Izuku had entered analyzing mode.

Monoma was a no go. Kaachans still pissed at Mei for the malfunctioning equipment but that's mostly because he wasn't aware of it the first time, he would gladly demand her for more grenades the first chance he got, and for the sake of Power Loader he couldn't let that happen. He knows Koda and Kaachan won't bother each other but the animal hero generally didn't like loud sounds, and the Bakusquad is nothing if not that. He needed someone who was quiet enough to not get on the explosive blonde's nerves, but chill enough to deal with constant memes and crackling.

And that's when it hit him, the table of emos. Jirou, Shoji, Tokoyami were the foundation of the table, with Momo making an occasional appearance from time to time to chat with Jirou. The girl with ear jacks could already be considered as a member of the Bakusquad, Shoji rarely ever spoke or picked arguments with people, and Tokoyami mostly minded his own business aside from talking about MCR with Jirou and speaking of darkness with anyone willing to listen. They were perfect.

But the students were practically right behind the doors, so he had to get this done now. Izuku sprinted to the emos' table, kicking and shoving the objects around it to make enough spare room. Finally, when he was satisfied, he turned back around to face Aizawa-sensei and held up his arms. He attempted to communicate with his eyes, and even though he knew it probably looked ridiculous, his message managed to come across.

Aizawa nodded silently and activated his quirk, causing his scarf to once again float in the air and shoot forward, wrapping around the table and aiming it towards Izuku. The approaching students halted and he heard the door creak open, it was now or never. But before the plan was put into motion, his teacher told him one thing. A wise statement that he would carry with himself into his career as a pro hero and for the rest of his life.

"Break a bone and I'm disowning you."

And that's when several things happened at once. First, Izuku wondered if there was an actual will he was apart of in the first place. Second, the doors burst open, revealing his entire class' confused expressions, Bakugo especially. And third, Aizawa-sensei hurled the table towards him, his scarf fiercely unraveling with a snap! The students' eyes followed the speeding table as it collided into him, fitting perfectly between arms. And they all watched as Izuku immediately slammed the heavy object into the ground, resulting in a few spider-web cracks to form in the ground. Agh, property damage.

Silence filled the room, and the temporary principal and secretary turned to see hundreds of teenagers staring at them with slack jaws and wide eyes. Iida looked like he didn't know if he should risk lecturing a teacher, Kirishima looked like he wanted to yell about manliness, Ashido was recording the whole thing, and Kaachan looked... really scared for some reason. But that can't be true, because when is he ever scared? The last time he saw anything close to that was during Kamino last year and the sludge incident the year before that, and nothing since. He was acting like he thought he was going to be slammed into the ground next, and now that the one for all user thinks about it, he looked like he had this morning when he glared at him...

Oh, thank god! That all but confirms he's not scared! Because when would Kaachan ever be scared of him?

And that's when he realized that he still had to get out of this room in one piece with Aizawa-sensei. He looked to his teacher in support and found absolutely no mercy, just a shit-eating grin as he enjoyed the boy's pain. Izuku pouted, but his mood severely brightened once he saw his teacher realize that he was also the subject of attention.

"Why are all of you just standing and staring?" Oh, so he was going with the 'feign ignorance' technique! Tactical move, he should write this down when he gets back to the office. "Lunch already started. You want the food to get cold?" That subtle threat sobered them up, alright, and suddenly the duo were forgotten in favor of lining up for their meals. Izuku didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted, but he'll settle for the former.

As silently and inconspicuously as possible, Izuku and Aizawa-sensei hopped off their tables and made their way to the door, almost making it out without anyone seeing them. Almost. Right as they were about three feet from the door, Kaminari popped up in front of them with an incredulous but highly amused expression on his face.

"Why were you guys here way before us?" He asked, and Izuku froze. God, freezing is just more suspicious! And why does he keep acting like he's doing something illegal? Ashido popped up right beside him as she typed on her phone.

"It's honestly pure luck I was already recording when I came in here, just sent that video to like the entire class." She giggled. I'm sorry, what ? She sent that to the class?! Why, though? Did it look more embarrassing than he had originally thought?! Oh lord, imagine if Kaachan sees it and laughs. Imagine if Monoma sees it and laughs. He'll be destroyed!

"And why did Aizawa-sensei just yeet a table at you?" Kaminari pressed, seemingly oblivious to Izuku's inner meltdown. Maybe the meltdown was the reason for what he did next, though, not being in the right headspace and all that. Not thinking clearly enough to understand the consequences a single sentence would bring him in the future. And because of that, he shrugged and replied:

"The bitch was empty."

Kaminari glowed.

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota thought he couldn't possibly be more disappointed in his students, and once again, he was proved wrong.

It took five minutes, five goddamn minutes, of talking before he and his secretary could finally escape the iron clutches of Kaminari, Ashido, and they're endless 'vine' references. Whatever that thing was. The grumpy teacher had heard things he didn't expect nor want to hear. His eyes already have chronic pain, and his students managed to give him ear pain now, too. It was a cultural reset that made him realize just how much he hated dealing with today's youth.

69 cents, Ms. Keisha, Jared, burnt chicken nugget, and so much more . All of which made absolutely no sense to him, but perfect sense to Midoriya. The green-haired kid managed to understand and reply to everything that came out of the electric blond's mouth. Was it some sort of secret language they developed when talking around adults? He didn't know. One thing he did know is that this might be the first time but definitely won't be the last. It was only when Shota saw the other UA students' expressions morph to confusion at the new seating arrangement, and when he heard Midoriya say something along the lines of 'adult virgin', that he decided to step in.

Shota shot out his capture weapon, making sure to cover the kid's mouth with the scarf, effectively picking up and silencing the green-eyed child.

"Mido, no! Come back!" Kaminari yelled, dropping to his knees and clutching his heart as Ashido splashed water on his face to replicate tears. What the actual hell is wrong with his students? Is this how other classes act or is he just eternally cursed to handle these demon spawns? Rolling his eyes, Shota dragged the floating Midoriya out of the hallway and into the faculty office, only letting him down once he was sure the door was closed and they could no longer hear the blond boy's shouting of memes.

"-work ahead? Uh yeah, I sure hope it does." The underground hero gave him an incredulous look.

"The very first thing you say..." He breathed out.

"Vine?!" Exclaimed a voice from behind him. Power Loader halted in the middle of photocopying documents to stare at them. Oh, you've got to be kidding... "Chris is that a wee-"

"No." He was not going to have a repeat of that awful experience. He inwardly smirked as Majima shivered from the intensity of his bright red gaze, slithering back to the photocopier like a snake. It was at that moment he noticed the exact documents the man was copying in the first place, the ones for plan 3. He turned around to face Midoriya, who by the way looked a little downtrodden at the missed opportunity of having a horrible conversation with the support hero.

"Problem child," the boy perked up, getting right back into business mode. Good . "Gather all the teachers in here, I'm gonna get this vote done as quickly as possible so we can observe the cafeteria. And," he snatched the stack of papers from Majima, handing them over to his student. "give them all one of these to look over."

"Right!" The boy did a two-fingered salute and ran off to god knows where on a mission to track down all of his coworkers. How did the boy know where all of them were during their lunch break? He didn't know, and he also figured it was better if he never found out.

Shota sighed and plopped down in his original desk chair, the one he had before becoming principal. It's only been two days but this feels strangely... foreign. Which was odd, considering he's sat in that one for years. Maybe it's because as soon as he got a taste of something bigger, something more powerful, he didn't want to go back to what his life was before. He could only imagine how annoying it's gonna be next Tuesday when he gives up the position forever.

In all honestly, his new melodramatic attitude about this job was pissing him off. Did he somehow forget the fact that he never wanted this in the first place? So what if he doesn't do this kind of thing ever again, or if he never gets another chance to freak his coworkers out by singling them out in meetings. And so what if Midoriya never gets to be his secretary again, both of them knew that their roles this week weren't intended to be permanent.

So why does he feel disappointed?

"What's got you all down in the dumps, senpai?" Shota was shaken out of his stupor by the cheery voice of Thirteen, skipping through the door. Technically no one could ever know if they were really happy since their black hole body didn't allow them to show any facial expressions, but it was pretty easy to assume. Midoriya must have found Thirteen first in the tea parties he mentioned, meaning that the next person would probably be-

"Shota's just having an existential crisis now that he's accepted fatherhood." Nemuri chimed in, a sly smirk on her face. Okay, first of all, he's always having an existential crisis, that shouldn't be news to anyone in this room. Honestly, the number of times he's contemplated his reason for his pitiful existence on this earth should be concerning. And second, the hell did she mean by fatherhood?

"Excuse me?" Nemuri opened her mouth, probably a snarky reply at the ready, but she never got a chance as the door burst open again, drawing all of their attention to the remaining staff that just came in.

"How did Midoriya know about our book club meetings?" Cementoss whispered to Ectoplasm.

"Lunch Rush told me about that stunt your student pulled in the cafeteria today, Toshinori, you better than the gods that you finally taught him how to use his strength without breaking all his bones." Recovery Girl chided, lightly hitting All Might's arm with her purse as he let out a loud choke of blood.

Shota cringed, why is no one addressing how much blood the guy is losing? The guy's a cough away from death at this point, someone needs to tell him to lay low on stressful activities. He expected the students to not understand, but Recover Girl? Surely she's discussed this topic with him, right? Unless she has too much on her plate... That's not a good sign for anyone in this building. Is she overworked? Should they- No, three plans is enough for one day. He'll settle this new development with Midoriya tomorrow, he knows the nurse's office better than anyone at this point and no doubt has some insider info.

"A-ah, Aizawa-kun!" Shota broke away from his thought process to stare at the source of the voice: Vlad King. The man with sharp canines gave a nervous, wobbly smile as he attempted to give the underground hero a friendly wave. Spoiler alert, it didn't work. Ugh, if that guy says anything rude to him or his student today he'll-

"Strangle you with my scarf." Crap, he said that out loud. Hizashi let out an ugly snort and tried to cover it with a cough, absolutely no one bought it. Vlad flinched with wide eyes and gave a fearful laugh, inching into the farthest corner to go unnoticed. Once again, it didn't work. But it was a pitiful enough effort to get the annoyed teacher to look away and face everyone else in the room. Most importantly, Midoriya, who was currently doing the bouncing thing he did so often as he bounded around the room handing out the papers, finally pausing to stand next to All Might. Because of course.

"As much as I'd rather go through with this by myself, I am required to hold another vote." Immediately, the temperature in the room felt like it had dropped several degrees as a chill went down his coworkers' spines. No one would dare suggest such a thing, but Shota had a feeling it was because they all remember what happened yesterday. None of them wanted to be his or Midoriya's next target to verbally destroy. Quite a shame, that might have been the one thing he was looking forward to.

"All of you can calm down, it's not as serious as yesterday's course of action. Just a small change that I think everyone would appreciate." He gestured to the paper and watched as they all began to read it over, scanning every line with their eyes. Snipe was the first to speak up.

"It's a... permission slip? But for what?" Shota felt like he could have explained. It was a simple answer and even with his recent decrease in sleep, it wouldn't have been a hassle for him. But then again, he really liked having the power of choosing not to. Therefore, the black-haired man inwardly smirked as he snapped his fingers and pointed to Midoriya. Cue the ranting...

"Basically for everything. Offsite training camps for heroics, field trips to labs for support, and visiting hero agencies for business; all of them have the potential to be extremely dangerous. Any student faces the risk of being hurt during those events, and just last year we got quite a few complaints from parents about not being made aware of our traveling. Therefore, for everyone's peace of mind, it would be better to send out permission slips before the staff randomly ships their students off to these locations. To be honest I'm not exactly sure why you guys didn't do this in the first place..." Shota nodded, it was such a simple task yet none of them had ever suggested it to Nezu. His coworkers lowered their heads and the underground hero watched in amusement as they were chastised by a student.

"But anyway! As you can see in the third paragraph of the front side, it states that UA is not liable for any items the children lose, any consequences the children might face from the location's employees for their misbehavior, and of course, any injuries they may sustain. However, the paper also says that that doesn't mean the school won't help out. For example, every single member of staff here is certified in medical training, and sometimes even Recovery Girl joins for extra precautions." Midoriya's volume lowered to the same one he used while muttering. "But that means there's no actual nurse in this school during those periods of time, which is... really bad, actually."

Oh, so Shota wasn't exaggerating when he said Recovery Girl was overworked. He finds it hard to believe that everyone, including himself, ever questioned the lack of medical staff in this school. Shuzenji's quirk is remarkable, but it's not all-powerful. There are times when her quirk is probably the most unsuited for certain injuries. And if they have no one else to take care of the injured student or hero then... It was a scary thought, to be honest.

"Oh, and by the way, this applies to in-school events too, such as the sports festival. For support, some general education, and most hero students it's a good chance to get noticed, but to others, it's like the worst thing ever and they shouldn't be forced to participate. One reason is that everyone hates a school that forces physical activities, another reason is that it's useless to business course, and the third reason is that it poses a great risk to those aiming for the underground."

Huh. Midoriya's going off-script. Either that or there were actually three pages worth of his speech in his notebook instead of the two pages that Shota saw.

"Take Tokoyami and Shinso, for example. Last year, Tokoyami's one on one battle with Kaachan revealed his weakness and sensitivity to light. If any of the villains were watching and paying close attention to him, they'd realize that all they'd need in the future to take him down is a flashlight. For Shinso, his quirk entirely depends on others not knowing how it works, or else it's once again useless since all they'd have to do is keep their mouth shut during the duration of the fight. So specific students should also be able to opt-out."

The jumpsuit-clad teacher suddenly tensed as his mind raced. Why hadn't he thought of those risks before? Shinso, Tokoyami, and even Todoroki had some of their weaknesses and trade secrets exposed at the festival when really it should be kept on the down-low. Was... was this the same danger he himself had faced in his first sports festival. Back then, the only way for him to get in was to be the center of attention and score first place, no matter how much he hated it. Back then, he didn't have his support items. Everyone could see how his quirk was activated, the side effects of floating hair, and the drawbacks of his dry eye. To think that there might have been a villain out there watching and waiting to strike... he needed to take care of this.

"It's a good point," Snipe pointed out, "but the whole purpose of hero students competing at the sports festival is to show off what they've learned to the heroes and agencies. If they don't participate, they won't get noticed, and that'll set them behind not only for internships but for work studies later on, too."

"Students who choose to opt-out, and even those who don't, should also be given an ulterior way to show off their skills and potential to heroes and agencies for internships. A way that doesn't involve broadcasting it for the whole world to see." Shota droned, his bored voice contrasting his deeply attentive eyes. They all saw what happened with Momo last year during her fight with Tokoyami. The people watching weren't able to see how useful her quirk was, how she mastered the use of several weapons, and how quick thinking she was. He wants all of his students to have the best opportunities, so he'll never let something like that risk their careers ever again. "Sometime this week that'll have to be handled." He said to himself, but noting the way Midoriya wrote down every word. Good.

"Anyway, everyone in favor of permission slips say aye, everyone in opposition say nay and sleep with one eye open."

Once again, it was unanimous.

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota chewed on his pencil as he waited for the final bell of last period homeroom to ring, deep in thought. Today's lunch scheme had been a success, even better than he had expected. On his way back to the classroom, he'd noticed a few support students making friendly small talk with 2-B, and he even saw some of his own students making plans with business and gen. ed kids to hang out at the mall this weekend. It was all very... social. And while that's a great accomplishment on his and his secretary's part, he still doesn't understand how these kids are able to easily talk with each other without awkward silences and dirty glares. He's only able to do that around a few people, like Mic.

Once again, Hizashi had told him he'd drive him back home. He appreciated the thought, but he didn't know why his friend kept offering if he knew he had paperwork to handle before he left. Not that the underground hero minded, though, it was no trouble to wait a little longer for the guy. But he didn't want the loud blond to try and rush his work. Speed doesn't equal quality, after all.

Hah, that's the same thing Recovery Girl told Tensei back in their second year of UA after he'd ended up in her office for the third time that week.

Recovery Girl... that reminds him. It seemed that which each new problem they solved, another one popped up in its place. Or rather, three more popped up in its place, judging by the list in Midoriya's notebook. Shota's not gonna lie, he's pretty disappointed in himself and the school board. Everyone in the media painted UA as this golden gate paradise of society, occupied by the brightest minds that are brimming with potential. And while they aren't exactly wrong, they were also pretty ignorant.

When you're presented with an establishment that's got such a positive light shone on it, you tend not to question it. You take what you get because you know that the moment you look too deep into it, you'll never be able to enjoy it the same way again. And no matter how much he hates to admit it, Shota fell into that same trap. This whole 'society turning a blind eye' might have been in UA's favor when it came to public relations and donors, but he knows it won't stay that way for long. He doesn't know who, and he doesn't know when, but someday, someone too curious for their own good is going to come along and they're going to tear that carefully constructed image to the ground. Shota took the pencil out of his mouth, eyes lifting to stare at Midoriya as he conversed with his friends. Maybe...

Maybe that person is already here.

At least, if it's Midoriya, the gruff teacher knows that no matter how far the boy tears it down, he'll put just as much determination into building it back up. Bigger, brighter, and so much better than it was before. And he can't wait for the day when everyone else realizes that too.

Honestly, how hasn't anyone else seen it? It's right there . An incredible mind sitting right under their noses. And that's when it occurred to Shota that Midoriya, in a way, is just like UA. Hero worshipping, shining, and strong; That's what everyone sees. No one sees what's underneath. He hates this horribly cheesy expression but that kid is just a happy-go-lucky onion, he's got layers.

He thinks he has a pretty good idea of what's underneath, though. Undying loyalty to his friends and family, even a random stranger on the street, that causes him to desperately protect them with his life, ignoring how injured he gets in the process.

An insane ability to empathize and understand the struggles of people around him, never downplaying the physical and mental tolls those struggles took on them and defending them with a passion that'd almost make you think he was speaking about himself.

Finally, a calculating mind to analyze everyone and everything around him. He grasps a good enough understanding of a person's emotional state to accurately determine how to manipulate them into doing what he intends them to. He notes down the atmospheres, behavior, and past actions of a person in order to predict the exact move they'll make next in a fight, and find the best way to take them down because of it. And most importantly, his need to understand the complex workings of any quirk he comes across.

Just over an hour ago, Midoriya had asked him questions about his quirk, more questions than anyone else had ever bothered to ask about something so bland and boring as erasure. The kid considered things he'd never even given a second thought to. A minor telekinesis quirk? Floating his entire body? Being able to wield red light and float objects around him? It all seemed so crazy, but he definitely had the urge to test it all out now.

Still, he wondered why the green-haired child felt the need to analyze quirks in the first place. Don't get him wrong, it's a very valuable skill to have as a hero and one he wishes his other students had, too, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a little unusual. Most kids his age, when thinking about becoming heroes, only focused on their own quirks, never anybody else's. Their only concern was getting stronger and punching harder, nothing more nothing less. And with a quirk like Midoriya's, one that was so eerily similar to All Might's, he would have thought it'd be the same case.

The tired teacher sighed, mentally promising himself that he'd ask that question to the boy's face one day.

...Then a bush of green hair popped up in front of his face and for the first time in Shota's life, he questioned if Midoriya had a minor psychic quirk, too.

"Aizawa-sensei!" His student cheerfully exclaimed, a mega-watt smile on his face that put Kaminari to shame.

"Problem child."

"You know those questions I asked you in the cafeteria?" How could he forget.? "I have another one!" Shota's not one to be curious but...

"Shoot." He flipped his pencil around his fingers.

"What would happen if you activated your quirk while staring into a mirror?" Shota tensed. He was expecting a wild question, yes, but he didn't know it'd be a question he already had an answer to. Back in high school, Hizashi had dared him to do this exact thing and the next thing he knew, he had a concussion.

"Making direct eye contact, a high pitched whining sound will gradually increase in volume over the span of five seconds. The mirror will start shaking until eventually, it cracks. And finally, a red flash of light will shoot out and give me a concussion." He grumbled out his explanation just to see Midoriya staring at him with wide eyes.

"That's... really specific." And the next thing Shota knew, his student had his notebook out and was furiously jotting this new information down. The black-eyed man watched the pencil fly across the page and determined whether or not it would be a good idea to his next question. He decided he'll deal with any hypothetical consequences later.

"Say, Problem child," Green eyes lifted to meet his, "why do you analyze quirks?" The eyes flashed with an emotion he couldn't determine, but the hesitation told him that the kid was still unsure if he should answer or not. Eventually, he did, much more honestly than Shota expected him to.

"I... was a late bloomer. Like, really late . When I was four I was, uh, falsely diagnosed as quirkless." Oh, that's why he was so adamant about quirkless heroes. But just how late of a bloomer? "And everyone told me to give up on trying to be a hero, but I still thought that even without a quirk I could do it. So as soon as I learned how to read and write, I started making hero analysis notebooks. I'd find their weaknesses and strengths so that I could determine a way to exploit or replicate them, either with a support item or with my own brain and fighting skills. I figured that if I didn't have a quirk of my own to work with, I could work against everyone else's."

An admirable strategy, one that would most likely work, too. But the phrasing is what made the tired man just a tad bit unsettled. Exploiting the heroes' quirks. working against them, it also sounded very... yeah. Don't get him wrong, it's stupid to suggest Midoriya would consider being a villain. With a heart of gold like that? It's damn near impossible. But just because he wouldn't, doesn't mean he couldn't.

Shota knows how the quirkless are treated in this society, even the elderly. They're neglected, outcasted, abused, anything horrible you can think of is what happens to them. It's almost like having a quirk that's considered villainous, only way worse. At least with a 'villainous' quirk, people know not to mess with you, they consider you dangerous. But no quirk at all? You aren't even good enough to register as a threat. You're nothing.

You're worthless.

Of course, Shota knows that's complete crap, but others aren't as bright when it comes to this subject. In any case, that's not the point. The reason there are so many villains is that they felt like they had no other option. Society abandoned them, so they turned to the dark side, a side they knew would never banish them, and would welcome them with open arms. If Midoriya hadn't been as selfless and heroic, or maybe hadn't worshipped All Might as much as he did now, and if he had to live the rest of his life being shunned by the rest of the population, then... he didn't even want to think about what could have happened. A brain like that and a strong motive?

The world would fall to its knees.

"But of course, I ended up getting a quirk." The green-haired child chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck, although his voice seemed to have a new edge of sadness to it. "So I guess the analysis was pretty much useless in the end."

Hell no.

"Absolutely not." Shota stated, not even a smidge of uncertainty in his voice, "Just because you have a quirk now, doesn't mean your analysis notebooks don't have extreme value. If anything, it's your strongest advantage. I suggest you start thinking of it as such." His student looked at him like he'd grown a second head, numbly nodding along to his words. Well, that's progress, at least.

"I also think you should consider analyzing villains quirks, that way you can exploit the weaknesses you find in battle." He paused a bit before saying the next part. "And maybe try converting your notebooks to an original coded language, you never know who might end up taking a look at the information in there."

"Right!" And just like that, the regular Midoriya was back. Writing down his suggestions in his notebook with a look of awe in his eyes. But just when he thought the conversation was over and done with, especially considering the fact that the bell had already rung a few minutes ago, the forest-eyed boy lifted his head.

"Oh! I forgot to mention the second reason!" His teacher nodded his head, signaling for him to elaborate. "My dad's also really interested in quirks, he thinks about them even more than I do! He's actually the one that bought me all my notebooks and novels published by famous quirk analyzers, sometimes he even reads them. If he didn't already have a job, I'd say he was one of those."

It was that moment that Midoriya noticed the empty classroom, face flushing in embarrassment as he realized just how long he'd been talking. Yelling out a 'Sorry, bye!' and sprinting out the door. Shota was left frozen, staring at the spot his student was just standing in. This enigma of a father kept making appearances in his students and his conversations. And the more he learned about him, the more curious he was. A guy with a glare more petrifying than his son's, and an even better analyzer?

The man got more terrifying by the second.

Chapter Text

"Strongest advantage "

That's what his teacher had called his hero analysis notebooks. The notebooks that he had worked on for over ten years- that he had been ridiculed, burned and attacked for- being called his strongest advantage as a hero. It didn't make any sense to Izuku. His classmates said the notebooks were stalker-ish and creepy. His teachers said it was some sort of coping mechanism that he started as a way to ignore reality. And even his mother, no matter how much he loved her, got this horribly sad look in her eye whenever she used to see him writing in it. It felt like a knife twisting in his gut, knowing that people hated his notebooks, but he's long since accepted it. He's come to terms with the fact that nobody beside himself understood the value that each page held, and they never would.

So why did Aizawa-sensei?

Not only had he praised him for it, he even gave suggestions on how to develop it. And the suggestions were thought-out, too, not like the ones Kaachan used to make about feeding it to the dogs because 'at least then it'll be useful.' Izuku hates to say it, but for a split second, he almost listened to the blond-haired boy. All he wanted was for his analysis to help him be a hero, to help save others. If he had fed it to the dogs then, well, it'd have some worth. And back then, he'd take what he could get about having worth.

But Aizawa-sensei said it already did. And, in turn, that  he  already did.

All in all, it was a very jarring experience. It felt like getting cold water dumped on his head after 10 years of agony in a scalding hot ocean of his tears. Talk about poetic. It was so... different than what he was used to. He thought his gaining of one for all would be the missing piece he needed that made him a hero, or just the trust of the number one hero himself. So to hear that the piece he needed was tightly clutched in his hand all along...

"Holy shit."

Izuku heard a loud snort behind him and whipped around in his seat, coming face to face with a snickering Kaminari. Oh lord, did he say that out loud? It was at that moment he realized he was completely surrounded by over half the class, all of them staring at him with varying expressions. The Bakusquad and Emo squad were looking at him with mirth in their eyes and barely concealed laughter, Izuku's closest friends were all shell shocked as their jaws hung wide open- well, as shocked as Todoroki could look- and Kaachan just looked very, very pale. Strange.

"S-sorry, were you guys saying something?" He asked innocently, desperately trying to fight that growing blush on his neck that came from the embarrassment of not paying attention to his surroundings as well as openly cursing. It couldn't have been too bad, though, right?

"Uh... yeah." Uraraka choked out, still at a loss for words. "M-Mina sent us the video she took yesterday during lunch and we were wondering why you and Aizawa sensei were throwing tables around..."

Agh, crap again. It's not like he can tell them the truth; if he and Aizawa-sensei wanted this whole merging departments plan to work long term, nobody else could find out about it. Especially not the students themselves. He could always come up with an excuse, but let's be honest, his lying skills will land him in an even worse situation. Wincing, he replied with the only answer he could.

"Ahaha, about that, it's sorta kinda maybe... classified?" Jirou raised a brow.

"Is that a question or an answer?"

"A very subtle threat."

Izuku didn't know when he started subtly threatening people, but it was probably around the time this secretary thing started. Listening to Aizawa-sensei's constant snarky remarks against Vlad-sensei was getting to him. Sometimes he wondered whether snapping at the blood hero was just a natural reflex for the man or if he stayed up the night before writing all of his insult ideas down. And honestly, he wouldn't be surprised either way.

"Come onnnn! There must be some things you could tell us!" Kaminari whined, trying and failing to achieve puppy eyes. Even Jirou rolled her eyes at his awful attempt. Still, despite the lack of persuasion from the electric blond, Izuku knew that Kirishima and Ashido wouldn't leave him alone without at least some details about his temporary position. Sighing, he gave in.

"I... I guess so? W-what do you want to know?" Not even a second after he uttered those words did a devilish grin spread over the faces of his classmates. Izuku froze as an ice colder than Todoroki's right side spread through his veins, the regret of his question setting in. Sero was the first to speak.

"When the rest of us leave for first period, where do you and Aizawa-sensei go?" Huh, well that wasn't as bad as he was expecting.

"Oh, we go to Nezu's office! His computer has access to the most important files and he also has really nice coffee." Iida slightly narrowed his eyes. Oh god, did he already say something incriminating?

"You drink coffee? I thought you preferred tea." His friends noticed his beverage preference?! Izuku felt a warm, tingly feeling bubble up in his chest, proof of his appreciation for that little detail. In any case, he answered.

"I do, but after watching Aizawa-sensei drink coffee a lot I figured I should give it a try! It's pretty good if you add a bit of sugar." And it was also pretty good without sugar, which Izuku found weird since he usually disliked bitter drinks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Todoroki choke and tense up at the statement before grabbing a notebook and writing something down. Huh, how strange. But before the green-eyed child could question it, Hagakure was already asking the next question, the shifting of her uniform telling him that she was waving her arms around.

"Two days ago I saw Aizawa-sensei chilling in the shadows and smirking at something in the hallway. I didn't question it at first because hello, this is  Aizawa  we're talking about." Every one of his classmates gave a nod of agreement, not even needing an explanation. "But then I heard a crash and a bunch of cursing that could only come from Baku-bronchitis-"

"THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

"-and I was just like 'bitch what'. So after a few seconds, I rounded the corner and you know what I saw? You tackling boom boom boy to the ground and Vlad-sensei standing there in horror. Just like... why?"

Izuku could ask her the same question. He knows for a fact that before he and Aizawa-sensei acted out their plan, they had checked for witnesses and spectators, and they had seen and heard nothing. He would have remembered if he saw a floating uniform anywhere. So the only conclusion that the green-haired child could come to is that... Hagakure regularly walks around the school naked to maximize her invisibility quirk. He- why?! Is it for pranks or something?! In any case, he answered the best he could.

"A persuasion technique!" They all gave him a blank stare as he wilted. Was he not specific enough? He opened his mouth to speak again, hoping that saying 'a slight emotional manipulation' sounded better and not totally psychotic-

"SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, EXTRAS, I'M ASKING NEXT!" Izuku flinched at the sudden noise, flipping his head around to face the explosive blond. Kaachan huffed a bit before giving his full attention to Izuku, glaring at him, and eyes widening a bit when realizing he got no reaction. Shaking off the shock, he spoke. "Since when does a useless nerd like you attempt to glare?" The forest-eyed child gasped.

"Attempt?! It didn't work?!" And he was so confident in his results, too! Ah crap, this is gonna be a hassle to deal with, isn’t it? "Now I have to start the experiment all over again!" Kaachan sputtered as the boy reached for his analysis notebook.

”WHAT EXPERIMENT?!” Huh? Oh.

”The intimidation experiment!” He replied cheerfully, “During Monday’s vote I glared at Vlad-sensei and it must have been pretty effective because he ended up listening to me!” He also shivered a bit, which is kinda strange since it’s a grown man/pro-hero/teacher being slightly scared by a teenage student.

“You- Vlad- HUH?!” Ashido shrieked, slapping her hands on her cheeks.

”I know right?! And then after that, Aizawa-sensei told me that while my glaring is effective, it can’t hurt to practice more!” Izuku pressed a finger to his cheek in thought, much like Tsu. “In fact, he’s the one who suggested I try it out on you guys! Especially you, Kaachan!” The smiling boy said it so happily and innocently, and so painfully unaware of the scheme their teacher was pulling. Or as he would call it, a logical ruse. Kaachan glared at the ground as if it had personally offended him, but knowing the explosive boy, it probably did somehow.

"Damn hobo bastard..." Izuku paid the words no mind.

"He even gave suggestions for other types of intimidation techniques!" He thought he heard Momo mutter something along the lines of 'Oh no...' behind him, but he brushed it off as his mind playing tricks on him. Because how could these new lessons be a bad thing? "Such as having the person meet you in a place that you are familiar and comfortable with, that way they know they're in your territory and you have all the power. Deliberately making a person wait for you to speak so they know your time is more important than theirs, he actually did that yesterday morning! Another one is forcing you to make an important decision before you're ready to, and using dark humor to poke at your flaws."

Izuku paused for a second in thought, oblivious to the extreme crisis his classmates were going through as they started to put all of Aizawa-sensei's intimidating puzzle pieces together and figure out the big picture. He knew there was one more technique that his teacher told him to use, and one that he favored and did most often. Strength in numbers, raising their voice, threatening to walk out; all were great but they still weren't the skill he was looking for.

And that's when it hit him.

"Oh right!" He exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to him. "That's what the last tactic was!" All of their stomachs dropped, filling with unbridled fear. Reluctantly but bravely, Iida asked what they were all thinking.

"What... what was it?" The green-child smiled.

"If someone were to not comply with their wishes, they would threaten them with unreasonable consequences-" The classroom door burst open just as the bell rang, and the teacher they all know, love, and slightly fear stalked in. The underground hero left a familiar trail of confidence and conviction behind him, dark eyes gleaming with appraisal as he gazed at his students. However, there was something very different about him.

He looked professional.

Not that he doesn't always have an air of professionalism around him! But today it seemed that he dressed the way he acts. And now that Izuku thinks about it, he looks quite similar to how he did during the Kamino press conference last year, except slightly less depressed. He had a white button-down shirt and a light blue tie with navy blue stripes, he had a black blazer strung over his arm, he had dress pants and shoes, and his hair was pulled back in the same style as last time. Hey, wait a second! That looks a lot like the hairstyle his mom uses! The child was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of his teacher's gruff voice.  At least that's the same .

"Get to class or you're expelled." Of course.

"We all know it's an intimidation technique by now, but even so..." Kaminari let out a sigh that told a tale of both awe and pain. Aizawa-sensei raised an eyebrow, but Ashido and Kaachan beat him to the punch.

"I didn't know you were capable of dressing fancy!"

"Why do you look less like a homeless person than usual?"

Both very different statements, but implying the same confusion, nonetheless. His teacher rolled his eyes.

"Classified." Another choking sound came from Todoroki, and Izuku had half the idea to offer him a cough drop at this point. "Now are you going to sit there and stare or do you actually want to be on time for class? Mic's not a yeller but he will give you a very disappointed stare." That statement alone was enough to snap the rest of Izuku's class out of their shock from his outfit, all of them deathly afraid of disappointing the most enthusiastic teacher at UA. Not even five seconds had passed before all of them were already out the door, Aizawa-sensei and Izuku being the only ones left in the classroom.

Without wasting any more time, as usual, the grumpy teacher huffed and turned to the boy, handing him a brown messenger bag. A bag he couldn't help but notice looked quite similar to the one Aizawa-sensei had. The bushy-haired child graciously accepted the item and immediately moved to view its contents, unable to control his curiosity. Much to his shock, and delight, he found two brand new notebooks inside, as well as a pack of 0.5 millimeter mechanical pencils, led and spare erasers included. God, he'd forgotten how amazing new pencils were, as well as the fact that this was what he required as his payment two days ago. Wait, how many pencils does he get paid in again? What's his pencil per hour rate?!

"Somehow you've already burned through the last four notebooks, so I figured you needed a new supply for today." Izuku stared up at his teacher in awe, barely restraining himself from jumping with joy. He was just about to thank the man, and most likely ask him how he'd known the best brand of pencils, when he realized he had just ignored several strange things.

"Wait... huh?" Then he realized how rude that sounded and started waving his arms around in a panic, as he usually did in embarrassing situations such as this. "I mean, thanks for the notebooks! And pencils! Especially since it included not just spare led but extra erasers too, which is pretty weird since I've never seen that in other packs before. It's pretty useful... but that's not the point!" Wow, he sure does love getting off track huh? "I was just wondering... what do you mean 'for today'?"

"Today's a tighter packed schedule than usual. Only one plan to take care of, but it's a lot more complicated and will most likely require you to write more. Might as well be prepared." Oh, well that's okay! Personally, Izuku has never had a problem with busy schedules. In fact, he loved them! It made him feel accomplished, and like he wasn't wasting time. Like  he  wasn't a waste of time. But despite that, he was still a little confused.

"Oh, okay. But then why the new bag?" Not that he was complaining, it did have quite a lot of useful pockets.

"It's lighter to carry around for long periods of time compared to your other bag, which for some reason still has all your textbooks and binders..." Aizawa-sensei gave him a suspicious look and Izuku blushed, rubbing the back of his neck and holding the bag in his other hand.

"J-just in case I needed it... But also, long periods of time?" Izuku looked at his teacher's outfit and gasped, "Is that why you're wearing a suit? Does one of the plans require going to someplace fancy? Is it a hero agency? A birthday party? Or... oh my god is it a funeral? Should I change-?!" The underground hero held up a hand, silencing his ramblings.

"First off, you're right about me needing to change my attire for today's plan." Judging by the annoyed expression on his face, he wasn't too happy about that. He thinks he gets why, though, it must be irritating to transition from a loose black hero costume to an uncomfortable button up. "But it's not fancy as much as it's a professional setting. Musutafu General Hospital."

"Uh... huh?" The boy asked dumbly, eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"Recovery Girl's 'one-woman job' shtick has gone on long enough, it's time to get her some coworkers." Wait a second, does that mean...

"YOU'RE DOING JOB INTERVIEWS?!" He screamed in amazement, no longer able to hold back his jumping. It's not like anyone can blame him, though! He's always seen job interviews on tv but never in real life, and he didn't know if they were even remotely similar or if the recording studio made it too dramatic. The whole idea in general may sound boring to others, it sounded like paradise to Izuku. Asking questions about their motivations to pursue their dream job... it's very nostalgic.

"I don't know what kind of job interviews you've been to, but I can guarantee you it's not that fun." His teacher gave an amused huff and made his way out the door, Izuku following closely on his heels as he continued the conversation through the hallway. "It'll be pure luck if you can avoid the interviewees' wrath from rejection, if there even is interviewees, that is."

"No one applied for the job?" That didn't sound right.

"We can't be sure till we get there. I sent out an email to the hospital telling them to inform their staff that there would be about five positions open, and that'd we'd be reviewing any applicants. Normally you wouldn't be able to hire straight from a  hospital  but I guess UA has some privileges."

That's a bit of a downplay. UA could practically do whatever they wanted and get away with it. Not that they would, but there's been a few instances when you could see the raw power they have. The school has partial guardianship over hero students, they somehow got the approval for the zero pointers in the entrance exam, and their budget is out of this world.

"But then again, it was a last-minute kind of thing, and they most likely hadn't had the time to gather a lot of people. Plus, a lot of people ignore the injury part of being a hero and don't think the medical department is all that important. And because of that, we'll probably get about fifteen people at most, and only three that are competent enough to live up to UA's insane standards." Well, that... sucks. Izuku would have suggested to his teacher that they wait a little longer to hatch this plan, but he knows that's impossible. If they don't do it today, it'll never get done. They have a week to be the all-powerful principal and secretary, and a small part of Izuku wished it was just a little longer. But enough negativity!

"Three is better than nothing, at least! If there's any possible way to take some work off of Recovery Girl's back, we should take it!" Izuku thought he felt Aizawa-sensei staring holes in his head, but it must have been his senses playing tricks on him. "I think the stress of having to take care of reckless heroes and hero students is starting to get to her, or at least getting to her more than last year when she told me she'd stop healing my broken bones if I didn't learn how to control my quirk. So this could really help her." The child had said the words so giddily, but the smile was wiped off his face at the sight of his teacher's expression.

His black eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at him, mouth opening and closing like he had no idea what to say. Izuku couldn't quite place the emotion on his face, but he was 100% sure he didn't want to find out. It was the middle ground between shocked, confused, and worst of all, angry. The green-haired boy felt his heart stop. Was his teacher mad at him for suggesting Recovery Girl couldn't handle it all? Oh no, that sounds so rude now that he thinks about it! He opened his mouth and lifted his arms, ready to wave them around and spit out endless apologies, but Aizawa-sensei beat him to the punch.

" She said what ?" He asked darkly.  Oh god.  Izuku looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"S-she said she would stop healing my quirk injuries if I didn't learn how to control it? But that was her decision, not mine! she totally could if she wanted to! Her quirk is extremely powerful and-"

" Yes, she is powerful. She's as powerful as her paycheck is big. And that would mean that she has no excuse not to-"  Whatever the black-haired man was planning on saying next was cut off by a particular loud blond. And no, not Kaachan, the other one.

"SHOTAAAAAA" Present Mic yelled, a dazzlingly bright smile on his face as he stood before the duo, seemingly unperturbed at the deadly vibes Aizawa-sensei was giving off. "And the green bean himself! How ya doing?" Izuku's relief was palpable, finally an opportunity to inch away from the annoyed underground hero.

"Great!"

"Horrible. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm not a monster but I have the strange urge to talk to an old la-" His teacher suddenly cut himself off, sniffing at the air before his eyes locked on the item Mic-sensei was holding. Said item that had scalding hot liquid inside of it and smelled like heaven. "Coffee." In the blink of an eye, the cup was out of the voice hero's hands and gripped between Aizawa-sensei's. He heard Mic-sensei mutter a soft 'like a moth to a flame'.

"Mic-sensei! What are you doing here?" Izuku asked cheerfully.

"Oh you know, doing my daily patrol around the building to make sure this grumpy goose-" The loud blonde playfully hit Aizawa-sensei on the arm, getting a low grumble in return, "doesn't scare the students and teachers more than he already has!" That... sounded like a reasonable concern, honestly. But the other man wasn't buying it.

"Vlad deserves whatever happens to him. Also, you had no way of knowing if I would walk the same route, so why are you just randomly carrying around a cup of black coffee- you don't even  like  black coffee- if you weren't going to drink it?" Mic-sensei gave a loud chuckle and landed another playful hit to the man's arm, and Izuku was suddenly reminded of the fact that these two knew each other during their UA years. They must have been pretty close, too, since it seems like Present Mic is one of the only people who would dare try to be  playful  with Aizawa-sensei, the other one most likely being Midnight-sensei. 

"Can't I just do it out of the kindness of my heart?" Aizawa-sensei grumbled again, earning another laugh. "I'd love to chat more but I gotta get back if I don't want to be on the wrong end of Koda's disappointed stare. I'll see you two hooligans later! Toodles!" And with that, the voice hero was sprinting to class and out of sight, leaving the principal and secretary duo in his dust. The hallway was filled with silence, but it wasn't awkward. Mostly because he was pretty sure that both of them had no idea what to make of the interaction.

The silence remained all the way until they got into the UA owned car, with his stoic teacher sitting in the driver's seat and Izuku rushing to claim shotgun even though no one else was there to fight him for it. He knew the man was probably still caught up thinking about the coffee, or maybe even thinking about what they're gonna do about the low number of applicants, but there was something he had to say to get it off his chest; something of great importance. And because of that, he turned to face his teacher and said, with the most serious voice he could muster:

"Are Koda and Mic-sensei really not aware of the effect their disappointed stares have on each other?"

And that was the last silent moment they had the whole drive.

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota trudged down the pathway to the hospital's front doors, his bright-eyed student bouncing along beside him. In the end, they had concluded that no, Hizashi and Koda aren't aware of how their stares affect each other and even the people around them. Although, they also decided that it would be wise for the two to never find out, or else they'd be an unstoppable force. Both of them were dead serious on the matter, but Shota seemed to be the only one who noticed the irony.

Midoriya of all people had no right to talk about the effect of other people's stares when he was still somehow oblivious to his own. When he glares at someone they act like Medusa just turned them into a petrified statue, when he gives someone puppy eyes they automatically lose their so-called 'unbreaking will', and his smiles can make even the most stoic person light up. Shota excluded. Because on the emotionless spectrum, he's at the highest, most unattainable level, so don't even mention the flukes of him laughing. But honestly, that's the closest Todoroki and Tokoyami have ever come to full-on grinning.

It's almost scary how the school unintentionally revolved around the kid, not that he was complaining. It was all the more reason to have the kid as his secretary. Because no one would dare question the kid about having notebooks of information on them. Shaking himself out of that thought, Shota focused on the matter at hand. The hospital. He wanted more medical staff, but he really hated the interview process. Actually, he hated socializing in general. So he guesses that's one upside to having a low amount of applicants; he can go home a hell of a lot faster. Sighing, he reached out his hand to grip the door and open it.

Except he didn't.

Before he could make contact with the handle, the doors burst open and a tall man with heterochromatic black and grey eyes with hair to match pushed through, grabbing Shota's hand and shaking it rapidly. Pretty roughly, too. Shota found that he didn't like that. All the underground hero could do was stare in shock and wonder who the energetic man was.

What the hell...?

"Ah, hello! You must be Aizawa Shota! And you," The man turned to face his student, who looked just as disturbed as Shota but still managed to summon a wobbly smile.  Now that took skill.  "must be Midoriya Izuku! A prized UA student! When I checked my email last night only to see that the man in charge of UA was coming to scout my employees, I knew I just had to greet you two myself!" Once again,  what?

"Man in charge of-? Oh." Right, he forgot he was legitimately responsible for the entirety of UA now, and not just some tired shmuck who ran around traumatizing his coworkers. But that didn't explain how this man knew Midoriya. He remembered stating in his email that he'd be bringing a student/secretary along, but not once had he mentioned his name. Shota suddenly froze.  Did... did this man do research on them before they arrived here?  Unfortunately, he wasn't given any more time to think it over, as the man was already dragging him by his wrist through the hospital, Midoriya flanking behind them with his notebook already out and pencil scribbling away.

By the time five minutes had passed, Shota, Midoriya, and Hironori Hekima- as his badge said- were seated on one side of an obnoxiously long table. Midoriya had his notebooks out in front of him as well as the list of questions to ask that Shota gave him, Hironori had a gavel for some unknown reason, and the heroics teacher himself just had the pitiful empty cup of what his black coffee used to be.

"I only received the email yesterday, so there wasn't much time to gather up applicants," Yup, that sounded about right. "But since UA is an establishment of such great prestige, I knew I couldn't settle for a measly 12!" ...Come again? Shota straightened out of his slouching position to face the man.  Please let this not mean what he thinks it means . "So instead of just sending a staff-wide email about the interviews happening today that most of them probably wouldn't see that late at night, I proceeded to personally call each employee repeatedly until they picked up the call, allowing me to tell them a complete rundown of job."

"...I sent you that email at 12:30, a time when most of these people are sleeping." The black-haired man breathed out, disbelief lacing his voice. But Hironori was unperturbed.

"Oh, I know! That's 'cause they  were  sleeping! But don't worry, I made sure all of them were wide awake to receive the information you provided in the email." Oh my god, Shota has become the one thing he vowed to destroy; a person who interrupts sleep. The employees here are already overworked, yet last night they had to listen to an overly enthusiastic man rant about UA's 'prestige' and summarize the five paragraphs of information Shota had originally written to him. What kind of monster would do that intentionally? Oh, that's right,  Hironori Hekima would.  But there's one thing that's nagging at him.

"...You called  every  employee?" The man happily nodded, unaware of the fear that was climbing its way into the underground hero's gut. "Then... how many people are here to apply?" Even without the man's response, the Cheshire cat smile that slithered onto his face was all Shota needed to know that this was going to be a horrible day.

"50." Shota gave a blank stare down at his coffee cup, and a knock was heard by the door, "And that's the first one now!" He slammed his head down against the table, because at this point it might be the only thing that shocks him out of his self-pity and back into work mode. Hironori flinches at the sound, but Midoriya doesn't bat an eye, and he guesses that's good since they both need to be functioning for this new plan to work.

"Midoriya," He grumbles out, a little muffled from the table, "Do you remember every intimidation technique I told you about?"

"Yes!"

"Good. Finally something good." He sat up and gave the dirtiest glare he could at the door, "Good cop bad cop. Freak 'em out. Analyze. It's the only way to get through them fast enough. The only people we'll hire are the ones who have credentials to make up for their weird habits, or best of all, have credentials and no weird habits."

"But... what counts as a weird habit?"

"Yes." Shota provided no other explanation and gave Hironori, the bastard, a nod, signaling for him to open the door and let the first one in. "Well, let's get this show on the road.

And may God have mercy on our souls."

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota stared down the man before him. Aquamarine hair spiking around his head, short in size, and lime green eyes; but other than that he was relatively normal. Well, besides the six blue lines that curled around his nose like whiskers on a cat. The gruff teacher had half the sense to hire him just for that, but unfortunately, he realized the irresponsibility of that decision. Sighing, he proceeded with the regular questions.

"Name?"

"Orochi Miyo," Orochi smirked. Huh, he's a smug one, isn't he? Shota gave a subtle glance to his secretary and was pleased to see the exact same observation already written down on the man's page. As well as two other paragraphs. And an incredibly realistic sketch. What the actual hell is this kid made of?

"Quirk?" His green-haired student was vibrating in excitement for the awaiting answer.

"Whisker. I can telepathically remove the lines from my face and make them pick up the items around me all at once." Well, he guesses the smug smirk was at least partially earned. It was one hell of a useful quirk. But still... Mentally smirking, Shota watched as his student began the act, trusting Midoriya knew what to do.

”That’s an awesome quirk! Imagine how useful it’d be at a time when you’re required to hold multiple items at once! I bet you could even stitch up a wound with that! So many possibilities!”  Feed into the ego...  Midoriya’s bright smile suddenly took a sharper, darker turn.  And go in for the kill.  ”But what are its limitations?”

”Limitations?” Orochi tilted his head, confused but keeping up the smile.

”How many whiskers can you use at once? Is there a maximum amount of weight you can hold for each one or just in total? Is there a range for how far apart the whiskers can be from you at all times? What are the consequences of going past your limits? And a lot more.” Shota told him passively, picking at his nails like he’d rather be anywhere else. That last part wasn’t an act, though.

”U-um, well... I think-“ The underground hero didn’t let him finish.

”How complex can the actions of your whiskers be? And depending on the complexity of the action, does it get sloppy? Slower?" He could go on, but he's starting to analyze almost as much as Midoriya.

"Well, uh," Orochi chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, a telltale sign that he was nervous and stalling an actual answer in favor of protecting his pride. "I never really thought about it before."

"Probably because you were too careless to consider the idea that your not indestructible, and that your quirk isn't so special after all."

"Probably because it's such a powerful quirk to have that you only looked at the general summary! I know plenty of heroes who do that too, it's a good strategy when clearing your mind and relieving stress." Shota's student cheered.

Orochi looked back and forth between Shota and Midoriya, between overwhelming praise and intense criticism, with wavering pride and wide eyes. The underground hero rejoiced at the whiplash he must be feeling right about now.

"Right. Now it'd be weird to assume that you would already have a resume ready, so you can just state your qualifications." The aqua-haired man opened his mouth, "And we'll background check it later." His mouth shut.  Are you kidding him right now?

"I got some bachelor's degrees from Aichi Medical University, then got a job here right after." This guy couldn't be any older than 27, so he must have been here for about four to five years. Good, some information he can use as ammo.

"Right out of university, huh? What's that, four... five..." Orochi gave another proud smile, "...months?" The smile fell just as fast, and Shota heard a choked sound come from his secretary.

"No... I've worked here for four years..." The blue-haired man said awkwardly, and Shota faked a shocked look.

"Years? Jesus, my bad. I assumed it would have taken you eight years to get those degrees, meaning you'd have only been working here for a short amount of time." Emphasis on the 'you'. God, he loves destroying their dignity.

"You must have been a fast learner to have blown through your studies so fast!" What is it with his students being such great actors? First Shinso, now problem child?

"Yes, blowing through them and not taking the time to develop any knowledge you may have gained from that university. Fast doesn't equal good, after all."

"And just think of the  experience !" Midoriya exclaimed happily. Orochi suddenly stood up, the sound of his chair scraping against the floor resonating around the room. He had a bewildered look on his face as his head whipped back and forth between the principal and secretary duo until finally, his features melted into something pitifully blank.

"I... I think I'm gonna go."

"Thank you for putting yourself out there to apply! What matters is that you dared to try! Have an amazing day!"

"I would say the ends justify the means, but your means were pathetic and your end shows your lack of determination. Please, never curse my eyes with your presence ever again." The green-eyed man then slowly shook his head, turned around, and walked out of the room, leaving amused silence in his wake. It took about five seconds for his student to speak up.

"While I appreciate the running commentary of good cop bad cop," So did he, to be honest. "why are we doing it, again?"

"Well, there are several reasons. One is that if they can't handle anything I say to them, they won't last a second with any harsher students. Or just Bakugo in general. At least I have the sympathy to filter out my explicit cursing." Midoriya nodded at that, well aware of his explosive classmate's habits when it came to roasting newcomers. "The second reason is that if they actually gave a damn about this job, they would have the sense to fully prepare. Orochi couldn't even give the names of the kind of degrees he supposedly earned, he thought dropping the name of some random college would be enough. And what kind of professional doesn't test the limits of their own quirk? Finally," He sighed, "the more criticism I give, the faster they leave. And in turn, the faster I can go home and sleep." He hadn't had the chance to use his sleeping bag for the last three days. How is he functioning? He doesn't know.

"We can't make all of them leave, though, so we'll eventually have to hire someone. In which case, what traits are we looking for?" Shota thought for a second before replying.

"Someone who knows the specifics of their quirk. Someone who can specify all of their credentials and experience without me having to goad them on. And someone who realizes the job is more important than getting pissed about someone's opinion of them." Midoriya nodded, writing every word down, but he wasn't done yet. The underground hero turned to face the bushy-haired boy with an exasperated look on his face but serious nonetheless.

"But most importantly,  someone who doesn't refuse to treat a student's injuries. " Midoriya choked.

Well, let the interviews begin.

>>>>> <<<<<

"No, I think I'd just like to move on to bigger and better things." Aneko Bashira said dreamily.

"We're flattered you consider UA to be bigger and better! If you don't mind me asking, why exactly would you call it that in comparison to Musutafu General Hospital?" Midoriya asked.

"Oh, well that's easy! Here we just get some regular old patients, nothing too exciting." What exactly is supposed to be exciting about an injured civilian? "But at UA? I bet there are tons of gruesome medical cases for such a famous, powerful school!" That's... not a good thing. Did this woman become a nurse practitioner just because she hoped to see a crippled hero one day? "I can picture it, already. An arm broken beyond repair, a leg that needs to be amputated, extreme burns that cover so much of their body that their family can't even identify the-"

"Ma'am, I'm afraid we're going to have to turn you down. And I recommend getting a psych evaluation before the day is over."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You've worked here for ten years? Quite an impressively long time, if I say so myself, and so much working experience. You must love it here. You must never want to leave. And I'd hate to be the person that takes you away from your personal paradise of surgical masks and Clorox wipes." Shota mustered up the most realistic sympathetic frown he could give after Midoriya's statement, which wasn't easy considering he rarely ever pities the fools with no potential. 

"Oh, please. By all means, take me away!" Renzo laughed, although there was an edge of pleading to his voice. 

"Take you away? Forget what the kid said about personal paradise, this is probably your prison cell. I'm guessing you hate all of your coworkers and superiors? I recommend you flee the country." The applicant with metallic nails looked shocked by the complete 180 in his interviewer's analysis. Was Shota milking it? Probably. But he couldn't find himself to care.

"Hah, flee the country? Such jokers you got there at UA. And, well, I wouldn't exactly say prison cell but..." Oh? Both Shota and Midoriya quirked an eyebrow, prodding him to continue. Which, after a sigh and a couple of laughs, fell right into their trap. "You're completely right, the people here are awful. Aneko is an obsessive fangirl, Kaida won't shut up about the lack of quirk discrimination laws, and..." Renzo leaned a little too close, an evil glint in his eyes that neither of the interviewing duo was comfortable with.

"I'm technically not allowed to tell you this but... Last week this patient, Taiga Kaiyo, got sent here after his quirk came in. Some disgusting little power that allows him to pull off his body parts like Lego pieces. Anyway, this brat pulled off his toe, had no idea how to put it back on, and threw the most annoying tantrum. Whining, crying, so goddamn pathetic-" Shota didn't let him finish.

"It's clear you have no respect for doctor/patient confidentiality, nor the privacy of your coworkers. And who calls a panicking toddler that's just had their life turned upside down 'pathetic'? I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So basically my quirk is called Ice Pack." Nariko Rie stated quietly, curling her snow-white hair around her fingers, "I can use the moisture from my hands to make a hand-shaped slab of ice wherever I place it. Although, recently I've discovered that I can make even smaller pieces of ice using just the pads of my fingers. The ice sticks onto the place I put it, but how long it stays there depends on the temperature of water used. Hot water will only last about thirty minutes, but ice-cold water could last for hours-"

"You're hired." Shota stated, getting a shocked look from the female applicant and a 'seriously?' look from his student. He turned his head to address the scribbling boy, "What? Certain exceptions can be made. Do you know how much money we waste on kids who took ice packs and never gave them back? Besides, it's clear she has an advanced understanding of the limits of her quirk."

If Nariko left that room not only with a business card and an orientation appointment with Nemuri tomorrow for her first day, but with a beaming smile on her face and a rare confidence boost, well... then nobody had to know.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Working with heroes and hero students just sounds so amazing!" Sachihiro Akio gushed. Huh, another fanboy. Shota has no problem with it- look at Midoriya, for Christ's sake- as long as they're not excited about the possibility of seeing a hero on the verge of death. "Knowing that just by helping them I'm being a hero in my own way... it's better than any paychecks I could receive."

"I completely agree!" Midoriya exclaimed, but judging by the way tears of joy were beginning to sprout in his eyes, Shota had a feeling he wasn't just saying that for the 'good cop bad cop' routine. Sighing, he spoke.

"Ah, yes. Pro heroes. Hero students. Support course kids who accidentally blew up a bomb in their faces and need the soot cleaned off. Business course kids who got an unhealthy amount of paper cuts and need a minuscule bandaid applied for each one. General education kids that have a simple cold, but sneezed so hard that their porcupine quirk activated and repeatedly pierced their classmate, and now need to have each quill carefully removed- which takes HOURS by the way. Janitors who are permanently psychologically destroyed after falling into a garbage can full of whatever Mineta just disposed of- lemme tell you, being their temporary therapist is NOT EASY- and so much more." Shota leaned forward, waiting to see how this man would react to his horrifying ramble- Jesus Christ since when does he ramble?!- of events.

"Well," Sachihiro gave a shrug, still engrossed in his heroic fantasy, "as long as I get to help others, I don't care how much time and effort it will take." Hah, now that's what he calls an employee.

"You're hired!" Midoriya sobbed, frantically wiping the tears away from his eyes before the could roll down his cheeks.

~~~~~~~~~~

Fumihiro Itsuki rolled his eyes as he kicked his feet up on the table. Now, Shota didn't like Hironori, and he didn't like the table either, but that's a little rude. Especially for a  job interview .

"Why do I want to leave this shithole for UA? What a stupid question for such an obvious answer." The heroics teacher felt his eye twitch, "UA wouldn't accept no third-rate chumps, people there are the elite. Working there would mean I would finally be able to stop treating those disgusting people with the ugliest, villainous qui-"

"Get out."

Shota turned to his student, only to be met with a chilling sight. Midoriya was intensely glaring at the man, and suddenly the scene was almost the exact same one Vlad experienced. The same suffocating pressure-filled the room, preventing the quirkist applicant from breathing. The black-haired man suspected that the only reason he was able to take even the shallowest breath was that he wasn't the intended target. His student's scarred hands were curled into tight fists, nails digging so hard into his palm it looked like it was about to shed blood. And worst of all, the kid's eyes had changed from the usual kind, forest-green to a predatory toxic green.

The suit-wearing hero couldn't help but be proud of the whole thing. Midoriya was the kind of person to settle an argument through the use of logic and facts, with an occasional sprinkle of inspirational quotes, and it was rare to see him so fed up with a person that he'd immediately shut them down with righteous indignation. Personally, he thinks the kid should do it more often. Shota does it daily and he could say with 100% certainty that it sure as hell speeds up the argument process and gets him 10 times more respect than he used to. But it's okay if he doesn't, mixing up techniques is a technique on its own, after all.

But that brings him to the second problem, why is Midoriya such a passionate advocate for quirk equality? Not that he shouldn't be, but based on everything he's seen from the boy in the past, it seems like there must be some important reasoning and history behind it. Could... could it possibly be related to what he said about being a late bloomer? About not being treated with respect as a quirkless child? And if that's the case, then Shota is forced to ask the same question he did yesterday: Just how late of a bloomer was Midoriya? And what kind of toll did it leave on the kid? But back to the present.

The glare his student gave was strong enough to paralyze anyone it was directed at, but he guessed Fumihiro's pride wouldn't let him fall into that category. The bigoted man managed to shake himself out of his frozen state, and he immediately returned the glare, going so far as to snarl at the kid.  Excuse me ?

"Something you want to say, Fumihiro? Spit it out or  get out ." The applicant flinched behind the power of not one, but two intense glares coming from the duo in front of him. Luckily, before he could dig an even deeper grave for himself, he made the wise decision to keep his mouth shut and leave the room. Not without dragging his feet, stomping, cursing, and slamming the door, though.  Ugh, how extra .

The gruff but attentive teacher quietly turned his head towards his student, if only to check in on how he was doing. Gone was the bone-chilling pressure, the piercing glare, and the clenched fists; all that was left was a child. A child who sagged shoulders and dreary eyes told him all he needed to know about his tired state. It was more than concerning to know that a single interaction with a hostile doctor had greatly exhausted Midoriya mentally, and it made the underground hero even more curious as to his stance on quirk equality.

But despite all the questions for the kid that were burning in his throat and sitting on the tip of his tongue, just begging to be let out, he knew that this wasn't the right time. No matter what, his student's health came first. And right now, the only thing Shota could do to help the kid-  his kid , was give him a well-earned break. A chance to do something just for himself, and not for his new job as a secretary. And Shota has just the right thing in mind. Clearing his throat, he drew Midoriya's attention.

"We've got about, what, four hires so far?" The green-haired boy nodded. Oh jeez, he doesn't even have enough energy to give a verbal response. "Ten more to pick the last one from and we'll be pretty much done, so I might as well take care of them myself. In the meantime, they've all got very different and very complex quirks. And while they've shown to have a good enough understanding of them, I'm sure they missed a few things." Slowly but surely, Midoriya's dull eyes began to glimmer with interest and hope. "So do you think you should spend the rest of your time here analyze-"

"YES!" All traces of fatigue had immediately left the kid, now all that was there was pure giddiness at even the suggestion of doing his hobby. But still, he couldn't have anyone thinking he did this out of the kindness of his heart, because he didn't. Don't give him that look,  he didn't . It's stupid for anyone to suggest he even had a heart in the first place, let alone a spot in there for 'kindness'.

"Only because if they want to use their quirks for medical assistance, they're going to have to know every detail to get the best quality out of-"

"YUP!"

"Didn't even let me fin-"

"MHM!" Judging by the mischievous look in Midoriya's eyes, he was doing this on purpose now. Shota gave an amused huff and wished he still had his capture weapon with him so he could hide the way his lips twitched into an almost-smile. Because he does not smile, thank you very much.

"Yeah, yeah. Cheeky brat." He rolled his eyes, "Grab your notebooks and head to the waiting area out front, just make sure to tell Mr. Hironori where you're going. I don't want him to have a heart attack because he lost track of a 'prized UA student.'" The kid snorted and the underground hero was left wondering when he had ever started cracking jokes. God, if Fukukado could see him now. With an enthusiastic 'goodbye!' and a wave so aggressive it had sparks of green lightning crackling around it, Midoriya left the interview room and skipped off to his quirk analysis heaven.

It was at that moment Shota realized he couldn't do the whole 'good cop bad cop' routine as a single person, and that he actually had to conduct regular interviews now. It was a sad fate to resign himself to, but he didn't regret it for a second. Knowing that what he just did made his student's day even the littlest bit better was all he needed to not completely despise the inevitable torture of ten boring interviews. And no.

It is  not  because of his bleeding heart.

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota trudged out of the interview room, exhausted and wanting nothing more than his yellow sleeping bag. He knew it was ugly, and he knew it made people think of a demented caterpillar, but it was comfortable nonetheless. It was also the only known cure for his insomnia, along with cats. Rounding around the hospital hallway to the front desk, the underground hero was immediately ambushed by an energetic Hironori, guaranteeing that his torture and suffering were not over yet.

"Mr. Aizawa! You've finished the interviews already?" The hell does he mean 'already'? This took hours. "As expected from the leader of UA! I trust you found a few employees that fit lived up to your standards?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but yes. And it took a hell of a lot longer than it should have." Hironori looked awkward at the jab, gently pulling at his tie to loosen it. Taking pity on the man, for the first time ever, Shota decided to lay off a bit. "But the ones I recruited are certainly worth the praise. I'll be taking Nariko Rie, Sachihiro Akio, Fuyuko Cho, Hina Keiko, and Makato Fudo. They'll be starting at the earliest convenience." The other man looked absolutely thrilled that Shota was taking a good handful of his employees, but he still looked a bit confused.

"What about Fumihiro Itsuki?" Hah,  what ? What kind of fake personality does that jerk show around his boss for him to personally ask about him? Or is it just his quirk? He never got to ask what it was, but if both interactions were anything to go by,

"I recommend you educate him on the laws of quirk discrimination in the workplace. He needs it." Hironori stared at him with wide eyes, mouth opening and closing, but Shota didn't give him another chance to speak. "Now, where's Midoriya?"

"Midoriya? Oh!" A grin broke around the peppered-haired man's face and he turned to face the corner of the room across from them, where a commotion was beginning to form. "At some point, he ran out of hires, so he started asking my other employees if he could get a demonstration and rundown of their quirk and analyze it. They must have been very flattered 'cause the next thing you know, he's at the center of a mob."

Hironori looked back to him with a soft smile, "He's a good kid."

The underground hero watched as his student animatedly talked to each employee, writing faster than what should be humanly possible with stars in his eyes. If this time is anything similar to the other times, then the green-eyed kid must be spit firing questions at all of them about their quirk, questions that they most likely never considered. And judging by the employees' reactions- sheepishly rubbing the back of their neck, faces heating up, and shining grins- they appreciated his efforts, too. Midoriya likely had no idea how much his good deeds affected others, how it was enough to turn a bad day into a great one, and that's what made it all the more heroic.

"Yeah, he is." And if Shota forced himself to put up with Hironori's constant praises of Fumihiro for a few more minutes just so Midoriya could have a little more time to analyze quirks, then...

It still wasn't because he had a heart.

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota once again sat by the window of his classroom, listening to the white noise of his students' chatterings as he stared at the cloudy, blue sky. He would have preferred to brood in the faculty lounge, but a teacher's duty calls, after all. Lately, he's been doing more of this, whatever it is, that causes him to tune out of his surroundings and just reminisce about the day. It was quite peaceful if he was being honest, and he wondered if this is what Midoriya experienced whenever he entered his 'analysis zone' as he heard Shinsou call it once.

The erasure hero had already discussed the new employees with Recovery Girl about ten minutes ago, but apparently, that was too late of a notice for her liking. He guessed he should have seen it coming, but that didn't make him any less pissed. She had the nerve to go off on him about not asking her in advance when they both knew that her permission wouldn't have mattered either way.

He so badly wanted to return her favor, confront and yell at her for what she said to his secretary about not healing any more of his injuries. He understands that it used to be frustrating when the kid kept breaking his bones but that's no excuse to leave him hanging. Still, he didn't address it. After all, it happened a year ago, and she might have already realized the error of her ways. And it's also not the wisest idea to piss off the person that heals all your extreme injuries. So instead, he chose to present her with the facts. And maybe a bit of passive aggression.

He said it wasn't only for her sake, but for the students of UA. Whether she likes it or not, she can't take care of all of them. Because frankly, that's naive and impulsive, not that he'd ever say it to her face. It all worked out in the end, though, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in seeing the Ice Pack girl's quirk in action. Speaking of quirks, Midoriya probably filled up both notebooks with all the notes he took on the employees. He's gonna have to get him some mo-

"Aizawa-sensei." Shota's head whipped around, coming face to face with Todoroki. The red and white-haired boy usually had a blank expression on his face, but today he seemed a little... contemplative. He was obviously trying to look bored, but the way his eyes darted around every object on Shota's desk told him he was obviously planning something. The question is what.

"Todoroki." He greeted back in his regular deadpan voice. "Do you need something?" The boy's heterochromatic eyes gleamed and suddenly Shota was rethinking all of his life decisions. The boy whipped out his notebook and immediately began speaking.

"Over the last two days, I have conducted an investigation of great importance, one that pertains specifically to you. And now, with all of my collected research, I have decided to finally present my conclusion to you." Jesus Christ, if this is one of those theories that Ashido was talking about... He grunted and took a sip of his new coffee, signaling his student to continue. Todoroki shoved the notebook in his face, "Is Midoriya your secret love child?" Shota spat out his coffee right back into the cup, earning a couple of weird looks from his students. But he couldn't care less about that right now.

"I- What?" This has to be a joke, right? Todoroki's been spending some time with Kaminari lately, is this some sort of prank the other kid devised? Shota desperately searched his student's eyes for any sign of amusement or mischief, but all he found was ice cold seriousness.

"I used to think that Shinso Hitoshi was your son, but a week ago he dragged me to meet his parents at the front gate just to prove me wrong. Of course, there's always a chance he hired those adults on Craigslist, but I doubt he'd go that far." Did this kid think he had two illegitimate children?! "As for Midoriya, I used to think he was All Might's secret love child, and part of me still does, but your case provides more evidence." No. Absolutely not. He will not be put in the same position as All Might.

"Todoroki there's no eviden-"

"Exhibit A: Genetics." Oh god, please no. "As anyone can see, Midoriya takes after his mother with green eyes and green hair. Except, his hair isn't green. Contrary to popular belief, it's green and  black , I checked. Who has black hair? You."

"Like millions of other pe-."

"Your quirk is erasure, it erases someone's quirk. Midoriya once told me that he was a late bloomer and considered quirkless for a while. I assume that people with erasure quirks create the risk of their children being late bloomers or quirkless."

"First of all, quirks aren't passed down like that. And second, Midoriya is no longer quirkless, therefore your argument is invali-"

"Whenever Midoriya is powered up, his hair begins to float. Who else has floating hair? You."

"It floats because of the electrici-!"

"Exhibit B: Traits." Todoroki turned the page, and Shota sputtered. He's just now getting to B? Did they not already get to D? No, scratch that, he doesn't want to hear any of his evidence in the first place. But how much 'evidence' does he have? "This morning before you came into class, we asked Midoriya questions about his job as a secretary, and I noticed some questionable details. He drinks coffee just like you now, instead of tea. You taught him the same intimidation techniques that you use on others, specifically the glare. You both have the same bag now. And most importantly," A shadow passed over the boy's face, "You both said the word 'classified'."

Shota looked at the boy,  really  looked this time. Part of him was still grasping onto the hope that this was some weird prank, another part wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the accusation, a third part wanted to ask when Todoroki had the time to put all of this together and what kind of data he had in that notebook of his, but the final part just wanted to bash his head against the wall and curse the gods. He settled for secret option number five: Logic.

"Todoroki... no." The dual-haired boy opened his mouth, probably to protest or spout more 'evidence', but Shota didn't have the energy to live through another rant. The underground hero silenced him with a look and dragged a hand down his face, continuing, "Midoriya is my student, not my 'secret love child'. I think I'd know if I had one. Also, I'm 31 and the kid is 16, the timeline doesn't match up. Not to mention his mother is over 10 years my senior. And just so we can settle all of this now, Midoriya isn't All Might's child either, if he was he'd never shut up about it."

"I don't think Midoriya would be the type to brag about All Might being his father..."

"I know, I meant All Might would never shut up about it." It's common knowledge around here that Yagi sees Midoriya as his son, and he's pretty damn proud of it, too. So if it was official, All Might would make sure to let the entire school- no, the entire country of Japan- know. "Now I need you to tell me you know that Midoriya is not my secret love child." Todoroki hummed, his head hanging low, and Shota rolled his eyes.

"Todoroki." The dual-quirked boy let out a quiet sigh of defeat before doing as told.

"Midoriya is not your secret love child." Shota leaned back in his chair with closed eyes, his relief palpable, and breathed out a soft 'thank you'. "But if All Might's not his dad, and you're not his dad- even though you both act like it-" The heroics teacher's eyes shot open, "then who is?!" Deciding that the specific phrase he heard Todoroki say was just his ears playing tricks on him, he gave the best answer he could.

"Unfortunately, I don't know, even though I'd  really  like to." And he did, he's heard so much random information about the man that he can't get a clear picture of his personality. "But despite that, I'm not going to conduct research on Midoriya to find out, because that's not right and it's an invasion of his privacy." Todoroki wilted.

"Then how am I supposed to find out?"

"Well, you could ask him, although I doubt he'd give anything other than a cryptic answer that just leaves you with more questions." That's what happened to him, at least. "Either way, my main concern here is making sure you don't make any more theories on your peers. You may have good intentions, but rumors can spread in ways you never imagined."

"I don't intend to share my theories with anyone other than the subjects of them, but even if I did, I know for sure that not all of them are just rumors." Jeez, well now he's just grasping at straws. "There has to be some theories in here that actually have some depth behind them." Shota sighed.

"Yeah? Which ones?" He didn't like the idea of hearing rumors about his students, but it's better if he shuts them down now then watching them snowball later. Todoroki got the same evil glint in his eye as he flipped to another random page.

"Momo is in some way related to Fatgum." Shota already regrets this. "Tamaki Amajiki is Midnight's son. Toga Himiko is Vlad King's daughter. Hawks and Tokoyami are also related in some way, my best guess in cousins. Dabi is my older brother." I'm sorry,  but what the hell ? "Shigaraki and Midoriya both shop at the same clothing store-"

"Todoroki, why the hell do you think Dabi is your brother? You said you only had two siblings." He knows they both have fire quirks but still, that's kind of a stretch.

"I actually have three siblings, or I guess, had." Shota furrowed his eyebrows at the phrasing, concern lacing his features, "My older sister, Fuyumi, my older brother, Natsuo, and my eldest brother, Touya." Hesitantly, the gruff teacher asked the inevitable question.

"...What happened to Touya?" He didn't want to overstep his boundaries, but this felt like something Todoroki needed to let out, even if he didn't realize it yet. And he obviously didn't, judging by his emotionless expression.

"When he first got his quirk, his body couldn't handle the flames. It was powerful, strong enough to cremate anything it touched, but my father deemed it useless, so he moved on to me." What did  that  mean? "I was pretty young at the time, so I don't remember exactly what happened, but Touya died in an accident regarding his quirk." Shota felt his body tense up and his breaths get shallow. "They never found his body."

"I'm... sorry for your loss." He said carefully, unsure of Todoroki's mental state at the moment and what could potentially send him into a breakdown. So you can imagine his surprise when absolutely nothing about the boy changed.

"Don't be. I hardly remember him, anyway." Still... "Point is, I'm not so sure he's dead anymore." Shota still doesn't feel comfortable with this, but it's not about what he feels, it's about Todoroki. How did it get from Midoriya being his secret love child to  this ? "We never found his body, we just assumed he had burned to death, but after seeing Dabi, it's a real possibility that it had been faked.` Recently I've discovered that with enough concentration, my fire can turn blue, the same shade of Dabi's fire. Dabi's fire can also decimate any obstacles. The scars on him also suggest that his body isn't suited for his quirk, just like Touya. His eyes are blue just like my father. And Dabi specifically targeted my father during his fight with Hawks against the nomus. There are too many coincidences for it not to mean something."

Shota hates to say it, but it made sense. And he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, great. The brother he believed to be dead for the majority of his life had actually survived, and they may have a chance of reuniting. On the other hand,  shit . Todoroki's brother, the son of the number 1 hero, faked his death and became a villain. He doesn't care so much that he is, more about why. He's met Endeavor on several occasions, and he can say from experience that if he had to sleep in the same house as that man, he'd throw himself off a building. But it's clearly more extreme than he'd originally thought if it was enough to motivate Touya into teaming up with the league.

He would have to look into it this week no matter what. He may just be a teacher- or principal- but these students are his responsibility, and he'll do whatever it takes to make sure they're safe. Midoriya, Todoroki, and whoever else needed it. Shota then realized that the dual-quirked boy had finished his explanation and was now waiting for an actual answer. Yeah, he'd help these kids, but right now he had to find the least awkward way to end this conversation, encourage Todoroki, and find out  how to help them .

"I see. You do have solid reasoning for this theory, and I don't doubt you have more for the others, too. But unfortunately, there's no way to be 100% sure unless you get undeniable evidence. So I suggest you start with that." God this better not backfire. "Although you shouldn't try getting more information on Dabi, you should practice getting info on another theory so you can have an easier time doing the same with your brother's case."

"I think I get what you mean..." Does he?  Does he ? Shota really hopes there are no misunderstandings, or else he might just end up getting burned to death. "But which theory should I use as practice?"

"Toga Himiko being Vlad King's daughter." He replied with no hesitation. This may be the one decision that he's made in the last ten minutes that he doesn't regret. Todoroki gave a firm nod, seeming to have forgotten what the topic of this conversation was originally about, not that that's a bad thing.

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei."

"God speed." And with that, the boy shot off back to his desk and resumed his scribbling. Only then did Shota release the tension that had been building up in his shoulders ever since the name 'Touya' was mentioned.

Okay, so, list of things to manage: Todoroki's emotionless state when discussing his maybe-dead-maybe-villain brother. The way Endeavor manages his household. Midoriya's sensitivity to quirk discrimination and his devotion to the quirkless. And finally, the best way to make Vlad's life a living hell. Yeah... it sounded like a lot now that he put it all out in the open. He's going to have to be smart about this. If he's too straight forward, he'll scare off his students before he can identify the problem and solve it. If he tells anyone, specifically Midoriya, what his new list is, and how he's included in it, he will no doubt reject formulating a functional plan. And lord knows he needs Midoriya to make the best plan possible.

...Oh.

Shota smirked.  So that's what he'll do.

A few minutes later the bell had rung; The students and teachers had left the building, Hizashi dropped Shota off at his apartment, and the tired man was left by himself with nothing but a computer, coffee mug, and notebook in front of him to hatch his next course of action. Or at least, the course of action for making the nest course of action. God, this is too complicated. But yeah, he'd help his students, alright. And he'll do it not just as the new principal of UA, but as the scheming underground hero he is.

Five minutes later it occurred to Shota that his student had legitimately asked if Midoriya was his son and that he'd never be able to look Mrs. Midoriya in the eyes ever again.

Chapter Text

Shota knew what he was getting into as soon as he chose to be an underground hero rather than a spotlight hero, even if he didn't really have a choice with a quirk like his. He knew that he wouldn't be dealing with those big flashy villains that flew around with capes and shot lasers at people like the ones in the movies, or rather, the ones All Might used to deal with before Kamino. After all, what's the point of operating in the dark when the person you're chasing is trying to shine as bright as a nuclear bomb. Still, that's not to say he doesn't get his fair share of criminals.

He wouldn't call the night shift police officers friends, but they were far from strangers. He'll bet that by now, all of them have seen him trudge into their station at 2:00 a.m, hunched and panting, dragging in a bruised and unconscious body of a villain. Twice. He doesn't want to know how each of them felt the first time they saw it happen, but he guessed it must have been pretty disturbing. But that's beside the point. Deli robberies, alley muggings, attempted murder,  actual murder , and even vigilantism; he's seen it all. He works under the cold blanket of the night, taking care of all the nitty-gritty crimes that daytime heroes can't be bothered to think about. That no one else seems to think about, either. And despite how the crimes all differ from each other, Shota knows the culprits all share one thing:

A motive.

No one does something for no reason, there's always some sort of butterfly effect going on in their lives that led them to that moment. The man robbing the deli because his boss screwed him out of his job and he needed money to support his children. The teenager who held a knife to a woman's throat and screamed for her wallet because he was kicked out of his home and he hadn't eaten in two days. The young girl who swung a bat at her stepdad's head because he had been nothing but abusive ever since he moved in. The teenage boy that grabbed a hoodie and a mask to fight crimes on the streets, all because he had no chance of becoming a hero with a quirk like his that society just can't seem to accept and-

Jesus Christ, Shota, just  shut up .

But yeah, you get the point. And even though all of this doesn't make what they did  right,  it does help a person understand that at the end of the day, they're just humans. Humans who made a mistake when they were backed into a corner and left with no other options. Of course, one could argue that this only applies to small-time villains, whatever they consider "small", that is. And that the major ones, ones who manage Yakuzas and blow up cars in a traffic jam just for the hell of it, are simply psychotic. And you know what, he agrees. It's psychotic and scary. But still, one has to ask the question of  why.

Why did they go insane? What was the last straw?  Who made them snap?

They're uncommon questions, but questions nonetheless. Important ones, too. And Shota wished more people would ask them instead of completely bypassing them and jumping to conclusions. He wished the victims themselves would ask the questions, too, since apparently, no one was going to do that for them. They need a push in the right direction to do it, though, 'cause it's harder than most people think to get the help you require.

Hopefully what he's doing today is the little shove that these kids need.

But anyway, It's not like he can blame society for not asking. After all, it's how the majority of the population was raised. They grew up believing that the word was just black and white. Good and evil. Hero and villain. And they refuse to have their beliefs shaken because they know it'll only cause themselves harm. It's kinda like what he said a couple of days ago, during his inner monologue: You take what's given to you and you don't question it, or else you'll learn the dirty little truths that your conscience tried to shield you from.

However, beyond the dominating yings and yangs, there lies a small little space in between, the space he's talking about when he mentions all of these motives. A gray area that the not-quite-heroes and not-quite-villains toe the perimeter of. He wanted more people to pay attention to that area. To look not only at the big picture but at each pixel that makes it up. More people like Nezu. Like Shota. A scribbling sound from the left side of his desk draws the underground hero's attention, and he's left staring at the scene of his green-eyed student, jotting notes down in his seventh notebook with his tongue poked out in extreme concentration.

More people like Midoriya.

"Young Aizawa!" Jesus Christ, he can't have a moment of quiet, can he? Puffing out a hot breath of air, Shota turned to the former symbol of peace, "When Kayama and Majima told me you were making your way around the staff room for one-on-one meetings I didn't quite believe them, but..." A bead of sweat rolled down All Might's face and the erasure hero's slightly smirked.  Is he scared? How interesting.

"Making my way around, huh? Yeah... Anyway," All Might tensed at his lack of an answer, "this meeting isn't actually related to you at all, we just need to talk through you to someone else." No matter how much the blond baffoon irritated him, he can't deny that the man definitely had connections from his time as the number one hero. A single bad review from the guy could ruin your entire career, maybe even your family's, too. Not that he would ever do that, though, the guy's too nice to realize his own power.

"Oh," His relief was palpable but Shota could tell he was trying his hardest to hide it. He guessed he should be flattered, "well in that case, who is it?"

The underground hero sighed.

"Detective Tsukauchi." Truth be told, he could always just talk to the man himself. After all, every time he dragged said criminal's body through the doors of the police station, Tsukauchi was the one who made sure no one mistook him for the villain instead. Being the underground hero he was, half of his job included some things a little more major than regular petty crime. And during all of those instances, whether it be party-crashing a drug raid or infiltrating a corrupt company with a false identity, Tsukauchi was usually the one by his side.

So yeah, they definitely had a strong work relationship that was built on mutual trust and respect. But that's only when it came to hero work. When it came to more complex matters, like- Oh, I don't know, tearing a hero school to the ground?- the detective made it as clear as possible that he wanted nothing to do with Aizawa and whatever logical ruse he was planning. But All Might? The two were  besties.  He didn't exactly know why, but yeah.

"Naomasa?" See? First name basis. His plan is working already. "I don't understand, don't you interact with him almost every week?" Well, someone was bound to ask.

"Yes, but unfortunately, he wouldn't go near my request with a ten-foot pole. You, on the other hand..." Is he being manipulative? Yes. Does he care? Slightly, but only because he knows the detective is gonna get petty revenge on him if he ever finds out what he did.

"W-what exactly is the request?" Yagi asked in a wavering voice.

"I need access to a specific type of criminal files, as much as he can offer without making it seem suspicious." Okay, well, he probably could have phrased that better.

"Criminal files? D-define what you mean by specific type. Wait no, why do you need them at all?" Shota opened his mouth to reply but shut it just as fast. Yes, he could give a lengthy answer, and waste his breath trying to dumb things down for All Might.  Or,  he can snap his fingers at the analytical green bean next to him and allow the kid to let out the mumblings that he has been repressing ever since Shota told him the plan. Yeah, he'll go for the latter.

Plus, it's been a day since he last did it, and he's getting quite antsy as it has quickly become his new favorite thing to do. Shota did the snapping/pointing gesture at Midoriya and smirked as the kid shot up in his seat a gleam in his eye.

"It's for social awareness day!" Midoriya did a small jazz hands motion, "In about four hours, all of the students will be gathered in the assembly room for a mandatory presentation on villain psychology. Normally you'd think that only hero course students would need to see this, but this is a matter that involves everyone. It'll be on the villain's crimes, their motives, their personal life, their work life, their school life, whether or not they should actually be defined as a 'villain', and so on." Now that the kid says it, it's quite a long list. How long is this presentation going to be, again? Do they even have enough time to- scratch that, of course, they do. Midoriya always has this supernatural way of accomplishing things that no one else should be able to.

"Villain psychology...? You want the students to try and... and understand the villains?" There was some unknown emotion lacing All Might's voice, one that the underground hero didn't know how to feel about. One thing's for sure, though, if the emotion is anything short of negative...

"Yep! No one is inherently evil, there's always an abundance of circumstances that caused them to do what they did." Jesus Christ, is this kid  actually  a mind reader? This shit shouldn't be normal. "The goal of this presentation is to make others realize that, that way they can learn how to prevent these sort of things from happening to people. After all, it's better to nip the problem in the bud rather than watch it fester."

"I see..." There it is again, that little edge of emotion in All Might's voice. Except this time it didn't stop there. The man's usually hollow eyes began to shine an icy blue, his slouching form morphed into something more confident as he slightly rolled his shoulders back, and the concerned frown lifted into a small smile. Shota doubted anyone else would have noted the change, but he did. And he could say with 100% certainty that the mystery emotion wasn't disappointment or disgust.

It was pride.

Pride for Midoriya, to be exact, not that the erasure hero is surprised. Everyone in the staff room has seen that expression on All Might before, especially when it came to the kid. Hell, they've probably felt it themselves at one point. And it was getting easier and easier to tell since lately, Aizawa had been feeling it himself-

What.

"In that case, I assume you need the files for examples of said villains?" All Might continued.

"Mhm. I already have some of the more well-known villains: Like Toga Himiko, Twice, Dabi," God, he hopes Todoroki doesn't kill him for this, "Spinner, Stain," He hopes  Iida  doesn't kill him for this, "Shigaraki, and so on. But for this to work, I can't just have major ones, I need small-time ones, too. So about your last question, for what Aizawa-sensei means by specific type, there are quite a few factors. Criminals that have a quirk which someone could describe as villainous, ones that have a history of bullying claims in school, ones who filed abuse claims for their home but went unchecked, and ones who seem to have been in financial debt of any sort." As far as Shota could tell, those were the four major motives of the villainous world, but Midoriya wasn't done.

"Oh, and just anyone quirkless." The child said innocently.

For a split second, time felt like it froze for Shota, but that wasn't a particularly bad thing. He  wanted  Midoriya to include the quirkless. He  wanted  him to understand that no matter how much he downplays his time as a late bloomer, it had tremendous effects on him.

The point of social awareness day was exactly as the green-haired kid said, but that didn't mean the underground hero didn't have a few ulterior motives of his own. He promised himself that he was going to help these kids: Midoriya, Todoroki, Shinsou, and anyone else who needs it. Which is most likely a lot. But like he said last time, he can't be too upfront about it and just shove some facts in their face; That would scare them away. For one of the first times in his teaching career, logic isn't going to solve this.

He needs his students to find the strength to ask for help on their own. To realize that just because they were strong enough to endure the things- although he doesn't know exactly what that is, yet- that happened to them, that didn't make any of it okay. And these presentations are the perfect excuse for that since he and Midoriya were already planning it in the first place. Time kept moving as quickly as it had stopped.

"You're right, that's... quite a hefty amount. Are you sure you'll be able to go through all of the files, choose the people you want to talk about, and merge them into your speech all within the time limit of a few hours?" All Might asked, a tad bit concerned, but Shota could tell that feeling washed away as soon as the kid flashed a predatory smile with excitement and determination pooling in the forest hues of his eye. The glorified skeleton smiled- He really is proud of him for everything he does, huh? Once again, not judging- and pulled out his phone.

"In that case, I'll call Naomasa right away. Just be aware that it may take a little under an hour for one of the officers to get the files you need." The blond-haired man was about to hit the 'call' button but paused for a second. Jesus Christ. what's with all these pauses today?! "If you don't mind me asking, why would Naomasa not have faith in your request?"

Oh, right. He didn't tell All Might the reason why his relationship with the detective was strictly professional. He didn't tell Midoriya, either, which is pretty weird since he thought the kid would ask at some point. When he told his student that Tsukauchi wouldn't trust any request that came from Shota, the kid hadn't even questioned it, just immediately moved on to finding a solution. He can't be that blindly trusting, can he? And furthermore, he agreed when Shota said that All Might would have a better chance as if he'd known about the two's friendship. Which is weird, right? That's weird?

In any case, he might as well answer to set the record straight.

"The last time he did, Vlad wouldn't look at him for a month, all of his rolling chairs were vandalized by being covered in fake blood, and his windows had the words 'REDRUM' on it. Once again, in fake blood." The blonde-haired man gave him a wide-eyed stare, and even his student spared a glance from his notebook to look a tad bit horrified. Shota rolled his eyes. "What?"

"I... I'm just gonna call..." The former symbol of peace went back to his phone, Midoriya went back to writing, and Shota continued to drink his coffee in the tense silence.

Ah, peace and quiet .

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota watched silently from the back corner of the room, his presence cloaked by the shadows, as students began filing into the auditorium seats. The speech preparation was a tad bit more grueling than he had originally assumed, but nothing he and the kid couldn't handle. The one thing they almost weren't able to handle, though, was keeping a straight face at Tsukauchi's suspicious tone as his voice filtered through the call's speakers.

All Might had asked him for the files, which then resulted in a not-so-subtle interrogation over why he'd need them at all. Something a little more specific than 'UA business'. The detective had probably heard the first syllable of the school's name and immediately had war flashbacks to the last time he'd been involved in the heroics teacher's logical ruses. And thank god Shota and Midoriya were there to write down excuses and cover stories for All Might to use, or else Tsukauchi would have blocked all three of their numbers and never looked back.

In the end, they got what they needed, so that's really all that matters. Although, that wasn't where their slight misfortune ended. After a couple cross-referencing among criminal cases, as well as background checks to make sure the information was not only correct but also not out of context, the principal and secretary duo were left with one more conundrum. And that was the question of who was going to present this whole thing anyway.

Midoriya had the audacity to take the notebook containing the speech and the computer containing the PowerPoint and  slide it over  to Shota. As if the black-haired man would ever be caught dead participating in a public speaking event. The underground hero had then narrowed his eyes and slid the items back over the desk to the kid, who then said 'as if I'd ever be caught dead directing a speech at people a year younger and a year older than me. There's only room for  one  age group.' Shota didn't exactly understand what he meant by the last statement, but he was determined to win.

Shota argued that if he was the one speaking, it'd be identical to a class lecture, which no one would pay attention to. Midoriya rebuked the statement by saying that if he was the one speaking, he'd stutter so much that people would give up even looking at him. The underground hero said that as the principal, he had the authority to give the kid the responsibility. The kid then shot back that  as the principal , this  was  his responsibility.

It went on like that for a little while, and it probably would have gone on longer if their thirty-minute warning alarm hadn't gone off during the climax. And when he says climax, he means Midoriya was about to give a supercharged flick to his favorite coffee mug, and Shota was a second away from using his mini machete to slit the neck of the kid's chibi Mirko keychain. The heroics teacher, realizing they were making no real progress and that time was running out, finally found a new way of winning. Shota said that since there was absolutely no way he'd ever take a step on that stage, there were two ways he could compromise.

The first way: They could force All Might to make the speech. It'd be easy enough to inspire- or guilt-trip- him into doing so, and it was guaranteed that the kids would give the former number one hero their full attention. They'd probably take his word as gospel, too. The only downside was that Yagi was physically incapable of teaching without checking flashcards, stuttering, and coughing out blood. Plus, he couldn't actually relate to the things said in the presentation, and that would just make the people who needed to hear it hurtfully resigned. Yeah... they quickly tossed that idea to the side.

The second way: Midoriya could do it (Yeah, his mug got quite a few death threats at that). If the kid were to do it, Shota promised that he could use an earpiece to ask the man for advice, just in case a student caused a ruckus or asked a particularly difficult question. He also promised that if the situation became too dire, Shota would pull the fire alarm and bolt out of there with the rest of the school, effectively ending social awareness day. The green-eyed kid still didn't look too convinced, so Shota raised the bid a little more: He'd get a piece of hero merchandise of his choice.

He'd never seen his student accept so fast.

And that brings him to the present moment; Listening to the business course debating over what heroes would be nice to work with, the support kids telling wild tales of their latest lab explosion, the Gen. Ed students complaining about Bakugo, the hero kids complaining about Bakugo, and the panicked rambling in his ear.

Oh right, the panicked rambling in his ear.

"Midoriya," Shota said through the earpiece, lifting his eyes to face the stage, specifically the person on it. The green-haired child had apparently just finished setting up the screen projector for the slide show and was now waving his arms around to capture his teacher's attention. "What's happening?"

"Um, well, I don't know if you've noticed, but it's kind of loud in here. And the presentation is supposed to start in just under a minute, but I don't think they'll be able to hear me start over the talking. Even with my mic." Ah yes, the struggles of grabbing teenagers' attention. Usually, he'd just activate his quirk and glare at them till they quieted down, but there were hundreds of kids in here, and the majority of them wouldn't even notice the faint red shine of his eyes or his floating hair.

"Well, giving them a hard look won't work, so you're gonna have to gain their attention another way." Let's see, what other intimidation techniques could apply to this scenario? "This may sound a bit unrefined, but the only other way would be to create a loud noise or a bright light. Preferably both at once. And, even better, scare them so badly they'll be too

on-edge to risk looking away."

"Oh, okay." Jesus, so blindly trusting, "But I don't really know how..."

"You judge from past experiences and be resourceful," Shota stated helpfully.

"Well, Kaachan does it by screaming and exploding things, but I don't exactly have any grenades on me. Endeavor is constantly fuming and on fire, but that's not the image I'm trying to portray right now. All Might doesn't even have to try," Don't he know it, "Hawks has wings, so he just flies, I don't even know why I considered that. And last time the only thing you did was throw a ch... oh." Shota froze, immediately catching the attention of his two extroverted friends.

"Midoriya, what are you planning on doing?" He asked quickly.

"...you'll see." Jesus Christ, Problem Child, that's not an answer! The earpiece then made a small beeping noise, signaling that the kid had disconnected the call. Shota cursed and pushed off the spot where he was leaning against the wall, ignoring Zashi's and Nemuri's looks of concern. The kid wasn't going to do what the underground hero thought he was going to do, right? But as soon as a small hint of that same toxic color entered his view, he knew he was.

At that moment, everyone in the auditorium turned their heads in time to see a flash of green lightning on stage. The viridian sparks, crackling with pure, unadulterated power, zipped towards the nearest, largest object- which  of course, was a goddamn chair.  The chair creaked as it was lifted into the air by a scarred hand, wielded for just two milliseconds before suddenly soaring through the air and  crashing out of the fucking window,  shattering the glass into a million pieces as a large gust of wind broke out through the room.

Silence. Complete and utter silence was the only thing left in the auditorium, interrupted only by Zashi's barely restrained wheezing, Nemuri's high-pitched 'aww's, and the sound of Vlad signing his will. But that wasn't even the best part, no. The best part was that everyone-  everyone , were focusing their wide-eyed, stunned stares at Midoriya. Midoriya, in his super strength, bushy-haired glory, smiled.

"Welcome to Social Awareness day! I'm Izuku Midoriya, and today we'll be discussing the psychology of villains."

And before he knew it, Shota was grinning.

>>>>> <<<<<

"Would you steal a loaf of bread in order to feed your family?" Izuku states, his voice captivating and calm as he addresses the audience. The same words are written on the slide projected behind him. "An age-old mantra that has been asked millions of times before as an accurate depiction of an ethical dilemma. On one hand, you could choose not to, and remain as an upstanding citizen who abides by the law, but at the cost at your starving, dying family. On the other hand, you could steal that loaf of bread, keep your family alive and healthy, but forever live with the knowledge that you have committed a crime and now must go on as a criminal in the eyes of the public. So, how about it? Show a raise of hands for those who would steal at their loved ones' expense."

After a few seconds, a few hesitant hands lifted, which then sparked the flame for everyone else, even the hero students and teachers had a go at it. Izuku smiled.

"I'd thought as much. I can't blame you, though, no one can. After all, it's what most of us would do in a desperate situation. We'd ignore the rules just to accomplish what we need to be done. It's just human nature." Izuku paused for effect as his smile became a bit more predatory. "So, what makes villains any different?"

Outbursts broke out among the crowd, people yelling out protests of what they thought was rightful indignation. Terms 'excuse me?' and 'villains?' and 'what are you implying' were the loudest of all. Finally, a brave student stood up with his hand raised, the frown on his face telling the green-haired boy that he clearly had something to say. So he pointed at the boy and nodded, signaling for him to speak.

"I'm sorry, but are you really comparing  us  to  villains ?" Agh, the stupidity of some people. Hey, wait a second, since when did he start speaking like Aizawa-sensei?

"No, I'm comparing you to fellow human beings." Izuku rolled his eyes and ignored the boy's offended squawk. "In any case, I guess the question is pretty easy to answer when the stakes for stealing the bread isn't that high. At most, if you get caught, you'll be banned from the store. A small price to pay for the life of your family. So let's change the question up, shall we?" The one for all user strode across to the opposite side of the stage, still speaking.

"Let's say- oh, I don't know, your father was dying of an extreme disease that has destroyed the majority of his lungs' function." Another burst of noise, most coming from how blunt he was about such a horrible subject. He can't blame them, he shocked even himself at his nonchalant tone. "You want your dad to live, you're gonna need a lung transplant. Unfortunately, those aren't easy to come across. Now, you could put your father on the waiting list or-" Izuku was cut off by a shrill sound.

"Yes, put the father on the waiting list. There shouldn't even  be  a second option. This way is the most effective and ethical way to help the father." She couldn't have raised her hand, either? The one for all user held back a groan of annoyance and vaguely wondered if this is what Aizawa-sensei felt like whenever Vlad-sensei opened his mouth. At that thought, he risked a glance towards his grumpy teacher, immediately noticing the not-so-subtle irritation on his face that was directed at the girl. Well, it's nice to know he's not being dramatic over the interruption.

"Is it effective? After all, he's sitting at the bottom of the list, under hundreds if not thousands of other patients. It'll be a miracle if any organ donors are available to him while he's still alive, let alone be the same type as him. And furthermore, is it actually ethical? Because now you know that you're father's chance of survival is slim to none, yet you still place him on this list and do nothing else to help him." He saw dawning realization take over the face of not just the girl, but the students around her, too. Some still looked unconvinced, though, so he figured it was time to get to the point.

"There is, however, another way to help him. No matter what, you're going on the waitlist, but it's commonly known that the more money you have, the higher your placement. So if you want him in first place, I'd estimate about 11 million yen." Gasps broke out, as well as a familiarly preppy voice shouting, 'Bitch! I'm broke!'. He's pretty sure he knows who that came from. "Exactly, no average person would have that much money lying around. But you have to get the money no matter what. So what do you do? You hatch a plan with a couple of other thugs and you rob a bank."

"There has to be another way to get that money! Maybe just pick up a couple more jobs?" Iida yelled out desperately. Izuku can't say he's surprised but he can definitely say he's feeling nostalgic. It's like he's getting flashbacks to the first time he saw Iida in the entrance exam.

"Pick up a couple more jobs? But how much do your quick jobs pay per hour? Probably not a lot. It'll take months, if not years, to get the money you need. And by then, it'll already be too late. So now, I'll ask the question. Would you rob a bank to help your father get a lung transplant?" He finally stopped pacing back and forth to stare at the audience, an expectant look on his face.

It took a while, much longer than the first time, but eventually a single hand raised from Uraraka. And just like that, it spread like wildfire. Two hands, then three, then ten, then thirty, then suddenly the whole room was nothing but a sea of people willing to do anything for their family. Of course, there were some people who refused to give in, but oh well. He can't just force people to change their morals. In all honesty, he expected more people to be like that. Guess he underestimated his school.

"Well, I'm glad the majority of you think that way," And in a split second, his friendly aura was gone, replaced with something much too predatory for his liking as he smirked at the audience, "Because that's exactly what happened to our dear friend, and official villain, Kenji Mariko."

An image of a brown-haired boy, no older than 17, popped up on the screen behind the green-haired student. Kenji had a bright smile on his face as he ate what appeared to be cold soba, sitting at a restaurant table with his sister, mother, and  father . Blissfully unaware of the dark turn his life was about to take.

Izuku carefully observed the reactions of his peers as they stared behind him with wide eyes and opening and closing jaws. He knew the scenario he created was high stakes and extreme, but everyone in here had been under the impression that he purposefully made it that dramatic. As if it wasn't realistic. An ignorant move on their part, really. And no, he wasn't trying to trick them. After all, he gave them the details, and not once had he used the word 'hypothetical'.

Now that he thinks about it, it sounds like a logical ruse.

Because now they're faced with a photo of a boy, a student, that could have been any one of them, who had to go through this situation. And he's painted as a  villain . Someone 'evil' and 'disgusting' when really, he's just a doting son. This wasn't a 'hypothetical' for him, and none of them should ever see it that way.

"Now, can anyone tell me what the two types of motives are?"

>>>>> <<<<<

Shota smirked in his small corner of the room, sipping the iced coffee he bribed Thirteen to get him. He would have gotten it himself, lord knows he's only comfortable when he takes his own order, but he'd rather die than miss this absolute shitshow of social awareness day. The kid had already gained their attention when he  threw the chair through the window - yeah, Shota still hasn't forgotten that, and honestly, he never wants to- but his speech is what kept it.

Also, how did he not stutter once during this whole thing?

Starting off with Kenji was pretty extreme, but the erasure hero would be lying if he said it wasn't effective. It unraveled their rose-tinted view of the world with just one tug of a string. And after that, they were much more open to hearing the rest of Midoriya's speech. But that didn't stop their eyes from getting wider and wider with every single word. It was pretty funny, by the underground hero's standards.

His green-haired student spoke of the first kind of motives, which was 'for the sake of others'. It was simple and summarized it pretty nicely, but Shota was still very disturbed over how the kid had the exact same thought process as he did this morning.

'For the sake of others' was the more selfless end of the criminal spectrum, like Kenji. Midoriya gave examples of 'villains' who were backed into a corner for money. Paying their daughter's tuition fees, hiring a lawyer to win a custody battle, acquiring the funds to get a specific medical treatment for their husband, or just getting enough money to scrape by on the street- anything you could think of, it was in one of those files and by default, in the kid's PowerPoint. All of which ended in some sort of tragedy; Dying by an officer's gun while robbing a store, getting a long sentence in prison for distributing illegal substances, or getting sent to juvie after being caught pickpocketing.

"Now I'm not saying this excuses their actions, 'cause it doesn't. They committed these crimes, and no matter how much sympathy anyone has, they have to serve their time." Is the problem child reading his mind?! He has to be, this has gone past the line of what Shota can call a coincidence. "But it does help us understand why they did it and how they weren't 'pure evil', just desperate. Of course, it'd be pretty meaningless to tell you all of this and not explain how we should all try to do something about it."

A magenta-haired girl somewhere in the crowd of hellspawns raised all four of her hands, and Shota had never been so thankful for something so minor. He made a mental reminder to make another assembly sometime this week to educate these kids about the importance of waiting your turn to speak. Without any more wait, Midoriya called on her.

"No offense, but I don't think we  can  stop it. We can't get rid of other people's debts, they're supposed to pay it off themselves. Once again I'm really not trying to sound rude, I just don't think we understand." That's a good point, actually, Shota didn't read the entire speech so technically he had no idea where his student was going with this. But Midoriya simply nodded.

"No, you understand perfectly. Unfortunately, as you said, there are some crimes that can't be helped. There will always be people that we can't save who commit these felonies." Can't have heroes without villains, after all, "But I guess my point is that if it is able to be stopped, we have to nip it in the bud. For every single criminal I told you about, no one else was the cause of their destruction, that's on them. But what about the people who were doing okay- doing great!- and others decided to step in and ruin it? What about the people who were given a motive on a silver platter by other human beings?"

Oh,  Shota thought,  so this is where the second type of motive comes in .

"I... still don't get it." The girl said, and others nodded in agreement. But not to worry, they will soon.

"Yeah, I figured as much, my phrasing can be quite messy at times. So I'll put it in simpler terms. The first kind of motive was 'for the sake of others, but the second, and more depressing kind, is 'because of others'. You may be thinking that those are the exact same thing, but I promise you it's not." Midoriya then hit a button on his computer, causing the screen to shift to the next slide, where a long bullet-pointed list was projected for everyone to see.

The list had almost every kind of discrimination that a person could think of, and then some; Sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, religious prejudice, classism, and even lookism. And that's just a small portion of it.

"As you can see it's quite a long list, but these are what make up the base of the second type of motive. Since I'm running out of time, I'll focus on the one that's become most prominent in this day and age." Another computer button was hit, and a bright red circle formed around the word 'Quirk discrimination.' The underground hero smirked, he was more than a little excited to see his secretary confront today's controversy about quirks. And UA's students and staff of all people were probably the ones who needed to hear this the most.

"It shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us about the prejudice targeted towards 'villainous'," Midoriya put bunny ears around the word and the erasure hero had to suppress a snort at the glare the kid shot at Vlad, "or mutant quirks, nor the favoritism towards what they call 'heroic' quirks. But in case it was, I'll provide some statistics to show you how it exists." Another press on the keyboard and suddenly there were five charts projected on the screen.

Those with villainous quirks were arrested five times more often than those with innocent or heroic quirks. Those with mutant quirks have an unemployment rate of 8% higher than others. People with villainous and mutant quirks are ten times more likely to experience abuse at home from family members. The wage gap between them and the people with heroic quirks is 72 cents for every 1 dollar. And finally, people with villainous or mutant quirks are more likely to experience in-school bullying.

Hah, don't Shota know it. He grew up with all the kids staying as far away from him on the playground as possible, with teachers purposefully staying behind him with a watchful eye. They isolated him, and they did that to make sure he could never see them, and by default, never use his quirk on them. He thought it was normal as a kid, that it was the right thing to do to him. After all, he had a villainous quirk, didn't he? Just a single glance could erase a person's quirk, one of the most important things to them.

When he reached middle school, he realized it was pretty fucking stupid. But whatever, he digressed. He told himself it was just prepubescent teens being prepubescent teens, and that sooner or later they'd grow out of their immaturity. Even if that immaturity was cruel enough to make them force a blindfold on him in a dark alley after school. But then he handed in his highschool application sheet to his teacher and got the loudest laugh he'd ever heard when the teacher saw the word "UA" in the first slot. Pretty degrading, if he's being honest.

Then he reached high school, UA to be specific (Suck it, Hachiro-sensei). And things were better- not okay, but better. They might have been the first place with serious anti-bullying rules. But still, isolation didn't as bullying if there was nothing explicitly verbal or physical involved. Somehow the hero course was worse, though, with students and agencies whispering behind his back why he would even bother joining if he would be better off as a villain.

And they were real smart about it, too, disguising all of their insults with passive-aggressive 'friendly advice from your seniors'. He never let it get to him, though, he'd built some pretty strong mental walls by that point. He also had friends for once in his life, so yippee for a small support system. Although, when he told Hizashi all this, the loud blonde said he needed some serious therapy. But whatever. One thing was for sure, though, and it's that they never grew out of it. It wasn't a teenage thing, it was a society thing. One he'd come to accept after hearing it from fellow pro-heroes and police officers.

Well, at least he thought he did. Then he became the temporary principal and realized he could strangle prejudiced fools with his scarf if he wanted to. Oh, and solve it in a politically correct way too, of course, but he mostly enjoyed the scarf thing.

All in all, it sucked. And he'll be damned if he lets it happen to anyone else in this school when he had a chance at preventing it. When he and  Midoriya  had a chance at preventing it.

"As you can see,  very clearly , there is still a gap in equal rights between those with quirks that society considers ugly and villainous, and those with quirks deemed acceptable or heroic. Sadly, there isn't much we as a student body can do help the first four charts, but the fifth one we might be able to-" A boy with silver hair shot up, cutting his green-eyed student off mid-speech. For the love of GOD.

"Excuse me, but I don't really see why this is a problem," Is... is he for real? Shota was about to glare at the kid when a quiet scoff drew his attention.

The tired man turned on his left to see an... equally as tired kid? The hell? How did Shinsou get back here? Jesus, those stealth lessons are really paying off. But still, the lavender-haired kid had a scowl on his face as he balled the fabric of his blazer in his fist, a clear sign of frustration. Not that he can blame him. The underground hero was about to check in on the kid when Midoriya started speaking again.

"Oh?" Is- No, yeah, that's anger. His student is angry. Dear God, spare no mercy of metalica kid, he deserves it at this point. "And why is that?"

"These charts are like this for a reason, those...  things  get treated like that for a reason." Well shit, now Shota's angry. And if his eyes weren't failing him, a lot of other teachers and students were. too. "Of course we wouldn't treat them the same way we do as others, they're dangerous! Their quirks are a risk to anyone around them and if it was up to me, they'd be locked up or kicked out by now.  Better out on the streets than in our homes. "

Shota knew there were two options for what could have happened next. One, Midoriya stays civil and presents them with reasonable logic and facts to try and convince them otherwise. Or two, he goes rabid and tears their entire life apart. So of course, the kid chose secret option number three,  both .

"Yeah... no. That's literally so stupid I don't even know where to begin." Shota heard a snort from Bakugo. Huh, now that's a first. "So I'll just start with what I hope will get through to your hard-headed brain. You think these charts are justified because these 'villainous' and mutant quirks are dangerous? Well, newsflash, all quirks are dangerous if you're smart enough to figure it out. Should I give you a few examples? Okay? Okay." The kid pulled out his notebook, paused for a second, then closed it. And Shota didn't know if he should be relieved that he's going off-script, or really excited.

"Who's your favorite hero?" Midoriya asked innocently, giving nothing about his inner turmoil away. Wow, he should give the rest of his class some acting pointers too, 'cause right about now it seems like a useful skill.

"Uh... Endeavor?" Metallica kid offered.  Ugh, typical,  the erasure hero thought with a scowl. He vaguely noted that Todoroki did the same. God, he knew that was a cause for concern.

"The guy who had the ability to burn a man alive since he was four years old? I'm not even surprised. Hey, ever heard of the villain Dabi? 'Cause he can do the exact same thing." Oh, so  that's  what he's planning. The underground hero smirked, ignoring the choked snort he heard from the Todoroki kid.

"Wha- That's not fair! He's a hero, he's strong, he uses his powers for good! Dabi is a murderer who's only goal in life is to be destructive!"

"Blah, blah, blah, whatever! Doesn't change the fact that his quirk is dangerous. Shouldn't he be, as you said, locked up? And if circumstances were different, Dabi could have used his powers for good too, right?"

"Well, fine, if you're gonna be like that." The silver-haired kid thought for a second before continuing. "Mirko."

"One especially powerful kick at your spine could paralyze you for the rest of your life."

"H-hawks!"

"Oh, I got a lot for this. He can telekinetically control each individual feather, but he only needs two to stab your eyes out. And don't even try to say he wouldn't do that, cause I'm pretty sure all of us have seen the video where he wielded his feather like a freaking sword. Who else used swords? Stain."

"Mount Lady..."

"Any photos you've seen of the aftermath of a hurricane, Mount Lady could probably do the same. Or more. And worse. In a few minutes."

He hadn't noticed it before, but most of the kids and teachers were hiding their laughs behind their hands at this point. Except Vlad, of course, because for some reason he just feels the need to be the worst all the time. Why were they even hiding their laughter at all? In Shota's opinion, they should make it as loud as possible, do maximum damage to the tin-can boy's ego.

Speaking of tin-can, he was looking pretty red with anger, might as well be steaming at the ears. With what appeared to be the last of his fight, he said the only thing he could.

"ALL MIGHT!"

Shota didn't know what he was expecting to happen, but it was something along the lines of Midoriya ignoring the name and continuing like the boy had said nothing. After all, it was a low blow, for multiple reasons. All Might was the symbol of peace. The former number one hero. Japan's golden boy. And most importantly, Midoriya's all-time favorite hero. It's gonna be hard for the kid to try and pass him off as a potential villain, and clearly, Midoriya's friends and All Might himself agreed.

Or so they thought.

"Pffft! He could cripple me with the flick of a finger! Now, are there any other lame excuses you want to bring up, or are you done?" Silence, "Good, because I was hoping to wrap this little argument up. What does society define as villainous, if all quirks have the potential to be dangerous? What kind of idiotic checklist do they use to create these double standards?" Midoriya was getting louder and more frustrated with every word, then he pointed at the boy.

"And you! Them and their quirks aren't the problem, it's people like you who are too stubborn to see past their prejudice! That kind of thinking is what causes these guys to get hurt! Do you even know what kind of treatment of them you're enabling by continuing on with that train of thought? No? Then I'll tell you." Oh, this is the part his ulterior motive has been waiting for. Shota clenched his fists in anticipation,  just a little more...

"Let's start with what I was going to say before you interrupted, in-school bullying. Day in and day out, these kids that have what you call 'villainous' quirks are forced to go to school and deal with people who are immature enough to have the same thought process as you. They hear people whispering insults behind their backs. They have people tripping them in the hallways and vandalizing their desks." Midoriya's hand, still outstretched and pointing, began to quiver ever so slightly, but it made all the difference to Shota.

"They get laughed at for every little thing they do. Their classmates illegally use their quirks on them as just another way to make them feel pain as if the verbal abuse wasn't enough. They have people taking their most precious belongings and ripping them to shreds before throwing them out windows." The underground hero sighed. He knew it, the kid was speaking from personal experience. The passionate conviction in the kid's voice began to melt into something more cold and detached.

"They have no one to rely on during this, not even friends, because  of course they don't . No one would become friends with them just to live with the constant threat of facing the same abuse, Others are scared at both the idea of being near them, and the idea of living the same life as them. No one believes in them, and no one ever will. They're alone." His student's voice cracked ever so slightly, not that anyone else noticed. This was worse than he thought...

"Eventually, all of this becomes too much. They get sick of the constant abuse, the constant use of the word 'villain' wherever they go. So you know what they do? They stop fighting. They stop trying to ignore the hate because no matter what they do, no one will believe them. So for once in their life, they give in. They become a villain, and they wreak havoc among the people who made them this way, among the society that let it happen. You know why? Because they know that the best revenge is proving their tormenters right,  and making them wish they were wrong ."

Okay, well, now's Shota himself is a bit stumped. He wants to deny the claim, he sure a lot of people in this room do, but the sad part... is that the kid is completely right. He didn't become a villain, he was too spiteful to do that, but he'd be lying if he said he never considered it. Considered letting go, that is. As you can see, he didn't, but he still remembers how much satisfaction the thought of doing so gave him.

Just a little bit less than becoming a hero.

Unfortunately, that's just him. There are millions of other people who weren't as lucky, people who lived their life exactly as Midoriya described it. Thing is, Midoriya wasn't done.

"Deep down, they know they didn't want this. All they wanted was to live a happy life, free from the judgment of others. But as I said, there was no one to help them get that life. No one at all. So the next time somebody tells a kid like them to take a swan dive off a roof and pray for a better quirk in their next life,  there won't be anyone there to talk them down ."

Once again, the room fell into stunned silence. The more sensitive of the students and teachers had tears forming at the brims of their eyes. Others looked angry at the thought of such an injustice. Shota himself was just as angry, but not just at the inequality. He was mad at himself for not knowing just how deep Midoriya's scars cut.

The kid looked like a wreck, to Shota at least. His eyes were wide as if he was equally as shocked at his speech as everyone else was. His chest was rapidly moving up and down, showing the signs of what might be the early stages of a panic attack. His arm was still shaking as he directed it at the metallic boy, who looked pretty regretful right about now. But worst of all, he just looked so  sad . So tired. He'd just poured his heart and soul out into his speech, after all, and no one but Shota knew about it. Or at least, he thinks so.

Shinsou was staring incredulously at Midoriya, no longer scowling or glaring or clenching his fists. In fact, one could say that his eyes looked a bit... awe-struck. Hopeful and inspired, even. The same could be said for Todoroki, too, as well as other students. But one, in particular, was quite strange.

Bakugo. It's like he couldn't decide whether his complexion should be pale as a ghost or sickly green. Either way, he looked like he was about to throw up from terror. He'd been expecting this reaction from some people, but Bakugo? It's one hell of a shock. And if he really thought about it, he could say the kid looked  guilty.  Guilty for what, it's not like he did anything bad, right?

Actually, didn't Bakugo go to the same junior high as Midoriya?

"Ahem," His student cleared his throat and schooled his expression, "As I was saying, clearly it's very bad. And that's just one kind of discrimination out of many. Not one of them deserved what happened to them, no matter what anyone else says. And I hope this answers all your questions about the second type of motive: 'because of others'. These motives could have been prevented if the people around the person were just a bit more mature and open-minded and just less of a jerk in general. So, going forward, I must ask the final question: What steps will you take to be a better person, prevent the preventable motives, and make society a better place for us all? A place where we no longer have to deal with the torment that is discrimination?"

No one said anything, but their silence was all Shota's student needed to know that he had moved all of them and made his point. Midoriya then smiled for the first time in what seemed like ages, and gave a boyish thumbs-up to the crowd.

"My name is Izuku Midoriya, thank you for listening to social awareness day's villain psychology."

>>>>> <<<<<

Izuku sat cross-legged on the floor, just outside the auditorium's back exit doors, twiddling his pencil between his hands. He wanted to write, analyze, plan,  anything ; but he just couldn't. He couldn't stop thinking about what his junior high teacher said all those years ago. That his notebooks were just a way to distract him from reality.

He'd told himself that wasn't true, that it was just his teachers being rude again. But now, he thinks they might have been right. His reality was... horrible. He started off his speech with just basic facts that anybody could assume, but the more he spoke, the more he realized how familiar it sounded. And from that point on, it was just listing the daily schedule of his 13-year-old self. He honestly doesn't know why he's so shocked right now. He knew his life was bad, he was quirkless, after all. But saying it out loud really put it into perspective.

Could those people have been him? The criminals? If All Might hadn't told him he could be a hero that day, would he have become a villain? When he was growing up, he knew being a hero was the only option for him, no matter how unrealistic it was at the time. If he didn't become a hero, he didn't have a backup plan for anything else. But does anyone really plan to become a villain? It's more of an in the moment thing that happens after a desperate, psychological snap.

But he didn't snap. He might have, but he didn't. Truth be told, he came pretty damn close. His teacher exposed him, his classmates laughed at him, Kaachan destroyed his notebook and told him to  kill himself - that's mean! Why is he just realizing how mean that is?!- he almost got killed by slime, All Might told him he couldn't be a hero without a quirk, other heroes yelled at him when he tried to save Kaachan, and it was really freaking hot outside. If All Might hadn't confronted him later and chose him to take on one for all...

"Hey," Izuku's head snapped up at the voice, coming face to face with a bored Shinsou. Or at least, he thinks he was bored. His hands were fidgeting a tad bit more than usual and he looked quite nervous.

"...Hi." He replied quietly.

"I, uh, heard your speech. It was... good." Huh? "It was really, really good." It was such a short phrase, and a weird one at that, but Shinsou still looked conflicted.

"T-thank you? S-sorry, wait, are you okay?" The purple-haired boy's eyes grew wide as he fumbled for words. Wow, this is incredibly awkward.

"No, actually, I'm not. Your speech was great, it was accurate, too. Way more accurate than what I would have expected from someone with such a powerful quirk." Oh, so that's what this is about. Shinsou didn't believe him. It's ironic if he's being honest. His whole life people didn't believe him when he said he'd be a hero, and now people don't believe him when he says that they didn't. It's all very complicated, and the green-haired kid didn't even realize he was laughing and saying his thoughts out loud until the boy before him pointed it out.

"What do you mean they didn't believe you could be a hero? A quirk like that, they must have been falling at your feet." Izuku laughed again, much louder this time. "What are you laughing at?!"

"I-I'm sorry. Really, I am, it's just that I-" Another wheeze. God damnit, stop it, Izuku!

"Do you really find this funny?! Your quirk is constantly compared to All Might's, no one in their right mind would call it villainous. So was everything you said up there a lie? Just some pity for people you can't even relate to?" Shinsou's brows were furrowed as he spoke with a scowl. Oh, he's mad. Well, the jig is up, he guesses.

"...You're right. No one would ever call this quirk villainous," 'This' quirk, not 'my'. Because this isn't his quirk, it's All Might's, and he still hasn't done anything to earn it. "and I don't know what it's like to live with a villainous quirk. I'm not you, so I really can't attest to your experiences. I can only speak from my own." Were his experiences honestly that bad, though? Or is this just some cry for attention? Is he being dramatic?

"Oh? And what might that be, hero?" Izuku gave a sad smile, there's no use hiding it.

"I was a late bloomer. Later than what most people consider humanly possible. At most, you'll see some kid develop his quirk at five or six. But for me?" He paused, taking one second to consider if this was a good idea, "I got mine at 14." The tired boy's eyes were wide as he let out a small gasp.

"You- what? How is that even..." Shinsou knelt down to be face to face.

"Possible? I don't know," He really doesn't. He doesn't know why All Might chose him to carry on his legacy. Did he even want this legacy? "Point is, I'm a living fluke. I had an extra joint in my pinky toe, one that's commonly found in quirkless people. So that, combined with the fact that I was the last one in my kindergarten class to not have a quirk, I was classified as quirkless. And I lived that way for the next ten years until..." Izuku powered up one for all in his index finger to make his point.

"So, in elementary and junior high, people thought you were... that. One of the strongest students in UA's hero course, a quirkless kid." Izuku glared.

"Don't say it like that. There's nothing wrong with being quirkless." Shinsou looked taken aback at his new cold tone, immediately backtracking.

"No! I didn't mean it like that! I know there's nothing wrong with being quirkless it's just shocking, that's all." The boy with prominent eyebags gave a lazy smile, "Guess I should apologize, huh? Must have sounded like a complete jerk earlier."

"It's okay, you were justified. I'd be pretty annoyed too if someone who didn't truly know what it was really like to begin spewing stuff like that on stage." All Might once told him he knew how hard it was to be quirkless, that he too was teased as a kid. But it wasn't the same, not really. All Might had grown up during a time when being quirkless was more normal and less... hated. Izuku felt horrible about the bitter remark resting on his tongue that day, but he couldn't help it.

"No, not just for that. The sports festival, too, and basically every single day afterward. I was always under the impression that you had it easy, just coasting through life carefree. Little did I know that you probably had it worse." That... didn't sound right.

"Truthfully, I don't think I had it worse than you. I don't think we should even compare our hardships- were they hardships? I- I don't know. I think it'd be best if we all just try to move on from it. Nothing comes from feeling sorry for ourselves, after all..."

"Maybe you're right, nothing good comes from pity. But I don't think we should move on."

"Huh...?"

"What happened to me, you, anyone like us; it wasn't okay. So we shouldn't forget about it. If anything, we should confront it."

"Uh, Shinsou, I hope you don't think I'm about to hunt down my junior high teachers." He got a snort at that, and Izuku counted it as a victory.

"Nah, not that kind of confrontation. I just mean that we should probably... talk it out. Work through anything unresolved. God, I sound so cheesy right now. I'm starting to sound like Mic-sensei." It was Izuku's turn to snort. "But Mic-sensei isn't exactly wrong. Lately, I'm realizing that I can actually trust teachers at this school. UA certainly is unique." Yeah, he's got that right. "So, yeah, that's what I'm going to do. I'm gonna take my teacher's invitation, and hopefully, after that, I can stop feeling pity and just feel... happy."

Happy. Yeah, he liked the sound of that. Izuku flashed a small smile at the taller boy.

"Well, in case Mic-sensei gets too cheesy for your liking, I'm always here to talk with you!" Shinsou paused for a second, ears turning a faint red and eyes widening by a fraction as it filled with an emotion Izuku couldn't place. But it left as quickly as it had come.

"Yeah, like that statement alone was any less cheesy," Shinsou probably meant to laugh, but he still had something on his mind holding him back.

"What is it?"

"I'm gonna talk to Mic-sensei, and I'm going to get help. Because let's be honest, I need it. But you need it, too." The green-haired boy tilted his head in confusion at that, signaling the boy to continue. "I heard your speech, Mido, all of us did. But I think I'm one of the only people who know the truth behind it, how it was basically just a retelling of your quirkless days. And if I'm right about that, then that means your school allowed all those horrible things to happen to you, and that someone legitimately told you to  take a swan dive off a roof . That's not okay, and no matter how much you deny it, I know that had lasting damage." Izuku wanted to speak up, but Shinsou wasn't done and he couldn't find the right words anyway.

"As I said, UA is different, and I'm positive that the teachers here are different from the ones you had before." Are they? "So, I don't mean to go all Present Mic on you, but you need to tell someone. Preferably to a teacher you trust." Shinsou's eye flitted to the side, and Izuku heard the faint sound of a door opening behind them. "And I think we both know who that is." With one last reciprocated smile, the lavender-haired boy was gone, leaving Izuku to sit alone and stare at the floor as he replayed Shinsou's words over and over again in his head.

Or at least, he thought he was alone. Heavy footsteps got louder, and he'd only noticed the presence of his teacher when the man has already kneeled beside him. Aizawa-sensei didn't ask why he was sitting there in the first place, instead giving him a few more seconds of silence before he spoke up.

"You okay, Problem Child?" Hah, problem child. What an accurate nickname that is, right about now. Never gets a moment of rest before another crisis pops up before him. Is that what this was? Was he having a crisis? Or was he always having a crisis, deep down in the pit of his chest and the very back of his mind, and he just refused to acknowledge it until now. Until someone finally came up to him and told him he needed help, that someone could finally help him.

Izuku got his answer a second later when small drops of water splashed against the cold tiles underneath his feet. And suddenly he was shaking, both hands clutched over his mouth as he choked back sobs and desperately tried to breathe in air through his clogged nose. His eyesight got all fogged with tears and Izuku became hyper-aware of just how  tired  he was. Finally, he controlled himself enough to be able to remove his hands by a few centimeters, just long enough to utter a few, quiet words.

"Aizawa-sensei... I think I need help."

And just like that, he was crying again. Choked sounds resonating through the empty hallway that he didn't even bother trying to cover up anymore. Not even a second had passed before Izuku felt a small weight on his head, spread out through the center. It came, then left, then came again, and slightly shook the bush-like hair on his head. It took him longer than he'd like to admit to realize that his teacher was patting his head and ruffling his hair. Mostly because that small, comforting action, paired with the words that came next, was enough to send him into a second wind of sobbing.

"I know, Izuku. I know."

Chapter Text

In the time it took Shota to transfer his student from the floor of the hallway to the couch in Nezu's office, he realized several things. The first is that normally, a scary-looking teacher walking next to a crying student typically doesn't garner the best kind of attention. He had to spend two minutes engaging in an aggravating eye conversation to convince Majima that  no ,  he was not expelling his student . He gets that he has a reputation for that kind of thing, but seriously, what reason could he possibly have to kick out his own secretary?

The second is that Nezu's office had a lot more furnishing than he had originally thought. Aside from the desk and kitchen, he also had a large couch with quite a few fluffy blankets and throw pillows. If the underground hero didn't know any better, he'd say this room was deceptively warm and comforting so Nezu could trick the misbehaving kids sent to his office into thinking he would go easy on them, instead of making them wish they were dead. Yeah... he didn't know any better.

Finally, the third was Shota realizing that he had no idea how to deal with crying kids. Well, actually, Midoriya wasn't crying anymore, just a few sniffles from time to time. He seemed to have calmed down during the walk there, as well as the few minutes Shota spent analyzing everything he realized. By no means did that mean the kid was in a good state, though.

Midoriya, knees tucked into his chest as he sat on Nezu's sofa, managed to get a hold of one of the blankets, and wrap it around himself as he stared at his hands. And that, combined with the suddenly prominent bags under his red-rimmed eyes, allowed anyone within range to see how tired the kid was. And not the kind of tired the erasure hero feels, which is usually the result of a nonexistent sleep schedule, but the kind of deep-rooted weariness that came after such a mentally exhausting experience.

Oh, now that's interesting. Shota didn't know how to deal with mentally fragile kids, but he did know how to deal with exhaustion. As if a light bulb had lit up over the underground hero's head, he walked over to the bridge and began rummaging through the top shelf, pulling out the item he was looking for and lightly tossing it into Midoriya's hands. The boy reared back slightly in surprise before examining the label on the juice pouch.

"Mango Tango: The Bright Side of the Sweet Sun." Midoriya quirks an eyebrow at him and he rolls his eyes.

"I didn't choose the names," Shota grumbled out before plopping down on the sofa across from the kid. Midoriya didn't look too convinced, but he screwed off the cap and began slurping anyway. The underground hero sighed and tried to organize his thoughts.

Yes, he knew how to deal with exhaustion. First, the cold juice pouches contained just the slightest hint of caffeine in them, and that combined with the sharp fruity flavor would be enough to give Midoriya some of his energy back. It's what he used after a particularly draining patrol, except five in a row because they clearly didn't have as much caffeine as he would have preferred. Second, he focused on what he knew, the facts. He hated having to wait to do his job just because some hero kept beating around the bush using fancy words with dramatic pauses, and he assumed Midoriya may feel the same right about now. Just a tad bit more fragile. Not wasting another second, Shota began to speak.

"So, while you're eating, I'm going to state what I understand about the current situation. You can disagree on anything I say, but keep in mind that there will most likely be no valid reason for that." Wow, he really did sound like a robot. Still, the kid nodded, slurping away in sniffling silence. "The speech you made on stage about fifteen minutes ago was about you." Midoriya raised his hand.  Not even two sentences in.

"W-well... technically the speech wasn't actually about me." Jesus Christ and they made so much progress earlier... "It was about kids who got bullied for villainous and mutant quirks. And I didn't have either of those."

"No, you didn't. In fact, you didn't have a quirk at all back then, however far back then is to you. You were a late bloomer," Midoriya twitched at the term, but Shota assumed it was because it was a difficult time in his life, "and I assume you experienced the same things the kids in your speech did because of that, if not worse."

"How could it have been worse, though? Yeah, some people were mean, and they might have gotten a little too rough with the teasing sometimes, but besides that, I was mostly ignored. Ignored by... a lot of people." The kid's eyes flashed with something akin to melancholy for just a second before it disappeared again, "And that's a good thing! If anything, this is just me being dramatic." Oh hell no.

"Problem child, you are not being dramatic. What you went through wasn't okay, and you should know that your feelings about the matter are valid to have. Just because it wasn't everyone that harassed you, doesn't make it any better." What counted as 'some' anyway? "I still don't know the full length that this 'teasing' went to, although I'm assuming it's much worse than your making it out to be, but whether you believe it or not, being ignored by the majority of people in your life is another form of bullying. There's no excuse for negligence." Shota chose to ignore how he was neglected for the most part, too.

"Shouldn't light teasing and isolation be considered a blessing on the bullying spectrum?" What a painful mentality to have, and it's going to be even more painful to break. "My life as a quirkless kid was probably easy when compared to Shinsou, Shoji, or anyone else with those kinds of quirks. I shouldn't complain about it. This quirk isn't considered villainous and it isn't mutant either. I didn't suffer before I had the quirk, and I'm surely not suffering after." The heroics teacher opened his mouth to argue that any type of discrimination is still discrimination but paused, fully processing everything the boy had said. Something about the wording of those sentences seemed off...

"...Why do you keep referring to your quirk as 'this' and 'the' instead of 'my'?" Midoriya froze with wide eyes, which did absolutely nothing to tame Shota's suspicion.

"N-nothing, I just didn't think it made a difference." Lie.

"I don't know what age you got your quirk at, but either way you're going to have to accept that it's  your  quirk." The black-haired man found it a little weird to say since it's the exact same phrase Todoroki mutters to himself during particularly difficult training sessions ever since the first year sports festival. "Being a late bloomer doesn't make that any less true-"

"But I'm not a late bloomer! It's not my quirk!" The green-haired kid yelled in frustration before he realized what he had said. The scarred hands that were clutching his hair then dropped down to rest over his mouth in shock, as if he couldn't believe his own outburst. Shota sure as hell couldn't.

"Midoriya, what do you mean by that?" The underground hero asked carefully, making sure he didn't accidentally scare the boy into silence with his urgent tone.

"Nothing. I didn't mean anything. I was just-"

"Midoriya." He says again, a lot firmer, and the kid sighs. Shota almost thinks he's gonna fess up, but then he realizes nothing is ever that easy with a stubborn student that has enough determination to watch paint dry without complaints.

"I can't. It's not my secret to tell." Secret? Yeah, 'cause that totally makes him feel better.

"Then who's is it?"

"All Might's." Shota had to suppress a scowl at that. Of course, it would be All Might that drags his student into the most complicated messes. Does the baffoon have anything else to do in his free time? He should pick up knitting, that way he can make himself some highly absorbent handkerchiefs the next time he decides to burst a lung and spew blood. Taming the endless sea of insults in his mind, the underground hero spoke.

"Kid, if this secret directly pertains to your quirk status and revolves around you, I'd say it's well within your right to tell whoever you want. Plus, this is All Might, I'm sure the guy would understand if the situation was urgent enough to call for it." Shota held up a single hand to his heart, "I promise not to tell anyone." Hesitantly, the green-eyed boy looked up.

"Is- Does this count as urgent?"

"You bet your mechanical pencils it does." He groaned, but in a way that made sure his student knew he wasn't angry. Because really, he's not. All he cares about is his student's mental health right now, nothing else. Midoriya seemed to consider it for a few seconds before hardening his resolve, and Shota couldn't help but feel relieved.

"So," His student began, and the erasure hero felt the faint urge to grab some popcorn, "about ten years ago, Doctor Tsubasa did an x-ray on my foot..."

Aizawa Shota has never felt more dead inside until this very moment. He thought he'd heard the worst of it working as an underground hero, but clearly, he was wrong. So fucking wrong. The story- not a secret,  story , a secret should have been a stupid rumor, not whatever the hell this is- lasted for about ten minutes. And in those ten minutes, Shota has yelled things that should not be heard by a child. However, on the less explicit side of the yelling spectrum, he made several reaction responses such as:

"Tell me the name of your fucking school."

"Bakugo said  what?"

"All Might said  WHAT?  And on a roof of all places?! "

"THE SLIME FIGHT HEROES SAID WHAT?"

"So that's why the beach is clean now."

"You had to swallow a- You know what? No. That's disgusting."

"I knew the zero pointers were a stupid idea..."

All in all, it was horrible. His thoughts were all jumbled once the kid had stopped speaking and now he couldn't decide which course of action he should take at the moment. He could either fight tooth and nail to shut down Aldera junior high, kick the shit out of Yagi, expel the shit out of Bakugo, or stop considering his options and just help the shaking student in front of him. Yeah, he'll go with the latter. And do everything else later tonight.

"Well, that was certainly... interesting." The kid flinched and Shota mentally berated himself for starting with that, "But I'm glad you told me." Midoriya's head whipped up.

"Wha- why?"

"When you first came to UA, you quirk did nothing but destroy everything in its path, including your bones. Of course, after two years that no longer happens, but everyone assumed you had poor control over your quirk, and I agreed. But that's because we all thought you had it since the age of four. When you said you were a late bloomer, I thought that  some  of your lack of control was justified, because maybe since you were past the age of a toddler, you didn't get a chance to see a quirk specialist. Now, however, I learned that not only did you get a quirk when you were  14 , but the first time you even used it was the day of the entrance exam." If possible, the kid wilted even further. God damnit, Shota, just get to the point already.

"Point is, if you had simply told us in the very beginning that your quirk had just developed, we would have been able to get you the help you needed instead of watching you blow up your limbs."

"I wasn't allowed to reveal the secret back then, though." Curse you, All Might. You burdened a kid with a legendary secret and no one to help him with it. "He told me that if it were to get out, a bunch of chaos would be caused by Villains trying to steal the quirk. Not to mention everyone would lose faith in the symbol of peace."

"That's true, but there are other excuses you could have come up with. You started training for UA ten months in advance because your body needed to be able to at least partly handle the quirk, right? Then say that. The quirk needed specific conditions to be met to come in. Or, if you didn't have any other ideas for an excuse, you could have told just  some  of the staff. If not me, then Nezu. Lord knows I wouldn't question it if he told me you needed specialized quirk counseling." The underground hero doesn't question  anything  the rat tells him, and he'd like to keep it that way. He's pretty sure that if he found out the motive behind all of his boss's actions, he'd have to be assassinated.

"Nezu does know, though." I'm sorry,  what ? "And not just him, a lot of other people, too. Recovery Girl, Gran Torino, detective Tsukauchi, Kaachan-"

Shota's confusion got bigger and bigger with every name listed. All of those people knew, and not one of them bothered to tell him, the kid's homeroom teacher? And why does Bakugo know?! The dark-haired man pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled, trying to tame the anger. He wasn't mad at Midoriya, if anything, he's proud. For once, the kid had done what he was supposed to do, tell an adult. But of course, that's also the one time all the adults around him are psychopaths, idiots, or bullies.

" Fucking rat... " he muttered

"Are..." Midoriya furrowed his eyebrows, "Are you gonna expel me?" Oh for the love of-!

"Why does everyone think I'm gonna- No, I'm not going to expel you. But ignorant coworkers aside, I am going to give you the quirk counseling that you should have gotten in the first place." His student looked relieved, but still a bit confused.

"Quirk counseling? Why would I need it, though? During internships last year, Gran Torino taught me how to not break my bones anymore. And I can handle anything under 40% of one for all!" That's only forty percent of his power? What the hell kind of feral ass quirk is this.

"Midoriya you just told me your quirk was made by the most dangerous supervillain, passed down to his not-so-quirkless little brother, passed down through eight other corpses-"

"All Might's not a corpse..."

"-no, but he's a walking one- and that ever since last year you are somehow able to communicate with their spirits." Midoriya suddenly smiled with excitement, the kind of excitement one could see on him whenever he found a new quirk to analyze, and Shota knew that meant nothing good.

"Not just communicate, I'm getting their quirks too!" He- what?

"What do you mean you're 'getting their quirks'?"

"You know how halfway through last year, during the joint training exercise, a bunch of black tendrils just shot out of my body? It's called blackwhip, and it's from the fifth one for all user." Oh no, oh god please no. Please someone just jump out of a trashcan and tell him this is all some elaborate prank. It's hard enough dealing with Midoriya' one- or he guesses, two- quirks, but apparently, he's going to develop five more? Lord have mercy on their property damage bill.

"And this, this is what I mean by you needing quirk counseling. I'll be damned if halfway your career as a pro hero you suffer from brain damage cause all of a sudden a dead person's quirk started strangling you with their creepy tentacles." He groaned, but the bushy-haired kid just pumped his fist in the air and exclaimed 'Right!'.

"Really, just like that? No complaints about having to stay back extra time after school?" Most teenagers would probably be attempting to sue him by now.

"Quirk counseling is just analyzing your own quirk and applying your theories right away, right? That's basically what I do after school anyway, and Shinsou only texts me after 12:00 am." First of all, he's going to need to have another talk with the purple-haired kid about proper sleep schedules. And yes, he's aware of the irony. Second, you can count on Midoriya to be excited about extra analysis. Shota gave a subtly amused huff.

"Sure. And-" Suddenly he paused as a random thought burst into his head, one he hadn't considered before. "Wait a sec, you were registered as quirkless after your diagnosis, but you would need to register your new quirk to get into UA. And any changes made to quirk registration are always logged down on personal files, so technically, I could have known from the very beginning..." The kid stopped smiling as he put his fingers to his chin in thought.

"Yeah, you're right. You could have known from the first day and all my excuses would have been useless. Why didn't you, by the way?" The boy asked, and Shota cursed under his breath.

"I don't read my students' files at the beginning of the year, helps prevent biases." He highly doubts that he would ever have favorites in his class, but least favorites? That's way more reasonable for him. He's looking at you, Mineta. "But apparently, as always, this class is a different story. If I missed that big of a detail from one section, what else could I have missed..."

Personal files would include medical records, grades, personal notes from teachers, and even some family history. He didn't want biases, but knowing what he would be dealing with for the next three years wasn't a bad idea either. Behavioral issues, mental diagnoses, previous suspensions; all of them would have been useful to know, and the heroics teacher hates himself for not realizing until over a year had passed. In any case, he can deal with that later. Right now, he had Midoriya to deal with, and not just the enigma of his quirk.

"Right, well, next week me and Nezu will come up with a plan for your quirk counseling sessions. And we're going to have to do some serious background checks-" Background checks, that's it! Everyone in this goddamn school needs background checks! Wow, dawning realizations feel great and suck at the same time. "- into previous users of one for all, just so we know what other powers might spring up in the coming years. But quirks aside, we are still very off track about what happened today."

"...Right..." And just like that, Midoriya retreated back into his shell with a look of deep dread on his face. Shota slid off the couch and into a kneeling position as he held his hands up in a mollifying gesture, that way he was at eye level with his student.

"Hey, kid, there's nothing wrong with what you said today. If anything, you should be proud." The green-haired kid widened his eyes in surprise, "It's not easy speaking about your personal experiences like that, but you managed to do it without cracking under pressure. And in the heat of the moment, you were still rational enough to look at your situation from an outside perspective, and smart enough to admit you needed help. You weren't being dramatic when you asked, either, and no matter the lengths your discrimination from the people around you went to, it shouldn't be compared to others in a way that makes you want to invalidate it. Getting help is one of the healthiest and hardest decisions a person can make, but you did it, and you should acknowledge that."

Hesitantly but surely, Midorya slowly began to nod, the tears that were gradually building up in his eyes starting to dissipate. And Shota waited for a few seconds before dropping the bomb.

"And to help you, we're going to need someone who has the qualifications to do that." He took a deep breath, "So tomorrow, I'll be setting up an appointment for you and Hound Dog." His student shot up into a ramrod straight position, green-eyes flashing with something akin to betrayal, and didn't that just twist the knife in his heart to see.

"Hound- What? No. I'm not- Therapy?" His breathing started to speed up and Shota prepared for the slight chance that this may trigger something worse, "Shinsou said all I needed to do was tell someone but I- I don't want- Wasn't this supposed to be the end of it?"

"I know you want it to be, and believe me I do too, but these kinds of things are never easy. It'll take time, yes, but the end results  will  be worth it."

"It won't! I've tried guidance counselors before and they all kicked me out." God damn you, Aldera, he'll tear you to the groud, "They either blamed me or pitied me, and I don't want their pity." Does that mean he wants the blame? "I want to be a hero so no one ever has to worry about me." He whispered the last part, but Shota heard him well enough.

"Well whether you like it or not, they will. Shinsou, Todoroki, me, your mother, All Might, and tons more. By completing this session with Hound Dog, it'll help ease that concern a bit, because they'll know you're in good hands." Midoriya seemed a tad bit more open, but still not fully convinced, "Besides, it won't just be you. You're not alone when it comes to facing this kind of cruel treatment, as I'm sure Shinsou told you before I walked in today. Doing this will help set an example for others who aren't too open about it yet, and you'll be the person that gives them that final push they need to ask for help. Of course, all meetings with Hound Dog tomorrow are mandatory, but still." Way more open at the prospect of helping people, but once again, not quite there. With a resigned sigh, Shota gave in, "And right after you can get the hero merch."

Midoriya accepted in the blink of an eye, and somehow faster than yesterday. He really has to keep this bribery tactic in mind for the future in case he ever needs to bypass public speaking again.

"Glad to hear it. Now-" He wanted to speak more, most likely to tell him that just because he says he can buy merch, that does not mean Shota will ever be seen in the same area as a person wearing an All Might onesie, but a weird look in Midoriya's eyes stops him. Oh jeez, he better not be trying to make it two pieces of merch. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering, now that you know the whole story with Kaachan and All Might..." The kid fidgeted, "You're not gonna do anything, uh, bad, right? Like, um, well-"

"Break all the bones in All Might's body and blacklist Bakugo from every hero school in Japan?" Midoriya, slightly disturbed at the specificity but not at all surprised, rapidly nodded. "No, unfortunately even I don't have enough power to do that." His voice darkened into a whisper as his eyes gained a faraway look, staring at the wall, "I am going to do something much, much worse... Anyway, I have to make arrangements with Hound Dog, so off you go."

"I- Wait what-" Shota eyes glowed red as he activated his quirk, using his capture weapon to shoo Midoriya out the door, who was still frantically asking questions. "What do you mean much worse-?!"

"Endless possibilities for what you could do in the span between now and tomorrow's counseling session. Read a book, paint a canvas, pet a cat, you only live once." The kid was still trying to push his way back into the office but the door was already closing.

"Will you at least go easy on them?!" The kid asked desperately. The underground hero looked up from his recently grabbed phone to grin evilly into the distance.

"No. No, I don't think I will."

The door shut with a  slam! 

And that's what brings Shota to the present moment, straightening out a stack of personal files on his students on the desk as Midoriya scribbles in his notebook at the other end. It's Friday morning and he still hadn't been able to come up with proper revenge- uh, teaching lesson plan for All Might and Bakugo. He wants something incredibly dreadful and dramatic, but not enough to get him arrested. And unfortunately, he hasn't got any ideas, nor do his friends. In fact, they seemed pretty disturbed when he called them at 10:00 pm for advice. But he guesses it was partially his fault for phrasing the question as 'What's the most convenient way to torture a middle-aged skeleton and angsty teenage grenade at the same time with minimal casualties and lawsuits?' He would have called Nezu for advice but currently, he's a bit annoyed at the rat.

Anyway, he can figure that out later, back to the files.

He's made a plan to read through each file, which is in the order that the students will be taken in for counseling, and suggest specific topics for Hound Dog to bring up when he speaks to them. And along with that, he'll also be taking notes of any further details he should investigate.

He originally planned to have Midoriya integrate back into his classes just for today, but immediately squashed that. The kid's life had changed enough yesterday, and he was probably going through enough stress, no need to freak him out more by sending him off without an explanation. And besides, taking diligent notes does seem like a healthy method of relieving stress.

That doesn't mean he's going to keep him here forever, though, he will need to go to Hound Dog eventually. But luckily his secretary's appointment is at the very end, that way he won't be here when Shota goes through his own file. That'd just be awkward. And while the underground hero doesn't know what's in the file yet, he has a sinking feeling it won't be anything good. Sighing, he opened the first file:  Todoroki .

Born January 11th, 20XX, is currently 16 years old. His quirk is half-hot half-cold, which honestly sounds a little too convenient given his parents' quirks. Enji Todoroki, Endeavor, is his father. Rei Todoroki is his mother, and locked in a mental institution? The hell? Already one pointer to suggest. His older sister is Fuyumi Todoroki, his older brother is Natsuo Todoroki, and his  other  older brother is- ah shit, Touya Todoroki. Deceased. Two pointers.

Moving on, Shota went beyond the first page of basic information and struck the most disturbing gold he'd ever seen. Todoroki was homeschooled by a tutor, meanwhile the rest of his siblings were sent to some fancy academy their whole lives. He's not surprised about the prestige of the older Todoroki's school, their father is the number one hero after all, but he is more than a little concerned about why his student was singled out and isolated after leaving pre-school. After his quirk came in, more specifically. Three pointers.

After the age of four, his medical results took a drastic turn, but only the most basic information was recorded: Height, weight, vaccinations, etc. But nothing on injuries. With a quirk like that it's bound to happen, so why isn't there anything written down on his file from the- uh, Shizuoka Private Treatment Facility? Not the general one? Another pointer, but just for himself to investigate. With a sigh, Shota turned the page.

Why did so much change after he gained his quirk? Or did the same thing happen to Touya before Endeavor "moved on"?

----- SHOTO TODOROKI SESSION: ADMINISTERED BY RYO INUI, HOUND DOG -----

"So," Hound Dog began, gruff voice contrasting his current position of leaning back in an armchair and holding a pencil above the clipboard, "To begin, I was hoping you could tell me a little about some of your at-home hobb-" The hunting dog hero was cut off immediately,

"I don't know why I was brought in here, but I am not going to discuss my home life with a... whatever your position is. I only came here because it was mandatory, but I refuse to participate in anything else." A blanket of silence draped over the room after Todoroki's statement, but the guidance counselor didn't let it last for long.

"Okay." The red and white-haired boy's eyebrow twitched, "We won't discuss your home life."

"We... we won't? You're really not going to fight me on that?" The hero shook his head, a funny action for a dog.

"I won't fight you, and either way I'm legally not allowed to. You were forced to come here, but I can't force you to answer my questions." The heterochromatic-eyed boy seemed a tad bit suspicious, but ultimately untensed in relief, "However, our session does last for another thirty minutes, and I doubt it'll be fun for either of us to sit in complete silence the whole time. I won't ask you to speak about your life unless you consent to it, but how about a different topic?"

"...Like what?" Todoroki asked, and Hound Dog thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, for starters, you could tell me about your notebook of theories," The boy lit up in excitement, albeit barely noticeable, "Sometimes I overhear young Midoriya and Uraraka speaking of it, and occasionally Eraserhead, too. I must admit I'm a bit curious about the contents of it. So, mind listing a few?" The hero student smiled, once again in a very subtle way, but certainly there.

Todoroki listed everything he could remember from his notebook, which was quite a lot. Momo is Fatgum's niece. Tokoyami is Hawks' nephew. Tamaki Amajiki is Midnight's son. Toga Himiko is Vlad King's daughter. Midoriya is All Might's secret love child. Shinsou is Aizawa's and Hizashi's secret love child, with Kayama acting as the surrogate. Dabi is his long lost older brother. Shigaraki, knowingly, and Midoriya, unknowingly, both robbed the same clothing store, and the only reason the former is a villain is that he's the one that got caught. Finally, after what seemed like centuries, the boy had finished, and the hunting dog hero spoke up.

"I see, that's quite a lot you've got there. In fact, I noticed a common trend within all of your theories. In one way or another, two or more people are related. Any specific reason why, or was it just by chance?" He asked, subtly clicking his pen as the student broke off into a tangent.

"I hadn't noticed it before, but I assume it's because it's the easiest to spot."

"Hmm, but why exactly? What makes it so simple?"

"Usually, I can tell because of the multiple traits they share. For example, Shinso's theory would work because he has the same eyebags and grin as Aizawa-sensei, has a voice-activated quirk like Hizashi-sensei, and has purple hair and eyes just like Kayama-sensei if mixed with a lighter, blonde, color." Todoroki explained easily.

"While that would make sense, there are some flaws in your deductions that have come apparent to me. While Yaoyorozu's and Fatgum's quirks are similar, they both have very different purposes. One is used to create materials, and the other is meant to be used as a defense mechanism. And besides, there are many people in Japan whose quirks would also rely on their lipid cells." Hound Dog took a breath before continuing.

"As for Midoriya and All Might, they both have strength-enhancing quirks. But as I'm sure you've seen, All Might does not have the same black-liquid type material that sprouts from his body like your classmate, and plenty of other people in the world have strength enhancement quirks as well. And I'm sure those other people aren't all related, right?" The hero student seemed to process all of his guidance counselor's critique, deciding whether to listen or not

"The obvious answer is no, and I'm 100% positive you knew that too. So what makes these pairs of people so special? What is the missing variable you use to come to these conclusions?" Hound Dog asked, preparing to write another sentence on his clipboard.

"In that case, I guess the missing variable would be... how they act around each other." The fire and ice user said quietly as if trying to determine whether what he said was enough for the hero to understand or not. It wasn't

"Care to elaborate?"

"For this year's internships, Momo made the wise choice to intern for Fatgum instead of Uwabami again." A wise choice, indeed, "And during the footage of one of their fights, I could see how well they worked together. It might have just been because their quirks required the same materials to function, but it seemed like they really understood each other, like they knew what the other was going to say or do before they even did it. The same goes for Midoriya and All Might-sensei, Shinsou and Aizawa-sensei, and Tokoyami and Hawks."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you saying that being a family goes beyond just physical appearances and traits, and revolves around the peoples' trust and love for one another?" Hound Dog asked thoughtfully, already knowing the answer. Todoroki paused, but after a few seconds had passed, grew a small smile, and nodded, and that's all Hound Dog needed to know the student was ready for his second question.

"Good, and I'd like you to keep that in mind from now on, as well as for the next question. Feel free to shut it down and stay silent, but I am still a guidance counselor. Now, judging only by that new piece of information, would you say that you have a family? Forget about bloodlines and think of your mother and siblings when you ask yourself: Does your relationship with them revolve around love and trust?"

The red and white-haired boy seemed like he had wanted to glare, to tell the hunting dog hero to go fetch a different bone and storm out, but in the end, all he could do was dig deep into the question and give an honest answer.

"...Yes. I used to think my mother had hated me, but after a visit to her last year, I know now that that's not the truth and it has never been. As for my siblings, it appears that I had underestimated them in the past and that they understand my struggles much better than I thought they would. Although I guess it's my fault for assuming anyone would ever  envy  me for spending more time with our father, neglected or not they both know there were... less ideal alternatives."

"I see, and I'm glad to hear you feel that way, Todoroki." Hound Dog gave a smile, which suddenly morphed into something more somber, "On the other hand, would you say the same for your father."

"He's... he's trying to be a better person. And I can tell that both my mother and Fuyumi are rather proud of it, encouraging it, even. They seem almost ready to forgive him." Hound Dog noticed Todoroki didn't look even the slightest bit happy about that, just conflicted.

"Is it just them?" He asked, and the boy nodded.

"Yes, Natsuo doesn't seem like he'll side with them anytime soon. He's still glaring at my father whenever they're in the same room."

"Hmm, so your mother and sister are ready to move past whatever your father has done to your family in the past, and your brother is dead set on never letting go." Hound Dog tapped the pen twice against his chin, "But what about you? Are you ready to forgive him? To move on?"

"I..." The heterochromatic-haired boy clenched his fists, "I know they all want me to, and I know it would just be so much easier for everyone in hero society if I did, but... I can't. Not yet, and maybe not ever. It just doesn't feel right, not making him pay for all the pain he's caused. And not just to us, but Touya too. He needs justice,  we  need justice."

"You need him to face the consequences of his actions, whatever they may be, and I agree. So I'll ask again, judging only by the last piece of information, do you consider Endeavor your family? Your father?"

There was silence between the two that could have lasted millennia. Then, all of a sudden:

"...No." The boy said softly, and then, much louder and firmer, "No."

Hound Dog smiled as he wrote everything down, not missing a single word and underlining specific details to elaborate on in the last fifteen minutes and any future sessions. Once the scribbling had stopped, he lifted his head to face the hero student again.

"Okay. Now, let's talk about why not."

-----END OF SHOTO TODOROKI'S SESSION-----

Shota was halfway through reading Kirishima's file, and halfway through subtly making remarks to Midoriya as to why he shouldn't use the merch negotiation to get anything related to All Might when a  ding!  sound came from his phone, drawing both of their attention. The heroics teacher furrowed his eyebrows as he read the contact name, Hound Dog. He hopes the man remembered that the rule of doctor/patient confidentiality still applies even to a hero school. Quickly, he picked up the phone and read the text.

RYO INUI: Yaoyorozu gave me the go-ahead to tell you this information. 

Thank god, or else they would be dealing with a lawsuit from one of the richest families in Japan.

Mineta has been constantly sexually harassing the girls in class 1-a since their first year; Using his quirk to stick their clothing against the chairs, touching them inappropriately, clinging to them, and making sexual remarks, all without their consent. I ask that proper actions by UA be taken as a result of this. -H.D

Shota inhaled, exhaled, used the rest of willpower to force down his murderous intent, and maintained a stoic face.

"So," The gruff man began, "We need evidence to expel Mineta, and hopefully send him to juvie, preferably taking place within the next thirty minutes so we don't waste too much of our time on that brat. Take a pick, witnesses or security footage?" The boy grinned, and the underground hero wondered when his grins became less sunshine and rainbows and more of showing off how sharp his teeth could be. The boy could still light up a room with it but still, Shota never knew he had multiple variations to choose from. It was also pretty jarring how he hadn't even questioned why the grape bitch was being kicked out in the first place.

"I've been practicing my hacking skills recently, and Mei said I'm a fast learner! By now it wouldn't take me longer than 5-10 minutes tops to get UA's video feed. So I'll take care of security footage." Okay great, so Shota will handle the- wait. He... hacking skills? What? And Mei Hatsume is in on this? The erasure hero gave the green-eyed boy a weird look.

"...You practiced hacking into UA's security footage with the support course girl?" He asked slowly,

"...Yes?"

"...Good, it's a useful skill." And it is. Shota remembers when he was back in high school, and Nezu interrupted his class just to give him a rundown computer so he could practice breaching the local police station's case files from any type of equipment. Although, now that he thinks about it, it was a weird thing to assign to a seventeen-year-old. But it did assist him in a couple cases. "Plus, more practice never hurt anybody, this could be a learning experience. I'll take care of his testimonies, then."

"RIGHT!"

And if by the time twenty minutes had passed, six incredibly relieved eye-witness accounts, as well as a bucket load of video evidence, were sent to the Musutafu police station, and a purple-haired brat was dragged out kicking and screaming by a smug Midnight with two pairs of eyes staring at him from the principal's office window and internally cackling, well then...

They hoped every damn girl in that school knows.

Well, this is certainly a smaller file than Shota had expected.

At first glance, and every single glance after that, Bakugo was probably one of the most problematic children in his class, second only to Midoriya. The only difference between the two is that where Bakugo is loud, feral, sadistic, and powerful, Midoriya at least tries to hide it during class behind stuttering, bashful phrases, and extreme politeness. So, really, can you blame him for expecting the explosive blonde's file to be at least five inches thick and filled to the brim with behavioral complaints and a long list of recorded detentions? Yeah, that's what he thought. Sighing, he flipped it open.

Born April 20th, 20XX, is currently 16 years old. His quirk is explosion, fitting perfectly with his personality, by the way. Masaru Bakugo is his father. Mitsuki Bakugo is his mother, and oh boy do they make quite the couple. One visit was all Shota needed to see the dynamic of their relationships. Where Masaru was calm and meek, Mitsuki was temperamental and brash, and it's obvious to see who wears the pants in the family. Although, that in itself is slightly concerning.

It's obvious that Masaru is the peace-keeper in the household, but when did it ever seem to work? At best, Mitsuki would only barely listen to her husband and lower her voice a bit, but carry on with the exact same words that she was going to use in the first place. And if no one is there to hold her back when she goes too far, then how bad have Bakugo's and Mitsuki's fights gotten before? And Shota  knows  the must fight, because how could they not? Two deafening personalities in a single household are just bound to stir up chaos, and the underground hero isn't too happy about the effects that chaos might have had on his students. But even so, Shota read on.

And promptly lost a little more of his will to live.

The boy's grades were perfect, as expected, but that wasn't the weird part, no. The weird part was that his reviews were practically  glowing . 'A pleasure to have in class' absolutely not, Shota almost always wishes he was dead. 'A quiet and attentive boy' Sure, he's attentive, but who whacked a baseball bat against her head and gave her enough brain damage to think he was quiet? The term 'inside voice' does not exist in Bakugo's vocabulary. But perhaps the most confusing review, and believe him that's a high standard, was when his homeroom teacher in the third year of junior high said the boy was 'always sticking up for his classmates.'

Bakugo is a hero student, and while everyone knows he'll never admit to friendship, they also know that he would protect his closest comrades if worse came to worse. However, that's Bakugo two years after joining UA. Bakugo in junior high? It most likely wasn't a- no, scratch that. It  definitely  wasn't a pretty sight to see. Or, if you are Midoriya, to experience first hand every. Single. Day. So seeing that the bully was painted as some sort of  savior  by his teachers made Shota more than a little concerned, and most of all suspicious.

So far that's, what, three points to check up on? Three to discuss, and one of them to personally investigate with Nezu. And that's just a surface level of information, there's still plenty of things he doesn't and might never know about. And really, that's fine with him. As long as Bakugo can work through these issues, he doesn't need anyone's validation other than his own. But still...

May God have mercy on Hound Dog during this session.

-----KATSUKI BAKUGO SESSION: ADMINISTERED BY RYO INUI, HOUND DOG-----

"Bakugo, a pleasure to meet with you today." Hound Dog said politely to the ash-blonde boy. "I know you're probably confused as to why-"

"HAH!" The boy exclaimed madly, kicking his legs up on the coffee table and submerging himself deeper into the soft cushions of the grey couch. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his unbuttoned grey waistcoat, and only those who paid attention could see the way the fabric shifted in that area, signaling the flexing and unflexing of his hands. Interesting. "The only thing I'm confused about is why you feel the need to be a sugar-coating mutt. 'Pleasure to meet with you' my ass."

"Why would you think I was lying?" Hound Dog inquired with a quirk of a lip, and the hero student huffed.

"Why wouldn't you be? You think I'm naive enough to think teachers like you enjoy my presence? This is obviously some poorly thought out tactic of manipulation to get me to answer your creepy questions." Hound Dog lifted two placating hands, a calm expression on his face showing he was undeterred by the boy's attitude.

"Of course not, Bakugo. I can assure you that I am in no way trying to manipulate you into answering the questions, and if it'll make you feel any better for the remaining of this session, I promise to be straight and blunt with everything." The boy, still seething, managed to calm down a little bit at that statement, spitting out a 'tch' in begrudging acknowledgment. "Now, with that in mind, may I ask why you think I wouldn't appreciate your presence?"

"Why the fuck do you think? Is it not already obvious?"

"That's still not an answer, Bakugo, and it's not as obvious to me as it may be to you." The hunting hero said. Bakugo's mouth morphed into a snarl as he leaned over the table.

"Hey?! You looking down on me from under your wet-ass snout? Want me to compare the dog to human ratio of brain size? HAAH?!"

"I would never look down on a student, let alone a patient, this office is meant to be a safe space where you can feel comfortable speaking what's on your mind," The blonde boy muttered a 'safe space my ass', "So, I'll ask again, why do you think your teachers don't like being in your presence?"

"You little... ARGH!" Bakugo grunted but answered nonetheless, "I don't know- I'm loud?! You think I don't realize my own volume?! I ain't that naive, you wannabe Air Bud." Hound Dog clicked his pen for what must have been the twentieth time that day.

"Never said you were." The hero scribbled something down on his clipboard and Bakugo noted the action with narrowed eyes, "But back to the original topic, you think teachers don't appreciate your presence because you're loud? I sincerely doubt that. Ashido and Kaminari are quite the loud duo, but all of their classmates and teachers claim they're a pleasure to be around, to talk to and share experiences with. So is that really it?"

"No, pea-brain, stop misunderstanding my words! Sure, Pinky and Dunce Face are loud as shit, but they're a bunch of excitable puppies. Gross, if you ask me." Something tells the guidance counselor that Bakugo didn't entirely believe his own words, "And I'm not like them. I insult people, rude as shit, and blunt as shit, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If they start sobbing 'cause I hurt their feelings, that's on them, I'm just telling them the truth their delusional brains refuse to see."

"Once again, nothing special." The ash-haired boy bristled at the phrasing, "You're not the only one in your class or even this school to be overly blunt without caring about the consequences. Todoroki, for one, isn't afraid to speak of his theories to everyone who shows even a little bit of interest. It lets people know he'll never talk behind their back." Bakugo reluctantly respects the statement, and he says reluctantly because Hound Dog knows the boy is still annoyed from the time when the heterochromatic-eyed boy asked if Mirko was his babysitter or neighbor growing up, "Hatsume, from support course, is always upfront about her motivations and aspirations. Not once has she ever lied about her true intentions. And in those cases, all of their close friends appreciate it, as well as their teachers."

"That's not the same thing, idiot! They're still nice about everything they say, and everyone knows their pure as a freaking angel. Why won't you just accept that teachers don't like me and move the hell on?! Don't you have a job to do?" The hero student yelled.

"I appreciate the consideration, Bakugo, but this is my job. I'm supposed to ask questions on anything I deem important to your mental growth, and right now this seems pretty damn important. So no, I'm not going to move on, I'm going to make sure you understand that your teachers, friends, and classmates appreciate your company, and wouldn't mind having a little more of it. Besides, if the staff here really didn't like you, then how would you have been accepted?"

"Seriously? You think I got accepted because of my smelling-the-roses attitude and the beam of sunshine shining out of my ass? HAH! Tough luck, you third-rate pound puppy." Did this kid ever run out of nicknames? "I got into UA because I'm strong. My quirk is strong. And I can use that strength to beat the living hell out of those slimy villains. Everyone here knows I'm gonna be the number one hero, and that's why I got in." Bakugo smirked his signature smug smirk, "Nothing more nothing less. We done?"

"Far from it, actually. You didn't get accepted into UA because of your strength. Obviously, that was a big part of it, but you're ignoring another major detail. If a strong quirk and the number of pounds you could bench press were the deciding factors for becoming a hero, then this society would have been screwed decades ago. I know that, you know that, Japan knows that, and most importantly, your teacher knows that." Bakugo lifted an eyebrow, but the disbelieving frown was still firmly planted on his face.

"Huh? Aizawa-sensei? Why the hell are you bringing hobo bastard into this?"

"Because despite his questionable fashion sense, he's a hero and he's your teacher, Nezu's favorite teacher, might I add. Do you know why?" The student obviously hated being asked a question that everyone knew he didn't have an answer for, so the hunting hero continued without being prompted. "Because Nezu trusts him to make the right decisions. Many people have criticized Aizawa's teaching methods in the past, saying his numerous expulsions were impulsive and unfair, but they're wrong. Aizawa knows exactly what he's doing at all times, knows who he's expelling and who he's allowing to stay  at all times . If he kicked you out, that's because he knew you wouldn't make it as a hero in one way or another, but if he kept you, that's because he saw potential. And his idea of potential doesn't just rest in a person's quirk or muscle mass, it lies in their heart. If they have the heart of a hero, and a true calling to help others, then you can bet your life he'll fight tooth and nail to keep you in his class. And time after time, his teachings have always produced the best results."

Bakugo isn't one for expressing emotions other than anger, annoyance, rare stoicness, and pride. But now? Hound Dog could say with 100% certainty that the explosive hero student was shaken to his very core, giving what he guessed counted as wide eyes to the esteemed guidance counselor after his small speech. It only lasts for a second, though, before the look is replaced with his perpetual frown, but with an unusual tinge of sadness radiating from it.

"You're wrong." He states simply, and Hound Dog huffs, "I don't."

"You do, Bakugo, and I'm hardly ever wrong when it comes to matters concerning Aizawa." Bakugo gives him another confused glance at that but moves on as if he never even spoke.

"Well, this time you aren't! I don't got this 'heart of a hero' crap, okay?!" The red-eyed boy flexed his hands again. What is that, an anger reflex? The hunting hero has seen the boy do it before, and it's usually followed by a small explosion, but by keeping his hands in his pocket, it effectively wipes off all the sweat. If it's an attempt to control his emotions, that shows the potential for progress. "I've done too much shit for that to be a possibility for me."

"Bakugo, if this is about Kamino and All Might's retirement-"

"HAH?! Yeah right, that was last year. I know I'm not responsible for that whole stunt anymore, that's on Handjob, Staples, Blood Bitch, and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The only thing that still pisses me off about that time was that some D-listers like them were able to get a leg up on me. Last time I was too weak to take them down, but this time..." The hero student started to cackle in sadism, hands shaking more noticeably as if he was physically repressing the instinct to blow something up. But personally, Hound Dog couldn't care less about that right now.

"Too weak? Whoever said you were too weak?"

"Tch, my old hag. Bitch was cranky but she wasn't wrong." Old ha- does he mean his mother? His mother called her own son weak when he was kidnapped by the league of villains? No extreme feelings of protectiveness or relief when Katsuki came home, just the need to victim blame her son? That's... not right, and he shouldn't have had to experience that. And that's exactly what he said to the boy.

"Victim blaming, huh?" The explosive-blonde laughed, a rough, harsh sound that told anyone within the range that he didn't actually find it amusing. He found it hard to hear, because maybe, just maybe, it was the truth. "I guess it runs in the family." The hero tilted his head at the phrase.

"You've targeted a victim before?" A slow nod, "And is that one of the things you're referring to when you say you've done to many things for you to have the heart of a hero?" Another node, faster and much harsher, "I see... Well, the only way to make up for those things is to talk about them. So if you don't mind me asking... who was it?"

Hound Dog had never seen the boy so quiet before, so thoughtful and raging with inner turmoil. It seemed like he was deciding whether or not to respond, to give in, to spill his heart out during what might be the only time he can. Bakugo was flexing his hands even more, stretching them as wide as he could before clenching the fabric of his pockets again. It was clear he was trying to forget the counselor's question, to forget he ever came here and continue on with his life without any revelations or changes. But as he said, he wasn't naive, he was a hero student who after two years finally understood the best decision to make in this kind of situation. So he took the olive branch.

"...Deku. I knew him since before UA- since we were sticky ass toddlers,  BFFs,  and before..." Hound Dog motioned him to continue, "before he got  weak ."

"Midoriya? Weak? Are we speaking about the same boy here, the one who beat Overhaul into submission?" He saw some video footage taken from one of the officer's body cameras, and my god, it was a terrifying sight to see. It's not often the boy has that much hatred in his eyes.

"THAT'S NOW! You didn't see him back in junior high! When he was a short little twig who shook like a leaf the moment a person even looked at him. You think that kind of person could be a hero? Nothing but a delusion. When we were younger I tried to knock some sense into him, but that stupid little nerd just stood back up again. I'm telling you, I tried  everything ." Hound Dog didn't appreciate the implication of that, but he also didn't appreciate how in some disturbed, messed up way, Bakugo was trying to protect him. "What a dumbass. Couldn't do anything, he was a worthless, useless-"

"No. I do want you to spill your thoughts, Bakugo, I really do, but it seems like this mindset may be the thing that's holding you back." The ash-blonde boy snarled at that, seemingly ready to leap forward and attack at any moment, but Hound Dog was a hero. And furthermore, he's a therapist. He knows how to deal with these kinds of patients the moment he sees them. "No human being is useless or worthless. Not a single one. I don't know who told you that some were, or that it was okay to verbally call someone that, but they were wrong. Frankly, I'm more than a little concerned about the influences they had on you that still exist to this day."

"The hell do you mean, you knockoff Dog With a Blog? The people who agreed with me on this- which by the way is everyone. My teachers, classmates, even some drunk bastard on the street agreed. That's how fucking right I am- were telling the truth as it is. Didn't you say you appreciated the truth? Of course, there are worthless people out there, just look at all those villains!"

"Those villains, at some point in their lives, felt like they had worth. Felt like  others  thought they had worth. And they did. Until, of course, someone came in and beat them down till they broke, and now they feel like they don't, and their actions are the result of that. Actions that have caused quite a big ripple effect in society, by the way, so not useless for their own motivations either. So no, you and your teachers and classmates were wrong. Weren't you there for Midoriya's villain psychology speech yesterday? And," He said quickly, speaking slow enough for Bakugo to coherently understand him but fast enough as to not give him a chance to interrupt, "speaking of Midoiya. If you repeatedly beat down on him again and again, just to force your own beliefs on him-"

"It wasn't my own beliefs! He couldn't be a hero when-" The boy paused, frustrated at something that apparently he was not allowed to tell Hound Dog. That's okay, he guesses, if it's personal information regarding someone else that can't be shared so lightly. "He just couldn't. He had this... major disadvantage. One that nobody can, or has been able to, make up for in this day and age." Yes, because that is totally not suspicious.

"You never know until you try, Bakugo, and it seems to me that Midoriya wanted to be the first to try. You say you wanted to knock some sense into him, but did he really need that? You've seen Midoriya, he's always been one for analyzing situations to find numerous solutions, this week especially." He didn't know what side of the boy Aizawa was beginning to bring out in him, but he knew it was terrifying, "I doubt he would claim to be a hero without a plan to back it up. And even if the plan wasn't foolproof, can you really imagine Izuku 'I smile at villains while I beat them to shreds' Midoriya being anything  other  than a hero?"

Bakugo opened his mouth, most likely to scream something like 'garbageman', 'dead beat cop', 'McDonald's cashier', or maybe even 'dead', but no words came out. Because deep down, he knew the answer was no, no matter how much he hated it. Midoriya was born for this career.

"Mhm, kid's too determined to settle for anything less." The hero said, and the red-eyed boy huffed,

"Guess that means the shitty nerd has the  heart of a hero , huh?" Well, yes, but what's with the spiteful scowl and tone.

"Yes," Hound Dog stated simply, scribbling down how the boy had squeezed his eyes shut for a millisecond, "But you do, too. I don't care how many times you deny it, Bakugo, but you do. I'm going forward with the assumption that when you were younger you bullied Midoriya for trying to be a hero with whatever disadvantage he had back then, and while that can never be excused, it can be understood. Not right in any way, but understood. It seems as if your teachers never told you that this kind of behavior was wrong and that they turned a blind eye to when you teased your classmate and-"

"They turned a blind eye to a hell of a lot more than that! And I  did  a hell of a lot more than that! You think I just teased him? Seriously? I FUCKING TORTURED HIM." The boy's voice cracked at the end and Hound Dog held out a hand to- I don't know, hand him a tissue? Comfort him? Can one really  comfort  Bakugo without getting their hand bitten clean off?- but the boy kept speaking. "You asked if I was there during Deku's villain psychology speech? I was, right in the back with the best view and the speakers right behind me. I heard every word of it. I heard him describing what it was like for a kid with a villainous quirk to be at school as if the idiot wasn't drawing from his own experiences as a- shit, whatever, I can't tell you what he was, but you get the point. And you know that stupid thing people say about how looking at your experiences and actions from an outside perspective can give you a whole new understanding of it? It's true. So  fucking  true. Everything people did to him-  I  did to him was listed out for everyone to see, and it was  disgusting . What I did to him was  disgusting,  and he didn't deserve any of it. But the teachers praised me for it, and they ended up labeling him as a 'trouble-making' child. All because of me." The boy was shaking now, hands out of his pockets and gripping each other like a lifeline that turned his knuckles white as they were pressed against his downward-tilted forehead. After a few deep breaths, he put his hands back in his pockets and looked up, red-rimmed eyes and all, and muttered, "Still think I have the heart of a hero?"

"...Yes, I do. Right now I'm just trying to show you why I'm right and that there's an error in your judgment of yourself, but it's clear my tactic isn't working. So how about we start from the beginning, okay? You think Midoriya has that kind of heart, but you don't. You think he has the one thing you apparently never will. Am I right?"

"One thing he has that I don't? What a load of bullshit." The hero student leaned over the coffee table, desperately trying to quiet down his small sniffling, "He has  everything  I don't, and it pisses me off. He's determined, he's nice, he analyzes quirks and fighting styles like it's his second quirk, and he's All Might's golden boy. And guess what? He managed to do all of that with his major disadvantage. I had the one thing I knew- or I guess thought- he never would, and yet he was still ahead of me." He leaned back into the chair again, "Little bitch knew it, too. He'd prance around like he was the shit with that dopey smile on his face and screaming "Hi Kaachan!" with his squeaky-ass voice as a constant reminder of my failures.  He was looking down on me, and he did it for twelve years straight.  Hah, maybe that's why I hated him so much. Not because he was weak and worthless, but because he had the nerve to be everything but."

"He didn't fit into the world you had created for yourself, he was the nail you tried to hammer down to hang up the masterpiece of your future as a hero, or just a member of society at all, but couldn't manage to keep down. You couldn't control him, and you hated him for that." The boy nodded, resigned to his psychological breakdown, but not for long, "Except... you didn't hate him. Not really."

"HAAH?! You on crack or some shit, Scooby? I just said I hated him, and I do! I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE PIECE OF SHIT! SO DON'Y YOU DARE TRY TO TELL ME THAT I DON'T."

"I'm sorry, but explaining people's feelings to them is sorta in the job description." Bakugo rolled his slightly watery eyes, "You may think you hate Midoriya, but you don't, you just didn't understand him. And when I say that, I don't mean you misunderstood his feelings about you or his disad- actually, you did, but that's not what I'm referring to. You just didn't understand how someone like him could exist. How someone who had so much less than you managed to have so much more, even with your constant berating, and managed to be the one outlier in life that you couldn't predict. This confused you, but you perceived that confusion as anger. So instead of trying to sort things out with your classmate, you lashed out at him, bringing us to this very moment."

"It- WHAT?! No, that's stupid-"

"And furthermore, do you honestly think he was looking down on you? Because the Midoriya I know would die before he did something even remotely similar to that. He said hi to you in the hallways, he smiled in your direction, and he keeps calling you by what I assume was a childhood nickname that was a symbol of your friendship. No matter how many times you blew up his stuff, insulted him, and told him to take a swan dive off a roof- which by the way, we will be talking about that. Suicide baiting is wrong, I don't care how angry you were at the time, it' messed up.- he still came running back to you. And you know why?" The boy shook his head, the slight tremors in his body and the wavering eyes giving away his fear and anticipation for the answer, "...because despite all your flaws and shortcomings, he wanted to be your friend. That's how much you meant to him."

And that's when the dam broke. But it didn't break in the way most people would have expected it to. For them, they'd most likely break down crying as years of denial finally caught up with them and they were forced to face the truth. Either that or they'd start yelling until their vocal cords broke, and that's probably what Bakugo seemed like he'd do. Except he didn't. For once, he was quiet, face carefully blank as he bit his bottom lip till it drew blood and clenched the fabric of his inner pockets. Somehow that was even worse. Then suddenly, he spoke.

"Shit." Of course, "Shit. Fuck. Fucking SHIT. BLOODY FUCKING HELL!" The boy's hands finally left his pockets as they gripped his spiky blonde hair, his head facing the ground as his breathing got louder. "You're lying, right? You're lying. I hate him, he hates me, that's it. End of story."

"This story is a lot more complex than a single sentence, Bakugo, and I can guarantee you it's not over yet."

"WELL WHY THE HELL NOT?! IF YOU'RE NOT LYING, THAT MEANS THAT DEKU ACTUALLY- WHAT?! That he liked me?! That he honest to god wanted to be my friend?! And that would mean that this whole time, while I was kicking him in the gut and telling him to kill himself, that he just wanted to- to- SHIT! HE might have- no, he would have been the only one to want that. Even after all that shit I pulled on him he just- he can't just forget that!"

"You're right, about all of that. Through it all, he just wanted a fresh start, but that's not to say he will forget about everything you did to him. Because what you did, whether either of you would like to believe it or not, left lasting damage. And before the end of the day, I'm going to speak with him and try to work out that damage, and hopefully lighten the load." The boy's red eyes widened at the statement about his next appointment, "But still, Midoriya does not hate you. He never has, for reasons even I can't explain. But I assume it's because through your entire lives, he saw something in you that others didn't, the  real  you. The part of you who is determined, kind, analytical, and an All Might fanboy just like him. The part of you that has the  heart of a hero . And he did all of that is because he wanted to restore that part. So there you have it, that's my answer. You've made mistakes, that much is clear, but just the fact that you're sitting here right now and trying to understand it shows that you feel regret, and that's all I need to know for me to call you a hero."

The explosive-blonde choked at Hound Dog's words, it was a sorrowful and raw sound. "Heh, what's regret gonna do? It's too fucking late now. He said that whole speech yesterday, and probably realized it was stupid to keep his expectations set on me, now it's just a lost cause to keep thinking about it. So can we move on to whatever the fuck you were saying about teachers not completely hating my presence-"

"Midoriya doesn't consider anything to be a lost cause, those words simply don't exist in his vocabulary. And when have you ever known him to give up? I don't know exactly what his disadvantage was, but it seems to me like he had enough stored up will-power to climb over the obstacle. If the result of that was becoming a hero, then I doubt he'll give up on something as simple as becoming friends again. Or, if that's too major of a step for you, then maybe you can just become... classmates. Start over."

"But what if he  does  give up on it?" The hero student pressed, anxiety lacing his voice,

"Do you want to give up?" Hound Dog asked as a response

"Are you deaf, you shitty dog-human hybrid-?!"

"Good, then show him that. If he's sees even a little bit of reciprocated hopeful feelings from you, then your chances of having him continue his goal will raise. So work on doing that."

"But  how? "

"It's simple, really," Hound Dog clicked his pen once more and placed it above a new sheet of paper, "We are going to list out everything you regret from yours and Midoriya's past. After all, seeing your actions written down allows you to confront it and work on how to make up for it in the only way you can:

Saying you're sorry."

-----END OF KATSUKI BAKUGO'S SESSION-----

Time had passed by faster than Shota or his secretary realized, and before they knew it, it was thirty minutes till the end of school. Just in time for Midoriya's session. Of course, as soon as his green-haired student had noticed the time, he immediately retreated in that familiar bush of anxiety, falling back into old habits. Wringing his hands, shallow but rapid breathing, eyes darting towards every escape route he could find- which by the way included the window, and for some reason, Shota wouldn't mind if the boy did end up throwing another chair because the expression on Vlad's face would be worth the property damage.

Snapping out of his daydreaming, Shota closed the file he had just finished reading, which belonged to the one and only Kaminari. Who according to Hound Dog, who had once again been given permission by the blonde-haired student to disclose this information to the underground hero, had ADHD, numerical dyslexia, and auditory processing disorder. Shota once again cursed himself again for not realizing something was wrong when Kaminari struggled to understand topics from class or apply them during tests. But he's glad he knows this now, it'll allow him to make the necessary preparations to help his student, and hopefully, others will come forward so he can assist them, too.

"Problem child," The green-eyed boy's head snapped toward his teacher, "You ready to go?" Stupid question, he already knew the answer was no.

"Uh, well, yeah. Totally ready. I just need to...um... check through all of my notebooks before I go because I think I left a 1,000 yen bill in the middle of a couple pages and that's like my only allowance so-"

"I'm gonna take that as a no." Shota leaned back into his chair to give off what he hoped was a relaxed vibe, deeply contrasting his inner panic. He was worried about the kid, of course he was! He had a mental breakdown the other day after speaking of his quirkless experiences just once, so forgive him if he's more than a little concerned about how he's gonna react being forced to speak to a professional that's he never held a real conversation with. "In all honesty, you have nothing to worry about with Hound Dog, the guy is as trustworthy as they come. You could cuss him out for all he cares and he wouldn't even bat an eye." Midoriya made a small scandalized gasp at the prospect of cursing at a teacher, but in a few years, he bet the boy will just be dreaming of having a go at Vlad. It's what he does, anyway.

"Isn't Hound Dog known to be pretty hard on students though? I think he growled at Kirishima once during lunch."

"Well that's 'cause Kirishima stole the last of the grilled meat while Hound Dog still hadn't had a chance to eat yet. But as long as you don't steal any of his lunch, you'll be fine." He thinks so, at least. What would happen if he stole the guy's favorite pen? Would he growl at him for that too or- Ah crap, he's starting to ramble almost as much as Midoriya.

"Do you speak from experience or is this a theory you plan on using the scientific method for?" Great, the kid's got him in a box here while he was attempting to be even a little bit reassuring. He knew the whole smart-ass, analytical genius thing would come back to bite Shota in the ass one day, he just never thought it'dd be right before a therapy session.

"Both. I'm planning on nicking a couple of his office supplies and seeing his reaction after, but I was also forced to have a session with him during the second trimester of my second year." The green-haired boy's eyes widened ten-fold, "I told him to go choke on a chew toy before storming out and he didn't rip my head off, so I count that as a win. The point is, he's more understanding than you'd expect, and he's not the kind of person to pressure someone into answering a question. If you say you can't answer, he'll back off. If you say it's uncomfortable, he'll never mention it again. If you repeatedly rant at him about why cats are superior and that you'd be much more inclined to talk if you were being interviewed by one instead, he'll very kindly move you back to the original topic and do you a favor by never mentioning that again."

"Oh, well that's good I think. But if I'm hearing this right... does that mean you never actually sat through a complete session with him?" He lasted five minutes before his newly developed personality kicked in and forbid him from sharing any repressed feelings, not that he had any, and that had to count for something.

"Do as I say, not as I do."  A little too late for that, don't you think?  a voice whispers in his head, and he shuts that down as quickly as he can. Sure, he was pretty damn happy that the legacy of his chair/window damage lives on, but he'd rather die than see the day where Midorya becomes the new him. He's got nothing against the kid, he just has everything against himself. No sleep schedule, an unhealthy addiction to caffeine, probably repressed emotions and living under Nezu's watchful gaze 24/7. Sounds like a terrifying life to him, and he doesn't want to pass that down to anyone.

"Okay..." The boy mutters, and god if that doesn't just break his heart. Hardening his resolve, Shota speaks.

"And just remember: Hound Dog will never theoretically judge you more than I ever will if I'm forced to buy a piece of All Might merchandise with my own money." He got an ugly snort at that, and the erasure hero counted that as a win, no matter how much he hated giving in to Fukukado's habits.

The kid eventually stood up, albeit reluctantly and carrying his notebook like it was a lifeline and comfort object, and left Nezu's office to go see Hound Dog. It was only when the disappearing footsteps had completely stopped did Shota open up Midoriya's file.

And felt another urge to break something.

Born July 15th, 20XX, is currently 16 years old. His quirk is registered as  superpower , but it shows the previous title of 'quirkless' right under, and wow Shota's starting to wonder how he didn't realize the secret of one for all sooner. Inko Midoriya is his mother, Hisashi Midoriya is his father, and the underground hero will be thinking about that man's name for the next two days like the paranoid hero he is. Both numbers are written down, despite Inko being the only one present during hospital visits and parent-teacher meetings, so he's at least relieved to know there are no underlying abandonment issues in there. But that's not the issue he was talking about.

The section of the boy's grades is exactly how he expected it to be, straight As, but it's the teacher's personal notes on him that makes him want to rip his hair out in confusion. 'Always picking fights' you mean getting physically harassed by the students? 'Disruptive and loud in class' is this the same kid who took a month before he could confidently answer a question or raise his hand without yanking it back down in anxiety? 'doesn't take schoolwork or career counseling seriously' once again, is this the same kid who wrote a five-page essay on what was supposed to be a two-page essay on the importance of having an aesthetic in public? And that last comment was probably referring to him wanting to be a hero, which Shota can safely assume he got a lot of crap for.

Goddamnit, Aldera, he  will  burn you to ashes.

All in all, he's mainly confused as to why this record is the complete opposite of the boy everyone else at UA knows.

The blatant favoritism to Bakugo and unjustified hate towards his green-haired student is frankly sickening. Getting victim-blamed for everything that happened to him couldn't have been good for Midoriya's mental health. He just hopes Hound Dog can show him that, and be there to pick him back up when he falls

-----IZUKU MIDORIYA SESSION: ADMINISTERED BY HOUND DOG, RYO INUI-----

"Usually I'd start these sessions by asking you some beginner, disarming questions and slowly ease you into the topic I want to discuss, but something tells me you already know what you're here for. Mind telling me?" Hound Dog asked, a comforting smile on his face that Izuku didn't know whether to trust or not, he didn't even know whether he should answer or not. He knew exactly what he was here for, but no matter how trustworthy Aizawa-sensei said this guy was, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was just another scam. Another adult trying to tell him it's his fault when he tries spilling his problems. He already knows it is, he doesn't need the constant reminders.

"...I'm here because Aizawa-sensei and Shinso said I should be." He said carefully, not wanting to potentially anger the hunting hero, "I was quirkless for 14 years of my life, and apparently that's important to them. They said I needed to talk about it."

"You keep saying 'them' and 'they' as if you don't agree with their judgment. Am I right?" Well...

"I- I don't know. I know I probably do need help, as they said, I just don't understand why. It was a bad time but it's not like it killed me or anything. Aizawa-sensei keeps insisting that I wasn't over-reacting when I told him, or freaked out about it yesterday." Izuku admitted quietly,

"You freaked out yesterday?" The hunting hero asked, and wow, congratulations Izuku because you have just ruined the rest of the session.

"Yes." The green-haired boy gritted out, "It was a slip-up. I was just overwhelmed after the speech, but that's it."

"I agree you might have been overwhelmed, but if anything that's exactly what you needed. It brought you here, didn't it?" Izuku nodded, unsure of where he was going with this, "And here, I am going to do my absolute best to help you understand everything you find confusing about your situation. So, to start off, let's start with the facts. You were quirkless until your first year of UA."

"Yes."

"How did the people around you react to your quirk status?" Hound Dog asked, clicking his pen and scribbling something down on his clipboard before underlining it. What had the guy already deemed important enough to make a note about? But questions aside, the one for all user answered.

"There were mostly just two reactions. Either they pitied me and saw me as something fragile that needed to be protected and isolated to stay safe, or they just... hated me." Both sucked if he's being honest, but somehow the first one hurt more, "Most of the people who did the latter thought my quirklessness was some sort of ugly disease, they thought if I even breathed in their area they would contract it. But other people were a little more, erm, harsh about it?"

"Can you elaborate on that?" Well damn.

"Others weren't afraid to get close to me, but not in a friendly sort of way. I think they found it amusing to mess with me and make my everyday life just overall- I don't know, inconvenient. They'd try and trip me in the halls, make me drop my stuff so I'd be late to class. They'd write some questionable things on my desk every day with a permanent marker, and since Makoto-sensei wouldn't let me leave without cleaning it off, I was always pretty late to get home too. They'd put tacks in my shoes, slam me into the lockers, rip up my notebooks," That one hurt, not gonna lie, "all that jazz."

"Which people reacted in which way?" Hound Dog asked curiously,

"For the first way, it was mainly adults. The doctor told me he was sorry, my elementary teachers told me they were sorry, my  mother  told me she was sorry," He loved his mother, he really did, but those words won't stop ringing in his head. Izuku noted how Hound Dog wrote something down. "even All Might told me he was sorry. For the other way, it was people my own age. Tsubasa, Rikki, Aiura... they went from being my closest friends to the people who whispered behind my back. Kaachan too but he was less of a whisperer and more of a- uh, well he took a more physical approach. It wasn't always like that, though."

"When you say it wasn't always that way, do you mean they'd occasionally  stop  whispering about you?" There was judgment in Hound Dog's voice, but something told Izuku it wasn't aimed at him, and rather at his former classmates. And that was... a new experience.

"Yeah. They'd eventually get tired of me ignoring them so they'd just say it to my face." Izuku slightly regrets getting his guidance counselor's hopes up about his past.

"I see, and I hope you know it wasn't alright to do that. They should have been punished for their actions, and were they?" Izuku shook his head, and the hunting hero furrowed his eyebrows, "...Did you ever report them? I would understand if you didn't, but I'd still like to know."

"When it first started happening, I tried to tell my teachers about it. I didn't want to be one of those snitches that got others in trouble, especially since I was their whole motive for doing what they did in the first place, but I guess I was really bothered that day. So I told my homeroom teacher about everything that had been happening lately and she said..." Izuku heart started to beat loud in his ears, "She said I shouldn't have egged them on. And I- she might have been right. So after that, I just... stopped asking altogether."

"You think you egged them on?" Hound Dog emphasized the 'think', and Izuku didn't know how to feel about that.

"I probably did. When you're quirkless... you have a different set of rules to follow." The green-haired boy looks up, but the hunting hero still didn't seem to understand, so he continued. "You can't speak too loud or make big actions, because it's just drawing more attention to yourself, and that makes it seem like you're an attention seeker despite your low status. If you hunch in on yourself, it's obvious that you  don't  want to be noticed, and that makes them want to pester you so you know you can't get away from them. You can't speak about your interests or hobbies, it gives them ideas of what to insult you about, and they won't stop insulting until you never bring it up. You don't complain about  anything , or else they'll show you how much worse it could be for someone like you and tell you to be grateful. And most importantly, you don't try to be anything else than what they think of you. If they call you stupid, don't get good grades, if they call you weak, don't walk faster than them, and if they call you a social pariah..." Izuku took a deep breath, trying to calm the blood roaring in his ears. Why was it roaring in the first place? "Don't try to be anything but alone."

"I'm guessing you didn't follow your own rules?" The counselor asked solemnly, and the hero student shook his head.

"I muttered a lot, I hunched and stuttered, I never stopped bringing my hero analysis notebooks, I never became what they wanted me to be, and... I never stopped trying to be their friends. Now that I think about it, it was a pretty stupid move, huh, thinking any of them would ever like me back?" Hound Dog twitched made a deep frown at those words, but it seemed like there were multiple reasons for his sadness, ones Izuku himself didn't even know about. "So yeah, I egged them on. It's my own fault, really, and I can't blame them for reacting the way they did to my diagnosis."

"I'm going to say the same thing to you that I did to one of your classmates: I'm here to listen to you, and I'm glad we are already making a significant dive into your past, but I won't sit back as you continue to live with this self-deprecating view of yourself." Wha- self-deprecating? It's just the truth, isn't it? "By not following those rules, you weren't encouraging them, you were being a human being. In a way, you were standing up for yourself. You shouldn't have to turn off your personality, everything that makes you  you , around others just because some of them don't appreciate it. So no, it was not your fau-"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Izuku yelled, his voice cracking at the end from just how raw it sounded. His vision was getting blurry but he would not cry, he won't let this stranger see that. "It wasn't just some people, it was  everyone . No one liked my personality, no one liked  me . Not the teachers, not my classmates, not mom, not All Might, not KAACHAN. I was alone and I was being stupid by standing up for myself, I should have just shut up!"

"You shouldn't have, and I'm glad you didn't. If it weren't for that determination, you wouldn't be half the hero you are today. Trying to limit yourself is what's holding you back from growing. And clearly, you have people that like you at UA-"

"Do I?" Izuku asked quietly, but repeated it much louder the second time, "Do I?! Iida yelled at me the first day we met, Uraraka always gets creeped out by my notebook, Todoroki hated me during the beginning of the school year, and with all the bones I used to break whenever I used my quirk, I'm sure Recovery Girl and Aizawa-sensei hated me too! I got a quirk, I made it to UA, I'm going to be a hero, and  I'm still alone . This personality of mine is what's holding me back, and it's a burden to everyone around me."

"Midoriya, listen very closely,  you are not a burden.  You weren't back then, you aren't one now, and you will never be. Iida was only hard on you that first day because he's merciless when it comes to rules, you inspire Uraraka to try her best in hero training, you helped Todoroki use his left side, Recovery Girl just cared about you and she's obviously very proud that you don't injure yourself anymore, and Aizawa? Are you kidding me? He took you on as his secretary this week because he sees potential in you and your analysis skills, in your  personality."  Izuku choked out a sob but bit his lip before any more could come out,   "You have to start accepting that things are different now, that you aren't alone anymore, and that UA isn't like your previous schools. You also have to stop blaming yourself for others' actions."

"But it  is  my-"

"It's not." Hound Dog said firmly, but no trace of malice in his voice, "Your classmates were cruel to you out of their own volition, your teachers turned a blind eye to that treatment even though they should have done their jobs right as adults, and none of that is on you. After years of them telling you it was, I can see why you may think that, but it's not and I know that deep down you agree. I also know that you hated the way things were back then, given how passionate your speech was yesterday," Izuku's eyes widened,  he knew it was about me?  "but because everyone kept telling you it was your fault, you felt like you couldn't be angry. You thought you could feel the way they wanted you to feel, defeated, and when you didn't, you felt ashamed and guilty. And now... I think I know why your teacher said you needed help."

"...Why?"

"After your speech and 'freakout', Aizawa must have realized that it was the only time you let your true feelings on the matter show. All those emotions you shoved under layers of enthusiasm and smiles were finally starting to seep out, but the very next day it stopped. And that's not a good thing. Your teacher knew that the only way for you to make any true progress, not for hero work but just for your personal life, was to let them out again. Because if you didn't do it now, then they're going to build up, and in a few years the carefully crafted jar you made for yourself is going to crack in the most devastating way possible. None of us want that to happen, so he sent you to me. Sent you to get the help you need and  deserve ."

'Deserve' that's a funny word. Izuku lived his whole life being told he deserved nothing except his corpse splattering on the concrete next to a high building. And now, after just a ten-minute session with Hound Dog, he's being told he deserves help. It really is strange how life works out sometimes.

"So...what? I-I'm just supposed to be angry and sad all the time? Should I scream at anyone who comes near me and start crying every five minutes?"

"I might get fired for saying this, but yes." Hound Dog said honestly, "Obviously you shouldn't start lashing out at people for no reason, but you could try confronting your feelings about them, and start being honest. And those emotions aren't just limited to anger and sadness, you know. Sometimes it's just... confusion. But hey, screaming is a good tactic for some people, helps their soul feel lighter. So if that's what you want to do: Go to a gym and bring your computer, start playing The Notebook and punch the hell out of UA's equipment, then scream and cry till you feel better." That sounded really nice, actually. Maybe he can get Mina's advice on other sad romcoms to watch, too.

"When I went to therapy I expected some homework, but I didn't know it would be to immerse myself in pre-quirk pop culture and vent." The forest-eyed boy chuckled.

"Well, I am a professional, after all. Now, to make sure you understood everything I told you today, repeat after me: You are not alone." Oh my god, this is embarrassing-

"Uh... I-I am not a-alone?" Izuku stammered, focusing on the floor below him as eyes got slightly dizzy

"Good. You will no longer repress your emotions."

"I will no longer repress my emotions." The bushy-haired student said a little firmer, opening his mouth to get more air when his nose began to clog up.

"Doing great. You did not deserve what happened to you."

"I did not deserve what happened to me." He felt wet, hot tears springing out of his eyes and rolling down his cheeks, and he blinked hard to let them splash against the carpet.

"And finally,  it wasn't your fault ."

Izuku lurched forward, choking on his own sobs and trying to ignore the little hiccups that came with it. He considered bringing up a hand to cover his mouth, asking for a tissue to wipe his eyes, or making what was probably the smartest decision of running out before he could humiliate himself further- but he did none of it. Instead, he sat there on the plush, grey couch in front of Hound Dog, and cried his eyes out without bothering to cover it up. You know why? Because he has the right to feel sad. He's 16, he's faced more things than he ever should have at this age, and no one is allowed to tell him what he can and can't feel. Finally, Izuku smiled, feeling lighter than he ever had, and spoke.

"It wasn't my fault."

-----END OF IZUKU MIDORIYA'S SESSION-----

Shota leaned against his car, trying and failing to get in the shade under the trees as he watched his students filter their way out of the front doors of UA. Some of them were struggling just as much as him when it came to being under the sun, some were stalling going home by huddling up in groups and idly chatting away, and the last three looked like they had won the lottery and had their entire family murdered in the same day and didn't know which facial expression to choose. The underground hero hoped it was an analogy other people would use, and not just something his demented mind came up with.

But the disturbing train of thoughts aside, Shota felt oddly... satisfied. Happy, even. And while that emotion was especially rare for someone like him, he didn't mind the warm presence it had in the pit of his stomach. He sure as hell had a reason for it today, too. Originally he had been worried about these counseling sessions, worried that the students would start rioting about how it was absurd to force them to attend a session and speak about their 'feelings' (Yes, he put quotation marks around that word because he knows for a fact that all of his students would say it in a whiny, sarcastic voice before proceeding to make random meme references at him!) He knew it was necessary for students like them in the hero course, but still.

And then, like always, they had proved him wrong.

His students took it like champs for the whole day, and he knew that wasn't easy. Hizashi had told him that all of them had been escorted to Hound Dog's office with anxious expressions on their faces; wringing their hands, dragging their feet, attempting to negotiate with the blonde cockatoo into letting them skip, trying to take their clothes off in the middle of the hallway so they could be completely invisible and make an escape, etc. But by the time their session was over and they got back to class, looked more content than they ever had in the past two years.

With permission from all the students, Hound Dog had given him the information he needed for some of the students. Asui would be attending sessions once a week from now on, as her experiences at the USJ last year still hadn't completely healed- he can't blame her, his didn't either. Uraraka was dealing with financial problems at home and occasionally couldn't afford to eat all three meals, and there was no way Shota was letting his students go hungry while they're training to be heroes. So he made a couple calls to UA's financial department and managed to set up a fund for students who needed some money for school uniforms, lunch, and any other basic necessities their parents' salaries couldn't manage on their own.

Kaminari, as he said earlier, had ADHD, numerical dyslexia, and auditory processing disorder, so Shota decided to talk with the teachers sometime this weekend and organize additional tutoring or a specialized education program for him as well as any other students that have the same issues. Koda is selectively mute, and Shota can't even say how grateful he is that the hero students were supposed to be learning JSL this semester anyway for when they have to work with deaf or mute civilians or coworkers, or else he'd be doing a lot more self-loathing tonight. Tokoyami needed a night in his room as well as bi-weekly sessions. Mineta was kicked out and- Shit, sorry, the erasure hero just can't stop smiling at that today. And judging from the other female students in this school, he wasn't alone with that. Grape bitch was one of the only students who  didn't  come out looking happy from his class, and Shota wouldn't have it any other way.

There were, however, three students that also didn't come out smiling, and they just so happened to be the same three involved in his demented analogy from earlier.

Todoroki didn't exactly look happy when he came out, but he did seem less tense than usual. Hound Dog had said he'd be attending weekly sessions from now on, and that although he wasn't 100% sure about a confidential theory he had, Shota should look into Endeavor. And Jesus Christ, if that didn't make his heart fucking plummet. But Todoroki wasn't the only one who would be visiting Hound Dog that often, no, Bakugo Katsuki himself shared the honor with weekly anger management sessions.

The explosive blonde came back as he normally did, slouching with his hands in his pockets and a perpetual scowl etched across his features. He still yelled at people, he still made a small explosion in their faces when they pestered him, and he still called them by those ridiculous yet understandable nicknames- but something was different. He definitely wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, that much was true, but he did seem a bit more... how should he say this, controlled? As the tired man said, he still yelled, cussed, and exploded at people, but he always spared a second of hesitation before doing so. He'd get this calm expression on his face, as if he was thinking over something, nod a bit to himself, and proceed with the explosion. And as if that wasn't a jarring enough sight to witness, the boy kept taking stealing glances at the problem child when he thought no one else was looking. All in all, Shota thinks he should be terrified of what's to come, but he's also incredibly proud of whatever development the boy had made for himself.

And last, but certainly not least, we have Izuku Midoriya with weekly sessions as well. The boy waltzed back into Nezu's office with a scowl that somehow seemed to fit perfectly on his face and the trademark petrifying glare that sent Vlad sprinting in the other direction. At first, Shota had a small panic attack at the idea that this mandatory counseling session actually made things so much worse for the boy, and that he might have permanently ruined him, but upon closer inspection, he realized he was wrong. His student, who had the rage of a thousand suns backing him up, was  radiating  pure joy. It was terrifying, but whatever Hound Dog said to him must have been pretty good to spark  that  kind of reaction.

However, Shota doesn't have an explanation for the kid, no matter how goddamn proud he is of something he doesn't even know the full extent of. Because while he's good at making psychological breakdowns of almost everyone he has ever come across... he's not a fucking  god  at them like-

"Aizawa-sensei!" Jesus Christ! The gruff man suppressed a flinch at the sudden noise and looked over to his right, seeing the bright-eyed boy himself, who temporarily shut off the scowl for this conversation.

"Problem child. Hello." He said dully, but his ki- student, his  student  didn't even bat an eye. "How was Hound Dog?"

"He was AWESOME!" Oh, thank god, "He didn't force me to answer questions, he wasn't mean or judgemental about anything," Yeah, he better not have been. Shota likes the guy but he'd pummel him into the ground without hesitation if he wronged one of his students, "and he gave me great advice."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" The underground hero asked with a fond smirk, amused at the vibrating boy's antics. Not only was he genuinely curious to know, but the boy would have spontaneously combusted if he didn't get to share.

"He told me I should be angry!" Wow, that's blunter than he had expected, good job. "And- well, actually, he said it in a better way than that, I think, but that's basically the gist of it. He said that the smartest thing I could do was stop repressing emotions. He gave a couple ways to do that, and most I could probably do anytime I wanted, but one required me to get specific items in a specific place..."

Shota listened as the boy talked on and on about his thirty-minute session; Relaying exactly what Hound Dog said to him, occasionally lowering his voice to mimic the tone that was scarily accurate, describing how anger and sadness weren't the only emotions he was told to experience more often, and asking him if he could get a five-hour gym pass next week as well as bring popcorn with him. He didn't exactly understand  why  he needed those last items, but he decided it would be a wise decision not to question it.

"Sure. Just don't litter." And Shota received an enthusiastic nod in return.

Finally, when the boy had come to the end of his speech and was about to run off to Shinso by the gates, he paused.

"Ummm, Aizawa-sensei?" He asked quietly, shifting his feet and staring at his hands, "I just wanted to say, erm, thanks? I know it's technically your job to send students to the guidance counselor if they're shown to be needing it, but it's just that the teachers in my last school didn't ever do things like that. Especially since I was quirkless. But you already knew about my quirklessness, and you still did it, for the rest of the class, too. So that- that was- um, it was really-" Shota patted the kids head a couple times, effectively silencing him and getting a surprised look in the process.

Yeah, kid, you're not the only one who's shocked! Since when did he start patting peoples' heads?! But instead of saying that out loud, he decided to be a responsible adult for once.

"Anytime, problem child." The underground hero chose to ignore the way the kid's eyes became slightly watery, "Now get going, I'm sure if you make him wait any longer Shinso will abandon you for a cat." His kid- God, whatever- his kid gave a dramatic thumbs up and a mega-watt smile in his direction before running off to the lavender-haired boy. Yeah, the kid may be trying to expand his horizons emotionally wise, but he was a happy-go-lucky onion at heart. A loud voice cut Shota out of his thoughts.

"SHOTAAAAAAAAA!" Ah, there he is. Hizashi sprinted over to where he was standing before draping himself over the hood of the car, "You had a car this whole time and you didn't tell me?!"

"Of course I have a car, jumping over buildings every time I want to go somewhere gets tiring sometimes." Especially when he's running on thirty minutes of sleep. "I just don't use it as often because I hate the concept of parallel parking." And he DOES.

"So... why'd you bring it today?" His friend asked curiously, eyebrows knitting together. The tired man gave him a look.

"You have to carpool with me at some time, right?" A second passes. Then two. Then suddenly Shota is regretting all of his life's decisions as a dopey grin overtakes his blonde-headed friend's face. "Stop. Stop it. Stop making that face, you knock-off banana!"

"What face?" The jerk was smiling even wider now, practically had stars in his eyes. The erasure hero wanted to be mad, he really did, but for some unknown reason, his glares weren't containing their usual spite with him today. Must be the goddamn sunlight draining his lifeforce away. He sighed,

"I- god, nevermind. Just get in the car before I run you over." Hizashi cackled like a witch but quickly rounded to the passenger seat because they both knew Shota was tired enough to commit manslaughter at any given moment. Still, though, he'd be lying if he said his friend's laughter wasn't contagious, and the underground hero eventually found himself suppressing a few snorts of his own.

Yeah, being happy is an unfamiliar feeling to him, but maybe Midoriya was right about repressing emotions, and he'll be damned if he doesn't enjoy the warm tingly feeling while it lasts.

"Oh, by the way," Hizashi said after buckling in his seatbelt, "How could you feel about fostering a 16-year-old boy?"

Chapter Text

It was a rare occurrence for Shota to have nothing to do.

His life was a never-ending cycle of teaching, patrols, dragging Midnight out of clubs when she was too drunk to realize she was still wearing her hero costume, dragging  himself  out of clubs when Midnight tried to score both of them a job interview, and so on. And through it all, he dealt with it by consuming copious amounts of black coffee, silently cursing out Vlad's existence, and logical ruses. He also dealt with it by carrying the small idea with him that every second he spent teaching was one less hero trainee that would die in the field, not that he would ever say it out loud, or even to himself.

But here he is, a cup of coffee on one side of him and one of the only people that could carry out logical ruses on the other, and he had nothing to use them to get through. No paperwork, no assignments, no nothing. He was actually free for once, and he had no idea what to do about it. Should he just be grateful and sleep for the rest of the day? Should he spend the next six hours trying to give Vlad a heart attack? Who knows, certainly not Shota.

But in all honesty, he should have seen this coming. It was like the perfect storm if you considered free time a storm. After counseling sessions last week, most of the kids here were pretty at ease, and they already had the whole weekend to think things over. Vlad was covering for all of his graded assignments. His patrol hours were cut down due to his new employment position. And most of the issues he and Midoriya wrote down had either been solved along the way or are unable to be done at the current moment. Like his extremely elaborate revenge on multiple people. So yeah, that's what brings him to now. Bored as hell and apparently wishing he had something to do.

God, what is  wrong  with him?

Probably a lot of things, but he'll save the crisis for later. Right now, he wants to forget his nonexistent sleep schedule and be busy again. Looking away from his mug of coffee, he spun in his chair to face the kid. The same kid who immediately looked up from his notebook, that now had an All Might sticker on it, as if he sensed his teacher's thoughts like a dog senses a tsunami.

"Problem child." The underground hero began. "Status report on anything you can think of at this school." Most would find that question horribly general and overwhelming, but this is Midoriya we're talking about. Overwhelming isn't a word that fits in his vocabulary.

"Right!" The green-haired boy flipped to a page in his notebook, and Shota had long since learned not to question why the kid already had the exact information needed at the ready, "Snipe-sensei and Midnight sensei appear to have gone on an actual date last Friday." Shota feels like a matchmaker, "Mic-sensei keeps throwing overly enthusiastic thumbs up at Shinsou, who doesn't seem to know why," Yes, Hizashi has been a sort of enigma lately. The blonde man asked him a question about fostering a teenager, then immediately backtracked, not bringing it up since. It was weird, to say the least. "Kaachan keeps looking at me when he thinks I won't notice, and he's obviously failing, but the point is that I also don't know why and I'm starting to think I should stare back to see how he reacts. Mineta's parents tried to file a lawsuit but All Might just smiled at them and they backed off. Shinsou invited me to get coffee after school, so that's awesome,"

" Huh? "

"I just don't know why he asked me while hanging upside down from the ceiling vent." Midoriya pressed his pencil to his chin in thought, Shota's question falling on deaf ears, "I don't want to take away his new strategic mode of transportation, but I find it concerning how he was able to access them so easily."

"I would sum it up to the stealth training he started doing ever since he learned he would be transferring to the hero course next semester, but I don't recall teaching him how to break open ventilation systems." The erasure hero paused, and then very quietly muttered "But if he's leaving any traces of evidence behind, maybe I should..." The green-eyed boy continued with his report as if his teacher's comment wasn't shocking in the slightest. And Shota guessed it wouldn't be to anyone who's been in his presence for longer than ten minutes. Hell, even Hawks didn't flinch the last time he mentioned throttling the hero commission. If he didn't know any better, he'd say the red-winged man might have even agreed if the nod was anything to go by...

But anyway.

"Because if that vent was easy enough to break into, from inside or outside, who even knows how many others are exactly the same. This might even apply to outside training grounds, the basement, or one of the many gates. So at some point there should really be another routine check from the mechanics of UA." Midoriya finished. Yeah, why hasn't there been one, actually? Shota would have assumed that after last year's security breach, this school would have upped the ante by now. The underground hero straightened up from his previously slouched position, furrowing his eyebrows at the sudden realization as he burned holes into his computer screen. You know, maybe this was the reason his eyes burned so much.

"I have a feeling you keep random records of UA's history in your notebook, so," Shota started, and the kid nodded, to absolutely no one's surprise, "When was the last time anyone checked on security detail besides just the heroes inside of the school." He asked, but the tired man had a feeling that he already knew the answer. An answer he wasn't going to enjoy.

"Uhhhhh," Forest-green eyes scanned the contents of a page until suddenly all movement ceased, "June of last year... It's January."

Yeah, he most definitely didn't enjoy that answer.

"Well, that's concerning." And it was, way more than he expected it to be. Quickly, Shota pulled up the blueprints of UA on Nezu's computer, once again wincing as the bright blue light stung into his eyes. "Nezu's security cameras cover quite a lot of space in UA, all the entrances and exits, the classrooms and hallways, even the smallest corner of a training ground. Unfortunately, there will always be blind spots that we can't reach, but that's normal." The underground hero squinted at his screen, "What isn't normal is that those blind spots just happen to be right next to some basement cellar doors, windows, pillars by the front gates, vents- Honestly, good for Shinsou- and  security keypads ." Why the hell are there no cameras there? What, there's one by the coffee machine because Nezu doesn't trust that Shota won't steal their entire supply- He would, but that's not important right now- but all of that distrust completely disappears when it comes to guarding doors?

"If that's just the physical blindspots..." His student mumbled, "Then what about the online ones? When was the last time UA had an IT guy take a look at their servers?"

He doesn't even want to know.

"Well, it looks like we know what we're doing today." Did they, though? The only thought Shota could process in his brain right now was: 'Security bad. Fix security. No limits. Just fix it.' And if that wasn't confusing enough, why does his inner voice talk like a depressed cookie monster? "Mechanics and tech guys won't be able to come on such short notice, even for a hero school, and I'd like to get it done today before Nezu can question my tactics."

"So we have to- wait, huh? We'll be doing their jobs?" Shota couldn't provide an answer to the boy when he himself wasn't even sure.

"Eh, yes and no." Mostly no, "I'm sure they have a far more professional way about going about these types of things. And since neither of us got a degree in whatever the hell this is, I doubt we'll be able to replicate that. But we do have to get an idea of how good the defense mechanisms in this school are either way, and if we can't fix all the problems we may find..."

"...The goal is to find as many problems in this school as possible and hand the list over to the actual mechanics later on when they actually have the time and resources to take care of it. That way, it saves everyone some time and gives us something to take care of." Midoriya breathed out, processing the plan as Shota nodded in confirmation, "Yeah, you're right, this doesn't sound professional at all. And there's a good chance this is going to backfire horribly. However, there's a greater chance of this being effective. Just one question, though, how do we know which areas to check? UA is quite a big place."

"The areas I listed earlier that have no security cameras near them should be the main spots to test out, but I'd suggest also giving an evaluation to the visible areas. There's nothing sneakier than villains going in through plain sight." There's nothing more embarrassing, too, "Main things to check off would be online firewalls, durability, and any of the defense mechanisms Nezu might have implemented without our knowledge. The lack of security is alarming but we can't forget that Nezu is one of the smartest living beings alive, it'd be stupid to underestimate him." It'd be deadly too, as Shota had learned during his first year at UA when his classmate got called to the rat's office and came back looking like a soldier with PTSD.

"Ah, but what about the way we're actually going to test all of those requirements?" The green-haired kid asked, the curiosity in his eyes quickly morphing into anxiety as he saw his teacher's stoic face melt in that familiar sadistic grin. No one could blame him. And Shota wanted to feel bad, he really did, but this was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. He'd been repressing his pettiness and spite against this school for way too long, and this gives him the perfect way to let it all out in the most spectacular way possible. Plus, it's a good learning experience for the kid. ...Or at least, that's what he's going to tell himself and everyone else when they question the excessive amounts of cackling and property damage.

"Nothing a few highly destructive quirks, support items, and hacking skills can't solve." A quiet rumbling sound came from his throat as barely noticeable evil laughs sprouted out. But his villain origin story was shut down just as quickly when his bright-eyed secretary spoke up, a pitying expression on his face as he twirled the mechanical pencil around his fingers.

"I'm completely on board," As expected, "and I think Mei will be too," Also expected, "But I think it's that exact fact which will have Power Loader-sensei vandalizing every piece of property you own. Maybe even Cementoss, too."

"No, you're absolutely right, I will have to expect multiple assassination attempts after today." Keyword being 'attempts'. No offense, but Power Loader's costume wasn't built for stealth, he doubts the man will be able to escape his notice long enough to leave a scratch on him, let alone slit his throat, "But it's a 'risk' I'm going to have to take. Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all."

"Hmm, so should I give him a small heads up or just let him watch it all go down with no condolences?" Shota raised his eyebrows, he definitely underestimated the changes that went down during his short time as principal. For starters, the underground hero thinks he actually laughed, and that's jarring enough in itself. As for Midoriya, he's a lot more sadistic than how he was last Monday. Not that the tired man is complaining though, a kid with a mind as analytical as that paired with a mercilessly brutal personality opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

Granted, most of those possibilities were not exactly what Japan would call... uh- All Might level plus ultra? Actually, it might be considered a Nezu level national security threat. But whatever, for once in Shota's pitiful life he should focus on the positives.

"No condolences. It's more fun that way. And besides," Brilliant scarlet sparks crackled to life in the edges of his irises,

"That'll show Majima not to mess with my fucking sleeping bag."

The chill breeze swept around the earth, haphazardly ruffling Izuku's green hair as he clutched the small computer in his hands. Aizawa-sensei was by his side at the foot of UA's towering front gates, only way less anxious about the whole situation. Izuku had hoped he would have left behind this kind of paranoia when he got this position as a secretary, but he guesses some things never change. It's not like anyone can blame him, though, their new course of action was pretty crazy today, even for them. And boy, that's a high bar.

The one for all user liked to consider himself a good student. He never missed his assignments, he didn't interrupt teachers during class, and the way he wore his uniform wasn't as bad as it could have been, at least if you ignore the tie. So from an outside perspective, the staff would have no reason to have a vendetta against him. However, if they see him causing thousands of dollars worth of property damage on the number 1 hero school, that would most definitely change. He's positive- let it be known that that term is being used very lightly- that he wouldn't get expelled, but then again, Murphy's law seems to play a defining role in his life.

Aizawa-sensei also has a very low chance of getting fired for this stunt, given all that he's done for this school and his years of experience, but even if he did, Izuku doesn't think that would be much of a problem. Sure, everyone would miss him. His teachers would cry, his class would cry, Izuku would probably drown everyone in his self-made river, but the underground hero himself would probably be celebrating. Think about it: More sleep, no more problem children to take care of, no more scary mouse bosses watching his every move, and no more Vlad King.

And although the forest-eyed boy is glad that this is purely hypothetical, the man being happy about a termination would be the most logical conclusion.

...Oh my god. Since when did he start saying logical?!

"Hello, hell students, Shinsou, Problem Child, I'm sure you're wondering why you're all here today. And I can tell you with 100% certainty, that it's none of your business,"  Of course . "I hope that was a good enough motivation to put your all in today's special... project. But if not, I'll let the person who does their job the best today adopt Vlad King's dog." Izuku would laugh, but him laughing would make others think his teacher was just being snarky, which he most definitely wasn't. And the others seemed to have realized it too, as they immediately perked up at the concept of getting a fluffy new friend, completely ignoring the fact that it would be a stolen animal. It's fine, though, Izuku and Aizawa-sensei chose to ignore a lot of pain and suffering when it came to Vlad-sensei.

The green-haired boy's ears managed to pick up the faint sound of snapping fingers, and as if it was reflex, immediately whipped out his notebook and flipped to the page he'd written for today. When did Aizawa-sensei start snapping? When had Izuku taken that as a sign to start rambling? He doesn't remember, but he's sure as hell not going to stop now. Besides, he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy getting the chance to fully explain his thoughts to others more.

Most people completely ignored him when he started muttering, but ever since last week, people had started to listen to what he had to say. And that hadn't even changed after Midoriya told the man he used to be quirkless! Maybe it was because it was related to their jobs, or because Aizawa-sensei intimidated them enough to keep them from tuning out, but Izuku didn't care. It was a new experience and something he wouldn't take for granted, especially on the last full day of secretary-ing he had. After this, he'd never get another chance. The elaborate but thought-out plans, the speeches, the slight emotional manipulation, the planning of Vlad-sensei's downfall that Izuku still didn't fully understand, and last but never least, the snapping.

All of it would end, and it'd never happen again.

Izuku blinked hard, plastering a slightly strained smile on his face before reading out the explanation for today's plan. He chose to ignore the burning sensation of someone's eyes on him.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to the annual security check!" He did jazz hands once again, getting absolutely nothing in response except for more scared glances. Oh no, is this how Present Mic-sensei feels during the entrance exam?! Izuku really should have said 'YEAH!' with him. "Today we'll be testing out some of UA's defense mechanisms and make sure everything is up to date, logging down what's A-okay and what needs improvements. There's going to be three stages in this process, none of which have a catchy acronym so please don't attack me for that: Online breach, stealth mode, and physical destruction. Don't worry about the last one, though, it'll be close to harmless."

Izuku flipped the page and continued, ignoring Kaachan's disbelieving look at his last comment, and broke all the students into groups of three. And my god, he suddenly understands why Aizawa-sensei hates being a teacher. There were no major problems involved when he invited Mei to his own personal group because despite the differences in their personalities they both have one thing in common: The raging insanity that comes with analyzing heroes' support items. But because he made the decision to help out Momo earlier- a stupid idea, really- and shoo Mei away from what she calls potential investors, he has now put himself in the danger of being her number 1 client. And don't get him wrong, he knows his pink-haired friend has the potential to be one of the greatest in her line of work, but that doesn't mean he wants to get blown to pieces before he graduates.

Although, according to All Might, there was a chance he could have blown himself up before he even got here. And yeah, he's gonna think about that for the rest of his life.

The stealth mode group wasn't  too  bad, by Izuku's standards, but the moment he called on Shinsou, Setsuna, Kuroiro, Shoji, and Jiro, the Black Parade just started playing. Why did Shinsou have it ready to go on his phone? Why did Aizawa-sensei nod his head in respect?! He didn't know. But that didn't stop the green-haired boy from giving a few comforting pats to Tokoyami's back when he shed a single tear. The same couldn't be said for Hagakure, though, as judging by the sleeves of her blazer she tried to make JSL distress signs at Oijrio before realizing no one would see it because of her invisibility. It was a sad sight.

The physical destruction group on the other hand was- well, destructive. Kaminari gave finger guns and nodded his head, Bakugo tried to blow up said head- but with a split second of hesitation? Is Izuku hallucinating or has the world turned upside down?- and Kirishima... Kirishima is too good for this world, having jumped right into the trajectory of the explosion as he shielded the electric blonde with tears in his eyes. It was admirable, but once again sad, as Kaminari had already run off the moment he saw Kaachan's hand moving in his direction. A wise choice, really. Then finally, after recruiting Kendo, Uraraka, Momo, Ojiro, and Monoma, he shut his notebook with a  slap!

"Well, now that that's done," The green-haired boy's eyes glowed with barely concealed excitement, missing the way his teacher smirked and his classmate's shivered at the sudden change in atmosphere, "let's get this show on the road!"

Nezu was... weird. That much Shota was sure of.

Before he'd even gotten to UA, he had heard horror stories about the rat. He was well aware of the creature's blatant contempt for humans, his habit of psychologically tormenting his students, and the awfully messy way he'd drink his tea. But still, not a single one of those legends could have prepared him for the moment when he finally met the pesky chimera after being called into his office on the first day of his hero course transfer.

He wasn't surprised at being called in, really, it was more or less expected. Because why would he be? After all, that's how it had been for every other school he'd attended. They'd ring him in, give some poorly disguised threats about what would happen if he even got a single detention at this school, and kick him right back out as if it had never happened at all. It wasn't like he had done anything to warrant that kind of warning, but he guesses his quirk was enough reasoning for them. So yeah, it wasn't surprising to meet with the principal on the first day.

What  was  surprising, however, was when the sadistic rodent poured him a cup of earl gray tea, slid a plate of lavender shortbread cookies over to him, and asked but more or less demanded that he become his personal student and attend meetings every Tuesday and Thursday. It was, as he'd said, weird. The black-haired man's not gonna lie, the number one thought on his mind at that moment was deciding if Nezu had quick enough reflexes to dodge a cup of scalding hot liquid and if Shota could sprint out the front doors fast enough to escape without being hunted by the hero teachers. But in the end, he was smart enough to realize that no one could escape whatever fate the S-level threat had planned for them and that it was better to be wary and comply than recklessly run for his life.

And, oddly enough, that was the topic of their first lesson.

Nezu taught him everything he knows, bar the physical aspects of being a hero. From picking and choosing his battles, to observing the smallest movements of the people around him, to intimidation techniques, and all the way to hacking into the police database; You see it in a spy movie, and chances are Nezu most likely gave him a thirty minute rambled lecture on it. Now you may be wondering: Shota, why in the everloving fuck would he teach you all of that? Truth is, he doesn't know. Or at least, he didn't.

He remembers how about halfway through his third year at UA, he had finally gathered up enough courage to ask Nezu why he'd been picked out of the blue like that, and why he had to participate in some not-even-extra-credit classes twice a week. Not that he was complaining. And from a completely logical standpoint, you would probably expect Nezu to give an hour-long answer to the question that may or may not but definitely may tie back to your great-great-grandfather, except that's not what happened. No, he didn't get a detailed explanation for the reasoning behind all those lessons, he didn't even get an evil cackle. You know what he got?

He got a shrug.

The smartest living thing in probably the entirety of Japan had just passed up the opportunity to give a TED talk and  shrugged . The beady-eyed rodent spouted some spiritual shit about how once in a blue moon, he comes across a student he just feels has 'potential'. Potential for what exactly? He doesn't know. But maybe that's where Shota got the whole shtick from. He'd asked again for clarification but all he'd gotten in return was that he'd only understand once he saw it with his own eyes. And once he did, he had to make sure he'd do what Nezu did for him.

He would later freak out about how Nezu knew he'd become a teacher.

But for the next fifteen years, he would occasionally think back to that moment and wonder if Nezu had the rat equivalent of a rebellious teenager phase and smoked weed during that conversation. Because what the actual hell was he on to say all that? Potential to steal case files and not get caught? Potential to traumatize twenty kids just by smiling? Contorting a hole in his face seems like a more accurate term, really, but still. He didn't understand Nezu's motivation for taking him on as a personal student.

Didn't.

It's past tense because right now, standing behind Midoriya in a way that resembles a storm cloud casting a foreboding shadow over a verdant valley, he realizes that it's  this .  This  is what Nezu had meant when he claimed Shota had potential. He didn't go into detail because he  couldn't  go into detail. Looking at the calculatingly-eyed kid right now he can't seem to get an accurate reading, it's like any of his future actions were some kind of breathtaking, unpredictable wild card. No one knew what was going to happen once it was drawn, but then knew it would make a powerful impact nonetheless. It was an open door of possibilities. And the underground hero is going to do what his old principal did for him, and nurture that potential, especially since no one else had even bothered to try to. And when the time comes for this secretary/principal thing to end, he'll be damned if he lets his kid's growth end with it.

...Actually, now that he thinks about it, this whole gig ends tomorrow afternoon...  Shit .

"-and as it stands, me and Mei are the only kids in class who know the basics of hacking." The bloodshot-eyed man was shaken out of his rising panic by the sound of Midoriya's chipper voice, blinking away the shock as he saw the kid dart his fingers across the keyboard. God, he's talking about nurturing the talent but here he is watching the world around him as if it's some sort of movie, "But since she's way more advanced than me at the moment, she's going to be handling breaking into the staff's computer servers to get a hold of student and teacher files. I've made sure that she won't read them- not that she would!- but her possibly being able to access them would already be a huge problem. And since I'm just a beginner at this, I figured I should work on the security cameras. All cameras in the student dorms, classrooms, and offices are good to go, so all that's left are the training grounds and the teachers dormmMMYYYY GOD!"

"What? What is it?" Shota asked, urgency filling his tone as he prepared himself to whip out his machete and kill the hypothetical intruder Midoriya saw.

"The camera showing front doors to the teachers' dorm building is easily accessible, it only took me a few codes and I was in!" Midoriya whisper-yelled, hands flying around and randomly grasping at air as if the kid couldn't decide what weapon he might need at the moment. It's something Shota used to have to struggle with, which is why he keeps his utility belt loaded with at least five knives at all times. In fact, he should suggest Midoriya do the same-  No. That's a horrible idea and you know it, dumbass.  "Ohh this is bad. This is really bad. I can't know how long these were available to any decent hacker, but worst case scenario it's probably since last June. That's seven months ago; More than enough time to learn the coming and going schedules of the staff, find a time slot loophole, gather a team of villains, plan an infiltration, and murder everybody in the building only to leave no evidence behind other than a single symbolic flower-"

"Ohhh," Shota drew out, shoulder's microscopically sagging in relief as he came to terms with his mistake. The underground hero shifted the computer so that the screen was more visible to him. "You're referring to camera B-16, the one with a northeast angled view. Yeah... no, accessibility is on purpose. You can thank Nezu for that." The green-haired boy tilted his head in confusion, and the man chose to ignore how he heard Uraraka whisper a quick 'aww' at the very edge of his awareness. It's practically a reflex response by now.

"Nezu knew all the risks and still chose to leave this kind of thing open for the public?" Shota nodded in confirmation, and the boy's incredulous expression only deepened. "But... why?" Ah yes, the answer for 'why' that the black-haired man knows all too well.

"Nezu and his logical ruses." Shota  also  chose to ignore the deadpan looks sent his way at the pure hypocrisy in his words, "He has a weird sense of humor and gets bored from time to time, so he pulled together this little thing in hopes of bringing some cheap, underhanded excitement into his life. I'd pity the rat's motivation if I didn't hate it so much. He keeps the camera here open because he knows it's a liability," Midoriya face took on a pained expression, and Shota couldn't help but agree, "and because it requires us to constantly make defense mechanisms for it. It's just a never-ending test of the staff's resourcefulness, really."

"...What were the defense mechanisms?" The emerald-eyed boy asked cautiously, fearing the answer he may get in return. And he should. Jesus Christ, the black-eyed man's gonna need a lot of alcohol after this conversation.

"It's mostly just encouraging villains to not take this golden opportunity and it's... as difficult as you'd imagine. It- you know what? Just see for yourself." The erasure hero rewinded the captured footage to one week prior, prayed to whatever deity was out there and bored enough to care about what he was going through, and pressed play.

~~~~~~~

"But I just don't understand!" Ishiyama wailed, stone-cold slabs of a hand furiously swiping at his eyes as he burst through the doors, Ectoplasm right on his heels, "How could the story just end like that?! There wasn't any solution to the new form of government in the end, it was just 324 pages of depression. Those girls deserved justice, Ecto, Offred deserved justi-" 

"June." Ectoplasm interrupted darkly, "The protagonist's name is June. Not Karen, not February, and especially not Offred, you block-headed bastard." The moment Ishiyama had realized his mistake, his eyes had blown wide as saucers and he slid to the ground, clutching his head in horror. 

"What in god's name have I done?" A scoff from behind them grabbed both of the pro-heroes' attention, and Vlad king sauntered through the door in all of his nonexistent, spandex glory.

"Why are you guys even bothering to read those pre-quirk books, huh? It's been over a century, just get over it already. It's not like they matter anymore." He said with a dismissing wave of a hand, oblivious to the clones now forming around Ectoplasm at concerning speed, "Any form of media that involves a bunch of quirkless people is a waste of time as far as I'm concerned. Am I right or am I right?"

"You're wrong," Aizawa breathed out easily once he shouldered the door to get in, saying those words to the blood-controlling ass like it was second nature. "The Handmaid's Tale still carries a lot of significance in this day and age about corrupt governments and the subtle actions a large group of people had to do to gain even a modicum of power in a society that will always be against them. Sound familiar?" The tired man barely gave Vlad King a chance to speak before he continued, "Yeah, probably not to you. After all, not everyone is as educationally and socially stunted as you are, Vlad."

~~~~~~~~

"... Wow." The freckled-boy breathed out as he finished the clip, disbelief coating the syllable, "What kind of lunatic doesn't see the importance of Margaret Atwood's novel?!"

" Exactly. " Lunatics like Kan, apparently,  " But basically the whole point of having these interactions near the cameras was so that villains would be fended off by the sheer annoyingness and chaos, or too intimidated and think better of their half baked plans."

"Welllll," Midoriya drawled out in a squeaky voice with a wince, "I can see how a villain may be annoyed at the prospect of heroes bantering instead of taking him seriously, but this alone doesn't seem like it would intimidating enough to put stop to them." Understandable, but the kid was so distracted by the conversation that he didn't realize the clip was still playing. The erasure-hero nodded his head towards the screen and the kid followed the unspoken directions with narrowed eyes, resuming his watching,

~~~~~~~~

Ten of Ectoplasm's clones had their hands intertwined with each other as they slowly walked in a circle together, bodies betraying absolutely no emotion and making it impossible to determine who was the real one. And at the very center of the rotating circle was Vlad, arms clutched around both his knees in a fetal position as he rocked back and forth on the floor, sobbing.

"Blessed be the fruit," The clones chanted in a monotone voice, "Blessed be the fruit. Blessed be the fruit. BLESSED BE THE FRUIT-"

~~~~~~~~

"That- yeah, no, that's intimidating." His student muttered loud enough for Shota to hear, but mostly to himself. And Shota couldn't even judge him for it. The moment Ectoplasm's clones grasped each other's hands, he got the hell out of there. He had already known what was going to happen because it happened to Nemuri before when she dared question the accuracy of Greek myths in Percy Jackson. It was disturbing, to say the least, and he wishes he had alcohol at that moment.

But speaking of needing alcohol,

"It doesn't just stop there." The tired man said with his usual sly grin. If he had to suffer while participating in these videos, then others have to suffer when they watch it. Then, without any further hesitation, he flipped to the next clip.

~~~~~~~~

"Somebody come get herrr!" Nemuri sang boisterously in her drunken state, stumbling through the door as she clutched her heels in one hand and practically dug her nails into Aizawa's forearm with the other for support, "She's dancing like a stripper!"

"Nemuri I swear to god-"

"Somebody come get her!"

"YOU'VE BEEN REPEATING THE SAME TWO LINES FOR THE LAST HOUR-!"

~~~~~~~~

"I actually don't know the rest of the lyrics, though," Midoriya stated with a finger pressed to his cheek in thought, completely bypassing the obvious question as to why Nemuri was drunk in the first place. Which, now that Shota thinks about it, is very Midoriya-like. Always focusing on the smaller details rather than what everyone else pays attention to. Sometimes it's a disadvantage, and other times it's a greatly appreciated gift.

The underground hero couldn't tell what it was right now, though. On one hand, he's glad the kid isn't prying for info on his purple-haired friend's strange behavior for a person that's supposed to be a role model to children. On the other hand, he's concerned about  why  he isn't prying. No widened eyes, no gasps, no shaking of a head and an obnoxious call to UA's school board- which happened once, by the way-, no nothing. Not a single sign of surprise, as if Midoriya had already expected this from his art history teacher and this video just confirmed his suspicions. In which case, Shota really needs to talk to Todoroki again.

"Yeah, me neither."

~~~~~~~~

"You're everything I need and more, it's written all over your fa-a-ace. Baby I can feel your halo-o-o, pray it won't fade away!" Hizashi single-handedly flipped his sleek microphone, the one he carries with him in his suit at all times for 'Fluffing aesthetic reasons, Sho-chan!', and continued his singing, "I can feel your halo!"

"Halo!" Thirteen chanted in support, 

"Halo! I can feel your halo!"

"Halo!"

"HALO! I can feel your halo!"

"Halo!"

"HA-A-A-A-A-ALOOOO! I CAN FEEL YOUR HALO! HALOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

~~~~~~~~

"Oh wait! Was that the screeching sound I heard at 3:00 am?" Why the hell is this kid awake at 3 in the morning? Shota would be a hypocrite to judge, but he's not the one who still has a developing brain.

"No, this is the scream that shattered all the windows in the building at 2:55. The one you're referring to is the one Mic made five minutes later after I had found the windows and started chasing him with a steak knife."

"Ah ok." The boy proceeded to scribble something down in his notebook, and Shota would gladly never question what it was.

~~~~~~~~

"Hey Aizawa," Power Loader started, jogging up to the doors as he flipped through the pages of his old UA yearbook, "I'd always assumed you never went to a barbershop and just grew out your hair, but its length in your third year was only a few inches shorter than it is now, and I don't think it's humanly possible for your hair to grow that slow in over ten years. So have you actually went to a salon before, in which case I have to reevaluate everything I know- thought I knew about you, or did you go all Mulan on our asses and just slice and dice that shit with a kniiii" Power Loader flinched back as soon as he lifted his head and took in the sight before him, "iiiii don't ever want to know what the hell the context for this was. But just to be clear, did you murder someone?"

Aizawa dragged his hand across his scalp, loose raven-black strands dragging up and out of his eyes as a result so he could get a clearer view of Majima that wasn't obstructed by hair or, well, blood. The blood being the main focus here. The tired man's eyes switched between the apprehensive look on his coworker's face, to the unconscious body of a Yakuza member that he brought to hold captive in the dorms for the night because the local police stations complained about how he'd already filled their in-house jail cells to maximum capacity, to his blood-soaked jumpsuit with way too many rips, and back to Majima.

"No?" The copper-haired man let out a strangled sound,

"Why is that a question?!"

~~~~~~~~

" That's somehow the most normal of all of these clips." Damn right it is, and Shota's pretty proud of that fact too. It teaches Vlad not to mess with him at all costs. "And you guys are sure these are enough to keep criminals at bay?"

"I still have my doubts, but for the last three years we've been A-ok," Majima's sanity aside, "so I digress. And if it was any real threat I'm sure Nezu would have taken care of it by now, him not doing exactly that just shows that we're passing his little test."

"Does he do these tests often?"

"Yes, unfortunately, more often than I'd like." And what he'd like is none. But he guesses it keeps all of them on their feet, that way when their life is actually in danger, they'll have already prepped for this. Although, some of the tests are less about improvisation and more about... how should he say this? Pure sadism.

For example, last year Nezu hired someone to cut one-eighth of an inch off of the heels of Hizashi's left pair of shoes. All of them. Even the ones that he had back at his actual apartment and not kept in the dorms. How did he do it? Nobody knows. But they only found out after two weeks when Hizashi finally had enough of his hip pain, ripped off his shoes to throw in a random direction that just happened to be Nemuri's face, causing her to stab the shoes with a knife in revenge, and quickly realizing the heights were off due to her excessive knowledge of shoes. He guesses the abnormal amount of information she has on them is justified, though, since she has to search for high-heels that she can fight in for her hero costume.

But in the end, Hizashi broke down crying and Nezu cackled as he paid for the shoe replacements, claiming it was a lesson on 'observation'. And that wasn't even the end of it.

Five months later, the staff had been walking in the same hallway at the same time when all of a sudden the speakers crackled to life, and Nezu's chipper voice broke through informing them that a round of 'the floor is lava' would be happening to them for the rest of the day. Shota was just about to stick a middle finger at the security camera and keep walking when Nezu had then said, as if he knew the underground hero would brush his first announcement off, that the winner could force the losers to do all their paperwork. It was chaos.

Nemuri bitch slapped Cementoss so hard he fell off a cafeteria table and flopped onto the floor, where his purple-haired friend then used him as a stepping stool to keep moving. Hizashi thought he would be safe next to Thirteen, as they had recently bonded over their shared love of Beyonce at the time, but one moment he's humming the tune to Single Ladies, and the next moment he's unconscious on the floor after the space hero knocked him out with a broomstick. In the end, Shota let Nemuri win with the condition that she help him take out Thirteen, mostly because Hizashi kept screeching at Shota to avenge his honor. He didn't want extra paperwork, but he didn't want a migraine even more. Later that day Nezu had told them it was an experiment to see what decisions they would make if trapped in a room with limited resources, and wasn't that a terrifying thought.

So yeah, Nezu gave a lot of tests. And the tired man wouldn't be surprised if there were actually more than he had been made aware of, or if there was one in action at every moment. How many sexual jokes Nemuri makes in one day could be a test. The increasing complexity of Cementoss and Ectoplasm's secret handshake could be a test. Hell, the creativity of Aizawa's insults to Vlad could be a test, too, and one he hopes he's acing. So really, anything could be a test. Maybe even this temporary position as principal was one, too-

Wait,  come again?  Excuse you, brain, you can't just say that and then  leave -

"Well, that's unfortunate. Has any of the staff ever tried testing him instead?" The erasure hero's eyes shot wide open at the kid's words, not that the boy even noticed, too caught up in the realm of possibilities for tricking Nezu, "I found a platter of cheese in his office once, there was a bowl of fruit on the coffee table that you would think is for decoration but coincidentally it was all the fruits that mice can eat, the same goes for a bunch of diced veggies in the fridge. But there was also a jar of candy in his desk drawer, which rats are known to eat. So all of you could just leave little foods around the school, steal some of his things so he's forced to turn to those, and- I don't know, invest in some unusually large cardboard cut-outs of cats. Or just bring in officer Sansa. If he ever finds out, the explanation is simple, it's for scientific purposes to find out what species he really is." Shota sat in silence for a few seconds as the words finally processed in his brain, and when they did, he almost completely forgot about his crippling mental health.

"I think I found a new purpose in life..." He whispered. "Yeah I'll just force Nemuri into helping me with that next week, we have more important things to worry about right now." Midoriya nodded, a determined look taking over his eyes as he pumped his fist in the air and muttered an enthusiastic but controlled 'Right!'. The boy's hair shook as he whipped his head to face Hatsume.

"Mei!" She looked over her shoulder at him, a manic smile that never seemed to slip present on her face, "Were you able to break in?" Yeah, now that Shota thinks about it, this may not have been a good activity for heroes in training. At least not in the public's eye.

"Nah, Nezu's got this thing down airtight! The moment I even brushed the surface of the firewall, a pop-up appeared on the screen with all of my information, my family's information, and the live security footage of my prize baby that I'm going to present as my final project this semester." He- what? Did Nezu seriously have access to not only his students' lives but they're extended relatives'? Actually, more importantly, why is the blackmail already prepared? And if he has this for just one single student that's only been here for two years, then what kind of information does he have on Shota, a guy he's known for fifteen years? And why does Hatsume seem excited?! "I gotta ask him how to do that later, haha~ But anywho, you're good to go, so I'll just head on back to my babies. And make sure you don't forget your part of the deal! I help you with this, and you make sure Shinso goes straight to me for his support equipment. No getting sidetracked to Majima-sensei, or else he'll start warning him to stay away from me. He thinks all the equipment I make will explode, can you believe that?!"

Silence.

"Y-yeah, that's crazy, haha..." Midoriya stuttered out cautiously before clearing his throat, "But of course! Expect to see Toshi soon!"  Toshi . First name basis. Shota doesn't know why, and he really , really  doesn't want to, but he has the strange urge to give someone a shovel talk. And no, don't give him that look, he's not acting like a da-  agh, ew - dad, he is simply making sure that any relationships don't hinder the boys' school performances. It's the most logical decision. And besides, who is he even going to give it to? They're  both  his students; Is he just supposed to gather them in the same room, talk to them, and alternate between which one he's facing after every word until he eventually snaps his neck? And for christ's sake, this isn't even the point right now! Hatsume flashed the freckled-boy a grin before skating off-  yes , skating. Apparently, she followed through with the promise of fixing the red prototype shoes she made for Midoriya during the first day of this whole principal/secretary shebang.

Wow, it was last week and it still feels like a long time ago... Fuck, is he really old enough to lose his concept of time? He doesn't know how he feels about the whole nostalgia thing. The underground hero spared one more moment of contemplating what age he should let himself die to avoid being old enough to need help taking a shit before turning around to the mass group of kids.

"There are no digital loopholes in our security; Stage 1 complete, onto stage 2." Shota bared his teeth at the teenagers and watched with amusement as the blood drained from their faces, " Get ready, stealth mode group ."

“I don’t know about you, Mido, but I don’t really plan on getting expelled today.” Shinso’s bored voice rang out through the earpiece, echoing around the metal walls of the vents. The vents he entered with surprising ease, by the way. It’s not like it was completely unexpected of him, as Izuku had a theory that he’d been using it as a transportation system way before he invited the boy to coffee, but it was impressive nonetheless. So impressive, that Aizawa-sensei had immediately said he needed to lock that skill down. So crazily impressive, that it’s now the most significant aspect of the stealth group’s plan.

“I don’t think we even can get expelled, Toshi, usually Aizawa-sensei is the one to handle those things, and right now...” The green-haired boy looked over his shoulder to see his teacher silently laughing to himself with a grin that promised pain and destruction as he stared at UA’s windows, “...he seems pretty satisfied with how things are going.”

“Touché.” Shinso chuckled out before grunting a bit at how he had to contort his body to turn the corner. “But how can we be sure that he’s the only guy with expulsion privileges around here? Why not- I don’t know, Mic-sensei?” Izuku turned away from his teacher to give a ‘really’ look at his computer screen, even though he knew his lilac-eyes friend couldn’t see it. The same screen that was currently displaying everything Shinso was seeing through his new glasses, ‘courtesy of Hatsume Industries’ as he had been instructed to say whenever any potential investors were within a six-foot radius.

“Does Mic-sensei really strike you as the type of person to expel an entire class of first years? He had to give Kaminari and Kirishima detention a few weeks ago because they made a game out of how fast they could repeatedly slap each other’s faces in, and I think he almost cried. He just... cares too much.” Not that it was a bad thing, it’s just that his last English teacher wasn’t exactly picture perfect, given that he once told Izuku to be like Juliet and realize when they’re only shot at living their dream is dead. It’s nice having a teacher that would correct him on his occasional pronunciation slip-ups without calling it out in front of the whole class. If anything... “He’s like a dad.” Shinso snorted.

“Oh please, by those standards it would only make sense if Aizawa wasn’t given expulsion privileges either, given how much of a dad he is-“ Pardon? Izuku coughed, practically started dry heaving, at his friend’s words. It took a few more seconds of clearing his throat of gulping down the contents of his water bottle before he was able to speak to- a very amused- Shinso. 

“He’s a WHAT?” He practically screamed but was wary to keep himself out of Aizawa-sensei’s hearing range. 

“You seriously hadn’t noticed? The guy dotes over your whole class and me, too, by extension. It’s kinda ironic when you think about it. The most goth of all the teachers is also the only one who memorizes your midnight snacking preferences.” Izuku’s face heated up all the way from his neck to the tips of his hears, pale skin flushing a rosy red in embarrassment as he tried to push down the memory of him scavenging around the kitchen at 1:00 am only to find a jar of his favorite peanut butter and apple slices snack in a place that everyone knew was his unofficial fridge section. He tried stuttering out excuses and denying the false claims-  because they were false claims - but Shinso was having none of it. “I'm honestly shocked you haven’t noticed, you’re practically his favorite.” HUH?! Okay, that does it.

“F-favorite?!” He whispered incredulously because it was exactly that, incredulous. Aizawa-sensei doesn’t have favorites, he just doesn’t function like that. Being his favorite would be the equivalent of being the tallest dwarf- either way, you still end up with the short end of the stick. And even if he did, Izuku would be the last one on the hypothetical list. He constantly wrecks training grounds, he breaks the law an awful lot for a hero student, and for christ’s sake, his nickname is ‘Problem child’! What about any of that screams ‘favorite’. “N-no. You’re blind, deaf, definitely delusional, and you need to make a left turn at the next intersection or else you’ll have to loop around the perimeter of math class.” He heard a faint ‘thanks man’ from Shinso.

“Believe me, you’re the delusional one here. The oblivious one, too.” Then much quieter, quiet enough to make the green-eyed boy question if it was just his ears playing tricks on him, “Oblivious to a lot of things actually... But uh, erm, yeah, you’re his favorite.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” He yelled, much louder than intended and earning a strange look from his tired teacher.  Oh god.  The boy lowered his voice again, “If anything, it’s you! You guys have had private training sessions together ever since last year’s sports festival, you’re casual with him-“

“-Yeah I’m not the one who apparently threatened to murder his favorite coffee mug and still get away with it. That’s some favorite shit right there-“

“and no offense, but you’re basically a younger version of him.” Izuku hated to admit it, but he became the one thing he swore to destroy: A conspiracy theorist. Todoroki was really brushing off on him and honestly, he didn’t know how to feel about that. “You got the floaty hair, the dark eyebags, the take-no-shit personality-“

“Hey!” Shinso gasped out in mock offense, and Izuku could practically sense the exaggerated expression on his face while he bit his lip trying to hold back laughter.

“Don’t worry, it’s endearing.” The silent chuckling came to a halt, but the freckled boy paid it no mind, “And you both love cats! Like I said, clones! So you’re wrong, completely wrong, I’m not his favorite.”

"Yeah, I know I'm like his unofficial reincarnation, that makes me his second favorite. But alright, believe what you will, Mido. But at the end of the day, who did Aizawa let drag him around at the mall yesterday to find eerily specific pieces of hero merch that were only available at certain stores for limited amounts of time."  Wait-  "Oh, and I have arrived."

“W-wait, Toshi!” Izuku cried out desperately, “You can't drop the topic yet, our conversation isn’t over! The hero merch situation is irrelevant, it was simply a business transaction. I need to know that you know that I was not, am not, and never will be Aizawa-sensei’s favorite student or even runner up! Okay? Toshi?!” 

“Sorry, what was that?” His tired friend said as he unscrewed the cap on the vent and shimmied his way out, landing in a crouch with a  thud!  on the floor of the front office. “I can't hear you all that well, I think Mei’s baby broke again, tell her she needs to pay child support to get it up and running.” Oh, come on!

“Toshi!”

“Anyway, I’m gonna kick off phase 2 of stealth, okay?” Izuku silently screeched at the back of his throat in frustration, “Sounds like an okay to me.” The one for all user watched through his screen as Shinso stood up and quickly but silently maneuvered his way to the windows, unlatching the lock and pushing up the sills. Then, not two seconds later, six heads shot up from the outdoor bushes and peered cautiously around the room before dragging their bodies up and over the ledge and into the room. Shinso roved his eyes over the sextet before turning to Shoji.

"Titan, take guard by the west end of the hallway, listen in for any sign of people, and send the warning signal if you do." The six-armed teen nodded and made his way out, Shinso turned to Kuroiro, "Eclipse, stay on the edges of the ceiling and trail Vlad-king, try and catch what he uses as his phone password because I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume his mid-life crisis has forced him to use the same one for his computer." Izuku would laugh at the comment if it weren't the absolute truth. What he's concerned about, however, is why Shinso is so sure that 31 is the middle of Vlad-king's life. The cat-loving boy then faced Hagakure, "Prism, your job is to trail Midnight-sensei, especially when she's with Thirteen. Keep your ears open for any gossip you overhear pertaining Vlad-king, it's the exact info we need right now." Izuku couldn't really tell, but he's just going to assume that the invisible girl followed directions.

Next was Setsuna from 2-b and  holy hell was her quirk interesting.  Izuku resisted the urge to grab a pencil and analyze her actions, but he knew his gruff teacher- who had recently taken to standing behind Izuku's chair and looking over at the computer- could tell how hard the impulse control was. Shinso continued speaking, "ReGen, fly one of your eyes around the perimeter of the hallways on this floor and look out for any intruders that Titan may not be able to catch. And make the other eye trail Apollo." And finally, the boy with prominent eye bags, almost as purple as his eyes, turned to Jiro. "Apollo, take post by the door of the teacher's break room and record everything said between Cementoss and Ectoplasm, especially if it has to do with something called 'The Handmaid's Tale', whatever that is."  The audacity . Jiro saluted but still looked a bit hesitant.

"Uh, hope you don't mind passing this over to Midoriya, but why exactly do we need codenames again? Everyone in this school already knows who we are, and if we were gonna use names, why not the hero ones?" Oh, that's... a reasonable question actually, and the only answer Izuku has is that it adds to the effect of being spies, but he'd rather die than say it out loud. After a few moments of hesitation, the freckled boy spoke through the earpiece.

"Umm... it's classified?" Aizawa-sensei made a weird choking sound behind him, which he assumed was a poorly disguised laugh. Actually, now that the forest-eyed boy thinks about it, he hasn't exactly heard the man whole-heartedly laugh before this past week, especially not around their class. In fact, the first time he heard it was when he and his teacher were discussing the psychological- erm, slight emotional manipulation with Kayama-sensei. Could it   be that-  no .  Shut up, Izuku, stop being the delusional freak you are who reads too much into things. It'll come back to bite you in the ass if you let it fester .  Always has, always will . The student clenched his fist, nails digging hard enough to leave a mark in his palms, but the sting was enough to ground him in the present moment and out of the void of his conflicting mind. And for that, at least, he was grateful.

"Okay, you've been saying that  a lot  this past week, and I just want to know if it's because you legitimately don't want anyone to know or if it's actually classified and someone could end up in the hospital if the wrong people found out. Because honestly," Jiro gave a chuckle that sounded more concerned than amused, "both would make sense, and I wouldn't even bat an eye. So?"

"...Anyway, Toshi!" Izuku cleared his throat as Jiro silently shook her head and made her way out the door with one of Setsuna's eyeballs on her heels, almost missing the way his teacher's fingers twitched at the nickname.  How odd . "Hah, or should I say Static. Eclipse sent a message with the password for you to plug in- 0422. So try it out and see if it works." As Shinso's camera showed him flying his fingers across the keyboard of Vlad's PC, Izuku couldn't help but press his hand to his chin and furrowed his eyebrows, "I wonder if it has any significance."

"Sure does," Aizawa-sensei piped in, turning to give Izuku a solemn look, "April 22nd." Huh? What happened on April 22nd? It's not a holiday as far as he knows, it's not one of the many fake birthdays his teacher had been seen using to get a free coffee even though he had more than enough money to pay for it, it's not the anniversary of anyone's death- oh.

Oh .

It was the anniversary of someone’s death. Vlad King’s. Izuku still remembers the horrified look on his face as he barely dodged being bludgeoned by a metal chair that went flying out the window. It was like one of those dramatic slow-motion scenes that you see in action movies so often. Izuku shivered at the memory as Aizawa-sensei continued once he saw realization dawn on the smaller boy.

“He must have made it his password because he knew he would never forget it,” The solemn look took on a more sinister turn as the corners of his teacher’s mouth curled into a feral smile, “Couldn’t forget.” The expression was gone as quickly as it had come as the man’s face faded back into monotone. “And this password is a constant reminder of that, so I’m going to give him some other constant reminders of his other failures.”

“Hey I have a question, why do you hate Vlad-king?” The green-eyed boy watched as his teacher prepared to give a long, detailed speech and backtracked immediately. “I mean I know why! There’s a lot of reasons: He doesn’t appreciate good literature, he has a prejudice against certain quirks which is kind of ironic for a guy who wields his own blood, and I’m like 80% sure you caught him spitting in your coffee once-“

“He did. And then I spit on his unconscious body.” Justified, honestly. If there’s one rule in UA, it’s don’t mess with Aizawa-sensei’s coffee. Vlad paid the price, Majima paid the price, it’s only a matter of time before someone else falls victim to it. And when they do... Izuku will be right there to record everything that happens. If his secretary position is going to end tomorrow, then he’s going to milk the hell out of it until then, and if that requires him to bend his morals a bit then so be it. He’s got most of Aizawa-sensei’s intimidation techniques written down by now, but revenge is a completely different story. So far all he’s got is ‘be petty drink coffee’, and while that’s really all you need to get the full sadistic Eraserhead vibe, he would still like some more details. It's purely for scientific purposes, of course, because there’s no way he’d use them in real life. No way. 

“Mhm,” The freckled boy nodded his head way too enthusiastically for a person thinking about revenge just mere milliseconds ago, “But what started the whole revenge thing?” His teacher thought for a second before replying.

“Jodi Picoult once said ‘When you begin a journey of revenge, you dig two graves: One for your enemy, and one for yourself.’ And on that dreary, autumn morning as the leaves lifted from the ground, twisted through the wind in ribbons of red, orange, and brown, and carried the whispers of unrequited love, I just knew that- Fuck, I don’t know where I was going with this but I know I don’t have time to recite that whole goddamn essay.” That’s probably for the best, the green-haired boy was just about to ask for a break to go get some popcorn because the whole ‘unrequited love’ sounded like an interesting story. Talk about a thickening plot. “He said he likes dogs better than cats ten years ago on a morning I was already feeling horrible on, and here we are.” 

“It went from a difference of pet preference to trying to murder each other?” Izuku asked incredulously. He knows he really shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but even this is a little shocking.

“Well when the guy is already somebody you’re trying and failing to silently tolerate, it makes all their worst traits just stick out more. Like his tights. Or the weird color scheme he has for his costume.” His teacher explained wisely. The thought of noticing someone’s worst traits more and more over time made Izuku wonder if he had ever been that way with Kaachan. 

Once they turned 5 and their friendship was effectively over, it was coincidentally the same time he started to really get into his analysis notebooks. He wasn’t lying to Aizawa-sensei when he gave his reason for analyzing the people around him so often, working against their quirks and personalities and such, but there was a chance he may have... accidentally left out some minor details. For example, the majority of the info he had written down for his explosive fri- classmate, was about his quirk and fighting style. But after the hot summer morning when the blonde boy exploded the last few dollars his mother gave him that he was going to use for some water, he may have also made several comments on why the baggy style he wore his pants in would prevent him from ever reaching the top 5 in hero popularity polls based off the appearances of the past heroes in the last ten years. As well as how the weird posture he has while walking will eventually lead to chronic back pain in the next thirty years. How the scent of burnt caramel that constantly floated around him attracted quite a lot of bugs. And also the fact that he exercises his arms more than his legs, and that his explosion-flying technique is the only thing allowing him to move at high speeds since it would significantly decrease had he really used his legs, and that his kicks do way less damage than his punches or explosions. As he said, the little things, nothing too out of the ordinary. 

...Oh who is he kidding, that’s messed up and he’ll never speak a word of it out loud.

But Izuku had never really been... annoyed at him for it. At least not in the way his tired teacher was annoyed at Vlad King. Maybe it was because he wasn’t the one doing the ignoring, he was the one chasing after the spiky-haired blonde, caramel aroma and all. And that must have meant he liked all those little details, right? Not that Kaachan was exactly ignoring him either, no matter how much he tried to make it seem like he was, since he was always in his presence one way or another. Sitting next to him, standing next to him, staring at him even before Izuku had turned to acknowledge him, things like that. It was strange, but it’s also not the point right now.

He guesses, in a way, he’s the complete opposite of Aizawa-sensei, while simultaneously being a carbon copy. Instead of pointing out all the bad traits of Kaachan whenever his explosive personality took a more brutal turn, usually aimed directly at him, he chose to find solace in the traits that he admired. Maybe it was a way of reminding himself that no, his classmate wasn’t the bad guy, he wasn’t the villain, because no one is ever 100% on either side of the moral spectrum.

Izuku thought the slouched posture and the baggy pants were proof that Kaachan wouldn’t ever change himself just to fit into everyone else’s ideal vision of a goody-two-shoes hero. He thought the slight errors in an effective workout routine showed that although Kaachan might be incredibly powerful, everyone has their weak points. That maybe one day, they could help turn each other’s weaknesses into strengths. Together. And as for the caramel scent, well... he didn’t have much of an explanation for why he liked it. Maybe because it showed how even in an incredibly dangerous quirk- one that left starburst burns and flaming hot blisters on his skin, one that would summon the ringing in his ears and the dancing, dark green patterns in his vision- you can always find something beautiful. Something that comforts your beaten and bloody body when no one else will, when nothing else can. The warm hugs of an absent father and the midnight whispers of encouragement of an overwhelmed and exhausted mother. And because of all of these silver linings, he guessed they were the main things preventing him from ever developing a serious grudge against Kaachan. 

...Izuku wished he could have been more like Aizawa-sensei back then. He wished he could have hated him. Because maybe then he could have been better. Happy. 

“Yeah...” The green-haired boy whispered as he was drawn out of his mind and back to the conversation. He knew his teacher was giving him a weird look, and frankly, he deserves it after internally monologuing for a suspicious amount of time, but he didn’t address it. Not because he was scared to, no, but because he knew he would talk about it in his next session with Hound Dog. Things are different at UA, he knows that now, and he’ll die before he forgets that. So, not wanting to worry his teacher any further, he slapped on a smile. “I had a neighbor a few years ago who said the exact same thing. Except it was about his dad.”

“What’d his dad do?” Aizawa-sensei asked with a quirked brow

“He murdered his mother.” Okay, so maybe this wasn’t the smartest idea for a new optimistic topic of conversation. His teacher’s eyes widened ever so slightly, the equivalent of a startled gasp for someone like him. 

“Yes... I can see why that would make the other bad details stand out more.”

“It’s fine!” Izuku reassured, waving his arms around in a panic, “His dad might have killed his mom but it was all okay in the end because he killed his dad three months later!”  Ah shit.  His tired teacher’s eyes widened even more, the equivalent of passing out on a fainting couch. Someone just kill him already, he’s making this so much worse. But maybe he can fix it with another- preferably a more light-hearted tale? “That wasn’t the case for all of my neighbors, though! Like for example, I knew this homeless guy named Larry who came from America for a job but got roped into a triangle scheme company and got stuck in debt. He told me a lot of funny stories about his old boss and how the guy’s golden watches didn’t even tick since it was just a way to show off the money he didn’t have aha-  erm ,” Izuku cleared his throat, “Coincidentally, Larry was the one who got me interested in hacking since he was such an expert on the topic, and he used his skills to hack into his former boss’s bank accounts and steal all of his money. He’s still on the run two years later.”

“Who the ever-loving fuck are your neighbors?” Aizawa-sensei asked, face unusually expressive but expected nonetheless from such a weird story.

“According to the law, they’re technically villains. But according to me, they’re the quirky members of my neighborhood that enjoy some good old fashioned spicy katsudon!” The boy flashed a toothy smile and an inspirational thumbs up. It didn’t work. Aizawa grabbed a chair and dragged it next to Izuku’s by the table he set his computer on, spinning it around and sitting on it in a backward style so he was at the same level as his student.

“Just so I’m clear: Are you saying that you regularly invited your criminal neighbors over to dinner?”

“...Yes?” Why did this feel like the wrong thing to say? Aizawa-sensei stared at him with an unknown look in his eyes before sighing and speaking.

“...So I have several questions-“

“This was before we knew about their crimes, though!” Izuku quickly explained, vaguely noticing how Shinso’s camera showed him googling photos of chairs, windows, the ‘Red Rum’ scene from the Shining, and newborn babies. Huh, what did he need those for? Nevertheless, Izuku still forwarded him the messages he got from Hagakure about whatever Midnight-sensei was saying. “And even if we did, it was mainly petty crime besides Larry and Dad Decapitating Daichi!”

“Dad Decapitating Daichi- He has a nickname?” It was an aesthetic choice, really.

“That’s what everyone referred to him as, but his close friends called him Triple D.” He could sense the unspoken question of ‘you were close friends’ but frankly he didn’t feel like explaining how Daichi taught him how to draw and bought him his first set of colored pencils. “And if you ignore the criminal part, they were pretty nice! Every Halloween they’d keep our house from getting TP’d, they’d help my mom carry her groceries to the kitchen, they actually helped me with my chemistry homework once.” Uncle Akira the Ass-Kicking Almighty was especially useful when he had to balance chemical equations. "They'd also talked with my dad a lot, weirdly, it looked more like a business meeting than a Thanksgiving dinner but it was a nice gathering either way."

“...That’s actually kind of wholesome, I’ll give you that one.” Izuku nodded in appreciation, knowing full well that’s all he’s gonna get. “But now, aside from the villains that you and your mother have apparently added as your unofficial family members, I’m more curious as to how often your house got TP’d on Halloween, who were the ones doing the TP-ing, and if Bakugo played any part in that. Because if he did, I may have just come up with about thirteen more ideas for well-deserved pay ba-“

“Yo, Mido, Cat Guy. What am I supposed to add after the ten photos of Handmaid’s Tale cover fanart?” I’m sorry, what? Izuku temporarily forgot about his teacher’s interrogation and crinkled his face in confusion as he stared at his computer screen, watching as Shinso added image after image to Vlad King’s wallpaper.

“W-wait I actually don’t know what was supposed to happen to Vlad’s computer once we got in." His only responsibility was to ensure that his classmates in the stealth group got in and out of the front office without being caught, which he, unfortunately, succeeded in, anything beyond that was Aizawa-sensei's territory. And knowing him...

"I do," his teacher stated simply, scooting his chair over a bit more so he was closer to the computer screen, "The last couple things you need to add is anything Nemuri said and a gigantic photo of a cat. Preferably a black one. I'm really laying the symbolism on thick right now."

"Is the cat your logo or something? Your trademark? Is Vlad going to see the cat and shake his fist in the air yelling 'You haven't seen the last of me, Eraserhead!' like a cranky old villain." Shinso yelled, lowering his pitch to mimic the blood hero's voice.

"I don't know if he'd be that cliche, he's not a comic book character, after all, but essentially yes. It's even better because he's as horrible as All Might when it comes to technology, the guy's got no chance at removing this thing." Aizawa chuckled darkly to himself before continuing, ignoring the way everyone within a five-foot radius, part Izuku, instinctively took a step back. What did Izuku do, you may ask? He gladly watched the terror unfold with a pencil in his hand and his heart set on accomplishing the fear from others. As a professional secretary should. “By the way, what’d Nemuri even say about Vlad? Or just at all. I know she has these gossip sessions with Thirteen and I hate to admit it but I have never been more curious than I am right now.” Izuku checked Hagakure’s email.

“Uhhhh well the first thing Midnight-sensei started off with was ‘what is your opinion on skin-tight leggings in a hero costume?’ to which Thirteen responded with ‘I feel like this is a trick question with no right answer’ which Midnight responded with ‘You would be right. What about the opposite- loose jumpsuits?’” The erasure hero sighed with a dead expression on its face.

“I should have known...” Izuku doesn’t know what he’s referring to, but he pities him nonetheless.

“And while that may have been a vague reference to Vlad King’s costume, they didn’t really go too much into detail about him until a few minutes later.” Aizawa-sensei raised an eyebrow, prompting his student to continue, “Midnight then started to provide all the evidence she has for Toga Himiko being Vlad King’s daughter- Hey wait a second, isn’t that in Todoroki’s conspiracy theory notebook? I remember him mentioning it after the theory about me and All Might.” It’s been over a year and Todoroki still hasn’t dropped it, although after this whole secretary thing started he has started to dial down on it a bit as if he was focusing on a theory that perhaps had much more evidence backing it up. Like the theory about him and Dabi being long lost brothers. Izuku would be lying if he said he wasn’t the slightest bit suspicious, but he won’t take this small period of freedom from being called a ‘secret love child’ for granted.

“All Might’s not the only person you’re involved in a theory with,” His teacher stated simply, an almost pained expression on his face but in such a way where it made it seem like he couldn’t decide whether whatever he was thinking about was a good or a bad thing. Izuku tilted his head, ignoring how he heard Kaminari coo a little ‘aw’ under his voice directly after. People have been doing that a lot lately and he still doesn’t understand, but maybe that’s for the better.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. What else did Nemuri say?” The green-haired boy looked like he wanted to press further, but ended up moving on to Hagakure’s next few texts. 

“Hmmm- There was an emotional conversation about what Hagakure thinks was a ‘the floor is lava’ game, them discussing if Midnight should widen the width on her heel in her hero costume,- Oh she definitely should, it’d be way more convenient while still fitting her hero persona- a debate on who was better: Sokka or Suki,- Gosh, that  is  hard- to which Thirteen said they wanted to say Sokka, but he loses points for being in the same bloodline as Katara. This led to Nemuri ranting about how she didn’t understand why Katara never used blood bending again, even after Hama was taken away, since she could have easily ended every single fight with it. And that brought Thirteen to comparing Vlad and Katara, and the rest... the rest is brutal,  my god .” It was never-ending comments about the similarities between Vlad and Katara, the origin story of the unnecessarily large V-dip on his costume, and how he was basically just-

“A DOWNGRADED DRACULAURA AHAHAH,” Shinso cackled, wiping the tears from his eyes as he struggled to breathe through his laughter. Aizawa-sensei was much more controlled in his amusement, but anyone as observant as Izuku could easily tell he wanted to do the same, “Oh- oh my god, the creativity is iconic in this school. Where do you even get this content? Sell your souls to the devil or something? Like- you know what, that’s not important right now, I’m just going to add in everything Hagakure texted me.” And that he did. The blood hero’s wallpaper was a monstrosity at this point- a cluster of images all randomly put in a collage that included an aesthetic cursive text for Midnight’s quotes. The colors and sizes completely clashed, yet still worked together as an abstract masterpiece.

“Yeah I- I’m gonna need a copy of that wallpaper,” Izuku choked out, scarred hand covering his mouth as his back trembled and he released shuddering breaths in barely conceived laughter. His personality has done a complete 180 over the last week and the last thing he has going for him is his streak of never laughing at a teacher's misfortune. Not even in sixth grade when the science teacher who claimed the boy should be extinct by now tripped over a chair and broke his hip. Although he has a feeling his streak is about to break today.

“I second that,” Aizawa-sensei stated, the white coffee mug-  where did he get that? - placed between his lips. Slightly shaking. Izuku snorted,  gotcha . 

“Oh definitely.” Shinsou said, “But just so you know, I’m gonna absolutely wreck the saturation. It’s gonna look like the sun itself took a shit on this thing and-“

“Took a shit on what?”

Izuku froze mid snort, his body immediately tensing as his pulse thundered in his ears. Pale-faced and borderline hyperventilating, he turned around, coming face-to-face with a carefully blank-faced Vlad King.  Oh no. Oh god. No no no . Jiro, Shoji, and Setsuna’s eyeball were at the corner of the screen, and the green-haired boy could tell that they were equally as horrified. Probably because no one expected Vlad King to appear right behind him and Aizawa. Besides, wasn’t Kuroiro supposed to be watching him?! Did he get caught after retrieving the passcode and get sent back?! The only possible way for the blood hero to appear behind them without getting spotted by Setsuna is if he left through the back gate and circled around the entire building, and what kind of psycho does that?!

He didn’t dare utter a word as he stared into the furious eyes of the blood hero, his past experiences with angry teachers rushing back, and he could tell Shinso was thinking the same thing. Instead, he sneaked a look at his homeroom teacher, immediately relieved at the usual bored expression on his face. Sure, the slight clenching and unclenching of the man’s fist and teeth were proof that he was also shocked- or annoyed, most likely-, but it was comforting to know that at least one person had their emotions under control at the moment. Finally, Aizawa spoke up.

“...Took a shit on your poor life choices, Katara.”

And just like that, Izuku's streak was over.

Shota has many regrets in life.

For starters, he regrets living. He regrets going to a beat-up school where his teachers were always seconds away from calling the cops on him. He regrets not beating the living shit out of his junior high classmate who found abusing a kitten in front of him to be the funniest thing in the whole goddamn world. He regrets learning how to play the bass guitar because when is ever going to need that. He regrets not developing a healthy sleep schedule as a child and instead choosing to rely on unhealthy dosages of caffeine. And most importantly, he regrets not adding a sword to his hero costume. Because yeah, he doesn't know how to use one and it would most definitely be a dead weight during villain fights, but he'd be a dirty liar if he said it wasn't cool.

However, when it came to Sekijiro Kan, all of that flew out the window, and the only thing left in its wake was pure unadulterated hate.

He did not regret giving a ten minute rant about why cats are better the first time he met the man, and he also didn't regret how fifteen years later he's still actively trying to make his life a living hell when the situation calls for it. And he's  succeeding.  And so, by default, he will never regret calling out Vlad's poor life decisions and proceeding to enjoy the expression of resignation and pain on the poor- but deserving- man's face. Clearly, his students didn't either, judging by the coughing sounds coming from Shinso's side of the computer screen and the fact that it took Midoriya a full five minutes to get a hold on his laughing, leaving him red-faced and breathless. Not that Shota was complaining, the delay gave him to think over his alibis.

One thing he did regret, though, was thinking that would be the end of it.

“Aizawa,” Vlad started, pressing both fingers to the bridge of his nose, “May I ask why you have kidnapped several students and apparently ordered them to break into the school?” He says that as if it wasn’t the whole point.

“You may, but I doubt you’ll get any real answers.” 

“I- You know what? I’ll take what I can get,” Vlad dragged up a chair next to him, ugh, that way their faces were leveled. God, where do these chairs keep coming from anyway? “To start off, why was the entire staff notified about a database breach in both my and Nezu’s systems?”

They get notified? Well shit, maybe the online breach was unnecessary after all. The underground hero could see his green-haired student jotting down that information before checking off a box. Well, he’s glad they have the proper precautions in place, but it never hurts to test it out.

“I don’t know, Vlad, did you tap on any suspicious links recently?” Was feigning ignorance the best route to take right now? Probably not. But did he care? No, not if that was the price for the pure amusement he got out of the blood hero’s befuddlement. “The illegal ones are especially dangerous, may even give you a virus and expose personal information. If that’s the case then I think I should be the one interrogating you.”

“No, Aizawa, I did not tap on any suspicious links. Who do you take me for, a creep?”

“No, but a man with a dog fetish? Maybe.” Kaminari started coughing.

“Aizawa what the actual-“ Damn, is he loving this. Vlad clenched his fists together in mock prayer as if his personal problems were within any primordial being’s pay grade. “Second, why did Kuroiro shout out the passcode of my phone after apparently stalking me for who knows how long.” Oh, so that’s how he got caught. Bummer. Shota will have to arrange some lessons in undercover work sometime this week. After his principal job is over. And he’ll be forced to slip back into the position of a powerless heroics teacher that can't make enough differences in hero society. 

“I don’t understand youth culture nowadays, Vlad, it could have been anything!” He wasn’t even lying about that one, ever since the whole Jared 19 fiasco, he just hasn’t been the same. “And even if it wasn’t a huge coincidence, then I think the responsibility lies on you to better manage your daily actions.”

“Oh, really?” The black-haired man nodded, “Like what?”

“One, you’re a pro hero who let a second-year sneak up on you long enough to gather private information, might want to work on your awareness skills. And two, the fact that your first thought after realizing your info was leaked was to accuse me of being responsible for it is just disappointing. I’m disappointed. Are you disappointed?” Shota momentarily directed his questions at a still panting Midoriya, who nodded. “He’s disappointed. We’re all very disappointed, Vlad.”

“Wow. Just... wow. Third, why did your computer show a bunch of children laughing in the front office?” A voice cleared itself behind Vlad.

“There were children in the front office?” Shinso asked, feigning innocence and confusion with the rest of his teammates behind him carrying similar expressions, “And during humanities? How strange. Although I guess the real question is why was the office left unsupervised?” The erasure hero smirked,  so they escaped after all . The group flashed a thumbs up once the blood hero turned his back again and ran off to class. Sure the stealth mission had a few mishaps, but they succeeded in the end, and really that's all that- 

For christ’s sake, Shota, you realize that’s not a good thing, right?

“Okay, that's it. No more confusing answers and deflecting.” Vlad started, wisely giving up on gathering information about the past two security tests, “Are you legitimately building an army of hero students to kill me? Because it's really starting to look like that.” Shota scoffed.

“Absolutely not.” He said before turning to Midoriya, “You got that on record right? The comment about the army, too? I mean I don’t think I am, but it’s a good idea.”

“Yep!” The boy replied enthusiastically before pursing his lips in thought, “Should I add a few exclamation points after your denial? Really sell the point?”

“Eh,” He made a so-so movement with his hand, “I’m not much of a shouter. Maybe do it in italics instead, adds to the intensity.” Vlad gave him the 'are you serious?' look with the twitching eyes and scrunched nose.

"See this?" The fang-toothed man gestured between the heroics teacher and his student, "I don't like this. You're recruiting soldiers and turning them into mini yous. I knew this generation was cursed but did they listen? No!" Huh, maybe Shinso was right about Vlad shaking his fist like an old man. Also, the hell did he mean 'mini yous'?

In Shota’s opinion, there have been far too many people comparing him to his students. The first one they got their conspiracy theorist hands on was Shinso, and wasn’t that just a disaster. Because yeah, he can sort of see the similarities between them- eyebags, floaty hair, failure of a smile, and dead inside- but unlike Shinso, he doesn’t make sarcastic remarks at everyone he meets-  fuck.  Bad example. Eri, though? Completely absurd.

The bond there is a little less about physical features like the red eyes- His eyes are only red when he activates his quirk, this doesn’t even make sense!- and more about how he’s the girl’s unofficial guardian while she’s a ward of UA. But in terms of personality, they got it completely wrong. He doesn’t enjoy candy apples, he doesn’t make those cheesy muscle poses that Eri has been learning from Midoriya and Mirio lately, he wasn’t an avid Crayola user, and he wasn’t unable to smile due to severe childhood tra-  god fucking damnit.  You know what? Just ignore the last two examples, they’re not important right now. The important one is Midoriya.

First off, everything Todoroki said about them sharing physical features might be the biggest stretch he’s ever seen. First off, the boy’s hair was green. Yeah, it had some black in it, but the heterochromatic eyed boy acted as if that was a genetic rarity in  Japan.  Second, having a quirk that erases quirks does not mean your child will be quirkless, it just doesn’t work like that. Not to mention their ages don’t fit either. So yeah, it’s a stretch for appearances. Personality on the other hand? Same fucking thing.

Where Midoriya prefers tea, he would know because that’s about half of everything the kid has stocked in his fridge portion, Shota prefers coffee. And sure, the boy may have recently been experimenting with coffee lately and using smaller amounts of sugar each time, but who doesn’t have their caffeine awakening at this age? Where Midoriya is constantly compared to an angel by everyone who meets him, including the underground hero himself because he’d be lying if he said otherwise, Shota was once hit smack-dab in the face with a cross because Ibara thought he was the devil reincarnate last year. The green-eyed boy may occasionally engage in psychological warfare- or a slight emotional manipulation, as he still proceeds to call it- with his classmates, teachers, and random employees at a hospital, but that’s really as far as it goes. Logical rises aside. And finally, if that still wasn’t enough to get Nemuri off his back, there are the differences of their pasts.

His freckled student was discriminated against for being quirkless, while the tired man was discriminated against for having a villainous quirk. Both are examples of quirkism, yet still very different. Midoriya was constantly beaten down by his peers while everyone was too terrified of being beaten down by Shota. And while there were some moments in junior high when an occasional bully would try to spread rumors that he steals quirks or stab his eye out- Jesus, and  Shota’s  the villain here?- it wasn’t anything  too bad . While Midoriya was isolated and mistreated by his ‘friends’, classmates, and teachers because they all thought he had some sort of contagious quirkless disease, Shota was isolated and mistreated because they all thought he was going to kill them and their entire bloodline. Sure it’s still a form of isolation, and both of them had to deal with constant staring and whispered remarks, but it’s completely different, Right? Maybe the insults directed towards Midoriya were spoken louder than his, or maybe he didn’t get his from teachers too, or maybe it was outside the class and not in class and-!

Shit. Midoriya is a mini him.

"...Vlad, do you need me to get you a glass of water?" He said instead, trying to smother the inner thoughts that were kicking and shoving at his brain to be let out. Vlad sputtered at the sudden change in conversation. "Because I think you're starting to hallucinate."

"What? No, no, no-"

"I bet it's been a very stressful day for you, sir." The green-eyed kid comforted solemnly, "A pro hero's job is never done, after all. And before you disagree, I'd just like to tell you that Kuroiro has been in the dorms all day with Tokoyami, they even posted a picture of them listening to MCR on Herogram a few minutes ago, and that there's a very high chance what you saw was a regular shadow." Holy crap, not even Shota thought of suggesting that. The erasure hero ducked his head in a falsely somber nod, effectively hiding the grin that threatened to break out on his face from the world.

"You know what's a good idea? How about you just sit in that chair," Shota nudged it far away from him, "and observe the rest of the security check." He lowered his voice into a mutter, "First class view, courtesy of my ass."

"Security check?" The blood hero whispered, suddenly sounding very exhausted as if the crushing weight of his black-haired coworker's pettiness was finally taking its toll. Thank god. "That's what you're doing? How are you even...?"

"Just sit back and enjoy the show," Stealth breach complete- a lot more successful than he was comfortable with. They're going to have to add some more cameras and alarms near the ventilation systems and windows- onto stage 3. The underground hero smirked as Midoriya pulled out his notebook- the last notebook he would need during the secretary job, now that he thinks about it, and was startled to find out that he didn't want to think about it- and ran over to the members of the final group of the day:

Physical destruction.

“So you know what you’re going to do now, right?” Izuku asked carefully as he watched Kaminari roll up his sleeves, teeth glinting as an excited grin spread across his face.

“Oh yeah! Gonna spark this thing into oblivion with a million volts!” The blonde boy stretched out his hands and got in a stance, locking his eyes on the ID swiper device before him. “I call it Pika Pika.” Okay, so that’s a no.

“Kaminari... you’re not gonna be using a million volts. You only need about 200 for this. The goal is to short wire the card swiper, not your brain.” The whole idea of his classmate short wiring his brain whenever he reached his maximum voltage, though, was still a scary thought to think about. After all, who knows what could happen if it had long term effects on his nerve cells. Now that Recovery Girl has more staff with her, Izuku had hoped that Kaminari could get the quirk counseling and treatment he needed, but old habits die hard he guesses.

“No offense, Mido,” The electric blonde said easily, and the green-haired boy instinctively tensed up. “But if you want my lightning to reach it, I kinda have to go above and beyond. It covers the entire surface area of my body and layers it multiple times to increase the distance it travels. Even one thousand volts barely covers a foot.” The one for all user crinkled his eyebrows. What did he mean by surface area?

“But... the distance shouldn’t matter for you?” His classmate gave him a weird look and he took that as a sign to elaborate, “I-it’s just that don’t know why you need to wait for your lightning to shoot out across several feet! Or even inches...”

“Well, that’s how my quirk works, Mido... has been for years...” His classmate had his eyes narrowed- is that confusion? Annoyance? Anger?- and a small voice inside of Izuku that he thought he had destroyed screamed at him to back down.  Don’t ask questions, don’t try to correct him on his quirk, he knows more than you. After all, what do you know? He’s had his quirk for over twelve years and you’ve had yours for barely two. Stop looking down on him, stop acting like your ideas have ever been useful, they’re not. The ideas are useless, all your notebooks are useless, and you’re useless -

The green-haired boy sucked in a quick breath as he was suddenly thrown back into the present moment, a weight knocking just hard enough into his shoulder to cause him to stumble a bit to the left, but light enough to make his movement almost unnoticeable. Almost. Slightly disoriented, his eyes roamed around his surroundings, only coming to a stop when he noticed a tall, dark presence at the very right corner of his vision.  Aizawa-sensei . He didn’t lift his head up enough to see the man’s expression, but he knew he was concerned. He always was, honestly. Concerned for Izuku, that is, more so than the rest of his students. But right now it’s mainly because the hero student has been standing and staring at Kaminari for quite a while with a frozen look of horror on his face. And it’s that sudden realization that has the freckled boy second-guessing Shinso’s earlier statement. 

He’s not Aizawa-sensei’s favorite student, even though the man is by far his favorite teacher, but maybe for once in his life, he’s not the least favorite either. He’s just... there. He’s a regular student, whose regular teacher has regular worries for him, and right now it’s taking everything in him not to completely break down at that. It took him a while, but he’s finally normal. He’s finally getting the school experience he should have gotten years ago. The experience he deserved, as Hound Dog kept drilling into him.

But now isn’t the time to have realizations, it’s the opposite actually. He’s in school, he can’t just embarrassingly break down sobbing- he’s still mortified- like he did last week. Aizawa sensei purposely bumped into him because he knew it would snap him out of whatever self-deprecating trance he was previously in, and now it’s time to let his teacher know that it worked. That Izuku has changed this week thanks to him, and he won’t take the indirect lessons of analysis and self-confidence for granted. The green-haired boy's breathing evened out, his pulse slowed down enough to not be thrumming in his ears, and as he saw Aizawa-sensei lift his hand, he heard a single sound:

Snap!

“Except it’s not. Your quirk isn’t the ability to shoot lightning out of your body, Kaminari, if it was you’d be able to control the direction and length of it. Right now, as it stands, all we know is that you can control how many volts of electricity you produce and that it releases itself in a sort of electric aura surrounding your entire body. According to you just now, you constantly have to produce over a thousand voltages just so it can travel a little bit of distance, and given your limit of 1.3 million, that can't be good for you." Izuku, so caught up in his analysis session, was completely oblivious to the quickening pace of his speech, words shooting out of his mouth so fast it was barely audible. Oblivious to the way the blood drained from Kaminari's face as he slowly backed away.

"You can't shoot it like bullets or tendrils without the use of equipment, but anything you touch immediately feels the shock, with no damage to you as long as you stay below 1.3. Along with that, it slightly paralyzes anyone who makes contact with it, or rather you, and you can absorb any electricity from outside sources..." He dissolved into a fit of quiet mutters for a few more seconds before suddenly stopping, eyes growing wide and mouth lightly parting open as he breathed out the next few words, "Oh my god. You're a fucking human taser."

Izuku pointedly ignored the small 'Language? Should I even bother correcting you at this point?' from Vlad King and the 'You know what, I actually like you better this way' from Aizawa-sensei as all the dots began to connect in his mind. He had always thought there was something off about Kaminari's quirk since he never really believed that a person's quirk should ever purposely work against them, but now he actually knew why. It's like All Might said a few years ago when the green-haired boy panicked about his quirk registration. The whole reason people are allowed to change what they're registered as is because, over time, you may realize your quirk isn't what you thought it was. For example, you may think your quirk is telekinesis when really it's just the attraction of metal objects. Quirks are tricky like that, and Kaminari is just beginning to understand the full effect of what that means.

"Huh?"  Or maybe not .

"I... don't really know how else to explain it. You control your voltage of electricity as if it were a setting, and anything you touch feels the shock. You're a taser. Although you also absorb electricity and redirect it, so you're a lightning rod." The boy frowned, "As far as I know there isn't anything I can compare it to to help you understand..."

"...So what you're saying is, I'm like Prince Zuko" The electric blonde breathed out in amazement. Ah yes, Zuko. But now isn't the time to feel nostalgic over ATLA.

"I mean, kind of? You can both redirect outer sources of electricity, but unlike you, he can't store it in his body."

"But I'm prince Zuko."

"Also he can actually shoot it out of his body in a specific direction, you're more of just an electric explosion."

"Sooo Zuko?" The one for all user has the feeling his classmate isn't really listening to him.

"He can't produce electricity on his own, either, he produces fire. A more accurate comparison of you and another character is Avatar would most likely be Azula, and even that's a stretch."

"Jiro could totally pass as Mai, too, she has that vibe. We'd be an epic duo: Mai and Zuko." Well, this is going nowhere.

"Who's Prince Zuko?" A peppy voice piped up from a few feet away.  Oh no.  The moment Uraraka sees a picture and single sentence summary of the fire prince, she'll shove it in Todoroki's face and the theories will just start rolling in. It'll be the Dabi fiasco all over again. Sure, both of them have a scar on one of their eyes, an absent mother, a horrible father, a (hypothetical) sibling that turned to the dark side, fire powers, a redemption arc through the powers of friend- Okay, Izuku is going to save the BuzzFeed unsolved knockoff of an internal monologue for later. Now is definitely not the time for another crisis, as he's sure his tired teacher woulda agree, since he wears a similar look of apprehension on his face. If a half-centimeter of a furrowed brow counts as apprehensive.

"Nothing!" The gravity girl stared on in suspicious disbelief at Izuku's words, "Erm, anyway, back to the card swiper. How about instead of standing like three feet away from it- why were you doing that in the first place?- maybe just... touch a single finger to it and let the electricity flow through?"

"Got it!" The human taser of a boy said with a toothy grin, muttering 'embrace the Zuko' when he thought nobody else could hear him. Although judging by his teacher's eye roll, someone did. Both Izuku and Aizawa-sensei took a few steps back in caution as the first step of the physical destruction stage was put into action. Then, several things happened at once in the next ten seconds.

First, Kaminari screamed 'for Kyoshi!' as he placed his entire hand on the card swiper. Second, the green-haired boy was caught in another dilemma between his options of Zuko or Mai. Third, the electric boy conveniently forgot he only needed 200 volts for what their goal was, and that just because Izuku had a revelation about the true essence of his quirk, that didn't mean he wasn't still susceptible to short wiring his brain. Fourth, the card swiper fucking exploded. Brilliant gold and bronze colled sparks dispersed into the air, reflecting themselves in mesmerizing green, black, and yellow eyes before pathetically disappearing on the concrete. All that remained of the card swiper was a chared, wire-y mess. And in the aftermath of the mess, as Kaminari drooled from his mouth and wobbled around, it was only Aizawa-sensei that spoke up.

"We knew the card swiper wasn't resistant to large inputs of electricity, why did we even bother testing it in the first place?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The green-haired secretary, Momo, and his teacher stared at UA's third-floor window in bewilderment as the 5-pound medicine ball bounced harmlessly off the glass- doesn't seem like glass- and toppled to the ground. Maybe it was just Izuku but he was preparing for more of a... well, deafening shatter? You know, where a million pieces of a delicate, transparent material are launched into the air and screaming immediately follows? Kinda like what happened after Mic-sensei's Halo solo, only without the steak knife murder chase.

"Well... I was not expecting that." Aizawa-sensei stated simply, "Try a ten pound?"

Momo nodded, still in shock from the previous failure, and slid two five-pound projectiles into the canon. Ah yes,  the canon.  Sometimes Izuku would stare at the gigantic black object and wonder when his life changed from being a quirkless outcast to a hero student to casually shooting objects out from a medieval weapon. After a few seconds of pouring the gunpowder into the tube for the fuse, all three of them covered their eardrums from the loud  BOOM!  that resonated around the earth. They can only hope they don't get sued by non-UA students due to the noise ordinance laws. Hesitantly, the trio looked up at the damage they caused.

Which was none. The window was exactly as it had been when they had got there: Spotless and laughing at their misery.

"What the actual hell is that window made of?" Aizawa-sensei muttered out, and Izuku couldn't help but agree. He knew UA was decently secure overall, but- what he assumed was- bulletproof windows? If they went as far as that, it was safe to assume they made it fire-rated, too. Huh, maybe they really did underestimate how far Nezu will go. But still, it's never a bad idea to test it out. Not wasting another second, Izuku lightly tugged on his teacher's hanging capture weapon, drawing the tired man's attention.

"...Should we light the balls on fire?" Momo's eyes widened as she whipped around to face him with a parting mouth, probably to interrogate him on why he thought it was a good idea. But hey! It's not his fault he wants to play it safe! It's simply being proactive. But before she could say anything, Aizawa himself shook his head, a thoughtful expression clouded his face as an incredibly relieved one took over her's. But Izuku knew better.

"It wouldn't be enough. Let's up the weight to 20, add some spikes around it, and  then  set it on fire." His teacher explained, signaling Izuku to write it down, but knowing the boy already was. A shadow fell over Momo's face as she stared at the way too contemplative duo, alternating her head between them and backing up.

"She was right..." The black-haired girl muttered, reaching for her phone and dialing an unknown number, "Midnight-sensei was right. There's two. Oh my lord, there's two. I can't handle two."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Heard you been talking shit, Kayama," The underground hero drawled out into his coffee, the one that still has whisps of smoke coming out of it, by the way. If Izuku heard Mei's supersonic muttering correctly, then this would be due to her newest baby: The thermos. Yes, it already exists, but unlike the other ones, this one also has a microscopic slot at the bottom for a ninja star. So it's only natural that it's Aizawa-sensei's new favorite invention, and that he has permanently taken her off the list he calls 'Kids I May or May Not Expel One Day'. Why does the green-haired boy know this, you ask? Simple. It's because the man whipped it out last Thursday to show to Vlad and loudly proclaim that  yes, he would gladly find a way to expel his coworker.

"Go cry about it, you fatherly hobo." The R-rated hero shot back, signature playful smirk curling around her facial features. Izuku flinched imperceptively next to Monoma, almost dropping the stance he was using to demonstrate to the blonde boy how he should aim the punch at the school's white pillars next to Kendo. There's that word again,  fatherly . There's nothing wrong with it, it's just a word with eight letters, three syllables, and two vowels after all! It's not tied to him nor Aizawa-sensei in any way whatsoever, no matter what Shinso told him. Right?

So why does it keep coming up ?

"Oh?" Monoma said in a deceivingly sweet voice, causing Izuku to sigh, "What's this? UA's hero course golden boy is taking his precious time out of his day to show me how to throw a mediocre pu- Wait, do I step forward with the hip shift?"

"Nope! Keep that leg back but pivot your foot and move the heel in turn with the direction of the punch." The green-haired boy kicked at Monoma's leg to nudge it back, "Widen your stance and bend your knees a little more for stability, but don't bend your posture with it. Keep your back straight, shoulders squared, and- Damnit, Monoma, your hands dropped from your face again."

"Ah, crap, my bad," The blonde copy-cat brought his fists up to his temples in front of his face again.

"You gotta stop doing that, you're leaving yourself wide open."

"Yeah, it's just the weight of Kendo's fist-size enhancement quirk keeps making me lose track of how much force I need to lift it when it's back to normal. Like that nickel in the phone prank from that one Office scene... Ahem, TO SHOW ME HOW TO THROW A MEDIOCRE PUNCH-"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, Uraraka, I know I'm the one who called you here today for a job, but I think it would be best if you headed back to class and lived the rest of the day in ignorant bliss. It's not you, I promise!" Izuku clarified, waving his arms around in a panic to make sure one of his closest friends didn't get the wrong idea, "It's just that now that I think about it, floating a small bomb above a certain area just to let gravity do its job and explode it doesn't seem school appropriate. Sure, none of this does, really, but I feel like Cementoss, Power Loader, and maybe even Nezu would draw the line at a mini grenade. Especially if Mei designed it, which she did. Even Aizawa-sensei agrees," and that's a really high bar, "Right?"

"Right." The erasure hero said, turning away from his temporary secretary to face the brown-haired girl, "Your compensation for wasting your time here today is Vlad's dog."

"Vlad's dog doesn't pay my bills." It might just be Izuku, but he could have sworn he saw a millisecond long flash of Uraraka's past life as a joint smoking mafia member threatening someone to pay her what they owe her before she bludgeons them to death with her ten cents fan. Five seconds of silence later, the students' teacher spoke up.

"...Your compensation for wasting your time here today is Vlad's dog and anything you find in his wallet."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ojiro, same thing as Uraraka, except in regards to student safety rather than property damage. Believe me when I say your quirk is so useful for this course of action! More than useful, actually! But during the time I was planning all of this, which was a grand total of ten minutes, I think I forgot the little detail that your tail cannot hold, aim, and launch a flaming, 20-pound medicine ball with metal spikes poking out of it without getting at least a few stab wounds." The freckled boy, having apparently nothing else to say to the incredibly polite tailed boy that he almost never talks to, eyed his gruff teacher.

"Unfortunately, we have lost access to a dog, a wallet, car keys-" He doesn't want to get bludgeoned by Uraraka, but he doesn't want to get arrested either! Just how many of Vlad King's items did she take?! "-an iHOP gift card, a Starbucks gift card, a family heirloom of a hero's great grandmother that will end up on eBay later today, and a state of the art AC. What I can offer you in compensation for your wasted time today, however, is a drawing from Eri, my winning enthusiasm, and a breathtaking smile." The tired man's face didn't move a single inch, his voice staying at the same monotone level. permanently maintaining its resting bitch face. Ojiro gratefully took the Crayola stained copy paper from his teacher before awkwardly smiling at the duo.

"Thank you. I think."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Izuku eyes tracked Kaachan's movements as the boy tactfully stretched in preparation; rolling his shoulder joints, flexing his palms, shaking out his arms, lightly jogging in place, all that jazz. He really looked at life as if it was a race to be won, didn't he? Yes, Izuku and his teacher had dismissed Uraraka from the front lines because they thought- no,  knew  that dropping a literal bomb would be going too far. And maybe it's hypocritical of him to reject her but keep his explosive classmate in the game. Emphasis on explosive. But he guesses it's because Kaachan is able to control the force and direction of his explosions, unlike a grenade, or at least if that grenade hasn't been altered by a certain pink-haired madwoman.

They would have only been able to conduct this experiment if the combined forces of Kendo and Monoma with enlarged fists weren't strong enough to break the wall down, which they weren't and hence the green-eyed boy's current predicament, so he guesses he's grateful for the new opportunity that rose from failure, albeit a bit disappointed. But it's not like he wanted to kick his red-eyed classmate out, right? Of course not. That'd be stupid and way against the plan he came up with and hyper fixated on for ten minutes a few hours ago. This is a good opportunity because now, they can test the effects of an explosion. And yes, he is once again ignoring how any of his experiments failing would technically be a success.

Somewhere along the line, he must have forgotten that there was a purpose to doing all of this, which was to identify the weak points of the school and fix them, and now all he has on his mind is just 'Destroy school. School go boom.' in a robot voice. But that's probably because he watches too many apocalyptic movies, as Aizawa-sensei himself can attest to. Izuku thinks he can still hear the words his teacher told him yesterday at the mall as he shoved every Rock Lock keychain he could find into his shopping cart: "You had us walk in here, walk out, buy a change of fancier clothes, walk back in here, and make a Pretty Woman reference. One more pop-culture punch line and I'm permanently banning you from viewing any form of media." Which Izuku had joyfully responded to by holding up a limited edition Eraserhead plushie he found in the man's face and whispering: "Big mistake. Huge."

In the end, he got several glares, but an enthusiastic high five from the cashier. So yeah, it was worth it.

It was when Izuku observed Kaachan flex his palms for the umpteenth time that a new thought occurred to him. This last stage is basically a free for all analysis session, right? After all, he has used quite a lot of time here learning new things about his teachers and classmates. For example, Present Mic enjoys Beyonce, Aizawa-sensei may have committed murder, Momo and Uraraka could potentially make one of the strongest hero duos if they had Mei as their support technician, Kaminari is a human taser, and Kirishima seems to have gotten matching tattoos with Tetsutetsu judging by the silver letters 'MAN' on his arm meant to be completed with a bright red 'LY'.

And through all of his observations, he had finally gathered up the minimal amount of courage he needed to speak them out loud. And if the deadpan looks his tired teacher kept sending his way every time he tried saying 'but whatever probably not true' and 'I don't know, though, so just ignore everything I just said' were anything to go by, his advice might actually be a bit... useful.  I know right?! How big of a 180 from junior high is that?!  And if his small comments were possibly helping his classmates develop themselves into the best heroes they can be, then... is it really that bad of an idea to do the same for Kaachan? It's not like he'll die, he recruited Kirishima into this group for that exact purpose: A human shield. And don't give him that look! Because it's working. The pitiful life of Kaminari has been rescued fifteen times today in the last hour.

But then again, Bakugo could shove the red-haired boy off like a fly if his murderous intentions were strong enough. It happened before during a one-sided recess squabble in fourth grade, and it could just as easily happen again. Not that the green-haired boy believed his classmate would be impulsive enough to hurt him where teachers could easily see and report it, right? ...Right? Yeah, he's lying to himself. Just keep your mouth shut for a few more minutes and you'll be fine, Izuku. Just two more minutes-

An image flashed before the green-haired boy's eyes. It was Kaachan, the orange and green hues of his costume tainted a murky brown from the sludge of the earth. Red eyes blown wide and wavering as they aimed themselves in front of him, yet it seemed strangely distant as if the ash-blonde boy had locked himself in his mind and not a single soul could pull him out of there if they tried. A weathered hand desperately clutched itself by the side of his head, delicately prodding at the single line of blood that flowed from his ear and smudged against deathly pale skin. The other hand occupied itself by balling up the leather fabric over his chest, twisting and pulling and  searching  for something he couldn't find. A breath of air that dispersed itself before it could reach his lungs. The image's locked eyes with Izuku and suddenly that blood-stained hand was reaching out, fingers morphed like claws as if to say 'You. You did this. You stood by and let this happen to me when you could have prevented it"-

The freckled boy's mouth was moving before he even realized what was going on.

"Kaachan?" The ash-blonde boy paused in his movements to face the source of the sound. His eyebrows arched downwards, his lips pulled up in a toothy snarl, and all at once his palm was lighting up and aiming directly at- and then it stopped.  What ? Izuku opened his eyes- at what point had he instinctively closed them?- to see his explosive classmate looking at him with an unreadable expression, his palm slowly, very slowly as if it was fighting to stay alive, sizzling back to normal color. He didn't once try to hit him and settled for a glared greeting.  Again, what? Oh my god, this was a mistake just please RUN WHILE YOU CAN- " Does- um, well, I was just wondering- Not for a long time! Just now it occurred to me! I mean it's always been a constant thought but-"

"Jesus Christ, De- FUCK! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?" Izuku furrowed his eyebrows,  rude . This is what he had talked with Hound Dog about last Friday in the remaining minutes of their session: Bakugo's seemingly never-ending anger at him. Yeah, his stuttering can be annoying at times, but Aizawa-sensei always found a way to bring him back on track without being a- a jerk! Yeah, Kaachan's a jerk! The green-haired boy decided to save that potentially long thought process for later, not wanting to waste even more time and make the boy even angrier. He huffed.

"Does it hurt? Your ears, I mean?" The frustration faded off his explosive classmate's face, replaced with confusion. It was a weird look on him.

"The hell?"

"Your ears. Do they hurt? Because you... you constantly explode things. All the time." The ash-blonde boy slightly bristled at that.  What ? "A-and every time you do that, there's just a loud booming noise right after. And you've been exposed to that sound for roughly 12 years. I know I read somewhere that the louder the sound and longer the exposure to it is, the more hair cells in your inner ear that get damaged. And the wea-" He probably shouldn't use the word weaker, "-erm, more damaged they are, the more damaged your hearing is. It-it also depends on how close you are to the source of it! But you've been at arm's distance from the source your whole life, so..."

Kaachan's eye twitched.  Crap .

"B-but not that it's a major problem or anything!" That's a lie. It is. Izuku just doesn't know how to phrase it in a way that doesn't send him to Recovery Girl in the end, "It's just been on my mind for a few years and I figured I might as well get it out of the way, right? Aha..hah... Erm, but yeah, obviously not a bad thing. I mean look at me-  not that I'm comparing myself to you! " It's sad that he has to clarify that. "But look at me, I've also been exposed to loud sounds my whole life and it's never had any effect on me! L-like I constantly had music blasting in my ears during health class in 8th grade so I could tune out the teacher when she started talking about why quirkless people should be extinct or why the lessons didn't apply to me because I was a freak of nature! Hah!" Jesus Christ that's so depressing. You have been stopped, Izuku.

Kaachan twitched even more.  Oh lord .

"That's just one example, though! Totally not an accurate comparison. Um, my old neighbor played his music really loud for a few days, so that hurt. Although I would later find out it was because he needed to drown out the screams of his father when he tortured him and eventually, um," Izuku dragged his finger across his neck, "But I think you already knew that, the cop car he was being taken away in passed by your street that night and I think he spray painted your house one time." Coincidentally, it was the day right after Daichi had found him with scrapes and bruises on his knees after school. "But an even better example would be how everyone else here has also been exposed to your explosions and they're all fine! And it's been two years of right-in-the-face mini grenades! Hell, I've had those for 12 years too and I'm completely fine! And- god where was I going with this? Nevermind. Forget I said anything, just blow up some stuff and ignore anything I may say about hearing in the coming years-"  BOOM!

"DAMNIT SHITTY DEKU JUST SHUT UP!" The green-haired boy barely suppressed a violent flinch, but judging by the way Kaachan's eyes immediately zoomed in on the way his foot shifted back a few inches as if he were ready to slip into a defensive stance at any point- which he hates to say is 100% true-, he noticed. The blonde himself shifted back a little bit and clenched his hands into fists. "Jesus Christ- You think I don't know that?!"  Huh ?

"What?" Izuku asks dumbly, "I was just asking-"

"Of course I know how my explosions affect my hearing, dumbass, I've been dealing with the side effects my whole life! I'm bound to notice how quieter things sound after I use my quirk for a bit! I'm not an idiot like you!" Izuku chewed on the inside of his cheek,  he didn't say you were . "I'm smart enough to have added precautions by now, okay?! Did you ever wonder why my eye mask bends back to cover my ears? IT'S BECAUSE I ADDED FUCKING HEARING AIDS! That screw-eyed psycho in support wouldn't let me leave until she put 'em in with controllable settings, too." He's incredibly proud of Mei for designing that, incredibly disappointed in himself for not noticing how Kaachan's mask increased in length since last year, but he's also getting increasingly annoyed with how much he's being yelled at right now. Izuku bit his cheek harder as his classmate continued. Of course, now of all times is when he chooses to talk to the green-haired boy.

"Be-fucking-sides, I've trained my quirk for years, I know how to control the strength of my explosions," The angry blonde tched, "Unlike-  God , not all of them are as loud as a whole-ass missile drop. And I don't just mindlessly explode things, okay?! I'M NOT THAT CARELESS! I explode what I want to explode, and I always have a reason for it too! I- Shit,  I always have a reason for doing what I do ." Izuku let his stinging cheek escape his teeth's grip at that.

"Uh... yeah? I know that? Your reason is that you're supposed to use it when fighting...?" Kaachan made a frustrated noise at the back of his throat and the freckled boy glared. It's not his fault his classmate is being overly complex right now.

"I mean- ARGH!" Izuku doesn't know what parallel dimension he just entered where Kaachan actually stutters, rambles, and struggles with his words, but he knows he wants to leave. Because somehow, this is scarier than any other explosion to the face. And why is he saying this to Izuku of all people? "I always have a reason for doing things, got that?! I got hearing aids because the explosions made listening a pain in the ass, that's a fucking example for you. I chose King Explosion Murder as my first hero name because I thought it had the message I wanted in it, but then kink-sensei went ahead and trashed on it, saying it went against what heroes should represent or whatever. I was pissed but it's a good thing she said that or else I would have been stuck with that name forever. Understand?"

"I- what? Are we talking about hero names now?"

"YES, DEKU, WE ARE. KEEP UP, WILL YOU?! I'm saying that my reasoning behind choosing that old hero name was wrong, so stupidly wrong I could fucking laugh! It was pretty damn stupid, too! And I regret it." Kaachan's frustrated breathing slowed down and his voice lowered into an almost-whisper, "I regret it. All of it. And I wish I never did it. If I could go back in time and take it back, I would... Get it?" The two stayed silent for a moment, blood-red eyes boring into the emerald green before Izuku finally spoke up.

"...No. Sorry, I'm still caught up on whether or not by 'kink-sensei' you mean the pro hero Midnight that's just barely out of hearing range." Kaachan roared in frustration as he aimed a couple of explosions at the sky to blow off steam. It didn't work.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE DEKU, DO I HAVE TO DUMB EVERYTHING DOWN FOR YOU? HUH?" He screamed, loud enough to damage both their eardrums but quiet enough to not gather any unwanted attention as they were a decent distance from the rest of their classmates, "IS THAT IT? ARE YOU SERIOUSLY  THAT. FUCKING. USELESS-"

And that's when the dam broke.

"Oh, well I am  so sorry , Kaachan." The one for all user said all too calmly, forest green eyes gleaming into that rare venomous color as the explosive boy flinched back, "I'm sorry I can't read minds. I'm sorry I can't immediately decode whatever cryptic  nonsense  you're spitting from you're mouth right now. I'm sorry I won't say whatever the words are for you so you can once again cowardly avoid talking through your problems and put the responsibility and blame on everyone else." Izuku's classmate opened his mouth, probably to start yelling at him again, but he didn't give him the chance. He had his turn to talk, and he spent it insulting him. Normally,- Normally? More like every damn time for the last 12 years.- Izuku would try and resolve the conflict before it turned physical, but after the week he's just had he realizes now that he's not responsible for being the bigger person. Being the 'bigger person' really just means accepting unreasonable treatment from others and acting like it had no effect on you. Like it was ever okay to do to another human being. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so,  so  sorry. Happy now?"

"...No."

"IT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION, KAACHAN. I DON'T CARE."

"WELL TOO BAD! YOU'RE GETTING AN ANSWER ANYWAY, SHITTY D- DAMNIT!" And why does he keep cutting himself off before he can say 'Deku'?! Kaachan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists a few times before continuing, a very disturbing expression on his face that was halfway between 'I want to kill your entire bloodline' and 'I will literally pay you to have your entire bloodline kill me', "What's your- Shit, I don't know, what's your favorite... animal?"  He- what?

" What ?" Izuku asked incredulously, because what the actual hell?

"I asked what your favorite animal was, nimrod! You deaf or something?" Izuku knows there's probably a joke that could be said about the pure irony of this situation, but he currently doesn't have the mental capacity to figure it out and perform it properly. Hopefully, Miss Joke will forgive him one day. Nevertheless, he answered.

"...It's a cat. My favorite animal is a cat."

"The hell? Why not a dog?" Oh, so this is what Aizawa-sensei felt like. Izuku bared his teeth at the other boy and the sparks of electricity glowed brighter, slithering its way up to his neck.

"Did you only ask me my pet preference so you could force your false opinions on it?!" Technically you cant have 'false opinions' but the green-haired boy likes to believe the cats and dogs matter is the exception to this fact. "I should have known!"

He really doesn't know where all this anger is coming from. Yeah, he was annoyed at the boy for twisting his words and insulting him again, but he'd already made his retort for that. And now Kaachan was asking about the animals he liked, so shouldn't he be happy? Then again he only asked to make fun of it, so maybe this is a little justified. Hound Dog also told him to be more open about any negative emotion he was feeling, so...

"I didn't ask just to- ARGH! That damn mutt said I had to do this or whatever! I had to make sma- Shit, ew. Smaaaa- Nope. Small T- UGGHHH-" Oh so now he's mocking Izuku by mimicking the way he always cuts himself off.

"You know what?! When I came over here it was only because I had a question regarding the health of one of your five senses! I didn't ask for this! Your ear safety is now of no importance to me!" That's a lie. Izuku can and will ask Mei to show him the blueprints of the mask design so he can take three pages worth of notes and try to develop an even better prototype with her. "So that underhanded mocking you're doing of the way I talk?! Cut it out already!"

"I'M NOT MOCKING YOU, NERD, NOW WHO'S MAKING ASSUMPTIONS, HAAH?!" Damn it, he's right, "Hound Dog said I had to make small talk or whatever! Don't make it weird like you always do!" Oh, he's the one making it weird? What's weird is that it took four times for Kaachan to say the word without gagging, "NOW TELL ME WHAT YOUR FAVORITE FOOD IS!"

"You choose now of all times to make small talk?! NOW?! ITS BEEN TWELVE YEARS SINCE WE HAD SMALL TALK, KAACHAN, YOU CAN'T ASK THESE UNRELATED QUESTIONS OUT OF NOWHERE AND EXPECT THAT TO BE OKAY! Besides, you already know my favorite animal, my favorite food too! It's spicy katsudon!"

"This whole time it was spicy?" Kaachan furrowed his eyebrows, "I thought I was the only one Auntie Inko made that for."

"Yes, it was spicy! You really didn't know that? The fact that you didn't even after our moms literally hang out every weekend shows that you can't randomly make small talk now!"

"Tch, well Auntie said-"

"AND STOP HOGGING MY MOM!"

It was at that moment Izuku noticed how close the two had gotten. Kaachan was inches away from him, holding the explosion design that's behind his head on his costume in his hand and ready to use as a bludgeoning tool; And Izuku was inches away from him too, his notebook and fancy mechanical pencil ready to be used a sword and shield if necessary. They were smart enough not to use their quirks during their little spat, but the fighting stances they had subconsciously slipped into showed that they didn't really need them to send a person to Recovery Girl.

So maybe Izuku shouldn't have been so surprised when he felt a signature grey capture weapon secure itself around his waist and hoist him four feet into the air.

"YOU CAN'T BE A JERK TO ME AND GOSSIP BUDDIES WITH MY MOM AT THE SAME TI- AHH!" The green-haired boy observed as his limbs dangled in the space below him, feeling a strange sense of deja vu. He looked to his life and, as expected, he found his teacher staring at the two of them with the most dead expression on his face. Ah, he's probably feeling the familiarity of this situation, too.

"Problem secretary, Bakugo," He can't tell if that's a nickname promotion or demotion, "I hope you know I won't hesitate to kick your asses to Canada if you repeat the whole ground Beta experience today." That's nice of him, usually, it's Antarctica or some other very strange threat like boiling their teeth or deleting their kneecaps. Suddenly, Aizawa faced him with an unreadable expression as he lowered his voice into a whisper, "Bakugo and your mom are gossip buddies?"

"Occasionally."

"And he believes what she says?"

"He treats her like a god. Her word is the gospel." On one hand, he's pretty offended and maybe a little jealous. He tried so hard to be Kaachan's friend up until this point, and he's gotten nothing but a bomb to the face, but his mother gets home-baked goods. He's not gonna lie, it hurts. But on the other hand, who  doesn't  treat his mother like a god? And either way, she completely deserves it.

"I see... Yeah, I can work with that." He stated simply, oblivious to Izuku's growing suspicion, "Anyway, Bakugo," His teacher's voice raised back to its normal volume before he could ask any questions, Kaachan looked back at them, "Resume your stretching and once you're done, go ahead and blow the wall to bits, but tell us if it either doesn't work or how much force you needed to make it work. Oh, and expect a lot of toilet paper in the coming days."

"Eh?"

"Nothing."

Yeah, Izuku's definitely suspicious.

"So, Problem Child," A mug of coffee clanked down on Nezu's desk next to a pair of legs, "Summary of today's events. Did we verify that this school's online firewalls are airtight? Do we know which areas we have to add cameras to so no other stealth groups can sneak in through the windows and sneak right back out? Did we cause enough property damage? Did we make Vlad cry? Did I make enough death threats today? Is my inner emo/goth aesthetic showing enough or do I need more eyeliner-"

"What the hell are you doing?"

Nemuri smirked as she angled her head over her shoulder to look at him. She was draped over the rolling chair, her heels were propped up next to the computer in Nezu's office, she was wearing a grey scarf for a reason that is unfortunately known to him, and she was  drinking from his coffee mug . He knew it was going to happen again one day when someone messed with his coffee, he just didn't think he'd be betrayed by one of his closest friends. He also didn't think one of his closest friends would be waiting in hi- Nezu's office just to do such a poor imitation of him, too.

"What? It's pretty a good replication if I say so myself." Shota flipped her off from the doorway and she groaned, "Fine, sulk if you must, Mr. Darcy, one of these days I'll get you to appreciate all that time I wasted in acting class during our second year. But don't take my word for it, take your little secretary's over there." With a small frown, the underground hero looked down to his left at Midoriya.

The green-haired boy had his notebook clutched in a death grip on one hand- when did he get it out? How does he always get it out so fast?!- and a pencil in the other. His entire body was stiff as a ramrod, eyes wide and mouth opening and closing at random intervals as he looked from a smirking Nemuri to a confused Shota, to Nemuri, to Shota, and so on for the next few seconds. Shota was being dramatic when he said he'd snap his own neck by moving his head between people too fast, but looking at it now... it's a very real possibility.

"Midoriya," The gruff man said, nudging his student lightly with the tip of his capture weapon to snap him back into the present moment. "What does the gremlin mean?" He ignored Nemuri's gasp.

"...If I'm being completely honest," That's never a good way to start a sentence, "I heard 'Problem Child' and 'summary' in the same sentence and it..." he waved the notebook around, "it just sorta happened."  Oh my god, it's Pavlov's Midoriya . Looking back now, the same goes for the snapping. Nemuri began to cackle and Shota would have told her to stick a sock in it, but he knows what would just lead to another dirty joke, and the kid looked like he still had something to say as he shifted his weight from leg to leg.

"Anything else?" Izuku awkwardly laughed and scratched his temple,

"Erm, well, not that the impression was accurate or anything!" He doesn't like where this is going, "But um, before Midnight-sensei even showed up I was kinda maybe already planning on, uh," Shota sighed,  of course . It's not that he's disappointed in the kid or anything, far from it, actually. The kid's reports of every course of action they've done so far has always been extremely thorough, and Shota would be lying if he said it wasn't a huge help ever since he was given this temporary job. Yeah, slipping into the role was pretty easy, but managing these kinds of thing are always a difficult thing to do. So no, he's not disappointed in Midoriya. He is, however, incredibly disappointed in whatever deity smiled down at Nemuri and gave her the perfect timing to let her have the cocky satisfaction she has with herself right now. Nonetheless, he nodded his head towards the boy to continue, but not before yanking his cup back from the R-rated hero.

“Right! Um, about the first question, the online security is impenetrable, aside from the exposed camera in the doorway of the teacher’s dorms, which is already open so it doesn't count. Like Aizawa-sensei said,“ Nemuri gave him finger guns and he resisted the urge to throw the new pot of coffee he was making at her scarf, “most villains would be too put off by anything they find in there to try and plan anything, and even if they did, a quick look into the blueprints of the school showed that Nezu had implemented a defense mechanism that goes off when an unknown intruder enters through there. And the mechanism is... I don’t know if there’s a less aggressive way to say this, but it’s a blunted swinging axe. Like seriously- the moment a villain enters it’s just gonna ram them straight into the wall. Technically it’s not murder, but it’s pretty damn close.” The boys flipped to the next page, oblivious to how both Shota and Nemuri stopped their squabbling to share horrified looks at the new information. What is this school? A saw movie?

“Next is the stealth group, which might be the only one with any major problems. Sure, the test wasn’t completely accurate since Shinso is a student at UA and therefore didn’t have to break onto school premises to access the vents given that he has an ID card, but he was still able to crawl through the ventilation system and let in several other classmates through the window without getting caught. Because of this, they were able to stalk Vlad-sensei and Midnight-sensei-“

“I- what?” Shota’s purple-haired friend stuttered out.  Hah, serves her right,  he thought as he poured a packet of sugar into his new mug of co- When the hell did he start using sugar packets?

“-and gain access to private information, as well as their computers. If they were villains, they would have done something way worse with the opportunity than haunt Vlad-sensei with a horribly saturated wallpaper collage and a black cat in the center. Why there were no cameras near the windows, vent openings or  front office  is the problem here. So once again we should look into UA’s savings account sometime tomo-“ The boy cut himself off, and Shota knew exactly the reason why.

Tomorrow. A simple word that billions of people use every day, and for a good reason. Until the sun comes crashing down on Earth to release death and destruction, there will always be a tomorrow for mankind. Although, as he’s currently trying to force himself to face, the same doesn’t apply for either of their positions. There is no tomorrow for Shota being principal and Midoriya being his secretary, there’s no tomorrow for any courses of action they wanted to take but didn’t have enough time to complete in the last week, there’s no tomorrow for Shota to hand off copious amounts of notebooks and fancy mechanical pencils to his student and watch as he filled them with superhuman amounts of reports and analyses, there’s just today and nothing more. 

Because tomorrow- the mankind one, not to be confused with the principal/secretary one- Nezu will come back. The little rat will jump right back into his rolling chair, sip some tea, break some student’s dreams and aspirations, and forget any of this ever happened like he always does. It’ll be just like old times when Shota is able to grasp some small semblance of what power really feels like, only for it to be ripped out of his hands and crushed right in front of him, the dust of his ambitions shaken off into a garbage can. Because this is what always happens, and the underground hero is once again disappointed in himself for forgetting that. He can’t have power, he can’t make a serious difference, and he can’t convince others to let him have the opportunity to have and do either- He’s stuck. So he guesses what he’s trying to say is that for him, there’s no tomorrow, there’s just today.

And he’ll be damned if he doesn’t use the rest of today to the fullest.

There’s no tomorrow. Boo-fucking-hoo. Go cry about it, you sap. He has- what? One-two hours left on his last full day of being principal? Excluding the two hours he has tomorrow before Nezu gets back, that is. Fine, while it's not and never will be ideal, it's enough. Enough to try and convince himself that the changes he and Midoriya made to this school were not a lot but they were enough, and one day might even help future students. And if not the changes they made to the school, then... maybe the changes they made to themselves.

Because Shota  laughed  at something! And what the actual fuck was that?!

But yeah, the underground hero may not be satisfied with himself, but that didn't mean hi- the kid doesn't have to be.

"There's probably enough time to make the call later today about the budget," Shota said instead of his embarrassingly long inner monologue, earning a wide-eyed look from Midoriya, "And if it's a matter of installing new cameras and alarm triggers by the windows and vents for the sake of security, I don't think we'll need another staff vote to do it. Especially after the clusterfuck that was last year." There were so many life-endangering situations that by now it isn't even scary to talk about, it's just embarrassing.

"About that, it's a good idea to install those in the areas I mentioned, but is there any way for the vent alarm to trigger if it's just... anyone besides Shinso?" Ah yes, the purple-haired brat who calls him Cat guy that for some reason he chose to personally mentor. With every vine reference that comes out of the boy's mouth- Yes, he now knows what that is. A late-night googling session with ten compilations that got more and more absurd as time passed is one he wishes he could take back- he regrets that decision even more. But Shota guesses he doesn't mind too much, the potential makes up for it, after all.

Potential, not fondness. That's it, nothing else. He's not being a dad, so shut up. And stop giving him that look, Nemuri.

"Why is that?" The spiky-haired woman asked,

"I think he's grown attached to it. On the way here I saw him glaring at a kid who tried to help him pick up the vent seal. He also uses it as a mode of transportation between classes now, and I wouldn't be surprised if he hoarded some of his own items up there." So he built a nest. Completely normal. "He came in with nothing and came out with a physics textbook, that doesn't seem normal but it would explain why his locker is empty. And besides it being pretty useful for him, it's also really,  really  cool." It can be stealth training, too, to prepare for hero course admission. And Shota knows that Midoriya knows that's a good reason, but he guesses the boy is still caught up in how Shinso apparently dropped from the ceiling vents just to invite him out for coffee after school. But it's a valid excuse. If someone invited Shota to coffee by hanging from the ceiling like a depressed bat, it'd be hard to say no. Both out of pure amusement and love for coffee, and out of pity for how much blood must be rushing into the other guy's head at that point from being upside down.

"Yeah, he can have vent privileges. But if at any point he tries to jumpscare me like a knockoff Freddy Fazbear, I will not hesitate to fill the vents with rat poison." Midoriya gave an enthusiastic 'Right!' as he wrote it down, completely unfazed by his teacher's threat of manslaughter. So was Nemuri... for Shota, at least. But for Midoriya being unbothered? Not so much, judging by the extra-long sip she took from her-

"Are you drinking alcohol?" Shota asked in disbelief, "Nemuri it's 1 in the afternoon-"

"Hey!" She jabbed a finger at him, "I don't need to hear this crap from you of all people. You may never get drunk during work, but that doesn't mean you never wanted to. And besides, I've said it before and I'll say it again: Anything in or near the p.m area is fair game." Congratulations, she's doing the bare minimum of avoiding liver disease. Shota, with nothing but a gut feeling, snap/pointed at Midoriya, who immediately flipped to a different page in his notebook. God, his theory was right, the snapping gesture became second nature for both of them. And he's sure he's going to miss it once he's back to being a regular teacher who has to give regular lectures again, no longer having the ability to stop talking whenever he pleases and have his student handle the rest.

"Alcohol can reduce communication between your brain in your body, costing you your ability to think and move straight, especially with damaged coordination and balance. And along with that, it also causes numbness and tingling sensation in the hand and feet. And while this may be okay to experience in a safe environment at night, knowing full well you'll wake up in bed tomorrow with nothing but a hangover, I have to admit it's a little risky to be doing it in a hero school where villains could attack and leave you incredibly unprepared..." Midoriya made a 'yikes' face which somehow managed to communicate all the ideas he couldn't describe with words. Another thing Shota is going to miss about having a secretary that carries around a notebook filled with random knowledge at all times? The ability to call at him at any point to discourage his female friend from drinking in a school full of teenagers.

"...Haters gonna hate." Well doesn't this feel nostalgic? Shota sighed and nodded at the kid to continue his report.

"For the physical destruction stage, there were close to no problems at all. The windows are unbreakable-  even after being hit with flaming, metal spiked, 20-pound medicine balls- " Nemuri choked, "The walls are indestructible, too, which is surprising considering it was repeatedly hit with explosions for an excessive 20 minutes, and nothing else seems like it's on the verge of collapsing from so much damage. So we're good. We don't exactly know if a grenade could be UA's downfall, but I doubt any villain would go that far. I also doubt any villain would fire 1.3 million voltages of electricity at a card swiper, which is what Kaminari did, who is currently with Nariko Rei in Recovery Girl's office," It's at times like these that Shota appreciates the addition to the staff. "So as soon as that's replaced, there will be no proof that we conducted these experiments in the first place."

'No proof'. What wonderful phrasing.

It was necessary, though.

"Well," The boy continued, "aside from Vlad King's wallpaper, that is. Although I doubt he'll ever speak of it again after today since he knows it could have been much worse," The green-eyed boy gave the two pro heroes a toothy grin at that and Shota wondered how someone so innocent could be oblivious to such a threatening statement. Another trait from his father, he assumes. "I've already made a list of all the changes needed to be made, as well as their approximate costs, and it's currently in a drafted email to Nezu. I'd send it right now but it'd be a good idea to let Hyun Gong from the business department check it over first, just to be safe. I don't think I made any errors but if principal Nezu is going to be the one reading this and possibly pointing out my mistakes then... that is not something I ever want to go through." Believe him, no one does. Nezu was never particularly 'mean' to him when he was a student, but that may be due to the fact that the rat can't comprehend human emotion, and therefore doesn't realize that bluntly pointing out 75 errors in Shota's assigned essay on quirk laws and loopholes could be taken as such. Not that he minded, though. It made him better at grading and completing all his paperwork as a pro hero, and it might have even been where he got his bluntness from.

And  Jesus Christ does he despite that. He never wants to be compared to an actual psychotic rat-

"And besides that..." The forest-haired boy chewed on the inside of his cheek, "...I don't know. There's nothing have left to do before school ends, or rather nothing we have enough time to do in less than 2 hours, so for now it's just... an empty schedule." Shota could think of many things that take less than 2 hours to complete. Such as giving a survey for Midoriya to fill out, filled with a bunch of boxes to check out regarding the greatest fears and pet peeves of All Might and Bakugo. For research purposes, of course. The same for Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Death arms from Nemuri, who he thinks will be much less hesitant about handing him the information. But that's precisely why he can't do that.

Midoriya, bless his soul, is way too kind to give up the secrets of his favorite hero/mentor- Shota's chest ached at that, but why?- and his long time explosive peer. And it's not like the erasure hero can tell the boy that the survey isn't actually necessary since he's already been doing some deep digging because that would just earn him a disappointed puppy dog stare. Something that all of the staff at UA have learned to avoid at all costs by now. The last time one of them got one was when Hizashi rickrolled the entire class, and he still hasn't recovered.

Today is the last full day of the two of them being principal and secretary together. And no matter how common it is in this school, he doesn't want to spend it with either of them feeling disappointed or stressed. And yes, he may be underestimating the strength of Murphy's law, but so what? This was a busy and productive week for the both of them, and for that, at least, he thinks they deserve- dare he say it- a break. Yes, ring the fucking bells, because Shota Aizawa of all people has just admitted that he wants and needs a break. 'Zashi is rolling in his grave. He wants coffee, he  wants his chair back, Nemuri,  and he wants to laugh at the misfortune of others in his remaining one and a half hours. So that's exactly what he'll do, and he'll encourage his k- yeah, his kid, his annoying but unfortunately endearing R-rated friend, and the other endearing purple-haired brat that just  dropped in a crouch out from the vents and in front of Midoriya just to hand him his homework  to do the same.

"I do," Shota said, having finally succeeded in his attempts to knock Nemuri out of his chair. He grabbed his computer and opened to the security feed of the eye mask Shinso was given earlier, which thankfully was still in the same position as it was before when they almost got caught: Right next to the blood hero's desk. "Vlad still hasn't seen the wallpaper you made him and I don't care what any of you hyperactive demons say, I'm not missing it for the world." Nemuri's head popped up in interest as she dusted herself off and rolled her own chair next to Shota's behind the desk.

"Hah, now this I gotta see."

"Hear, hear," Shinso said, dragging the other chair- and Midoriya with it- over to the other side of Shota before sitting on the desk next to the computer.

Midoriya was a different case, though. Having already sunken too deep into the leather chair to get out- Shota's knows the feeling- he was quick to accept that he would now be permanently positioned between the heroics teacher and the lilac eyed snarky teenager. What he seemed unable to accept at first, however, was that no one was bothered with him sitting there. Nemuri was already handing him and the other boy the mini bags of popcorn-  when did she make that ?-, Shinso was subconsciously using Midoriya's fancy mechanical pencils as gentle drum sticks against the green bush of hair, and Shota-

Shota wasn't doing anything. He wasn't giving him a death glare, he wasn't trying to knock him out of his seat, he wasn't eying him with barely hidden disdain; He was just... there. And the kid was there, too, not hunching in on himself or scurrying away. They were coexisting within each other's reality as principal and secretary, teacher and student, and... mentor and mentee. And while that may seem stupid or just the bare minimum of common courtesy, it was... a lot, for the both of them. Nemuri may have chosen slightly different words for that last example he gave but that's not the point. The point is that none of them made a move to disband their little group, because maybe deep down they knew they were more than that. They were- Don't you  dare  quote him on this, he will deny it- found family. They were wanted. And yes, their temporary positions would end in a short amount of time. But as the four of them sat there with each other, munching on popcorn and sipping away at coffee as they repressed their snorts in reaction to Vlad's screams of horror, Shota knew one thing:

For this, at least, there would always be a tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Being alone isn't the same as being lonely. 

When you're alone, it's because you chose to be. You chose to cancel all your plans, shut off your phone, settle down on the couch and spend the next eight hours doing a movie marathon. Regardless of the severe drop in quality by the third addition. You chose to separate yourself from others for a little while and enjoy some time alone with yourself, a person only you can access and analyze, where you can collect your thoughts and be who you really are.

Even if who you really are is a piece of shit, like Vlad.

It was your choice, and no one else's. And Shota knows this because no matter how long you shut yourself inside your brain, how long you lock out the people around you behind a chained-shut door, there's still someone on the other side. Someone waiting with bated breath like an excitable puppy for your return, eyes flickering to the door every five seconds to see if you're ready to come out, knuckles gently and patiently knocking against the hardwood to coax you out.

And more often than not, it works, if Vlad's disgusting love for an inferior animal such as a dog is anything to go by. So no, being alone is not the same as being lonely.

Being lonely is when the knocking finally stops. When you've neglected the door for so long that it's rusted over and become so disgusting that even you can understand why no one else would want to stick by it anymore. 

And what's hilarious about all of this is that you don't realize you've become lonely until the shoulder you thought you could cry on covers itself with a black coat and shoves you off; until the hand reaching out to help you up tangles its fingers in your hair and throws your head back down against the concrete; until the car that you thought was your ride back home drops you off on the corner of a street and rides off into the distance- framed pictures, stuff animals, bedtime stories, and whatever else was left of your old life being tossed out the window and left to rot.

And he's not gonna lie, it hurt a bit, seeing things he's cherished being treated as though they're worthless by people who don't even see the whole picture. Anything and anyone you ever thought you could depend on-trust- left you in the dust. So, ignoring the overly specific example, it's all very ironic.

Almost as ironic as not realizing you aren't lonely anymore until someone picks at your capture weapon, says the durability and length are very admirable and proceeds to yell 'THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID' and slaps your forearm as they cackle.

That's what happened to Shota, at least, fifteen years ago during one of the worst days of his life but again right at this very moment. And despite the breathtaking shock that came from that discovery, eyes microscopically widening watching purple eyes tear up at the edges as they roared in laughter, he still had enough control over mind and body to grab Midoriya's peanut butter covered apple slice right out of his hand and throw it at Nemuri's costume sleeve. The R-rated hero let out a strangled gasp, slapping the food item off her sleeve but not without leaving an ugly brown-orange stain in its wake, and glared at the merciless underground hero.

"You twiggy little bitch- "

"My scarf, Nemuri, my scarf." Black eyes narrowed at the woman next to him in judgment and betrayal, "The one thing I told you never to make another dirty joke about ever again, and yet here the fuck we are . I hope it stains forever, you goblin, I'll ruin your laundry bill." And that's a promise. Shota knows first-hand just how horrible stains from certain substances can be on specific types of fabric- he can thank Majima and his poor eye coordination for that- and that's precisely why this is the best course of action for his war against Nemuri. 

"Well excuse me for trying to find a little entertainment in my life, especially since it's obvious you aren't giving me any. Dragging me over here-"

"You followed us."

"-taking up my break-"

"I can't remember a single moment you taught this week." Or this month, actually. What do his students do during hero art history anyway? Find symbolic meanings based on the color palette of All Might's tacky costume? Connect Tensei's armor to the medieval time period?

"-and being a stick in the mud with no compensation in return." Nemuri huffed with a pout and moved her hair behind her ears as she observed her surroundings, "Why are we even here? It's dark and it's dusty and I haven't seen any cockroaches yet but I'm nothing if not a believer. We couldn't have sat in the middle and not... here?"

"No, we couldn't."

This is a strategic spot as far as he's concerned. His hero costume blends in with the shadows, effectively cloaking his presence, he's far enough away from the rest of the cafeteria tables that no one can hear anything he says, and he's has a decent view of everyone else in the wide room, perfect for people-watching in the cafeteria.

Especially since the rest of the teachers agreed that the hour before Nezu comes back should be considered a school-wide holiday and therefore they should allow the students to casually converse with their friends as they enjoy these final, tranquil moments of peace of mind. He gets to observe them in their natural habitats. He doesn't exactly know why people-watching is something he does on reflex now- or why he feels the need to psychoanalyze them based on just their appearance and behavior- but he's not gonna start second-guessing himself after 20 years.

"Fineee, be a wallflower." Don't make it sound cute, "But can you at least tell me why we're here? What course of action can you even accomplish in an hour? Especially since all you did for the last hour was pass around info that teenagers-Heroes in training- should not be aware of,"

Shota is many things. He's sleep-deprived, he's an underground hero, he's on the hero commission's watch list for reasons they refuse to tell him- but most importantly, he's a heroics teacher. And if Midoriya has a question regarding the skills needed to become one, then who is he to deprive him of that?

So yes, he will pass on information- from where to access fake IDs to throwing knives at moving objects- regardless of how 'morally grey' it is. Because that's the most logical decision, even if it ended with both of them getting a disappointed look from Hizashi due to them almost stabbing Vlad and giving Aoyama a heart attack.

"As well as steal company property." She continued. And yeah, okay, that's a valid concern. But if it's the last day of his and Midoriya's principal/secretary gig, and the materials that were way-too-conveniently found in Nezu's office weren't going to be of use anymore, then what's the harm in taking them home? So yes, the erasure hero snatched some tea bags and maybe-sort of shoved an entire box of notebooks and fancy mechanical pencils to Midoriya. Sue him.

Nevertheless, he guesses Nemuri deserves some sort of context for their situation at the moment, but that doesn't mean Shota has to be the one to give it. As if it was second nature- which let's be honest, it definitely is at this point- the erasure hero turned to his green-haired student with an unspoken job in mind. Only to be met with silence.

The gruff man blinked at Midoriya, Midoriya blinked right back, and it went on like that for way too long. After a few agonizing seconds of his kid picking up another apple slice, dipping it in peanut butter, and slowly chewing and swallowing, he finally spoke up.

"I actually... don't know." Ah right, now he remembers, it's because he didn't tell him, "I followed you even though I didn't know what was going on, mostly because Nezu isn't back yet and I don't think I go back to classes until tomorrow, and, um, I stayed for the food."

You know, now that Shota thinks about it, where does Midoriya keep getting all these snacks from? With a giant pile of chip bags, candy, and Jesus Christ is that sushi on the other side of the table, the kid looks like he got a whole buffet next to him. Is he Lunch Rush's favorite or somethi- Why does even he bother asking this? Of course he is.

If Shota's observations over the last one and a half years are anything to go by, the number one spot in all of his coworker's hearts is reserved by the kid.

He's the only one who didn't flinch even the tiniest bit at Ectoplasm's face, the only one who's comments about Midnight's costume was focused on how to improve the efficiency of the shoes instead of public backlash, the only one who beat the support kids to the labs during the first week of school because he wanted Power Loader's autograph, and so on. Not to mention how he's All Might's unofficial child. So really, it wouldn't be a surprise that he's Lunch Rush's favorite, too, he's everyone's.

Except for Shota, that is, because he doesn't have favorites. It's more or less just who he hates the least. For example, He wants to burn Vlad alive, he's deeply disturbed by Nezu, he's annoyed by all fellow heroes and all hero students, he can tolerate his students a little more, he can go so far as to say he's okay with Nemuri's company, and Hizashi... he's not sure. Which is strange, because he usually always knows, but his loud friend is somewhere up there.

As for Eri, Shinso, and Midoriya, it's also quite strange. They aren't on the same level as his students, because Mineta used to be his student and he wouldn't compare anyone to that, so that's out of the list of possibilities. They'll never be on the same level as Nemuri, Obo- and Hizashi because that's a relationship built on 15 years of nonstop nagging, sexual jokes, and being dragged to karaoke, so that's out of the way as well.

And he can't hate them as much as he hates sunlight- he gave them all too many crayons, coffee, and notebooks for that to be possible- or worship them as much as he worships caffeine- because he doesn't bring fellow humans into his religion-, so they're sort of just... there. They're there in a way that Shota can't find himself to be displeased at. But that doesn't mean they're his favorites, Okay? Because that's... it's just... well...

"Well shit, Shota, I guess that means you'll have to..." Nemuri placed a mock comforting hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts and making him remember just how much how he can still hate this woman despite her being his friend, "explain it yourself." He sighed as Midoriya gave him a justified pitying look.

"Yeah..." The underground hero spared one last second feeling sorry for himself because of the company he chooses to keep around before jumping right back into his regular, blunt self, "this is an interrogation." He would have brought out a clipboard or something at that- maybe take some inspiration from Iida and Midoriya, or for the sake of accuracy of what he's about to do, Todoroki- but he's nothing if not a mess of a human being, so he whips out a crinkled post-it note with his usual lazy scrawl on it. Midoriya gasped.

"Oh, me too!" Okay, what? His kid opens the brown messenger bag- the same one that brings about a tingly sensation in the back of Shota's brain, remembering last Wednesday when he first gave it to Midoriya before they did the medical staff interviews- and pulls out another notebook. "No one told me what was happening today, so I made a small list-" What the hell counts as small? "-of questions I've wanted the answers to for the last one and a half years but never had the chance to ask. I was gonna say this before Midnight-sensei asked but I showed Lunch Rush first and he said that forcing info out of my teachers wasn't exactly plus ultra of me. But that's absurd because I wasn't going to interrogate you guys! I was just going to do a slightly more intense and focused interview!" Shota thought the kid would have realized how horrible interviews are by now, especially after that whole Hironori fiasco last week. The underground hero shivered at the thought, it wasn't an experience he'd like to repeat.

"I hope you know that changing the words makes it sound more threatening," Nemuri said. Midoriya tilted his head as if he was genuinely confused which he probably was and oh my god what kind of misunderstandings must this have caused in the past- "Last time you mentioned slight emotional manipulation of peers, I think Majima died a little bit on the inside."

"Huh? Well..." The green-haired boy stuck his tongue out in thought before jolting in his seat like a bulb lit up over his head, "What about extremely thorough observations and control over a friend's mental state and functions?!" This is just sad. Shota silently shook his head and watched as the boy made an 'o' shape with his mouth before scribbling something down in his notebook again, giving the erasure hero an idea.

"Tell you what," he started, drawing both of the other occupants' attention, one of them looking on in interest and the other fearing for her life over what Shota might suggest, "In the not-so-wise case that I ignore everything Lunch Rush said, I'm still not going to let go of my post-it note of questions, and I highly doubt you will either." The boy nodded, confirming his theory, "So how about this: For every question I ask, you have the chance to ask one too." Midoriya narrowed his eyes,

"What do you mean by chance?"

"As long as the question isn't about the whole Tsukauchi story where the windows had 'REDRUM' on it and the chairs were vandalized," The green-haired boy quickly crossed out a line in his notebook and Shota nodded because he knew it , "or whatever happened to that Yakuza member you saw on the security camera," another crossed-out line, "or the question Majima asked about my hair in the UA yearbook," The kid ripped out the whole page, "...then I'll answer."

"I still think this is rigged against me, but sure," That's the spirit. Shota opened his mouth- to read out the first question he had, to recite John Mulaney's quotes, who knows? Certainly not him. Because he never got the chance to speak- when a loud Slap! noise echoed around as Midoriya held a hand over his nose, "I CALL DIBS!"

"Little shit," The underground hero muttered, dropping the post-it note again, before raising his voice back to his regular volume, "Alright, shoot." The green-haired boy gave a feral grin- He doesn't even know he's doing it!- as he turned to the halfway-mark in the notebook and suddenly Shota realized something.

He made another horrible mistake.

"Besides winning the sports festival, did you need anything else to gain admission to the hero course?" Shota raised an eyebrow, this was certainly a much simpler question than he was expecting, "Winning the sports festival definitely wasn't easy, but I can't see Nezu letting in a student purely because of that," Well, he's not wrong.

"Good grades, a clean record for obvious reasons, a stable-ish income because they didn't provide uniforms back then, and..." The erasure hero winced, "lessons with the psychotic rat himself." The superpowered boy's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and Shota became very aware of the fact that you can't just be vague with Midoriya, it simply wasn't within the range of possibilities. Anything you say can and will lead to a flood of calculated questions, whether he decides to ask you straight up or investigate on his own. And while he knows it's a great skill, he forgot that it's also an unbiased skill. A skill that will aim its viridian green eyes at him the moment it gets an opening. And right now... this was one hell of an opening,

"Good grades in every class, o-or only ones that could possibly be related to hero work?" The boy pressed, "Physical Education was probably a key factor, regardless of what type of hero the student was trying to become, same goes for all core subjects and health, but... hero art history?" Nemuri held a hand over her heart and Midoriya quickly flapped his hands around so much Shota could just hear the 'I didn't mean it that way! It's a very necessary subject! I just don't think it's directly related to field and office work!' The R-rated hero must have heard the same thing, quickly dropping the subject with a wave and an inflated ego. Shota huffed in subtle amusement but answered nonetheless,

"Surprisingly every subject, even creative writing despite the fact that all we learned there were symbolic meanings of flowers to use in stories. It seemed unreasonable since I know for a fact another hero course kid was failing science. They..." He hesitated for a millisecond, thoughts circling his head at alarming speeds. Maybe it was because he was the only transfer student they'd ever gotten, or because the prefecture he's from wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows when it came to crime rates, but whenever school matters came to him instead of his other classmates the teachers just... "had unusually high standards," Nemuri nudged him with her shoulder, and for some unknown reason he returned the action,

Midoriya nodded down at his notebook, jotting everything down and seemingly oblivious to Shota's strange inner conflict. But judging by the microscopic twitch of his finger, the underground hero doesn't doubt that he was able to catch the slight pause in his answer, or that the kid already had a list of mental questions about that split second of silence alone. It was just like Shota said, the skill was unbiased with uncontrollable inquiries, but that didn't mean the kid himself didn't have self-restraint when it came to verbally asking them. And that's something Shota would forever be grateful for, even if he didn't realize it yet. The boy finished writing down his answer to the question, opening his mouth to ask another one, but the black-haired man jabbed a finger in his direction before he could speak,

"Nope, my turn. It was already a stretch letting you ask two questions at once," Midoriya gave a high-pitched squawk in retaliation and Shota took that as an opportunity to continue, "What are the contents of a random page in that notebook? You have UA statistics and negative consequences of alcohol consumption in there at all times, for all I know you have hero commission secrets, too, and frankly, I could use some more blackmail,"

"Well... I wouldn't really call it b-blackmail so much as an extra incentive to- " The kid cut himself off at Nemuri's pale-as-a-ghost complexion, making another 'o' shape with his mouth and going to write something down before remembering that's what his whole question was about. With a shrug of his shoulders, he slid the book over to Shota's side of the table and watched as the black-eyed man flipped to a random page and began to read its writing out loud.

" I'm not sure why Aizawa-sensei and Midnight-sensei haven't considered marketing themselves as a hero duo yet, " Huh? Nemuri spat out her vodka- Are you kidding me?- and gave a wide-eyed stare at the notebook, " In the hypothetical situation where Aizawa-sensei realized he didn't hate sunlight and publicity as much as he thought and became a daytime hero or Midnight-sensei thought working at night and underground would fit easier into her daytime drinking preference, this would logically be the most ideal team up for a variety of missions. Midnight's attacks are mainly long-range while Aizawa-sensei would most likely manage both with the excessive amount of knives he has in his utility belt, meaning they could make up for any weaknesses the other person had. But most importantly, even though it's not confirmed if Aizawa actually has insomnia or rather just has no time to sleep even if he wanted to, Midnight's somnambulist quirk could easily provide him with the sleep he probably desperately nee- Thanks. Also, why the fuck haven't we considered that yet?" Shota asked the purple-haired woman incredulously

"Becoming a hero duo?" She asked, and Midoriya looked back and forth between them as if this was the origin story to the most counter-productive team ever and he had first-class tickets to the show,

"No, I hate cameras too much for that and you would never give up the ability to go to nightclubs. I mean using your quirk at all those times I wanted to sleep but drank too many five-hour energy shots to do it," It's not his fault the police officers gave him the incorrect amount of time he needed to stay awake for a case. He sighed, what a wasted opportunity . Nonetheless, he flipped to another random page, " Aizawa: 'The hell did you do to snipe?' Midnight: 'Oh you know, a little wine and dine, the regular.' Aizawa: You realize it's only 1:30 in the afternoon, right?' Midnight: 'Hey, anything in or near the- Shit, you recorded that part," Midoriya nodded, "Hey wait a second,"

" Aizawa: 'Julia Roberts was iconic in that movie but prostitution is still illegal in Japan and claiming they were only cosplaying as her doesn't seem like it'll get the officers off their back.' Izuku: 'But how are you supposed to tell who's cosplaying and who isn't?' Aizawa: 'Well, the movie was made over a century ago, so if they can even say the name 'Vivian' with total confidence then that'd probably be a surefire way to tell. Also, how is this related to buying a Kamui Woods hoodie?" He read out, his and Nemuri's eyes going even wider at Midoriya's nonchalant expression. Why the hell does the boy look so confused? Does he not realize how this accurate of a recollection wasn't exactly average?

"I saw you and Shouta leave yesterday, and you definitely didn't have your notebook with you, so how'd you remember and log down what everyone said?" Nemuri asked mystified- Shota could relate-, eyes still roaming over the page

"Why wouldn't I?" The boy asked looking at them in confusion, "Right after that, I said ' I was looking at Manual hero hoodies, not Kamui Woods right next to it. Never Kamui Woods' and Aizawa-sensei said ' I have so many questions' and Yumihara the cashier lady said ' No no, let him speak, we need more Manual appreciation' and Aizawa-sensei said ' Is that why over half this aisle only sells posters with his face on it?' and then she pointed her finger at him and said ' You saw nothing.' "

Shota looked back up at the forest-eyed boy, who was currently nodding at his past self's words about Kamui Woods. He was gonna take a wild guess and say the boy was still slightly resentful about the sludge villain mishap, which Shota can totally get behind. The pettier he is, the easier it'll be to convince him to think of revenge scenarios. But that's not the point.

"If I couldn't remember that then there's no way I could have remembered everything I saw in hero fights. Occasionally my notebooks would get exploded and I'd have nothing on me when I see a hero and a villain on the streets," Tread very carefully, Bakugo, the only thing more unbiased than Midoriya's questions is the effort I am willing to use to carry out an elaborate revenge plan, "so I have to mentally log down all of their movements and special move names, or else I wouldn't have half the info I do now."

The underground hero was baffled, regardless of whether or not his resting bitch face of an expression showed it. Midoriya's skill is the vast amount of information, theories, and questions he's able to generate from fights he watches or engages in on short notice. But to be able to do all that from nothing but a memory of the event? Just how detailed and vivid were these memories? He was still caught up in his mind when suddenly a hand was pulling at his collar to bring him down to Nemuri's level.

"Shota," She whispered through gritted teeth, an apprehensive expression taking over her features, "I don't care who you have to insult, blackmail, or murder," Neither did he on a daily basis, but why is she bringing this up now? "just do whatever you can to  keep that boy away from Nezu . That skill combined with analysis is rare and Midoriya has it. And what Midoriya has, Nezu will want. And you've seen first-hand what Nezu does to get what he wants,  you were one of them ."

The underground hero froze at her words. Midoriya's analysis was a coveted skill, yes, no doubt wanted by many heroes and villains alike. Heroes wanted it to improve upon themselves during fights, and villains wanted it to defeat heroes during those fights. That's why Nemuri's words were so chilling, because Nezu was neither. Nezu had his own motivations for getting his paws on those he deemed had  potential - Shota would know-, and to this day no one is able to decide whether it's to nurture those minds or brainwash them into his own personal army of sadists. Even Shota can't tell which one happened to him, but is that what's going to happen to Midoriya, too? Is Nezu going to trick the kid into thinking that private lessons with him every Tuesday and Thursday is a good learning opportunity? That glaring at people into submission is a perfectly normal habit to have? That hacking into corporations' databases for blackmail on certain businessmen is  an innocent little practice exercise that will definitely not have its results leaked and ruin their lives in 2-3 business days-  Okay, he'll admit he's getting a bit too specific, but still.

It's not that the black-haired man hated the lessons he had with the rat, he's mature enough to know that it was useful in the long run and that at least he got free tea while he was there. But sometimes at 3 in the morning when he's contemplating his existence and wondering what he would do differently if he could go back in time, he can't help but toy with the idea that maybe he should have refused to partake in some of Nezu's lessons. Maybe he shouldn't have obeyed the order of trying out all the newly learned intimidation techniques on his teachers and classmates. Maybe he shouldn't have forced himself to watch everything from mind-numbingly depressing movies to gut-wrenchingly disgusting documentaries on the world's worst villains just so he could try to maintain control of his facial expressions and show nothing but a mask of blankness. Maybe he should have just said  no . But he guesses he wasn't quite as good at that back then. And looking at the green-haired boy right now, oblivious to how painful it is for everyone else to watch him sacrifice his own needs for the sake of others' happiness, he can tell the kid has that same weakness. And if there's one thing Shota realized at that moment...

It's that he wouldn't let Nezu take advantage of that. He wouldn't let the boy become the same emotional husk of a person like so many claimed him to be. He wouldn't let himself be the cause of the kid's future regrets.

He also realized that he talks too much like a cheesy mama bear-  blegh, gross-  and that All Might and Mrs. Midoriya may beat him and each other to death for parental rights, not that he considers himself a parent. But speaking of parental rights, Shota gave a discreet but firm nod to Nemuri before speaking again,

"Supernatural memory aside, who the hell is your fa-" The kid slapped a hand to his nose and Shota sighed for about the billionth time this week, "I regret the system I designed. Go ahead." Midoriya snickered evilly to himself-  When the fuck did he start doing that - and slid his notebook back over to him, flipping page after page after- Shota choked.

On the page displayed it was easy enough to see the title on the very top written in neat, bold letters: Aizawa Shouta (Eraserhead). The title itself wasn't what tripped the underground hero up, though, instead it was the unnaturally detailed pencil sketch of him right under it that had Nemuri doing a double-take. With every new page, it was a different sub-section; ranging from basic likes and dislikes to what his role would be if he was kidnapped and sent into a murdering game. Which, by the way, was the person who knew who it was and provided evidence but because of that was accused of being the killer and left to die. And if that's not the most accurate depiction of what would happen, he doesn't know what is. He also doesn't know why he didn't consider the possibility that Midoriya had also analyzed him at some point, like any other hero he comes across, instead of only focusing on daytime heroes. Finally, the kid stopped at the final page: Theories.

Oh for fuck's sake.

"One and a half years have been building up to this," If Midoriya turns into Todoroki and mentions Eri, he will quit this godforsaken job before Nezu has time to take it from him, "As everyone knows, your hair and scarf float when you activate your quirk. At first, I considered the possibility that your scarf had the technology to be linked to its user's brainwaves, but after asking Mei and Power Loader a few questions and asking them for the blueprints of both yours and Shinsou's capture weapons, I was wrong in two ways. First, only Shinsou has that kind of technology specially implemented into his capture weapon. And second," Midoriya's eyes sparked, "yours doesn't even have any technology. It's just a regular capture weapon made of steel wire alloys because according to the records I found in the lab, you rejected the need to have carbon nanofibers woven into them. You didn't need it because for some reason you already found a way to control it without the technology, and no one ever questioned it. You also rejected it because, and I quote, 'Why the hell would I pay money for that? I'm not a billionaire, you money-leeching, Jimmy Neutron-looking ass.' It's on the record." Ah right, he remembers that.

"Yeah, I barely had a stable income, let alone a Yaoyorozu income,"

"After that, I needed more ways to explain why you were able to control it, and that's where the hair comes in," Midoriya continued, "No one knows why your hair floats, and according to Recovery Girl, she passed it off as some side effect of your quirk that didn't have any reason for existing, the same with the red light that appears in your eyes when you activate erasure. But that can't be true, because during training camp last year I was able to catch a quick glimpse of your fight with Dabi, and the light wasn't just in your eyes, but around the entire top portion of your body. After that, I started observing the light more, and I noticed that sometimes the streaks of it would appear near the roots of your hair, as well as the areas where your scarf made contact with your neck. So, what would you say if your floating hair and red eyes aren't just a random side effect, but a key part of your quirk?"

"I'd say I was very deeply disturbed and betrayed," Shota blinked. Midoriya blinked back. And suddenly the rambling continued.

"There are many cases where people have secondary quirks, like Todoroki and Setsuna. So what if that's what you have? A secondary quirk of telekinesis? The physical embodiment of the quirk being the red light which, as I said last week, can spread around to cover multiple parts of your body and not just your eyes. It would explain the floating hair, why you're able to float and control your scarf without carbon nanofibers, and why sometimes the top of your hero costume floats, too. And if that's the explanation, then maybe, if you started acknowledging it as a secondary quirk, you could train it to eventually have the red light cover surfaces beyond just your body and what is making physical contact with your body.  You could float knives ."

When Midoriya finally stopped his analysis monologue, it gave Shota the chance to get a full grasp of the situation. First, the green-eyed boy looked like a mad scientist at the moment; Pencil tucked behind his ear and under a messy bush of hair, hands twitching as they pointed at the several diagrams on the notebook, and eyes were blown wide and faintly shaking from being open too long. Second, Nemuri got increasingly overwhelmed by the pure amount of information pouring out of Midoroya's mouth before finally snapping at the word 'carbon nanofibers' and sprinting away from the table to 'call for backup', 'get a glass of water', and 'pray to Zeus'. Something like that. The reason the underground isn't sure, when he usually would be, is because at the time and a little bit of right now, he's having quite a difficult time processing thoughts other than 'did he say telekinesis?' and 'what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck' and 'he was serious about the red light?'. And after a few minutes of blanking staring at the wall behind the boy- he hates eye contact with people if it's anything besides glaring, okay? He's not nervous or anything, it just makes him uncomfortable- he finally spoke.

"...How much time and effort did you spend developing this theory?" Theory.  Theory . Because he's refusing to break his own mind even thinking of it as an answer.

"...Longer than usual," Midoriya said quietly and stared off into space after he slowly started to gain his sanity back and the mad scientist faded away. That's either five minutes or ten hours, "It did take longer than I would have liked to interview Mei, Power Loader, and other medical professionals. Todoroki too, but just because he had a cool format for his theory notebook and I wanted to try it out." That's valid.

"Right. And why do you know so much about telekinetic quirks?"

"My mom uses her attraction quirk a lot to grab tissues when she cries," Oh, would you look at that, it runs in the family, "but also to  float knives when she cooks ," The boy waved his arms around like a wizard casting spells to mimic his mother floating sharp weapons.  Anddd the mad scientist is back.

"As much as the theory,"  theory , "would be enjoyable, purely for the sake of scaring Vlad by pouring pig's blood on myself and telekinetically slamming doors shut like Carrie White, alas, I do not have it. My quirk erases other people's quirks, the floating hair and capture weapon thing is just as Recovery Girl said, a random side effect with minimal usefulness."

"Maybe, but maybe not!" The boy flipped to the next page, "It's more likely than I had assumed to receive a false quirk classification from doctors, or more accurately, a less accurate classification. Just last week there was an article published on a 7-year-old girl who was told she had an empathy-type quirk where she could absorb the feelings of others to experience it herself, but an incident at her school the next day proved that the type of emotion she absorbed affected the speed of her metabolism. It was never discovered because it seemed so subtle and unrelated, but it tied into the key essence of her quirk!"

"And besides," Midoriya continued, "regardless of whether it's true or not, it's still a good idea to run a test on it. Either for the sake of science or the sake of scaring Vlad again, both are valid motives. And I'm willing to bet that you'll say you won't before you actually do later today, because if you don't, you know you'll be going against your own words of using your full potential to be a hero. But also because you wouldn't pass up the opportunity to have a more efficient way of pranking Vlad." Just because it’s true didn’t mean he had to say it. The underground hero narrowed his eyes at the boy,

”You’ve gotten too cheeky,” Midoriya flashed a thumbs up and yelled an enthusiastic ‘Right!’ if only to prove Shota’s statement.

In all honesty, though, the black-eyed man didn’t know whether or not he should think too deeply about this little theory, since there are only three possibilities for how this could work. The first one would be to not try out the theory completely because of spite in wanting to prove the boy wrong about his analysis of Shota’s future actions. Which, yeah, sounds pretty immature now that he thinks about it. The second one would be to test it out and have nothing happen, which would give a blow to not only his dignity and pride but a blow to his... Well, his hope, he guesses. Is it hope, though? He can’t imagine ever actually wanting a newly discovered complimentary quirk to have to struggle and train with, to have to completely take apart and learn as if he was a four-year-old again. He's never known himself to be the type of person to care about how 'cool' a quirk is, all he ever cared about was whether or not they'd get harassed for it.

The third option would be to try it out and... have it work. God, how the hell would that go down. He focuses on a mug of coffee and realizes he can move things with his mind, great, now what? Because all he can think about is staring at that floating item and thinking about how if he was just a regular student again, he would have been praised for it. Adored, even. They'd do whatever he asked of them- asked of the world!- and kiss the ground he walked on, the ground being the kids who weren't as lucky as he was because that's the kind of messed up world they live in. When people see a strong quirk, they paint them as a god, and he hates it. And if the sickening idea of being pampered wasn't bad enough, he'd have to live with this newfound quirk forever with the knowledge that everything he did- everything he went through- was for  nothing .

It's like if Midoriya suddenly realized he had a quirk after all this time, and no, he's not referring to one for all the corpse-carrying-ball-of-power. Say it was... he didn't know, an analysis quirk? If after all this time he realized he had an analysis quirk, then he'd see that the ten years of abuse he faced from his classmates, teachers, or just strangers on the street didn't have to happen. The burns, the bruises, the trauma  because he knows there's trauma,  the harsh words, glares, and all the feelings of inadequacy could have been spared but weren't because of a doctor's little slip-up. He'd also have to see that this analysis wasn't even of his own merit, but a quirk. And if in the end, Shota finds out he has a minor telekinesis quirk, that would be him. Just thinking about it made Shota want to punch something, but while part of him wished he never heard this theory, the other more rational part of him realized it was for the best.

He doesn't blame Midoriya for telling him, because how could he? He chose to literally kidnap the kid from class to be his secretary this week, and along the way might have unintentionally taught him to focus on his analysis a bit more instead of just his strength. Focus on being a kid and thinking through what kind of hero he wants to be instead of limiting himself to being 'the next symbol of peace' as All Might had put it in Midorya's story. That's on him, and he doesn't regret it for a second. Because  look at him . The boy's finally starting to see that his notebooks, never-ending questions, and muttering aren't a weakness like everyone tried to beat into him, but rather a strength. And now- and this entire week, really, now that he thinks back on every single course of action they'd completed- that mindset has been broken down enough to let out what the kid had been suppressing this whole time: Confidence. Pride. Because he deserves to feel proud of his skills and confident in them enough to share them with others, just as he did with Shota right now. So no, he doesn't blame Midoriya, and yes, this was for the best.

Because maybe the treatment he went through as a kid- and even sometimes as an adult- didn't have to happen if he happens to have this new minor quirk, but it did, and he has to live with that. He'll use that experience, he'll use the memories he almost wishes he could forget, and he'll let that motivate him into training the  living shit  out of this hypothetical telekinesis quirk. He'll train and he'll work until he's satisfied because that's what he's always done, that's how he proves to himself that in spite of the possibly meaningless harassment from others, he's still standing. And he's not going to let a stupid little floaty quirk take that away from him. He's not going to let anything or anyone influence his potential to be the best hero he can b- Nope. Shove a sock in it, brain, no more speeches. You're starting to sound a little too much like Midoriya whenever he gets into an inspirational rant with his classmates.

Well,  his subconscious whispered,  I guess it's not just Midoriya who picked up a couple strange habits this week.

Seriously, though, he most likely doesn't have a minor telekinesis quirk.

"Eh," He said instead, way too casually considering that whole mental TED talk he had for a few milliseconds, "here's hoping it's not another quirk and only limited to my hair and scarf, don't want to give Vlad any ammo against me." Sure he could spook him with the Carrie references, but the red light, floating powers, and telekinesis is starting to sound a little too much like Scarlet Witch from that old and  surprisingly pre-quirk era  movie. Ahead of its time for all the weirdest reasons. "But regardless of that, I'm going to try and forget everything you just said," Midoriya whispered a small anguished 'nooo' under his breath, "Nope, I'm fifteen years your senior, you don't get the privilege of giving me of all people another existential crisis."

"I gave you a crisis before?"

"That shouldn't even be a question, it happens almost every week, the most recent one until now being all the questionable things you said about your neighbors," Note to self: look into police reports about Dad Decapitating Daichi, "the one before that being one for all, the one before  that  being everything about Bakugo," The boy had the decency to look at least a little bit sheepish, "and the one before that being anything you have ever said about your dad." The boy paused in the action of rubbing the back of his neck to give Shota a confused look,

"Huh? My dad?" Midoriya tilted his head, and it might have been the most kitten-like thing he's done in the last yea- Not the point.

"Yes, and that brings me to my last question," Shota crumpled the paper and threw it to the side, the less evidence of the possibly confidential answer to his question the better, " Who the ever-loving fuck is your dad ?"

At first, he just assumed the worst about Midoriya's dad. Nothing personal, just a habit he has. And could anyone really blame him? During parent-teacher conferences and family events, it was only Inko Midoriya that ever showed up, and as he said before, he didn't check the files of his students. So of course he came to the logical conclusion that the father was either unknown, a donor, a divorcé, a deadbeat, or- well, dead. Nothing he cared about, really, since it's clear Midoriya hadn't cared either. But then the boy just had to drop the bomb that he learned how to do the frankly terrifying glare- and note that he does not use that term lightly- from his father. And it was from that point on that Aizawa subconsciously took note of every detail he heard about his father.

First was the unnaturally effective glare, which even Shota would be envious of if he didn't already trademark his own. Next was the fact that the man had apparently provided his kid with all the resources he needed to develop his analysis skill, which the underground hero has tons of respect for, even if he had never met the man. The third was that he analyzed quirks on his own and was more interested in them than Midoriya, which once again is nice, but  utterly terrifying  at the same time. The fourth was that his father regularly conversed with known criminal neighbors, although given the fact that his literal sunbeam of a kid does too, he doesn't know if he should find it concerning or not. Especially since Midoriya described it as looking more like 'business meetings than a Thanksgiving dinner'. And finally, he had a name: Hisashi Midoriya.

"Why?" The green-haired boy asked innocently, Shota gave a deceivingly casual shrug,

"Why not?"

"I-Is that a trick question?"

"Only if you go with the answer that won't give me nearly as much information as I need. So, I'll repeat, who- or what- is your father?" He can't rule out the possibility that the father is simply a demon, that'd be very unscientific of him. The forest-eyed boy seemed to weigh his options for a few seconds before cheerfully responding,

"His name's Hisashi! "

"This is a perfect example of an answer that has not met my excessive standards for information,"

"Hmm, well, he has a fire breathing quirk," If Shota had just  read the fucking files  he could have figured out one for all a year earlier. Because how the hell would fire and telekinesis make super strength? "I don't have all the details but I know he owns some sort of organization where people pay them to analyze quirks? He has white hair, his favorite book is1984, he can't handle spicy foods, and- Oh! He hates heroes," Pardon?

"Lemme get this straight. Your dad-  your biological father that you inherited half your DNA from-  does not like heroes. Is that correct or am I going deaf at an semi-early age?"

"Mhm, can't stand them. I remember he sulked for a whole day because All Might's fight was the only thing the news channels were talking about. He avoids hero themed cafes like the plague. Every time we facetime each other and he sees a new piece of hero merch on me, he excuses himself to scream in a separate room before coming back. Anytime I mention them he tries to smoothly transition the conversation into a speech about how heroes nowadays are over glamorized, in it for the wrong reasons, and contributing to the stigma surrounding villainous quirks, mutant quirks, and the quirkless."

Now this... this was interesting. Shota agrees with the man on all points made but he still doesn’t think he could ever…  hate  heroes. He doesn’t like agreeing with his past teachers but he admits it's quite a strong word to use against the most idolized figures of their society. He doesn’t like how they’re in it for the fame or the money or if they’re overall jerks, but as long as they can do their job without getting themselves or others killed in the process, that’s good enough for him. Does Hisashi agree, though? What exactly has to happen to a person to make them hate heroes? Did he have a bad run in? Was someone he was close to not saved by them in time? There are so many possibilities, but no matter which one it is, his real concern lies in how the father reacted to Midoriya’s chosen career path.

Judging by the kid’s last statement, his father is quite the advocate for anti-quirkism. Admirable, to say the least. But if he hates heroes to the point where he’s physically repulsed by them, then what was his opinion on Midoriya’s dream job? What was his opinion on the fact that the boy actually managed to do it, and do it through UA of all places? And most importantly, what was his opinion on the boy’s newfound super strength quirk? Speaking from experience, Shota can say with 100% certainty that all kids who have ever been hated on because of their quirks have ended up hating those with stronger or ‘more heroic’ quirks quite often. Hell, even he had a period in his life where he wanted to slap the shit out of All Might because of his stereotypical high school jock appearance and golden boy quirk status. 

"Oh! And he  hates  All Might.”

I mean, of course, he still wants to slap the shit out of him, it’s just for different reasons now. It’s more about the man’s inability to properly explain his infinite wisdom than his perfect quirk. But Shota also knows that some people don’t grow out of it as much as he did, some carry that hate all the way to their death beds. Maybe even beyond, if the fucking afterlife actually exists. And it’s well within the possibility that Hisashi Midoriya fits within that group of people. Is it justified? No, because the guy has a fire-breathing quirk and he knows for a fact that ever since Endeavor’s debut those people are considered gold. But that won’t stop the man from possibly shunning his kid for the changes he went through these past few years. Maybe the only reason Hisashi taught Midoriya quirk analysis was that he wanted his child to take after him, maybe he wanted him to stay quirkless. So, put simply:

“But does he hate you?” See, this is why he shouldn’t be allowed around children.

“Because of my being a hero student and one for all? Nah.” Oh, thank god, “In fact, he was unusually happy about it. I knew I couldn’t keep a secret from him, since it just felt wrong, so I just said I developed my quirk at random and I was attending UA. I half expected him to burn himself alive, but instead, he just stared at me for a full minute before beginning to laugh. And when I say laughing, I don’t mean like a chuckle, I mean a full-on belly-laugh that had him wheezing. I know he wasn’t laughing at me, because he never does that, but he sounded victorious for some reason. Not because he was relieved I got a quirk- He’s always been super supportive of my quirkless status!- but I think he was relieved that if I did have to randomly develop a quirk out of nowhere at 14, he was glad it was this. Really glad, even. Personally, I think it’s because he was excited to analyze a whole new quirk, especially one that has 6 others stored inside of it. But yeah, he laughed about the quirk, told me to give All Might hell, and wished me good luck. He still hates all other heroes, though.”

He’s right, that sounds like quirk analyzer heaven.

“Good to know, it’d be a shame if someone found out he was prejudiced against his own kid and decided to murder him for it,” The underground hero said simply. The green-haired boy laughed,

“Haha- I don’t think that would happ…” Midoriya’s chuckles dialed down and in a quiet but very concerned voice continued, “It- it wouldn’t happen, right? ...Right?” 

“Anyway,” He began, pointedly ignoring the wide-eyed look from Midoriya, “Where is he, exactly?”

“O-oh, he's just working overseas at the moment. And for the last 12 years." Midoriya seemed to realize how depressing that sounded as he quickly added, "He calls every week, though! And sends gifts on birthdays and holidays!"

"Well... that's certainly more wholesome than I was expecting," What  was  he expecting, really? A crime lord? Yakuza leader? Probably, but at least he wasn't a demon.

"That's what Kaachan and Shochan said when I told them the same thing," Midoriya said, pressing a finger to his cheek in true Asui-like fashion. Shota was about to go along with it until finally the words had fully processed in his brain and he was left with even more questions than before,

"You finally put 'chan' behind someone other than Bakugo's name? Who's Shochan?" It just sounds weird coming out of his mouth, how does 'Zashi do this everyda- oh. Right. 'Zashi.

"Oh! It's Todoroki!" Oh my god, "Yesterday he was telling me his theories again, and he must have had an awakening about a new idea or something because next thing I know he's throwing the notebook at the floor and yelling that I have to call him Shochan for scientific purposes! I think he mentioned Kaachan at some point but who's to say."  OH MY GOD,  "I don't exactly know what he's testing," Todoroki is an evil genius and Shota can't wait to give him extra credit in class for this, "but he seems very passionate about it and I'd hate to get in the way of his project!" Only when the underground hero was sure he wouldn't make a suspiciously mischievous smile at the explanation did he finally speak,

"Well, it's understandable that he'd be disappointed, he still thinks All Might is your father,"

"That's the thing, though, lately he's stopped talking about All Might," Pardon? Midoriya chuckled at the thought, oblivious to his dark-eyed teacher's pain, "I think he found someone else to be my theoretical dad, wonder who it is." Shota takes it back, Todoroki isn't an evil genius, he's just evil.

"A mystery for the ages." He rasped out, earning a brief weird look from the boy, "But besides  Shochan,  why the hell was Bakugo disappointed?"

Apparently, Bakugo and Inko Midoriya have gossip sessions every now and then,- is she oblivious to the bullying that used to take place, or is this just some long-term strategy for revenge? If it's the latter, then he guesses he just gained more respect for this family- so it's a possibility that the topic of Hisashi Midoriya came up at some point. Maybe the woman ranted about marital problems, who knows? But all those comments, when taken out of context, could eventually lead to Bakugo forming some theories and questions of his own, and being curious enough about them to actually ask the son of the woman himself. Still, that doesn't give an answer to why he was disappointed, did he actually want the man to be a deadbeat?

"You know how Kaachan and I used to be best friends, same for his mom and my mom?" He didn't know that last one, actually, "Well since we were all so close to each other, he would hang out at my house a lot for playdates. It's why we think of each other's moms as aunts, hence his gossip sessions, which still sound strange to me. But even before we stopped being friends, there was this one day that Kaachan suddenly couldn't be in the same room as my dad without glaring at him or being legitimately terrified. Which was weird, even for the toddler version of him. And so one day I asked him why he did that, and he said it was because he saw my dad- uh, use a quirk other than fire-breathing."  I'm sorry, what?  "He said he saw him trip over his desk- he was really clumsy- and bump his head so hard against the floor it started bleeding, but then suddenly my dad held a hand over his wound and  healed it . Crazy, right?"

"Hopefully,"

"So of course I didn't believe him, because how could my dad have fire-breathing  and  a healing quirk? It's just not possible. He didn't talk to me for a few days because of that, unless he was either interrogating me about him or demanding that I try to give my dad a paper cut so he's forced to heal himself- we also didn't understand how minor paper cuts were back then- but eventually, he gave in and stopped talking about it. It may have been the one time I've seen him give up on something, the only time I've ever seen him have such an unrealistic theory, too," Midoriya said in amazement, and Shota could relate. Bakugo seemed like- and definitely was- the type to hold a grudge against someone for something minor. So to just forget about it, even if it definitely was just a delusion, was pretty uncharacteristic of him, "But even if he stopped bringing it up, I don't think he ever really got over it." Ah, there's the Bakugo he knows. Also,  what?  Midoriya must have noticed his face screaming 'elaborate, bitch' because he continued his little tale.

"He was unsurprisingly smug with himself when my dad left to work overseas, so I guess he still hated him or something, but what was really strange was that he didn't just dislike my dad, he disliked anything that reminded him of him. Which was- well, a lot more than I had expected."

"Ah, so that's why he was significantly more terrified than the others when you tested out your father's glare at them," Shota stands by his previous statement, he wishes he was there to see the thing live instead of from the perspective of the security camera. But oh well, seeing Mineta pass out from shock was good enough for him, no matter the quality.

"Mhm, but there were more besides that," Oh? The underground hero quirked an eyebrow, prompting the boy to keep talking, "As I said before, my dad also liked to analyze quirks, even more than me. Except whenever he did it, he didn't focus on how to improve it or how to use it as a hero as I did, but more on how to... um, exploit it? And not just basic weaknesses that the quirk user would probably tell him in a lighthearted conversation, but the things that could legitimately make them lock themselves in their homes in paranoi- I think I'm being too dramatic, actually." He knew it, he knew it,  he fucking knew it . With all the secret geniuses floating around the Midoriya family he knew there had to be at least one person with an edgy personality, and of course, it was the enigma of Hisashi Midoriya, "I mean it was smart, of course, because heroes need to know that sort of thing when they're taking down villains, but my dad was the pettier one of the family, so he always liked to do it to people who pissed him off," Yeah, Shota is still mildly terrified of the guy, but he also  really  wants to buy him a coffee for being what he considers a great influence for the next generation of kids.

"I assume Bakugo pissed him off at some point?" Why the hell did he throw the post-it note away? He needs something to take notes of the elder Midoriya's vengeful actions on. For research purposes, of course.

"Yeah, it was around the time where I was still considered a late bloomer instead of quirkless, so Kaachan was just beginning to call me Deku. And one day he made the mistake of calling me that around my dad, and... Basically what happened was my dad offered to watch us and Kaachan's friends,"  Kaachan's friends , not  our  friends. And if there's one thing that Shota can always painfully sympathize with it's the self-awareness of your own deteriorating social life that you wish you were ignorant about, "where he then sat us all down and played an 80 slide presentation including all the ways they could be eliminated without the use of quirks at any given moment. I found it pretty informative and encouraging at the time but I can see how Kaachan and Tsubasa would disagree," Shota paused in his inner praising of the man to give his kid a confused look,

"Tsubasa? Like doctor Tsubasa?"

"Oh right! But nah, this was his grandson, looked pretty similar to each other if you ignore the red wings. My dad didn't like him much, either. Weirdly enough, he went missing a few months after this,” The erasure hero suppressed a cough, "we were all pretty creeped out even though Doctor Tsubasa had said that the boy had just moved with his parents to another district. I guess it was plausible, but it's weird he never said goodbye. Anyway, after the whole slide show mishap, they made sure never to call me Deku again... in the presence of my parents at least. And that whole fiasco may be one of the reasons Kaachan hates whenever I start muttering and writing about quirk weaknesses, must have PTSD or something. But there's still more than that," The bushy-haired boy looked towards Shota as if to check that he was still listening, that he hadn't gotten annoyed and wandered off like Shota assumes many others had in his life. And just for that, the gruff man tried his best to seem a little more interested and attentive than usual, which wasn't that hard since he actually was at the moment, even though the changes in his resting bitch face were about as minimal as you could get. But Midoriya was never one to ignore the little details, immediately taking note of the slightly more open eyes and dipping eyebrows as he continued his explanation.

"The rest was pretty similar to the glare, even though none of them were nearly as accurate to my dad's as I intended them to be," Not nearly as accurate? The glare that had Vlad puking up his lunch at the end of last Monday wasn't even the full power of this glare? What is this, some strange, demented version of One for All where Midoriya's similarities to his dad had a 0-100% scale? Does it have a cheesy name like All for One or some- nope, didn't think that comment through, suppress the Kamino memories and the super villain's escape last month and move on. "Apparently we both have the same weird smile we do in situations that we probably shouldn't be smiling, like villain fights or, in my dad's case, movies where the antagonist murders everyone and leaves the audience broken and depressed. Or more accurately, whenever Kaachan randomly managed to trip over something in an embarrassing- not that I would say it to his face- way. We both have freckles, too. And the same style of hair. And- you know what, Kaachan has a lot of reasons to hate my existence, now that I think about it." Shota mulled over the kid's words before a Cheshire grin slowly slithered across his face and an idea popped into his head. An unofficial course of action, if you will, or as Aizawa will say to Nemuri if she ever catches wind of his true motives.

"If the freckles, hair, and analysis are constant reminders of your father to Bakugo, are you implying that the so-called 'weird smile' may act as a catalyst to putting him over the edge,“ There's no point in sugar-coating his words like he did last week for the glaring, Midoriya's been in his company for too long at this point to buy that. But he's also been in his company too long to waste time considering the moral dilemma, either, so that's exciting.

"It might," Midoriya said thoughtfully, lost in his own world until Shota waved his hand in Bakusquad's direction, specifically the explosive blonde himself. The overly innocent expression on his face screaming 'Then why not test it out? What harm could it possibly do?' Midoriya seemed to either agree or find the value in these experiments as after a few seconds of calculating the risks- not that there would ever be any, anymore, now that Shota knows the full history of their relationship and realizes that Bakugo's short temper stems beyond just regular annoyance and onto previously full-on harassment- he finally gave it a try. "Kaachan!"

The red-eyed boy stopped what he was doing, which was probably trying to ignore Kirishima's manly stories, as he heard the name that could have only come from one person ring out across the cafeteria. Was Shota a little disappointed that his hiding spot had been so easily given away? Yes. But this was more than worth it. Bakugo angled his neck to the left to look at them, perpetual scowl still present but his eyes wider than usual for a reason that Shota can only assume is that he's surprised Midoriya is even talking to him today even though it's only been a bit over an hour since their little argument. Usually it wouldn't be surprising but ever since Hound Dog's apparent instructions to Midoriya to express anger more often, it's quite a drastic change. Speaking of the bright-eyed boy, Shota turned away from Bakugo to see what exactly this smile really wa- oh.

Oh.

The kid's innocent expression slowly but surely started morphing into a picture the underground hero had a hard time placing. His eyes fading away from forest green to- well, it wasn't that venomous green he had known to expect with the glare. Instead, it was this sage-like color that tiptoed the thin line between green and grey, a sort of blankness pooling inside of them that expressed both complete awareness and utter exhaustion, of everything and nothing at once. The corners of his mouth spread to a deceivingly normal length, the disturbing essence of it not lying in its shape so much as what it implied. It wasn't crazed, extreme, or sharp as he had expected it to be so much as it was just... soft. Disarming. It's the kind of smile you'd receive from a neighbor, a casual acquaintance, or even a kind stranger on the street. You didn't know their life or personality or anything else about them, really, what you saw was strictly surface-level to the extent that their future actions were nothing but a mystery to you. They could either be your friend or the person who'd end up killing you but you wouldn't know, you wouldn't have a clue. Because despite the charisma and what you perceived as wisdom from them, they're nothing but a background character in your life, a threat you didn't know existed until it was too late.

A threat you will never be strong nor smart enough to stop before it strikes you and everything you stand for down into the dust.

I'm sorry,  and this still isn't completely accurate to Hisashi Midoriya ?

But right now that threat was sitting right in front of him, directing its passion- yet apathy?- at Bakugo, who despite all of his shortcomings most definitely did not deserve to feel the horror that Shota assumes he is feeling as a result of this facial distortion. In fact, just to make sure of this theory Shota turned around and prepared a long speech saying that if the explosive boy needed to take a day off tomorrow for his mental health he would be in no way opposed to tha- Oh he's heading over here. Bakugo- with eyes as wide as saucers, so he guesses he still wasn't completely wrong- stomped his way over to Shota and Midorya's dark table in the corner, dragging Todoroki along with him by the back of his shirt color that he gripped with microscopically trembling hands. Both the 'Bakusquad‘ and 'Dekusquad' were looking after them, with the former being confused at its leader's actions and the latter yelling at him to stop kidnapping their friend at once. But of course, neither listened. Finally, Bakugo made it to their table, shoving a confused Midoriya to the left to make room for himself and dumping a blank-faced and slack-bodied Todoroki on the table.

"Jig is up, hobo," Bakugo began darkly, ignoring the 'That's mean, Kaachan,’ from Midoriya. "you can either explain how the hell you brainwashed Deku or I'll force Half-and-Half to make theories about it on his own, and we both know that shit's gonna be way worse than what actually happened," That's fair, but no thank you.

"Hello to you too, Bakugo. So the smile  does  set you over the edge, then." He stated his observation out loud, reaching over Todoroki to grab his forgotten post-it note. Notes are essential right now.

"Haah?" The blonde choked out

"I haven't been brainwashed, Kaachan," Midoriya huffed with a pout, "and even if I was you still aren't allowed to force Shochan into using his hobby for your own personal gai-"

"HAAH?!" Bakugo turned his glare from the heroics teacher to the green-haired hero student, "Who the FUCK is Shochan?" Notes are so fucking essential right now.  Midoriya gave his classmate a weird look before tipping his head in Todoroki's direction, and that's when even more shit hit the already extensively polluted fan.

"Wha- SHOCHAN?!" The boy's eyes flashed with expected confusion, unjustified but also expected anger, and what Shota didn't trust himself to label as what could possibly be... betrayal? Now that's strange, "Why the hell would you-? You can't- It's not just- FUCK! It's such a babyish fucking nickname it makes me wanna puke, shitty nerd," Shota paused in his note-taking to stare at Bakugo, as did Midoriya and Todoroki. Altogether it was three pairs of eyes directing their incredulous stares at the ash-blonde boy who just spat words out of his mouth that they will try and fail to understand. Suddenly, the green-eyed boy turned to the tired teacher and whispered:

"...I need help reacting to something." Yeah, he does, too. Shota shrugged in response, still giving a disbelieving stare in Bakugo's direction.

"Fuck if I know, it's just... so embarrassing for him,"

"FUCK YOU, EYEBAGS! THE ONLY PERSON WHO'S GONNA FEEL EMBARRASSED HERE IS YOU WHEN KATY-PERRY-WANNABE OVER HERE SPEWS HIS SHITTY THEORIES ABOUT YOU!" Bakugo gave a shove to a now irritated Todoroki, the unspoken command hanging in the air. The heterochromatic eyed boy let out a small sigh as he slowly sat up on the table, taking the small brown notebook out of his pocket- the same one that strikes fear into Shota's heart ever since last Wednesday when the boy gave him just a single glimpse of what horrors rested inside- and stared blankly at one of the pages before beginning to speak.

"There is a method to my madness, Bakugo, I do not come up with theories about anything at any time. My theories are an art form that stems from extensive research and as much fact-checking that I am legally allowed access to. When you had brought me over here just a few seconds ago, I did not have anything prepared for this 'brainwashing' that you speak of." The ash-blonde boy let out a frustrated growl as he let a few sparks fly in his hands, the red-and-white-haired boy rolled his eyes, "At least, not brainwashing by my definition. If by brainwashing you mean inhabiting a set of traits for reasons unknown to you and many others, then... I do have one theory that you may find satisfactory, one I was urged to put a stop to by the very man sitting at this table," Todoroki shifted his eyes to the underground hero and suddenly he was very much regretting ever trying to look into Midoriya's father.

He couldn't possibly be referring to... to that theory, right? The one with him... and Midoriya... and Midoriya's mothe- Nope, don't get too into details. Shota was sure he invalidated all claims about that last week when it was first brought up, and as far as he knew that was the only 'proof' Todoroki had managed to gather on the matter. So it should be over and done with, yes? Todoroki gave up on that theory and he's just referring to something else he thought Shota discouraged, hopefully the one with Vlad King and Toga Himiko. But then again, when has any member of the problem trio given up on something?  Come on, Shota, think, what other pieces of evidence for this could Todoroki have gathered ? He knows he was never in the company of Inko Midoriya at any point this week, nor did he ever leave false custody papers lying around where anyone could find them, and it's not like he and the kid had actually made contact with each other outside of school or hero matters before. Well, as long as you don't count the whole trip to the Shizuoka Mall yesterday, since apparently, the Musutafu one didn't have the specific pieces of hero merchandise that Midoriya needed for his gigantic collect- Oh.  Oh no .

Shizuoka Mall, located in the Shizuoka Prefecture as most likely everyone can assume, and most importantly, the residence of one Shoto Todoroki. Actually, now that he thinks about it, didn't the boy have a new backpack today different than last week's? A backpack that had a tag with the logo of a high-end clothing store that Shota had passed by without a second thought because he was too busy trying to keep up with Midoriya who was searching for more Mirko keychains like a shark out for blood? And wasn't his expression eerily similar to the one you would usually find on the face of an exhausted parent watching over their hyperactive kid?

He could have recorded everything they said, he could have taken photos, he might have even interviewed the cashier lady that he can't remember the name of because god damnit he doesn't have supernatural memory like Midoriya! Midoriya, who at all costs can never hear about this theory if Shota wants to prevent embarrassment not only for himself and the boy but for everyone within a ten-foot range.

"...No." Shota rasped out desperately, causing Bakugo to sit up straighter in interest and Midoriya to give him a concerned look. Todoroki gave a sympathetic nod but opened his notebook wider nonetheless,

"Yes." A crackling static sound resounded around the large room.

" Attention students, " Nezu's chipper voice rang out. Nezu?! When the hell did Nezu get back here?! He can't possibly be back yet, Shota still has- He doesn't have anything. It's 2:30 pm on a Monday and his last hour has just... dried up. It's over. " I have returned. Oh, and Aizawa-kun, please make your way to my office at the earliest convenience."

" No ."

" Oh yes ."

Aside from the clicking of Todoroki's pen, the sounds of Bakugo shifting in his seat to get a closer look at the notebook, and Midoriya's wide eyes flickering back and forth between Shota's own astonished one and the loudspeaker, his face pale and frozen as if he had lost track of the countdown timer to the end of their positions as well- there was only one thing on the underground hero's mind. Or stomach. Or heart. Something, a thought or a feeling or a bone-deep ache, that was everything and nothing at once, something he couldn't even come close to comprehending even if he tried. And... jeez.

He really needed help reacting to something.

From the moment Shota stepped into Nezu’s office, he knew something was wrong. And no matter how hard the rat tried to mask it with cheery smiles and a peppy demeanor, he knew very well he wasn’t the only one that noticed it. But never mind that at the moment, because he’s never been one to accuse on impulse, especially during something as important as he wishes this occasion wasn’t. But yes, something was wrong.

Something was wrong in the office, but he prayed nothing was wrong with the way he left things in the cafeteria. He didn’t end up knocking out Todoroki as he had very seriously considered, nor did he end up knocking out himself just so he could avoid the embarrassment of the familial theory. He wanted to, but unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time for that. And he guesses the one upside of being summoned away was that he didn't have to sit there to witness the chaos that must have gone down after he left. That was one of the more minor problems, though, the major one being not something he did, but rather something he didn’t think he had the strength to do. 

He's not an idiot, even he can process his emotions well enough to know that this job, temporary as it may be, unfortunately, meant quite a lot to him. How could it not? The ability to catch up on some extra sleep, to finally make the changes to this school that had been nagging at him ever since he was 15, and maybe... torture Vlad a bit. Yeah, definitely that last one. So hearing Nezu's voice ring out of the speaker to announce he had returned, effectively putting an end to his principal gig, it... it kinda hit him hard. Harder than he expected to be hit when he first accepted the position, and he didn't expect to care at all. Not that he would show it, because as he said before, he's pretty much trained himself to remain a passive facade at almost anything. What he must have had trouble comprehending, though, was that Midoriya was experiencing the exact same thing.

Shota's the one who asked that Midoriya become his secretary, he put him into a position of power where he had the ability to improve this school and everyone in it, just like he had wanted. And the boy  thrived . He fine-tuned his analysis skills, he was able to speak on behalf of his fellow classmates' struggles, he was able to open up about the discriminated side of society's struggles, and he was hopefully able to overcome at least some of the obstacles pushed onto him by 10 years of abuse from Aldera, the shit stain of a school. He gave him the things people like them could only dream of having, and now he's taking that away, just like Nezu is doing to him. And for someone as emotional as Midoriya, that's gotta be ten times more crushing. This really is a demented family tree, huh? And while he regrets not being blunt about his reassurances to the kid for once in his life, he did manage to do one thing.

As he stood up to leave the table and by default Midoriya, who was staring down at his hands as Bakugo and Todoroki's argument floated around like white noise, he pulled a mechanical pencil that he'd been keeping with him since last week out of his pocket and rolled it into the boy's eyesight. It wasn't a piece of hero merch, or part of the kid's 'compensation', or even one of those ugly, barely functioning pencils that had cheesy quotes on them- Actually, he didn't even buy it, he nicked it from Nezu's pencil cup- it was a simple, black mechanical-pencil that had no importance whatsoever. It'd probably run out of ink in 2-3 business days.

So why did he give it to him? Maybe because in some small way he considered it a trophy, a memento of sorts for Midoriya to look at and remember that he was able to burden the issues of UA for a week. That he helped improve the lives of not just the students, but of future students,  future heroes , himself, and... yeah, maybe Aizawa, too. He worked hard and it paid off, and he deserves to constantly be aware of that. So as the underground hero left the rowdy cafeteria, not even sticking around to see the green-eyed boy's reaction, he hoped that there wasn't something wrong in that small exchange, that Midoriya got the message even he didn't fully understand, because he doesn't think he could handle that possibility in the last few minutes of their time as principal and secretary.

And that brings him to the present moment, which seemed eerily similar to how it all began as well. Hair curling around his head and shoulders, his scarf barely acting as a barrier between his neck and the cold sting of the air conditioner, his body sinking deeper into the plush green chair on the other side of the desk that he had sat in not too long ago but somehow feels so foreign, and the scent of earl gray tea and lavender shortbread cookies invading his senses. Hah, his favorite. A voice clearing its throat captured Shota's attention and he once again focused his eyes on his white chimera of a boss.

"Sugar?" Nezu asked in a not-really-offhandedly manner, a sort of formality at this point even though Shota's refusal was always the same.

"Two, please." Or at least it used to be. Nezu raised an eyebrow but compiled without a word nonetheless.

"Aizawa-kun, how are you this afternoon?" Nezu chirped, Shota grunted in response.  God, this really is eerily similar to last Monday,  "Glad to hear it. Admittedly I was a little concerned that you may have been shocked or annoyed by my sudden return that I had not notified you a few minutes in advance for, but I see now that there was no need to worry." Shota gripped the inner fabric of his pants pockets, "Now, let's start with a summary of everything you did this week, shall we? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the slightest bit intrigued at what you" And Midoriya, " have managed to accomplish." Nezu opened his file- Where did he even get that? And who gave it to him?- and scanned the twenty pages for about two seconds before speaking again.

"Monday, the day of my departing, you decided to completely rearrange the design of UA's entrance exam by allowing applicants to either bring an approved support item or apply to demonstrate their usefulness by fighting a member of staff or third-year student..." Maybe Nemuri was right, the things he has done this week could definitely get him fired, "You know, Aizawa-kun, I always knew the entrance exam was a sore spot for you, given your quirk and history, but I had expected you to at least try to get a hold of the job before jumping straight into it. I estimated that you would save that for Wednesday, and within a smaller amount of time as well to increase efficiency. But oh well, it'd be wrong of me to hold someone inexperienced with the position to such unrealistic standards. Congratulations on finding a creative solution to this long-lasting problem, though, and checking with the budget department was definitely a tactical move to convince some of the more prejudiced staff and board members." Excuse me?

"Wait, what do you mean you 'estimated' it to be done by Wednesday-?"

"Tuesday," Nezu continued as if he hadn't heard him, and suddenly the underground hero was under the impression that this conversation would be taking a drastically different route than he had been expecting, "you made the sports festival optional. Ah yes, because the forced physical activity that will be aired on TV is a tad bit uncomfortable. An oversight on UA's marketing department, sadly. You changed the seating chart of the cafeteria that way the students of different departments could mingle and would be forced to interact with each other. The chance of you going with this course of action was low, according to my original calculations," what does he mean 'original calculations'? He calculated the probability of them doing any and each course of action he came up with in advance? How... how does that even make sense? "but now that I see it all laid out I'm quite satisfied with the results. Intermingling departments will most definitely lead to more effective partnerships and agencies in the future, so kudos for that. However, you dented the legs of several tables as well as cracked the ground in certain areas, of course, the cost for repair didn't affect us in the slightest, but it's the thought that counts." Understandable, he guesses. 

"Wednesday, you took a makeshift field trip to the Musutafu General Hospital in order to hire more medical staff for UA, that way we have access to experienced employees other than Recovery Girl. Ah, reasonable enough, I suppose. Chuzenij-san is a strong hero, strong enough to have supported this school for decades, but even I can admit that as time passes we have to remain open-minded to younger generations. Those who aren't heroes." The underground hero remained impassive throughout the summary, too busy watching Nezu's expressions like a hawk, not that he really thought the rat would reveal anything to him. He knows Nezu is leading up to something, he has to be, because he's never been one to waste time like this. Why read it out and make little comments if both of them are now aware of what went down this past week?

"Thursday, you did  villain psychology and social awareness day.  Mind explaining to me what that was?" He has to be wasting time.

"I assume all the information is in whatever you read a minute ago, which I know you perfectly understood, there's no need for me to explain it any further."

"Always so stubborn, Aizawa-kun, but if it really bothers you that much I suppose I can tell you that I was searching for a more personal account of what this course of action was." The tired man narrowed his eyes and responded,

"...We wanted the students to get an idea of what goes on in a villain's mind." Which happened to be very similar to what goes on in Midoriya's mind, concerningly enough, "Common motives, the catalysts of their crimes, how most of them have experienced discrimination or hardships in their lives which brought them into that position, all that jazz. Show them how they as students play an important role in the creation of villains. Of course, that isn’t the case for thousands of other villains, but…  it’s the thought that counts , isn’t it?" The chimera gave a tight smile.

"I can't imagine they took too kindly to that,"

"Given it was Midoriya who prepared and presented the speech, you'd be surprised," Nezu's eyes glinted with an unknown emotion, and suddenly Shota was reminded of Nemuri's warning.  Keep that boy away from Nezu . 

"Friday, mandatory therapy sessions with Hound Dog for all of class 2-a. Now that's quite a bit of a jump, isn't it?" He's fine with Nezu's criticism, he is inexperienced after all, but why does this sound constructive? It shouldn't be constructive. "You went from hiring new medical staff to trying to get a grasp on the mental health of some of our hero students, yes? I hope you know doing something like this was a risky move, especially when it comes to students who have fought in such intense battles with too much experience for their age. They’re not just children, Aizawa-kun, their teenagers. From my observations, I have come to the conclusion that teenagers don't quite enjoy having adults poking around their brains. It could have made their situations even worse."

"I'm aware of that, and I wanted to let you know that I'll be pushing to have the same done for class 2-b, as well as every other hero student." Nezu's eyes sharpened but Shota continued, "They needed to speak about their problems to someone who could properly manage them. Some of them may have been hesitant to comply, but whether they admit it or not, it helped them. Every student here deserves that same privilege." He paused for a second as another thought popped into his head, "I'll also be pushing for the teachers here to do background checks on all the students. I made the mistake of not reading through their files before the beginning of their first year and that had consequences, it's better to cut the problem off at the source then watch it snowball. Speaking of background checks, though,- And don't ask me for more details, because I don't have nearly enough time to dive into that today- I'm gonna need your input on how to handle a few things later this month. Specifically, something involving a corrupt middle school and a fire-quirked hero with anger issues."

"I see." The chimera said, the cheeriness in his tone sounding a bit more genuine this time. A bit more sadistic, too. "And finally, today. Where you decided to tackle security. Online- Oh, they found the exposed camera footage!- stealth, and physical combined. This has resulted in several complaints from Sekijiro-kun. May I ask why?"

"I don't think you need to. The last security check was apparently June of last year, and the heroes here aren't all-powerful, they can be careless sometimes, myself obviously included. If we don't want a repeat of the USJ, upgrades need to be made. As for Vlad, I can guarantee that any complaints he made were the consequences of his own actions… And if he mentions a wallpaper, I also had nothing to do with that."

"Fair point about upgrades, is that why you thought attempting to create thousands of dollars worth of property damage was the most effective way to test this? All because the technicians wouldn’t be available on short notice?" Ah yes, he forgot Nezu was a vindictive bitch.

"...It worked, didn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it did." Nezu's expression once again flickered but the smile was still present, "I commend you for finally being able to make the changes you required to the entrance exam, it had a long time coming, as well as your handling of Mineta's situation. I'll have to give Inui-kun a raise for all those additional questions and sessions he had, which must not have been easy, but apart from that everything is settled. And, well, I guess that's the end of that then, isn't it? Your time as temporary principal has officially come to an end and your schedule will return to normal as of tomorrow.” The rat looked back up at him and Shota was thrown into another spiral.

He’s… he’s disappointed. Okay? Is that what this prejudiced universe wanted to hear, that his day and maybe the rest of his hero and teaching career will now be slightly duller all because he was given access to a principal’s power for seven days only to have it taken away? Well, they got what they wanted, lucky them. That’s beside the point, though, all he’s really conflicted about right now is what he’s supposed to do because of this disappointment.

Nezu told him his schedule will now go back to normal as of this moment, so what he should be doing is grunting, leaving the office, and carrying on with his life as if nothing had happened, just like he always does. And he’s trying to do that, he really is, but his back is glued to the chair and his eyes are burning holes into the file Nezu is holding and he  just can’t move . Because inside of that file is everything he and Midoriya have done this past week, it’s sitting right there in front of him and no matter how much Nezu downplays it, he’s proud of it. He knows it had worth, he knows that it  changed things , and he’s not ready to stop. He’s not ready to go back, because what’s one file when he knows he can do so much more if just had some more time. And if he’s able to analyze himself well enough to realize this, then Nezu must have too. And it’s because of that conclusion that Shota knows his temporary job doesn’t end here, it can’t, because Nezu is a complicated creature who despite all of his bluntness, always has a secret true meaning and motive to everything he does. 

This position was always meant to be one of them.

"Cut the bullshit, Nezu,” He gritted out, “I know you're trying to tell me something. If you're gonna say something then say it now, because right now all you're doing is dancing around whatever topic is."

“Now, Aizawa-kun, what makes you think I have anything else to say?” The underground hero took a deep breath.  I better be right, or this will single-handedly be the most embarrassing moment of my career, and I might just quit. 

“...If you don’t tell me what it is, I’m going to leave.” If his legs would cooperate for once, that is, “I’m going to step out of this office and I’m not going to try and question your words like I always do just so I can figure out whatever it is you can never be bothered to inform me. I’m not playing mind games with you, Nezu. Not today.”

Deafening silence filled the room as the two creatures- one being a sadistic rat who tortures humans for fun and the other being a very tired individual who just wants answers- stared at each other. Neither moved, spoke, or even twitched. He’d say you could hear a pin drop but the tension in the room could probably keep it suspended mid-air. After about 2 seconds Shota started spiraling into yet another crisis. Did he get too demanding with his own boss? Is he not just going to get fired from his job as principal but as a teacher, too? Oh god, forget teaching, if Nezu chooses to live up to his extensive record then the tired man could be looking at a hero license suspension for the rest of his life. Well, at least he’ll get some sleep. Granted it’ll be on park benches because that’s where he’ll end up without an income, but hey, he’s done it before in high school and he could probably do it again. Maybe his old homeless acquaintances are still alive and kicking in the same areas they used to operate. They could lend him some spare items, right? All he needs is five bucks, a penny, a hairpin, and a small Swiss army kni-

“Ah, and I was doing so well,’ Shota snapped out of his trance-like state to give an incredulous stare at his boss, “I wished that I could have entertained myself with yet another guessing game this time, too, but I suppose we all have our limits. Very well, then, I guess I'll get on to the real reason I called you here, you never did like wasting time after all. I’ll start off with a question,” of course, “do I seem like the type of creature to get overwhelmed by my agenda? By the responsibilities that I hold myself accountable for?”

“No.”

“A man of few words. But you’re precisely right, I’m not. I don’t get overwhelmed, it’s simply not in my biology. I can handle any obstacle thrown at me and with hours to spare, whether it’s completing hundreds of paperwork or winning a trial against any hero of my choice. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, which I’m sure it didn’t for you. So with that in mind,” Nezu’s cold, beady eyes sharpened, “do you honestly think I wouldn’t be able to attend meetings with the hero commission regarding our budget and funding and manage this school at the same time?” The underground hero froze, and the rat took that as an opportunity to continue.

“I’ll say it for you: The answer is no. I could effortlessly juggle this school with a pinky finger if I so desired, so the real question that’s probably on your mind right now is ‘Why? Why didn’t you, then?’ Because, Aizawa-kun, it’s just as you always say to me and to Nemuri behind closed doors when you have forgotten about the fifteen extra cameras I implanted around the school: I always have ulterior motives to everything I do. And this is no exception. This past week wasn’t meant to be you just filling in for my absence, nor was it another mind game I devised to crush your spirit by putting you in a position of power only to strip you of it right after, because I know that’s what you thought it was,” Shota would have nodded if he wasn’t so pale-faced at the moment at whatever Nezu was implying. “This wasn’t a logical ruse,  this was a trial run .” 

...What.

“Giving you too much time to process this new information will only lead to a harmful degree of overthinking, as I have observed about you from the past, so I’ll give you the courtesy of elaborating without any breaks.” Shota threaded his fingers through his hair as he hunched over in his seat. “While this week may have been the official trial run, the actual test has been going on for much longer. I had several criteria used to judge you during that period of time, some of which you may have unknowingly picked up on, and others you haven’t. For example, one of them was a diverse teaching experience, which began back when I first took you on as a student. The hacking lessons did have ulterior motives, after all. And even after you graduated, there’s still a reason for why it took over ten years for the real test to start. You needed time after the job offer to get your proper degrees, a few weeks to get the hang of it, and a few years to get a good understanding of the different types of coworkers and students.”

“The proof that this experience has paid off is shown in the results you produce, which just happened to be another grading point,” Nezu continued, either not knowing or not caring about how hard Shota was shoving his knuckles into his mouth to muffle his screaming, “Looking through some of the hero commission's records, which they gladly gave me after a little bit of… polite negotiating, I accessed the files of your previous students. They may not have reached the top 10, but they all have some of the highest mission success rates and lowest on-sight casualty reports. They’re able to prioritize the citizens rather than their public relations, and that’s the only statistics I needed to see.”

“However, one section of my rubric that you probably didn’t notice was the expertise in public safety and security. I suppose today’s a good enough example of your ability to get reasonably creative with improving the school’s security measures, especially when you aren’t provided with any other options. Although I would have hoped that you found less destructive ways, even though it was very entertaining to watch from the security cameras.” Shota detached his teeth from the back of his hand to look up at his boss, a million thoughts raging inside of his head but he chose to try and force himself into focusing on the little details.

“You… you were watching the security feeds this whole time?”

“Of course! And for the public safety,” The mouse continued, dismissing the underground hero’s crisis with a wave of a hand, “it isn’t strictly limited to school security, as I’m sure you know or at least realized this week if the mandatory therapy appointments were anything to go by. Bullying, harassment, insufficient catering to students with learning disabilities and mental disorders, PTSD, parental abuse-”

“Parental abuse?” He shot out

“Never confirmed but a concerning theory of mine,” Shota’s vision went red at the edges. What does he mean by a theory of parental abuse? For one of his students, the ones he’s known for over a year? Surely he must have picked up on some signs if that were true, right? Is… did he miss anything? What did he miss? Who is this theory pertaining to and- “I can sense you overthinking, Aizawa-kun, and I’d like to remind you that any concerns building up right now are either being managed or will be taken care of in the near future. I recommend you focus on the present subject for now.” The man gritted his teeth but complied.  He still didn’t like whatever this was , “The problems that I had just mentioned were, whether we like to admit it or not, apparently very prominent with class 2-a. You’ve shown that you were responsible enough to let a professional handle the situation, and judging by the improvement of several student’s attitudes, I can safely assume it worked.” He sure hoped it did.

“You’re really stressing me out, you know that?”

“Finally, the last criterion I had for you was your ability to network and form functional relationships with your community as well as some others outside of it. Kayama-san, Hizashi-kun, Thirteen, Hironori Hekima, Nariko Rei, the other additions to the medical staff, etcetera. All of these connections had proved to be successful during your time here, just as I had expected and planned for months in advance. Therefore, to sum it all up, I can tell you one thing: You passed.”

What did he pass? What the fuck did he pass? Please somebody- Anybody!- tell him, because right now his brain is doing backflips like an acrobat on steroids and he doesn’t know where the hell he’s supposed to land. The ‘trial run’ that came with a complimentary grading rubric? Whatever the hell Nezu means by parental abuse? The fact that Nezu was apparently stalking all of them through cameras even while he was gone, which really he shouldn’t be that surprised about, but still? Or maybe how he had planned this confrontation for months now. It could be any of those and- shit, wait, what was that last one?

“No. You couldn’t have planned this months in advance, it’s just not possible.” Nezu titled his head, prompting him to explain. With gritted teeth, the erasure hero complied, “I can believe that you knew I was going to accept the temporary-”  temporary, it was supposed to be temporary, what the fuck is it now?  “-job, but you wouldn't have known that I was going to take Midoriya on a secretary. Even I didn’t know I’d actually done it. It was a split-second decision that drastically impacted any results I may have produced this week and not the kind of thing you could account for. And it’s obvious you didn’t see as you barely even mentioned the kid in your report.” 

And it’s true. Usually, Shota would think out the pros and cons of a decision before making one, but since he only had about fifteen minutes at the time, he more or less decided to wing it. And besides, how many cons could there really have been for Midoriya. Would it prompt Todoroki to make a lot more theories than he was comfortable with? Yes. Would Bakugo apparently be watching him like a hawk because of it? Again, yes. And would the unconventional lessons Shota taught Midoriya possibly lead to the kid going through with his plan for world domination, as documented on page 75 of his most recent notebook? ...Hopefully not. But all of that is a small price to pay for having an obscene amount of analysis and random facts about liver failure at the ready. Nezu's smile grew along with his eyes as if he had been anticipating Shota to bring it up. 

“You’re right, I didn’t plan for Midoriya. He’s quite the wild card, isn’t he?” You have no right to talk. “But while I may not have expected him specifically, I did expect the existence of someone like him. The person that you would turn to most often during your time as principal, for anything, really. The person that you would willingly work with. Understand?”  Asshole , Shota’s glare seemed to communicate,  you know I don’t .

“How should I say this? Much like me, you’re capable of doing anything on your own. You’re a fighter. You’ll fight and you’ll fight to accomplish the things you need to be done, and you will get it done, but at the end of the day what you struggle to remember is that life isn’t about fighting.” Well- “You shouldn’t have to constantly live on the edge of your seat, preparing to do so. What you need to understand is that once in a while, you can rely on others. And I know that may be a blunt statement for you to hear from me after so many years, but what have you been doing this whole week? Working with others.” 

Working with others? Well of course he did. He was the principal who overall had the most say in things, but without Midoriya keeping records, generating solutions with him, and doing way more work than his minimum wage of mechanical pencils asked of him, they wouldn’t have accomplished half as much as they did this week. But still… 

Shota heard footsteps getting louder and furrowed his brows in confusion, rolling his chair back so it was just out of Nezu’s office door and he could see through the window in the rest of the front office. The sounds got louder and louder until suddenly the people burst into sight. It was Midoriya, red-faced and holding a phone to his ear yelling ‘sorry, mom, just a second’ as he ran away, Todoroki, chasing after him with his notebook outstretched and a determined expression on his face, and Bakugo, chasing after both of them screaming ‘HOBO ISN’T HIS DAD, YOU WEIRDO!’ Ah, so he finally said it. Once again, he hates his life. But back to the conversation.

Shota stared for a second before slowly shaking his head at his boss’ words and rolling back to the desk. 

“That still doesn’t make any sense. I always work with others, this week wasn’t any different. I’m a hero, every day I interact with police officers, doctors, citizens, and other heroes. If I didn’t, then I’d be dead by now.”

“That’s different. You can work with others, but you can’t rely on them. You can’t trust them, despite how much you preach the importance of mutual faith between heroes to your class.” Shota once again wordlessly shakes his head and Nezu sighs, “Well, I didn’t want to bring this up, but if this is what it takes then so be it.” The rat reached a paw into the drawer of his desk before pulling out a file with a more than concerning title:  Aizawa Shota . The man in question shot up in his seat as soon as his eyes settled on the words, “In primary school, all class or group photos taken by your teachers were excluding one person: You. Yearbook photos reused a single photo of you for five years before junior high. You didn’t say anything.”

“How- Wait, how do you know this?” 

“In junior high, the school nurse wrote a medical report on you stating that you came to school after hours on the second day to pick up a forgotten bag. You were found with red lines and bruises along the bridge of your nose, in the rings under your eyes, mud stains and scratches on your pants, with an increased rate of blinks per minute and a newfound sensitivity to light that faded the next day. This was the first of many medical reports made about you, none of which were ever reported by you or anyone else for further investigation.” Shota shot his hand out to grab the file and Nezu slid it just out of reach. Inky eyes flickered red at the edges as his eyebrows furrowed,

“Can you stop?”

“During the last week of junior high, three schools received an email addressed to them, one of them was UA. They came from a Junhyeok Hachiro,” Shota’s still outstretched hand clenched into a tight fist, nails piercing into his palm just hard enough to leave a mark but restrained enough to prevent blood, “inside each of them was a page long and passionate letter explaining why a student of his, Shota Aizawa, should not be admitted to any of their schools, they included detailed statements that shared personal opinions of you, your classmates' opinions of you, and most importantly, your quirk. The emails were never reported to Hachiro’s superiors, but you were made aware of their existence. Once again, you said nothing.”

“Stop.” He spat out, red sparks extending past just his eyes and to the tips of his hair. Huh, what a horrible time to take notice of Midoriya’s observations.

“Finally, highschool.” Asshole, “Medical reports stopped, fortunately, as did many others from your teachers. The only claim that was made about you was an offhandedly-stated comment from Yamada Hizashi at the beginning of your second year.”  Asshole . “He was speaking to Kayama-san when the subject of the new hero course transfer student came up, and he said that he had seen you before your first day there.”  Asshole, Asshole, Asshole-  “He said that he saw you in a drug store at half-past midnight standing in front of the juice pouch section. A new yellow sleeping bag in one hand, a swiss army knife in the other, and in a small group of homeless me-” A teacup sailed across the room before smashing against the wall, earl gray tea dripping down while shards of porcelain clattered on the floor. What? He had to shut him up somehow. And it's not like Nezu doesn't see teacups flying all over the place anyway, if Nemuri's and Hizashi's parody of Beauty and the Beast last year is anything to go by. The silence stretched between them and Shota didn’t think about the possible consequences before speaking,

“What’s the point of this?” He said, feigning casualty. Nezu sighed again,

“This is what I mean by property damage, Aizawa-kun, with both the teacups and the windows. But do you understand now?” The underground hero, while still incredibly annoyed, nodded. He just wanted the rat to move on, “Through all of this, as I said, you didn’t tell anyone. You didn’t trust anyone enough to confide in them about your problems; no classmates, no teachers, no par-” Shota glared and Nezu moved on, “Than changed when you joined a group of ragtag friends, of course, as Tensei Iida liked to boast about, and that changed. You opened up more, and when I felt you had made decent progress, I took you on as a personal student. I know for a fact you are very enraged at me getting cliche with my explanation, but I can’t find a logical reason to care. Things changed after your work-study with His Purple Highness, and it still has lasting effects to this day. It’s the reason why finding someone to rely on during your week as principal was so important, I needed evidence that you were able to put in the effort for a functional relationship that went beyond just necessary for survival, and into the realm of fami-” Shota gave a loud groan cutting him off, “We both know what I was going to say, that noise made no difference.”

“And you did. Kayama-san, Shinsou, and most importantly Midoriya are all proof of that. It was the last thing I needed to see that you were prepared to take on this responsibility, and you were, and now I know that when I leave, this school will be left in good and capable hands. So, in summation, and I sincerely hope you won’t question me again when I say this:  You passed the test .”

Shota stared at the rat in front of him, conflicting emotions about the creature almost as burdensome as his conflicting thoughts trying to rationalize this situation. On one hand, he has so much built up hate for Nezu that he wouldn’t even be mad at himself if he tried to murder him. Most of the hate stems from the constant logical ruses that were aimed at him for the last fifteen years, especially since they happened so often that even he himself started participating in them. And it’s exactly why he doesn’t believe anything being said by him right now about all of this principal shit. Sure, he wants to believe it-  really, really wants it to believe it - but he’s not stupid enough to mindlessly go along it. ‘Sincerely hope you won’t question me again’ what the hell was that? Does he even know who he’s talking to? 

But on the other hand, this is also the same chimera who doesn’t seem like he would lie about such extensive planning and research. Because why lie about his favorite, most destructive hobby? And the explanation does make sense, in theory, since it would explain all his weird lessons in high school, and maybe how Hironori knew both his and Midoriya’s names if Nezu emailed him in advance. So maybe… maybe this is real. And while it’s one heck of a hard pill to swallow, maybe his dreams really are coming tru- Just kidding.

“Bullshit, you know full well I can’t be principal.” Nezu feigned confusion and Shota rolled his eyes, “No matter how much crap you spew about trusting relationships and family or how much borderline illegal information you collect about my school records, I  can’t  be principal. You’re only principal because the hero commission considered you a security threat and because if you’re smart enough to destroy our economy, it’s most likely the only one fit to run the top hero school in Japan. If it weren’t for that, you wouldn’t have been allowed to take over. I’m not either of those things, Nezu, and my quirk is a PR nightmare. The moment the media gets ahold of your news- the FAKE news, might I add- they’ll tear me and this entire establishment apart. So please, can you tell me what this entire thing was  actually  about?” Neither of them said anything for a while until suddenly Nezu spoke up,

“...You’re right. You won’t be principal.”

He tried to keep a straight face at that, despite the mind-numbing disappointment that followed that statement. He did enough this week, not a lot but enough. And you know what? That’s okay. Sorry, Midori-

“But who said anything about not being vice principal?” Another teacup flew over Nezu’s head to smash against the wall-  oh shut up, inner Nemuri . 

“PLEASE STOP MAKING DRAMATIC PAUSES-!”

“I’m sorry,” He said, not looking apologetic in the slightest. God, the resemblance to last Monday is uncanny. But that’s not the point, “I couldn’t resist.”

“You- for fuck’s sake- you realize that this changes nothing, right? The commission is still not going to approve of me.” There are many reasons why he chose to become an underground hero, but the ability to stay at least a little bit out of range from under the commission’s thumb was definitely a big one. 

“Well… then I guess you’ll just have to prove them wrong. Convince the media you’ll be a good leader and slowly ease them into it by showing all the changes you’ve made, because who doesn’t like a sneak attack? And in time, after you’ve had enough experience being vice-principal, then… We can worry about that later.” Huh, well isn’t that something. It certainly won’t be easy, that much he’s sure of, but it’s doable. This week was proof enough that he’s able to make changes when the situation calls for it, and if Midoriya’s gigantic notebook of problems at UA is anything to go by, it won’t be hard to find more to work on. 

“...Just like that, huh?” Nezu’s smile softened for a split second, so fast Shota almost thought he imagined it,

“Just like that.”

He’s… going to be vice-principal. Sure, it’s not as powerful as being the actual principal, and he honestly didn’t know the position existed at this school until now, but he’s not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. He won’t be just a heroics teacher anymore, he can actually make a difference. And he’s not sure if he should risk losing the stoic reputation he’s been building for the last few decades just so he can jump with joy like an overly enthusiastic school girl. He’ll have the time and resources he’s always wanted to get done the things he needs to be done. There will be no one-week deadline, no constant feeling that he isn’t on the right track, he can continue to make Vlad’s life a living hell, and best of all, he can keep working with-

“If it had been last week, I would have kept my mouth shut about what’s nagging me at the moment, but when you’re around Midoriya for a while you start to see the appeal of asking questions,” Shota said suddenly, “You said you’ve been planning your test for a few months now, but you also said that you had been waiting for the right moment to take me on as your personal student. So, honestly, how long has this been in the works?”

“Easy, it was when I sent out your rejection letter from the hero department after you failed the robot entrance exam.” Well shit. “You didn’t complain to us, question our decision, or protest against us. Other teachers saw that and assumed it meant you didn’t care much for being a hero in the first place, but I knew that the only reason you didn’t fight back was because you knew it was meaningless. You knew the cold truth about our modern society, how it gave everything to those with ‘heroic’ quirks and spared no mercy to those with ‘villainous’ or no quirks at all, and so you didn’t waste precious time trying to undo their beliefs. Instead, you dedicated your time to training for the next opportunity for hero course admission: the sports festival. Because no matter how unfair life was to you, it didn’t change the fact that you were going to sit back and accept it. So as soon as you transferred into the hero course, the lessons began.” Silence filled the room as the underground hero processed the information, but Nezu wasn’t done, “Oh, and I guess it just felt right, too.” Weirdly poetic speech aside, which he should really be focusing on but can’t manage to for some reason, that last sentence reminded him of someone. 

“I’ve asked you before but maybe you’ll give me an actual answer this time, mainly because it’s less about morbid curiosity and actually quite relevant and urgent at the moment, how’d you know the feeling was right? That you weren’t just reading too much into how I acted and behaved around others and during the entrance exam? Because for all you know, I could have just been an angsty teen.” I mean, he was an angsty teen, but hopefully, that’s not the limit to his personality. 

“You’re referring to Midoriya again, aren’t you?” Shota noticed the way Nezu avoided the question, either because he didn’t want to share his wise secrets or because he didn’t want to admit that deep down he didn’t have an answer, but he slowly began nodding nonetheless. In quite an embarrassing manner, might he add. “As I’ve said, I didn’t plan on Midoriya specifically to be joining your principal rampage as your right-hand secretary, so I had no original plan for what his role would be after the week ended…” The black-haired man felt the familiar cold feeling of disappointment course through him as- “But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working out the details of it for the last few hours.” God damnit, Nezu, he’s overjoyed somewhere down there in his ice block of a heart but please keep the dramatic pauses to a minimum from now on. 

“Huh? What do you-”

“A remarkable talent for analysis, a determined personality, the heart of a hero, and apparently overflowing with villainous connections to the underground world of Japan…” Nezu’s eyes pooled with excitement as his smile turned manic and Shota could almost hear the evil cackling, “All very useful and coveted attributes. How hadn’t I noticed it before?” Oh hell no. Nemuri’s warning from earlier rung through his head as Shota furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion and pointed a finger at Nezu’s gleeful figure,

“Hey, back off my kid, I don’t like what you’re planning”

“‘My kid’, huh?” He- ugh, just shut up, “While I can’t answer your last question, what I can tell you is that whatever intuition you have regarding Midoriya, it’s definitely right. The child definitely has potential, so don’t try and suppress it like others have in the past, nurture” Right, he forgot Nezu was a traitorous bitch who didn’t inform him about the kid’s former quirkless status. Although he guesses it wasn’t his secret to tell. But yeah, he agrees. 

“Yeah, how do I do that, exactly?” What? Just because it apparently happened to him doesn’t mean he knows how it was done.

“Keep doing what you’ve been doing, because it’s working wonderfully so far if the noticeable change in Midoriya’s demeanor and slow dissipating of his stutter is anything to go by. But if that still isn’t specific enough I understand, and other simple steps can be taken to ensure that his skills will be appreciated in this class and in his future career as a hero. As I’m sure we can both agree when I say I don’t want Midoriya to focus on being the future symbol of peace so much so that he loses sight of his other specialties. To begin, he can start having one-on-one sessions with me-”

“No.” The underground hero said immediately. He knew this was going to happen, and he will do everything in his power to stop it. 

“-We’ll see- he can find a more suitable hero to work with during this year’s work studies, one where he can properly utilize his talents in analysis to help out on federal crime investigations and build connections with police officers, and most importantly, he can continue his position as secretary,” Shota’s eyes lit up and he straightened in his seat, “to a certain degree.” He hates his life. “He can’t do as much as he used to, since he is still a student after all, but that doesn’t make him completely useless either as some changes can still be made to cooperate for his new job.” Nezu pulled out yet another file-  Where does he keep getting these?!-  and continued his explanation.

“Midoriya is fluent in English, as I had accidentally discovered one day when he was seen watching several American coming-of-age movies from the 1980s during lunch, and his explanation when asked was that his father had moved overseas to America eight years ago for work and taught him the language in his free time,” Todoroki’s going to have a field day with that, “so we can cut that out of his class schedule. He won’t need to attend the quirk law class, either, since he was shown to have excessive knowledge on that subject. I can only assume this is also due to Hisashi Midoriya, who shared the information he uses during his job as a quirk analyzer. Midoriya could also choose to list this position as an extracurricular activity that he can get extra credit and complete tasks for during and after school as if it were the photography club or yearbook committee.”

“So, with several hours now available, excluding work studies, I think that’s more than enough time for Midoriya to easily coexist as a hero student and secretary, wouldn’t you agree?” Nezu asked. That shouldn’t even be a question. He doesn’t do facial expressions, but whatever his mouth is doing right now can hopefully count as the ghost of a smile.

“Well... You’ll have to ask for his consent to all of this since ultimately it’s his education and career that we’re discussing, he should have a say in it. But if he agrees, then ye-” And Shota’s just about to say yes, yes to everything his boss suggested, but of course the rat had to ruin it,

“More than enough time to include personal lessons with me,”

“No. Absolutely not.” Nezu just grinned and Shota felt the strange urge to start running, throw the kid on a train, and tell him not to get off until he’s reached an isolated city where Nezu can never find him, “I will die for my cause.”

“Ah, but I thought you said Midoriya should have a say in this decision?” Shit. Okay, it’s fine, it’s all fine, stay calm. Nezu hasn’t gotten in contact with Midoriya yet, and if Shota runs fast enough, he can reach the kid before the rat with enough spare time to warn him. Then Midoriya can accept the secretary position, reject the personal lessons, and Shota can peacefully live as the vice principal of UA with no worries about world domina- “Oh! And it appears we won't have to wait, either!” What?

Shota whipped around in his seat, coming face to face with a sight he never thought nor wanted to see during his lifetime. Before him stood a smirking Nemuri, whip curled around one hand and a UA student blazer gripped in the other. The blazer that was- of course- being worn by a sheepish looking Midoriya Izuku. Who, for reasons unbeknownst to him, had messy hair and neon paint splattered all over his clothes. It was at that moment that despite all of the amazing news he had received that day- his position as vice principal, Midoriya’s hopefully new position of secretary, the fact that he’s one step closer to making his younger, pissed off self proud with all the changes to UA’s system- he knew one thing. 

Midoriya was, and always will be, a problem child. 

He wanted to stab himself.

He wanted to stab himself with the black mechanical pencil that Aizawa-sensei gave him. Why? He’s not sure. When he first received the sleek object, he tried to overanalyze it for some symbolic meaning like he always does. And that’s only the most logical decision, right? Because why else would be given the pencil if it didn’t have some sort of message hidden inside of it. But the longer he stared at the object, the more foreign the situation felt. 

It’s a pencil. He could do homework with it, write a letter to his father overseas, fill out a million more pages of his hero analysis notebooks, focus on drawing more, do anything he wanted with it. But he won’t, he can’t. Because isn’t it special, and wouldn’t that be wasting it? He can’t use it for just anything, he has to preserve it, make it live up to whatever standards Aizawa-sensei may have intended it to have, even if he doesn’t know why. He doesn’t even know why he’s trying to do that, anyway, it’s just something he’s always done. Every item he owns he owns with a purpose; each notebook, each writing utensil, each slip of paper, everything. And he can’t mess it up, can’t ruin it like he always does. It just feels right, it feels like he has to. And sure it’s a lot of pressure to uphold the traditions he forces himself to participate in for these items, but as long as the perfection is preserved, it should be worth it. 

But that led him to think about why he even wants to dedicate that much effort into it, besides it just ‘feeling right’. Because at the end of the day is he even doing it for himself, or is he doing it so others can see it, see it and observe the perfection that he has accomplished. What reaction would preserving it even get out of his friends, out of Aizawa-sensei? Nothing, most likely. And it’s stupid, he hopes, because he doesn’t even have an audience for these types of things. And it’s also stupid because once again it’s  just a freaking pencil . He can buy as many lead and eraser replacements as he wants, and there’s no limit because who would be petty enough to try and take it away from him? So really, he can overuse the pencil as much as he wants, make as many mistakes with it as he wants, because he has the freedom to do that now. 

And it’s only after he stares at the pencil for another five minutes does he realize he’s overanalyzed the pen so much, that he eventually came to the conclusion that the meaning behind the pen is that there’s no meaning at all, and that he should just shut his mind up. And how goddamn pathetic is that? So that’s what brings him to the present moment, not understanding if his inner monologue was trying to teach him something or if he just overthinks too much, and wanting to stab himself with the pencil. Because maybe then it’ll have some meaning, maybe a future English teacher will read his story and compare it to Shakespeare's Juliet, and that would be a little funny. So yeah, he’s such a mess that this was his thought process after being given a freaking pen. Sorry, Aizawa-sensei. 

He’s also sorry because he’s pretty sure he interrupted some sort of important moment here.

Izuku didn't know why Nezu was smiling at him like a maniac, nor did he know why Aizawa-sensei looked like he was given both the best and worst news of his life and had to decide between throwing himself a party or in front of a bus, but he didn't think he had the energy to worry about it, either. The paint was damp enough on the fabric to start irritating his skin, his hair felt disgusting and he so badly wanted to fix it, and his clothes felt too loose and too suffocating at the same time; so please forgive him if he's desperately trying not to flip out right now. Izuku was still caught up in his inner rant when suddenly Midnight-sensei nudged him with her hand, snapping him back into the present moment.

"Midoriya, you wanna explain what happened?" Oh right, he forgot his life was still a mess. He gave a sheepish grin to the R-rated hero,

"D-do I have to?" He got no reply and took that as an unfortunate yes. With a long sigh and a prayer to whatever god was out there that he didn’t get expelled somehow, he spoke, "Um, my mom called me while Todoroki was still telling me about his theories” It was only one theory, actually, one with too many layers for comfort. He didn’t think it could get any worse than All Might being his dad, but  oh my god was he wrong.  Not that he thought Aizawa-sensei being his dad was a nightmare or anything! In fact, it would probably be really cool! And it’s not like it would be much different from reality, because as Hitoshi said, he basically already acts like a da- Nope. Stop it, Izuku, he doesn’t. In any case, he may not know where Aizawa-sensei being his dad came from, nor does he want to, but he just hopes that the man himself never had to hear it, or else he might just do what all the kids told him to do and pass away from embarrassment. But anyway…

“-and once I was away from Shochan and Kaachan in a quiet enough area outside to hear her, because she said it was urgent news and I started panicking, she said that she wouldn’t be coming home for a while. So of course I said ‘Are you on the run?!’ because who knows maybe she was!” The green-haired boy flailed his arms around, “But nope, she just said that she’d be visiting my father overseas for a while. Something about slapping some sense into him for not visiting enough and spending too much time commenting on hero-hating forums when they both know full well what my future career is gonna be, but I’m not sure.” His poor dad. His mother is an angel but when she’s angry… whew.

“I’m hearing some very conflicting stories about your father,” Aizawa-sensei muttered.

“And I was about to tell her that it’s fine because I can take care of myself, but then suddenly uncle Akira the Ass-kicking Almighty-” Aizawa-sensei and Midnight-sensei choked, “-popped out of nowhere along with a bunch of my other neighbors and rammed into me knocking the phone out of my hand! Then auntie Anzu the Acrobatic-Batwoman told me that my mom had called them first, just to see if they would be able to check in on me while she was gone. But they had been so excited when they heard the news that they immediately rushed over here to celebrate.”

“Oh, dear,” Nezu commented, and Izuku couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

“Fumiko the fer- maybe I should stop saying their titles,” Aizawa-sensei gave him a face that said ‘ya think?’ “Fumiko brought a confetti launcher to use, or at least she said she did, because as soon as she activated it a bunch of paint popped out and splattered all over my clothes. I was a little shocked, but I knew it was an honest mistake so I didn’t get mad or anything. Unfortunately, no one else thought the same thing, because next thing I know Naoki is screaming ‘HE’S BEEN SHOT!’ and starts shooting his quirk-generated leaves at people trying to find the ‘shooter’. Ten of the leaves end up slapping Hayami in the face, and she’s already pretty scared at the idea of someone shooting a gun, so she yells ‘BLOODY MURDER!’ and summons her pet crows to start picking at people’s hair and eyes. And by the time it’s over, my clothes are ruined, Tadashi broke his leg, and six of them have been arrested for illegal quirk usage.” The three adults in the room stared at him for a few moments before his hero art history spoke up,

“I’m concerned about your home life, Midoriya, I hope you know that.”

“I do.” He said, head facing down with silent pity

“...What happened to your mother?” Oh right! Izuku shot his head up to give his homeroom teacher another pitying look, which immediately put the guy on edge for understandable reasons.

“Well after the cop car drove away,” He ignored the ‘I need a drink’ from Midnight-sensei, “my mom told me to find the closest teacher” He pointed at said alcoholic teacher, “and give the phone to them, which I did. I don’t really know what was said, but what I do know is that my neighbors are no longer trusted with the responsibility of taking care of me while she’s gone, even if I rarely ever go to my actual house in favor of sticking at the dorms. And because of that, especially since I’m a minor with no independent income, uh…” He thought he heard Midnight-sensei correctly when she first told him? But he really, really hopes he didn’t. Maybe he’s going deaf at an early age! And it’s not like that’s the end of the world! Maybe he and Kaachan could bond over it!

“He can’t be living on his own,” The R-rated hero continued for him, a smirk etching across her face for reasons unknown to him, “And by the rules we have here at UA which Mrs. Midoriya signed, he’s now a ward of UA. But of course, we can’t just stop there, because the students who this rule apply to will need extra protection,” Someone please kill him this is literally so embarrassing- “so he’s going to need an  official guardian. ” 

Ah crap, so he did hear her correctly. This whole situation seems like the kinds of internet stories he used to read when he was 10, ‘Adopted by UA’ where the reader is taken on as a ward and trained by All Might to become the next greatest he- This is even more embarrassing to think about. Is his face heating up? Izuku slapped a hand to his cheek. Yep, his face is heating up. But when he read those stories, he always imagined it to be the dream life, if you ignore how he was supposed to be an orphan in the story. But now… it’s an actual nightmare. He doesn’t know what being a ward of the school entails, but the fact that he had to be attacked with paint and watch his neighbors get arrested just to be in this position is horrendous enough. And judging by Aizawa-sensei's horror-stricken face aimed at him, he agrees- wait, it’s not aimed at him. It’s aimed above him. 

Izuku’s eyes flickered between the rapidly shaking head of his homeroom teacher and the growing smirk of Midnight-sensei. What…?

“Well, isn’t that a doozy,” Nezu cut in, a lot more cheery than the boy had expected him to be. “I suppose we have no other option than to plan for one of our staff members to act as your guardian for the time being,” Midnight-sensei smirked even wider as Aizawa-sensei paled ever further, and Izuku still didn’t know what was going on.

“I pity the person who is burdened with this responsibility, but thank you.” Imagine having to take care of him, of all people. They’d have to see him at 3 am stealing apple slices and peanut butter jars from the kitchen wearing an All Might onesie and blasting FNAF remixes in his headphones. He knows this because it’s exactly what Aizawa-sensei saw three months ago, and either he forgot about it or he forced himself to never mention that cursed moment ever again. 

“Don’t! It’s actually pretty convenient, if I’m being honest,” Huh? Izuku tilted his head as his homeroom teacher whipped around to face Nezu, “Aizawa-kun and I have finished with our discussion anyway.”

“What? No. No, we weren’t.” The tired man insisted, standing up out of his seat.

“So you can take his spot and we can discuss the matter of who your guardian will be, among other things,” Nezu said, his voice filled with mischief and excitement. His teacher groaned loudly, “It has to do with a little adjustment to your class schedule, as well as the  two  activities that will be replacing it. I’m sure you’ll find it all very interesting.” He’s getting another new class schedule? And what are the two activities?

“Not two,  one . Don’t do this, Nezu, it goes against every single one of our Moral codes!” 

“Are we murdering someone?!” Izuku exclaimed in confusion

“We might as well be,”  

“Not to worry, Aizawa-kun!” Izuku yelped in surprise as a rolling chair attacked him from behind and rolled his now sitting figure to sit at the desk, opposite from Nezu. “I promise you that by the time Midoriya and I have finished our discussion,  everything will go just as I planned .” He planned to murder someone?! The gruff man gave a withering glare to the rat, which as expected had no effect whatsoever. Finally, after a few seconds had passed, Aizawa-sensei would utter the words that would send Izuku spiraling in a fit of deja-vu:

“I'm disowning all of you." 

So there was a will?

Shota leaned back against the white pillar of UA, his feet planted firmly in the gravel and the scent of old rain attacking his senses no matter how deeply he sunk his head in his scarf. It wasn’t even that cold, it’s just second nature by now. He’d cover himself in an obscene amount of clothing in hopes of blending so deeply into the shadows that the people around him will forever stop perceiving him, but oh well, not all dreams can come true. For example, his dream fifteen minutes ago was to launch another teacup at Nezu’s head to hopefully knock him out, bribe Nemuri into dragging Midoriya to the airport and get him to convince his mother to permanently change his name so Nezu can never track him down. Something dark, like Akatani Mikumo or something. But of course, he forgot the biggest threat to his plan, the fact that Nemuri is a traitorous goblin.

He only remembered when he woke up sitting on the floor in front of the said pillar, the familiar effects of her somnambulist quirk still very much evident in his hazy vision and newfound sensitivity to light. He wants to say he’s shocked and hurt that she legitimately knocked him out just to get him out of Nezu’s office, but he really can’t blame her. Because he, too, would instantly lose sight of his morals if Nezu gave him a job. He’s the kind of rat you don’t question when it comes to those sort of things, even Midoriya would know that. Or at least, he hoped he did. 

Shit, does he? Shota wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t, because he hasn’t known Nezu for that long and probably wouldn’t expect to be told to steal detective Tsukauchi’s files with the casual wave of a hand, but still. The last person the underground hero saw question the rat’s orders on an illegal drug ring bust was this silver-caped rookie hero that liked to talk about nothing but New York, ‘The City of Dreams’. The next thing he knows, the guy was getting exposed for tax fraud. It’s karma, he supposes, and he knows Midoriya didn’t commit tax fraud or anything, but what’s scary is that these two events were within one day of each other. How did Nezu find that information that quickly? No one knows, but god damnit is it scary. 

Maybe he’ll spare Midoriya from his hypothetical wrath, though, since apparently, he wants to recruit him as his new personal student. Although, now that he thinks about it, that in itself is punishment enough. But he shouldn’t focus too much on that, because there’s still a small chance that Midoriya will have the sixth sense not to accept the offer and just stick to everything besides that. Like the new class schedule. And being Shota’s secretary for the rest of graduation now that he’s the new vice-principal. Jeez, how’d the kid react to that? 

He didn’t hear any loud sobbing, so it’s obvious the boy isn’t grief-stricken by the offer, thank god. Because how awkward would that be? No windows have been smashed through with the power of one for all, either, so he can assume that the boy wasn’t so unsatisfied with the offer that he summoned seven and a half- Don’t worry, he didn’t forget you, All Might- corpses to carry out his evil revenge. But he didn’t hear any loud cheering and screaming, either, followed by the random bursts of confetti and those old Katy Perry songs blasting through the whole block. So either he hasn’t even heard the news yet and Nezu is once again dancing around the topic, or he’s just stuck in shock at the offer. Either one would make sense to Shota, but the latter would definitely call for some extreme sympathizing since it’s exactly what he’s going through right now. He thinks.

Is he in shock? Because it sure feels like it. He gets that he’s not the most expressive person, but should he be doing… more? More to express his happiness?

And he knows he’s happy, he can feel the lightness in his chest and the twitching up of the corners of his lips that act as proof of it. But the logical side of him can’t stop screaming all the negative sides of a seemingly perfect deal. Sure he’s able to make a change at this school, but it took him fifteen years to do it. And this is just UA, it’s just a single hero school. It may have some impact on the hero industry but hiring more medical staff barely does anything for the rest of this corrupt society. Shota talks about improvements but the only ones on the receiving end of them were kids like him who won the villainous kid lottery. Others aren’t so lucky.

Others live life with people seeing them as a constant threat because of their quirk, all the opportunities they pine for are ripped away before they can even touch it like Tantalus and his dipping fruit tree, and they have to deal with their struggles at a never-ending pace because they never had anyone to help them. Shota can curse out the world all he wants but he still had Nezu, he still had Nemuri, and Hizashi, and Tensei, and that homeless man who helped him out of the goodness of their hearts. Others are barely given the time of day. 

But if there’s anything he realized this week, it’s that… it’s not his fault. He didn’t actively contribute to the prejudice that the majority of people can’t seem to get out of their system, and he’s never been just a bystander to it either. He wants to help, and he’s going to everything in his newfound power to accomplish that, no matter how long it takes. So why does he keep blaming himself? Why is nothing he does ever good enough for himself? Because it should be, and he wants it to be. He wants to appreciate what he’s been given, he wants to enjoy it, even just for a day. For once he wants to stop analyzing, stop overthinking, and just… be happy. He wants to be happy-

“Aizawa-sensei!” The underground hero microscopically flinched at the sudden noise, whipping around to face the cheery sixteen-year-old kid with an inconvenient knack for the element of surprise.

“Jesus, and you called Shinsou a ninja…” Midoriya shrugged and Shota noted it was awfully casual for someone who had just heard he would become a permanent secretary and- hopefully not- Nezu’s new personal student. What, did he miss the scream or something? “So… Nezu told you?” The boy sunk.

“Yeah…”  Shit. He sounds disappointed. Okay, this can work, all you have to do is act like you have no clue what was discussed, mention a few stories of Nezu actively lying to people for elaborate pranks, and-  “Turns out he couldn’t find anyone to watch over me yet!” Wait, what? Shota’s confusion must have shown on his face because the kid took that as a sign to elaborate, “Mic-sensei spends too much time at his radio show office, Midnight-sensei goes to a lot more night clubs than I had thought, Snipe-sensei is apparently going to start going with her to them, and Ectoplasm and Cementoss spend all their free time at their book clubs. So none of them have the time to monitor me, even though I’m not sure why they would need to,”

“The Shigaraki encounter at the mall, ground beta, whatever the hell you were doing at 3 in the morning wearing an All Might onesie-” It’s something he wishes he could forget, but feels like he has a legal obligation not to, “I could go on,”

“...Good point. But then I asked Nezu if Power Loader could watch over me, and he said he would have if he didn’t already have to watch over Mei! Because her parents are also on a business trip, making her the other ward of UA! We made plans to have sleepovers!” Midoriya pumped his fist in the air with an excited smile and for the sake of preserving his happiness, the erasure hero at least tried to restrain his shudder. Midoriya and Hatsume, UA’s residential psychotic geniuses when it comes to analysis and support gear, in the same building? Having sleepovers that will definitely land them both staying up at 2 in the morning, powered by Monster energy drinks, with cursed innovative ideas that should never have prototypes made for them? It’s above his pay grade, thank you very much. “And then I asked if Vlad-sensei could watch over me-”

“ Huh? ”

“But Nezu said something about ‘World War III’ and ‘not worth the resulting property damage’, so I assumed it was a no go.” Thank god, he’d be needing even more sessions with Hound Dog if Vlad suddenly became his guardian. So until someone’s schedule opens up, or another person joins the picture, I’ll just be floating around the dorms and hoping for the best.” Shota chose to ignore his inner voice screaming at him that he’s literally the only other teacher available and is still staying silent. 

“And that’s all you talked about? Nothing else came up?” He pressed, and Midoriya pressed a finger to his chin in thought. In the corner of his eye, Shota saw the door opening as more students slowly began trickling out. But besides moving to the left and out of the doors’ pathway, he paid them no mind. 

“Well, not exactly,” He  still  sounds disappointed. Remember the plan, Shota, remember the pla- “He asked a lot of random questions, too!” Stop with the pauses,  for the love of God . “He started off by telling me I did a good job this week, and that was nice, especially since he also offered me earl grey tea! But after he finished his short summary, it went a bit, uh, off course. He began by asking to have a look at my analysis notebooks, which I complied with because why not, but then he started commenting on them. And not just run of the mill comments, he was actually contributing. He even asked if he could keep number 13 for a little while just to read it more thoroughly and 'create a lesson plan' or something. Maybe it's a new class we're all getting,” Shit. At least he still has a little time to help the kid flee the country, though, "He even gave his own opinions about my section of what everyone’s roles would be in the slasher movie scenario! Which, by the way, included you surviving this time. Except you ended up killing the person who accused you in the end, so really it was a lose-lose situation either way.” 

“Fair enough,”

“Then he moved onto my opinions about the hero industry after seeing the analysis page I did on my dad. I said the basic things everyone agrees on- All Might is the indisputable best, Mirko is definitely rising the fastest in the ranks if you judge by past heroes of the top 10 and her latest statistics, Hawks’ easily gained #2 position was a little too perfect to not seem shady,” Shota doesn’t think these are basic opinions anymore, “and Endeavor is hiding something…  I can feel it .” Yes, because that’s totally not concerning.

“How does Todoroki feel about you snooping around his dad?” Shota asked sarcastically, looking back out across UA’s courtyard, now filled with significantly more students chatting amongst themselves. Ashido and Kaminari to be specific, screaming vines Bo Burnam lyrics back and forth to each other while Iida had a stroke listening to the explicit language.

“Very supportive,” Excuse me? “Then after asking what specific type of hero I wanted to be, what the worst crime committed among my neighbors was, and some random details about Aldera middle school,” God damnit, Nezu, he’s thankful that you listened to him but stop hogging all the revenge, “he asked me how I felt being secretary this week.” The black-haired man’s head whipped around to face the kid, who was now staring at the ground with an unreadable expression and a faraway look in his eyes. So, he’s finally getting his answer. Hesitantly but surely, and feigning nonchalance, of course, Shota spoke up. 

“And?” Midoriya bit the inside of his cheek, rocking back and forth on his feet with his hands gripping the box of excess notebooks and mechanical pencils that he must have picked back up from the cafeteria on the way out here.

“Same way you felt about being a temporary principal?” The boy tested out, sighing as Shota gave him a ‘Really? No way’ look. “...I think I liked it,” And there you go, they’re both disasters who can’t make up their minds about whatever the hell happened today, “More than I thought I would, in the beginning, that’s for sure. I thought it was just going to be making records, but I actually got to analyze more, and I don’t get to do that in class very often.” But he  could . He has the potential to do so many things with that skill, and if Shota had just incorporated it into his lessons sooner, then…

“But besides the analysis, it was nice getting to help around a bit with the changes,” A bit? “Because I think deep down I had always had a small grudge against UA for some of its policies, especially since they didn’t get rid of the ‘no quirkless kids in the hero course’ rule until I was in 7th grade. Not that it mattered in the long run, but it was pretty discouraging. But I got to help make the entrance exam more fit for their needs, along with anyone else who didn’t have purely physical quirks needed to smash robots. And I know it wasn’t a lot, but the idea that I could have made at least one other quirkless kid’s life a little easier is…” Midoriya trailed off,

“It’s good. You should be proud.” Shota doesn’t know how many times he’ll have to say that before the kid finally starts believing him a little, but judging by the minuscule nod he got from the boy at that, he’s definitely making progress. And he’s nothing if not determined to see future results. 

“I just don’t want them to be sad.” Midoriya said suddenly, “I know it’s oversimplified and childish and unprofessional but I don’t want them to be sad. Because I- I was sad. And lonely. And it sucked because it held me back from doing a lot of things I wanted to do. I always got so close to trying to accomplish them but then I’d… I’d just shut down? I don’t know. I’d start thinking about how no matter what I did, I was still useless at the end of the day, and there was no hope for any dreams I had. So maybe I should just stop, and give up on all of it. And it could have held me back from applying to UA if it had been strong enough, but luckily All Might came and gave me a greater chance… But I know it was just pure luck. Others won’t have the same chance.”

“If it hadn’t been for the sludge monster, we would have never met each other. And if I didn’t die from the entrance exam after that, then I would have died from- erm,” The boy cut himself off at that, and Shota had never been more thankful for the way his scarf could mask his emotions. He didn’t want the kid to see the furrowed eyebrows and borderline snarl and think it was directed at him instead of literally everyone else, “...The quirkless population has an 85% increase chance of suicide above the national average. And 12% of all hate crimes are targeted against them, too. I memorized the statistics when I was 9, and while I told myself it was because I wanted to change that data once I became a hero, I knew that wasn’t the complete truth. In reality, all I wanted was to see if I really had a chance at being a hero or if I should try and fit in for once by doing what the majority of them did and just… yeah. I didn’t, obviously, but once again many others weren’t the same.” He rambled. 

“So- so if by making their dreams just a little more possible, a little more accessible in their eyes and the people around them, I can get them to cheer up just the tiniest bit, and lower that 85%... then I think that’s good enough for me. Because they’ll go to sleep knowing someone was on their side, and that for once the entire world wasn’t built to work against them.” Midoriya paused for a second as the words he shot out from his mouth seemed to finally process in his own brain. But as quick as the silence had come, it was instantly filled up again, “So… yeah. I rambled a bit, sorry, might have gotten a bit off-topic-”

“You weren’t off-topic.” Shota said, his firm voice not matching the fake bored expression as he picked his nails, “No matter how much you downgrade everything you accomplished this week, future applicants will be on the receiving end of your results. Including the other quirkless children of that 85%. You helped them, and you’re going to keep helping them in even bigger and better ways as you gain more experience here, remember that.” Midoriya lifted his head a bit, not much but it was there, and Shota mentally yelled at himself to listen to his own fucking pep talks. So  this  is what was right in front of him. 

“... I liked this week. I liked being secretary,” So why does he sound so  sad ? “But it’s over now, and I’m not gonna throw a tantrum about it, because then I really will be childish, and none of the UA staff will want to be my temporary guardian after that.” Oh.

Oh, fuck you, Nezu. 

He didn’t tell him. Shota’s been out here for the last 25 minutes, stressing over what the kid's reaction to the news was and whether or not he made the deadly choice of choosing to become the rat’s next personal student, and he didn’t even tell him. Not even about the updated schedule! And now the adjustment is gonna be a pain in the ass. For a split second, Shota thought Nezu would lay off on the logical ruses, but now he knows that will never be a possibility. Nezu will forever exist as a cackling grey cloud that rains tea, blood, and the tears of children that constantly hovers over Shota, and he just has to live with that. He sighed,  well, time to be the conniving piece of shit I am.

“Yeah...” the underground hero stated casually as Midoriya slightly sunk in on himself, “enjoy your time off while it lasts. UA doesn’t have time for slackers.” The green-haired boy snapped his head up to face him, eyes wide in alarm. 

“What? What do you mean?”

“There’s still- what, ten more pages of courses of actions to complete?” Forest-green eyes grew even wider and Shota yawned, “I guess that will do for now, but if you think we can just  settle  for that then you’re gravely mistaken. You’re going to need to do more research into the problems at this school if we want to aim for maximum productivity in the coming semesters. The standards have only risen given the new vice-principal position.”

“VICE- Wait, UA had a vice principal?” Ah, so it wasn’t just him. Pride: Saved. “Eh, not the point, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!” Shota shook his head in mock disappointment,

“You really have to stay on top of these things, Midoriya, the secretary position won’t manage itself.” The poor kid looked close to fainting by now. What a pity. Midoriya was just about to open his mouth to ask another panicked question when Shota decided he should start wrapping up his comedy routine before he got in too deep. Don’t want to end up like Fukukado after all. He gestured his head toward a purple-haired teenager that was waiting by the front gates, “Run along now, don’t want to keep Shinsou waiting so long he replaces you with a cat. I’ve done it before and I can promise that it’s addicting and irreversible.”

The freckled boy whipped his head between his homeroom teacher, Shinsou, his teacher again, Shinsou again, and five more times in that order before finally giving up. His shoulders dropping with an exhausted sigh as he seemed to finally accept that he’d never get a straight answer out of the gruff man and that he’d have to wait until tomorrow to see the true chaos that unfolds when Shota is finally given a permanent position of power. With a wave goodbye and an optimistic but still incredibly confused smile, the boy began making his way over to Shinsou. Who, as he predicted, was already starting to track the movements of a nearby cat. Because of course.

Shota once again looked up at the sky, a habit he wasn’t sure over where it originated but one that seemed effective enough to never have him questioning it. Only this time he actually paid attention to what it looked like instead of losing himself completely in his own mind. Arranged in a perfect mess of colors- blue, pink, and purple- it seemed indecisive. Almost as much as his own mindset. Yeah, he's comparing himself to the sky like a poetic weirdo, and what about it? He lives on logic, always has, and because of that there’s always a civil war raging inside his head. Both of them constantly arguing the pros and cons of a situation, a person, and even aspects of his personality that he  knows  he can’t change  so why are they even arguing-?!  And it’s one of the reasons why he thinks he’ll never be able to fully enjoy something. Because he’ll always find a way to ruin it. But while that may be how it worked in the past, and how it should have been working right now, Shota can’t help but feel like for once in his life, the logical side of him has quieted and agreed among itself just long enough to let him come to a conclusion on four things. He-  ACK!

Shota stumbled back a bit as a supercharged force of green lightning and fucking sunshine rammed into him. While he was still in a fit of disorientation, he considered the possibility that Midoriya suddenly decided to try and murder him by embracing the physical state of a teenage missile. It wouldn’t be that surprising, since Shota, too, would murder someone if they had been bitchy enough not to give him the full details of his new position as secretary like he had done to Midoriya a minute ago. But as soon as he gained his senses back, took note of the pressure squeezing around him, and remembered that he’s not dumb enough to literally think it was a missile, it took him longer than he’d like to admit to realize he was not being killed, he was being hugged. 

But to be fair, that’s equally as deadly when it’s coming from Midoriya. 

The UA uniform sleeves wrapping around him and the view of the top of a green bush of hair pressing against his chest only lasted a second before the happy-go-lucky missile was running off again, black pencil waving around in the air as he yelled “I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BUT THANK YOU, AIZAWA-SENSEI!” and disappeared with his purple-haired friend beyond the gates and back to the dorms. The shock of whatever the hell just happened only lasted a minute before an involuntary smile spread over Shota’s face, one that wouldn’t back down no matter how hard he resisted against it. It wasn’t the smile he wore when terrorizing students with his logical ruses, nor was it the smile he’d flash at Vlad seconds before aiming a nerf gun at his face. It was the kind of smile that broke out when you knew four things were true and that you were-

Happy. One thing he knew was that he was happy. Fifteen years of hard work had come down to this moment, and it’s nowhere near done. He’ll prove himself suitable to the hero commission, he’ll advance in the ranks, and one day he’ll have finally made so many improvements to UA that all the kids like him- the villainous, the quirkless, the mutants- know that they, too, can be heroes. Not just to Japan but to themselves. And maybe, just maybe, what the students will learn here can be applied to the rest of this country until finally a step can be taken to erasing the quirk prejudice that has built up over the last century. But before that, before he has the right to think big, he’ll think small. He’ll think small, small as his smile, and he’ll be happy as admits to himself that-

Midoriya is his kid. The second thing he knew was that Midoriya was his kid, and it’d be stupid to ever try denying it again. His kid had the potential to be someone great, to be the hero everyone needs. And not just because of his strengths and smarts, but because despite every horrible thing that has happened to him, he cares. He saves. He could have given in to that 85%, or he could have used his insane amounts of analysis to destroy the industry as we know it, but he didn’t. Instead, he saw the grey where everyone else only saw the black and white, and he fought and is still fighting to help everyone do the same. And god damnit, Shota’s going to do everything in his power to help him do that. Everything in his power to make him realize that he has worth. So no, Midoriya may not be his kid in the way Todoroki keeps insisting with his evidence of black floating hair, but he’s his kid nonetheless. And so he’ll stop lying to himself about all of this, stop denying what’s been in front of him this whole time. Which is that finally,  finally , he’ll-

Never be lonely again. The third thing he knew was that he’s no longer lonely. Whether he admits it or not- although he’ll gladly do so this time- he’s found a family within this school, and they've always been on the other side of that door. Yeah, fuck you, a found family. Nemuri, Eri, Shinsou, Midoriya, and Shota would include Hizashi but he’s a little beyond just family at this point, wouldn’t you agr- What? But there it is. And he hates to be self-aware of this but he knows he wouldn’t have been able to realize this if Nezu hadn’t once again been a colossal asshole and tricked him into doing his little exam. 

And so as he leans against the pillar of the school that got him here, watching as Nemuri made explicit hand gestures at him through the window of Hizashi’s car, and as the blonde man himself struggles to hold back snorts at it but still patiently waits for him to join them on their carpool ride home, he knows one last thing.

He could have thrown a chair through a window and called it a day, but he’s glad he didn’t.