Superhero name: Ethereal.
Quirk: Synesthesia (The psychic ability to sense and project emotions onto others)
You took the job offer at UA knowing that you would be helping the next generations of Heroes take their first fledgling steps into becoming Pros, but for you, your job would go much more beyond that. You would be the school's guidance counselor, a fitting position for someone such as yourself; but it wasn't solely because of your quirk, the Principal Nezu, added as he smiled warmly at you during your final interview. Your experience as a Pro hero as well as an Empath would be invaluable to them. The students would be more comfortable with someone like you without even realizing it and if they felt they couldn't go to their homeroom teachers for a problem, your door would always be open.
Being able to make a difference in the lives of these future heroes, or rather as you often corrected, these young adults, made your heart feel lighter; you truly felt like this was the right place for you to be. It was easy to forget that these powerful youngsters were still in their teens, and having superpowers wouldn't make transitioning into high school any easier for them. The principal had been kind enough to offer you a formal introduction during the orientation ceremony on the first day of school, but you politely declined. If it were at all possible, you would prefer to make visits to the individual classrooms during the first week, "To make it seem more personal" you added, smiling softly. The mouse bear thought it over for a few moments, but was absolutely beaming in the end.
"A splendid idea!" he said, nodding in confirmation. "I trust your judgement. Do as you see fit, my dear. And welcome to our staff!" And now here you were, walking towards the first class of many on your list, Room 1-A, on your official first day as one of UA's personnel.
You felt a slight pang of nostalgia as you walked through the hallowed halls; as if it were for the first time in the years since you graduated. Had four years really passed so quickly? It was a beautiful day, with sunshine pooling in from the large windows overhead, providing a comforting light as you were left to your thoughts. The hallways were strangely quiet, but you were still able to sense the faint buzz of excitement seeping through the walls. Before you knew it, you had reached your destination, and you tried your best to ignore the persistent knocking inside your chest. The clipboard in your hands felt a tad heavier than you remembered it being once you were in front of the enormous classroom door to Room 1-A. Nerves, just nerves, you chided yourself mentally, taking a slow and steady breath to relax yourself. "Here goes nothing."
The way your Quirk works of kind of irritating on bad days. You're able to sense the emotions of everyone in the nearby vicinity and absorb them the way a dry towel soaks in water. Once you've absorbed too much however, the emotions flow freely out of you as energy whether you want it to or not. It's very seldom that that happens, you can handle quite a lot, and even tune it out when you have the strength, but it isn't easy. You should have known that this would happen, and you'd kick yourself for not realizing it earlier, but as soon as you had opened the door to the class, it was as if being hit by an invisible tidal wave of emotion and all you could do was stand there and smile stupidly as you forced your way inside. Did you miss something important or something?! Starting a first day shouldn't be that bad!
"Oh, it's you," A familiar, yet dreary voice announced at the sound of the door shutting behind you, "Nezu said you would be here. Class, meet your new guidance counselor." Way to steal my line, buddy. You thought sourly. You could recognize Shouta Aizawa, or as he's more commonly known, Eraserhead, from a mile away. He hadn't changed much since you saw him last, with his dark hair strewn over his eyes and even darker clothes draped over his lean frame. Then there was his signature gray scarf, wrapped loosely over his shoulders, and if you remembered anything about him, he probably had a sleeping bag stashed away not far from his desk. You had worked with him a few times during your hero days and honestly, he always looked like he was running on his third all-nighter no matter what time of day it was. He was pleasant enough working with as a Hero, but you found it somewhat hard to wrap your head around the image of him as a teacher. Never judge a book by its cover, you guess.
You scan your eyes over the class of students, watching their energies floating and flaring over their heads like tiny storm clouds. They were clearly rattled by something and you doubted it was because of your meager arrival. Skillfully, you focused your energy and sent a gentle, calming aura over the class, easing their spirits. Now it was your time to shine. "As your teacher said, class, I am your new guidance counselor for the year!" Your voice was full of enthusiasm and a confidence that would rival even All Might's, but it was just a bit you had been dying to try out since you had gotten the job. "And I'm here to let you all know that I'm here not just as a UA employee, but as your friend. My office is located in the wing right next to Recovery Girl's infirmary. Please don't hesitate to stop by and say hello." It was a sincere enough introduction, you mused, reaching into your purse and pulling out a small deck of cards. "Feel free to contact me whenever you like. These cards have my phone number and an email where you can reach me."
Quickly you used this time to segue and separate the deck into smaller stacks in your hands. You gave them to the front row of students to pass back, catching a few nervous glances from the young men when they happened to lock eyes with you. Yes, they were definitely still high schoolers at heart. It made you smile despite yourself.
"Uh, e-excuse me, ma'am?" Someone chimed timidly, raising their hand from the back of the class. You couldn't help but notice it was trembling slightly.
"Yes?" You replied cheerfully, smiling genuinely at the wild-haired student as they moved to stand up from their seat. Some might have described the boy as plain looking, but you found the specks of freckles dotting his cheeks and the friendly green eyes adorable beyond words.
"You're the hero Ethereal aren't you?" Well that one certainly took you off guard. You may have been a pro but you certainly weren't very popular, indie at best. Whoever this kid was, they were certainly doing their homework on heroes. You took note of his face and decided that whoever he was, you already liked him.
"Why yes I am! I'm flattered that you would recognize me!" The grin you had was ear to ear, it had been a while since someone had known who you were. Suddenly it was as if the student had set off a spark and now half the class was asking you how you had gotten the job and if you were still able to do hero work and if you were still single; it quickly got overwhelming and suddenly Aizawa was standing right beside you, reminding the class that they were going to have to ask real questions or let you leave, you had a busy schedule to keep after all.
With that being said, the ruckus died down just as quickly as it started. "Seven seconds, I'm impressed." You heard Aizawa mutter under his breath. You didn't have any idea in the slightest as to what he was talking about but it really wasn't your concern. Taking this as your cue, you turned to leave, he was right after all; you had about 20 other classes to see before the day was over. Then there was the meeting to go to afterwards before lunch, and you were hoping to meet All-Might in person at some point; your head was whirling. You opened the door to see yourself out and got halfway through before you remembered something.
"Mr. Aizawa, this is for you. I was told to give one to everyone." You stuck out a card between your fingers, locking eyes with the odd, disheveled man. If the encounter lasted all of ten seconds, time must have slowed to a standstill; it felt like it dragged along for an eternity.
"Thanks." He said flatly, his fingers brushing against yours for the briefest of instances, wordlessly shoving the card into his pocket without breaking eye contact.
"Right..." You replied meekly, trying your best to keep a straight face. "I'll just be going now." You said to no one in particular, and shut the door quietly behind you.
Authors Note: I found the lack of Eraserhead fanfics disturbing and i was struck with the urge to fix that. More to come very soon! Go easy on me though i haven't written a fic in literal years. Happy reading! With love, RR97