AN: This was just a fun thing I did for a secret santa in someone's server on discord. Hope you enjoy. :D
Izuku
—
Shouta was observant. He saw things most missed. It wasn't just because he was a pro-hero, either. He had always been observant even when he was a kid. Hizashi would often comment on how well he seemed to know the class despite never really interacting with anyone. He had always combated him by saying that if Hizashi just looked carefully enough, it would be obvious.
It wasn't that Shouta took any particular interest in things. He just had a more keen eye than others and noticed the small details. And as an underground hero, noticing everything came in handy.
So it was rather obvious, to him at least, when Midoriya started to act differently. He was a pretty straightforward character, his behaviors fairly consistent.
Midoriya was always early to class, with Iida and Uraraka by his side, and more lately, Todoroki. He had noticed that ever since the sports festival, the two had become closer.
Besides always showing up to class early, Midoriya was a diligent worker, never turning in anything late and almost always scoring within the top five of the class.
Midoriya may be a problem child, but at the very least, besides his self-destructive tendencies due to his quirk, he took care of himself.
Or, at least, Shouta thought he did.
It wasn't super noticeable at first, just a few slip-ups in assignments and looking a little more tired than usual. Really, it wasn't any cause for concern. With finals approaching, a lot of students were scrambling, and cramming in attempts to learn the semester's worth of knowledge in a short span.
So, it shouldn't have caught Shouta's eyes, but it did… because Midoriya wasn't like that.
Midoriya didn't clamber together his notes haphazardly. The kid was almost as bad as Iida when it came to keeping his notes organized. Sure, from what Shouta could tell, they seemed like a jumbled mess, but there was a system to it.
Then, of course, as the days dragged on, Shouta realized how inattentive he had become during class.
Midoriya was one of the most invested students he had seen in ages. He practically lapped up the information like a dog.
Now, he figured it wasn't a big deal, but then, he knew that Midoriya was also the local problem child.
There really was a chance that, given time, this would grow into something bigger. Midoriya did seem to have a problem with asking people for help.
There had been one time where Midoriya had sprained his ankle and neglected to tell anyone for two weeks. The worst part had been his ability to mask the limp—it was too convincing and told Shouta that he'd done so before, which was disconcerting.
Midoriya was… something else. He really was and Shouta knew his self-destructive tendencies stemmed from something deeper than a need to just help people.
Shouta wanted to help people, but he wasn't about to mutilate his body to do so. No, it wasn't as simple as that. It never was, Shouta knew.
People weren't one dimensional.
There was more to his story than Shouta knew, but the thing was, he wasn't about to go prying into Midoriya's personal history. It wasn't his place and, frankly, he didn't really care about the circumstances before Midoriya became a student. As long as it wasn't hindering his ability to perform here in class, then it didn't matter.
And lately, Midoriya had been getting better about his reckless behavior. He wasn't going to Recovery Girl's office nearly as much, but that didn't mean everything was alright, either. Something was clearly wrong, whether Midoriya was hiding it or not, and Shouta didn't want it to escalate. The dark bags under his eyes were more prominent now, not as bad as they could be, but worse than they should be and the kid was listless as the class went on. He wasn't paying nearly as much attention as he should be and was barely writing down any notes.
It was more of precaution when he called Midoriya up to his desk after class.
Midoriya had bid his friends away with the promise that he would meet them at lunch. He casted curious, and possibly doubtful eyes at him as he walked forward. Nervously, he asked, "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yes," Shouta eyed him curiously. Midoriya wasn't looking him in the eye, and his posture was slouched, having drawn into himself. In a way, he reminded him of a kicked puppy.
"You're not in trouble, Midoriya," he sighed. It was rather obvious that his student seemed to think he was.
"Oh." He stood up a bit straighter at that, scratching his neck sheepishly. "Then, why did you want to see me?"
Well, now he was curious. "Why did you think you were in trouble?"
Midoriya had looked so relieved to see that he wasn't in trouble, which begged the question as to why he would look so guilty if he hadn't done anything. Unless he had, but if so, Shouta wasn't aware of it. Besides, as much of a problem child Midoriya is, he's never done anything that would lead Shouta to believe him to believe he was that kind of student. Unlike some student, Shouta could see that Midoriya strived to be an excellent student.
"Oh-I, um, well, you see…" he prattled on anxiously.
Shouta gave him a pointed glare, telling him to get to the point.
"Usually, getting called after class means that you've done something wrong…" he finished rather lamely.
"I see," Shouta drawled out, "You are aware that there are other reasons as to why I might have called you, right?"
Shouta cast him a disbelieving look when he catches him mumbling something under his breath.
"What was that, Midoriya?"
Midoriya looked a little scandalized that Shouta may have heard what he said, "Nothing, just rambling…" he tried to brush it off.
Shouta, not really all that invested in the conversation anymore, went back to his original point. "I'm not going to beat around the bush, Midoriya, something's wrong.; you're not acting your usual self"
Midoriya blinked owlishly, guilt and fear ghosting across his features. "I'm fine," he said automatically.
Shouta just gave him a look, the kind that says 'I know you're lying and I'm not falling for it so spill' and Midoriya wilts slightly under it.
"It's not… it's not a big deal," he finally admits.
Shouta sighs because this means it is definitely a big deal. "Spill, kid." He leaves no room for Midoriya to argue.
And it seems that the kid is well aware of that because he lets out a deep breath and turns away from hi., "It's just, it's really not a big deal, I'm just a little tired is all."
"You're overworking yourself," Shouta corrects.
Midoriya vehemently shakes his head. "No, I'm not, I swear," he waves his hands in front of himself frantically, signaling his denial of Shouta's words.
Shouta doesn't believe him. "Then what's with the bags under your eyes? You look like you haven't slept properly in weeks, and don't think I didn't notice you not paying attention to my lecture today."
Midoriya flinches, "it's just hard—"
"Being a hero in training? Yes, it's challenging, that's why I'm strict—"
"No, not that, well I mean, yeah, the classes are difficult and all just…" His voice tapers off.
"Just," he goads him into elaborating.
His voice is barely a whisper, "it's hard, trying to live up to everyone's expectations."
Oh. So this is the crux of the problem then. Really, he should have seen it coming. Midoriya was a people pleaser, whether he knew it or not, so of course he was going to strive to meet everyone's expectations.
"I see," he said after a moment's pause.
"I know… I know there are things I can't do, I have limits," Midoriya elaborated, "but sometimes… sometimes it just feels like I-like I can't do anything." There was a hitch in his voice and Shouta knew the kid was on the verge of breaking down. He was known as an avid crier, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing in Shouta's mind. Showing emotion meant he cared.
Still, Shouta was known for a keeping a level head and that was just what he was going to do, "You're never going to meet everyone's expectations, Midoriya. They only ever grow."
"I know that, I do—"
"Do you, though? Because it sounds like you're cracking under a pressure that doesn't even exist yet." His voice was stern and level. If anything, it was meant to keep the situation calm and in control.
"But everyone already expects so much. How do I-I mean, how can I…" He breaks off, unable to collect his thoughts. "It's just, I want to help people, I really do, but I can't do everything and it feels like—"
"You're a first-year student, Midoriya. Yes, you've shown everyone just how powerful you can be, and yes you have your provisional license, but you're still a child. People see kids like you, with that ambition and drive and one hell of a quirk and they think, 'this kid is going to be great' and they're not wrong. You will be great, one day, but not today. Today, you're just a kid."
"I know but—"
"You obviously don't. Look, people are always going to be putting their expectations on you. At some point, you're going to have to stop trying to meet them and just be you. You will never be perfect. Someone will always find criticism in what you do, so you have to learn to ignore them."
"It's not that easy… What if… what if it's something you can't ignore?" He was pleading with him now. Shouta wasn't cut out for this, really he wasn't.
He dragged a hand over his face. "Listen, kid, no one said any of this would be easy. It's not, and if you think it will be, then maybe you shouldn't be a hero."
Midoriya blanched at that, but Shouta cut in before he could get another word in.
"Look, you are cut out to be a hero. You have the drive, the ambition, the heart, and the strength. I have no doubt you'll be great, but not if you keep driving yourself into the ground trying to meet these expectations."
"What if…" He looked away now, something darker in his demeanor, "What if you're wrong, and I'm not… all that. All that you said."
Shouta contemplated for a minute, thinking about how to answer. This isn't something he can fix with a few pretty words. He knows that, but he can't just say nothing.
"That—" He paused. "I'm only telling you what I see in you, so it's possible I'm wrong. Maybe you're not all that, but really, who am I to say? I'm just your teacher, I don't get to choose what you become, I can only help you and guide you to be what you want, what you can be."
Midoriya didn't say anything for a minute and Shouta thought he may have said the wrong thing…
"So… you really think I can be a great hero then?" There was hope in the boy's voice and Shouta let out a breath.
"Kid, you can be great. I would have expelled you on day one had I not seen potential in you." His voice held no trace of a lie because he wasn't not lying. If, that day, Midoriya hadn't shown an ounce of potential, Shouta would have expelled him. "Cut yourself some slack, kid. It seems as though the only one here who doesn't believe in you… is you."
Midoriya startled. "It's not that… I'm just not used to… teachers believing in me."
This caught Shouta off guard, but he didn't want to delve into that wound just yet. "Well, you don't have to worry about that here, kid. I don't know how competent your last teachers were, but I can assure you that the staff here would never belittle a student like that."
Midoriya cracked a small smile at that. "Thanks…"
"Yeah, well, don't mention it. Just, don't overthink it, alright, and you'll be fine." He watched as Midoriya leaves.
Maybe this teaching thing wasn't so bad—he still wasn't paid nearly enough to deal with this, but it is rewarding to see his students succeed.
Denki
—
Shouta casted weary eyes on his class as they worked on their assignments. It was interesting, he decided, how easily he could read the student's faces and discern their feelings on this particular assignment.
Iida worked diligently, eyes scanning the paper as fast as his pencil wrote his answers down. Everyone once in a while, he would pause to erase a previous remark before rewriting his answer.
Yaoyorozu wore a smirk throughout most of the assignment, swiftly working through the problems. Her confident smirk never left her face as she worked.
On the other end of the spectrum, there was Kaminari, who just looked utterly confused. He changed his answer every other minute. Dread overtook his features as he turned the page of the assignment.
It wasn't as though Shouta gave them exceptionally difficult assignments, but he did try and push them, challenging them to think in new ways. He knew what his students were capable of. However, if any of his students were struggling, then he was willing to help them out. Though he didn't feel like outing Kaminari for his apparent lack of understanding of the assignment, he did hope that Kaminari had the sense to ask for help if he was having difficulties understanding the material.
He was a smart kid. They all were, just in different ways. All of his students had potential, that was a fact. He wouldn't have taught them if he thought otherwise. It wasn't fair to anyone if he taught them when they had zero potential—it would only hurt them when they inevitably failed.
So, Shouta made sure to only teach the students he thought had merit and this class… this class was different from others. Everyone in this class had the potential to be great.
Sometimes they just needed a push or someone to believe in them. And he did believe in them. That was why he was hard on them. Because he knew they could handle it.
Kaminari was a prime example of a student with unlimited potential. His quirk was powerful and could be used in various ways, but it did have a huge drawback. If he wished to become a hero, he would have to overcome that hurdle. Shouta was aware of the fact that while his quirk was one of the stronger ones in the class, his mental capacities were not.
That wasn't to say he was lacking in cognitive thought, because he wasn't, not really. He was smart, just not book smart.
It was after class that Kaminari did actually venture to his desk. Shouta cast him curious eyes.
"Do you need something?" he questioned idly.
Kaminari looked rather embarrassed. "Well… actually…"
Shouta didn't say anything, letting Kaminari have control of the situation.
Eventually, he shook his head. "Nevermind, it's stupid." He turned to leave. "Sorry to have bothered you, sir."
Shouta rolled his eyes dryly. It was rarely ever stupid when a student came to him for something. Years of teaching had taught him that much. "Whatever it is, I can assure you it's not stupid."
At that, Kaminari turned around sheepishly, scratching his neck anxiously. "Well, um it's just that—" He stopped abruptly.
Shouta just stared at him pensively. He was willing to help, but he didn't have all day.
"I'm sorta having trouble with some of the material…" He trailed off, shamefaced.
"Care to elaborate on that?" Shouta speculated that there was more to it than that. Kaminari was being too nervous for it to just be trouble with school work.
"I-well, the thing is, like, I understand the material, but I don't understand it, does that make sense?"
Frankly, no, that didn't make sense, but Shouta thought he understood what Kaminari meant by that. "I think I know what you mean. Would you like for me to go through the material with you?" He asked.
This was something he could do. This was easy, going through the material.
Kaminari reluctantly nodded and Shouta went through some of their more recent material with Kaminari.
It was about halfway through the material that Kaminari interrupted his him.
"Do you think I'm too stupid to be a hero?" he asked curiously.
This took Shouta by surprise. He had thought Kaminari was doing fine, sure he wasn't in the top five of the class, but that didn't mean he was stupid or an idiot. This was class 1-A at U.A., one of the most prestigious hero schools in Japan. Even if he wasn't top of the class, having gotten into the school was a feat in and of itself.
"What brought this on?" he asked in a monotone voice.
Kaminari shifted. "Well, it's just that… I know I'm not, like, the smartest in the class, but—"
"But you are in the class. You wouldn't be here if you didn't pass the entrance exams, and as far as I know, the entrance exams here are grueling."
"I mean, I guess, but like… even with that, I'm not even in the top half of this class—"
Shouta sighed. "Not everyone can be the top in the class. Just because you're not number one doesn't mean there isn't any merit to your skills. You can't always be number one, and that's okay."
"I get that, and like… that's fine… but then, the backlash of my quirk renders me useless in almost every scenario," Kaminari rebutted.
It was like he was looking for an excuse, and Shouta just rolled his eyes blandly at his efforts.
"Every quirk has a backlash. I have dry eyes because of my quirk," he sighed. "You're still a kid, so it's okay if you haven't figured it all out yet. And trust me, as far as backlashes go for quirks, yours isn't an end-all disaster. You can overcome it, gain better control over it. It just takes time, Kaminari. You have to give it time. You're a first-year. Don't count yourself out of the race when it hasn't even started."
Kaminari looked shocked (the pun was not lost on Shouta, but he chose to ignore it) that he had said such things to him.
Honestly, this was not what Shouta signed up for when he became a teacher. He was not prepared to deal with angsting teens, but if he could help them, then who was he to turn away from that.
The last thing he wanted was for someone who had potential to not even try because they didn't think they could do it.
"Thanks… I guess I've been trying to be too much at once. I should give it some time and really develop my skills, both physical and mental."
Shouta nodded. He knew Kaminari was smart, he just needed to have the right kind of push. Kaminari thanked him for the help and left.
Shouta was glad to see that he had helped his student. Probably in more ways than one.
Shouto
—
They were at Gamma B, practicing to improve their quirks. Shouta noticed that most of his students were giving it their all. However, there was one student who was still holding back.
Todoroki Shouto. While he had been getting better about using his left side, there were times when Shouta caught him hesitating to use it. This just happened to be one of those times.
He didn't know a lot about Todoroki or his family situation, which brought on questions of their own. None of them good.
Shouta himself wasn't the biggest fan of Endeavor. He was crude and gave off an ugly aura. He was glad that he was an underground hero, and thus, rarely worked with Endeavor, if ever.
Todoroki wasn't much of a talker. Shouta knew he was friends with Midoriya and had come out of his shell more after the sports festival, but there were times where he faltered and retreated into himself. Now seemed to be one of those times.
Honestly, he wasn't a babysitter. He didn't need to fix this, because there wasn't really a problem. It wasn't of his concern if Todoroki decided he wasn't going to use his left side today. As long as he didn't endanger anyone, then it shouldn't have mattered.
And yet, here he was, calling Todoroki over so they could talk.
Really, when had his life become so involved?
Todoroki looked a little hesitant as he came to meet him. "Yes, sir?" he asked politely, though rigidly.
"I noticed you haven't been using your left side much today. Any particular reason why?" he commented idly, eyes still wandering around the gym, glancing at other students.
"No reason, I just wanted to work on my right side today."
Now, the comment itself was fine, normal even. If it were just that, Shouta could have left it alone, but the way Todoroki had said it, terse and a little to defensively, made Shouta question if there was more to it.
He had gotten a satisfactory answer. He wasn't obligated to ask any further questions, but there was a nagging voice at the back of his mind that told him to pry just a little further.
He was probably going to regret this, but… "Is that so? From my understanding, you have greater control over your ice, so it would be more prosperous for you to train your flames, would it not?" He glanced at Todoroki to see him tense, not outwardly affected, but his posture was that of someone on the defense.
"I still have to practice with my ice though, or else it will go stagnant," he defended.
"That is true, however," he challenged, "I don't think that's why you're not using it. I think your running." It was a jab in the dark, but there was something off about Todoroki today. He was being too defensive. Usually, Todoroki was brash and uncaring, but this arresting nature is something else.
"I'm not running from anything. I just don't want to use my flames today."
"Why?" Shouta immediately pounced, wanting to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible, "There is no reason for you to be hindering your ability to grow over some silly dislike of your quirk."
"It's not a silly dislike." Todoroki immediately turned on him. It appeared as though he'd hit a nerve.
Shouta crossed his arms and turned to meet Todoroki's cold, mismatched eyes, "Then why don't you use your flames?"
Todoroki looked away from him defiantly, biting his lip and crossing his arms in agitation. "I'm not like him," he bit out derisively.
That took Shouta by surprise. Not the dislike for Endeavor, which was the obvious choice for who Todoroki was talking about, but the statement itself. It came out of left field for him; he didn't know what to think about that.
Everyone knew Todoroki didn't like his father. He didn't hide it and, really, Shouta couldn't blame him. Endeavor was something else. Not something good, but something.
"Well that's rather obvious."
Todoroki shook his head, staring in front of him with firelit eyes. "No, I mean, I know I'm not him, and it's my power, but sometimes…"
"It is difficult to get away from family comparisons. Deciding to not use your quirk out of spite isn't going to change anything, at least, not in a good way. You are aware of that, right?" Shouta kept his tone nonchalant.
There was an explosion in the background, one that shook the facility. Shouta was going to have to remind Bakugo to keep his explosions controlled. It would be a pain if he dealt too much damage to the facility, regardless of how easy it would be for Cementoss to fix it. It was a hassle to deal with it.
"I know it's irrational. I'm not him; I'll never be him," he ground out, "but sometimes, I feel the heat of the flames… and it's not me… It's him… and I can't control it when that happens; I don't-I don't want to hurt anyone." He took in a sharp breath.
Shouta sighed. He was not prepared to deal with any of this. Exasperatedly, he ran a hand through his hair. "I see," he dragged on in a morose tone. "Is it you can't control it, or you're afraid?
The hitch in Todoroki's breath told him it was the latter.
"Look, kid, you're not going to have complete control over your quirk in a day. It's going to be rough sometimes because you have such a strong quirk, but that doesn't mean you should be afraid of it. Just think, if your quirk is like this now, what will it be like once you have full control. You're not the only one with a flame quirk, and you're not the only one with an ice quirk, but the power of both of them is yours and yours alone. So, no matter how terrifying it may be, you have to be the one to take the reigns and control it," Shouta finished.
For a moment, Todoroki didn't say anything. He just stood there, stoic as ever.
He then took a deep, heavy breath. "I know that, but what if I can't?" It was a deadpanned answer, but there was the barest trace of fear in it.
"Then we're here to help you. You're not alone, Todoroki. Everyone at U.A. is trying to become a hero and us teachers are here to guide you and help you achieve your goals. It may be our job, but we're not just helping you because we have to. We want you to succeed."
There was another explosion, presumably from Bakugo, and Shouta shook his head. This time it was a little closer, and much larger than before. That kid was overdoing it for sure… Another explosion… and yelling. Great, now a fight had broken out.
"I… thanks, Aizawa," Todoroki said cooly, clenching his left fist and letting a small spark of fire ignite. "I appreciate it—"
Another explosion rocked the facility.
"You might be needed over there…" Todoroki pointed out and Shouta sighed.
He shook his head, already starting to leave. "Yeah… those kids never know when to quit. But, Todoroki, just know you're not alone here. So don't go acting like it, okay?"
He saw Todoroki nod before he turned and headed off in the direction that the explosions were coming from. It seemed he had even more work to do today.
Momo
—
Shouta was packing up for the day, ready to go home and relax for once. He didn't get a lot of time off and he relished the times when he did get to go straight home and relax.
However, as he was just about to leave, there was a knock on his door. He sighed. It looked as though he wasn't going to go home early then.
He beckoned the person in.
Whoever he had been expecting, it wasn't Yaoyorozu. She was top of their class, a well-adjusted student who not only excelled academically, but also had the makings of a powerful quirk that would serve to her benefit in her future career as a pro-hero.
She stood at the threshold, eyes on the ground and hands wringing around themselves, a telltale sign of nervousness.
"Is there something you needed, Yaoyorozu?" he questioned lazily, lacking any interest whatsoever.
"Um, well… I was more hoping for advice, actually?" she remarked, making her way up from the back of the room.
Shouta nodded his head. He knew that while Yaoyorozu was a model student, she still lacked confidence, even when that lack of confidence was unwarranted, because she was a competent hero. She just needed to believe in herself a little more.
Gruffly, he nodded. "Yes?" He didn't think he was all that cut out for this, but he wasn't going to turn her away just because he was a little out of his comfort zone.
She fidgeted a little as she stood before him. "Um, well, I was actually hoping for some advice on teaching?"
This took Shouta by surprise. He hadn't been sure what Yaoyorozu would ask for help with, but that definitely wasn't what he was expecting. He may be a teacher, but he hardly thought his methods were something he should be recommending to others.
"Why do you need to know how to teach, Yaoyorozu?" he questioned.
She still looked nervous, a bit more skittish now. "I-well, I've been tutoring a small group of students after class, but…"
He nodded his head. He was well aware of the tutoring and he was rather glad that his students were taking some initiative and asking for help from their peers instead of just letting their grades suffer. "Is there a problem with the tutoring?"
"I mean, no, the sessions are fine… It's… it's me that's the problem." She looked down, shamefaced as she said it. "I'm not a very astute teacher it seems… Some of the students aren't quite understanding my way of teaching it."
"Have you tried teaching it differently from before?"
Yaoyorozu nodded her head and looked at him with determination. "Of course, I've looked up plenty of books on teaching, but I just don't think I'm cut out for it." She dropped her gaze again.
Shouta sighed. "Why do you say that? Is there a specific reason you don't think you can do it?"
"Well..." She paused. "It's just, no matter how many times I explain it, they never seem to get it. I'll show them the problem and try to walk them through it, but they always have a lost look on their face. They haven't said anything, but I know they're not getting it."
This wasn't how Shouta wanted to spend his time after class, but it was his duty as a teacher to help his students, no matter what. He wasn't going to shirk this just because he would rather be going home.
"Okay," he drawled. "Walk me through it then."
"Excuse me… sir?" She sounded confused by the statement.
"Walk me through your process. Show me how you teach and I'll add any comments where I see a need to." It was rather simple. The only way he was going to understand the problem, or what she thought the problem was, was through seeing it.
"O-okay, well, we were going over hero laws… Specifically what having a hero license entails…"
Shouta listened intently as she went through everything they had gone over in previous classes. Yaoyorozu was thorough. She didn't miss anything and she made sure to keep him engaged. Her teaching skills were not the problem it seemed.
"Okay, I think I know the problem." He stopped her before she could go on. "It's clear you know what you're talking about, and you take no shortcuts in showing a plethora of examples, but you don't sound like you know what you're talking about. There's no confidence."
"No confidence?"
Shouta shook his head. Yaoyorozu was a bright student, she had a mind like no other, but sometimes that brain of hers worked too hard and she would work herself into a frenzy. "You sound like you're unsure of yourself. Which, frankly, is absurd. You're a brilliant student, Yaoyorozu, but you just don't seem to have any confidence in yourself. Why is that?"
"Well this is class 1-A at U.A, a prestigious school, so everyone is already brilliant in their own way—"
"But not like you. You're top of the class. You even got in on recommendations. You have a top-notch quirk, so why the hesitance?"
Yaoyorozu faltered slightly, clearly taken back by his words. "I don't—" She looked down, a sorrowful smile lighting her face. "I'm not that special, not when compared to people like Todoroki or Midoriya…"
"Then don't compare yourself to them."
His simple answer threw her off guard.
"Look, you're not them so why compare yourself? Todoroki has precise control over his ice side, but his rebellion on using the fire side has stunted his growth in that area. Midoriya's quirk is strong, but he's as reckless as they come, which has cost him. They're still strong, but not without faults. You don't have to be perfect to be a great hero, Yaoyorozu, you are allowed to be weaker in some areas. Every hero has their folly."
"But—"
"Stop comparing your faults with their strengths. You've got a brain, so use it. Have some confidence. You know what you're talking about, trust me. I'm your teacher, I would know if you were missing something, and you're not."
Yaoyorozu just stood there, and Shouta thought maybe he had overstepped his bounds. He may be a teacher, but inspirational speeches were more of Toshinori's expertise.
"I-thank you, sir." There was an upward lilt in her voice.
She turned and walked out of the classroom, leaving Shouta to feel exhausted. He didn't mind helping her. Really, she had huge potential as a hero. She just needed to overcome that hurdle of self-doubt before she could really bloom into a hero.
Hitoshi
—
The first time Shinso came to him asking for help on becoming a hero, Shouta aptly told him to ask someone else. It wasn't that he didn't want to help the kid so much as he didn't really have time.
Shinso, though a little tactless and uncouth, really did have what it took to be a hero. He had a strong quirk, one that would work perfectly for an underground hero and Shouta would be lying if he said he didn't actually favor the kid, if even just a little.
Shouta believed that with the right training, that kid would become a great hero… Shouta just didn't think he'd be the one to train him was all.
The second time Shinso came to him asking for help, he was a bit more reluctant to push the kid away. He was a teacher after all, but this wasn't his student, so really, he shouldn't care… but he did.
Shinso just wanted to be a hero. He had been dealt a bad hand and was trying to make the best of it now.
The third time Shinso had come to him, he had sighed and told the kid to meet him at six am the next morning, and that he wouldn't accept any lateness from the kid. Just because he was a general class student didn't mean Shouta was going to cut him any slack.
If he wanted to be a hero, then he had to stick it out, even if the training was grueling and left him feeling drained for the rest of the day. Whether he liked it or not, Shinso was behind all the other students in both strength and experience.
Shinso didn't say anything though, instead nodding his head and leaving Shouta be for the rest of the day.
Shouta arrived at the gym at five forty-five, endlessly tired from a night of restless sleep, but still ready to train.
Surprisingly so, when Shouta got out his keys to open the door, he heard the sound of Shinso coming from behind him.
"You're early," he remarked.
"Yeah, well… I figured you wouldn't accept tardiness," he deadpanned in a voice to match Shouta's usual tone.
"Yes, well, since you're here early, we should make the most of it. First of all, I need to get a sense of your physical prowess. After I've discerned that we can start actual training and various ways to use your quirk in a fight."
Shinso merely nodded and they got to work.
It was eight when they called it a day. Shouta wasn't all that impressed with Shinso's physical ability. It wasn't bad, he could tell that he did work out, but it wasn't up to par with the hero course students.
However, Shinso was willing to learn and took his advice readily. If anything, he did truly want this and was willing to work for it, which was very promising.
All in all, Shouta understood what it was like to be the underdog due to one's quirk. All Shinso had ever been told was that he couldn't be a hero, but then Midoriya had, as he seemed to do often, knocked some sense into him. Now there was a drive in Shinso to do better, to be better.
Shouta idly wondered if it was a fleeting spark that had been forged in Shinso, or if it would, given time, kindle into something bigger. He hoped it was the latter; it would be a shame for someone like Shinso to lose that drive over something ridiculous like the thoughts of others.
As the weeks went by, Shouta was pleased to see the growth in Shinso. He wasn't that bad once he got to know him. Shinso was perpetually tired, something Shouta could relate to, but it didn't stop him from working hard.
It had been three months now, three months of no rest and while Shouta knew they still had a long way to go, he was… well, proud, in a sense, to see Shinso's improvement.
In a lot of ways, Shinso reminded Shouta of himself. His quirk wasn't the typical hero quirk, but, given the opportunity, it could be of great use, and Shinso was definitely going to be a great hero.
And today, Aizawa wanted to start training him in something specific, something only someone like them could do. He was going to teach Shinso how to use the capture weapon.
He had arrived extra early and even brought coffee for the both of them. He didn't have to wait long until he saw the purple tuffs of Shinso's wild hair.
"You're later than usual this morning," he commented dryly.
Shinso gave him a deadpanned look. "I overslept."
For some reason, Shouta didn't believe him. It might have had to do with the black smudges under Shinso's eyes, but either way, he didn't say anything. It wasn't really his business and, as long as it didn't hinder Shinso's ability, then it wasn't a big deal.
Dully, he handed Shinso the coffee. "I bought you some coffee. Figured it'd help wake you up, especially since you apparently overslept this morning."
He nodded, taking the cup graciously. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that, you know."
"Of course I didn't have to. I just figured you'd earned it," he said begrudgingly.
Shinso gazed at him curiously then. "I still have a long way to go before I'm on par with Midoriya."
"Well if being as strong as Midoriya is what you're after, that's never going to happen." He opened the gym for them, but Shinso stood where he was.
He was still staring at the coffee, "What's that supposed to mean? I thought you said I could be a hero, too," he challenged.
Obviously his poor word choice had caused some strife. He wasn't cut out for this. He turned to look at Shinso, and sighed, "You wouldn't be standing here if I thought there was no chance of you being a hero."
"But just not as good as someone like Midoriya?" he rebuked.
Shouta dragged a hand through his hair. Well, now he knew that stubbornness was a trait that both Shinso and Midoriya had in common, at least. "Midoriya has a strength enhancing quirk. Of course, you're not going to beat him in a battle of strength. But strength is not the only aspect of being a hero. You're smart and you have that same drive as Midoriya. That means you're going to be a great hero someday."
Shinso didn't have anything to say to that.
"Just a tip, but don't compare yourself to others. You'll never match up to someone you admire, so focus on being the best you that you can be."
Shinso nodded to him before entering the gym.
"So then, what are we going to work on today? More physical stuff, or are we going to be looking into my quirk's usage more?" he questioned idly.
"Actually, I was thinking today I was going to teach you how to go on the offensive without a quirk to wield."
Shinso gave him a perplexed look.
"I'm going to teach you how to use my capture weapon," Shouta deadpanned.
"R-really? You're going to just teach me how to use the capture weapon? But isn't that like, your thing?"
Shouta shrugged. "I think it would work well with your quirk is all, but you can't use it like I do. My quirk nullifies an enemy's quirks so I can fight them on equal ground. My strength lies in my adeptness in fighting without a quirk. You can have that same adeptness because your quirk affects others, not yourself."
"Still…"
"Don't mention it."
There was a pregnant pause.
"Thanks, you know, for taking the time to teach me and all. None of my teachers thought it was worth the effort because I was in general, so it means a lot."
Shouta wasn't a sentimental person… at all, but he could understand where the kid was coming from. He remembered a time when people thought his quirk wasn't ideal for hero work. It was 'too nasty and undercut' to be considered heroic, but he had never listened.
The last thing he wanted was for someone like Shinso to give up just because others told them that they couldn't.
Shouta
—
The dorm system U.A. had put in place made a lot of things easier and more convenient. It made it more accessible to find students when school was out and gave the students more access to campus; however, taking a group of twenty teens who see each other every day during school and shoving them into dorms together proved to be a little more than troublesome.
Shouta, for the most part, liked the convenience of the dorms. And both Iida and Yaoyorozu were responsible teens who communicated with him, thought maybe a bit more than necessary.
The only issues that had occurred thus far in the dorms had been the one fight between Midoriya and Bakugo. That really shouldn't have surprised him. It wasn't news that the two didn't get along, so really, it was inevitable that it was going to happen at some point.
It had all been cleared up now though. The two didn't get along, but they weren't at each other's throats either. It was more of a mutual rivalry between the two. Shouta didn't particularly care about their relationship with each other so long as it didn't hinder their ability to do well in school and hero training.
So, for the most part, Shouta liked the dorms. They certainly made a lot of things more manageable.
The problem with the dorms wasn't the actual dorms. No, the problem lied in the fact that most of these kids had no clue how to survive on their own.
Being their teacher during school was exhausting enough, but now, with the dorm rooms, he was practically watching over them twenty-four-seven.
Shouta sighed though, because it wasn't really their fault that this had happened. The dorms were a precaution because All Might had officially retired and was no longer able to fight villains. So really, the dorms were for the children's' safety.
That one time he had been summoned at three in the morning because they had somehow managed to cause a power outage was, frankly, annoying.
Apparently Kaminari couldn't use his quirk to fix it because it had been his quirk that caused the outage or something like that. He hadn't really understood what Kirishima was saying when he called him. It was too loud and jumbled with the words of the other
He didn't know how that was possible, but honestly, it really shouldn't have surprised him.
Class 1-A's antic's knew no bounds.
There had been that other time when Shouta walked into the common room to find that his class had decided to hold a Mario Kart racing tournament, which was all well and good, but they plugged everything into one power surge. Needless to say, they could no longer use that particular power surge.
So, when Shouta made his way to the dorms, he wondered what disaster he would be met with.
He hadn't had to diffuse any catastrophes lately and it was a little disquieting. He knew that Iida and Yaoyorozu could handle themselves. Of the twenty students, they were the most mature, but even they couldn't handle the mere chaos that was the rest of class 1-A.
The break from having to deal with their shenanigans was a welcomed changed, though. He wasn't paid enough to deal with that kind of crazy.
It was a Saturday, one of the only Saturdays that he had off and he had to spend it at the dorms. It wasn't ideal, but it was necessary. One couldn't leave these kids alone for long. And yet, it had been all day and he hadn't heard one thing.
His suspicion only grew with the waning daylight. Saturdays were the craziest days. Saturday meant the kids would stay up late, watch movies (sometimes break the TV screen if they watched a movie with a particularly jarring jump scare), have a game night (monopoly was no longer a viable game to play due to several fights that ended with broken noses), or, on other occasions, they would have lively debates (mostly brought on when one person said something and another just had to argue with them on it).
Never ,though, had Saturday meant quiet.
And, no matter how unnerving it was, he was going to relish in the tranquility. It had been a long week and the last thing he wanted to do was deal with these kids as they tore the dorms apart.
The common area was desolate for once. No one was there, not even in the kitchen area. It was… disconcerting, but he couldn't find it within himself to care at the moment.
Part of him didn't even understand why he needed to chaperone these kids on a weekend when they weren't even going to do anything, but another, more rational side, knew exactly why.
Among these antics the class got into, there were a few times in which the fire alarm was pulled (sometimes there was a fire, but more often than not, it was an accident brought on by some students not paying attention). All in all, it didn't happen as often as he was making it out to occur, but it happened more than it should.
These students were the top students at U.A. and training to be top notch heroes, but sometimes… sometimes their childness got the better of them.
Which was why, since he was their homeroom teacher, Shouta ended up having to check in on them over the weekends to make sure they didn't cause too much of a disturbance.
Shouta sat on the couch in the lounge area, closing his eyes and relaxing for the first time in months it felt like.
It had to have only been for a few moments that he closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, there were people in the room. Not only that, but there was a blanket draped over him.
"What—" He started.
"Oh, it looks like he's up. Guys, I told you ,you were being too loud." He heard the hushed voice of Yaoyorozu
Blearily, he blinked, looking around. There weren't many people there, only a handful of students, but they seemed to mostly be in the kitchen area. He was so confused.
"What's going on? What time is it?" he questioned, sitting up.
"It's around sevenish," Midoriya chipped in from the kitchen. "We were trying to be as quiet as possible, but obviously we woke you up—"
"Yeah, you looked tired when we came down here and we figured you could use the rest," Todoroki added from beside Midoriya.
He waved them off. "You didn't wake me up. I'm just a light sleeper."
Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Kaminari were by the TV, messing with some of the cables.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and walked over to them. "What are you doing to the tv?" he inquired, a tad suspicious. Even if both Yaoyorozu and Iida were here, he didn't trust them to not mess with the TV—for as mature as they were, they could be swayed.
Yaoyorozu took her eyes off the cables from the TV to look at him with all seriousness. "We were going to have a movie night, but since you were sleeping and we didn't want to disturb you, we were just going to move the DVD player to Kirishima's room—after slight persuasion, Bakugo lent us his TV as long as we didn't make him go participate."
Huh. Okay then. That was, very considerate of them actually. "I see, well carry on, then. Just don't make too much noise. And I don't want to hear anything about a broken TV this time around."
"Of course, sir," Iida replied as he turned the TV back in place after they had removed the cables connecting the DVD player to it.
"Sorry if we woke you up though, dude," Kaminari interjected, carrying the DVD player, "You were just conked out and we didn't think it was worth it to wake you up so we could have a movie night down here."
Shouta nodded. "I appreciate it." And he really did.
Midoriya and Todoroki made some popcorn and grabbed some snacks as the other three brought the DVD player up to Kirishima's room. It was quiet, though not awkward. Shouta couldn't believe he had fallen asleep, but then again, he hadn't gotten a chance to sleep properly in a long time, so it shouldn't have surprised him, especially if the students were being so quiet—which was still odd.
It was rather considerate of them, Shouta thought, to have moved their movie night because of him. And not only that, but they had had the courtesy to put a blanket over him. Those kids sure were full of surprises. They never stopped progressing, and it was at these times that Shouta was glad he became a teacher.