A more mysterious seeming teacher calmly walked the halls of the school he taught in. It was after hours and he was able to leave for the day. Just until tomorrow. It was around this time of day he grew to especially dislike his sleeping habits. He had almost walked past a familiar window. Slowing his tracks to a stop, he looked through it. It was a 3rd story window that opened from both the outside and inside. Like most of the others. Feeling his heart ache slightly, Mr. Aizawa stared at the clear sky through the pristine glass.

He looked at the clouds, too.

...

A loud knock was heard from the window he almost walked past. It was the end of the day and his legs were sore from combat training. Just standing made him feel tingles all the way up to his lower back. He knew what this was and let out a sigh, letting his classmates go on ahead of him as he opened the window. The smile of a tall-standing teenager greeted him.

"Heya, Shota!" Oboro said with an almost infectious glee. "Ride home?"

"I'm not getting on one of your clouds." Shota reaffirmed his opinion on cloud travel. Oboro's smile only got more mischievous. "Aw, come on! A lot of people are scared of heights, but I gotcha!"

"Why don't you ask Hizashi?" Shota inquired, thinking their blond, energetic friend would love this sort of thing, especially knowing he had partaken before. Oboro shook his head, still smiling. "Nope. 'Zashi is staying for tutoring. He flunked the last quiz." The black-haired teenager looked at his friend sternly. "So did you, Oboro."

"But I know what to study for the next one." The taller boy dismissed it, flicking his hand back. "Now come on! Just this once?"

Shota exhaled through his nose deeply as he assessed his options. He knew damn well that Oboro would only keep asking and accusing him of being scared of heights. He thought to himself that maybe if his friend was this persistent with getting his grades in check, he wouldn't need to be hounded by their teachers. Being high up wasn't exactly his cup of tea, but that was no fear.

"Sooo?" Oboro asked, seemingly excited. Shota only sighed and fixed his backpack. "Fine. Just this once."

"Alright!"

Oboro stuck his hand out, though Shota held up his hand, rejecting the gesture. "Not out here. If I have to get on, I'll do it outside." He told his more carefree friend, getting a smile and a nod in response. Oboro floated himself down and slowly went around to wait by the front door.

The thought of going out another door and leaving him came into mind, but he genuinely didn't want to do that. He knew it was a dick move. Even for his standards. There was a clear difference between being stern and being an asshole.

Leaving the school building, Oboro wasn't in sight. Confused, Shota took a few steps forward until Oboro descended down from a blind spot in the "draw me like one of your French girls" pose. The more mischievous teenager couldn't hold back a big, dorky smile. "Hey there!"

"Don't make me change my mind." Shota deadpanned. Oboro quickly sat up and patted the cloud to be flatter as he offered his hand while making little steps for his friend to climb on. Shota took a seat next to Oboro as a thin layer of cloud was wrapped around both of their upper legs by their waists. Shota saw this and looked wore another confused look. "What is this?" He wondered aloud. "A cloud seatbelt!" Oboro answered cheerfully, reminding Shota of his friend's constant glee. "Ready, Sho?"

"I guess."

"That's the spirit! Let's go!" Oboro announced as the cloud began to float off. Shota gripped the sides of it, somewhat anxious being this high. "Don't worry, I gotcha." His friend reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look! It's our classmates!"

Oboro pointed to them for Shota to see before waving at those who had their attention caught by the two. Some wave back lightly, more perplexed than impressed. They looked like ants from their height in the sky. A generous amount of wind flowed through Shota's hair as he had gotten himself more calm being high in the air. Like when someone is at an amusement park and is on their 4th or 5th rollercoaster. The same fear and suspense from the beginning had faded. He appreciated Oboro for not going at a high speed and potentially making him sick.

There was a silence between them. It wasn't exactly awkward. Shota himself just wasn't a naturally chatty person. Oboro didn't look uncomfortable at their lack of conversation either. It was nice to enjoy this silence while looking at the buildings and forests.

It actually turned out to be a nice ride.

"Oop," Oboro murmured as he steered the cloud to make a slow descent downward towards Shota's neighborhood. "Here we are!"

Slow and steady, the cloud came to a perfectly calm stop on the sidewalk in front of Shota's door. The cloud seatbelt dissolved. He hopped off, brushing bits of cloud off of his school pants. "I honestly expected that to be much more hectic." Shota told him. "Thanks...I guess."

"Anytime, pal!" Oboro told him. "Really though, I'm here for you guys anytime. Like if you or Hizashi are having a bad time or just wanna hang out, I'll come right over!" Shota couldn't help but smile lightly, acknowledging the gratitude he had for his energetic friend. The taller teenager continued. "You know, we should actually hang out! After we all get a work study!" The black-haired teenager widened his eyes slightly at the offer. Though it's not like it wasn't tempting. "Of course we could also talk about classwork or the agency we could start one day!" Oboro listed the possibilities. "We'll see." Shota told him simply, walking towards his door. After a few steps, he snuck a glance back at his friend flying off. He laid back on the cloud instead of sitting upright, seeming more reckless with the steering this time around. Though he still had an obviously good handle on it. Shota watched him until he disappeared into the distance, out of his sight.

...

Feeling sullen, Mr. Aizawa slipped his hands into his pockets and told himself to walk on ahead. Yet...he couldn't. He kept staring at the clouds, feeling a lingering frown and balled up fists in his pockets. He knew life in a superhuman society was cruel, but he always saw this on a whole different level. Maybe since it was so personal to him...or how they say that a lot of times, the good die young.

They never did hang out like Oboro wanted to. That was a fact that never failed to make him sad. They always had their rooftop lunch time, but they never hung out on the weekend.

"You alright, Sho?" A voice called out from behind him. Looking over, Present Mic came over. Instead of an easygoing smile, he wore a face of concern. "You look distracted."

"I'm fine." Mr. Aizawa dismissed it, turning away. Though that same force keeping him in place was keeping him there now. The blond took a look outside briefly, seeing the vast array of fluffy clouds. Hizashi exhaled lightly as he walked up to his friend and patted his shoulder. "I miss him too, Sho."

Not meeting his gaze, Shota walked alongside his friend towards the exit. Hizashi saddened slightly more. "I miss him too." He repeated to himself, saying so in a much quieter tone as they both walked home.