As he continued to lay on the bed with the two cats on his back, the Erasure Hero reflected on all he had observed and learned about the Bakugous in the short time they had met. After he had fetched them from the front gate and maneuvered to Nezu's office, Bakugou had seemed surprised at Inko's presence in the room. Having been childhood friends with the green one and the blonde one's reaction, Shouta could assume that the kid and mother at least knew each other.
Upon the start of the meeting, Shouta had found it interesting to watch the blonde mother and son interact. Yelling at each other while the father said nothing as if it was a common occurrence. Even the green one's mother seemed used to it. While the yelling wasn't itself concerning to an extent, it did reveal where Bakugou's temper came from in the family. As well as raised questions of if the parents had done nothing to curb his violent tendencies or even influenced his thoughts of and actions towards others.
The physical aspect of their relationship however was concerning but with the mother taking the initiative to ask for help alleviated his worries that the issue wouldn't be addressed. Mitsuki seemed willing to learn and change. To be better. Aware that she was hot tempered even though she seemed to have a better handle of it than her son. Hopefully with her working through her own issues will help motivate the blonde teen to work on his own.
Or he could remain as stubborn as he always is. Like he had been the entire meeting.
Trying to get Bakugou to tell his side of the story had been like pulling teeth. Which the version the teen did tell had been full of more holes than a tooth riddled with cavities. It had been interesting to watch the boy try to hold his swearing back though. His guess would be because of Inko more than anything else. Considering that the teen openly yelled at his own mother while his father did nothing of it.
At least there's one person he tries to show some respect towards.
Nezu obviously had way more patience than the tired man did as he had given the boy multiple chances to speak. To tell his side of the story. But the explosive one had refused over and over. Which had given Shouta the satisfying moment of watching the trouble maker pale at the sight and explanation of the green one's goggles and its special features. Leading to their little show-and-tell session and allowing Shouta and Hizashi to find out what had happened before they had arrived.
The green one had sounded so done with Bakugou's everything at the start. Calmly, while still clearly irritated with the amount of sass he dished out, refuted each of the explosive one's beratements. Claims of cheating via his Support Items which was a joke because tons of Heroes use Support Items every day like Hizashi and himself. Claims that the Sports Festival was only for the Hero Course students to show off their skills and be scouted. Which was true to an extent but the festival was for everyone as Midoriya had said.
It had been satisfying to watch the green one defending his dream to be a Hero. Had even laughed at Bakugou's ridiculous arguments that the Hero Practical was the only way in. Because it wasn't and Shouta found himself having to hold back his own snicker at the ludicrous thought. After all, if it hadn't been an option, he the Pro Hero Eraserhead would not hold the position he did today.
That's when the video had become rough to watch. It had been bad enough listening to the green one recount what had happened before but actually seeing what Midoriya had seen was intense. Of a fellow student, childhood friend turned bully, towering over him, yelling at him, and trying to 'put him in his place'. Leading to the offscreen explosion that stood as evidence to what had happened to the green one's right hand.
He had mentioned Bakugou had 'teased' him but I didn't expect that.
From there it had gotten downright brutal. Watching the explosive one being kicked back and figuring the green one had prepared himself the best he could to defend himself with an injured hand. Most likely expecting to be attacked again. Instead, they had been faced with a high definition capturing of Bakugou purposefully, with ill intent, explode and destroy Midoriya's Support Items one by one.
Midoriya before had said that he had been too stunned to do anything. Which was not surprising with that having been what he had seen his ex-friend do to all his hard work. Anyone would react the exact same way if weeks of work went up in smoke like that. He had kept watching as one after the other was destroyed until he snapped.
That was when we had shown up.
From then on, Shouta had known what to expect. At least dialogue wise. Had arrived as soon as they could and then stood just outside that room listening to their 'talk' choosing to wait to gather more evidence from the concerning conversation. But considering the amount of verbal and physical abuse that had transpired before they had gotten there, it made him feel guilty for not getting there or stepping in sooner. Even if he was injured, Shouta was a Pro Hero sworn to protect others.
The tired man knew that Heroes couldn't be everywhere at once. Having experience getting there too late on more than one occasion on the job and even back in his time at UA. But this was a situation dealing with his problem child being hurt by another of his problem children. On his teaching turf no less. He should have been faster. If he had been, maybe Midoriya would not have those scars on his hand. Or less to none of his Support Items would have been broken. The Erasure Hero could have saved him sooner.
Stop it. There's no use thinking of 'what if's like that. You did save him in the end. Or rather partially as the green one's forward thinking with the under armor had technically saved himself in a way.
Again, Shouta had had to stand there and listen to Midoriya call Bakugou out on 'all of his bullshit'. Had to hold himself back from throttling the kid when his suicide baiting came up. The tired man had not been at all surprised when Inko had stood up and screamed at the boy for saying such a thing to her son. Thankfully none of the Heroes had to step in to stop her from slapping the teen as the explosive one's own mother comforted the other.
In those few crying filled moments, Hizashi and he had shared a look full of concern and understanding. Both had suffered through mistreatment and judgement growing up because of their Quirks. Hizashi for his lack of control and the destruction he had caused to his parents' hearing. Shouta for his Quirk that could take other's powers away then give it back in the literal blink of an eye. Both had been seen as bad or Villainous for their Quirks alone, but to him it seemed like a flick to the forehead compared to what this Quirkless boy has gone through.
Cast aside starting at the mere age of four by his childhood friend. Physically and verbally abused by his peers because he was seen as less than them without a Quirk. The physical proven by all of the evidence Inko had collected over the years and the verbal forever living in Midoriya's memory. None of this addressed or prevented by the teachers of their past schools.
The fact that they had let all that happen under their supervision pissed Shouta the fuck off. Their inaction revealing their inadequacy as mentors to the youth of the world's future. It was deplorable tutelage like this that led to mistakes in the field. Cocky kids like Bakugou get it through their heads that the job of a Hero was all about flash and rankings. Many relying so much on their Quirk that inevitably one day they would most likely make a mistake that would cost lives, where theirs or others.
The life of a Hero was filled with danger. A career among those that have the most likelihood to kill you before your time. One mistake is all it takes. No matter if that mistake was due your own negligence or a result of collateral damage of any given situation. Like a stray bullet, stray Quirk, or even tripping over your own feet.
Or being crushed by a falling building.
Shouta had to force the memories that particular thought dug up from the back of his mind. Now wasn't the time to reminisce about that part of his high school career. A moment of epiphany turned devastation that still evoked solemn feelings of mourning for him. Just the fleeting thought of it made the tired man want to go home and cuddle with his cats in search of comfort. Which thankfully he was doing now with them lying on his back as he continued to reflect.
Once Inko had regained her composure, Nezu had resumed the footage skimming past the mention of a Villain attack and Hero rescue. When Nezu had asked about it later, Inko had revealed it was the bumbling blonde Number One Hero himself who had saved Midoriya from some kind of Villain with a Quirk that made him into sludge.
That must have been a tough power to have growing up.
With a Quirk like that and the way this current society judged people by them, it was no wonder that particular person had resorted to breaking the law. It was no excuse by any means but was an explanation as to why. In this day and age, it all came down to your Quirk unfortunately. The societal hierarchy evolved along with the genetic mutations, eventually one's Quirk was seen as the deciding factor of one's worth in this world.
Having a Quirk that was seen as 'weak' or 'Villainous' was bad enough. But as they were learning from hearing about the green one's past, being Quirkless was a whole other story. Especially if that Quirkless someone aspired to be something everyone declared they could not. Like be a Hero.
Shouta could empathize with Midoriya. Having had his own dream to be a Hero laughed at and deemed impossible by everyone in his life as it seemed. Being judged by something out of his control. Hell, even having to learn to fight Quirkless as Erasure only gave him the advantage of canceling his opponent's Quirk to even the playing field in a fight. Except for mutant types which Shouta basically had to kick their asses before they did the same to him. With the help of his trusty Capture Weapon of course.
Best seemingly sentient scarf ever, he thought as he eyed the Support Item on the dresser for a moment before closing his eyes again.
But Midoriya wasn't even born with a Quirk like Erasure. No sort of power to help him in a fight. All he had was himself and what he actively trained and developed. Used that big brain of his to figure out how to work around that kind of setback. Really making something out of nothing. Sometimes literally as the green one had talked about his time learning how to make Support Items during training and they had made gear out of literal garbage from that beach he had cleaned up. A task that had taken ten months of dedication as a mostly solo project.
Midoriya hadn't even started in his class yet, but Shouta already knew that he had the dedication needed for the Hero Course. The drive to push himself to be better. Stronger. To add as many tools to his belt as he can in his time in UA. Though the green one was a few tools short after what the blonde one had done. But the tired man was sure Midoriya would keep pushing forward as he has seemed to have done all his life and make them anew.
I'll make sure he has as much studio time as possible before the internships.
Inko had said Midoriya was the only one to believe in his dream growing up. That even she doubted until the Sports Festival. Had said that her son had asked anyone and everyone while always receiving the answer 'no'. But there had to have been someone out there who had believed in his dream to become a Hero before UA. Had seen the potential in the Quirkless boy and had told him as such.
Whoever that person was though, it was definitely not All Might. As was made apparent when Inko had revealed that the boisterous idiot, who had not only failed to properly report the crime or render aid after a Villain attack, had on top of that told the boy he couldn't be a Hero. Crushing a victim's dream right after a traumatic event and leaving him to his own devices.
The unprofessionalism of it all made Shouta want to strangle the Symbol of Peace. Whether in his buffed up or skeletal state. Whichever. Because the Number One Idiot should not have said that. Not just because the boy was Quirkless or a victim of an assault. But because he was a civilian. A child. While All Might was acting as a symbol of authority that societally they were basically trained to not question.
All Might had no idea what the kid had been going through. Had still been going through under their watch. Probably didn't have the time back then to properly talk to the boy as Shouta guessed his time in his buffed-up form had been running out. Leaving him desperate to give the kid a quick answer before his time was up and he reverted back to appearing skeletal. A secret form that he had shared with the UA staff upon joining them as a teacher but was something kept secret from the students and public alike.
It had been a shock to learn that the Number One Hero and Symbol of Peace had a such a secret. A weaker form that was a result of a major injury from a fight that no one knew about. Because All Might himself had requested it to not be made public. What could possibly have been so detrimental to society about that fight? In any case, the fact that All Might had a smaller form was kept a secret.
Wait…didn't Midoriya say something about that during the USJ though?
'But he's a teacher now. If he's not careful with his time limit, he's going to reveal his small form to a whole class.'
He knows. The green one knows. He shouldn't know but he did. Perhaps there was more to the story of All Might saving Midoriya from that Villain. More to they're conversation than the boy asking one question and the Hero giving one answer. It was a logical assumption to make. And Shouta was, if not anything else, a logical person.
Now he was even more pissed at the blundering blonde. He had failed to report all of the details of the apprehension of the Sludge Villain. Failed to give aid and make sure the victim was delivered to safety. Failed to keep his smaller form a secret from a civilian. Failed as a symbol of authority by telling a freshly saved victim an answer of 'no' to a very important question in regards to his dream on the same day the child had been told to kill himself and had been attacked by a Villain.
Not that All Might knew of the suicide baiting necessarily but still.
If it had been anyone else other than Midoriya, Shouta felt that the situation could have ended very different. Bad different. That, if the boy had even lacked an ounce of his stubbornness, instead of going home to his mother covered in sludge, the boy could have let the years of abuse and the suicide baiting get to him. Could have taken that 'advice' and followed through. Becoming just another number in the statistic that was the percentage of Quirkless people who committed suicide.
Perhaps in another universe, Midoriya would have done that. Either simply ending it all or actually discovering a Quirk through forced manifestation due to trauma. Or not but still internalize it all. Either using it as a reason to melt into the background, fuel to be a Hero, or even take matters into his own hands as a Vigilante. Or worse allow it to consume him whole and drop him into Villainy. Either losing his mind to negative thoughts or using his analytical brain to enact revenge on the world that had rejected him.
All were possibilities to how that day could have ended. How the course of a child's life could change from the simple answer of 'no'. But that wasn't what happened. Midoriya had somehow ignored that answer and pushed forward to become what he dreamed to be. A Hero. Trained and learned new skills to become what he desired. And he had succeeded far beyond the nay-sayers' expectations. Became the first ever Quirkless winner of the UA Sports Festival.
I wonder what All Might thinks of the green one now.
The blonde idiot had to at least see some potential from his high perch at the number one spot in the rankings. See past the paparazzi flashes that seemed to blind most Day Time Heroes. See what Shouta saw from the shadows of the Underground. That the boy had potential in spades no matter his Quirk status.
The Quirk didn't make the Hero like with himself and Shinsou. No matter how 'Villainous' a Quirk seemed, it was the way the person used it that mattered. If All Might wasn't a Hero and instead turned Villain, the world would probably be brought to its knees with ease under his overwhelming strength. Yet his Quirk was seen as Heroic because he was a Hero. But not all Heroes existed in the glitz and the glam of the day time. Some flourished in the dim darkness of night.
Underground Heroics. Little was known by the public of this sect of Pro Heroes. Their fights weren't flashy as that would be detrimental to their work. As such, Underground Heroes used that anonymity to their advantage in the darked underbelly of society. Weaving their way across roof tops or through dark alleys to deter those with equally dark dealings. Serving a much-needed societal role that Day Time Heroes just couldn't fill with all their flash.
Would Midoriya be the Number One Hero? Probably not. Not without a flashy Quirk to go with it. But a Hero was more than just a ranking. Heroes existed to help people first and foremost. Something that the green one has shown again and again was his intention while pursuing his dream.
Before even applying to UA as he had cleaned that beach up by himself. During the USJ attack by helping guide the Heroes and students through it all. Even through the Sports Festival the kid put helping others over a higher ranking in the first and second events. Then in the third event, round after round the green one always put the wellbeing of his downed opponent over the praise from the crowd. Going as far as to try and save Bakugou from harsher immediate punishment by asking him not to be disqualified because it 'wouldn't work on him'.
The over forgiving nature of the green one was concerning. That he had let the years of abuse slide because he saw the potential to be a Hero in his abuser. Had wanted the same kind of leniency that had morphed Bakugou into the bully he was in the first place. Most likely a learned force of habit from that lack of consequences by the inept authority. Hopefully one that the kid can be broken out of with the much-needed therapy.
Hopefully the same could happen for the explosive one with his own therapy. Something that was clearly also much needed after he thought back to Bakugou's admitted insecurities about his fragile superiority. The tired man was sure the explosive blonde would be biting at the bit the entire emotional journey. Therapy was important to maintaining oneself to be a competent Hero and those who abstained due to misguided thoughts that therapy made them appear weak were fools.
There had been a hint of pride in the green haired mother's equally green eyes when they had heard Midoriya talk back to his bully. Called him out on all of his 'bullshit'. Hearing the spitfire come from the typically cinnamon-roll-esque teen had made Shouta hide a smirk into his scarf. The words' harsh bite showing that this backlash had been from years of buildup. A tongue lashing that had been long overdue.
Good.
The comparison of Bakugou to Endeavor and how that was a bad thing had also been passed over as the recording had continued on. It had been concerning that such a thing was construed as bad. And now after Inko had drawn attention to Todoroki's apparent rough training after a full day of athletics, a session that had left his student injured enough for others to notice, it was even more so. Shouta knew that Nezu was equally as determined as he was to look into that situation.
But before had not been the time to delve into that hornet's nest. Instead, the focus had been on Bakugou and his many transgressions in that moment. First, they had dealt with Midoriya and his issues. Then, it had been Bakugou's turn. One step at a time. And now with both of those taken care of more or less, the Todoroki situation could be addressed.
Eventually, they had reached the part where Hizashi and Shouta had entered the fray. The screen had shown the larger-than-life raging blonde screaming at the green one as the sound of another explosion blasted out of frame. Followed by a flash of white as he had watched his past-self restrain and retract the assaulter from his victim. From the corner of his eye, Shouta had caught a flash of guilt in the blonde teen's red eyes as he had taken in his own enraged face displayed for all to see.
The video had been stopped with one blonde's face being replaced by another as past Hizashi had approached the green one to check if he was okay. The kid's brushing off of his disheveled state left unshown. Despite that though, the memory flashed in Shouta's mind. It didn't matter that the boy had thought ahead and created an under-armor suit that was fire resistant. That dismissing behavior was also a concern and another topic to broach during therapy.
As the room had fallen under a tense silence, Shouta had glared at the teen now that the Erasure Hero knew about all that had transpired in that room. Now that the explosive blonde's dirty laundry had been aired out for the Heroes and parents to see. Well almost all as Nezu had to explain that Bakugou had used his Quirk on Midoriya leaving a hole in his uniform. Only his under-armor had protected him from a potentially devastating blow. Though his hand had not come out uninjured as Bakugou had exploded the electric glove while he had still been wearing it. Leaving permanent scars that upon mention had brought another flash of guilt from those red eyes before they were downcast to the floor in shame.
It had been then that Nezu had allowed Shouta to be the one to address the other concerning element of the 'conversation' besides the physical. Of Bakugou being a bully to Midoriya before attending UA. Though the green one had merely labeled it as 'teasing' when he had first brought it up to the tired man before the USJ incident.
Revealing that Midoriya had been Hiro all along had been oh so satisfying to the Erasure Hero. That the green one had felt so threatened by the explosive blonde that he had felt the need to hide. Both in face and in name. Creating a persona in order to remain obscure from his bully's radar. And it had worked oh so well as the angry confusion had transitioned to angry realization.
Bringing up that the 'belittling nickname' as well as any physical abuse was Quirk discrimination reverted the teen's expression back to confusion. Revealing as the tired man had suspected that the explosive blonde didn't even consider what he had done to be discrimination as the other boy had no Quirk. But it was the lack of Quirk that was being discriminated against in this case. And it had been going on for years with no intervention from the teachers, the teen's peers, or his parents.
How could they have let this go on for so long? Shouta had thought as he had shot an accusing glare at trouble maker's parents.
They had apologized. Both of them. To the Heroes and to Inko. Said that they had known there had been a shift in the two boy's friendship. That they had tried to address it when Inko had brought up her concerns when her son had come home with uniquely shaped burn marks. That they hadn't known how bad it was as Bakugou, the teachers, and Midoriya had said nothing. That if they had known that they would have done more. Their apologetic tone and expressions rang true to the experienced Hero. Especially when they then turned to their son demanding answers as to why he had done all this.
Apparently, the point of it all was 'because Deku needed to learn'. Learn that because he is Quirkless, Midoriya could never become a Hero. That without a Quirk he was defenseless. That the impulsive need to help others would get him severely injured or even killed. As if all of this had all been done out of some perverse form of care from the blonde. The beatings and the belittling nickname among other harsh words.
How exactly does suicide baiting factor into this 'care'?
Evidently, it did not as the boy had sat there for a moment in thought before admitting he didn't know why he had done it. That he had just done it and no one had said anything about it. Not just then. Not ever. Again, Shouta found himself pissed off by the past teachers in his two students' lives. Their negligence was now his burden. One that he wholeheartedly accepted because he will right this wrong. And he knew Nezu would gladly lend a helping paw to do it.
The overwhelming size of Bakugou's ego was so sizable that the tired man was surprised he had managed to get that big head of his through the UA gate. Thinking that he was entitled. That he was 'born' to be a Hero. No one was born to be a Hero. No one was born to be anything. One chooses what one becomes. One must work and fight for what one wants. Like Midoriya and Shinsou had for ranking high enough in the festival for the consideration of transfer.
When the teen had spouted his disbelief of that even being a possibility, Shouta had found himself close to snapping. It was a thing and it was possible. The Erasure Hero stood there as proof as did the transfer paperwork tucked away in the principal's desk for his freshly acquired officially-his problem children.
The revelation that maybe possibly the explosive teen had been wrong had shown through. Displayed in desperate laughter and a desperate question asking if all of it had been a joke. It was not. None of it was a joke and Nezu had said as much. Bakugou was wrong, in trouble, and would be getting the consequences he desperately deserves.
But not expulsion.
The mention of the very much warranted punishment had silenced the teen into internal contemplation. Apparently at war with himself in his own mind as his eyes flickered from side to side. Something had been building up inside him that they could visibly see as the blonde's brows furrowed more and more. To the point it had almost looked like it would hurt. Built up more and more until the teen had burst. Demanding to know why they cared for the boy he had bullied for years when no one else had.
In animalistic outrage, Nezu had snapped back. Letting his own experiences and empathy for his personal student fuel his carnal ire. Getting a flash of fear out of those red eyes. Thankfully, the chimera had managed to compose himself quickly though his anger had still been evident. Pushed forward revealing all the teachers, the Pro Heroes, that were willing to help the Quirkless boy as they had seen the potential in him.
At the mention of the notebooks, Bakugou was obviously aware of them. Dismissing the 'stalker notebooks' as nothing but creepy and a futile act recording powers the green one could never possess. But in actuality, he had. That was the whole point with his Quirk Replicating Support Items. Taking the idea and functionality of a Quirk and replicating it artificially to take the place of the Quirk he never got. An ingenious solution on his part.
Bakugou had obviously not been happy about the reveal the he wasn't disqualified upon Midoriya's request. Shouta still didn't agree with it and wished he had done it anyway despite the green one's protests. It would have been certainly warranted given he had attacked one student and attempted to attack another student twice outside of an official match. But upon seeing that bitter glowering scowl on the blonde teen's face, perhaps there was some truth to keeping Bakugou in third being 'punishment in and of itself'.
The boy had been confused when Nezu had said that he also had been mistreated by his teachers just as much as Midoriya had been. That their lack of action had both been a disservice to the Quirkless boy and the Hero-hopeful. Those inept hypocritical shams that dared to call themselves teachers had failed both of them and who else knew how many others.
I'm sure Nezu will be able to find out.
Their past schools were so going down. It was inevitable now that Nezu would have his beady black eyes on them soon enough. Shouta typically found his boss's carnal glee at enacting revenge on others through paperwork and surveillance terrifying. His feral delight in taking down those who wronged him or others sent a shiver down even the battle tested Eraserhead's spine. But for this particular project, he would gladly partake in destroying that hypocrisy of an institution of education.
Finally, they had reached the part of the meeting the Heroes and Inko had been waiting for. The reveal of the punishments. Ones that on their own didn't seem like much. Individual tasks to be complete. But together as an amalgamation of consequences, Shouta had watched in satisfying silence as the trouble maker was shot with a long overdue dose of karma.
After citing Midoriya's own arguments about the rehabilitation origins of Hero Schools, the punishments had been given out one by one. Two weeks in-school suspension with isolation from peers during class and train. Barred from the internships. Remedial classes and apology letters in lieu of that restricted privilege. Mandatory therapy and anger management for all three years. Marks for bullying and suicide baiting on his permanent record. Official probation status for the rest of the year and unofficial for the other two.
Like hell we won't keep a close eye on him after what he pulled.
On top of all that, Bakugou would not be allowed to interact with Midoriya unless it was on the green one's terms. Before the meeting, Nezu and he had discussed what to do about explosive blonde's placement in the classes. Was it better to transfer him to 1-B or keep him in 1-A? Ultimately Shouta felt it was better to keep Bakugou in 1-A where he could keep a Quirk erasing eye on him.
As said, he would rearrange the seating chart a little to have some distance between the problem children. Keeping the green one and purple one as far away from the blonde one as he could without disrupting the seating chart too much. He'd rather not waste too much time drawing up a whole new arrangement when he could simply uproot a few students out of the whole bunch. Though he would check with his new problem children before enacting it.
All of these punishments and related rearrangements the tired man had been aware of. But he had been caught by internal surprise by the principal adding his own little caveat. Forbidding the belittling nickname Deku. It was a nice touch, he would admit. It would be a long-developed habit that would be hard to break. Slip ups were sure to happen but as long as there was some sort of effort to stop, the tired man would ignore it.
And so, the collection of mandatory punishments had stood wrapped in the fragile shroud of second chances. Waiting to be received by the explosive teen who eventually, after mulling it over in his head, had said 'yes'. Accepting those consequences begrudgingly willing as the green one had predicted. With that agreement, they could finally move forward from the incident and allow the punishments and therapy work their magic.
Time may not heal all wounds. Even though there are scars left behind, one can still be mended. The pain remains and will never go away, but it can lessen over time and allow one to move on. To rebuild what was lost and keep moving forward. You know, Plus Ultra and all that. The problem children would get better. All they needed was the proper care. And time.
"Hey Shou," Hizashi said as he ran a hand through his raven locks.
Shouta had been so wrapped up in his reflecting he hadn't noticed the blonde had finished his shower and had joined him on the bed. Hizashi sat beside him carding through his hair while intermittently petting the two felines lying on the tired man's back. It was nice.
"Hey Zashi," he murmured as he turned his head to look up into the other's green eyes.
"You were pretty lost in thought there," the blonde commented while keeping up his ministrations. "What were you thinking about?"
The white aloof one seemed to have her fill and walked off. While the orange cuddly one moved to Hizashi's lap. Allowing Shouta to maneuver to a sitting position beside his husband. Close enough to bump shoulders with his best friend.
"Just today in general," the tired man huffed out as he laid his head on the other's shoulder. "This year's problem children are turning out more problematic than I thought."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Hizashi said as he brought up a hand to run through his husband's hair again while petting the attention seeking catstard in his lap. "I can't help but feel guilty about it, ya know?"
Shouta pulled back to look at the blonde proper. Seeing the guilty expression on his face as he cast his gaze down to the cat in his lap. The black-haired man reached a bandaged hand forward to lift the other's chin up so he could look him in the eye.
"Why do you feel guilty, Zashi?" Shouta asked with subtle concern in his dark eyes as he lowered his hand. "None of this is your fault."
If anything, it's mine for not looking into it sooner.
"Because I should have known something was up," Hizashi replied with a sad look. "There were some signs I should have paid more attention to."
"Like what exactly?" Shouta inquired with a quirked brow.
"Like after the USJ," Hizashi explained. "I asked the Green Bean to stay after class to gi-, uh…talk to him about something."
The tired man looked at his suspiciously at the slip of…something. But Hizashi had not and would not reveal he gave out Hero merch of his husband to his favorite student as a 'thank you'. Not yet at least.
"Anyway, I wanted to check on him after the USJ," the blonde one continued with a shrug. "At one point, he flinched when I ruffled his hair. But he didn't when I had patted his shoulder before that."
"Hmm…odd," Shouta replied with a hand on his chin in thought. "I ruffled his hair too but he didn't flinch then."
"You ruffled the Green Bean's hair too?" Hizashi asked with a grin and amused look in his eyes. It wasn't every day that his husband showed such affection for another.
The tired man let out a cough before answering, "Uh…yeah, I did. It was, um, just before the final match."
The blonde beamed at him, just as blinding as Midoriya's smile could be at times. Shouta seriously needed to invest in a pair of sunglasses like Shinsou to protect himself from these sunshine people.
"The kid's hair is soft, yeah?" the loud one teased.
"Yeah," the tired one admitted reluctantly as he cast his eyes away from the other with a huff. Then he glanced back to green eyes as he redirected the subject back. "What else did you notice that had you concerned? Other than the flinching."
"Oh, it was the day before the Sports Festival," Hizashi answered. "He asked to talk to me after class and brought up concerns about commentating on the students' Quirks. That giving too much information could be dangerous like his analysis. Which I hadn't really thought about before but it makes sense."
Huh. That did make sense. Smart as ever, Midoriya. Well, at least when it comes to your analysis.
"Basically, he asked if I could keep the info to a minimum to keep the playing field even," the loud one explained. "But also, if I could keep his Quirk status a secret for as long as possible."
"He knows it's nothing to be ashamed of, right?" Shouta asked with a tilted of his head.
"Yeah, he does," Hizashi replied. "But he wanted to have a fair chance same as everyone else. Didn't want to be written off as a 'fluke' as he said. Something that apparently has happened all his life after what we heard and saw today."
The tired man drew the other into a one arm hug, this time the blonde placing his head on his husband's shoulder. A bandaged hand wove its way through his clean hair.
"I assured him he wasn't a fluke," Hizashi continued, snuggling into his husband while still softly petting the cat in his lap. "He said that he knew but still wanted to keep it a secret for as long as he could. At least until, and I quote, whenever he 'got beaten' or when he 'won first place'."
Huh. So Midoriya had his own declaration of placing in first. Just not as public as Bakugou's had been.
"Well, he certainly did that," Shouta said with an amused smirk as he gave his husband a slight squeeze.
"Yeah, he did," Hizashi chuckled briefly before turning somber again. "But he went through so much. And then he got attack outside of a match. I know I said to 'bring on the pain', 'put morals aside', and not to be 'afraid to fight dirty', but I didn't mean for that to happen!"
Shouta could sense his husband's distress and brought him in for a somewhat proper hug. At least with two arms and the best they could with a cat in one of their laps. Thankfully, the orange cuddly one took some sort of hint and left to do other cat things. So, the tired man was able to hold his cockatoo of a partner more securely in his arms.
"You know, I know, and everyone else knows you meant that for the official fights," Shouta assured the other, holding him close and carding through his hair. "There is nothing for you to feel guilty about. Hell, I do to because I've thought about looking into their past records for a while now but I never did since everything got so busy. But we are now and the situation is going to be addressed. Most thoroughly now that Nezu is involved."
Hizashi laughed into his shoulder as a shiver ran down the Erasure Hero's spine. Nezu was terrifying when he was on the war path. This time Shouta was on board for it but still…the principal was downright scary when he was in revenge mode.
The pair stayed there hugging while sitting on the bed for a few moments more before Hizashi had to ruin the moment. Commenting on how Shouta smelled which earned him an offended playful shove away before the tired man stalked off to shower and to finally be free of the bandages. The blonde giggled as he watched his partner leave then got up to work on dinner.
Hizashi still felt some guilt about not voicing his concerns before but he felt better after talking with his husband. Because Shouta was right that they would be addressed now. Especially with Nezu on the case. The Voice Hero knew that the chimera would dig up all the dirt he could find on the matter. Then together they could work towards helping their students.
...
Tumblr blog name: ja0-s-blank-canvas-fic
Notes extension: post/650278049035747328/part-2-chapter-7-rumination-of-a-tired-man