This was hard to write...kinda. It was hard for me to start writing it, but then once I made up my mind to do it, it actually was a pretty quick process, only taking a few days. Enjoy!
Everyone was excited. The class was planning a day out on Saturday, where the students could just relax and have fun like normal teenagers. They were going to go to the mall, then to a park, and finish it off with a movie. A few of the more subdued students weren't participating, such as Tokoyami and Ojiro, or a few who had other plans, but most of the students were going, Mina included.
She could hardly wait, she hadn't done normal teenage activities since she started UA High School, and she was always up for some fun group activities.
Practically vibrating on her feet in the 1A dorms common area, she paced around while the last few students got ready for the day. When everyone was ready, finally, they all gathered outside, where they were supposed to meet Aizawa Sensei, who would be supervising them on their trip. It had taken some convincing for him to approve, but not as much as Mina would have thought. And she was almost eighty percent positive she had seen him smile once while they were planning their trip.
Ever since she had been sick a week or so ago, and he had helped her out, being the softest she had ever seen him, Mina felt more attached to their homeroom teacher than ever. He was still as strict as always after that, but at least she knew he had a soft side, and just knowing that, without ever experiencing it fully again, was enough to make her love her teacher. He was almost like a second dad to them all, in her opinion.
The class were all chatting as they walked to the front gate of UA, but most of the chatter died down when they saw who was waiting for them there.
Instead of their grouchy, sleep-deprived homeroom teacher, they found a smiling, excited Pro-Hero Midnight, dressed in a casual outfit, with her hair in a ponytail. Any other time Mina would have been excited to see her teacher, who was a Pro-Hero, in casual clothes, but all she could focus on was why Aizawa Sensei wasn't there. She tried to tell herself that he had just been called in to work, or slept in too late, or just decided against accompanying them at the last minute, but for some reason, that didn't seem quite right.
It seemed others had the same questions, since Kaminari called out, "Where's Aizawa Sensei? Wasn't he supposed to be going with us?"
"That is extremely rude and disrespectful!" Iida exclaimed, turning to face the blonde, and chopping the air with his hand in his usual motion. While Midoriya and Ururaka tried to pacify him, and Kaminari rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly while apologizing to Iida and Kayama Sensei, Mina just focused on the answer to the question.
Kayama Sensei's smile softened, and she shifted on her feet, resting a hand on her hip. "Don't worry about it, Iida, he was just asking." Then, addressing the group as a while, she continued, "Aizawa's just feeling a bit under the weather, so I offered to take over supervising this trip so he could rest." Lowering her voice to a loud whisper, she leaned more towards the class, saying, "He was planning on coming anyway, but he really wasn't looking so good. I practically had to force him to stay back."
The class remained silent, their faces solemn as they thought of their cherished teacher. He may be strict, but he had protected them time and time again, and showed he cared in small ways. And, in turn, they all cared for them.
"But no more of those gloomy faces, we're going on a fun trip, so let's get those excitement levels rising, yeah?" Kayama Sensei exclaimed, clapping her hands decisively, and straightening her posture more. Most of the other students all reacted positively to her, cheering, or just smiling brighter, but Mina couldn't shake off her worry.
It was probably because of her that he was sick. A few other people in the class had been sick, too, but surprisingly not too many. They were all pretty healthy, generally, since they had to be to withstand the physical and mental training of the hero course. But still, a sickness in a class, especially when they lived in the same dorm building, was bound to spread. And even knowing that it wasn't necessarily her fault, she still felt guilty.
Raising her hand, she called out, "Kayama Sensei, I just remembered that I had something else I needed to do today! Can I back out of the trip, and stay here, please?" The rest of the group, which had been heading through the gates to the bus waiting out front, all turned to her with confusion, but upon seeing her determined face, most of them continued. And if some of them had knowing, and approving, looks on their faces, none of the others commented.
Kayama Sensei herself paused, looking back at Mina with a worried look. "Are you sure, sweetie?" She asked, her brows furrowing. Mina just nodded firmly, a determined glint in her eyes, daring anyone to challenge her. "Well, I suppose that's fine. It's an optional trip, and there are still other teachers here, plus the rest of the students. You can stay behind, if that's what you need to do."
"Thank you, Sensei!" Mina exclaimed, shouldering her purse more firmly, and running back to their form building.
She dropped her purse off back in her room, and changed back into some more comfortable clothes. She had put some nicer ones on to go out, but she didn't need them anymore. Finally done, she raced out of the building, and walked over to the teacher's dorm building, which was nearer to the school's main building.
Cementoss Sensei opened the door when she knocked, and gestured her in. She entered, and took off her shoes, explaining to him that she just wanted to see Aizawa Sensei, when he asked. He seemed to accept her answer, and followed her into the teacher's common room, where she saw Yamada Sensei lounging on the couch, reading a book. This common area was smaller than the one in the students' dorms, which she supposed made sense, since there were less teachers. Yamada Sensei was in his casual clothes as well, his hair tied back in a bun.
Mina had seen him like that before, but it was still weird every time. Shaking that thought off, she focused on him as he put down his book and stood up, stepping towards her.
"Hi, Yamada Sensei," she said, turning to face him.
"Heey, Little Listener. I hear you're here to see Shouta," he replied. Cementoss Sensei seemed to have left, leaving just her and Yamada Sensei in the room at the moment. She had heard him call Aizawa Sensei that before, and knew that was her homeroom teacher's given name, so she simply nodded, that determined look back on her face.
"Shou's not feeling too hot right now, I don't know if Nemuri told you," he said, using Kayama Sensei's given name as well. Mina had been able to piece together that those three were old friends, which was honestly super awesome and inspiring, for some reason. It just made them feel more real, too. More like humans than heroes.
"He doesn't normally like seeing people when he's like that, gets rather grumpy. Of course, that's only after he finally admits that he's sick. Man, that guy is one of the most stubborn people I know," he said the last part mostly to himself, staring off into a corner of the room and rubbing the back of his head with a hand.
"I just really wanted to see him. He helped me when I was sick a bit ago, and I'm just...really worried about him, you know?" Mina explained softly, hoping that she would be allowed to see her teacher.
Yamada Sensei's eyes softened, just as Kayama Sensei's had. He brought his hand back down to his side. "Yeah, I know. So am I, but he won't let me near him. He's a real pain when he's sick, won't let anyone help until he really needs it, and by then it's almost too late. If he'll let you in, then you can see him, but I can't guarantee that he'll let you in, or let you stay."
"I'd still like to try!" Mina exclaimed. Yamada Sensei smiled at her, then walked her over to the elevator, telling her which floor and room Aizawa Sensei was on. Thanking him, Mina entered the elevator and pushed the button for the floor she wanted. When it stopped at her destination, she stepped off and walked down the hall until she came to the room she was looking for. She noticed that the doors were farther apart than the ones in the students' hallways, which she supposed meant that the teachers' dorms would be bigger.
Taking a deep breath in to steel her courage, she raised her hand, and knocked. After a few seconds, she though she heard something, but she didn't think it had been directed at her. She considered knocking again, but didn't want to be a bother, or wake Aizawa Sensei up if he was sleeping.
She was just about to give up, and turn away, when she remembered: "Plus Ultra". She couldn't give up. Screwing up her courage, she tested the handle of the door, surprised, and happy, to find it unlocked.
Holding her breath as she stepped in, quietly closing the door behind her, she was able to hear a shuffling sound coming from her left, followed by the very distinct sound of someone gagging.
She winced, feeling sorry for Aizawa Sensei if he was sick enough to be throwing up. That was never fun. Slipping off her shoes, she called out softly, "Aizawa Sensei, it's Ashido." It was still and quiet for a moment, letting her know that her teacher had heard her, before the sound of retching continued.
Her socked feet made hardly any sound on the wooden floors as she made her way to where the sound was originating from.
A light was shining into the main room of the dorm, which she didn't pay much attention to. She did, however, briefly note that the kitchen was right across from the door at the back of the space, and in front of that, and closer to the door, was a couch, facing away from the entrance.
Ignoring all that, though, Mina finally made her way to the light where she heard her teacher, and saw that it was a bathroom. That made sense, and so did the picture she saw when she got there.
Aizawa Sensei was hunched over the toilet, arms wrapped around the bowl, and face looking way too pale. The dark bags under his eyes were even darker against his pale skin, and very visible as he openly glared at her, although lacking the intimidation factor of his quirk in use. His hair was just hanging limply around his shoulders, adding even more to his impression of a dying man. At least, that's what it seemed like to Mina, since Aizawa Sensei looked super uncomfortable, and distressed.
"What are you doing here, Ashido?" He rasped out, finally easing up with the glare. His head sunk down until it was resting against the arm cradling the rim of the bowl. "You should be on the outing, having fun." His voice was muffled by the fabric of his sleeve, but still discernable.
"I was worried, Sensei," Mina said with a smile, standing in the doorway. "I can't have fun if I'm worried." She said it as of it was a fact, which it probably was for her.
Aizawa Sensei just sighed, which turned into a cough. His head snapped up as he choked, bringing up an arm to cough into. After a few seconds, his coughing turned to gagging, and he was back to dry heaving over the toilet.
Mina moved immediately, shifting to crouch on the floor, and rubbing her hand in large circles on the hero's back.
"It's alright, Sensei, you just need to relax. It won't work if you're tense," she explained calmly, feeling the trembling of her teacher's back.
A groan escaped Aizawa Sensei's mouth, but she felt how he tried to relax his muscles, and it seemed to work. After a minute, he was leaning back on the floor, and loosened his grip on the toilet seat. Mina reached over and flushed the toilet, one hand still on her sensei's shoulder. She could practically feel him glaring at her, but she was determined to hekp, and he didn't seem to have enough energy to stop her.
As Aizawa Sensei just leaned back against the wall of the bathroom, face in his hands, and catching his breath, Mina searched through the cupboard in the bathroom, and found some plastic cups. Grabbing one out, she filled it with water, then crouched back down to her teacher's side.
"Here," she said, pushing the cup into his clammy hand, and making sure he had a good grip on it before taking her hand back. Aizawa Sensei took a drink of the water, then another, and continued until the cup was empty, at which point he sighed, and placed it down on the floor next to him. His head sagged back against the bathroom wall, and his eyes slipped closed. His breaths were deep, but ragged, and seemed to hitch every few inhales.
"You should go sleep in your bed, or at least on the couch, Sensei, not here!" Mina exclaimed, wincing at how loud her voice was after Aizawa Sensei groaned, and lifted one eyelid to stare at her, an unimpressed look in his eye.
"Fine," he ground out, shifting so that his hands were supporting himself, one on the wall and the other against the counter, before trying to push himself up. Half way up, he stopped, and Mina could see his body trembling, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
Reacting quickly and smoothly, she maneuvered herself under her teacher's arm, against his side, adding her support to him. Aizawa Sensei moaned out something, which could have been a thanks, or a berating, more likely.
"Come on, Sensei, just let someone else help, for once," she said, huffing out a breath in frustration, and taking a step forward, pulling the hero along with her. One of his socked feet shuffled forward, then the other, and in that manner, they slowly made their way back out in to the main room, and over to the couch, where Mina gently lowered him down.
Aizawa Sensei groaned again, leaning forward until his face was cradled in his hand, which was propped up against his knee. Mina stood there, unsure of what to do next, until Aizawa Sensei spoke again.
"You helped, Ashido, so thank you, but you can go back to your dorm now, and do whatever it is you would normally do. Sorry you missed out on the class outing."
Placing her hands on her hips, Mina shot back, "I can't just leave you alone, and besides, it will be lonely at the dorms." In a quieter voice, she continued, "And I'm the reason you're sick anyway." It wasn't meant to be heard by the hero, but he must have really good hearing.
His head snapped up, and he winced, but spoke anyway, "It's not your fault, Ashido, a lot of people were sick, it was just going around. And it could be something different anyway, something I picked up on patrol. I could get you sick if you hang around." He stared intently at her, hands loosely dangling between his knees, still leaning forward on the couch.
Even with his face pale, his eyes bloodshot with darker-than-normal bags under them, and sweat building up on his face, his stare was still intense, and slightly intimidating.
"'Kay," Ashido murmured, looking away, and dropping her hands back down to her sides. "But I'm still gonna hang out here, Sensei!"
"Fiiine" Aizawa Sensei groaned, once again, before slowly shifting in the couch until he was lying down. "Just don't be loud."
"I won't," Mina murmured, then hesitated. She wasn't sure what she should do now. Aizawa Sensei was laying down on the couch, seemingly already asleep. Making a decision, she fished her phone out of her pocket, and sat down on the floor in front of the couch, by Aizawa Sensei's feet.
The teacher's dorm was soon quiet, except for the sound of it's resident's deep breaths, and the clicking of Mina's fingers against her phone's screen. It was calm, peaceful, and comfortable, and soon the pink girl herself was dozing off, Phone dangling off her lap, and head resting back against the couch.
When Hizashi came by sometime later, being confused at how he hadn't seen his student come back down, he opened the door to a sight so rare, he actually pinched himself to see if he was dreaming.
When he felt the pain, and still saw the image before him, he smiled an evil smile, one that almost rivaled Shouta's own. He pulled his phone out, snapping a picture of his best friend, sleeping on the couch, with one of his student's sleeping at his feet, on the floor. They both looked peaceful, and content, and it warmed Hizashi's heart to know that Shouta's students cared about him as much as he cared about them.
And then he snapped a few more pictures, from different angles, smirking at how jealous Nemuri was going to be when she realized she missed this. At least he would have pictures to show her, and they would be good for teasing Shouta as well.
He smirked once more at the thought, before putting his phone away, and leaving quietly.
The pink and black figures slept on, unaware of everything happening around them, and just content in each other's presence, each knowing that the other was alright, or at least, would be.
And that's the end of this one! I love Mina, and Aizawa, and Idk, it's awesome! Or, well, I hope it is, lol. I hope you enjoyed!