Beautiful
Author's Note: Hey everyone and welcome to Beautiful! I meant to post this a few days ago and completely became a space cadet, but I hope you enjoy! So, next chapter, Aizawa will have his other costume back! Just had to get there first! Anyway, on with the fic!
Chapter Six: Advice from an Unlikely Source
Chapter Summary: After finding out that he is stuck this way, Aizawa runs into an unlikely source. Meanwhile, Hizashi goes in search of Aizawa.
Shouta couldn't breathe as he walked away from Nezu's office. Keeping the apathetic mask, he was so used to wearing on his face as he finally got out of the building. His heart was racing against his chest. The second that he was told that the man who did this to him was dead, he couldn't hear anymore. His ears ringing even though he could see Tsukauchi's lips moving. Hizashi had tried to comfort him. That's always what Hizashi did, though it brought him crashing back into reality.
His reality.
This is what it would be now.
He didn't care about his looks, but the idea that he could never change back was hitting him now more than ever.
He wasn't even sure why he had taken off the way he had. All that he could think of was get out. As he got outside, far enough away from the main building, he braced his hand on a nearby tree, bringing his hand up to his chest. His chest was tightening by the second.
He was having a panic attack. He knew it. Shouta had gone through the entire list of ways to try and calm himself down. It would be okay. It would all be okay in the end. He was still him. He was the same person. Nothing changed except from small things that he could work around. It would be fine. He had to hold his head up. He had to do it for himself and his students. He couldn't break down now.
He needed to get back to his room or at least out of the sight of anyone. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. He pushed himself away from the tree, starting off down the path that would take him back to his apartment.
He had to admit, he was not paying attention to where he was going as he focused on breathing and trying to calm himself. It was finally starting to settle a bit more. He was so consumed in his own thoughts that he all but ran directly into someone's chest. He stumbled back, muttering out, "I'm sorry." He could barely get it out.
"Ma'am, are you okay?"
Shouta froze.
He knew that voice.
He peeked up through his curtain of hair, sighing inwardly as he did in fact recognize who had spoken. Standing not far from him was the Flame Hero himself, Endeavor.
Oh. Great.
He knew he was going to come face to face with Endeavor at some point, but he didn't expect it to be at the end of a damn panic attack. Endeavor was one of the people who could make his blood pressure go up. There was just something about him that was off putting at most times. Even if he did respect Endeavor as a hero, there was always a feeling in the pit of his gut about the man.
Endeavor did look genuinely concerned as he approached. Careful with his movements, "Can I get you anything?" Endeavor asked, getting close enough that Shouta could feel the man's heat from his fire. Ever since Kamino Ward, it did appear like Endeavor was trying to change up a bit from what Shouta had grown up seeing from him. This had to be one of those things, though, it was a hero's job to care for the wellbeing of others.
He just didn't really want to deal with this at the moment. Endeavor was a hothead, and he was not in the mood for it.
Shouta decided to just shake his head, getting back to his full height as he tried to make it appear as if nothing had just happened. Endeavor continued to eye him for a second, giving him a contemplating look. Like he was trying to figure out who was standing next to him.
Endeavor's presence ironically actually calmed him a bit. Bringing the thoughts down to a minimum as he exhaled again and took in another deep breath. Endeavor was continuing to eye him with concern, hands up like he was ready to move. Shouta had taken another moment, feeling his heart rate starting to return back to normal. The ringing in his ears starting to disappear completely.
"I'm fine." Shouta muttered, "What brings you here, Endeavor?"
Endeavor gave him a look for a second, cocking an eyebrow as he cleared his throat and backed up. "I'm here to see Eraserhead." Oh great. Either way, he was going to have to speak to Endeavor. "Do you know where he is at right now?"
Before Shouta had the chance to say anything to him, he heard, "Old man? What are you doing here?" He looked over, seeing Todoroki and Bakugou standing there. Todoroki looked shocked to see his father standing there.
It was almost in an instant that Endeavor's entire demeanor had changed, "Shouto!" His voice boomed, practically making Shouta's head hurt. It wasn't Hizashi level loud, but Endeavor could get loud. Maybe, that's why he wasn't fond of being near the man. He was always at a higher volume. "I was going to stop by and—"
"Not interested." Todoroki shot back, looking annoyed for a moment before his gaze settled on Shouta. For a second, he could see the concern on his student's face. If he was being honest, he was glad that it was Endeavor who strolled up on him and not his students. He would rather than not see him in any sort of turmoil. They were already concerned about him enough after the USJ, even if they dropped it pretty quickly. He didn't need to add more onto it. Especially Todoroki.
Endeavor sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he replied instead with, "I'm looking for your teacher. There are a few things that I need to speak with him about. Where is he hiding out at?"
Todoroki blinked, sharing a look with Bakugou. Bakugou looked amused, shaking his head as he grumbled, "I'm not a part of this."
Todoroki bit his lip for a second, looking over to Shouta as he let out a nervous chuckle. "Old man… she… might look like a woman, but she is actually a he…" He motioned towards Aizawa, "is actually Aizawa-sensei."
Shouta could have laughed from the complete dumbfounded look that came to Endeavor's face as he looked between him and Todoroki before he was giving a stoic look towards his son. "Stop playing around, Shouto. Where is your teacher?"
Bakugou face palmed himself, muttering under his breath as Todoroki sighed. "I'm not joking."
"Icyhot couldn't come up with something like that." Bakugou tossed out, shrugging as Todoroki gave him a look.
"This isn't funny." Endeavor huffed.
"I'm dead serious." Todoroki stated.
Endeavor looked at Shouta again, frowning as his eyebrows practically connected together. Shouta exhaled sharply, rolling his eyes as he activated his quirk, watching the flames extinguish on Endeavor's shoulders. A second later, he blinked, letting Endeavor have his quirk back.
Endeavor's jaw dropped as his eyes widened. He had never seen Endeavor look stunned before, but he wasn't uttering a word as he just stared at Shouta. Shouta was almost uncomfortable as he shifted on his feet, feeling the heat rising on his face as he reached up and adjusted his shirt.
"We can speak privately in a moment." Shouta stated.
Endeavor didn't say anything back to him. Hell, his face had never even changed. Still the look of complete shock. Todoroki walked a few steps forward, tilting his head as he looked at his father. "Dad… are you okay?"
Endeavor still didn't reply. Todoroki reached up, poking at Endeavor's cheek. Gaining no reaction from him as he did so. "Endeavor?" Shouta tried next.
Bakugou had burst out into laughter, practically howling as he bent over. "He's broken." Todoroki whispered. "My dad broke."
Shouta rubbed a palm over his face. "If this is the reaction that I get from everyone else, I'm going to lose my mind." He mumbled to himself. He rubbed at his eyes for a second, feeling the lightheaded feeling coming back. He pushed it to the side, looking back up at Endeavor, "Endeavor…" As he went to finish speaking, the world continued to spin around him as he tried to blink it away, he swayed slightly on his feet. He could hear Todoroki and Bakugou's attention turn to him as they spoke to him, but they sounded far away as Shouta went to say something else, only for him to lose his balance as dots started to cover his vision.
He didn't know what happened after that as everything around him went dark.
X
Endeavor was shocked. He had came because he had needed to speak to Aizawa, but never thought he would find something like this. He never even knew there was such a quirk out there if that was the case. It's what it had to be. He had seen Aizawa just a few weeks prior in passing and he had been fine, and, well… a man.
She – who he now knew was a he – looked familiar but he couldn't place his finger on it. It was like he was staring at something that he knew but couldn't figure it out. Though, it must have been what he was about to say before Shouto and Bakugou had walked up to them.
What were the odds that he came looking for Aizawa, and he had ran right into him. In a literal sense.
He didn't even know what to say. What was he supposed to say in a situation like this? He had thought Shouto had been toying with him with him at first. The more he looked at Aizawa's face, the more he saw it. It did just look a bit more feminine. Maybe, he was just used to the scruffy, messy tired look that he had come to associate with the Underground Hero.
He had been snapped right back into reality from seeing the way that Aizawa had started to sway. Moving forward just as he went crashing towards the ground. Making it just seconds to catch his head before it smacked into the ground below.
He could hear Shouto and Bakugou's panic as he rushed forward, kneeling down on Aizawa's other side. Endeavor was still stunned, but now he had a job to do. He didn't think twice before he was scooping an arm under his legs, readjusting his head to let it settle on his bicep as he looked up to the two heroes in training. "I'll take him to Recovery Girl."
He had thought that he looked unwell when he first laid his eyes on him. Though, he had mistaken him for a woman. In his defense, he did look like one and his body was definitely the form of a woman's. He would have to make a mental note to apologize for the misconception. Though, now he needed to make sure that he got to someone who could help this situation.
As Shouto asked what happened to his teacher, Endeavor actually had no answers for him. He had only ran into Aizawa just a few minutes before the two had came up to them. All he could do was make sure to get him somewhere that could help him. Endeavor didn't reply, getting back to his feet as he started off towards the school. He still remembered the layout of the school. The school was still pretty much the same from his school days. There were only the addition of some new buildings and the dorms that he didn't know the layouts of. Recovery Girl always had her office in a convenient spot.
Shouto and Bakugou were both hot on his trail as he got into the school, heading straight for Recovery Girl's office. He didn't say a word as they got into the room until Recovery Girl looked at them before noticing that Aizawa was secured in Endeavor's grasp. There was a look of understanding on her face as she motioned towards the bed, getting out of her chair as she said, "He fainted, didn't he?"
"You mean—" Shouto went to question as Recovery Girl nodded.
Endeavor walked forward, placing the Erasure Hero down as he took a few steps back. He did still need to speak with him, but he supposed that could wait just in case if this was something a bit more serious.
The more he looked at Aizawa, the more he saw it. There were only a few subtle differences, but it was in fact him. He didn't realize it before. At first glance, he never would have suspected that this woman was in fact the normally, strung out homeroom teacher. He supposed that he shouldn't be referring to Aizawa with any feminine terms, but it was the only way that he could process the thought. It was what was seen, but it wasn't the truth.
Recovery Girl was already quick at work, checking his vitals before moving back around to her desk. "Thank you for bringing him here. If I'm being honest, I was expecting it sooner."
Endeavor frowned. Was something wrong with Aizawa that they didn't know about. Both his son and Bakugou looked concerned for a second, though Bakugou was trying to hide it a bit more. "Sooner?" Bakugou questioned.
Recovery Girl nodded, climbing back up into her chair, grabbing out a file and writing into it really quick. "Whenever Aizawa has something physical happen to his body that he has to recover from… he tends to forget to eat and leads to a drop in his blood sugar. After something to eat he'll be fine."
"It's happened before?" Shouto questioned.
Recovery Girl nodded, peering over to Aizawa with a fond look on her face. "Honestly, quite a few times over the time I've known him." She sighed as she turned in her chair, facing them completely now. "I'm surprised to see you here, Endeavor."
Endeavor grunted, pointing towards Aizawa, "I came to see him, but then… this happened."
Recovery Girl nodded, chuckling for a second. "You look surprised."
Endeavor made a noise for a moment. "How could I not be? What happened to him?"
"A quirk." So, he was right in his deduction. That did surprise him. Eraserhead was someone who had been through hell and back more than once. Countless physical injuries, but this is the first time he had heard of him getting hit by a quirk to this magnitude.
"Do you think the quirk had something to do with this little fainting spell of his?" Endeavor questioned.
"Technically, yes." Recovery Girl replied, "He's been overworking himself because of the changes he's experienced. It's why I've been expecting him. He already doesn't eat well enough. It's something I constantly urge him to change, but that man is never going to change." Recovery Girl went back to what she had been doing, reaching into the drawer, and pulling out a few snacks, muttering that she would speak to Mic about making sure Aizawa ate a proper dinner.
They were in silence for a while. Enough that Endeavor had lost track of the time. The two boys were talking together quietly where they were now sitting down. There was a second that he could see a look lingering on Shouto's face. The way that he looked at his homeroom teacher. He frowned.
There was something on his mind. He had walked up on Aizawa in what appeared to be some sort of panic or anxiety attack. That was odd on a different level from what he knew about Eraserhead, and the conversations they had. Aizawa was always seemed to be good out masking anything that could be wrong with him. At least, that was the impression he got.
It almost… concerned him.
"When I ran into him…" Endeavor started.
Recovery Girl looked over to him, a questioning look on her face.
Endeavor just shook his head. It didn't feel like his place to say anything. Especially not in front of Shouto and Bakugou.
Endeavor peered back over to Aizawa, noticing that he was starting to stir now. Aizawa sat up, a hand braced on his head as he blinked. It looked like it took him a moment to register where he was but snapped out of it as a snack landed in his lap from Recovery Girl. "Eat that."
"Recov—"
"Eat." Recovery Girl stated, turning back to her desk. "I won't release you from here until you do."
Aizawa rolled his eyes, curling his legs underneath him as he opened the snack. Aizawa was acting if he knew exactly why he was here. Even with Recovery Girl's words, it was nothing new to the either of them. This was still so absurd to him. What the hell was going on? Endeavor had so many questions going through his mind, the flush that came to his face from the thought of what happened just before he was told who Aizawa was.
All of this could explain why Shouto had been radio silent with him for the last few weeks. Ever since the incident that he heard about. He didn't get much information regarding it. Just that a villain had been involved. The police were being tight lipped on the situation. Now, he was starting to understand it.
They were ensuring the safety of Eraserhead.
Aizawa didn't appear to really be acting differently. An almost emotionless mask on his face as he ate down the snack just to appease the nurse. There was also the rant that Recovery Girl had gone into, so for the time being Endeavor had decided to stay quiet. Especially with Recovery Girl on her tirade. It was just better not to get involved. He had been on the receiving end of that before. One of the only people to give him chills down his spine. Aizawa had a distant look in his eye. Like he wasn't listening to a word that was being said to him. Clearly, something was on his mind. Aizawa had to be one of the hardest people to read when it came to body language. He was so good with concealing everything. Maybe, on occasion, there would be a spark of something there that they could all see.
This time, it was only lingering in his eyes.
Endeavor's fist curled around his sleeve again.
"I got it, old lady." Aizawa muttered, peering through the corner of his eye at the nurse.
Recovery Girl didn't seem happy but accepted the answer that she had received. She sighed, turning back in her chair. "You may go after you finish that. Just make sure to eat an actual meal for dinner."
Aizawa nodded, but now his attention was on Endeavor. "You were looking for me?"
Endeavor grumbled, "Why didn't you just tell me it was you?" He shot back.
Aizawa had a smirk come to his face, tilting his head in the direction of the two students. "Well, we got interrupted. What do you want?"
Endeavor felt the flush come to his face for a moment as he cleared his throat. He reached around him, going for the bag that he had slung over his shoulders, pulling out a file. "I hate to ask given the circumstances—"
"It's fine." Aizawa immediately interjected, cutting off any thought that Endeavor could have.
Either way, Endeavor pulled out exactly what he was looking for and handed it over to the Erasure Hero. "I've already been in contact with the Fatgum Agency, but within my agency's area, there has been a spike of crimes involving a drug that has no name and no known source." He explained. Aizawa flipped open the folder, reading through the contents. "It almost seems to work like Trigger, but it doesn't enhance the quirk of the user. It only seems to break down the reasoning and rationality of whoever has used it. Blurring the lines between right and wrong. All the ones who have been arrested have no memory of their crimes."
Aizawa hummed, flipping through the pages. "What did Fatgum say about it?"
"His report is in there." Endeavor replied, "But he doesn't believe this is the work of Trigger either. All the people that have been known to have this drug in their system were all law-abiding citizens. Clean records. When they were arrested, a tox screen had been and all came back with this drug in their system. At this time, we are unsure if it's a drug or if someone's quirk is involved. None of them have any recollection of how this drug got into their systems. If I'm being honest, my agency is at a loss. You've worked the Underground circuit longer than anyone else and your track record with finding these kinds of things could be useful in this case."
Aizawa made a noise, frowning for a moment as he got to the page regarding Fatgum's findings. "This is…" He turned his attention to Recovery Girl, saying, "Can I see my medical file?"
Recovery Girl's eyebrow shot up as well as Endeavor's. The confusion moving within the Flame Hero. Recovery Girl went into her filing cabinet, pulling out the exact file that Aizawa had requested and handed it over. Aizawa placed the other folder to the side, opening up his own medical file and flipping through the pages. Endeavor could only blink from how thick the file was. Though, he felt like he shouldn't comment on that.
Aizawa stayed quiet for a second as he stopped going through the pages before looking back over to the one Endeavor had handed him.
"Well, that's something." Aizawa whispered.
Endeavor moved forward, turning to look at what Aizawa was looking at. Looking between the two, he could see the list of the compound on Fatgum's report, but also a toxicology report that Aizawa had. "You've been in contact with this before."
Aizawa hummed, "Apparently." He muttered. He made a noise for a second as he leaned back, tapping his fingers for a moment. "I don't remember much, but just about a year ago, I was patrolling in an area and came across this man who was acting strangely. I don't remember much, but during the altercation, he knew powder in my face. I can't recall many of the things from that night. It would be in my files from when I was working that area." Aizawa sighed, rubbing at his eyes for a moment, "You are welcome to them."
Endeavor cleared his throat, standing back to his full height, "Actually, Eraser… I want you to help with this case."
Aizawa froze, hearing the audible catch in his throat as he looked at him. There was look in his eye. Very similar to what he had seen on his face when he saw Aizawa the first time. Almost panic. But there was something else there. Something that Endeavor couldn't be sure to explain about.
"Endeavor, I'm kind of dealing with something." Aizawa finally muttered, peering away for a moment.
Endeavor shrugged, "If it's this whole woman thing… maybe see it in a different way. Majority of Japan knew what Eraserhead looked like because of Kamino Ward." He could see the realization coming to Aizawa's face a second later as the Erasure Hero started to connect the dots of what Endeavor was about to say. He smirked, crossing his arms again, "If you're concerned about that and how it affects your hero work, use it to your advantage instead. No one will be expecting Eraserhead as a woman since those in the underground circuit as well as most of Japan knows he's a man."
Aizawa chuckled for a second, motioning beside him to Recovery Girl, "Honestly, you have to get Mama Bear here to clear me. I'm currently not allowed on active duty."
Recovery Girl cast Aizawa a look. The room falling into a dead silence. There was practically a stare down going on between Recovery Girl and Aizawa. Endeavor almost felt like taking a step back. There was almost the question ringing in the air of who would relent first. Finally, Recovery Girl sighed, "So far through observation, there is nothing wrong or would effect your job in active duty, so I will sign the release."
Aizawa turned to look back at Endeavor, an apathetic look back on his face. "You got your answer."
Endeavor smirked. "Alright."
X
Hizashi had looked everywhere for Aizawa. Not finding sight of him anywhere. He had checked Aizawa's apartment. He went to Nemuri. The teacher's lounge. He had checked the forest. He could figure out where he had gone. He had started texting him, hoping that Aizawa remembered to turn his sound back on.
He had heard nothing.
It was making him panic.
He had seen Aizawa's face when he was leaving. It had been a long time since he had seen that look, and he wasn't about to watch him go through something again. Aizawa was his friend. His best friend. The person that Hizashi went too when something was going wrong. Aizawa had that in him. They knew everything about each other. Hizashi knew Aizawa's body language better than anyone.
He just had to find him first.
Which wasn't easy.
This was Aizawa's strong suit. He was good at hiding. It almost irritated him. Hizashi had checked all the places he knew that Aizawa liked to hide out in. It just didn't work.
His search had taken him to Heights Alliance now. There was the thought that Aizawa wouldn't go there because of his persistent need to not show others his emotions, but at this point, Hizashi was desperate.
He had walked in in a rush, barely remembering to get out of his boots and into slippers as he ventured into the common rooms. The students looked excited to see him, questions flying at him. He didn't hear many of them as he questioned, "Where's Aizawa?"
"No idea." Shinsou replied. "Todoroki and Bakugou went to talk to him. He's probably with them."
Hizashi sighed. Of course, it wasn't going to be that simple. He hadn't seen Todoroki or Bakugou earlier.
The panic was still coursing through him as he looked around, trying to think of anywhere Aizawa could have ended up. Where the hell did he go? This campus wasn't that big. Though, he had to admit there were plenty of places to hide. He just figured, if Aizawa was in a panic like he thought he saw, it would be easier to find him. Aizawa did have a decent head start, but just up and disappearing didn't feel right.
He was missing something.
"Hey, Mic-sensei?" Mic hummed to Kaminari's question, not exactly paying attention to him as he went through his options. "What does Aizawa-sensei like?"
"Cats." He merely stated without hesitation.
As his thoughts raced, it finally hit him. He knew where Aizawa would be. Aizawa had been warm earlier. Warmer than usual. He probably ended up with Recovery Girl. He said his goodbyes, rushing back towards his boots, slipping them on quickly before he was out the door without another word.
X
Shinsou frowned as he watched Mic rush out of the common room, tilting his head back against the couch. "That was weird." He muttered, turning his attention back to his classmates.
They looked just as confused and questioning as he was. That was very odd behavior for Mic. Mic always typically had a large smile on his face or was joking around. "Do you think something happened to Aizawa-sensei?" Asui questioned.
"He was fine when I saw him this morning." Shinsou replied.
"Maybe something's going on and they need him." Midoriya added, looking towards the door.
"I'm sure they have whatever it is covered." Iida interjected, having a calm tone to his voice as he tried to reassure them all. Shinsou didn't think that anything happened to Aizawa. Although, he saw him that morning, he looked a bit flushed for his normal pale skin. It wasn't like Aizawa would want to know or want them in their business.
Kaminari chuckled, "Maybe Todoroki and Bakugou got into a lover's spat and Aizawa-sensei had to break it up."
Kirishima rolled his eyes, "You know those two aren't like that. At most, they might have a one-sided argument." He stopped for a second, grinning, "If something was really wrong, I don't think Mic-sensei would have answered our question. Now we have something to go on."
Shinsou hummed, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't quite buy it. Mic looked panicked. There was something going on, but he had faith in his teachers that it would be handled. He could hear Ashido muttering to Uraraka about it. How Mic had been acting and who it was for. If he was being honest, he was surprised those that Mic and Aizawa hadn't hooked up yet. The way he saw that they looked at each other. He could always see it. At times, it was like they were the only two in the room.
How fond Mic would look at Aizawa. How at ease Aizawa appeared when Mic was around, despite how loud Mic was and Aizawa wasn't one for loud noises. It always made him wonder if something else was going on and he just didn't know. Aizawa was his teacher and his mentor, but it didn't mean that he shared everything with him. Aizawa was a very closed book person. Keeping everything tight knit and close to himself unless he wanted to tell someone about it.
Shinsou had decided to go along with Kirishima, diverging the conversation away from Mic and Aizawa with, "So, something to do with cats. That's the way to our teacher's heart."
It had worked, bringing their attention right back to their plans and dropping the other conversation.
X
If Shouta was being honest, he never thought he would be thankful for something that came out of Endeavor's mouth. Endeavor had moved on, going towards Nezu's office to finish up requesting Shouta's help with this case that he had. Endeavor had let him keep the file, that way he could look it over and have a better understanding of what the Flame Hero needed from him.
With the new revelation, it felt like a good distraction method.
Even more so, what Endeavor had said to him.
That this could be used as a good thing.
If he was being completely honest with himself, he hadn't even thought of that. Using this new body of his to his advantage. Endeavor was correct that many people within Japan knew his face now. He had always been adamant about staying out of the media. Especially for his own hero work. It was better when people didn't know what he looked like.
Now, he actually had that chance.
But was it really something he was completely okay with?
It was still heavy on his mind. There was no going back now. He didn't have the security of even the possibility that he could have been changed back. This was going to be his reality that he was going to have to face. Something he would absolutely have to get used too. Not just compliant with. There was no going back. It wasn't like he could have been so reliant on the fact that the villain could change him back. It's why it hadn't been done sooner. Relying on villains wasn't exactly what they did or could do. The villain had already proved to be dangerous. Not someone that Shouta would want coming in contact with him again.
He was going to have to practice exactly what he preached.
The reality of being a pro hero.
Yet, it terrified him. Even though it felt like nothing changed, a lot was changing around him every single day. With each person he came in contact with. He had been preparing himself for this, but now that it was completely sinking in, it felt different.
This was just going to be his reality now. He had a lot of decisions to make at this point. What he was going to do now. He didn't feel like much would change. His class and coworkers have been doing wonderfully with making sure he was as comfortable as possible. That it didn't appear as if his entire appearance had been changed. Endeavor got a pass on what happened. He had no idea what had happened.
"You okay, Aizawa-sensei?" He was completely ripped back out of his thoughts from hearing Todoroki's voice as he turned to look at his student. Todoroki was looking at him with concern, being very careful with how close he was getting. "I don't mean to intrude but you looked upset when we found you and my old man. Did he say something to you?"
Aizawa exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he rubbed at his temple. His head was pounding now. He was used to this. After he ate a meal, he would be fine again. "No, Endeavor just happened to run into me. There is just a lot happening right now."
"Did something happen?" Todoroki questioned further.
He knew what Todoroki was really wanting to ask. It was right up there screaming in his face. "Technically, yes." He replied. He had to be careful with how he explained this. He didn't want his students being concerned about him. He had barely heard Tsukauchi actually mention the League of Villains. The ringing to his ears and his heart pounding had started almost immediately as he heard that the villain had died in jail. It would all be okay. He would be okay. He knew that. He could get through anything. "The villain who did this was killed in jail."
Todoroki and Bakugou looked at him in complete shock. Todoroki's eyes widened as his jaw dropped open before he was shaking his head and looking at the ground. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't apologize, Todoroki." Aizawa stated, stopping, and turning, placing his hand on his student's shoulder. Todoroki didn't look up for a second before Aizawa said, "I have twenty problem children in my class that I have to watch out for. This class is so good about sticking their nose into something, but we will get this figured out. Don't you worry about anything. There is always something new out there. Something I might not be aware of right now. I'm not concerned. Yes, it is upsetting news, but I couldn't rely on the possibility that this villain would be willing to do anything to fix what he had done." He paused for a moment, seeing the very subtle nod that Todoroki gave, "So, don't you worry about me. Everything will be fine."
Todoroki sighed, reaching up and placing a hand on the back of his neck. "The life of a hero." He muttered.
"That's right." Aizawa stated. "See it in a different light. I'm alive. No matter what I may look like. I'm still here." He dropped his hand, taking a step back as he looked to his students. "There was a reason you've stuck around this long, and I doubt it was just because I went to Recovery Girl's office. What do you need?"
For a second, he could see the contemplation on Todoroki's face, the way that he looked over to Bakugou for a second. Todoroki's gaze turned back to Aizawa, and he shook his head. "It can wait."
Aizawa tilted his head, slipping a hand into his sweatpants as he gave a knowing look. Todoroki and Bakugou wouldn't come looking for him or sticking around if it wasn't something they wanted to talk about. While he couldn't be certain that they had been looking for him in the first place, Todoroki had all but confirmed it for him.
Todoroki looked nervous. Shifting from foot to foot. Aizawa hummed. So, there was something heavy on his mind. Todoroki went to speak, but he had almost immediately snapped his mouth shut again.
Bakugou had the look of annoyance come to his face, like he was biting his tongue before he hissed out, "Icyhot wants to see his mother on Family Day."
So, that's what it was.
He didn't have much information regarding the situation revolving around Rei Todoroki. All he knew was that she was currently a patient in the psychiatric ward in the hospital. He didn't know any of the details to why she was there, but he did know that Todoroki loved his mother. Wrote to her when he couldn't go see her. It was his job to know where all the students were at any given time, especially now with the dorm system in place. That's when the information had been provided to him since Todoroki would request to visit his mother. He had to know where he was going.
Aizawa nodded. "You want to see if she can get clearance from her doctors to come here."
Todoroki peered up through his hair, nodding for a moment. "If... that's possible."
Aizawa let the possibilities run through his head. He would definitely need to speak to Nezu, but also get in touch with the hospital. There would be a lot of jumps to make, but he could get it done. He could be pretty persuasive when he wanted to be. There was more to this story and why Todoroki's mother was currently getting psychiatric help, but this wasn't the place for that.
"Let me see what I can do." Aizawa stated.
Todoroki looked stunned as he stared wide eyed at Aizawa now. "Are you serious?"
Aizawa nodded. "Just give me some time. The event isn't for a bit, so I'll see what I can do."
Todoroki looked down for a second, looking over his shoulder next back at the main school building. "Hey, sensei…" Aizawa tilted his head, keeping eye contact with Todoroki as he looked back. "If it can happen… my mother can't see my old man. At all."
"That can be done." Aizawa stated.
That did make him question some things. It made him think back. Todoroki never looked happy or comfortable when his family was brought up in conversation. It was a step up to Todoroki opening up, but it also meant that Aizawa had to go digging into his past to the circumstances and what he had to do to ensure that this could even be done for Todoroki. Seeing that hopeful look in his student's eyes was enough to tell him that he was going to do it. There was a gut feeling that hit him almost immediately. He had a gut feeling of what possibly led to Rei Todoroki's hospitalization, but he couldn't just make an assumption. There was always more to a story than anyone realized.
He was thankful for the distractions that he was getting. From Endeavor. Todoroki. It was doing a number in keeping his mind off of everything else. This is what he was used to doing. Throwing himself headfirst into hero work when things started to go array.
The soft smile came to Todoroki's face as he nodded. "Thank you, sensei."
"Aizawa!" Aizawa paused, peering over his shoulder to see Hizashi rushing over, huffing as he leaned over and braced his hands on his knees for a second. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
Aizawa blinked, turning to face the blonde hero. "I've been… around."
"We'll leave the two of you alone." Todoroki stated, starting to head back in the direction of Heights Alliance. "Thank you again, sensei."
Hizashi looked between the two of them, his eyebrow shooting up for a second as the two students made their leave from them. The two stood in silence for a moment, but Aizawa could see the soft look that was in Hizashi's eyes. He thanked everything that Hizashi had waited until his students were out of earshot.
Hizashi turned to look at him, giving him another soft smile, "You alright?"
Aizawa nodded, shuffling on his feet slightly. "Yeah, I will be." He forced the smile to come to his face to try and prove his point, but the knowing look from Hizashi was enough for him.
"You were at Recovery Girl's, weren't you?" Hizashi questioned.
Aizawa confirmed it, sighing as he added, "Let's go eat something." It was the best way to change the subject as he reached out, grabbing Hizashi's hand and pulling him along.
It's been a long day.