Amaurosis Fagux

by mistytales1303

"If I have to undo these bandages and end up in Recovery Girl's office; I'm expelling every last one of you," Aizawa growled. The rising noise immediately cut off. He could hear the desks hastily being scrapped against the tile back into their rightful places in fear. Good. They could use a little jolt of fear.

14. Many Attempts Were Made

Thank you fencer29 for the inspiration of this "stealth test" arc of the fic! I had fun writing it! I opted not to split this chapter, despite the 15K+ word count, b/c I wanted all the classes' results to be in one chapter. Plus, some cute, fluffy, slice of life BS sprinkled in.

As I await a possible sellers call I'm posting this chapter before I forget for another day aha I really didn't intend to have 3 months between posts but long story short since August my house has decided now was the perfect 6 month period to require replacements of the AC system, an upgrade of the heating, and a replacement of septic. Fun times. But enough with that!

Enjoy!

Chapter 14: Many Attempts Were Made

Yamada's smile was mischievous, matching Ashido's pound for pound. He snickered, tapping his fingers on the concrete and bouncing on his heels.

"Okay, how about a small test, hm? Call it a stealth test," Yamada says eagerly. He turned to Kan's class. "You all are welcome to join as well. A friendly competition!"

"What are you up to, sensei?" Sero asks, leaning in with a smirk. Jirou popped up front behind him, brow raised.

"What are the parameters of this test?" Shishida asks, sliding across the bleachers.

Yamada hefted himself over the wall. At the motion Nemuri glanced his way from her spot at the other end of the arena. She smirked, slipping away from the small group.

"To start," Yamada began, "You can try sneaking up on him when you think he might be faking being asleep, or when he's clearly awake. Just don't sneak into the apartment."

"I wouldn't want to risk getting a lamp to the head," Midoriya mumbled. Bakugou gave a chuffed laugh that he cut short. A few of the members of Class B glanced over to him, with Kendo looking wide-eyed. Yamada laughed, trying to keep quiet so none of the other staff would hear him.

"Spooked him awake, huh?" Yamada asks.

"That asshole almost took off my head!" Bakugou hissed, shoving Kaminari down to flip off Aizawa.

Ashido started cackling, covering her mouth and waving Bakugou off when he shot her a glare. Yamada glanced Aizawa's way. He was trapped, seemingly, talking to Nedzu and Chiyo. He spotted Nemuri strafing the wall and made eye contact. Both paused, with Nemuri staring up at him with a mischievous smile and a spark in her eye. Yamada turned sharply to the classes.

"Anyway!" he clapped his hands once to get their attentions again. "Here's how we'll score it. Scores will be based on how close you can get to Aizawa before he notices you, how well you can hide your approach from anyone else in the room, and whether you get caught. We'll say you don't have to try it while you think he's asleep. That'd be a little unfair to Class B since he's Class A's dorm teacher and if he is asleep you might get hurt when he jolts awake… so just whenever he's distracted, or you think you can do it. No heart attacks, please," Yamada begged them.

Nemuri jumped up, latching herself to the edge of the wall. Yamada had to bite his tongue to keep from yelping, sliding away along the length of the wall. Nemuri giggled, ignoring the glare he shot her way.

"A perfect score is touching Aizawa before you're caught!" Nemuri says.

"Are you insane?" Jirou asks.

"Just a poke would count," Nemuri says. "And successfully evading his counterattack is a bonus."

A couple of the Class B kids looked to each other, flashes of the Table Incident™ playing in their heads. Rin raised his hand. "Can this be extra credit, instead?"

"Yes!" Nemuri says, pulling herself over the edge of the wall. "If that makes you want to give it a shot, absolutely. You don't have to, by the way. This is entirely optional, I want that to be clear."

"Nem," Yamada sighs. He turned back to the kids. "It's extra credit if we can get him to agree, post success."

"I feel like this is unethical to some degree…" Iida mumbled.

"Or brazen…" Kendo muttered.

"He'll agree," Nemuri insisted, pushing his face back. "Besides, he needs some fun injected into his life."

Ashido stood, raising her hand in the air. "I'm trying!"

"Just remember, automatic failure includes jumping and screaming when you're caught. Or blowing up—"

"Fuck off!"

"Yamada, Kayama! Stop harassing my students!" Kan shouted across the arena. Nemuri snapped her attention to him.

"Excuse me, we're actually teaching over here!" she shouted back.

"This is a trap," Kaibara whispered. Nemuri spun around to him now, a new fire in her eyes. He leaned back with a jump.

"Anyone who wins gets a free weekend pass!" she declares. Yamada gaped at her as the two classes were suddenly very enthused by the entire prospect.

"This may have been a mistake," he mumbled. Nemuri giggled, pulling him close in a one-armed hug.

"Oh, we're definitely going to regret this, but it'll be so fun in the meantime!"

The first course of action was teaming up. The classes walked back together to the buses. The topic was first raised by Iida, seconded by Shoda. The debate of cross class team ups was almost immediately shot down, though. Nevermind that Bakugou and Monoma would have made it even more of a nightmare, regardless if they were on the same team or not, everyone wanted to get a shot for their class to win by their own class merit.

"What if we try for teams with our own classes, then if that doesn't work, we can attempt cross teams should no one succeed? Assuming that Yamada-sensei and Kayama-sensei would agree to that, that is," Yaoyorozu suggested, shifting to the center of the group as she muttered.

"That could work," Kendo mused. "I call being with Ashido when we do!"

"It's 'IF' we do," Monoma says, leaning in on Yaoyorozu's right. "We're going to win. There won't be a need to team up with anyone from their class."

"Bold words, Xerox," Bakugou snaps, taking up her left side.

"I'm going to stop you both now," Yaoyorozu says with a sharp smile, placing a hand on both boy's shoulders. She squeezed their shoulders tight. "Lest, that is, I ask Midnight-sensei to handle the situation."

"Don't you dare," Bakugou hissed.

"Then it's settled, we'll try in teams of our own, then if necessary, try to team up together. We can argue it's a great opportunity for engaging in cooperative experience," Yaoyorozu says happily.

"We can try and haggle extra credit from that…" Rin muttered.

Once the classes had split, taking their respective buses, the planning had already begun. Ashido had started a new class chat, adding Shinsou to the group, for their planning.

P!nky: Everyone conspire here!

LetMeSleep: Why am I in this chat? What is this chat?

Sonic: Ashido, don't use the word "conspire", use "plan" !

P!nky: I know what I said

IcyHot: We were given the challenge of sneaking up on Aizawa successfully

Bedazzle: We're going against Class B!

LetMeSleep: And I am involved why?

Grenades: You train one on one with him, so what are we up against?

LetMeSleep: Oh, you're asking for help? Help from moi? Give me compensation, maybe I'll consider it.

ElectricType: Bro, please, we need all the help we can get

LetMeSleep: Not more than Class B will need, you guys actually get to see Aizawa all the time

LetMeSleep: Shouldn't you know what he's like

Broccoli: You actually have to try and sneak up on him regularly.

Broccoli: So do you have pointers or any observations to give?

LetMeSleep: Oh yeah

P!nky: great!

Beats: spill it, plum!

LetMeSleep: don't make any noise. Don't even breathe. Cease existence on this mortal plane. And you have a chance he won't perceive you

LetMeSleep: PLUM?

Beats: well I sure wasn't gonna say 'grape'

DarkBoi: my brother, your words will help us greatly

Grenades: THAT WAS USELESS

LetMeSleep: Bitch you think it's EASY sneaking up on a man who made it his JOB to avoid being snuck up on?

Grenades: WHAT YOU HAVEN'T GOT IT ONCE?!

LetMeSleep: I reiterate my last statement

Grenades: fuckin useless

Bakugou slammed his phone down on the table. Kirishima patted his back, scrolling through the messages. "I wonder how the other class is going to do," he says absently.

"Miserable," Bakugou quips. "They'd have a chance against Vlad King, maybe. But they couldn't even sneak up on Dad at breakfast."

"He can see me better blind," Hagakure whispered, looking up at the ceiling. "They're so screwed."

"WE'RE ALL SCREWED!" Sero whined, flopping on the floor by the couch. Hagakure giggled, turning over on the couch so she could lean over the arm.

She patted Sero's head. "There, there."

"I'm winning this challenge," Bakugou says. "I'm getting that weekend pass."

"Survive it first," Midoriya sighed. "There's a real chance of getting flipped…"

The first attempt came from Class B. Rin had handpicked his team. Kaibara, Tsuburaba, and Awase had joined him as they walked the halls of UA towards the staff room. They'd asked Kan under the guise of homework questions for Thirteen. It would have to be fast—they didn't have a lot of time before Kan might become suspicious, or the class period ended—so they would have to be efficient. The Common Sense Kings were the sacrificial first group. If nothing else, they'd be able to figure out what would be an obvious no-go strategy.

OR that was what they'd figured. Rin was going through all his options as they power walked to the staff room. Tsuburaba and Kaibara had worked wonderfully together during training sessions and he could count on their teamwork. Awase was overly motivated to impress Class A, though he claimed it was to impress Kan, he was painfully obvious of his true intentions. Kendo had ribbed him most of dinner. The moment she'd mentioned she could give him Yaoyorozu's number, he almost bolted, face deep red and suddenly unable to form a coherent sentence. Rin could at least sympathize with him on that, though. If Kendo had offered the same for Asui's number, he would have panicked, too.

Kaibara slowed everyone's pace as they turned into the staff room's hall. "I think," he says, "It would work best if we don't use our Quirks. Most won't be very good to use in the staff room, they're flashy, and Tsuburaba's Quirk is only soundproof inside the Air Prison. That won't be much help with this."

"It'd be better if we could use Honenuki's Quirk… asshole…" Awase mumbled.

"If he wants to attempt this solo he can try," Rin says. "I doubt he'll succeed, but… I can think of a few strategies he could try."

"I hope he fails," Awase says. Rin sighed, turning back to Kaibara.

"What's your idea?" Rin asks.

"With the limited time, we have to see if he's actually sleeping or distracted, or not. If he's in there, he'll probably be sleeping, right? It's not like he's grading papers. We just need to get close. And then test if we can touch him, just in case, so we can take it a little at a time."

"Does the door make a sound when it's opened?" Tsuburaba asks.

"Not that I know of. If we move it slowly… and then walk slowly… we could do it," Rin says.

Kaibara stopped them all just before the room. He checked the time and set his hand on the grooved latch. Tsuburaba activated his Quirk, circling them in the Air Prison. Rin patted him proudly on his shoulder as Kaibara opened the door with no worries, sliding it open entirely. The lights inside the staff room were off, the only light the extremely dim light from the curtains covering the windows. He started kicking off his shoes, so it was solely his socks, the rest of the boys following him shortly after. Tsuburaba dropped his Quirk and they all leaned into the doorway to peer inside.

The back of Aizawa's head was visible as he rested it on the back of the couch. His blindfold was off, held lazily in his right hand as it was draped over the back of the couch. Kaibara led the pack. He slid his feet along the floor, lifting his feet just enough that he could drift his feet along the tile. He could feel himself sweating and a quick glance to his accomplices revealed the same beads of sweat forming on their foreheads as well. He quickly looked around the room next, double checking that they were in fact alone in the room, and not making fools of themselves.

His eyes landed on Nemuri, who was at her desk, eyes watering as she stifled any attempt at laughter. She shook her head, waving him ahead. She looked at her desk, her shoulders shaking. Kaibara froze regardless, gaping at her. Did her desk change places? Weren't they all in rows before?

He hadn't been in the staff room for a while, sure, but he hadn't expected them to break the desks up around the room as opposed to the single rows. Now that he thought of it, there hadn't been a small lounge area before, either, had there? Maybe he'd just missed it somehow in the last layout of the room. No one else seemed to be that distressed about the layout, though, but they'd probably not been inside before.

A nudge at his shoulder and he was jerked back to his senses. Rin nudged him again, gesturing he focus.

"What." Aizawa says suddenly.

Tsubaraba gasped, his voice catching in his throat, and stumbled, falling into a pile on the floor.

"SHIT!" Awase shouts. Nemuri burst into laughter, slapping her desk. "Shut it!"

"Awase, that's a teacher you're speaking to," Aizawa clips back.

Rin and Kaibara had both remained frozen. They exchanged a quick glance, determination lighting their eyes, and nodded. Kaibara flanked right, with Rin taking up the left, moving in wide arcs. Rin made a rotating motion with his hand at Tsubaraba and Awase.

"What are you doing here instead of in class?" Aizawa asks.

"Why is your blindfold off?" Awase snaps.

"Kid," Nemuri chuckled. She sighed, wiping a tear from her eye. Kaibara was at the end of the couch, paused at the edge of the carpet uncertainly. Rin just had to shuffle a little closer and he could reach out a hand.

"That's none of any of your concerns," Aizawa says. Rin froze, watching Aizawa as he pinched his brow. "All four of you need to go back to class."

"God damn, how did you know?" Awase mumbles, slipping his shoes back on. Aizawa started to hold up fingers.

"First, the lighting in the room changed. And while my eyes are closed, I can still register a change in the light. Second, I heard the Quirk activate so that was at least one of you, but it didn't make much sense that Tsuburaba would use his Quirk if he's just visiting, so that was suspicious. Third, I could feel you looking at me. Fourth, even though two of you revealed yourselves immediately, I still had an inkling of the other two. Your socks aren't as silent as you think they are."

"I call bull—"

"Kid, you're going to learn this later, but he's not joking," Nemuri says, tapping her pen. She ignored the stares they shot her way. "Anyway… that was a good laugh, so thanks for that! I'll be sure to tell Kan."

"Please don't," Rin silently pleaded. "We'll, just… leave."

"This is bullshit," Awase grumbled, stomping out the room. As they filtered out, Aizawa lifted his head, slipping on the blindfold.

"Conceal your presence as much as the noise of your movement," he calls after them. Nemuri waved them off as they shut the door behind them, giggling. "What was that?"

"You know that I heard about the lamp, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aizawa says quickly, sending Nemuri into another fit of laughter.

Midoriya sat sluggishly in his seat, sliding into place and only stopping because Iida's body blocked any further progression. Kaibara looked him over, grimacing. He'd thought, if he wanted to have anyone to team up with should the classes combine, it was Midoriya or Iida. Meeting them at lunch had been the best chance he'd get all day to propose that, and yet, Midoriya didn't look entirely all there.

"Midoriya, you look like you haven't slept," he says. "Why not take a quick nap at the end of lunch?"

"Oh," Midoriya fought back a yawn, leaning against Iida. "I was up all night, that's all. I'll be fine, we don't have training today."

Kaibara hummed. He'd seen this kind of exhausted look on a few of his more… studious classmates, when they'd pulled all-nighters several days in a row. "You're sure it was just last night?"

"Don't let him fool you," Uraraka says. "It was definitely two or three nights with almost nothing."

"I was working," Midoriya says. He blearily looked up at Kaibara. "Hey, Kaibara, if you used your Quirk on a person, could you vibrate someone's insides?"

Kaibara gaped at him. Uraraka stared at Midoriya a moment before she bowed her head. "I'm so sorry, Kaibara," she mumbled, turning to him with a pained smile. "He gets like this when he's had no sleep."

"Good to know… well, my team failed miserably," Kaibara admitted, rubbing his neck. "Your Sensei is a lot more perceptive than we all thought he'd be. Tsuburaba even used his Quirk at one point."

"Sounds about right," Uraraka says. "Who is trying next?"

Kaibara blinked at her. "You mean… your class isn't trying?"

"Oh, we were waiting until more of Class B gave it a shot. Since Sensei lives with us, we have more chances, and it just didn't seem all that fair," Midoriya admitted.

"And it's a good chance to learn from our peers," Iida added. "Though, if any of you want pointers, we can try and give you some."

"FUCK, NO, GLASSES, LET THEM DROWN!" Bakugou shouted from his table. Kaibara sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I don't know if half my class would accept anyway," he admitted sheepishly. "Well. I just wanted to offer joining up if we try and team up classes. I'll let you get back to lunch. Bye!"

Bakugou followed Kaibara down to his table with a withering glare. Uraraka sighed, pushing Midoriya's plate closer to him.

"Do you think they'll get to do it?" she asks.

"Maybe," Iida says. "If they take their time."

Kendo tapped her pen on her desk. She ripped the page from her notebook, crushing it and throwing it across the room to the trash bin. It bounced off the overflowing pile. Komori's newly crushed paper joined it soon after. Kendo sighed, draping herself over the desk.

"I can't figure out a plan…" she whined. "Based on what we've heard, I'm not sure we can sneak up on him the traditional way."

"Kaibara said he mentioned he could feel them watching him. But, I don't think going in blind is gonna work…" Yanagi says. "Should we try to use our Quirks to touch him?"

"That didn't work for the boys, but they didn't have our Quirks to utilize…" Tsunotori says, tapping her pen to her chin. "Hmm…"

"Thinking of it, you and I don't have Quirks that would work," Yanagi mumbled.

"Hm?"

"I can move objects, but that doesn't count as touching Aizawa-sensei. And your horns would only injure him. Of all of us, it's Tokage who would have the best opportunity," Yanagi explained, gesturing to her. "Just a finger would work, I imagine."

"Oh, well… I mean if I can see him, I can do it," Tokage says. She shifted in her seat, biting her pen.

They had hatched their plan within the hour, and then tried to implement it within two. It took Aizawa all of two minutes to dodge their strikes and find all of them. Yanagi and Komori had been caught immediately, trying to sneak up on him in the hallway and being called out with a bland "Do you need something?" that was capped off with Aizawa holding his cane like a bat. Tsunotori hadn't even attempted to touch him when he passed her later on. It wasn't an attempt to sneak up on him, she reasoned, and she'd be disqualified on that basis alone.

Tokage and Kendo were at the end of the hall, their last line of defense, before the Teacher's Lounge. They'd all agreed prior, during their scheming, that the Teacher's Lounge was best left off limits. Tokage looked to Kendo, who nodded and gave her a thumbs up. She breathed evenly to calm herself down before raising her hand. A finger popped off, floating down the hall.

Aizawa was still walking towards them, cane over his shoulder. He furrowed his brow as he walked. He couldn't place it, but something was off. His senses were sending off small alarm bells and he couldn't place exactly what it was, but it was in front of him. He side-stepped to the windows, something whizzing past his side, rustling his shirt with the displaced air.

"No!" Tokage whispered at the end of the hall. She flinched when Aizawa turned his head sharply towards her. Kendo jumped, ducking behind her.

"Tokage…" Aizawa began.

"…Yes, sir?"

"Am I going to need to report something to Kan?" Aizawa asks plainly. Tokage's finger slowly floated back to her, resetting on her hand. She shuffled her feet, looking down.

"No, sir."

"Mmm." Aizawa nodded down the hall towards the other girls. Tokage walked past him sluggishly.

"Sorry…"

"Mm. You, too," Aizawa says, gesturing in Kendo's direction.

She gaped at him. Aizawa waited, hoping that he wasn't pointing his cane in the general direction of a blank wall. But he was certain someone else was really there. He had no basis for that claim—not even an ounce—but it was gut instinct. And he didn't doubt his gut if he could help it. None of the girls at the end of the hall were making any confused commentary, or seemed to think he'd lost his mind.

"C'mon, move it," he ordered. He heard a sigh, thanked Kami he wasn't making a fool of himself, and hunkered down in the Teacher's Lounge.

It was the same day that Hagakure tried her shot.

She'd had been practicing stealth most of her life, both intentionally and unintentionally. With the obvious advantage her Quirk afforded her, she mostly just had to learn how to be quiet. Whether it was to snag a spare cookie from the cookie jar or to pass an exam, she had mostly figured out how to walk silently on any surface. Her feet had become more calloused than most people. So, the actual texture of the ground was hardly an issue. But the one type of flooring she'd always struggled with was tile.

Tile had no capacity to soften the noise of footsteps. Regardless of what shoes anyone wore, it felt like. When it came to socks, that seemed to be the only saving grace, but a pair of socks walking around was just too conspicuous. Anyone noticing that would say something—whether about her being otherwise nude in the hallway, or just to make an offhand remark—and then she'd be made.

So, she'd opted to just try on her own, stripped down completely, for her best chances. Aizawa had left class before break to get to the break room before the bell rang. Hagakure tapped onto Bakugou's desk the moment Aizawa was in the hallway and the race was off.

A quick glance between Bakugou and Kaminari, and then chaos started to brew. Hagakure took the impromptu "fight" to strip and slip out the door before Snipe could notice. She'd tracked Aizawa around two corners at this point, and it'd been slow. Excruciatingly so. She clenched her fist at each tap of her foot on the tile, quiet as it may be, when her skin came off the floor. She was confident it wasn't that loud—Aizawa turned suddenly, his cane coming up and stopping short of her nose.

"EEEE!"

"You would've had a better chance following me again if you were clothed, Hagakure."

"I-um…. I just wanted to make sure you got there alright…" Hagakure mumbled, shuffling her feet. She could feel the sweat beading on her brow.

"You kids…" Aizawa mumbled, turning away with a shake of his head.

Hagakure breathed a sigh of relief. She kicked the ground lightly and turned back, dragging her feet all the way back to the classroom. When she'd returned, she trudged to her desk, ignoring the absolute shitstorm that Bakugou was making in the back corner with Kirishima and Kaminari. She wasn't sure what had caused their faux fight to spiral into an actual wrestling match, but she wasn't going to worry about it. Their designated sub didn't seem to find it serious enough to use a Quirk to break them up—yet—so, she felt confident that she could just take up her space by her desk again, dressing quickly to avoid being caught, before she slumped into her chair.

"No luck, kero?" Asui asks under her breath. Hagakure shook her head. She paused and then leaned back with a sigh, whispering back.

"It's so unfair."

Ojiro peered over the edge of his textbook. He looked to Aoyama and Asui and nodded. Asui looked towards Aizawa, sitting on the couch as Hagakure and Ashido were trying, desperately, to convince him to be their make-up canvas.

"I'll use black eye shadow!" Ashido says. "It'll be really fast, and I swear-"

Aizawa suddenly turned away from Ashido and Hagakure towards Ojiro's group. "I can feel you staring at my back," he says. "Don't even try it."

Ojirou instantly deflated. He rounded to Yamada next. Yamada flinched away, shrinking behind the sink. Asui slowly withdrew her tongue, looking away sheepishly. Aoyama slowly started to backtrack to the stairs.

"Am I a joke to you?" Aizawa asks. "Hizashi."

"In my defense, you are by far still the most difficult to sneak up on," Yamada says. Aizawa's eyebrow twitched. Yamada ducked behind the counter with a small yelp, just in case Aizawa decided to practice his aim.

Aizawa turned to face frontward again. So far it had been a decent chunk of each class attempting… whatever they were attempting, and only the first attempt had gotten close. "…Fair point."

Yamada sighed in relief. He stood, slowly making his way to the front door. "Well! Good to know we're on the same page. I'll be off for a bit, I'll bebacksoonbyeeeee~!"

The door slammed shut and Midoriya turned to Aizawa. "Sensei…?" he pondered, gesturing to the front door.

Aizawa could only shake his head. It was sometimes too troublesome to try and suss out what Yamada was thinking, much less planning, and better to just wait and see what he had schemed. It made him great in a fight—he was somewhat unpredictable and that afforded him more than a few wins in his Pro Hero time. But, that same feature made it very hard to guess if he was being mischievous or endearing in his schemes.

"Best to just wait, "Aizawa says.

It wasn't long after that the front door creaked open again, and Yamada poked his head through. He held a finger to his lips when a few faces turned to him, but it would prove futile. Ashido jumped up excitedly once she saw the silver hair and a red eye peek around the door frame at Yamada's knees.

"Eri!" Ashido cheered.

Eri swiveled her head in Ashido's direction and scampered inside with a wide smile. "Mimi!"

Aizawa paused on his puzzle, looking back to where Yamada was shutting the front door, laughing nervously. He felt a small body wrap around his leg and squeeze it in a hug. Eri scrambled up, using the couch cushions as leverage, to hang over his propped up legs like a set of monkey bars.

"Hi!" Eri gave his leg another squeeze and looked up at him. She loosened her grip a little. She tilted her head. "Why are you wearing that?"

They hadn't told her?

He would have to address that later. He set his hand on her head. "…It's a long story," he says. He lifted her onto the couch proper to sit beside him, ruffling her hair a little under his palm.

"Do you need help?" Eri asks, reaching up for the blind fold. Aizawa gently grabbed her wrist, pushing her hand down.

"No, Eri, I'm fine. It'll be resolved soon," Aizawa says. There was a weight behind him on the back of the sofa.

"She's been asking about you," Yamada says.

"Eri, how are you?" Uraraka asks, kneeling in front of the couch. Eri smiled at her, kicking her feet in a slow rhythm.

"I'm okay. Mama Nem took me to a cat café!"

"What Nem?" Uraraka squeaked.

"What? I'm so jealous!" Ashido whined, throwing some extra theatrics into her arm flailing to get a giggle out of Eri. She dropped down next to Uraraka, cupping her head in her hands. "What kind of cats were there? Really fluffy ones, I bet."

Aizawa bent his head back on the couch as Eri started to eagerly describe every cat. Every. Cat.

Yamada leaned down a little more. Aizawa thought, for a moment, he was going to do what he always did back at the apartment, and brush a brief kiss on Aizawa's forehead, but he leaned just to the left to whisper to him, instead.

"How've you been?" he asks.

"How's she been?" Aizawa asks. Yamada sighed, shaking his head a little.

"Okay for the most part, but she was getting worried. Not knowing where you were," Yamada admitted. He shrugged. "We tried to keep her occupied as long as we could, but she wasn't taking it forever."

"Hence the café?" Aizawa asks, raising a brow. Yamada laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Y-yeah…"

"Sensei!" Ashido shouted, jumping up. "Can we borrow Eri for a girl's night?"

"Only until after dinner."

"Yay! Sensei?"

"Hm?"

"Can we go to a cat café?" Ashido asks, leaning down and smiling wide. Aizawa gave her a deadpan expression.

"If you can come up with how to pay for twenty plus people, sure," he says dryly. Ashido groaned, falling back to her knees.

"I can pay," Todoroki piped in from the dining room. Ashido shot back up, stars in her eyes.

"Toro, I would you owe big time!"

"…'Toro'?" Uraraka mumbled, a smile creeping on her lips. Ashido flinched, clearing her throat, and trying to turn away to hide her blush.

"You're taking a teacher," Aizawa cuts in.

"You," Eri demanded, grasping at his sleeve. "We're taking you."

"….You're taking a teacher who can currently see," Aizawa corrected. There was a brief pause. He could just feel Eri giving him her best puppy eyes. She gave a high-pitched whine, pulling his sleeve a little. "…fine, I can come, too."

"Yay!" Eri cheered, jumping up.

"Thank you, sensei!" Ashido grabbed Eri, twirling her around, starting off a chant. "Cat café! Cat café! Cat café!"

"You're a great dad, you know?" Yamada whispered.

"Blasphemy."

Aizawa had thought, blissfully, that he could make it the rest of the week with no weird behavior again, and he was annoyed to realize he was wrong. Nemuri and Yamada had enlisted the entirety of both Hero classes, it appeared, and Bakugou's little ragtag group had further enlisted Hatsume.

After all, no one had stated, apparently, that they couldn't find extra help outside of their immediate classmates, and he would damn whatever God gave them that realization.

It had been a disaster, to put it mildly.

Jirou had been tapping her pen incessantly on the table. The notebooks and scraps of paper laid out before them was a mess to rival Kaminari's room after a gaming weekend. Kaminari was sat with his head on the table, an ice pack on his neck.

"This is worse than studying…" he bemoaned.

"Focus," Jirou snapped. "I want my winnings."

Kirishima glanced over to Aizawa, who was currently being occupied by Midoriya and Iida. They were testing just how many objects Aizawa was able to identify through touch. He was certain it was for the upcoming project in their science course; and he was only a little disappointed he hadn't thought of that himself for his and Koda's project. The actual project was, according to the syllabus, two weeks out from being assigned, but he'd take whatever distraction anyone could give.

He turned back to the table, closing his notebook in defeat. He had one last hail mary to suggest before he just resolved to stepping down from the challenge.

"I've got an idea," he announced. "…but, you're not gonna like it."

"Kiri, I'll take anything at this point," Kaminari whined.

"It can't be worse than whatever plan Mido is probably coming up with," Sero sighed.

Well, Kirishima couldn't argue with that. Maybe.

"So, they never said we couldn't ask someone outside our classes for help," Kirishima began. A light of realization sparked in Jirou's eyes.

"Shin—!"

"No," Kirishima says firmly. Jirou deflated into her chair. "…Hatsume, however—"

"NO!" Sero whispered frantically. Jirou banged her knee on the table in her scramble to slap her hand over Kirishima's mouth.

"Buh smhe's smarth!" Kirishima said, trying to bend his way out of her reach. She climbed over the table to keep her palm in place.

"She's crazy!" Kaminari says, throwing his ice pack down. "Hot, but crazy."

Kirishima sighed, shoving Jirou's hand off. "She's probably got any number of gadgets that could help us, that's all I'm thinking. We can at least ask."

"…She would probably say yes…" Sero muttered. He stood, crossing his arms. "I'll ask her. I've got her number."

"…Why do you have her number?" Jirou asks. Sero's face flushed slightly, and he turned away. "Sero."

"S-she's really fun to talk to," he says.

"Pretty sure she doesn't date, bro," Kaminari says. "I think she'd marry the workshop if she could."

"She even passed up Todoroki and Bakugou," Kirishima says with a laugh. And Ashido and Uraraka, now that he thought of it, but she always seemed ready to drag Midoriya into any random testing of hers. Maybe 'cute and kind and book smart' were her kind of boy.

Sero ignored them all, shooting off the text.

Staples: Hey, Hatsy, do you got a second?

InspectorGagette: What's up?

Staples: We're in a competition with Class B and need to sneak up and touch Aizawa without him noticing. Getting a touch in after he's noticed doesn't count. Has to be entirely stealth. Got ideas?

InspectorGagette: Isn't he blind rn?

Staples: You know that means very little

InspectorGagette: TRUE! I've got some ideas~

Sero almost gulped. Somehow, that single text was more spine tingling than the ruckus going on in the common room behind him.

Staples: NOTHING FATAL

InspectorGagette: NEVER!

InspectorGagette: Usually.

InspectorGagette: I've gotten better

Staples: Yes, very convincing

InspectorGagette: Meet me at the workshop tomorrow before classes

Sero set his phone on the table with a nod. Kirishima shot him a thumbs up and a wide smile. It did nothing to successfully qualm Sero's nerves. But, all they needed to do was have one of them get a touch on Aizawa. He'd already watched several of Class B walk into the cafeteria the following days dejected. Kirishima had been getting the play by play from Tetsutetsu, and vice versa, after each attempt.

So far, it'd only confirmed for him that Class B had underestimated how much chronic paranoia built up from years of Underground Hero work and the threat of being jumped in the dark affected one's sense of their own space. Aizawa easily dodging attempts or sensing someone's presence wasn't a shock to any of them. He wished he could see the security footage of their attempts, though. That would have been worth the entire challenge alone.

Hatsume had greeted them the following morning, before classes could begin, with a half-asleep Kaminari hanging off Kirishima's shoulders. She had multiple gadgets laid out on a table when they entered.

"Do you ever sleep?" Kaminari mumbled.

"Only when I have to!" Hatsume says proudly. She started to gesture to the gadgets on the table. "May I present my children! First, we have a grappling hook that can shoot at 300 meters per second! Ultimate speed for a quick escape, and doubles as a weapon!"

"W-wait…"

"My Electro-adhesion gloves for climbing sheer surfaces like glass!"

"We don't need those—"

"The electrocuting ring! Name pending, but you can give a mild shock to a target just by touching the ring to their skin!"

"WHY DID YOU MAKE THAT?!"

"Hatsume, stop—"

"And finally!" She twirled, picking up a pair of shoes and shoving them towards the group like a trophy. "MY ROCKET BOOTS!"

Sero stared at her. "Hatsume, we don't need—"

"Wait," Jirou raised her hand, staring at the shoes with awe. "Those could work."

"WHAT."

"Hey, Kiri," Jirou turned to him, a spark in her eyes. Kirishima started to sweat.

"Mhm?" he squeaked out.

"Put on the shoes. Let's see how fast you go in them," Jirou ordered, snatching them out of Hatsume's hands. "We just need to touch him. A brush of our fingers on his arm would be enough! Kiri, put them on!"

"Wh—why do I have to do this?" Kirishima asks, reluctantly untying the knots. Hatsume was giggling beside him, jumping up and down eagerly.

"No way in hell would Kaminari and I have the balance for this, and Sero can't shoot off his tape fast enough to slow down. You can use your Quirk if you hit anything, and you'll be fine!"

Kirishima groaned; but relented to trying them on. The shoes had been too large, necessitating they tie them tight, if only to keep Kirishima from slipping out once they were ignited. Hatsume shoved a small remove in his palm with only two buttons, labeled 'START' and 'STOP'.

"There's no speed control?" Kirishima asks, a little hopeful it was hidden in some sort of double-press function. Hatsume's unwavering smile as she shook her head was the worst blow to his spirit he'd ever received.

"Test one, go!" Hatsume shouted, pressing the button.

Kirishima flinched and hardened instantly. The shoes took a moment to boot up, but then he was rocketing across the room in an instant, a lot like the hovering boots she'd used earlier that year. He could only compare the speed to how it felt being carried by Bakugou, when he was using his Quirk to blast forward as fast as possible. He enjoyed the feeling of wind in his hair and air buffeting his skin for only a second before he hit the wall. It was a padded wall—presumably because Hatsume just didn't have the patience to get outside first before testing things like these shoes—but he still heard a definitive breakage of the wall behind it.

He hung there off the wall for a moment. The rocket shoes were still active, slowly pushing him up the wall. He numbly pressed the 'STOP' button. The shoes sputtered out and he fell back onto the floor, staring skyward. Hatsume appeared over him, notebook in hand, scribbling wildly.

Maybe she is related to Deku… Kirishima thought idly.

"Much faster than I anticipated," Hatsume muttered, nodding. "Test two!"

Tokoyami had a plan. He could use Dark Shadow's range to get Aizawa with little fanfare. He had learned in their tenure at UA when it came to controlling Dark Shadow for long range feats. He just had to find a good spot to try it. He had considered the halls of the dorm, but he couldn't come across Aizawa naturally, meaning he'd had to sneak up on him or follow him. And given the track record Hagakure was sporting with that alone, he doubted he'd be able to do it.

Good kami, Aizawa had to have his attention split by more than five people at once and already losing stamina if anyone wanted a chance at it, it seemed. No wonder he held up so well for so long against the Leage of Villain as the USJ. If he hadn't risked his elbow with Shigaraki's touch—though, without knowing an opponent's Quirk, risks were necessary and injury was something you had to expect—Tokoyami had no doubts Aizawa would've lasted much longer.

So in hindsight, while the challenge Present Mic and Midnight had presented them had seemed simple enough, Tokoyami wasn't blind to the fact that it was too simple at face value. No one else seemed to be considering how much experience Aizawa really had when it came to being ambushed. He had more paranoia on that than most daytime Heroes, Tokoyami would bet. In fact, he seriously considered betting Ashido on that, if he'd had any way to reliably measure that.

So, he saved that as a plan B if it appeared his Plan A didn't seem viable. Plan A broke down to "look for an opening and take it". He had to wait until Aizawa didn't seem too paranoid, or aware of his surroundings. He seemed to be more aware when he was alone, like when he was in the halls or walking through a room with no one (presumably) in the area.

With that logic, the cafeteria seemed like the perfect place. Tokoyami had waited until Aizawa had been about to stand, praying that his decision to leave would be just enough distraction for him to make a move. Aizawa had just pushed off the table when Dark Shadow started to move away from Tokoyami. Dark Shadow took a hard right suddenly, and almost dragged Tokoyami out of his seat, before he got close to Aizawa.

Tokoyami turned in time to see an apple flying through the air, and Dark Shadow racing to catch it in his beak. He caught it, munching on it happily, and Aizawa got up, holding another apple. He was smirking.

"It was a nice idea, Tokoyami," Aizawa said as he walked away.

Tokoyami sank back into his chair. Midoriya patted his back reassuringly.

"You got a shot at it before Kiri's group, at least?" he whispered with a shrug. Tokoyami could only groan. He looked up at the group in question.

Sero watched as Aizawa left the table, on his way to the teacher's lounge before the halls filled with traffic. They had no disillusionment that Aizawa wouldn't be on edge, just a little regardless of Tokoyami's attempt, since Class B's last hallway attempt. It didn't matter if he had chalked it up to just shenanigans amongst the teens or if they actually had ulterior motives. The man's senses were on red alert. All the more reason to use the rocket shoes, they figured.

Once Aizawa had gotten to the cafeteria doors, the group dashed after him. Kirishima was hopping on his feet, lacing the shoes as they ran. Sero eventually resorted to taping him over his chest and back in an 'X', and hefting him over his shoulder.

"Wow, Sero, you've been building muscle!" Kirishima praised.

"Thanks, man!" Sero laughed. They hit the door, Kirishima had finished his shoes, and Jirou spotted Aizawa down the hall, tapping Sero's arm and pointing to the man.

Sero set Kirishima down and they set him up to be at the slightest angle, so that he could just graze past Aizawa, and hopefully not send the man tumbling. If they did, they would simply have to beg for their lives and pray. Kirishima activated the boots and he was off. He zoomed down the hall at a much faster rate than they had anticipated.

It was halfway to Aizawa that the idea to activate his Quirk had even crossed Krisihima's mind. He'd been too eager, too impatient, to think of that before liftoff. He was lighter, in his un-Quirked form. And therefore, faster. This revelation only gave him enough reaction time to hold his arm out and harden his body.

He set to pass Aizawa, and the man ducked.

The world passed by slowly. Kirishima could clearly see Aizawa taking a knee as he passed him, his hand passed harmlessly over Aizawa's head, and then he hit the wall.

The noise of the collision was almost overwhelming. The shoes crumbled under the momentum of the impact. As did the wall. Kirishima's body crashed right through the dry wall, into the awaiting classroom. He laid there on the floor, more in shock than pain. He'd taken blasts from Bakugou head on, ironically, a wall and a pair of rocket boots was small potatoes compared to that.

Aizawa, meanwhile, was frozen in his position. He had ducked off gut instinct alone, almost choosing not to bother. But, just before he had moved, he had heard something lift off behind him. He hadn't heard things "lifting off" much in his time before this year. Hatsume's experiments were held all over campus, wherever was the fastest, and most convenient, location. And often that was outside, on his side of the building, so his ears had become accustomed to hearing the noise. Hatsume would try testing something she'd modified with rockets—the girl was really into rockets for some reason—and she'd get a handful of test runs in before getting dragged back to the lab room.

Hearing that in a hallway, and he did the only logical thing he could think of and ducked. The thought of said thing crashing and destroying school property hadn't really crossed his mind.

"Kiri?!" Jirou shouted.

"I'm good!" Kirishima shouted back, holding a thumbs up in the air.

Aizawa stood. He turned to the small group at the end of the hall. Sero coughed, shimmying to the side.

"…We can explain."

"Explain to Nedzu."

Given that the students definitely didn't have the funds, Nedzu had agreed to cover the cost of repair, on the condition that the responsible parties aided in the reconstruction effort. Aizawa had countered with a condition of his own: they don't touch anything that would affect the actual structural integrity of the repairs. Nedzu had nodded, taking a sip of his tea.

He sighed wistfully. "With Hatsume in the mix, I think that is likely the best decision."

"It's not a guarantee," Aizawa admitted flatly. "It's just my best attempt."

"Why not detention?" Nedzu asks.

He only mildly enjoyed the flinches of the students sat either side of Aizawa. Aizawa had taken up stance right at the center of Nedzu's desk. It was unnerving even to Nedzu that Aizawa had mapped out his office well enough to know where to stand to even achieve that. he was beginning to understand why minor criminals Aizawa caught and interrogated would confess so fast—if he exuded that same unnerving energy on patrol.

"Look at me and say that has ever worked on Hatsume's… enthusiasm before," Aizawa says. Nedzu opted to ignore the joke in that statement, in favor of not risking Aizawa damaging his desk with the titanium alloy cane he was casually tapping against his shoulder.

"Fair point."

Fukidashi had seen Sero's group dejectedly leave Nedzu's office as he was running a delivery for Kan. Sero had exchanged eye contact, and merely shook his head, all will to fight having already long left his body. It was an incredibly sobering experience to have, especially as Aizawa stepped out after them.

Relaying this to Shishida, and getting a quick report from Kirishima via Tetsutetsu, they knew they had to formulate a strong plan. Bondo hummed, scratching his cheek.

"Perhaps we should just concede… I don't want to know what their teacher would do if I encased him… I might actually get expelled."

"He'd probably steal a few bones…" Tokage muttered from their couch, still stuck facedown into the cushions ever since their last failed attempt.

"I think that's a bit much…" Bondo says

"Conceding wouldn't be the worst option," Shishida says. After witnessing Aizawa's reaction time—and (apparently) immediate conclusion that violence was the best reaction to being caught off guard—he didn't believe they really had a chance this late into the game. He turned to where Kuroiro and Kamakiri were sat at the common room table. "Hey, Togaru, Shishai. Are you two still a team?"

"We were," Kuroiro says.

"It just doesn't seem worth it," Kamakiri sighed. "I believe Class A is still very much trying, though."

"Shoda and I opted to give up as well," Kodai says. "We both would rather study than risk bodily harm trying to win."

"I'm not giving up until I win," Monoma snapped. He turned to Tetsutetsu. "And neither are you."

"Of course! I want to put another mark on my end of the winner board against Eiji, anyway," Tetsutetsu laughed. "But we only get the one shot, don't we?"

"…'Eiji'?" Tokage muttered, turning to look at them. Tetsutetsu didn't seem to hear her (or did an expert job of pretending he hadn't) and instead checked his phone.

"Oh! Speaking of which, according to Kirishima their group is stuck doing repair duty on the wall he busted. Man, I wish I could've seen that!"

"Is that what happened to that wall?!" Kendo asks, dropping her book to the carpet. She'd been manning a study group for the past two hours and had only now shown she was simultaneously queued into their conversation.

"A poor attempt. Hatsume made the boots. It was doomed from the start," Kodai muttered. "Exactly why I quit…"

"She can make some pretty amazing gear," Kendo says. "She made some stuff for us."

"Not what I meant."

"Still, they were apparently in the testing stage," Komori says. Some of the group turned to her curiously. "I… I heard it from Jirou."

"Why do you two have Class A contacts?!" Monoma asks.

"Because they're fun?" Tetsutetsu offered.

"They're classmates," Kodai says flatly. "It's handy."

"We should concede," Shishida says. "We can't win. We don't know enough about Aizawa's mannerisms or how he fights, or dodges, for that matter."

"You think it's a futile adventure?" Kendo asks.

"A very big possibility, yes. I highly suspect that Kayama-sensei and Yamada-sensei do not expect any of us to win. This is an exercise more than anything."

Kaibara sighed heavily. "Figures…"

"I'm still trying," Monoma snapped.

"Yeah, let us know how that works out," Kodai mutters.

Nemuri was giddy. It was Friday night, she'd been able to entertain herself with Class A and B failing spectacularly all week to get one up on Aizawa (Nedzu had all the in-school attempts on footage, and she was making a compilation), and now it was her turn to co-opt dorm duties with Aizawa. She doubted she'd be able to share a bedroom again given the last time, but she was still going to try. Determined and stubborn as she was.

But, that was all for later. For now, she was entering the dorm with a full make up bag in hand. She'd entered just after dinner. A few of the class were still washing dishes when she kicked off her shoes at the door.

"Girls~!" Nemuri called out to the dorm at large. "IT'S GIRLS' NIGHT!"

"GIRL'S NIGHT!" an uproarious chorus responded.

Nemuri could hear feet bounding down the stairs and she was greeted by the few girls who hadn't been in the common room already. She deposited the make-up kit in the common room, amidst the coffee table and furniture. Aizawa paused in his 3D puzzle—it was a tree this time, and rather intricate at that—and looked up at her. His mask was covered in cats, yarn, and paw prints. Nemuri made a mental note to snatch it for herself once he had no use for it.

"Wanna join us?" she asks.

"I don't think I'd do any better with nails or make up," Aizawa says. Nemuri chuckled, patting his knees until he took his feet off the table.

"We can still do yours," Nemuri pointed out. Aizawa considered it a moment as the girls started setting up. Ashido in particular was proudly announcing the glitter polish she'd dug out of her make up collection.

"Maybe."

"I'll take it!" Nemuri cheered. "But first… Todoroki!"

"Hm? Yes?" Todoroki joined them in the common room, abandoning his study session with Midoriya and Iida.

"I heard from a little void bird that you had a fun little board I should look at," Nemuri says, rubbing her palms together. Todoroki didn't even respond, dashing up the stairs. "Wow, he's eager."

"He still has that?" Aizawa asks flatly.

"It's his hobby, kero."

"Don't make him get rid of it, sensei, please!" Ashido begged.

"He really loves it," Jirou says. "Even if they're all wrong and half are crazy conspiracies."

"…Fine."

"You're the best!"

"Thank you, sensei!"

"Aaww," Nemuri leaned on his shoulder, resting her head on his. "You're such a softie."

"Shut it," Aizawa mumbled.

Todoroki returned in short order, with Dark Shadow helping him move the board swiftly down the stairs, and Tokoyami tailing them. He set it up beside the couch and Nemuri looked it over. Her eyes zeroed in on the "Staff that are Cryptids" section, with scattered options crossed out. One of the ones that was still viable, apparently, had her giggling.

"'Kan-sensei is a vampire'? Well, I can see that," she says. "He isn't. Shame."

Todoroki silently reached out to grab the marker pinned to the board and crossed the theory out. Nemuri caught sight of another and snorted, whacking the couch. Aizawa looked up at her with a raised brow. She started wheezing, pointing at the theory for Todoroki to see.

'Aizawa-sensei is Mothman'

She started to tear up, gasping for air. Todoroki looked at her expectantly and she could only shake her head. He crossed it out, dejected. After Nemuri was finished debunking every other theory, save, of course, hers (she could never just outrightly deny something as hilarious as 'Kayama-sensei is a succubus', could she?) and any pertaining to Nedzu for entertainment potential alone. Once she had caught her breath, and left Todoroki to his board, she sat down at the couch, getting comfortable.

The girls had already started a circle of nails and braids. Aoyama had joined in not long after he'd come downstairs for some water and heard the words 'glitter polish'. He'd drifted over as if summoned and sat down right between Asui and Jirou to get his nails done. Uraraka pulled Todoroki into the group not long after, with the promise of "matching his nails and his hair". That matching had turned into Yaoyorozu artistically sectioning each nail into white and red in various patterns. Meticulous and focused.

"Can we join?" Kaminari asked after only fifteen minutes, pulling Kirishima behind him by his hand.

Nemuri zeroed in on the pair's hands and only smiled wider. She'd been picking up small things the past fifteen—turned thirty now—minutes. Asui and Uraraka practically sharing a seat, Kaminari and Kirishima's hand holding, Todoroki blushing when Jirou whispered something to him, Aoyama flirting shamelessly with everyone and seemingly without care if either teacher could understand him, Jirou and Yaoyorozu trying to plan a date as vaguely as possible, and Uraraka joining in idle chatter with Kaminari about where she's taking Iida with her weekend slip.

Nemuri turned to Aizawa. "Hey, Shou, wanna join? I can style your hair," she offered. Aizawa slowed on his progress with the tree. Nemuri shimmied closer to him, excited and nervous, almost cheering when he set the puzzle down. "Yee! Yes, score! Ashido, give me hair pins!"

"No," Aizawa says quickly. "I'm styling yours first. C'mere."

"Ooooo~," Nemuri slid down on the floor, slipping between Aizawa's knees so she leaned on the couch. She winked at the odd stares that were shot their way. Ashido still passed her a small container full of pins and hair ties.

"Sensei, you know how to style hair?" Ashido asks. "…blind?"

"In the dark," Aizawa clarified.

"On days when he was too tired to bother with opening his eyes," Nemuri teased. He flicked her head. "Ah. Hey, it's true."

"I never knew that, sensei! You always wear it down and shaggy," Jirou comments. She inspected her nails and turned back to Aoyama. "More purple fade."

Aizawa had already gotten to work on Nemuri's hair, feeling it out and sectioning it as evenly as he could. It was largely muscle memory, even if her hair had gotten a little longer than the last time he'd done this. He couldn't do certain styles, both because he couldn't see what he was doing, and because they would be a bit complicated even if they suited her current length. So, a braid it is.

But, he could make it fanciful.

It was a semi-complicated braid that started at the crown of Nemuri's head and would go as far as her hair would allow. He had to focus, ignoring the conversation largely as he tried to complete the fishtail braid by memory. He loosened her hair with his fingers, bringing out volume to the braid. He reached into the container and felt what could be a flower on a hair clip. He set it in the center of the braid, burying the clip and leaving the flower as the only ornate piece visible. Or, he hoped it was the only part visible. He fished around for any others, but found none. Instead, he found hair pins with little jewels or simple orbs on the ends. He couldn't be sure. He could only hope they weren't colors that clashed too harshly.

Once he had finished, he tapped Nemuri's shoulder. She felt it out, smiling wide.

"Oh, good work as always, Shou!"

"Wow! Sensei that looks great!"

"Cool!"

"Me next, me next!"

Aizawa couldn't help the smile on his face as Nemuri swapped places. He ran his fingers through their hair, noting the length. It was either Yaoyorozu or Asui.

"Want the same thing?" he asks.

"Yes, sir!" Kirishima says. Aizawa paused, holding back a snort. Of course, Kirishima would sneak his way in front of everyone else.

"Alright, then."

"YES!"

"I'm next, kero!"

"Me, too!" Yaoyorozu says.

"Ah, I committed to Kayama-sensei, so maybe next time," Ashido says with a chuckle.

Aizawa only nodded. It was nice, he would admit, to relax a little with his students like this. Kirishima's hair wasn't nearly as long as Nemuri's but that was the beauty of a fishtail braid. He could start at the crown of the head and work his way down, almost regardless of length. It only needed to be long enough to braid at the back of the head. Each of them wanted the "messy", loose look. Ashido had fished out more decorative pins and clips for him to decorate the hair with. He was working purely off muscle memory.

Hagakure had joined at one point, sitting down and giggling the entire time he worked at it. Her hair was longer than he'd expected, and once he was done, there was a floating decoration of hairpins and clips, like an art installation.

"I'd do the rose braid if I could see," Aizawa says once he's done with Hagakure, almost wishful. He was trying to feel out any other loose ends to tuck or finalize here and there. Once he was satisfied, he patted her shoulder to release her.

"The rose?" Jirou asks. Nemuri beamed, struggling not to vibrate Next to Aizawa. She was patting his back, urging him to take a seat in front of the couch for his round.

"He does this really complicated braid that looks like a rose when you're looking straight at it!" she says gleefully. He finally slid down and she took his place. "I have enough hair for him to do it and still have it be a half-up kind of style, even if it's a little short."

"CAN WE SEE IT WHEN YOU CAN MAKE IT?!" Ashido almost screams, slamming her hands on the table. "Please, sensei, pleeeeeease?!"

"Don't scream at a higher pitch than Yamada can produce ever again, and yes, I will," Aizawa says.

Uraraka snorted into her drink, coughing herself into a fit until Asui had to help her through it by patting her back. She set her cup down, tears in her eyes by the end of it. Nemuri smiled deviously, running her fingers through Aizawa's hair. She eventually lost the battle and grabbed a brush, going gentle but systematic.

"Can I do any style?" Nemuri asks.

It sounded innocent enough. Aizawa sighed a little before he nodded. Nemuri squealed. She giggled eagerly, drumming her fingers together and looking over his hair like she was assessing a canvas.

"No fair," Ashido mumbled. "Kayama-sensei, I'm not sure if you're going to be able to do much with his rat nest. No offense, sensei."

"Hn."

"Oh, girls~ you don't know the half of what this hair can do. Shou might not look like he takes the best care of it—" Aizawa lightly swatted her knee. "—but this hair is softer than silk when you run your fingers through it."

"You've run your fingers through it, then?" Ashido asks slyly. Nemuri shot her a knowing smirk.

"I can work with it like magic," she says proudly. "It's just normally after I have to beat him in wrestling and get him pinned long enough that he gives up so I can actually brush it."

"What."

"Usually Zashi helps with that," Nemuri tacked on, ignoring the chorus of confusion around her.

"What?"

"And usually, it's when he's just woken up so it's easier to coerce him into agreeing," Nemuri says, done enough with brushing that she was really just biding time to think of what she wanted to do. Aizawa smacked her harshly on the shin, the nice calmness from her brushing his hair fading now that the brush had been discarded.

"You're on thin ice," he spat.

"Shush, your hair is at my mercy," Nemuri chastised, lightly whacking his shoulder. She hummed, taking some hefty locks into her hands. "Watch and learn, kids."

Nemuri motioned for a small amount of the hair clips, systematically sectioning out his hair. Once she had finished, she tilted side to side to inspect it. Once satisfied, she started the first braid. It was small. As were the other three, two on each side of his head. She pulled them loose, pulling them up in a half do, tying off the ends in one combined ponytail.

Once she had finished, she took a picture, sending it to the Teacher's Chat. "There! Like a proper God," she declared, running her fingers through his hair again. Aizawa snorted, smacking her knee lightly.

Overall, it was the most successful co-op night that the dorm had had so far. Nemuri helped the girls (and Aoyama) experiment with their makeup, their nails, and their hair. She'd been able to enjoy the Teacher's Chat have a small meltdown at the hair style she'd blessed Aizawa with, including Yamada declaring he was next and would fight Snipe to the death for the honor.

Since she'd stopped in after dinner, there wasn't much that she had to help with after "girl's night" had officially concluded. After Bakugou had been dragged over to get his nails done by Ashido, and she had snuck pink polish in place of the black, it was just a downward spiral from there that resulted in Nemuri using her Quirk to get the dorm under control.

She wasn't sure how "successful" that made the other nights Aizawa had for co-op, but she shuddered at the thought. She didn't push her luck with trying to sneak into Aizawa's apartment this time. Coming down from the girls' side seemed to sour Ashido's morning the next day. Nemuri was shocked she'd actually managed to get herself up early enough to beat her down to the kitchen.

She kept her hair in the braid overnight, touching it up with a hair pin that morning to push stray strands back into place. She was gleeful when she saw Aizawa had kept his hair the same as well. She had quickly dashed back up the stairs and returned with the hair pin to fix his hair up as he waited on his coffee. She sat on the counter, happily humming to herself as she worked on his hair.

"This is so fucking domestic," Bakugou whispered to Jirou, sipping his coffee in the common room. Ashido had flopped over his lap, still heavily debating if she wanted to go all the way back up the stairs to return to bed.

"It's cute," Jirou whispered back.

"They look married, kero."

"They look in love," Ashido muttered with a grin. Jirou sighed, pulling out her phone. She started to rearrange the bets she'd placed in the betting pool.

"You make a good point…" she muttered.

Monomoa thought it had been a flawless plan. He would use Tetsutetsu's Quirk to protect himself in case Aizawa's reflexes kicked in, and then Honenuki would use his Quirk to keep Aizawa in place. There wasn't much Aizawa would be able to do if his feet were trapped from the ankle up, right?

Foolish dreams. His head was full of foolish dreams.

Aizawa apparently had no self-preservation if a situation called for it. And how highly subjective that idea was, Monoma was learning. When they tried to implement their plan. They'd caught up to him on his way to the dorms. He'd left the building earlier than everyone else, to get ahead on the wave of students, most likely. Of course, with a sub in place at Class A's room complete stealth on this attempt would have been unavoidable for one reason they didn't think was coming.

Well, in their defense, they couldn't see it coming, because it was Hagakure. She was in her uniform, sure, but they'd still somehow missed her. It was a horribly imbalanced advantage on her part that she was this good at keeping out of someone's eyeline even when dressed head to toe.

Monoma had initially thought they'd trap him at the ankles, which had worked. And he would use Tetsutetsu's Quirk while they both rushed him to get just a tap at his shoulders or back. It was a simple plan. It was easy.

It was a fucking disaster.

He would not be able to live this down with Tetsutetsu, especially since he was going to tell Kirishima no matter how many times Monoma begged or threatened him not to. But, he could at least savor participation points. Even if that participation lasted all of 10 seconds. It was almost as fast of a failure as Kirishima's attempt.

Honenuki had smoothed the concrete and Aizawa stumbled, his feet sinking ankle deep. Step one, off without a hitch. Step two, rush the target. That sounded easy enough, until they actually attempted it. Monoma had copied Tetsutetsu's power and kicked off, rushing Aizawa on either side with Tetsutetsu. They were within arms' reach before Monoma realized Aizawa had paused after regaining his balance. He was inches from tapping his back.

Not that it mattered, Aizawa had already caught onto them, and they'd failed. Aizawa had bent forward, one arm swinging out to his left, and his cane to his right. Tetsutetsu's gut hit the cane. Monoma's hit the arm. The air was knocked cleanly from their lungs, leaving them gasping on the ground. Aizawa unleashed his Capture Weapon and Monoma thought for a horrible moment that he was going to throw them, but instead, he spun around and the scarf shot out towards Honenuki.

For Honenuki's credit, he did try to dodge the attack. Of course that was pointless, because this scarf was longer than was physically or scientifically possible, and once it had a target in its metaphorical sights it was going to get them one way or another. He wasn't even entirely sure that the scarf couldn't hairpin turn midair.

Monoma sighed, turning onto his back and staring skyward as Aizawa reeled Honenuki in like a fish on a line. Once he was at his feet, Aizawa glowered down at him.

"…H-hello, sensei.." Honenuki mumbled.

"Undo the Quirk effect in three seconds or I trap you for a lecture for three hours," Aizawa threatened.

It was fastest either boy had seen Honenuki undo his Quirk's effect. Aizawa stepped out of the range of effect, set his cane at his shoulders, and unraveled Honenuki in one solid sequence of motion.

"I'll let Kan deal with the aftermath of this," Aizawa called after them as he strolled off. Monoma groaned. There was a giggle to the right of them, in the grass, and he turned to finally see the floating uniform.

"I didn't even have to warn him," Hagakure says. She lowered her phone. He could feel the shit-eating grin she must've been wearing. "No wonder I flopped," she mumbled, skipping after Aizawa.

"…He caught the invisible girl…" Honenuki grumbled. "And we thought we had a chance."

"Shut up," Monoma sighed.

Ashido thought she'd taken a good amount of notes for her team's attempt. She'd heard about everyone else's attempts at this, referenced them, and while she wasn't the best at note taking, she thought she did decent, at least. With Todoroki as her teammate, she had thought that she had even better chances with his ice's range. With Yaoyorozu on her team, she thought they had it locked and loaded.

They had planned to team up with Satou and Kouda, perhaps Shouji, so that they could maximize their chances. Yaoyorozu had figured that Aizawa wouldn't be able to make all of them at once, and under the circumstances of a normal day, perhaps that would have been the case. But this was an Aizawa who was paranoid after so many students were acting suspiciously around him.

Aizawa had started to jokingly consider the kids were trying to prank him. Or, perhaps they were getting bored, or had made a bet with each other. But that thought had been logically thrown out the window almost as fast as it had cropped up. He'd tossed it aside like any other intrusive thought, with years' worth of practice.

He wouldn't put it past Nedzu to be saving each recording of the incidents on school grounds, though. If for nothing else but the occasional chuckle. He knew that he still had the recording of Yamada and Nemuri trying to reenact a scene from Footloose (the original, as difficult as it was to find) in the hallway after a fresh coat of wax. Both had taken a solid face plant each. He couldn't blame him, though, he still chuckled at the video, too.

They thought they could try tackling him in the common room. Their time had been off, just slightly. Aizawa had first side stepped the sheet of ice Todoroki tried to entrap him in. His cane came up and slammed down to crack the sheet apart, splintering what little of it had managed to stick to his shoe. That gave away Todoroki's position when he cut off a surprised, and dare anyone say offended, noise. That led to Shouji mistiming his lunge, putting him precious seconds behind Yaoyorozu and Ashido. Aizawa hadn't even made a move on them.

He just ducked and slid to the counter, letting two of them smash into one another. Ashido had the advantage of using her acid shoes to slide under them when they collided. She couldn't stop in time before she was to slam into the counter, though, only stopping when Aizawa shot his arm out and caught her around her middle. He stood, lifting her up with him, and set the cane at his shoulder. The mess of limbs that made up the group on the ground was something that Ashido was silently grateful she'd missed. They were all going to be bruised the next few days, and Aizawa wasn't likely going to approve any leniency in training.

Aizawa glanced down at Ashido, tilting her so she could balance on her feet before letting her go. He ruffled her hair.

"You all almost got me," he says. Ashido stood straight, starry-eyed.

"Really?!" she asks. She spotted Satou behind Aizawa, about to make a grab.

"Almost," Aizawa stressed, and paused.

Ashido watched in a mix of awe and horror as Aizawa grabbed Satou's arm from over his right shoulder, twisting, and suplexing Satou into the floor. Ashido stood frozen, sweating, as Aizawa patted Satou on the shoulder.

"Uh… a…." Ashido stepped away as he passed her.

She watched as he retrieved his cane, tapped to find where Yaoyorozu and Shoji were still a pile on the floor, and took a seat on the couch. She glanced over to Todoroki, who was sat on the floor now, looking absolutely depressed at having failed the plan. She looked back at Aizawa, mouth agape, and had to slide down the side of the counter to rethink her life.

That level of spacial awareness was a newfound goal of hers. Bakugou and Midoriya were close to it, and so were Yaoyorozu and Todoroki, based on what she'd seen in class. They were still probably going to have to train for a handful of years to get close to Aizawa's level, but she envied how hard they already were to sneak up on. If they weren't already distracted, that is. She had to question how much paranoia and caffeine it took to be that aware of your surroundings. Granted, they weren't exactly quiet when they were rushing him. That wasn't easy on a wooden floor that loved to creak at the slightest, unfocused shift in weight.

"Todoroki, clear the ice," Aizawa ordered.

"…Yessir…"

God, he sounded so depressed. She looked over to see Kouda in the doorway of the staircase. He just made eye contact with her and shook his head, retreating back upstairs. She couldn't blame him. She probably would have quit, too, if she'd seen that display.

There weren't many people left, after the last few days, to try and get a touch on Aizawa. Class B had officially run out of chances or quit, leaving only a few from Class A left to attempt before they went to Midnight or Present Mic with the results.

Bakugou and Midoriya were sat with Uraraka before class began. Aizawa was, presumably, in the teacher's lounge. They'd been banned from getting help from Hatsume again, courtesy of Present Mic. Frankly, if they all hadn't been punished by fixing the hallway, Bakugou would have punched them all in the throat when they got back that night.

At present, the trio had a map of the school laid out in front of them. Lunch had started a while ago, and while they'd packed something today and just stayed in the classroom to eat, they still had to decide on a game plan. They'd marked out the new hall Aizawa was using to get to the teacher's lounge from the cafeteria, or the most likely route he would be taking. They couldn't very well try and do this during class, nor inside the cafeteria, or in the hall when it was full of students. Really, Aizawa had forced the great many of them to attempt it between class and lunch, if for other reason than it was the best time to attempt to snag him with no collateral damage.

They were ignoring Kirishima's stunt in this regard.

Uraraka was there more for moral support. She was adamant in trying to get a touch in on her own. Midoriya had suggested they work together first. Bakugou was initially planning to just go out on his own, but it was becoming increasingly clear that working on his own might not work out as much as he'd wish it would.

"If I use my Quirk to throw you, and you use controlled blasts to propel yourself, you'd get more speed than Kirishima or Iida would manage," Midoriya says, drawing a line down the map. "We'd have to do it when he's still only at best halfway down the hall."

"I'm going to behead him at that speed," Bakugou says flatly.

"Use your blasts to slow down and tap him on a rebound," Midoriya says. "Just try not to destroy any walls."

"Why not use your Black Whip?" Uraraka asks.

"I don't think that counts," Midoriya admitted. Bakugou groaned, dragging his hand through his hair. Uraraka shot him a reassuring, if unsure, smile.

"It's not for a real grade…" Uraraka mused. "So, you don't have to be perfect on it."

"I know that, Round Face" Bakugou snapped. "But damn it, I want to win!"

He slammed his fists on the desk, sparks flying. Uraraka leaned away from them, humming. "Well, this seems like your best bet!" she says cheerily.

She clapped them both on the shoulders and left on her way to the cafeteria. Midoriya and Bakugou exchanged glances and nodded to each other. They waited at the end of the hall just before Aizawa would turn into the teacher's lounge. Midoriya charged up his Quirk, the light racing over his body. Bakugou braced himself. Midoriya grabbed hold of his arm and the back of his jacket. Aizawa rounded the corner and Midoriya threw Bakugou.

It wasn't that Aizawa could hear Bakugou's blasts first. There had been a shift in the air when Midoriya threw him, the excess force of the throw that propelled Bakugou shifting the air in the hallway. It had moved Aizawa's hair first, and then he heard Bakugou's blasts. He could just imagine the kind of manic smile that kid must've been wearing.

Aizawa side stepped, the force of nature that was Bakugou soaring past him, ruffling his clothes and hair. He whipped his Capture Weapon out, unfurling it loosely until it made contact with Bakugou on his attempted rebound. It wasn't a sudden stop. Rather, Bakugou had the wind knocked out of him, stopping mid-flight to tumble to the ground instead. Bakugou was swearing under the wrapping of the Capture Weapon, thrashing around with small explosions igniting in his palms. Midoriya slumped down on the other end of the hall, hanging his head. He could only imagine what Bakugou was calling him. Aizawa sighed, reeling Bakugou in like a fish.

"And just what were you trying to do?" Aizawa asks. "All of you, all week. Giving me no rest."

"Sorry, sensei…" Midoriya says wearily. He picked himself up and trudged over, ready for whatever detention sentence they'd be dealt.

"That was one of the more reckless attempts I've ever had the misfortune this week to endure," Aizawa says. He plopped Bakugou down between them, letting his Capture Weapon unravel. Bakugou growled where he sat, still fuming. "You're lucky you didn't cause structural damage like Kirishima—"

A hand patted him on the head. Aizawa froze. Midoriya looked up, shocked, as Uraraka waved down at him from the space just above Aizawa. She giggled, patting him again on the head with a gleeful smile. Bakugou slowly turned to look up at her.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

"Moment of opportunity!" Uraraka exclaimed. She righted herself, pressing her finger tips together. "Release!"

She landed easily beside them, swaying on her heels, and waiting. Midoriya tackled Bakugou so he couldn't try and body Uraraka. Aizawa sighed, readjusting his Capture Weapon around his neck. He had to admit, the girl had chosen the perfect moment to float by, else he'd have caught onto her like he always did with Hagakure. Well, almost always. He was guessing half the time he thought she might've stripped to follow him down the halls or to the dorm. He had been wrong a handful of times.

"Alright," he began, rubbing his temple. "What did they promise you?"

"A free weekend pass and extra credit," Uraraka announced, smug and proud in her tone. Bakugou's kick barely grazed her arm as Midoriya pulled him back. "Can I make that a double pass to bring someone?"

"Bring that up with them," Aizawa says. "Actually, come with me. They're in the teacher's lounge, I'd bet. Let's go say hello."

Bakugou stopped resisting in Midoriya's grasp as he watched the two retreat. Uraraka shot them a thumbs up, skipping behind him. Midoriya released Bakugou. He stood beside him, straightening out his jacket.

"He's going to kill them," Bakugou says.

"Yeah."

"Probably horribly."

"Probably."

"…Let's go watch."

"Absolutely."

The boys peeked around the doorway when Aizawa and Uraraka entered the teacher's lounge. Nemuri had been present with Yamada, sat on his desk leisurely when they entered.

"Hi!" Nemuri greeted them. "What's up, buttercups?"

"I won!" Uraraka announced. She held her hand out. "Weekend pass, please~!"

"You actually managed it?!" Yamada asked. Aizawa stepped up to the desk. He didn't use a lot of force, but he did take a swing, whacking Yamada upside the head. He'd been aiming for his shoulder, but he hadn't accounted for Yamada being slouched on his elbows. "OW!"

"I didn't hit you nearly hard enough," he says. Etiquette be damned, Uraraka knew the two had hell coming for them at the end of whatever this was. And she knew when to keep her mouth shut. He turned to where he figured Nemuri sat. He could almost feel the Cheshire grin she had on her face. "I'll get back at you later."

"Aw," Nemuri pouted. She hopped off the desk, waving Uraraka over to her own. "C'mon, I'll write that up for you."

"Can you make it for two?"

"Oh, taking someone on a date~?" Nemuri asked, whipping out the passes from a drawer. "Zashi, can you make that scoring chart and interview our nice and gentle guinea pig?"

"I'll throw my cane at your face," Aizawa snapped at her. Uraraka shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Once the slips were filled out, she snatched it out of Nemuri's hand and made a break for the door.

"Thanks, bye!"

She barreled past Midoriya and Bakugou, practically running them over. She slammed the door shut and turned to them, holding the slip victoriously. Bakugou had fire in his eyes.

"Bitch."

"Bite me."

In the office, Nemuri crossed the office, draping her arm over Aizawa's shoulders. "I heard," she began, poking his cheek. "That you two took the kids to a cat café recently?"

Aizawa smacked her hand away, getting nothing but a giggle from her. "Eri wanted to go."

"Did you have fun, at least?"

Aizawa could recall hearing about half the class fawning over the cats whilst the other half took full advantage of the unspecified budget for their café orders. Most of the noise in that café in particular, the largest one within traveling distance of the school, he was certain came from his kids alone.

"I wish I could have actually seen it," Aizawa says gruffly.

"Don't worry!" Yamada sang. "I recorded most of it."

Aizawa smiled, reaching out to cup Yamada's cheek, "You know me so well."

Uraraka was basking in the glow of victory all the way until they'd settled for dinner at the dorms. Bakugou had made it blatantly known his opinion on her strategy multiple times. Very loudly. Yamada had walked in on the whole group in the common room. Bakugou was slinging curses at Uraraka, who was floating near the ceiling, weekend pass held high in her hand, beaming like the sun. Half the class was cheering her on for winning, the other half was egging Bakugou on to jump to her height.

Yamada turned on his heel to the kitchen. Aizawa was leaning against the counter, coffee in hand. Yamada slid in place beside him, arms crossed. "And what number cup of coffee is that for the day?"

"None of your concern," Aizawa says, finishing it off. He set the mug to the side.

"Um… So, Shou…"

"You and Nem better prepare yourselves for retribution."

"…That's fair," Yamada sighed. "Want me to start dinner?"

"It's only four," Aizawa says. "Besides, it's Bakugou's night. Do you want to be second hand in his kitchen?"

"My gut is telling me no?"

"Smart man." Aizawa says. He turned and nodded towards the students. "You want to try breaking them all up without blasting off the walls?"

"Mmmmm, I have an idea," Yamada says.

He bumped Aizawa's shoulder playfully and pushed himself off the counter and strode over to the group of kids. He whistled, pouring in just a touch of his Quirk, to be heard over the commotion of the common room. The high pitch cut through the room until he had all eyes on him (and Asui was reeling Uraraka in with her tongue).

"I have a question for you all, Listeners! Super important and super quick, PROMISE!" Yamada says, clapping his hands together. He waited for anyone to say anything. When no one piped up, he smiled. "Who has the best eyes in your class?"

The room was silent for a beat.

"Why..." Aizawa groaned.

"Bakugou's!" Hagakure screamed.

"What?! No way, it's Todoroki's eyes!"

"What?!" Hagakure whirled to face Jirou. "Against those ruby gems?!"

"That ice blue and cool grey? Hot," Jirou asserted, pulling him into a one-armed hug.

"…Thank you?"

"RED is what's HOT. Literally."

"Three of the boys have red eyes, it's got to be a rarer color than that, kero."

"Welllllll, Aoyama's are purple, so, it's his, obviously."

"Hey, if we're doing blue, Iida's are in the running, right?" Uraraka asks.

"Wh—?!"

"What? You've got sky blue baby orbs, they're really pretty!"

"U-Uraraka!"

"Hey, I have the blandest eyes, they're brown."

Yamada slunk back towards Aizawa, leaning on the counter with him, satisfied. Aizawa rubbed at his temple. "This was your idea?" he asks.

"Well, it worked," Yamada laughed.

"I think they're pretty," Midoriya says. Uraraka turned to him, flushing, mumbling thanks.

"Wouldn't black be more bland?" Tokoyami asks.

"No, that's just a different kind of hot," Ashido says, winking.

"Mina!"

"They're poetic!"

"Momo's eyes remind me of a storm… in a good way," Kirishima says.

Like the rolling clouds, Kouda signed.

Yaoyorozu flushed bright red. "Oh goodness…"

Ashido snapped, gaining the room's attention. "Oi, focus! Clearly, whoever has the best eyes would be able to make them their money-makers. So, I once again nominate Todoroki's dual eyed advantage."

"Wait, if we're going marketing, I say Kaminari's work. They're all gold and amber, like a wolf!" Sero declared. Todoroki whipped his head around towards Kaminari.

"Don't even begin to think it!" Kaminari shouted. "Todo, I better not see that on your theory board!"

"What about green eyes?" Kirishima asks. He turned to Asui and then Midoriya. "Your guys' eyes are really cool!"

"Wh—mine aren't the best!" Midoriya exclaimed. He paused and turned to Hagakure, eyes suddenly ablaze. "Hagakure, what color are your eyes?"

"Hm? Oh, white with a splash of silver!" she says. Midoriya blinked at her.

"Wha…?"

Yamada smiled, inching away from Aizawa. He tilted his head at him curiously. "You know," Yamada began, just loud enough that it drew the attention of some of the class. "Your eyes are like a pair of jewels, Shou. By far some of the most beautiful, like you just get lost in that ruby color, you know?"

"Kurose has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, and I will fight you on that," Aizawa clapped back immediately. Yamada laughed, slapping the counter.

"ASHIDO HAS THE BEST EYES, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

"Aw! Baku-babe~!"

"They are the most unique looking," Yaoyorozu mused. "The black sclera and gold pupils make an excellent combination."

"Okay, but unique isn't "pretty" necessarily," Ashido says, turning to hide her slight blush. "I say Kaminari still has the prettier ones!"

"Hey, if Kami has the prettiest, can Hagakure's get the runner up position?" Shouji asks, raising all his hands.

Yamada relaxed next to Aizawa as the class continued the debate—with a heated portion of discussion taking place between Bakugou and Uraraka on whether Ashido or Hagakure would technically have the "most unique" if not "prettiest" eyes. He only had a few minutes of blissful relaxation before his phone started to buzz. It didn't stop within a few seconds, so he pulled it out, frowning down at it. Aizawa pulled his out as well, the phone buzzing up a storm in his palm. Yamada looked up at him briefly, watching in horror as Aizawa actually started to lift the blindfold at the left end. A brief lapse in memory and judgement that only lent Aizawa biting back a swear and bending forward to hold his temple.

He held the phone up to Yamada with a growl. "Is it what I think it is?" he asks.

"Yeah… are you okay?" Yamada muttered.

"Only I am to blame for this," Aizawa sighed.

He straightened himself up once more and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Yamada swiped open the Pro Hero Agency's messenger app with a grimace. He quickly scanned the message and groaned loud enough that the debate in the common room started to die off. Yamada slumped against the counter a moment before letting off another groan. He turned to Aizawa, giving his shoulder a squeeze before pushing off the counter.

"Lunch Rush is gonna be here to sub," he says dejectedly. "I'm on call…"

"…Lunch Rush? Why not anyone else? Are they even on the rotation?" Aizawa asks.

"Everyone else is also on call for this one," Yamada says.

He cursed the villains they were about to raid. He was missing out on a night in with his husband and his husband's nineteen adopted children for this. They probably didn't even need all of them, but he couldn't rightly fault the Agency for being extra cautious this past year or so based off UA's assault record alone. He wanted to give Aizawa a quick kiss goodbye but refrained. He still valued his life, and he could always sneak him one when he got back, if it wasn't morning by the time he did.

Oh well, a good morning kiss works just as well! he thought. He'd just have to ride that enthusiasm for the entire mission.

"I'll be back ASAP. Listeners, you better behave! Lunch Rush is sweet, but sharp!" Yamada called behind him.

It wasn't long before Lunch Rush walked through the door next. The kids had started to do their homework or slack off, as Bakugou was in the kitchen prepping for dinner. He was met with greetings from various students and waved at them as he passed.

"Do you think he always wears the chef's hat?" Jirou whispered. Kaminari could only shrug.

Lunch Rush made his way to Aizawa, who had moved to sitting at the dining table. He and Ojiro were discussing hand to hand combat styles in a greater depth than Lunch Rush could ever reasonably be expected to understand. Once he had approached, though, Ojiro was quick to greet him. Aizawa turned to him, a little to the right, but it was fine.

"Hey."

"Aizawa. Did you eat yet?"

Ojiro laughed as Aizawa pinched his brow. "That's the first question you ask out the gate, huh?" he asks, looking closer to where Lunch Rush actually stood this time.

"It's a valid question at this time of night," Lunch Rush says easily. Aizawa waved lazily towards the kitchen.

"Bakugou is going to be cooking any minute now. Feel free to join him if you think you can share kitchen space without fighting him."

"I take that as an optimistic challenge," Lunch Rush says. He moved swiftly to the kitchen.

"He's braver than most," Ojiro commented. Aizawa nodded, to his shock, and turned back to the table.

"After serving a caffeine deficient me for years most mornings, there's not much left to rattle him," Aizawa admitted. Someone on the other end of the table in Yaoyorozu's study group started to laugh as well.

Aizawa kept his ears honed for anything that might break out in the kitchen, though. He had already put away his Capture Weapon, but he could still get between the two if they started to get territorial. If he got hit, well he got hit, he was the one who was willing to get between Bakugou and a fight, after all. He'd assure the kid he wasn't mad after the fact.

He couldn't very well make out what was being discussed over the conversation of the table. He could hear that they were discussing something very animatedly. He stood from the table, slowly making his way until he could feel out the edge of the closest counter to the stove and could lean against it.

"Toasting the spices brings out more flavor," Lunch Rush says. Aizawa could hear him shake what must have been a pan, something dry inside shifting around. "Keep it on medium low until it's fragrant, then we can remove them."

"Hmm…" Bakugou looked through one of the cabinets.

"Coffee grinder?"

"Better than mortal and pestles or getting a fancy grinder for too much money," Bakugou says. "Just gotta grind some rice to clean it."

"Oh, I wouldn't have thought."

Aizawa smirked a moment. He should've known better, to think Bakugou wouldn't have bonded with Lunch Rush over cooking was foolish on his part, truly. His smile wasn't meant to last long, however, it seemed. It slipped off his face easily as his thoughts started to drift towards his partners.

He mindlessly pulled his phone from his pocket, rolling it around in his palm. He crossed his arms, still rolling the phone in his hand, and clutched his sleeve with his free hand. The phone was useless to him right now, but regardless of that fact, just holding it kept his anxiety down. He didn't quite understand why, but he also wasn't going to question it. He jumped as a hand brushed against his arm.

"They'll be fine," Lunch Rush whispered to him. "Yagi and Nedzu have both assured me that it wasn't anything too dangerous and they should all be fine."

Frankly, Aizawa took Nedzu's word at face value better than Yagi's, but it did lessen the tension in his shoulders.

"You should see if Satou wants to bake something," Aizawa says.

"Hm?"

"Satou!" Aizawa called. There was some clamoring in the common room and Satou came to the kitchen, stopping short of both men.

"Yes, sensei?"

Aizawa nodded towards Lunch Rush. "He has some recipes that you could swap for. I know for a fact he's been wanting to try your devil's food cupcake recipe."

Lunch Rush shot a surprised glance Aizawa's way but just as quickly gave Satou a thumbs up in confirmation. Satou smiled wide.

"I'd love to swap recipes! I really want to know what extra spice you add to the 7 Layer Bars in the cafeteria, they're the best I've ever had!"

"Got your recipe box?" Aizawa asks, even as Satou was already rushing to his personal cabinet.

"Sure do!"

Aizawa left them to it, taking a lean on the wall as far out of the way as he reasoned he must be. The curry that Bakugou and Lunch Rush had started was in good hands with Bakugou any time that Lunch Rush would break from dinner to work on the dessert with Satou. Sero had invited himself into the kitchen at some point—ignoring Bakugou's threats about crowding the workspace—the moment he'd figured out what was going on. The group had eventually settled on making mochi-stuffed chocolate chip cookies, with strawberry stuffed mocchi for anyone wanting something at least marginally healthier (per Sero and Lunch Rush's request, of course).