a/n: shouts out to the one commenter here who asked for more side stories and perspectives of other characters! this was planned before you asked for it - but none the less, i hope you enjoy. love y'all. 3 -d

Shota Aizawa always said he would never interrupt a student's personal life. As far as he was concerned, students were allowed privacy, so long as what they were choosing to do in their free time was not causing them physical harm. For years, he allowed students to handle their issues on their own, only stepping in when he felt it absolutely necessary.

That is, until his current class of problem children. Each and every single one of them was in some state of crisis currently, and Shota couldn't handle it all on his own.

"Mr. Aizawa?" A voice called, just outside the tightly shut classroom door.

Before he had a chance to respond, to invite the student in, the smiling face of Denki Kaminari poked through a crack as he pushed the door open.

"Yes, Kaminari?" He responded, setting down the application sheets he'd been reading over. The pages shuffled slightly as they settled, spreading out slightly. The names and faces he'd been looking over for hours peered up at him.

"D'you have a second to talk?" Kaminari mumbled, stepping fully into the room. It was the end of a school day, so Kaminari was still in his class uniform, though looking slightly more rumpled than usual. His hair was pulled back from his hair with clips and he had heavy bags under his eyes, and Aizawa knew he hadn't been sleeping well. "I know you don't…"

"Yes, Kaminari. What's going on?"

Shota knew Kaminari well, as the boy reminded him of a young Hizashi in their day. Both were loud and brash and often did things without fully thinking them through, though Shota knew that despite their rash behavior and their outgoing, exuberant personalities - both his oldest friend and his student felt things incredibly deeply. He'd seen the worried way Kaminari looked at Bakugo and Emiko after their encounter with the League of Villains, and Shota wished he could help quell some of the boy's fears.

Denki Kaminari had come to Shota many times since the first interaction with the League of Villains. He'd been scared the first time, a feeling of guilt associated with that fear. Kaminari wanted to be a hero, and to him that meant he was never allowed to show fear. He had to be bright and happy and cheerful just as All Might was.

He'd never say it in front of the students who so clearly idolized the man who'd been the number one hero for as long as he could remember, but Aizawa wished he could. These students idolized a man who was flawed and who lied to everyone around him. Perhaps not many people saw it as he did, but Shota knew that All Might was never fully honest about himself or his past, and that made him uneasy. All Might had broken Midoriya's back during the final exams, had hit Bakugo so hard that he'd thrown up from the pain and still the students couldn't see through the rose coloured haze that seemed to follow the pro around.

Shota had comforted them, of course, promising the blonde haired boy that he'd keep them safe. That no matter what the league of villains did, no matter what stunt they pulled, the students of 1-A would be protected.

"Is Emiko… okay?" Kaminari mumbled, seemingly embarrassed at the question. Shota knew Denki and Emiko weren't particularly close, and he knew the girl had nearly bitten Kaminari's head off during the sports festival - though, he couldn't really blame her for that, if he was honest. He did call this group of students his problem children for a reason.

Since then, though, Denki had been putting in work to make up for his actions that day. He'd asked Shota and Hizashi how to apologize to the girls of his class, and they'd told him the truth. That any apology given without proper work being put in would only be laughed off. The girls in 1-A, despite how much they put up with from men, were not the type to easily forgive. They'd never make it hard for Kaminari and they'd never purposely exclude him from things, but they also had kept themselves separate after the incident.

To those girls, the act of tricking them into wearing skimpy outfits in front of hundreds of thousands of people was the ultimate betrayal. Shota knew that no man in the hero space could ever fully understand what it meant to be a hero and a woman. He knew they had to work so much harder to be taken seriously than others, had to present themselves in a way that made them appealing while also working to be strong enough to compete with the men who dominated the industry. That act, that silly decision to tear their hard work down and reduce it to nothing had hurt them.

He'd seen it first hand in the way none of them so much as looked in the direction of Minoru Mineta - though, again, he couldn't blame them for that. He'd seen it in Yaoyorozu's face when she returned from her internship and submitted her essay on it, explaining how Uwabami had just trained her and Kendo to be models instead of Heroes.

"Emiko is… okay, yes." Shota answered, "Though I can't give you any of her information Kaminari. You know that, right?"

Kaminari nodded, swallowing whatever words threatened to spill out of his mouth next. He pondered for a moment, turning questions over in his head before speaking again.

"I think she's broken." His eyes widened as he said that, as if he hadn't meant to let those words slip out. "I mean-"

"Kaminari."

"I swear, Mr. Aizawa I didn't mean to say that. I didn't mean that she's actually physically broken I just meant…"

"Kaminari. Breathe." Aizawa interrupted, setting his large palm on the trembling shoulder of the boy in front of him. "It's okay."

Kaminari only nodded, a flush still creeping up his necks and cheeks.

"Let me ask you this, Kaminari. If you went through what she did, do you think you'd still be holding yourself together?"

Denki just looked up at him, eyes wide with wonder. Perhaps he'd never considered that, or perhaps he wasn't used to being spoken to so softly after blurting the wrong things out. Either way, he was silent.

"Everyone deals with trauma differently, and unfortunately there isn't much we can do to change that. For Komatsu, it seems she is shutting down to protect herself. Bakugo yells, Midoriya cries. Some of us talk to friends or family, others shut down completely. Healing isn't the same for everyone, and that's normal."

"So… I shouldn't worry about her?" Kaminari asks, wringing his fingers. "I know that Kyouka and Yaoyorozu are super worried about her, too."

A soft grin graces Shota's lips, before he continues. "I never said you can't worry about her. In fact, you absolutely should. She went through something awful, and even if I can't tell you everything - you know enough to do the right thing."

In his mind, Shota can see Emiko the first day she was rescued. Blood soaked the entire front of her, dripped down her face and clotted in her hair. He'd never felt fear like that before - he truly believed he'd lost her. That he'd failed one of his students the same way he'd been failed back then, and it wasn't until he saw Sakura in the hospital that he'd allowed himself to relax.

"I think we should all be worried for her, and for Bakugo. Those two went through something nobody ever should." Shota spoke, stepping back from Kaminari and removing his hand from his shoulder. "That being said, we cannot force our ideas of what healing should be onto those we care about."

Kaminari only nodded, clinging to every word.

"Emiko will be fine, that I promise. It may take time, Kaminari, but she'll come back to us all eventually. You'll be getting yelled at in no time."

Shota chuckled under his breath as Kaminari scrunched his nose up, eyes crinkling slightly. "I don't want to get yelled at, Mr. Aizawa." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, then try not to irritate her." Shota paused before standing up from his desk. "Is that everything, Kaminari?"

He received a slight nod from the student in front of him, who followed suit in standing. Shota had a meeting with Nezu in a few minutes, and he'd hate to keep him waiting, especially since he knew the conversation was one that had needed to be had for a while.

"You know you can always talk to me or any of the other teachers, Kaminari. We're all here for you."

Denki nodded, wrapping his arms tightly around his chest. "Thanks, Mr. Aizawa."

Kaminari shuffled out of the room and Shota followed closely behind him, though once the door clicked shut behind the pair they parted ways. Kaminari shuffled off to the left, down the hall towards the exit, while Shota made his way to the right.

A few more turns and a silent walk, and Shota found himself standing in front of Nezu's office. The large and imposing door loomed ahead of him, and though he'd been in that room more times than he cared to count, both as a student and as a teacher, Shota found himself nervous.l

He'd broached the subject of getting therapists for the students a few weeks ago, and the principal had been all too open to the discussion. He'd never considered getting a therapist for students in the past, but Shota's problem children were a special circumstance. So were the other students in courses who had to watch as their school was targeted over and over again.

He pressed his palm to the door, pushing it open slowly.

"Ah, Shota. Welcome, welcome." Nezu greeted, setting down a steaming cup of tea. "Please, sit down."

Shota nodded, shuffling forwards slightly. He was exhausted and wanted to crawl into his bed at home, but he still had to make it through the meeting he'd been dreading for weeks.

"So, did you do as I asked?" Nezu asked, peering out over his own steaming cup of tea.

"I did." Shota nodded, setting his folder down in front of him. "I've found a few candidates I think would be helpful for the students."

Nezu reached his small paw out, and Shota pressed the sheets forwards. He watched in silence as Nezu filtered through the pages in front of him. He'd spent a few weeks searching for available therapists in the area, those who specialized in children with trauma, and therapists who specialized in heroes with PTSD.

"I see. If you think these are the best candidates, then I trust your judgement. I'll submit the paperwork in the morning."

Shota nodded, "Thank you, Nezu."

"Of course, Shota. You know there isn't a thing I wouldn't do for those kids." Nezu smiled, as much as he could. "Now, for the real concern here."

Shota fought off a sigh, trying to refrain from crawling under the large wooden desk he was sitting in front of. He knew Nezu would broach the subject of his wellbeing eventually, but he wasn't ready to talk about it. He wanted to curl up and hide from his feelings, because that was easier than trying to explain everything that was going on.

"How are you handling all of this, Shota?" Nezu asked, and Shota cringed. He gritted his teeth and bit his lip, before spitting out his response.

"Fine."

"Shota."

"Nezu, please."

"Shota."

"Fine."

Shota breathed in deeply, letting his eyes drift shut slowly.

"I'm exhausted."

Nezu only nodded, steepling his fingers slightly. To anyone who knew Shota well, it was obvious he was under a gross amount of pressure. His ever present eye bags were even darker than usual, burrowing under his eyes and his face seemed to be constantly lined with concern.

"This has all been… overwhelming. To say the least." Aizawa droned, "These problem children of mine have had to go through so much in such a short amount of time, and I can't…"

He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. His eyes were dry and his throat felt tight. Shota felt overwhelmed, exhausted and overly emotional. He hadn't slept well in weeks, and it was starting to get on his nerves. Few things in life were more precious to Shota than a good night's sleep, and exhaustion fed into irritation. Irritation fed into anger, and Shota hated nothing more than being angry.

He felt his eyes well up with tears, and he rested his face in the palms of his hands.

"I don't know how to help them or keep them safe, Nezu. I know that I have done my best, but it feels like my best isn't good enough."

Frustration festers in his gut as he speaks, because Shota feels useless that he can't protect his problem children. He swore he'd keep them safe, but his kids will never truly be safe.

Those kids he sees nearly every day, those kids he has watched grow and change and learn. The children he'd fought for, who he'd risked his life for. As much as Shota hated to admit it, those children had somehow wormed their way into his heart.

"I know it's only going to get worse, Nezu. They've been steadily escalating, and I've got a bad feeling about it all."

Nezu didn't answer, though Shota didn't need him to. He knew he was right. He knew that left unchecked, the league of villains would grow and fester like an infection in a wound. He'd seen it in the crazed way their leader had looked at the students during the attack on the USJ.

"You're probably right, Shota." Nezu responded, eventually. "It will likely get worse before we can make it better."

"Tch."

"But that being said, Shota, you cannot blame yourself for everything that happens to those kids. You are a wonderful teacher and a fantastic instructor, and those children of yours no doubt look up to you."

Shota sighs, scrubbing a hand through his hair.

"We've just got to do everything in our power to keep the kids safe, Shota. I know there have been a lot of changes, and I know the dorms aren't exactly perfect…"

That was an understatement and Shota scoffed under his breath. Each teacher had a small, self contained apartment on campus now. A tiny kitchen, small bathroom and bedroom barely big enough for a bed. It wasn't much smaller than his last place and it was much more well maintained so when Nezu had told him the decision to move everyone to campus he'd packed up his and Sushi, his tiny orange roommates things into a handful of boxes and made the move. The only issue he'd found, really, was that now Hizashi and Nemuri had free reign to enter his home and bother him at every god forsaken hour of the night.

"But they allow us a modicum of control that we didn't have before. You and I both know we're doing everything in our power to make sure these kids stay safe and protected."

Nezu stood, and he walked towards Aizawa with a sad glint in his eyes. He pressed a small hand to Shota's knee, smiled up at him. They'd known each other a long time, and neither man needed words to convey their feelings in that moment.

"Go home and get some sleep, Shota. I'll make sure to keep Hizashi and Nemuri away from your appointment. I'll take over your classes in the morning, and you can sleep in. Until you get back on your feet and catch up on sleep, I'll do whatever I can to make sure you've got the help you need, Shota."

Shota only stood, fighting off a yawn. His cat was at home, waiting for him. His bed was calling his name and he could feel exhaustion dragging his eyelids down. He shuffled out of the office and down the hall, out into the cool night air. He meandered through the campus while staring at the stars overhead.

The door to his apartment opened slowly and Shota smiled brightly as soon as his eyes settled on the tiny orange cat who called his apartment home. He stepped in the door, kicked off his shoes, and promptly flopped onto the couch that took up the majority of his living room. The blanket folded across his shoulders, and Shota let his eyes drift shut.

He'd expected far worse from his meeting with Nezu - had expected to hear complaints from the parents or the other students. He hadn't been expecting to be consoled about his concerns and feelings. Shota was so used to putting himself on the back burner that he'd never expected to hear someone tell him it was okay to feel whatever he felt necessary.

Sleep called to Shota and he rolled onto his back, running his fingers down the spine of his cat. Sushi purred soothingly on his chest and Shota was lulled into a deep sleep.