Author's Note: Hey guys wrote this on no sleep so there's probably some grammatical errors I didn't catch. Let me know if you catch any. I'm estatic that this story has reached over 10,000 views and so thankful! Thanks for reading everyone! And a special shout out to those who faved or followed the story. I replied to reviews at the end.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the My Hero Academia universe, manga, characters, tv show, movies, etc. This is just for fun

Chapter 11:

The next morning, she was abruptly woken up by a loud text notification appearing on her phone's lock screen. It turned out to be instructions from Aizawa. It was simple and straight to the point, much like the sleepy teacher's personality. Dry and demanding.

"Meet me in my classroom with your problem child in 15."

She dutifully sent back a saluting emoji and sluggishly got out of the bed to get ready for the day. Aylee quickly threw on her usual clothes before struggling to find some clothes for Shoto that would fit him. She managed to find something for now but made a note that they needed to go shopping together later. His growth spurts were no joke. The young caretaker walked back to the bed and slowly peeled back the covers clutched in the tight grip of the sleeping child. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep, all children usually did. But, she wasn't going to take the brunt of Aizawa's irritation if they were late.

"Shoto, it's time to get up and ready for the day! Rise and shine!" the child groaned before blinking his heterochromatic eyes open. He glared at the ceiling for a second before meeting her waiting gaze. Aylee's hopes for his cooperation were diminished and she immediately knew it would be one of those mornings.

"I don't want to." He closed his eyelids and rolled over onto his side so his back was facing her. Shoto then snuggled further into the fleece blanket, cocooning himself in the warmth. She couldn't believe her little peppermint was ignoring her! Another approach will have to be used instead of being cool and laid back.

She wasn't expecting this much attitude from the newly turned 7-year-old, but at least he was talking to her more now. It really wasn't that big of a deal, she's cared for kids who were absolute terrors or heavily spoiled. It was nothing new to Aylee's previous line of work. You just have to find what works for each child specifically, and she has multiple tricks up her sleeve.

"Alright, I guess you'll be missing the surprise I had planned later tonight. Since you don't want to get dressed to start the day.

Aylee turned around with a loud sigh and fiddled with her purse a bit. She grabbed the pack of wipes, hand sanitizer, snacks, and cherry chapstick sitting haphazardly on the dorm's small dresser. The brunette carefully placed the stacked items in her hand before dropping them into her purse. Or in her perspective, the neverending bag where she could never find anything she wanted. It was like a living breathing creature whose goal was to make her late to every appointment she schedules. A black hole sucking her makeup and keys into oblivion, never to be seen from again. She wished she had the purse that Mary Poppins used, at least she could find the things she put in the never-ending bag.

Her ears picked up the noise of shuffling covers and soft footsteps making their way towards the outfit she had previously laid out. Aylee smiled in quiet victory and made sure to keep an eye on the time. She didn't want to rush Shoto, especially since he was actually listening to her now, but they were getting short on time. She turned around after getting her bag finally settled and saw that her charge was struggling with tying his shoelaces on his sneakers.

The woman knelt down without a word and grabbed the loose laces into her thin fingers. "You got the tie part, but now you have to make two bunny ears like this." She slowly instructed as she showed him the two looped laces trapped between her fingers. "Then you need to cross the bunny ears together and slip one of them underneath the other." His grey and blue eyes attentively watched her hand's actions with fascination. "And lastly, you tighten." Her hands pulled the ends of the two loops and let Shoto inspect the final product.

"Do you want to try to tie your other shoe?" She asked as she saw how focused he was on the process and her short explanation.

A determined look fell across the future hero's face and he grabbed his left shoelaces tightly. Aylee watched as he thought back on how she did his right shoe. He went through the steps with minor difficulties and she heard him mumble under his breath. The only words she could make out were "bunny" and "slip". It was really amazing how fast he picked up on things and he also had amazing memory retention for a child of his age. Maybe he would benefit from some short lessons instead of just playing or watching tv all day.

Aylee came out of her thoughts and found Shoto proudly shoving his tennis shoe covered foot into her face for close inspection. He almost kicked her nose but luckily he stopped inches before that could happen. She examined the tight knot and smiled at the 7-year old's smug face.

"Ok, you picked up on that quickly. It looks great! Let's get going now because Mr. Aizawa wants to see you."

She opened the dorm room door and Shoto grabbed onto her hand tightly. They soon arrived at the 1A classroom and walked in together. Shoto didn't care much for the change in scenery and just remained close by his caretaker's side. But, he soon felt a stern gaze focused on him and the burning watched feeling that followed gained his reluctant attention. He looked up and found Aizawa staring at him with examining eyes, taking in his new height and longer hair. He noted that the burn covering the boy's left eye, which used to be bright red, had faded some into a lighter red.

Shoto met his teacher's probing gaze and without any further provocation, an impromptu staring contest had begun.

The competitors were a 30-year-old overworked teacher by day and underground pro hero by night versus a stubborn once thought to be emotionless, former hero student now turned 7-year-old child. The boy's eyelids were half shut in laziness or just plain disinterest. Aizawa really couldn't tell at the moment but it infuriated him nonetheless. Aizawa's tired eyes began to rapidly twitch like a madman from the dryness he was still recovering from patrol the night before. But, he had encountered worse before and still won.

To create a reaction out of Shoto and end this battle quickly, he activated his quirk and red eyes met bored heterochromatic pupils. The kid was not so easily shaken. Aylee became an unwilling audience to this intense 'match' and decided to end it after 5 minutes of no talking, just staring and uncomfortable silence.

"You called for us, Aizawa?" Aylee spoke up with a raised eyebrow. Aizawa's straining eyes blinked from the sudden noise that penetrated the silent room. He glared at the other adult-like she had personally wronged him. Maybe in the hero's childlike mind, she did. She expertly ignored his furious expression by averting her gaze and coincidentally missed Shoto's prideful smile aimed at his teacher.

Aizawa scowled as the child then stuck out his tongue at him. Before Aizawa could reprimand him, Shoto dashed towards his caretaker and hid behind her legs. The boy peeked at his teacher from the side of her thigh and smirked knowing that he was safe for now. The frustrated teacher muttered, "coward," under his breath as he glared at his student who had the nerve to seek protection from a petite civilian. But, those thoughts backtracked as the hero remembered that she had a capable quirk and the strongest backbone of anyone he's ever met. Aizawa also noted that while Aylee may be too compassionate at times, that didn't mean she was weak.

But, this little brat needed to pay. And then the entirely mature 30 year old reminded himself of this meeting's purpose. He straightened his back and forced his mouth to remain neutral as he addressed the pair.

"Now that Todroki has grown to the age where he is supposed to be in 1st grade, it's time he comes back to class."

Aylee was excited as she was thinking along those lines this morning. She almost started babbling about how she knew a great tutor could begin to teach him from a local elementary school. That was until the pro hero teacher added on to his previous sentence.

"You can pick him up in the afternoon and resume your caretaker responsibilities then." Aizawa watched Shoto's reaction closely and slightly smirked at the tiny frown that appeared after he was finished speaking.

The woman awkwardly cleared her throat before making her case. "I don't mean to overstep, but I don't think he's ready to resume regular classes in his current condition. At this age, children should be learning to read semi-difficult words and basic maths. Not high school level courses."

Shoto tilted his head up to look at Aylee as she conversed with his teacher. He felt warm from the concern she was showing him. He could tell she was worried about how he would fare with this new abrupt change. The 7-year-old only opposed this idea because he didn't like the idea of being separated from Aylee for multiple hours every day. From this decision, Shoto had confirmed to himself that his teacher was being a sore loser after he won their staring match.

Aylee's logical points fell on deaf ears as Aizawa reiterated to her that he wasn't a normal child. The teacher's main rebuttal was that if he couldn't handle sitting and participating in class, he didn't have what it takes to be a hero.

She could see that he had made up his mind already and that she wouldn't be able to persuade him for now. It was like she was talking to a tall brick wall. A very stupid brick wall that didn't want to take the advice from someone who had ample experience working with young children. But, this immovable brick wall was her boss and she had to do as he said in regards to her charge.

Aylee had a feeling, call it a premonition, that this would backfire on Aizawa in due time. She just needed to wait this one out and let it run its course. In her humble opinion, this teacher needed to learn to listen to others input instead of blindly enforcing his own.

"Alright, I understand." Aylee held in an exasperated sigh as she said this. She pushed down her own rebellious thoughts and looked up to the clock hanging above the blackboard. It was almost time for class to start.

She quickly dug around in her demonic purse and victoriously brought out a granola bar and Ziploc bag full of apple slices. As she placed the food items into Shoto's waiting hands Aizawa opened his mouth again.

"No eating in the classroom." He deadpanned.

One of Aylee's green eyes twitched in irritation and she turned her strained smile towards him. Her smile turned sharp and almost daring as she stared at him with forced kindness laced in her voice. She fought to keep the irritation from leaking into her facial expressions and body language.

"You want a 7-year-old boy to skip his breakfast and remain hungry until lunchtime. I believe you were the one who scheduled this early morning meeting without at least a day's prior notice in advance. And I'm sure you're already aware of the fact that growing heroes need plenty of nutrition to get strong. Am I understanding your wishes correctly?" Aylee's heavily practised customer service smile and voice came with relative ease as she waited patiently for her boss's response.

Aizawa's mouth hung open in shock after the polite insults were thrown at him without reprieve. She said those biting words with such calm sweetness that it made his teeth ache. Everything Aylee was saying seemed to make sense, yet also painted him in an unflattering light. The firm look hidden in the caretaker's eyes crumbled his resolve and he reluctantly allowed Shoto to eat here for today only.

Aylee quickly said goodbye to her charge and left the room to maybe run some errands while he was in class. Maybe a nice relaxing soak in the tub in her apartment. She kind of missed living there and she also needed to work on her client's commissions. She made sure to grab her phone in case they needed her and left the school. As she made her way back to her apartment, her thoughts began to wander back to Shoto again. He will be fine without her. This could turn out to be a good thing. Right?

As Shoto bit into an apple slice, other students began trickling into the classroom. Almost all of them were stunned to see their classmate sitting at his usual desk, casually eating. They all gasped and looked to their teacher in alarm, worried about the repercussions the child would face against their strict mentor. Everyone was familiar with the rules of the classroom, not even Bakugo broke that one.

But, Aizawa remained sleeping in his yellow cocoon and expertly tuned out the worried whispers coming from his students. The bell rang and Aizawa slowly unzipped himself and stepped out fighting a shiver from the sudden temperature change.

As he outlined what they would be doing today, loud obnoxious chewing reached his ears. The teacher glanced and saw the boy defiantly stare back at him as his teeth continued to bite into the crisp fruit. Aizawa elected to ignore Shoto and continued on as if nothing happened. But then, an obscenely loud crackling sound caught his attention. The noise drew everyone's eyes as they saw Shoto carelessly opening the wrapper around his banana flavored granola bar. He maintained eye contact with his irritated teacher and crushed the fibers in his mouth.

And like a holy miracle was suddenly performed for everyone to witness, the sound mercifully ceased. Aizawa rolled his eyes heavenward and silently thanked whatever deity or higher being that had managed to answer his prayers. His thanks didn't last long though, as Shoto began to constantly squirm in his chair. The boy's efforts produced a high pitch squeaking noise that the teacher didn't even think was possible to create from slightly shifting. It was even more irritating.

"Midoriya, switch seats with Todoroki immediately." The green-haired boy looked up with nervous alarm, but complied with his teacher's sudden command. The freckled face boy clumsily gathered his materials as fast as possible and made his way to the back of the classroom. Shoto emotionlessly stood from his desk and leisurely walked to his new seat. Aizawa's eyes followed the boy like a hawk and were satisfied when he just sat down without protest.

Aizawa began to speak again, his gaze pivoted back to Shoto every once in a while to make sure he wasn't causing any more trouble. But, thankfully the child was now quiet and seemingly listening to his words. This was good, Aizawa knew this would be a sudden shift for the boy, but this was the normalcy and routine that would ultimately benefit him in the end. Aizawa was about to give himself a proverbial pat on the back until he heard yelling.

His eyes flicked towards the right side of the classroom and witnessed Bakugou yelling with righteous fury behind him. The class shot nervous glances to the sight of their most violent classmate yelling at a child. It didn't look right to anyone. Shoto, who was moved to sit behind the angry pomeranian, smirked and continued to kick the back of the explosive teenager's chair.

"OI! DO THAT ONE MORE TIME AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS! I DON'T CARE THAT YOU'RE STILL CONSIDERED A KID. SO FUCK OFF WILL YA!"

"Bakubro, language. He's still just a kid. It's not cool to yell at them like that."

Murmurs of agreement with Kirishima's words echoed through the classroom but Aizawa's gaze firmly remained on Todoroki's mischievous smile. The boy maintained eye contact with his furious teacher as Bakugou's spikey hair suddenly froze over. A large icicle bow also adorned the top of his now ice-covered hair.

The flash from a phone's camera brought Bakugou out of his stupor. And it left him burning with rage, explosive sparks ignited in response to his intense emotions.

"THAT'S IT! YOU WANT TO GO YOU HALF AND HALF BASTARD! LET'S GO!" Right as Bakugou lunged for the boy, Aizawa jumped into action. His quirk activated and his hair raised to complement the frightening image of Aizawa's own growing frustration. Glowing red eyes glared daggers at the pair but he mainly centered it on the 7-year-old boy.

Bored heterochromatic grey and blue eyes calmly stared back at his teacher. A glint flashed across the child's irises and Aizawa saw the satisfaction surfacing past the boredom.

"Both of you, to Principal Nezu's office. Now!"

~time skip~

Both students sat in the stiff chairs placed in front of their smiling mouse-like principal. Aizawa stood behind them as Nezu examined the pair. His black eyes stilled on Shoto and he picked up the phone receiver placed on his desk.

"Please wait a short moment while I contact young Todoroki's guardian."

Shoto immediately froze in place for a moment imagining his father's rage when he heard of this. His heart began to rapidly race and his stomach lurched in response to his rising anxiety. Aizawa watched this change in behavior with varying degrees of confusion but decided to just watch for now.

"Ah yes hello Ms. Tanaka. How are you doing this morning?" No one else could hear what was being said on the other line except for slight muffling. Shoto's entire body relaxed upon hearing his caretaker's name come from Nezu's lips instead of his father's. Aizawa noticed this as well, he needed to have a chat with Aylee later to discuss this. Maybe she picked up on this peculiar behavior too.

"Well, I'm sorry to have to inform you that young Todoroki is sitting in my office. We can't proceed with this meeting without a guardian present. The other party's parents have already been notified and are on their way as we speak."

Nezu attentively listened to Aylee and nodded along with whatever she had replied with. "Thank you, see you soon." His white fur covered hand gently placed the phone receiver back on it's stand and turned his unflinching stare back onto the two fidgeting students.

"Now we just have to wait."

The room waited in silence for a couple of minutes until they all heard loud bickering voices coming from the hallway. And obviously getting closer.

Aizawa opened the door to reveal Mitsuki and Masaru Bakugou talking back and forth. One parent was angry and loud and the other was placating and trying to soothe the other.

"Ah, the Bakugou's are here! Welcome, please take a seat. We are still waiting for one other party at the moment."

The Bakugou's suddenly stopped speaking and settled into the small couch set near Katsuki's chair. Mitsuki was glaring heatedly at her son and he, in turn, avoided her scorching gaze. While Masaru placed his hand over top her's in a small effort to calm his wife down. It never really worked but he tried nonetheless.

A short few minutes later, the silent group all heard rapid footsteps rushing towards their location. SHoes squeaking against the waxed floor. Aizawa acted as a doorman again and opened the office door to reveal a panting Aylee who looked like she had run the whole way here.

The young woman gasped for breath as the group examined her appearance from head to toe. She had paint splatters on her clothes and hands. It was obvious she dropped everything she did to rush over immediately after getting the phone call. Not even taking a movement to scrub the paint off of her hands.

Principal Nezu gestured for her to sit on the opposite couch next to Shoto's chair. Aylee glanced over her charge and made sure he wasn't hurt. Once her eyes confirmed his physical wellbeing, she turned her attention back to the mouse sitting behind the desk.

"Alright let's get started. Aizawa, please elaborate on the events that occurred this morning."

Aizawa retold what he witnessed without bias or any shifts in his monotone voice. The adults listened attentively and the boys inwardly cringed at their own actions now that they heard them out loud in clear detail. No filter.

A pause of silence followed his explanation as the adults processed the events. Nezu gave everyone a minute to think before starting to speak again.

"Do you boy's have anything you would like to add to your teacher's account of what happened?" Nezu's smile never once faltered.

Bakugou predictably spoke up first, "yeah, that bastard started it first!" He snarled in anger while side glancing at the still silent 7-year-old.

Mitsuki reached out and slapped his head in reprimand for his loud cursing. Bakugou growled in responding rage but held himself back when he saw the disappointed look on his father's face. It silenced him almost instantaneously.

"Katsuki, he's just a little kid! And you showed your immaturity by rising to his bait!" his mother yelled at him almost to the point of shouting.

"He's not a fucking kid!" Bakugou retaliated back and his body shook with rage that his parents weren't taking his side on this.

Mitsuki snarled back at her son, "Oh really? Look at him right now!" She punctuated her point with another slap to her son' head.

Everyone turned to the boy in question only to find him gazing intently at Aylee. He was desperately trying to get her to look at him. But, his temporary guardian was staring at the floor deep in thought of how to appropriately handle this.

Everyone watched as the boy was fighting back tears and restraining himself from flinging himself in her lap. Mitsuki watched smugly as her son finally began to see what she saw. A 7-year-old kid who was in trouble and wanted comfort from a person he valued and trusted.

Bakugou vaguely remembered being that age, but it was different for him. Everyone surrounded him with endless praise and assurance that he would be a great and powerful hero someday. The blonde got the feeling that this wasn't the case for icy hot. It would explain the way he didn't know how to interact with other people normally and that he reacted weirdly to compliments from Deku or anyone else really.

He may not have the perfect conventional family. But, damn it at least they supported him with his dreams and believed he could accomplish it and rise to the top. Bakugou began looking at the boy in a different light at that moment. It was a startling and unwanted reaction that he couldn't help.

Aylee raised her green eyes to meet Shoto's watering before turning towards Nezu. "I would like to ask Shoto to clue us in on his reasoning in these actions." Her voice was firm and the principal nodded towards the boy who was shaking like a leaf.

She turned her attention back to Shoto and calmly waited for him to speak. Shoto took a moment and inhaled a deep breath before quietly speaking.

"I didn't understand the things Sensei was saying and it made me mad. I wanted to leave right away. It was making my brain hurt. This was the only way I could think of."

Aylee's eyebrows rose as she watched Aizawa open and close his mouth like a gaping goldfish. Nezu turned his eyes onto his staff member waiting for an explanation. Aylee bit her lip to prevent a laugh from slipping out and the Bakugou family was similarly amused by the child's honest and blunt confession.

"Aizawa, what made you think a 7-year-old would be able to comprehend lesson plans meant for 14-year-olds?" Nezu questioned him with genuine confusion lacing his voice.

Mitsuki murmured but everyone heard it, "No wonder he lashed out. Poor boy."

Aizawa's ears turned bright red in embarrassment and he didn't dare to look in Aylee's direction. He knew he would find an 'I told you so' look plastered on her face. Her suggestions this morning suddenly came to mind and he felt even more ashamed that he didn't even consider it.

Bakugou watched as Shoto's caretaker's eyes softened on the boy before they shifted to a small irritated glare at their teacher. It was amazingly rare to see Aizawa get so flustered and he even avoided meeting this small woman's gaze. Almost unheard of.

Nezu watched in amusement as his teacher struggled to defend himself before he decided to put the poor man out of his misery.

"Why don't you and Ms. Tanaka work together to put together a lesson plan that suits both Shoto's age level and his attention span?"

Aylee's face broke out into a cheshire cat grin as she examined Aizawa's reaction. He reluctantly nodded at his boss but he studiously avoided her gaze still. Aylee chuckled before bringing the conversation back full circle.

"Shoto, don't you have something you want to say to Bakugou?"

The boy morosely nodded before standing up from his chair and slightly bowing towards his now older classmate.

"I'm sorry Bakugou for using you in my plans. And for icing your hair with a bow." He sincerely apologized without any further prompting.

Mitsuki lost it at the end and laughed with fat tears leaking from her eyes. She repeatedly begged for a copy of what would be a priceless photo when he became a hero.

Bakugou scowled but nodded in acceptance of the kid's apology.

"Glad we could all solve this together, peacefully," Nezu said with a genuine smile on his fuzzy face.

After everyone left Nezu's office to go their own separate ways, Shoto wearily trailed after his caretaker. He wondered if she hated him now. It wouldn't surprise him. She led them both into UA's gardens filled with trees, flowers, and other flora that he couldn't classify. She sat on a nearby bench and invited him to sit next to her.

He slowly climbed onto the bench and waited in silence for her to start talking.

"I'm not mad at you peppermint. I'm disappointed you used such methods when you could have told your teacher in private, but I understand. I'm sorry that you had to feel like that. I should have pushed back harder this morning. But, this time I'll make sure learning will be a good experience for you."

Shoto felt like crying after she finished speaking. This kind woman was listening to his needs and while she didn't like the actions he used to reveal his discomfort. Aylee still acknowledged his concerns and was trying to mend them. No one had ever done that for him when he was growing up.

He leaned his head onto her shoulder tentatively and relaxed when she raised her hand to ruffle his hair fondly. They watched the leaves fall from the trees and enjoyed the quiet together without any interruption for a bit.

It was so peaceful.

Review Replies:

Secret Peach - Yeah you make a good point. I need to rewatch the anime again to maybe find some ideas on how to show his childhood then and now. would love to hear some ideas honestly. And I love Bakugou so much I had to add him again in this chapter. Still don't I portray his anger to the fullest, but hey I tried. Thanks for the suggestion!

Oddity Empress - the cutest! thanks for reading bestie!