Aizawa Shouta was a man well versed in masking his emotions.

As an underground hero, he'd honed his ability to maintain a decent poker face in times of danger. He'd also picked up on how subtle changes in his expression can assist in invoking safety to civilians (or an unspoken threat sparking fear in a villain). Aizawa was generally a level-headed, albeit introverted creature even in social settings. Quiet, methodical, selectively mute… Hizashi and Nemuri once referred to him as the "Long Lost Wild-Wild Grumpy Cat" (not that he minded the comparison. Those close to him also knew how the way to his heart came in the form of purrs, meows and paws).

However, Aizawa had an admitted soft spot for children. During his tenure with UA, he'd had no qualms with his past students, but these kids- these neurotic, semi-homicidal, sugary-sweet, insanely powerful kids Nedzu expected him to shape into heroes- had somehow weaseled their way into his heart.

He hadn't unofficially adopted them like the rest of UA. No, he hadn't.

Too bad he couldn't convince his friends the same.

Speaking of… Aizawa heard a loud buzz on the table by his bed. Bleary eyed, he moved towards his phone to view the message. He expected to see an early start from Hizashi and Nemuri in the off-colored group chat he begrudgingly joined.

What he did not expect were numerous messaged from one Yagi Toshinori, starting well before the break of dawn. Aizawa quirked an eyebrow as he took a sip of his coffee; All Might did not communicate as frequently by text as his other co-workers, and certainly didn't share in his friends' eccentric taste in humor. He was quick to unlock his phone to partake in the conversation he'd slept through, only to pause when one of his student's names popped up along the string of words.

Rereading the conversation once more, the ebony-haired man struggled to comprehend the cocktail of concern and irritation stirring in his chest.

Toshinori

Today 3:04 am

My apologies for messaging so late, but I wanted to fill you in on a situation concerning Young Uraraka. I did my walk through of the dorm tonight and found her downstairs in a dissociative state. It evolved into a panic attack, and she tried hurting herself when I tried de-escalating it. She wore herself down and I'm waiting with her in the commons lobby while she rests (I use that term loosely. She's struggling through another nightmare as I type). I'll keep you updated.

Today 5:58 am

Updating you on UO. She woke up half an hour ago, still panicking, definitely having some bad thoughts. Other kids are going to start waking up soon, so she agreed to talk to me somewhere more private. Suggestions?

Hello? I'm striking out on places to take her. Everything's locked because of curfew.

Missed Call- Toshinori, 6:00 am

Missed Call- Toshinori, 6:00 am

Missed Call- Toshinori, 6:01 am

Come on, Aizawa. I need help! :(

Missed Call- Toshinori, 6:08 am

So don't get mad.

I brought her to my apartment because I can't think of anywhere else private enough to talk. She knows you know she's here too. Swore on my reputation to keep her safe. Please get over her ASAP so I don't look like a creepy teacher. :(

Today 7:21 am

She is still here. Agreeable to let you and I help her figure out the next steps to help out. Survivor's guilt over SH raid. Convinced her to stay for monitoring and assured her you'd be here when she wakes up (you better be here when she wakes up). She's asleep in a different room now. Waiting on you.

Missed Call- Toshinori, 7:22 am

Missed Call- Toshinori, 7:23 am

Today 9:18 am

Please wake up at some point today.

Had Aizawa not taken the time to swallow his coffee, he would have surely choked at Yagi's sheer stupidity. For someone as book smart as the Symbol of freaking Peace, the inept social cues outside of his persona were outstanding. Tension built in his jaw, ivory teeth gritting to the point of splintering any second as he forced himself to breathe through his nose.

If any other teacher in any other establishment responded to the situation like Yagi Toshinori, things would have likely gone much worse. The faculty at UA were very close to class 1A and saw them all as their own children despite the lack of blood ties. Even Nedzu held some type of soft spot in his cynical heart for his kids. Yagi was held in such high regards by Japan for decades for more than his smile; unlike most heroes, All Might thrived on helping others and being there for his fans. The man behind the persona was meek, humble to a fault and painfully sympathetic when it came to his students (though Aizawa expected that sentiment was only for Midoriya… Guess the parental ties extend to his classmates). His character as Yagi Toshinori was just as outstanding as his portrayal All Might.

Aizawa still couldn't help but be amazed at the crater the man had manage to dig himself in.

A second cup of coffee was poured before Aizawa marched towards the front door. He doubted he was going to get answers waiting around in his apartment, so he embarked to the other teacher's abode to conduct damage control.

Today was going to be a wild one. He felt it in his bones.


Rapt knocks stirred Yagi from his thoughts, causing him to shoot from his chair. He stepped to the door, opening it to see Aizawa's grimace on the other end. The taller man ran his hands through his wild blonde mane in relief, stepping aside to let the other teacher through, "Aizawa, it's about time you showed up."

"Sounds to me like you had it all under control, Toshinori." Sarcasm oozed from Aizawa's mouth as he slipped his shoes from his feet. He kept his dark glare on his colleague, relishing in how the man fumbled under it.

Yagi felt blood prickle in his throat; he'd expected assistance, not heckling. He stepped farther into his home to disengage Aizawa's fury, a harsh whisper on his tongue, "I panicked, okay? Everything was on lockdown because of curfew, and this was my last resort. What was a supposed to do, risk letting her friends walk in on us having a casual conversation about her cutting and wishing she was dead?"

Aizawa opened his mouth, but promptly closed as his rebuttal died in his throat. He took a moment to digest Yagi's biting words, brows furrowed, "Cutting? Uraraka?" Those two words felt wrong being mentioned together. Were they speaking about the same bubbly brunette that vomited literal rainbows when overexerting her quirk? The Erasure Hero, who was usually good at maintaining his poker face, was faltering. He growled, "Yagi, how in the he-"

"Shh!" Yagi pressed a bony finger to his lips as he sharply met the younger man's eyes. His hands gestured down the hall towards the lone bedroom, "She's still resting."

He kept his voice lower, but maintained the fire of his frustration when he rasped, "Seriously? There's a student asleep in your bed?"

Yagi stammered helplessly, "It sounds terrible when you put it like that!" When Aizawa gave him another pointed glare, he groaned, "Look, I've stayed in this room the entire time she's been back there and while I've waited on your lazy butt to get here and help me."

Aizawa grumbled, throwing his hands in the air to accent his disbelief, "How is it that someone like that's as knowledgeable as you can be so stupid when it comes to common sense? It's like you're trying so hard to get yourself fired! You better be glad your character is second only to a deity, otherwise you'd be screwed beyond your wildest dreams right about now."

The blooming flush across Yagi's face meant he was either dying of embarrassment or frustration. He cupped his hands over his face to vainly hide his anger, a deep sigh erupting from the hallow of his palms, "I get it! I messed up royally. Utterly, totally screwed up! But can we focus on the primary issue here?" He crossed his arms over his chest, taking a moment to collect himself before speaking once more, "We can bicker about my stupidity later. Right now, we have a student who doesn't believe she deserves to live because she's shouldered the blame of Shei Hissaikai's aftermath."

At that, Aizawa allowed himself to push down the desires to throat punch the former hero. He ebbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers to coax away his starting headache, finding a seat in Yagi's living room. The skeletal man's shoulders rolled forward in resolution before he followed suit, finding his spot across from his guest.

"Okay," Aizawa's eyes bore into Yagi's as he tapped into his interrogation skills. "I got a general idea of the situation, but I want you to tell me everything about the last few hours."

So, he did. Yagi's features hardened as he recalled the broken child he tended to at Heights Alliance. He explained how the walls Uraraka built to keep herself together collapsed when Yagi refused to abandon her to the point, she'd disclosed exactly how she felt about herself. His eyes glistened with remorse when he told of the smothering survivor's guilt their student endured alone in fear of burdening others, and how her mask had worked on her teachers and friends.

Aizawa leaned in his chair as the story continued to unfold, mentally grasping at statements that intrigued him the most to dissect once Uraraka awoke.

Yagi's monologue had dissipated following the eventual discussion of Uraraka's self-inflicted wounds, a string of English curses leaving his tongue under his breath as his frustrations overtook him. Large hands buried themselves into golden hair as he rested his elbows on his knees. "We're supposed to help this class, Shouta. We've been asked to protect them while they're here and we missed all the warning signs with young Uraraka." He spared a glance at the man across the room to note similar tension in his limbs, "She's just a kid. They're all kids…"

"Kids that are going to be the best heroes this place has produced in years." Aizawa caught Yagi's eyes once more, weaving his hands together to fight off the nervous twitch along his fingers. "1A is a group of spitfires that attract more attention than any class before them. They've proven themselves more times in their first year than most do in their first active season as a hero."

"While their bodies are capable to handle battle, their minds aren't."

"I agree." It was an unshakable truth known well between both men. Training one's body for heroics was simple in comparison to the mental toil endured in time. The concept of professional self-care was glossed over through yearly seminars in Aizawa's high school days and barely a thing in Yagi's. The Heroes Commission turned mostly a blind eye to the increasing suicide rate of budding heroes unable to cope with traumatic loss; young fledglings with fresh hero licenses were being thrown from their proverbial nests, expected to soar like eagles against the thunderstorms of criminal society.

Many were unprepared for the true taste of a failed mission. Innocent bloodshed is not desirable on any mission but was sometimes unavoidable when a villain's resolve had hardened. Natural disasters, self-made crisis and 'wrong place, wrong time' situations were especially difficult because those expecting to be the savior often end up as relief once the damage was done. Comrades meant to aid in battle sometimes returned home in a box or urn. The sting of death especially throbbed when a personable title was attached.

Aizawa's homeroom class had already dealt with the sting of trauma, much sooner than most new heroes.

While he and Yagi knew these children were capable of handling themselves to protect others- as they'd shown countless times and admittedly caused to bloom from Aizawa's heart- he had failed to imprint the importance of their personal care.

Aizawa had failed 1A.

He had failed Uraraka.

Yagi's gentle timbre broke Aizawa from his introspection, "So, how do we go about fixing this?" His tension weighted heavy in his shoulders, threatening to topple his lithe figure from the chair he leaned out of. His head hung heavy for a moment before rising abruptly to catch his colleague's eye, "While I know the routes from a pro hero standpoint, I'm clearly a novice in a school setting."

"While you made some questionable decisions tonight, you did what you believed was best for our student." Aizawa was not one to readily dole compliments when things did not go as planned, but he knew the elder's nurturing showed results. Yagi stifled a cough in surprise but said nothing as the ebony-haired man continued, "Uraraka would have likely continued to attempt hiding this problem until it blew into a much greater crisis had you not intervened tonight. It also sounds like her trauma response was spear-headed by underlying stressors, possibly from before her time at UA."

Yagi nodded, "There was nothing fully disclosed, but also enough context clues to make that assumption." He knocked a knuckle softly against his temple in thought, "When I mentioned therapy, there was one remark that stood out. She mentioned how it would be unaffordable; do you know any details on Uraraka's home life?"

In the back of his mind, Aizawa vaguely recalled sifting through the charts of his students prior to their first day of class. He pondered aloud to sift through the memory, "Nothing remarkable stuck out in her record. She had a decent record and an unremarkable background- a single child living with both parents at home. I think it also mentioned her parents owned a construction company in Mei Prefecture."

"Makes me wonder how their business is doing if she's that concerned about finances." A blunt, but valid question rose from the blonde. As both heroes were aware, most red flags associated with trauma rise from a rudimentary need being unmet or stripped from the victim. Trauma could be triggered by financial, medical and social instabilities just as much as a violent event or natural disaster.

Yagi and Aizawa had worked many cases where interrogations uncovered the root cause of a crime being their primal need to survive. Husbands taking cash from convenience stores to assist in buying medication for their ill child. Mothers shoplifting small, perishable foods for their family to make it through another night. Many of those cases failed to catch the eye of reporters awaiting major villain attacks like blood-thirsty animals, but they were the ones that brought a dragging ache to the heart of a well-meaning hero.

Those were the times many heroes realized they could not truly save everyone because they were not gods. They could assist to a point, then their hands were tied.

Over thirty years of service, and those cases were the ones that haunted Yagi the most because All Might failed them.

Aizawa, while not as vast in experience as Yagi, also felt the sting of those cases because they were plentiful. Despite his stoic demeanor, he was not heartless. He hummed to distract himself from the crawling dread in his chest, "That may be something we need to discuss in detail with Uraraka once she's awake. I don't want to compile trauma if there's nothing there, but you know as well as I do we'll need to confront those needs if possible."

"Yes," Yagi gave a curt nod. "Until we're able to do that, let's figure out the best way to have this conversation with young Uraraka."

A mutual nod came from Aizawa as the two continued their discussion in hushed tones. The conversation only paused when the creak of door hinges, followed by soft padding of feet came from the end of the hall.