Shinso wiped the sweat off his brow, huffing as he slowed down to take a break. The sun was starting to rise, which meant he needed to finish his jog soon if he wanted to be the first to use the showers. He sighed. Never again would he make a mistake of hitting the baths after seven in the morning. It was like a battlefield. He never realized how difficult it was to live with other people. He was used to having his own space his whole life after all.

The sound of rhythmic footsteps reached his ears, urging him to turn around. The distinct two-tone hair color that greeted him made him groan. The look the half-and-half boy was giving him, alongside the notable slowing of his jogs, told Shinso that he was gearing up for a chat.

Shinso returned the nod Todoroki sent him, eying the shorter boy curiously as his mismatched eyes zoned in on him.

"I heard from Monoma…" Todoroki looked down, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He didn't know if the purple-haired transfer student would appreciate his sentiment, but as someone who's also from a complicated family situation, he wanted to at least provide a bit of support. "Aizawa-sensei had been unaware of your existence up until the start of high school. It was only then that he realized he was a father all this time."

Shinso took a moment to just… look at him. Was Todoroki really being serious, or was he honestly that unbelievably gullible? He let out a long, slow breath. He was going to kill Monoma. "He's not my dad." He watched the fire and ice quirk holder blink at him in stunned surprise. Did he really believe that ridiculous story?

"No?"

"No." Shinso deadpanned. "You're an idiot if you believe a word out of that copycat's mouth."

"Oh."

Shinso didn't bother to wait for him to come into terms with the truth. He started to jog away, leaving Endeavor's son standing there in silence. Why was he so curious about his family affairs anyway?

"Brother, then?"

Shinso nearly tripped on his own two feet, whirling around in disbelief when he heard Todoroki call out to him again. "What?" He responded just above a whisper, eying the other boy in utter disbelief.

The look on the brainwashing quirk user's face made Todoroki rethink his assumption. "Cousin?"

For the love of– "We're not related." Shinso replied with a finality that offered no further rebuttal.

"Oh, sorry." Came the two-tone haired boy's reply, bowing slightly before he resumed his morning jog.

Shinso scoffed as he watched the back of the top student disappear in a corner. For someone so academically gifted, he could seriously be an idiot sometimes.


Shinso clicked his tongue at the sound of incessant knocking. Who was it this time? He was still busy trying to dry his unruly hair for crying out loud. It's barely been a week since school started but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get a single day of peace to himself.

He dropped the blower on his bed, stomping his way towards the door to open it. He watched the electricity user flinch at the sudden, unexpected movement. "What?" Came his irate tone.

"Oh, uh… Breakfast is ready."

"And?"

Kaminari looked at him weird, not sure what the former general studies student meant. "And you never head down to eat." He shrugged. "So let's go. Everyone always eats together."

Shinso failed to hide the surprise on his face. They all ate... together? How did they even manage to get everyone to participate? "I don't eat breakfast." He moved to close the door, but a hand was pressed against it in the next second.

"Huh?! Are you serious?" Kaminari looked at him with wide eyes. And here everyone thought he was skipping breakfast because he was feeling shy or something. "How do you get through morning classes without any food?"

"Coffee." Shinso replied curtly, as if the answer was obvious enough. He glared at the hand against his door, wishing the loudmouth would just drop it. The other ones who tried to called him down for breakfast always gave up the moment he told them he didn't eat in the morning.

Strange machine-like noises, followed by pouring sounds, made Kaminari attempt to peek in the room, but Shinso's form and the wide expanse of the door blocked his view. "Why does it smell like…?" He paused to sniff the air. "Are you making coffee in there?" An impatient look was all he got as an answer.

"I need to get ready for school, so if you don't mind?" Shinso nudged the door still propped open against the hand of the meddling blonde.

Kaminari eyed the purple-haired boy from head to toe in silent appraisal. He was far from the scrawny kid they fought against during the sports festival, but he was still a way to go if he really wanted to bulk up.

"Okay, dude. You seriously gotta head down and eat something. Skipping breakfast ain't healthy! I swear the food's pretty good. It's Kirishima and Bakugo's turn this time. No matter how much of an ass Bakugo is, he's a surprisingly impressive cook! Trust me! You'll regret it if you don't taste it! So come on! Hurry up! They made more than enough for everyone!"

There'd been a lot of temptations for Shinso regarding the use of his quirk for his own personal gain, but he couldn't remember the last time the urge had been this strong. He wanted to order the hyperactive pikachu to shut up so bad.

In the end, the red-haired guy, the one who always smelled like vanilla and frosting, and the mutant who loved animals were by his door as well, asking him to tag along too. He sighed, stepping out of his room to head to the dining area with them.

Why wouldn't everyone just leave him alone?


Shinso took a moment to catch his breath after making sure that he was a good couple of meters away from the dormitory. When he overheard that Midoriya and his friends were waiting for him by the entrance again, he knew he had to head out through his room's window and find an alternative route to class.

He sighed. What was the point of walking to school together? It's not like he didn't know the grounds. He may be a new student in the hero course but he's been in UA as long as they have. He didn't need anyone's help getting around.

He clicked his tongue. This particular way was a bit longer than his usual path, but he was sure he would make it in time for homeroom period if he kept his pace.

"Hey! Hey, you there! Wait up, listener! Shinso Hitoshi!"

Shinso let out a calming breath before facing the sound hero who immediately took hold of his shoulders. "What is it, sensei?"

"Is it true?! I heard just yesterday! Is Shota really your dad?! Did he really abandon you and your mom when she was pregnant with you?!"

Shinso knew that Present Mic was a bit… odd, and that his sanity and interests were often times… questionable, but he's never felt so weirded out by the older man than he was now. The rumors were seriously getting out of hand, but the fact that the blonde hero even lent an ear to them didn't make any sense.

"I was laughing at the whole thing when people first started talking about it, but when I asked Shota, he just… looked at me, sighed, and then walked away! He keeps avoiding my calls and he isn't answering any of my messages!"

Shinso took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly through his nose as he watched the UA professor pace all over the place.

"I mean, I've known Shota since our days in UA, but you know, he's never the type to talk about himself or anything. You can ask him stuff but he always answers vaguely, you know? So it got me thinking… What if, you know, he actually got involved with someone in the past? It could've been one night that eventually resulted to, you know…"

Shinso watched the older man gesture at him, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "You, of all people, should know how ridiculous those rumors are, Mic-sensei."

"So… you're not, you know?"

"No." He replied flatly.

"You don't have to save his ass if he really was, you know, an ass. You can tell me the truth."

"I'm not his son." Shinso answered with more conviction this time, hoping the glare that accompanied his response got the point across. "Now if there's nothing else, I'm going to be late."

Shinso didn't bother to wait for a reply, walking away from Present Mic before he could say another word. He sighed. What the hell were people thinking? How could anyone spread those baseless, damaging rumors about Eraserhead? He felt his blood boil at the thought of his mentor's reputation being unfairly tarnished.

It was barely two minutes since his encounter with the sound hero, when the silhouette of the former symbol of peace appeared before his eyes. A sudden puff of smoke made his once muscular form deflate into a scrawny, sickly old man.

All Might fought the coughs that wracked his chest, clearing his throat several times as he swallowed the blood that spilled through his mouth. "Young Shinso, I was hoping to run into you."

"Sensei." He nodded his greeting, adjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder as he waited for him to finish his sentiment.

"I won't beat around the bush. Aizawa-kun and I may not get along often, but believe me when I say this… He is a trustworthy man. Incredibly responsible. Righteous. Always fair. I may not know all the details of the situation, but… I hope, regardless of whatever might have happened in the past, you can find it in your heart to give him a chance."

Shinso resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Not this one, too.

"I'm sure Aizawa-kun had his reasons. Wrong as they may be… But perhaps hearing them out would somehow help?"

"We're not related." Shinso summarized curtly before sidestepping away from the surprised hero. "I'm late for class." He offered as an explanation while taking his leave.

All Might glanced at the back of the gloomy boy, finally understanding why he always had this… sadness around him wherever he went. He probably still couldn't accept the fact that his own father abandoned him as a child, and was, out of nowhere, suddenly offering him help and advice. It was obvious in the bitter way he rejected the idea of them being a family altogether. He sighed. Hopefully the identical looking father and son would patch things up eventually.

Shinso hurriedly changed his shoes by the lockers, realizing he was the only one left in the area. He huffed in annoyance. If only those blonde heroes hadn't slowed him down, he wouldn't be having this problem. He clicked his tongue. What was it about blondes and their incessant need to keep yapping?

Shinso finally made it to the second floor, only to be cornered by Midnight-sensei in the hallway. "He's not my father. I'm not his kid. We're not related." He blurted out before she could get a word in.

Midnight groaned in annoyance. So all the rumors were false? She huffed, ignoring the younger boy who bounded through the halls in a rush. So much for a little bit of drama.

Shinso barely made it in class, bowing in apology towards their homeroom teacher as he made his way towards his chair. He ignored the curious, inquisitive glances sent towards him, focusing on getting himself settled on his desk. He cursed silently in his head. It was barely eight in the morning, but he felt like he's been up all week without a single ounce of sleep.

He pulled out a pen and a notebook, flipping through it as first period started. He took a deep breath in, hoping he'd be able to concentrate on all his classes throughout the day.


Shinso could almost taste the relief his body felt the moment the bell rang. The day was finally over. He could head back to his room and-

"Would Shinso Hitoshi please report to the principal's office? I repeat, would Shinso Hitoshi of Class 2-A please report to the principal's office. Thank you."

Shinso could feel every single pair of eyes on him as he gathered the rest of his things, leaving the room before anyone else could ask why he was being summoned by Nezu-sensei. It's not like he knew the answer to that either.

"Oh! Glad of you to come so quickly."

Shinso bowed politely towards the tiny… Rat? Dog? Bear? He shook his head. That part didn't really matter. "What am I called for, principal?" He sat on the couch Nezu gestured towards.

"I'll get straight to the point. Since I'm the head of this school, it's my responsibility to get to the bottom of things."

Shinso sighed. He knew exactly what this was about. "Nezu-sensei, I'll save you the trouble of asking. Aizawa-sensei and I are not related by blood." He watched the feline nod casually at his answer.

"I'm aware, but it's still my responsibility to confirm it. I already talked to Eraserhead earlier and he told me the same thing. I just wanted to hear your answer."

"Is sensei in trouble because of the rumors?" He watched the High Spec quirk user send him an amused glance.

"Oh no! This is just a formality to ensure that there won't be any bias towards you from his side. He still teaches a class to you sophomores after all."

"I see." Shinso nodded, secretly glad that his mentor was in the clear.

"I confess though, a small part of me doubted him a little." Nezu grinned sheepishly at the wide-eyed look the younger boy donned, clearly surprised by his statement.

"I'm sorry?"

"You see, in all the years that he's taught here, never before have I seen him so passionate over a student. Not only did he lobby for your transfer, but he also spends most of his free time training you." Nezu chuckled to himself as he shook his head in disbelief. "It's an unexpected development, but an utterly pleasant one to be honest. To think that that lazy ass actually turned out to be quite a stellar teacher!"

Shinso nodded slightly, not sure what to say exactly. It wasn't the first time he's been told that the underground hero had a bias towards him, but this was definitely the only instance he's ever felt it to be true. Eraserhead wasn't his homeroom teacher after all, so he just assumed he treated everyone under his care equally.

"Thank you, Shinso."

"Sir?" He glanced at the smile on the principal's face, confused by his gratitude.

"It was thanks to you and last year's class 1-A that Aizawa finally started loving teaching. He's always excelled at it, that's no question. But during the previous year… I could tell he was really happy."

Shinso nodded again, still unsure of what to respond. If anyone should be grateful, it should be him. After all, none of this would have happened if it weren't for Eraserhead. It all just seemed like a childish dream to him until the underground hero made him realize it was possible. He never really saw the light at the end of the tunnel until his mentor finally showed him the way.

"So thank you, Shinso."

Shinso mimicked the bow the principal sent him, deciding not to say anything further.


"We can definitely keep the weekend schedules, but the weekday training would have to vary depending on my availability. Most of them would have to be planned last minute. Is that okay?"

"Of course, sensei. It's not a problem."

"…"

Shinso eyed his phone to check if the call had been cut off. Seeing it still connected, he brought it back against his ear. "Sen-"

"You seem irritated."

Shinso blinked at the random observation. "I… I'm not."

"Toshi."

Shinso sighed. Aizawa-sensei was using that tone of his again – the one that told him he could see through all his bull shit so there was no point in lying.

Shinso gave up eventually and began mentioning all the rumors spreading about them. The story now had a life of its own, having several versions crafted to sully his mentor's name. Eraserhead was being labeled as someone who abandoned a child, and refused to financially support a woman he supposedly knocked up. He clicked his tongue. How on earth people could even think that was beyond him.

"They're not all bad."

"Sensei, you don't have to mince your words with me, remember? If you're bothered, just say so."

"I'm not."

"Why not?" He huffed, fisting his free hand in frustration. "They're accusing you of all sorts of things without any proof!" He heard the older man sigh exasperatedly in reply.

"There are worse things I can be accused of."

"But–"

"Being your dad isn't one of them."

Shinso didn't know what to answer to that. The warm feeling was back, spreading all throughout his body, reaching until the very tips of his toes. It was exhilarating but at the same time… comforting. There was a tightness in his chest, but somehow it wasn't suffocating. It was strangely… grounding.

What was this feeling?

"Good night, kid."

The line was dead before Shinso could say the words back.

"Good night, Aizawa-sensei."


End of chapter 2!

So I've plotted out the rest of the story and I've decided to increase it to five chapters, with the last one having a Christmas theme just in time for the month of December!

More on Shinso's backstory in the next update (again... not a foster kid, not abused, not mentally ill because I only wish him happiness lol). Some hints were given in this chapter, so I wonder if you caught them :p

Thank you for reading! A kudos and a comment would be highly appreciated ^^