Shinso sighed for the umpteenth time, tired of all the incessant questions. When he'd been called down to the common area for an emergency meeting, he expected something urgent and troubling. So when he was asked to sit down on a chair surrounded by the rest of class 2A, he expected the worst.
"Do you think sensei would appreciate party poppers?"
"What kind of gift should we give him?"
"Sato says he can take care of the cake, so what flavor does Aizawa-sensei like?"
"What's his favorite cuisine?"
"I think we should do a surprise! Like… villains suddenly infiltrated our dorms and sensei has to come in and save us!"
All sets of eyes turned towards the blonde pikachu beaming at his idea, not quite registering the look of utter disbelief from everyone in the room.
"Are you serious?" It was Ashido who broke the silence.
"Do you want sensei to kill us?" Jiro folded her arms across her chest, clicking her tongue at the electricity user's dense nature.
"You know, it might actually work." Sero stroked his pointy chin, humming in approval. "If we're really going to go for a surprise party."
"Isn't it a bit… morbid?" Kirishima winced. Sure it's been more than a year since the USJ incident, but a campus security breech still seemed a bit too extreme for a prank. Eraserhead nearly lost his life trying to save all of them after all.
"What do you think, Shinso?"
Shinso eyed Midoriya's inquisitive glance, feeling the rest of his classmates turn to shift their attention towards him as well.
"Do you think Aizawa-sensei would appreciate a surprise party?" The green-haired boy asked further, waiting patiently for a reply.
Shinso sighed tiredly, confused as to why they were looking for his approval about everything. He was their former homeroom teacher. They saw him almost every day throughout the entirety of their freshmen year. Shouldn't they know him better than he did?
"Quite frankly, no." He replied curtly, not feeling the need to explain further. Eraserhead was a very private person. Despite his sloppy look and the perpetually relaxed, borderline groggy countenance he always seemed to have, he was every bit meticulous when it came to his work and routine.
He's never seen the older man caught off guard, but in the small instances something hadn't gone according to plan, slivers of annoyance slipped through the underground hero's façade that would generally have gone unnoticed under an untrained eye.
Aizawa Shouta was a man of schedules. He disliked doing anything spontaneous, unlike his self-proclaimed best friend who would randomly barge in on their training sessions, inviting them out to eat.
Shinso sighed. At first, he didn't exactly understand how on earth they got along based on the stark difference in their personalities. But the more he saw them interact, the more it made sense.
The loudmouth blonde talked enough for the both of them, and was insistent enough that it made someone as stoic and stubborn as Eraserhead just throw his hands up in the air and… give in. It was an interesting dynamic.
"So… no party?" Came Aoyama's disgruntled clarification, scanning the room for someone who would push for it.
"But wouldn't it be cool if we'd be the ones to throw Aizawa-sensei's first ever surprise birthday party?"
Everyone turned their attention towards Kaminari, who simply shrugged as he eyed the rest of them casually. "Think about. It'd at least be unforgettable for sensei." He grinned, feeling more confident as he watched the rest of them start to reconsider the idea.
"Damn. Kaminari actually made sense." Jiro blinked, stunned by the unexpected development, much to the agreement of everyone in the room.
"Are fucking pigs gonna start to fly?"
Shinso glanced at the spiky-haired hothead, secretly surprised that he bothered to join in on the meeting. Bakugo was always so detached whenever it came to group gatherings that it made him wonder just what Eraserhead was to the explosive boy. He obviously held the older man in a different regard compared to other adults. As for why, Shinso had yet to find out.
Kaminari pointed at the other sneering blonde, grumbling at the insult. "What?! Just admit it's a good idea!"
"For once, Kaminari actually has a valid point."
"Agreed."
Kaminari huffed at the exchange he overhead from Tokoyami and Shoji, bristling at the backhanded compliment. He mumbled his complaints, sitting back down the couch.
"So, we're a go?" Aoyama eyed the rest of his classmates, receiving a mix of nods and shrugs. He smirked, silently happy he had an excuse to wear the new pants he bought last week. It was covered in colorful sequins, mimicking the way a rainbow would shine just right after a relentless rainstorm. He sighed wistfully, already imagining how wonderfully picturesque it would make him look.
"What gift do you think Aizawa-sensei would appreciate?"
Shinso turned towards Tsuyu, allowing himself a few moments to think of a good answer.
"Hair accessories!" Ashido suggested, gushing at the mental image of the underground hero with his hair up and away from his handsome face. It was like seeing him in a completely new light, just like that time he wore his hair in a half bun, clean-faced, and wearing a perfectly tailored suit. She sighed. Now if only someone in his class could get kidnapped again so he would go all out and dress up for another press conference!
"Oh!" It was Hagakure who chimed in this time. "We can get him some hair products too!" She jumped in the air; the bobbing of floating clothing the only evidence of the movement. "Some smoothening cream, definitely some mousse and gloss… and let's not forget hair spray!"
"Some styling gel could help too." Ojiro added; his arms folded on his chest looking deep in thought. "Or a hair dryer."
Shino watched a few more of his classmates start to chime in, apparently quite interested in seeing the underground hero with his hair styled. He hummed to himself, fighting the grin that itched to crawl up his face. Apparently Eraserhead was quite popular. He filed that information in his head, thinking of a way to bring it up the next time he saw the older man.
"How about a cat?"
All eyes zoned in on the top student in class who finally decided to break his silence.
"I've seen him more than a few times feeding the strays on campus." Todoroki shrugged, unbothered by the sheer amount of attention on him. "He seems to like cats."
"He already has one." Shinso interjected, eying the half and half boy oddly. Who would gift a pet to someone they barely even knew?
"A playmate then." Todoroki persisted, oblivious to the purple-haired boy's quiet disbelief.
Shinso used to think Todoroki was brazen and rude, but the longer he interacted with the fire and ice quirk holder, the more he realized the smaller man was just… clueless. So utterly oblivious that it was absolutely astounding.
"Um… It's not exactly a good present for someone you aren't close with, Todoroki." It was Uraraka who bothered to explain. "Pets can be very tricky. There's a lot to consider when getting one. Would it get along with sensei? How about with the cat he already has?" She paused, noticing the look of understanding on his face. "So it's better if we stick to something that has a high chance of success." She smiled at the nod of acknowledgement she got in return.
"I know! How about workout stuff?" Kirishima suggested, blatantly proud of the idea. "We could give him something he could use at home."
"He has a mini gym in his house." Shinso shot him down matter-of-factly, earning a look from almost everyone in the room.
"You've been to sensei's house?!" Kaminari inserted himself back to the discussion; his incredulity getting the better of him.
Shinso nodded, feeling himself grow steadily uncomfortable at the disgruntled looks he was getting from the rest of his classmates. "What?"
"Ugh, how come you get to see sensei's house?"
"Shinso, you're so lucky!"
"How does it look like?"
"What's his exact address?"
"I wanna go see his house too!"
Shinso swallowed awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. It wasn't like he invited himself there. Sometimes they would discuss tactics and strategy formation in his study, watching videos and reviewing old hero cases.
When the rest of 2A started getting sidetracked, speculating what Eraserhead's house looked like, Iida redirected everyone's attention back to the matter at hand, shifting his gaze towards Shinso when everyone finally quieted down.
"So what does Aizawa-sensei like?"
Shinso folded his arms across his chest; his deadpan tone cutting through the silence like a knife. "He likes… cats, sleeping, and jelly snacks." He concluded, shrugging at the disappointed looks he got.
"How about we just buy him a lot of jelly snacks?" Uraraka grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of her head in uncertainty. She knew her suggestion was completely uninspired and just plain boring, but somehow it made sense. "Sensei seems like the practical type." She shrugged. "He would probably appreciate something-"
Bakugo snorted, obviously opposed to the idea. "Sure, give the guy a birthday gift he could buy in a damn vending machine."
Uraraka bristled at the unnecessary quip, folding her arms on her chest as she glared at him unfazed. "I haven't heard you make any suggestions."
Shinso felt the air in the room change, watching the two sophomores stare at each other in a silent battle of wills. For some reason, most of which Shinso always seemed to forget, they never failed to argue over… anything really. The exchanges the rest of class made during their standoffs always referenced the sports festival match they had during freshman year. They've apparently been steadily growing at odds with each other since then.
"A smart watch." Bakugo finally answered in a bored, snobby tone that only someone like him could pull off. "He can synch it with his phone, making it easier to access notifications during hero work."
Shinso considered getting the underground hero that particular gadget, but he knew the older man didn't care for accessories. He's never seen him wear anything on his person, regardless of the occasion.
"That's too expensive!" Uraraka countered, rolling her eyes at the blonde's blatant lack of consideration for the rest of them.
"There's twenty of us!" Bakugo continued to argue, whipping his hand towards everyone in the room to emphasize his point. "It's not that fucking expensive if we all split it!" He folded his arms on his chest, standing his ground.
"Not everyone here is a trust fund kid." Uraraka shook her head, not willing to back down from the argument either.
Shinso scanned the room, wondering why no one bothered to interfere with the fight happening right in front of them. He saw a combination of exasperated sighs, sly grins, and knowing looks from the rest of class 2A. His eyebrows rose in understanding, shifting his gaze back at forth between the two quarreling students, finally getting what the tension was probably all about.
"What do you think, eye bags?!"
Shinso glared back at annoying blonde who never seemed to bother with his name. "Dunno, sparky." He retaliated in a cool, detached way that always seemed to get on the other boy's nerves. If he wasn't going to show him some respect, why should he?
Midoriya was in the middle of all three of them, raising his hands up to quiet the growing discord. "Uh… Let's all just take a deep breath-"
"Shut up, Deku!" Bakugo screamed in annoyance.
"You shut up!" It was Uraraka who stepped in this time.
"Guys! None of this is helping!" Kirishima wedged himself between all of them, urging Bakugo to head back to his seat. It seemed the loudmouth blonde hadn't even noticed he actually crossed the entire room just to argue with the gravity quirk user. He clicked his tongue at Kirishima, but stalked back to his chair nonetheless.
Midoriya seemed to have calmed Uraraka down as well, with Iida and Momo immediately moving towards the center to properly facilitate the rest of the meeting.
"Bakugo has made a good suggestion, and Uraraka has also pointed out a very valid argument." Iida began, shifting his gaze back to purple-haired boy. "What do you think?"
Shinso exhaled slowly, feeling gradually irked by their need to always reference everything by him. "Sensei doesn't use accessories."
"Ha." Came Uraraka's gloating. It was quiet enough not to disrupt the discussion, but loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Got something to say, round face?!"
"Bakugo…" Kirishima sighed out loud.
"Guys, please!" Ashido rolled her eyes, blatantly tired of their posturing. Their bickering was generally funny to watch, but it was getting late and they haven't made any progress at all.
"How about a sleeping bag?" Kaminari interjected, moving everything back on track, making the rest of the class sigh in gratitude. "Sensei seems to only have one. The yellow one?" He looked around for agreement. "Maybe we can get him another one?"
Shinso silently panicked at the suggestion. That was his gift! There was no way would he let the entire class give Aizawa-sensei the exact same present he was giving him. "Sensei has several." He lied smoothly, tone unbothered and clinical. "They're just all yellow." He shrugged, feeling himself relax when a collective sigh of dejection resounded in the room.
"How about a new pair of goggles? His current ones are hideous!"
Shinso glared at the flamboyant blonde, utterly scandalized by his blasphemous claim. How dare Aoyama call out the underground hero's aesthetic taste? Change Eraserhead's signature look?! Had he gone mad?!
"I don't think sensei would like that." Tsuyu spoke out what everyone else had been thinking. "How would you feel if somebody gifted you a new cape for you birthday?"
Aoyama visibly shuddered at the idea. His beautiful glittering cape was perfect the way it was thank you very much!
"How about school supplies?" Shoji proposed, unaffected by the negative looks he got from most of the people in the room. "I agree with Uraraka. Sensei seems like a practical man. It may not be exciting, but at least we're sure it'll be of use to him."
"I'm sure he'll appreciate something he can actually make use of." Ojiro nodded, with Tokoyami and Koda following suit.
"But… That's so boring!" Ashido whined. "How about we get him some clothes? Eri insinuated he dressed differently outside of work!" Her eyes gleamed at the possibilities. "How about a leather jacket? Wouldn't it be cool to see sensei in one?"
Mixed responses were garnered from the rest of the class.
"How about we just get him a vacation?"
All eyes were on Momo; the entire room instantly brightening at her recommendation.
"That's it!"
"Momo you're a genius!"
"Does sensei even take vacations?"
"Which is why it's perfect!"
"Where do you think we should send him?"
Shinso had thought of that too, but he knew Aizawa-sensei too well. The underground hero's idea of a vacation was a nap at home, alone and unbothered. He shook his head. He wished the older man would take a leave of absence every once in a while. He overworked himself way too much, and didn't seem to mind that at all.
"How about a coupon for a weekend trip over to a hot spring?" Midoriya chimed in, eying everyone's reactions. "Sensei doesn't seem like the type who likes to go on long vacations." He shrugged. "Maybe he'd be more inclined to if it's just a short out of town trip."
Momo shut her mouth immediately, just about to blurt out the name of a hotel in Hawaii she absolutely adored. She sighed out loud in relief at having been able to catch herself, recalling Bakugo and Uraraka's earlier argument about staying within everyone's budget.
"But wouldn't it be lonely if sensei went to the hot springs alone?" Kaminari asked, genuinely curious.
Everyone looked at him, surprised by his consideration. He was seriously on a roll today! Did he eat something weird?
"Maybe we can give him two vouchers so he can bring someone else?" Iida added, pausing just before he could ask his next question. Who would Aizawa-sensei take with him? Or better yet, did he even have someone he could actually bring?
"Shinso!" Kaminari called out, bringing everyone's attention back to the purple-hair boy once again. "Is sensei seeing anyone?" The grin on his face, and the glint in his eye spoke volumes about his excitement. It wasn't every day they would hear personal anecdotes about their former homeroom teacher after all.
"Not that I know of." Shinso answered briefly, earning him disappointed looks and disgruntled snorts. A vacation didn't seem like such a wise choice anymore. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Why were they taking it out on him? It was the truth. The underground hero never so much as hinted towards anyone when it came to that respect.
Shinso had his suspicions, of course. There was Miss Joke, Present Mic, and for some reason, Midnight made his list. There was that one time he'd seen the older man out with Hawks, too. He also considered that detective from the police station. But none of them seemed to fit. He blinked.
There was that one conversation they had though, about a friend the older man used to have. It was a lecture about the difference between heroism and recklessness. Said friend had always been eager to save people beyond his capacity, and had perished as a consequence.
Aizawa-sensei was generally indifferent, and always looked like everything he had to do was some sort of chore; but the whole time he spoke of that friend of his, there was a quiet sadness to him – a wistfulness Shinso's never seen in him before. Perhaps he'd been…?
He shook his head. It wasn't polite to pry, or assume things he had no proof of, but damn if he wasn't curious.
Everyone eventually settled on an assortment of hair accessories, jelly snacks, and school supplies.
Shinso wanted to laugh. The rest of his classmates looked undeniably disappointed with the conclusion, but they had no idea how much Aizawa-sensei would probably appreciate those as gifts.
"SURPRISE!"
Aizawa looked around, utterly confused and disoriented. He just busted through one of the windows of the class 2A dormitory, readying himself for any sort of ambush, when he was met with the lights, party poppers, and a cake lit with several candles.
"What the hell…" He pulled down the yellow goggles off his eyes, narrowing his gaze at the scattered balloons and streamers all over the common room.
His gaze went from the grinning students, then ultimately to the three other professors in the room. When he heard Hizashi, Kayama, and All Might's voices from outside the building fighting passionately, he barged in without a second thought, prepared to face any and all consequences.
So what the fuck was he looking at exactly?
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOTA!" Came Mic's booming voice, forcing the rest of them to cover their ears. It seemed his excitement accidentally activated his quirk.
Kaminari rushed to his side, holding a beautifully done strawberry shortcake, care of Sato. "Sensei! Make a wish!" He looked down at the trick candles in excitement, snickering to himself at the image of the nonchalant professor slowly growing aggravated at the continuous relighting of the wick.
That was all Aizawa needed to put all the pieces together. The dagger in the holster against his hip was out, cutting off the flames in the next second.
Kaminari blinked in stunned surprise; eyes not quick enough to notice just what happened exactly. The image of the underground hero standing right in front of him with a very sharp looking knife made him move away slowly, inch by inch; scared that any sudden movements would cost him an eye. Or two.
Present Mic was hanging against the chandelier in the next second; cloth binds incapacitating him like a mummy.
"Mic-sensei!" The rest of 2A stared at the upside down sound hero in panic; telltale signs of erasure notable with the way their former homeroom teacher's hair floated above him.
He had his reproachful gaze on the two other professors in the room, who now had their hands up in silent surrender. Not only did they leak his actual birth date to the students, but they also had the gall to reprogram one of the bots to inform him of a supposed break in at UA. He clicked his tongue at the sheer level of their irresponsibility.
He was surrounded by a bunch of idiots.
Yamada continued to mutter unintelligible words as he fought against the cloth binds that only freed one eye. He was growing steadily lightheaded at the sudden rush of blood to his brain.
"Explain." Came Aizawa's livid tone; eyes scanning quickly through everyone in the room.
Kaminari felt his blood grow cold when the underground hero's red-rimmed eyes landed on him. Perhaps it was the panic, or maybe just a strong sense of self-preservation, but the words were out of his mouth before he could even process what they meant exactly.
"It was Shinso's idea!"
An insane amount of bloodlust enveloped the entire room.
Kaminari swallowed, feeling the back of his neck prick, knowing for a fact that the former general studies student was glaring death at him. He closed his eyes in mortification. Shinso was going to kill him!
Aizawa turned his gaze towards his enraged protégé; the incredulity of it all allowing him to calm down a little. There was no way he would ever spearhead something this ridiculous. He pulled against the cloth binds one more time, earning a pained yelp from Hizashi before deciding to let him go.
Kayama rolled her eyes, watching the students attempt to free Present Mic from the binds. She brought down her hands, placing a palm against the crook of her hip "Ease that stick up your ass, Eraser."
Class 2A froze at Midnight's incredibly inappropriate commentary. The only one stupid enough to laugh out loud was Bakugo, who immediately ended up silenced by the cloth binds. He quieted down at the sight of the underground hero's floating hair and glowing red eyes. He grumbled the moment he was set free, not attempting to argue against the older man. He would never admit it out loud, but fighting quirkless against someone like Aizawa was a one way ticket to hell.
"Sempai." Aizawa warned, glaring at the smirking woman staring at him defiantly. Her habit of messing with him hadn't died down since their time in UA. What was with her and Miss Joke and their incessant desire to make him fall under the influence of their quirks?
"Aizawa-kun, the kids all worked hard to make this celebration a success."
Aizawa watched All Might gesture towards the table full of food, surprised that most of them had been his favorites. There was only one person in the room who knew most of his habits. He glared back at Hizashi sitting by the couch, making the blonde raise his hands up in a gesture that would hopefully placate him.
"I'm sure the only wish they have is that you enjoy your birthday." All Might finished, eyes imploring his colleague to reconsider his antagonism.
As if on cue, the door opened to reveal Thirteen and Nezu, with Eri right in front of them hurriedly stepping in. Her excitement was palpable, clutching a wrapped gift in her hands, rushing towards the only person in the room dressed in nothing but black.
"Shota-san! Happy happy birthday!" Eri bounced around Aizawa before pushing the sloppy looking present into his hands. "I wrapped it myself!"
Aizawa let out a tired sigh, shoulders drooping in begrudging acceptance.
Everyone glanced at the unknowing little girl who now held onto one of Eraserhead's hands as she pulled him towards the food, secretly thankful for her timely appearance. If there was anyone capable of calming down the stoic pro hero, it was her.
Kaminari jumped in the air, pumping a fist up in delight. "Let's get this party-!" A hand on his shoulder quieted him immediately. He swallowed awkwardly, braising himself for what was to come. He didn't need to look behind him to know who it belonged to.
"Oi."
"H-Hey, Shinso…" He turned around slowly, donning a nervous grin. He raised his hands in surrender, hoping to appease the incensed purple-haired boy looking down at him with a blank expression on his face. "In my defense, I figured sensei wouldn't get mad if it's you-"
"Sit in the living room in silence until the party is over."
Kaminari's posture immediately straightened up; arms dropping down to his sides limply. His glazed eyes darted towards the sofa; feet moving towards it with practiced ease as he sat against the upholstery, quiet and motionless.
Aizawa raised an eyebrow at the scene, surprised to see his protégé so comfortable with using his quirk. It had taken him weeks, and a lot of prodding just to get the teenager to practice his quirk on him.
Shinso sighed the moment he started hearing Midoriya start to detail how much he's improved since the sports festival. He tuned the green-haired boy out, having heard enough about his analysis of brainwashed people's motor control, facial expressions, and degree of submission. He shook his head at that last part. He labeled it 'compliance' in his own research. The way Midoriya worded it just seemed a bit… inappropriate to him.
Jiro shook her head at Kaminari's frozen form, while Ashido simply tutted at him reproachfully.
"He never learns." Tokoyami shrugged, walking away with Ojiro and Shoji right beside him, nodding their agreement.
Sero sighed out loud, not believing Kaminari's audacity when it came to messing with Shinso. The dude could literally control minds! How had the blonde not learned a thing in the past couple of months? He lost count of the number of times the electricity user had been told to 'sit and wait' in the living room. He sighed. He should be grateful Shinso wasn't a sadist. If Bakugo had his quirk- He shuddered, not allowing himself to finish that thought. He wasn't particularly in the mood to go to a dark place.
Shinso glanced surreptitiously at the rest of his classmates, still not quite used to how… normal they reacted whenever he used his quirk. He wasn't feared, shunned or ridiculed. He was just another student with a quirk different from their own. Nothing more, nothing less. He swallowed.
It made him feel… strange.
"Toshi."
All eyes shifted towards Aizawa, before darting back at Shinso.
Midnight raised an eyebrow at the silent exchange. All her junior did was call out Shinso's name, but there was strange kind of… authority to it. It wasn't domineering, but it wasn't nurturing either. It sounded almost like- She tilted her head in a mixture of amusement and disbelief.
Aizawa sounded like an exasperated father, trying to reproach a misbehaving son. She hummed to herself. How interesting.
Shinso sighed out loud, severing his hold inside the loudmouth's mind reluctantly. He walk away before the disoriented blonde could chase after him, complaining about the 'unfairness' of his quirk once again. He sighed.
Why couldn't Kaminari understand that all he had to do was shut up?
Shinso stretched himself out on his bed, feeling exhausted after a full night of socialization. It wasn't like he talked to anyone in particular, but just the fact that he was in a room full of boisterous people left him extremely bone tired.
The chime of his phone's message alert tone made him sigh in annoyance. He left it in his school bag, hung against the back of his door. He pushed himself up, stomping his way to it, grumbling under his breath. He pulled it out brusquely, flopping himself back on the bed; finger moving towards the scanner to unlock it.
Shinso blinked at the notification dot next to his mentor's name. He clicked on the chat box, groaning at the picture that met his gaze. It seemed his gifts had been delivered right on time.
He eyed all the items crammed in the shot, feeling mortified at what Aizawa-sensei must have thought of them.
A memory foam futon.
Four different types of yellow sleeping bags – each designed specifically for a particular season.
A sleeping eye mask with a built-in coolant made specially to soothe tired eyes.
An air humidifier with lavender essential oil bottles.
A huge ceiling to floor glass panel that mimicked waterfalls when plugged in; the sound serving as the perfect white noise to help with sleep. It even had customizable lightning, carrying various degrees of warmth, coolness and intensity.
Are you trying to reorganize my entire bedroom?
Shinso pressed the phone against his forehead, berating himself for choosing so many presents. He just couldn't decide! He spent weeks trying to pick out what gift to give him, but the fact that he knew the older man could make use of all of them made him decide to just buy everything altogether.
Sorry.
He sent the single word, not knowing what else to say.
You're wasting your mother's money.
Shinso bristled at the scolding. That was all his – money he managed to save up from his allowance, from the generosity of other relatives, and from presents given by his mother's colleagues and friends. He typed the rebuttal quickly, rereading it a few times before he allowed himself to send it.
Is that so?
He narrowed his eyes at the curt reply. He could practically hear the underground hero's disbelieving, bored drawl in his ear.
Don't waste money you worked hard to save on me.
Shinso rolled his eyes at the text, beginning to type his rebuttal when another set of messages came before he could send his response.
I didn't even get you anything on your birthday.
I forgot.
Sorry.
Shinso blinked at the unexpected apology, but appreciated it nonetheless. He knew Aizawa-sensei had never been good at remembering dates. Present Mic barging in on their training session for an entire month prior to his own birthday was a testament to that. He chuckled.
Shota, it's 17 days until my birthday! Got it? Oi! Don't forget it again this year! You hear me?! Hey, are you listening?!
The reply Shinso penned next was the easiest he'd done in a while. He didn't need to overthink it. The words just readily flowed right out of him.
You've already given me the best gift, sensei. One I can never repay.
You got me in the hero course.
He felt his ears grow hot at how cheesy it sounded. He scratched against his hair, annoyed with himself for not double checking the message. He glared at the screen, anxious over the underground hero's answer.
YOU got yourself in. Stop passing the credit to me.
Shinso felt a familiar warmth in his chest as he read through the words.
You deserve to be where you are, kid. No doubt about it.
Shinso pursed his lips, blinking back the tears that unknowingly crept up on him. It was one thing knowing that he earned everything he had now, but it was another thing entirely when the person he idolized the most in the whole world reaffirmed that.
Thank you, sensei.
That was all that Shinso could muster as a response. He swiped the back of his hand against his eyes, annoyed at himself for crying. He wasn't a kid anymore damn it! No matter how many times Aizawa-sensei called him that.
Go to sleep.
And thanks.
For the gifts, I mean.
I appreciate them a lot.
Shinso smiled a little at the gratitude, raising an eyebrow at the bottom line that seemed to have been sent as an afterthought.
But don't buy me any more stuff, you hear me?
He chuckled at the last minute reproach. Why was that was such an Aizawa Shota thing to do? He shook his head.
Good night, sensei.
End of chapter 5!
I know I said this was supposed to be five chapters T.T but I just kept getting ideas and now it's turned into seven! I really wanna finish this before the year ends lol so this time I honestly will just stick to seven!
If any of you noticed, in the first chapter, Shinso would only refer to his classmates by their distinct aesthetic characteristics. But as the story continues, more names are revealed, and more characters are explored :) Is he finally making friends? O.O Let's all hope so ;p
This chapter really cracked me up! To be honest, I got my wind to make this new addition after I wrote the next chapter to my BakugoXUraraka fic (you guys see that ship bleed a little bit into this lol)! If you ship them, do check out my other story :)
Thank you for reading! A review would be highly appreciated ^^
