This chapter's a wild one, things are starting to pick up and I'm super excited!
As always thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy reading as much as I've had writing this.
Still dazed from his visit to the hospital, Midoriya walks into the UA office building and makes his way down to the teachers' offices. He'd already texted Toshinori on the way over so he doesn't even bother knocking before swinging the door open.
Most of the teaching staff and administration are already waiting inside. His mentor must have gathered them after Midoriya checked in. some are trying to drown themselves in coffee, others aren't, but all of them look tired and stressed out of their minds. Though Midoriya supposes anyone would be with a missing teenager and an entire class of other teens trying to go after him.
As he shuts the door behind him, the teachers look up and straighten a little in their seats for the meeting to start. Principal Nezu settles the room from where he's nestled into Aizawa's scarf, after explaining Midoriya's presence he asks about his visit to the hospital and to Todoroki's mother.
He leaves out the more personal parts, the parts he wants to keep for himself. It may be selfish but thankfully none of the teachers point out the holes in his story, but he can see Midnight turn and snicker into her hand, and out of the corner of his eye Snipe passes something discreetly to Thirteen.
Once he's told them his story, every word, the teachers thank him and ask him to step out for a moment. They look much more awake now, and more solemn. They ask him to stay nearby. They might just be asking him to stay.
After their deliberations, Toshinori slides out of the meeting room to find his oldest student sitting on the old cloth bench across the wide hallway. With a great sigh, Toshinori drops himself onto the bench next to Midoriya, interrupting his intense focus on the cracks between the tiles at his feet.
"We called Todoroki Natsuo, but he refuses to come to the city. "
"So we have to go to him then!" insists Midoriya
Toshinori nods slightly before grimacing, "There's going to be supervision." Midoriya's brow crunches in confusion before his expression quickly morphs into surprise. Toshinori holds up a hand, silencing Midoriya before he even starts, "Yes, we will be sending a small group of students. Yes, they've already been chosen. Yes, you're one of them."
Midoriya nods so fast Toshinori worries the boy will lose his head and murmurs so fast Toshinori can't keep up, despite having adjusted over the years to the fast-paced way the young man's brain works. He lets his student ramble.
He nods when Aizawa peeks out of the door, Aizawa nods back before slipping back into the meeting room. Midoriya continues his train of thought and Toshinori smiles, little and fond, keeping an ear open to make sure his student's stream of thoughts don't spiral into blame or sadness.
As he listens, he decides his protege doesn't need to know that the only reason students are going is that Natsuo had flat out refused to talk to pro heroes on their turf. The retired hero doesn't like the implications that admission held. He's not sure he wants to know what happened to Mrs. Todoroki and her children, but he'll be damned sure they're never going back. Heavens knows Enji won't tell them.
Toshinori was the one to call when they first tried to find young Todoroki. He's called ten times now.
He knows Aizawa's called too. Catching the teacher skipping his habitual nap as he quickly hung up the phone, looking in no way calm, really needed no explanation.
Once the teachers finagled the logistics and wrangled the children, more adults now than children as they are, the students going to Osaka to meet Natsuo are announced. Jirou, Midoriya, Kirishima, Momo, and Sero are to be accompanied by Aizawa himself. The rest of the students get to work helping those going pack for the two and a half-hour train ride.
Once ready, Aizawa leads his students down to the train station. They have some time before their train pulls in, so they split up to go to the bathroom, get something to read, or in Kirishima and Midoriya's case are assigned snack duty. Aizawa drapes himself over a bench wrapped in his sleeping bag, somehow he still manages to only take up a respectful amount of space.
Walking to the vending machines, Kirishima strikes up a conversation about a recent hero debut, a powerful girl who graduated alongside the big three just last year. It's a relief to have something light to talk about, giving them a chance to breathe in the middle of all this. Midoriya almost pulls out his hero notebook as Kirishima leans against the machine pressing buttons to release the snacks, but he doesn't have the chance before Kirishima loads his arms with snacks.
They've got enough junk food to entertain five students and some salty extras to bribe Aizawa with if need be. Walking back, arms full of packages, they aren't quite looking where they're going, relying mostly on their periphery to keep them from running into other commuters.
Of course, just as Kirishima goes to crack some joke, he runs headfirst into someone coming off another train.
Kirishima grabs the few snacks he dropped and starts apologizing as he looks up. He stops as he sees Midoriya wide-eyed and frozen, straightening up he turns to look at the man before taking a tentative half step back. packages crinkle in his arms as he grips them a little tighter.
Endeavor glares down at them harshly, "What are two UA students doing in the train station when school is in session?" Kirishima can almost hear Midoriya swallow next to him as endeavors surprisingly icy glare pins them.
Bumbling his words for a moment Kirishima manages a halfhearted "My cousin…" before clearing his throat and continuing with at least some more confidence "She's getting married and I didn't wanna be the dude my age there, so my family said I could bring a friend." Endeavor doesn't look completely convinced but he huffs and stomps on out to the street.
Both boys heave sighs of relief and scramble back to the benches and Aizawa. Still shaken, they collapse onto the bench and shove the snacks into their backpacks.
"Good thinking" breathes Midoriya, still somewhat panicked, as he reaches over to risk death, destruction, and or expulsion by waking Aizawa.