A/N - Hello everyone!
My apologies for not posting last week. I had a major test coming up as well as alot of other things cropping up. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Slight TW as there is some mentioned bullying.
As indicated in the title for this chapter, this is a 2-parter. Once I realized what a beast this chapter was becoming I decided to split it into two pieces. Hopefully the next piece will be posted tomorrow once I get it finished.
As always, I appreciate any and all comments :) Thank you for reading!
Chapter 14 – The Space Between Us – Part 1
Thursday morning started with a sheepish-looking Kaminari waiting for her outside of her office door, scuffing his shoes against the floor as his companion tried to reassure him.
"Miss S is gonna kill me!" he groaned.
Kirishima patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, "Nah, I don't think she's like that at all! Just be honest with her and tell her…"
"Good morning, boys." Aine smirked as they both jumped before bowing simultaneously to her, ear tips turning red as they sputtered out "Good morning!"
"I'll see you in class." the redhead whispered to Kaminari, "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Satterfield!"
Aine waved as Kirishima disappeared down the hall before opening the door, stepping aside to allow Kaminari to enter. As he walked into the room, she noticed how he shoved his hands into his pockets and kept his head low.
"So, Kaminari, what is it you were needing to tell me?" she asked as she closed the door behind her.
His shoulders slumped as though he was trying to shrink into himself, "I….well….I uh…." he looked down at the floor and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Ilostthetrianglethingyyougaveme." he spit out quickly.
Aine chuckled, "Kaminari…" before she could get another word out, he began frantically waving his hands.
"I'm so sorry! I don't know what I did with it! My parents can get another one, I'll ask them today" he bowed down and refused to look up.
"Kaminari!"
He finally stopped and raised his eyes to where she stood in front of him with her arms crossed, "Kaminari, take a breath. It's ok. You aren't in trouble."
He straightened up and looked at her like she had just given him a reprieve from an execution, "I….I'm not?"
Aine shook her head, "Not in the least. It's just a thing that happens. That's why I keep so many. Here…" she walked over to her desk and pulled out the box of fidgets from the day before. She dug through it until she found the black bracelet with moveable plastic pieces, "this is one you can wear. Try this one for today and see what you think. That one you don't have to bring back." Aine held the bracelet out to him and watched as he took it, turning the plastic pieces between his fingers.
"Thanks Miss S."
"It's not a problem. If something happens and you lose that one, don't be afraid to come in and ask for another one. I'm more concerned with what helps you rather than a couple of fidgets going missing."
Kaminari nodded and slipped the bracelet on his wrist.
"Now, you better head to class before you are late again." as if on cue, the first bell rang.
He gave a short bow and another hurried "Thanks" before bolting out the door and down the hallway.
The rest of the day ran smoothly. Aine and Uraraka had visited about starting a journal as well as setting a routine in the evenings consisting of music with a slow tempo and meditation. They had also made a list of people that Uraraka felt she could trust to talk to, Aine wasn't surprised to see Midoriya or Asui on the list.
As the afternoon ticked by, Aine waited at her desk working on her computer. This had become the routine for her final appointment on Thursdays, she worked on her computer and Bakugou came in with his backpack and sat studying. They would sit like this the entire session, the counselor waiting for the student to speak and the prideful student tossing out barbed responses to any attempt at communication.
Something felt different today as Aine heard the door open and the familiar stomping began crossing the room. "Good afternoon, Bakugou."
She felt a presence much closer than expected. As Aine looked up from her computer, Bakugou stood on the other side of her desk with his hand outstretched. There in his hand was the fidget she had given Kaminari the day before.
"Dunceface left this in my room after study group last night."
She tried to hide the surprise in her face as she took the fidget from him and placed it in the box sitting on her desk, "Thank you for bringing it by."
"I would have given it to him when I gave the idiot his notes for today…"
Aine didn't even attempt to hide her surprise now, "I thought Midoriya had taken the responsibility of writing Kaminari's notes."
"Tsk" Bakugou turned on his heel and went to his backpack, "The nerd writes way too damn much down for that idiot. I just write down what he needs from it."
"Why not just copy your own?" Aine leaned back in her chair and looked at the boy as he shrugged.
"The nerd may be annoying as hell but," he paused, and she saw a myriad of emotions play across his features in the flash of an instant, "he catches things a lot of people don't. It pisses me off."
So he takes his own notes and then also gleans the information Kaminari needs from Midoriya's notes. She smiled to herself, Interesting, especially for someone who feigns contempt for everyone he comes in contact with.
Aine sat, not saying a word as though to interject might ruin whatever was happening right now.
"I usually leave out stuff I don't need to know but its stuff that Dunceface does." He starts pulling his schoolwork out of his backpack, setting down a pair of notebooks in front of him. Silence once again enveloped the room as he began working in one notebook. Aine turned her own attention back to the files on her computer from a student's personal therapist that she was in the process of adding to her own. This time the silence wasn't icy and heavy but borderline comfortable. Bakugou even broke the silence a handful of times to ask tips for the study group, with false annoyance of course.
It was only the tiniest nugget of progress, but it was something in the right direction and Aine would happily accept it.
The bell rang signaling the end of the day. Bakugou gathered his belongings, pausing at the door.
"So you really are here to help?" he didn't turn around, his voice low and without its usual bite.
Aine looked up from her computer in surprise before answering, "As much as I can for as many as I can."
He gave a soft humph before halfway turning to look at her with a smirk, "I guess you aren't too bad for a fucking shrink."
She leaned forward with her elbows on the desk, hands fisted together under her chin, "And you aren't too bad for a walking stick of dynamite."
He looked at her for a half a second before making a sound she didn't think possible from the boy, a genuine laugh.
"That's the best you got! HA! See you next week, Shrink."
Aine hid her smile behind her hands, "See you then, Boom Stick."
This earned a huff of amusement from the blonde as he left her office.
As soon as the door clicked closed, Aine was on her feet silently celebrating like she had just won a high stakes game.
She was still mid-celebration when she felt eyes on her. There in the doorway stood Nemuri, amused smile on her face with one hand on the now open door and her phone in her other hand pointed towards Aine.
Immediately, she froze and just looked at Nemuri, face beginning to flush. She tried to save face by pretending to smooth out imaginary wrinkles on the long-sleeved beige sweater and slacks she wore.
"Are you recording me?"
"Maybe" an evil grin stretched across Nemuri's face.
A loud clamor erupted in the hallway, both women bolted through the door towards the commotion.
The entire hallway was blocked by students standing around, Aine and Nemuri pushed their way through them. As the students saw the staff members, they began to separate until the core of the circle opened to reveal a small group of students fighting.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Nemuri's voice echoed off the ceiling causing the group that was fighting to stop. All except three boys in the center of the chaos. Two still grappling on the ground and a third trying to split them up.
"IKEDA, MIDORIYA!" On hearing his name shouted, Midoriya froze and looked at Aine his anger flashing quickly to fear as he jumped to his feet right before Ikeda landed a final sucker punch to his gut. From where he stood as he had been trying to break them apart, Kirishima caught Midoriya as he stumbled backwards into him.
"Whoa! That was NOT manly!" For a split second, Aine wondered if the fight was going to rekindle until Midoriya shook his head while mumbling something that sounded like "not worth it."
Aine cut her eyes over to the other boy, a General Studies student, who immediately dropped his hands when he saw the two staff members glaring at him.
"Kirishima, Midoriya and Ikeda go to Ms. Satterfield's office, the rest of you get to your dorms before you all end up in Nedzu's office." Nemuri's eyes narrowed as she looked over the students. The group started to disperse as Aine followed the three boys into her office. As soon as she passed through the doorway, she sat the boys down: Kirishima and Midoriya on the couch and Ikeda in the chair across from the couch.
"Who wants to tell me what just happened out there?" Aine stood with her arms crossed, Midoriya stared at the ground while Ikeda slumped in the chair with his arms crossed. Kirishima looked between the both of them but didn't say a word.
Nemuri walked in, the door clicking closed behind her as she came to stand next to Aine. "Anyone say what started all of this?"
Aine shook her head, "Did you get ahold of their homeroom teachers?"
"They are both on their way."
"Last chance to explain what happened to us before…" Aine was interrupted by a soft knocking on the door. Nemuri opened it to a kid a little older than the three in her office, Aine recognized him as one of the students from the Support Course – Osamu Sasaki. "Sasaki, I'm sorry we have a small issue to deal with but if you are okay to wait, we can talk…."
"It's my fault."
Nemuri looked from the boy to Aine before letting him into the room.
"I'm the reason for the fight, it was my fault. Please." Sasaki looked down at the floor as he fiddled with the skin on his fingernails, a nervous tic he developed due to bullying in middle school. His jet-black hair curtaining the sides of his face.
"Sasaki…" Kirishima shook his head.
"It's alright, Kirishima." The boy looked to him with a sad smile before turning back to Aine.
Midoriya was on his feet, "No it's not, Sasaki! He c-called you a …. a…." his face was starting to redden as he continued, "a…quirkless weed and b-bragged about being the one to l-leave a red spider lily on your workbench!" Midoriya's hands were clenched in fists as tears spilled down his cheeks.
The temperature in the room almost visibly dropped as both women's eyes snapped to Ikeda, "Is that true?" Nemuri's voice was sharp and ice-cold as she stepped away from the door towards the offending student.
Ikeda turned to look at Nemuri and Aine, "It wasn't like I hit him or anything! Besides, someone like that shouldn't even be at UA in the first place! When my parents hear about this…"
Sasaki winced and hugged himself like he was trying to disappear from the middle of the room. Midoriya was visibly shaking, Kirishima was now standing beside him with his hand on his shoulder and kind eyes on Sasaki.
Aine pinched the bridge of her nose, "Ikeda, I don't want to hear another word out of you. I think we've heard plenty. Midoriya, you and Kirishima sit down please. Sasaki, you may go on to the dorms."
"Yes ma'am…but…." Sasaki looked at the three boys, avoiding Ikeda's knife-like glare.
"We will take care of this from here. UA has a strict policy about both bullying and quirkism." Nemuri gently escorted the boy out of the room.
As she shut the door, she looked at Aine. Aine's anger was boiling under the surface, but she kept her face neutral and her voice calm and smooth as glass. She didn't know Ikeda very well; he had been one of the ones she had discharged relatively quickly.
The sound of the door opening behind her caught her attention as the boys settled back into the couch. Midoriya pulling into himself as Kirishima sat with his elbows on his knees and hands clasped in front of him.
"What happened?" she heard Shouta's voice from behind her as she kept her eyes on the three boys.
"There was a fight in the hallway between Midoriya and Ikeda from General Studies that spread to a handful of other students. Kirishima was in the middle of the fight, but it doesn't look like he was involved any further than trying to break things up." Nemuri related to him. "We are still getting exact details of what led to the fight. Although, according to Midoriya and Sasaki from the Support Course, it appears that bullying may be the core cause of the fight as Ikeda has been using quirkist insults and left a red spider lily for Sasaki."
"Is that so?" another voice came from behind her and as Aine turned, she saw a man with chameleon like features glaring at Ikeda. "Let's go, you and I are heading straight to Nedzu's office."
Grumbling, Ikeda stood and followed his teacher out the door but not before shooting Midoriya and every adult in the room an angry glare.
Sighing, Shouta walked across the room and knelt down until he was eye-level with Midoriya on the couch. "Problem child?" Midoriya looked up at his teacher, "How did this start?"
Midoriya dropped his head, "Hatsume had asked me to come by the support course lab so she could make some adjustments to my gloves. As I was leaving, I saw Sasaki throwing away a red spider lily. We've been talking for awhile since he's quirkless and people used to think I was quirkless, well technically I was until right before the entrance exam when my body was ready for my quirk, but people didn't know that back in middle school…"
"Midoriya…."
"Oh right! Sorry." Midoriya sat a little straighter as he continued, "He told me that he routinely gets the flower, sometimes on his workbench, sometimes left at his locker, sometimes on his desk before classes, but they haven't been able to see who it was. Power Loader was going to install cameras to try and catch the culprit, but it looks like he won't have to now."
"And how did you find out?"
Midoriya swallowed hard, "Sasaki and I were walking down the hallway when we overheard Ikeda and his friends laughing and joking that he should start a 'flower delivery service' and about how much spider lilies would cost." he dropped his head to look at the floor again, "Sasaki said we should just tell Power Loader but I just….I didn't think….I just went over to confront him."
Shouta was still as a stone, "You're doing good, kid. What happened?"
Midoriya's green eyes slowly looked up at his teacher, "He laughed. He laughed and said it was him. 'The perfect flower for a quirkless weed.' I saw red and… and… I punched him." the boy's eyes sank to his hands "His friends lunged at me and next thing I knew Kirishima was pulling me off of him and Midnight and Ms. Satterfield were breaking things up."
Another sigh, "How did you end up involved, Kirishima?"
Kirishima held up his hands, "I was walking down the hallway towards the dorms when Sasaki was shoved by one of the members of the group into me. I caught him and looked up just as Midoriya punched the guy."
Shouta stood up, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at the two boys. "Midoriya," the boy looked up, "although the why is admirable I still have to punish you for fighting on school grounds. Since you admitted to throwing the first punch I think 2 weeks of dorm-cleaning duty is fitting."
"A-am I suspended this time? Like I was after the fight with Kacchan?" the boy bowed his head.
"No. You were acting in defense of another person. However," Midoriya's eyes snapped up to look at Shouta, "if this happens again, find a teacher before you take matters into your own hands Problem Child. The next time there will be higher repercussions. Now get back to the dorms, both of you."
"Yes sir!" the pair stood and bowed together before nearly running out of the room.
As the door closed behind them, Shouta heaved a deep weary sigh.
Aine leaned against the wall, looking out the window. After a few moments, she saw the boys leave the front of the building headed towards the dorms. "Your class really is something, Shou. Hearts are definitely in the right place even if they act before they think."
"My fear is it's the acting before thinking that is going to get them killed one day." his voice was dark as he stepped over to the window. Nemuri sat on the couch, facing away from the two standing at the window. Aine reached over and squeezed Shouta's hand gently before walking around the couch to her desk. Her notebook still open to the tab labeled "Bakugou, Katsuki" the paper blank except for dates. Sitting down, she began writing.
"I hope Nedzu expels the kid." Nemuri mused as she kicked her feet and lay so she now reclined on the couch with her head resting on the armrest.
Shouta folded his arms across his chest, "I wouldn't count on it. The kid's got family on the Commission." Nemuri audible scoffed and skulked down further into the couch, "Pretty sure it's the only way he got into UA at all."
Of course the little shithead has connections to the Commission.
Aine shook her head as she continued jotting down her notes from Bakugou's session, "They'll probably try to find a way to sugar-coat it too, or worse turn it around on Sasaki or Midoriya."
Nemuri sat up and looked at Aine with a curious head-tilt, "Hopefully not, now for a change of subject." She clapped her hands down on her knees, "Must have been an eventful day for you, Aine, if you didn't finish your notes during Bakugou's session!"
A triumphant grin spread across Aine's face, "I'm actually writing notes on his session this time."
Nemuri's mouth fell open and even Shouta looked over with surprise, "He actually talked to you?!"
Aine chuckled, "Not a huge breakthrough or anything but he didn't treat me like I was a piece of the furniture for once."
"But progress is progress! Right, Shou?" Nemuri twisted her body to look behind her at Shouta's form in the window.
Shouta gave a half-smile, "What finally broke the ice?"
Aine shook her head, "Like I said earlier, those kids of your's have their hearts in the right place. Even if they don't always know how to express it."
"They aren't my kids, just my students." he turned to look back out the window, but a smirk was still there on his face.
"Keep telling yourself that but it's obvious you actually like this class."
Both women laughed as Shouta rolled his eyes at Nemuri.