Chapter Five: It's the Hard-Knock Life

Winter's in New York, Gael learned, were cold. He didn't mind the cold very much. He preferred it to the heat, actually; It didn't make him sweaty. What bothered Gael, however, was that he was forced to endure the low temperature while Sergeant Grimes enjoyed the warmth indoors. The other man had promised to show Gael around his hometown, take him to his favorite joints but sitting outside a rundown bar while watching the man nurse a pint of beer through the window was not how the boy pictured his day to go.

He should have bothered Dubois to take him instead.

The enhanced boy sighed as he drew another doodle into the sleat of dirty snow with a stick. It had felt like hours since Grimes had instructed him to wait outside for him. The man swore it would only take a moment and Gael foolishly believed him. The child knew breaks like these were rare, especially for the team. During their days on leave, Gael's team would generally leave him for a couple of days, sometimes they'd even bring him back a few gifts. This time, however, Grimes was nice enough to invite him over during the break. Said they'd do all sorts of neat things for the weekend. When Grimes had told him they'd be going fishing that afternoon, Gael had thought he meant going to an actual lake. He didn't realize Grimes idea of fun was catching pretty birds in old bars.

The boy threw the man a dirty look from underneath his scally cap. He wanted to leave, explore the block at least but Gael didn't know how much longer Grimes would be before he came back outside. It wouldn't do well for the boy if he disobeyed orders from his superior. As much as he hated sitting out in the cold when he was supposed to be doing something fun, he would much rather follow Grimes around on a fool's errand than be stuck back at camp.

The boy huffed as he watched the man shake with laughter at something the dame sitting next to him said. The pretty bird seemed awfully interested in Grimes as she ran a gentle finger over the man's large scarf. Gael couldn't help but wonder why the bird was even giving Grimes the time of day. The whole bottom of the man's face was hidden underneath the dark fabric so he couldn't very well believe the dame actually found the Sergeant handsome. She couldn't even see him!

Nevertheless, Gael felt indebted to the woman as she stood and pulled Grimes out of his seat. Finally, they were leaving! Despite the fact Grimes had promised to show Gael a good time, the boy found himself uncaring if the dame came along. Maybe she had some swell ideas on how to pass the time!

Gael immediately stood when the two staggered out of the bar arm in arm and raced up to Grimes. He smiled, his teeth chattering as he looked up at the two with relief clearly written on his face. The pretty bird noticed him first and stopped giggling in favor of shooting the Sergeant a questioning look.

"Are you done fishing, sir?" Gael asked with an innocent grin. The dame cocked her head before angrily ripping her arm out of the Sergeant's grasp.

"Fishing?" she retorted angrily at him.

"Ah, he don't mean nothin' by that, doll! You know how little kids are," Grimes apologized before sending Gael a scathing glare. The boy wilted under the look before glancing back up at the two adults with tears in his hazel eyes.

"Oh, jeez. I'm sorry, miss. I misspoke. Mr. Grimes promised he take me out for a fun day and said somethin' about fishin'. See, I never fished before so I was real excited. Is there a lake nearby? Hopefully, it's warmer there. I'm awfully cold from sitting out here for so long." The dame cooed down at Gael as she moved towards him and fixed the skewed scarf wrapped around his neck. She placed a warm hand on his frozen cheek and gasped before whirling around to face the Sergeant once more.

"You had this poor baby sittin' out here in the cold while you sat inside in a pub? How dare you, you— you nasty crumb!"

"I—I wasn't gonna be in there for long, doll! Just for a moment to grab a pint but then I started talking to you and, well, I lost track of time! I swears it. It's not every day a beautiful dame comes along, you know."

"No excuse! This poor boy in near frozen!"

Gael grimaced as the woman began to yell at the Sergeant. He glanced around and noted with some embarrassment that the commotion had garnered some attention from a few passerby. This was definitely not how he planned his day ongoing.


Gael's biggest issue while in the Army and, well life really, was not knowing exactly what to do. With himself, that is. He had been placed in plenty of situations where the obvious flew straight over his head. Dubois had always said it was Gael's heart that took lead instead of his brain. Gael had never really understood what Dubois meant by that. The man's proper English forgotten in favor of his passion for poetry and vocabulary Gael never heard before. That and Dubois French accent was ridiculous. He was positive the man faked half of it just to annoy him.

Nevertheless, this was one of those moments Gael wished his heart would stop taking over and to let his brain work just this once.

Mic-sensei had actually dragged him halfway across school campus towards the teachers parking lot. It wasn't a place Gael had ever been to before and it certainly was not the place he had ever wanted to be in. Nothing the tall blond man said reached Gael's ears. To the teen, the man's voice came out as a dull murmur of quick syllables and cadences. If it weren't for his experience of keeping up with people much faster than him, Gael would have literally met the floor with his face. He still tripped over his own feet every other step but Mic-sensei hasn't seemed to notice. Or care.

It should have bothered him. Well, it did. Sorta. He was used to it though. That and he had already disappointed the man once before. Gael didn't dare test him further by actually angering him. If anything, under the tutelage of Captain Harvey the most important and valuable lesson Gael had learned was when to stop. Instead, Gael ran beside the man's long strides. The Pro Hero hadn't even broken a sweat by the time they reached a familiar scruffy man covered in bandages. Idly, Gael wondered how the man managed to wear bandages wrapped around his face in such a fashion where it didn't cover his hair. The man's injuries were certainly nothing to laugh about. Besides his bandaged face, both of the man's arms were held in individual slings. Broken, if the rumors were true.

Eraserhead was someone who definitely earned Gael's respect. He hadn't thought much about the teacher during class. He seemed tired. An understatement, really. His monotone voice drawled in a way not unlike Patson did after a night of heavy drinking. Not angry or upset just apathetic. Shinsou liked him. He had mentioned a few times after listening to the man's rather boring lectures on hero law how Aizawa-sensei was one of the few talented kids that made it into the Hero Course after the Sports Festival.

When news broke out about the USJ attack, Gael found himself admiring the man along with Shinsou. He had come back, beaten to hell, and resumed his classes as though nothing had happened. Gael had witnessed men with fewer injuries than Aizawa-sensei cry and moan over their bruises in medical. It was impressive, to say the least.

The man barely sent him a nod in greeting before rounding on Present Mic about making him wait so long. Gael flinched in guilt. If he had known the injured man was waiting up on them, he would have moved faster. The teen swallowed down the reflexive apology that dared to break out. He didn't trust his voice not to stutter and embarrass him further. Instead, Gael squeaked a quick 'hello' and climbed in the back seat when told.

In contrast to Aizawa-Sensei's quiet demeanor, Mic-Sensei was very talkative and loud. The familiar persona was a relief to see as Gael was genuinely afraid his plan had truly angered the man. Nevertheless, Gael found himself listening to half an ear to the blond man's ramblings as he tried to fight down the building panic he felt in his chest. Two of his teachers were on their way to the Yamamoto's home and he had no idea how to proceed. He had no contingency plan for this. Gael had barely attended kindergarten. He had no idea on how actual schools worked.

Sweat began to gather behind Gael's neck as they grew nearer to his home address. There was nothing the teen could do now but act natural and tip anything off to the two Pro Heroes. It would only be for an hour or two, max. He could pull off not being weird for that long.

.

.

.

The kid was weird.

Shouta, like the rest of U.A's faculty, had read the kid's file. Vega Gael had appeared from seemingly out of nowhere. He had no identification, no family, and no actual proof of legally entering Japan. He was obviously foreign. His wide eyes and tan skin set him apart from most of the student population. He also had a very distinctive accent. Shouta couldn't place where from America, ("Or Canada, Shouta! You never know!" the little voice in his head that annoyingly sounded like Hizashi reminded him,) the kid could have possibly been from. Vega had barely spoken in his presence and had completely shut down once the car sputtered to life. Hizashi would probably know; The man had spent some time abroad after all.

Police who had initially found Vega couldn't hold him past forty-eight hours. He had done nothing wrong and was a minor to boot. They couldn't send the kid back to his home country; No one knew where he was from. They had pressed the kid for answers during the time they had him. Detective Naomasa had included in his reports that Vega had refused to answer most questions but remained honest to the few he did. From what the initial investigation gathered, the kid was harmless. Harmless enough to be put in the system just long enough for an 'upstanding' couple to swoop off with the 'adorable' foreigner. Nemuri's words, not his.

Nezdu had surprised them all by allowing the kid into the school after the cutoff day for first-year registration had passed. Shouta hadn't cared. Vega had been allowed to take the written section of the exam but not the practical portion required for the heroics course. He passed, to say the least, and made it into general studies. This generally meant that Vega Gael was not Shouta's problem. Though that wasn't to say he wasn't at least slightly impressed that the kid managed to get in at all. Naomasa had also mentioned in the kid's file that Vega's understanding of Japanese was passible at best. The kid must have worked his ass off to get the score he did. Admittedly, his Kanji was a bit sloppy but no one was perfect.

A month into the new semester, Vega had managed to completely fly under the radar. They didn't completely forget about the kid; not with all those loose ends flying around. They merely kept a passive eye on him. More for curiosities sake, really. All in all the kid really did seem harmless. That is, before the USJ incident. Suddenly Vega's innocence was questioned once more. Hizashi had admitted to Shouta that he was not proud of suspecting one of his own students but the coincidence was too strong to just ignore. Shouta had agreed. There had never been an attack like it before. Several of his students had almost died and would have died if not for All Might's interference. It was easy to suspect that Vega was somehow involved. His unknown past brought up plenty of red flags.

It was troubling to even suspect a student for the USJ incident. Hizashi had discussed the possibility of some sort of traitor or spy in U.A with him during his short stint in the hospital. It felt wrong but Shouta had to concede that the theory had merit. Snipe had argued on Vega's behalf. The man inciting that the boy just did not seem like the type. It irked Hizashi more than it had Shouta hearing the man defend the kid but had ultimately agreed to leave the kid alone. That is, until the voice hero noticed the kid's English grades slipping.

Hizashi had zeroed in on the subtle change immediately and kept a near-obsessive eye on all the work Vega turned in; Including work from Vega's other classes. Shouta and Nemuri had both been subjected to several of Hizashi's tirades. Every homework assignment, every quiz, and every essay thoroughly analyzed as though the very location of the League of Villains was somehow written in code within Vega's neat scrawl. Shouta even caught Hizashi run a swab of lemon juice across a less than stellar short essay one evening in their shared apartment. Although he didn't admit it, the man's neurotic behavior had begun to worry Shouta. Not only for Hizashi's mental health but also for the student. What if they were wrong?

Nothing about the kid screamed 'villain'. Snipe insisted that the boy was just shy and that any sort of questioning would send the kid right back into his shell. Arguments between Snipe and Hizashi were common now. Hizashi wanted to pull the boy aside and have Naomasa have at him once more. Snipe, however, wanted everyone to leave the kid the hell alone. As a homeroom teacher himself, Shouta felt that he would know his own class better than most teachers. The same could be said for Snipe. Vega was under his care, his watch. If Snipe had noticed something in Vega worth reporting, he wouldn't hesitate. Not with a whole school of children at risk.

So Shouta let the issue rest. However, the same could not be said for his blond partner.

As a homeroom teacher, any issue regarding a student's education or otherwise is dealt with by them. Parent conferences and interventions included. Hizashi, the manipulative bastard, managed to convince Nezdu that a visit to Vega's home was in order and being that the issue lied solely with his own class, Hizashi should be the one to conduct it. Snipe had nearly thrown a fit when Nezdu allowed it.

Hizashi's dedication to the school and it's students was certainly admirable but being dragged along to the impending shit show was not how Shouta imagined his evening to go. Even now, as Shouta listened with half an ear to Hizashi's voice. To an outside perspective, Hizashi was a common idiot but well-meaning teacher. The blond spoke to both Shouta and Vega as he drove. A grin set on his face as he tried to drag them into a conversation.

Shouta knew him better though. He could see the white-knuckle grip the voice hero had on the steering wheel, the tense shoulders, and the twitch of his brow. Eyes hidden behind those ridiculous glasses shot pensive looks to the teenage passenger sitting quietly in the back seat. He didn't sing along to the songs playing on the radio nor did he badger Shouta about his health as the man was prone to do. It was the smile the man had on his face that bothered Shouta the most. It was unsettling. Fake. Two rows of shiny teeth clearly visible and clenched tight. Hizashi's laugh lines stood more prominent and taunt. It looked painful but, scarily enough, natural.

Shouta was not a stranger to this side of Hizashi. He trusted the other man enough to know what he was doing. Investigating a student's home for villainous activity was not even the weirdest thing Hizashi had dragged Shouta into doing. He only wished Hizashi hadn't insisted on doing this while he was still injured. Recovery Girl will not be pleased when she catches wind of their latest adventure in nosey teaching.

Luck was on their side, however, as Vega seemed completely unaware of their true intentions for this home visit. The boy looked incredibly uncomfortable and hasn't made a single sound of protest since stepping into the car. Shouta wasn't blind to how hesitant Vega looked when Hizashi mentioned having called his foster parents beforehand. The visible relief the kid had shown when the blond had mentioned his foster mother being available for the day was concerning, to say the least. It brought a question to the kid's home life. Did Vega not like his foster father? It was something to look into, that was for certain.

The Yamamoto's were a wealthy couple. No children of their own and newly registered foster parents. Shouta did not know much of them besides what was included in Vega's student file but a little digging showed nothing nefarious. If anything, they seemed too perfect. Shouta huffed a little in his seat at the thought. It seems as though Hizashi's new found paranoia of the small family had rubbed off on him.

The eraser hero noticed the concerned glance Hizashi sent his way. Shouta merely shrugged off the questioning look before glancing around the wealthy neighborhood for the correct house. It didn't seem like Vega was going to point it out to them anytime soon, after all. The man felt his irritation grow as he took in the near identical homes rushing by. It was moments like these where he realized Hizashi may have had a point on investing in a GPS for the car.

"Found it!" Hizashi practically sang as he slowed the car down in front of a western style house at the end of the street. Shouta quickly shot a look at the teenager sitting behind him and mentally noted on how the kid's attention seemed oddly focused on the car sitting in the driveway. Hizashi had barely put the car in park before jumping out of his seat and making his way towards the other side. Shouta merely rolled his eyes at his partner's eagerness but allowed the blond to open his door. Pride was obsolete when he could hardly move his arms.

Vega was already outside with his bag clenched in his hand. The boy seemed lost on how to proceed. They followed behind the kid as he slowly shuffled towards the front door. Shouta felt his eyes narrow when he noticed how tense the kid's shoulders had grown when the door swung open before he could knock. Shouta quickly shrugged it off. The kid was most likely afraid of getting into trouble. This was an unscheduled home visit concerning his sudden fall in grades, after all. Nonetheless, something in Shouta's gut was telling him something was off.

The woman who answered the door was exactly what Shouta had pictured in his mind. Yamamoto Kimiko, despite being informed beforehand of the supposed nature of their visit looked, beamed up at them with a naturally charismatic smile. The woman didn't seem bothered or even upset with the situation at all. Instead, she greeted all three of them warmly and lead them into her home.

"Oh, I have to apologize for the mess!" Shouta inwardly scoffed. What mess? The house looked like it came straight out of a catalog. The messiest thing in the home currently was himself. Nevertheless, Shouta watched as Yamamoto fluttered around the open living space removing what she found 'messy' along the way. "And Gael, dear, why don't you change out of your uniform and into some home clothes? I'll keep your teachers company here while your gone."

Shouta watched from underneath the fringe of his hair as the kid fumbled through a response. The kid looked half relieved for the excuse to leave the room. However, Shouta was not blind to see how uncomfortable the kid looked as he carefully walked down the hall. The man shot a look at Hizashi and noted the other man had also caught the odd reaction. It had only been a few minutes since they've entered the home but there was already a few warning bells ringing in Shouta's chest. Yamamoto, it seemed, was used to or had not noticed Vega's awkward departure as she motioned both men to join her in the sitting area near the front of the house.

"Would either of you care for some tea? We have quite a few flavors so don't be afraid to name your favorites!" the slight woman laughed. Shouta rolled his eyes, thankful for Recovery Girl insisting for full face bandages as his momentary loss of judgment was left unnoticed.

"Thank you," Shouta heard himself say before Hizashi could respond. "That would be great but do you mind if I visit your restroom?"

"Of course not! It's just down the hall. The door should be open so you can't miss it."

Shouta nodded and stood before sending Hizashi a glance. The other man nodded slightly back before bringing Yamamoto back into a fast-paced conversation. The restroom, like Yamamoto said, was easy to find. Shouta made a show of entering the room in case either of their hosts was watching. He stood still for a few moments merely staring at his reflection in the mirror when he heard slight footsteps pass the bathroom door. Quietly, Shouta pulled the door open just in time to see the kid's back turn the corner towards the sitting area.

Once the kid was gone, Shouta stepped out and walked down the opposite direction. The man made quick work as he quietly peeked into every room he came across. So far he only managed to find a guest room and a cleaning closet. Neither held anything worth digging deeper into. The only other door in the hall that he had yet to look into was left slightly ajar. Shouta felt his eyes widen at exactly how clean the room proved to be after he nudged open the door and flicked on the light. Like the rest of the house, the walls were painted a blindingly white and the wooden floor shone dully underneath the fluorescent lighting. Shouta noticed the kid's backpack sitting on the desk chair and his neatly folded uniform placed in the center of the bed.

The bed itself gave Shouta a quick pause. Specifically how tightly the bed sheet seemed to fold around the corners. The man wondered who had taught the kid to make the bed in such a fashion and very nearly written it off until he looked closer at the neatly made bed. Shouta would not have noticed if he had not been already looking at the bed but as it was, the man could clearly see a fine layer of dust settled over the top. In fact, as Shouta glanced around the room, every piece of furniture seemed to be covered in it. It was as though the room had not been used for quite a while.

Shouta hesitated for a moment before he crouched low to the ground. He ignored the slight ache in his knees as he did so in favor of pulling his arms out of their slings and running a finger across the floor in front of him. He grimaced as he felt grit immediately stick to his finger and stood as he hastily wiped his hand on the leg of his pants. Shouta's first impression of Vega had pegged the kid as a bit of a tight ass regarding cleanliness. With how pristine he wore his uniform and how the kid managed to beat out Iida in stiffness alone, Shouta had expected his living space to be the same. The man almost wrote the kid off as a closet slob but a quick glance at the bed made him stop.

The room, besides the dust, was incredibly well put together. Not a single pencil or otherwise was left out as opposed to what Shouta was accustomed to for a teenagers bedroom. The walls lay barren of posters and the shelves were devoid of personal nicknacks and pictures. The room was so impersonal, Shouta would have passed it off as another guest room if not for the school bag and clothes left behind.

Shouta hesitated for only a brief moment before he crossed the room towards the abandoned bag left on the computer desk chair. As quickly as he could around the bandages hindering him from their full movement, the man unzipped the bag and routed through its contents before pulling out one of the worn notebooks. He flicked through the pages, his eyes scanning over the neatly printed notes. It took a moment for the man to realize the notes were not written in Kanji or even in Japanese. The kid's notes were in English. Easy enough to read until he noticed more and more words and characters he could not recognize. It was clearly shorthand for one of Vega's lessons but in a language other than both English and Japanese. Shouta quickly took pictures of a few pages with his phone before he returned the notebook to its place. He then took a few pictures of the rest of the room as an afterthought.

The man then made a beeline towards the computer spying it from the corner of his eye. He shook the mouse but grew confused when the desktop didn't immediately spark to life. He pressed on the power button a few times but nothing came out of it. He stood back for a second before he let out a huff of frustration when he finally noticed that the damn thing wasn't even plugged in and like the rest of the room, the computer and its power cable were completely covered in dust.

Confused and more than a little frustrated, Shouta left the room after pulling his arms back into their slings. He had taken longer than he wanted and the other's would surely grow suspicious if he prolonged his absence any further. Still, just before he stepped into the sitting area with the others, Shouta took a moment to catalog both Vega and his foster mother. Now sitting side by side, the Pro Hero could see clearly just how different the two were.

Yamamoto easily laughed along to whatever Hizashi was saying at the moment. Her straight, black hair pulled expertly out of her face and into an intricate bun on top of her head. Her clothes were obviously new and fit her lean body perfectly well. Her movements and body language were open and relaxed, her dark eyes crinkled in the corners slightly due to age and joy. Yamamoto was an attractive, intelligent woman and also incredibly unassuming for the most part.

Vega, however, was her polar opposite. He was all gangly limbs and thinly built. Unlike Yamamoto who was confident in how she presented herself, Vega was awkward and stiff. His posture was perfect but it did nothing to hide his notably fearful and nervous demeanor. Even from a slight distance, Shouta could see how jittery the kid was, his tan hands shook regardless of how tightly he had them clenched together on top of his lap. Occasionally the kid would reach up and pull slightly at his long, light-colored hair. A nervous tick, Shouta assumed. Like most kids his age, Vega had long lost the roundness in his cheeks and jaw signifying a slightly more mature age, however, the hollowness of his cheeks and almost pasty yellow undertone to the kid's skin made Shouta uncomfortable. That along with how dull the kid's hazel eyes were brought pulled together an overall sickly image of the student.

The kid was obviously not doing well under the Yamamoto's care. Shouta wondered how Snipe had not noticed or if the man had, why had he not intervened already. Then again, it was only the second month since the semester started. One of Hizashi's theories of the kid suddenly came to mind as Shouta finally moved to join the others. What if this was all really a cry for help? As it was, Shouta had not found anything that tied the kid with the League of Villains. What he did find, however, was something he needed to let not only Hizashi and Snipe know but probably Principal Nezdu as well.

"There you are, Aizawa!" Hizashi said as he unnecessarily pulled him down in the seat beside him. Shouta grunted but held back the scathing retort that threatened to rip out when he felt a flash of pain shoot through his arms. It took a second for the man to notice that Hizashi did not pull his hand away from his arm but he ignored it after he saw both the blond's mouth pulled into a thin line and Yamamoto's eyes flash in disappointment. It was easy to deduce what could have possibly been going on from that alone.

"Perfect, you're back," Yamamoto said with a strained smile. "Well, I just want to apologize sincerely for the trouble my son has put you all in. U.A is such a prestigious school and while my husband and I were very happy for Gael to have had been accepted, I will admit that both of us were rather surprised he managed it in the first place." Shouta frowned at how the woman laughed after her admission and how Vega seemed to wilt further into his seat.

"Vega is a very intelligent boy," Shouta suddenly found himself saying. "I only have him twice a week for Hero Law but it has not gone past my notice on how dedicated he is in his studies."

"Yeah! Not counting the past few weeks, your son is definitely one of my best English students! It was why I grew so concerned when I noticed the sudden drop in his performance!"

"I see. Do all the teachers at U.A conduct meetings like this for those reasons?" Yamamoto asked.

"Yes," Shouta lied.

"Of course! My number one job is to make sure all my listeners are safe and doing their best to learn. If it means talking to an occasional parent from time to time, so be it!"

"Impressive. I'm glad Gael has such dedicated teachers such as yourselves. I assure you both that my husband and I will take greater care in prioritizing our son's education. Again I am very sorry you had to take the time out of your, no doubt, busy schedules for something like this. How embarrassing!" Yamamoto then bowed her head and, after giving the teen sitting beside her a slight nudge with her elbow, Vega followed as well. The rest of the visit went by quickly after that. Hizashi was quick to draw the discussion to a close and stood, pulling Shouta up beside him, before making their way towards the door. They were nearly out the door when Hizashi suddenly stopped and turned his attention back at the kid.

"Oh, Vega before I forget! I am willing to forgive a few of your lowest assignments depending on how you perform during the Sports Festival, okay! So do your best and know I'll be watching!"

"...A—Alright then," Vega mumbled in response.

"Gael will make sure to make both of you proud!" Yamamoto said with a smile.

"Perfect! I'm looking forward to it! And remember listener! PLUS ULTRA!"

Shouta watched from the car window as both Yamamoto and Vega disappeared inside the house. He ignored Hizashi as the man fumbled with the keys in favor of removing his arms from his slings and pulling his phone out from his pocket. The man swiped along the pictures he took of the kid's room and frowned as he took the time to look closely into every photo he had taken. It wasn't until they had nearly arrived at their shared apartment when Shouta heard Hizashi let out a pitiful groan.

"I was wrong, wasn't I?"

"Yeah," Shouta said without hesitation as he let the screen on his phone go black. "But there's something else."

"You saw it too?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"There's something weird going on there. Call it instincts."

"Well you're not wrong," Shouta agreed with a sigh. "I think— I think we should call for a meeting."

"...Is it that bad?"

"Maybe. Something worth looking into further, that's for sure."

.

.

.

Gael watched as his teachers drove away from the living room window. It hadn't worked. Mic-sensei hadn't kicked him out of the Sports Festival and now it was too late to do anything else about it. The event was only two days away and Gael did not want to do anything that would get him into any more trouble. He did not want any more of his teachers to pay him a surprise home visit. The teen couldn't imagine what he would say if neither of the Yamamoto's managed to come back in time. He was lucky Mic-sensei had the forethought to call beforehand. It would not have looked very good if they had shown up to an empty house.

The teen sighed as he turned from the window and began to walk towards his room when, out of nowhere, he felt a stinging slap connect to the side of his face. The sudden force was heavy enough to send him down to the ground. Gael felt his hand shake as he cupped his cheek in surprise. The teen was disoriented and shocked but looked up when he heard a scoff above him.

"How dramatic," Miss Yamamoto huffed as she rolled her eyes. "I didn't even hit you that hard."

"M-ma'am?" Gael gasped in shock.

"Listen closely, boy. This will not happen again. You will perform adequately for the Sports Festival and make sure your grades remain in the top percentage after that. I don't care what you do besides that but just know that if you embarrass me or your father again, I will personally make sure you regret it. Understood?"

"Y-yes, Ma'am."

"Good. Now get your things. Street clothes, a fresh uniform, I don't care. I have to be Shibuya by tomorrow morning. I left some yen for you in your room. Don't call either of us unless it's important. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Hurry up then."

Gael watched as the woman turned and left him on the living room floor. The teen felt his eyes water as his hands pressed on the throbbing portion of his face. It was as a stray tear fell from his eye that Gael began to feel angry at himself. He was acting like a complete child. This was not the first time he had taken a slap to the face. It wasn't even the hardest hit he had endured. If anything, the power behind Miss Yamamoto's open hand was weak. There was no reason for him to have had reacted like he had. Still, a part of Gael ached at the memory of the woman's sneer pointed at him. He had known the Yamamoto's did not have the best opinion of him but he still hoped they would move past that. The teen supposed his stupid plan had backfired on him in more ways than one.

The teen did not hesitate to quickly pack what he needed in his backpack. The zipper almost refused to close due to the amount of crap he jammed inside but he somehow managed it nonetheless. It would be easier once Gael made it to the warehouse and stored away the extra clothes but until then the teen would have to make due with the bulging bag. Gael didn't bother telling Miss Yamamoto he was leaving as he stepped outside the house. Partly due to anger at the woman but mostly because he couldn't find it in himself to face her again.

The sky was already growing dark as the teen slowly made his way towards his hideout. Thoughts raged in his mind as he thought back to the last couple hours. He couldn't believe how much had happened in such little time. His face throbbed and his eyes teared up as the sudden feeling of embarrassment roared to life in his chest. Miss Yamamoto, Aizawa-sensei, and Mic-sensei must have thought him a complete idiot now. Gael didn't even want to begin to think of how stupid he must have looked in their eyes.

A sob passed Gael's lips as he stumbled down the sidewalk. It was moments like these were the teen felt the most lost. He didn't have his team behind him for that extra feeling of security. He didn't have May there to give him horrible advice or make him sing and laugh until he was gasping for air. Hell, Gael would even take Captain Harvey for company and the man was the biggest hard head he knew. Had known. Gael would do anything to rid himself of the mind-crippling loneliness that crept into his heart.

Through the tears and shaking limbs, Gael suddenly realized he had no idea where his feet had lead him, that is until he absentmindedly raised his hand to knock on the door that suddenly filled his vision. His body racked with sobs as the teen bit his knuckles as to muffle the sound of his crying. It could have been a minute or a whole hour before the door swung open to reveal Shinsou's surprised face.

"Vega?" the teen asked hesitantly as he took in the other boys hunched figure. "I thought you weren't coming today? Wait. No, what's wrong? Come in." Gael let Shinsou pull him inside his house. The shorter teen listened with half an ear as the purple haired teen informed him that dad was currently at work doing for a night shift but would come home if he needed an adult. Gael shook his head, not trusting his voice at the moment. A new wave of sadness spiked through his chest when he noticed how uncomfortable Shinsou had looked. Gael tried to stutter out an apology and leave but Shinsou was quicker and managed to push him down onto the plush couch in his living room. Gael didn't know what caused it but at that moment, everything felt far too heavy for him to handle. It could have been the blossoming bruise on his face to the emptiness he felt in his chest but something in that moment finally snapped in Gael.

"S-Shinsou," the teen sobbed as a fresh wave of tears ran down his face. "I-I need— I need to t-tell you some— something."