Troublesome feelings.


"Unprofessional."

Aizawa Shouta was worrying at a higher degree than usual. His normally calm persona was shattered every time he thought back to the day of the home visits. Through some lapse in control and judgment, he had done the unthinkable. Toward a coworker. At his place of work.

The coworker in question was exceptionally supportive that day, and he couldn't help but fall prey to impulse at hearing his name. The man chided himself at his weakness. Something as simple as a first name and a kind smile was the thing that broke him. She always called All Might in such a familiar fashion, so it shouldn't have been that special.

Except it was.

He decided focus on the task at hand instead. Due to some miracle, all the students were able to move into the dorms. Perhaps even more shocking, his position as a teacher was safe for the moment. His pupils were waiting on him now, and there were some important matters he wished to express. Matters of trust.

xXx

Another day, another message. Midnight wasn't a hero that liked to be ignored, but it was your only option until you could sort your feelings out. Luckily it was summer, and the remedial classes were already finished. Because of the transition to move all the students into dorms there was even less for you to do until the new semester. Still, it didn't stop your friend from trying to keep in touch.

Normally you would offer to help out with class 1A. Aside from Mic, everyone was prepping for the hero license exam. Your phone buzzed with yet another text:

-You haven't been around much. Everything okay?

-Busy with hero duty. See you soon.

It wasn't a lie. You had asked the principal if you could take on more villain cases, to which he readily obliged. It was almost depressing. In the time spent at UA, you thought you were growing as a person, becoming more confident in your quirk and yourself. Yet here you were, keeping the peace as a hero only because it was a good excuse to run away.

You were at a loss of how to face Aizawa. It was a long shot to say he kissed you out of stress. It seemed even more impossible for him to do it on purpose.

"Which one do I want it to be?" What a stupid question. You still shivered when you remembered his touch. There was no denying the feeling; you liked Aizawa. But you knew him, and his practicality. You were afraid of what he would say.

With a sigh, you searched your pockets for the small bottle of pills that were always with you. It was about time for the next dose of medication. You were using them more now with all the villain work, despite knowing how reckless it was.

"Just until I can face him."

That's what you wanted to believe, anyway. Who knew how many more days you would put it off, making one excuse after another. Pushing back the dull ache in your body, you continued on the hunt for the target villain of the day.

xXx

The students were doing well trying to create their special moves. Although it was still summer, they were slightly worried about not seeing a certain teacher around.

"Should we ask Midnight sensei?" They whispered among themselves until someone decided to bring it up.

"No, she tells me she wants to focus on villain work." Their teacher turns to Aizawa, her own instincts telling her that something wasn't right. "Hey, what about you, have you seen her lately?" He visibly stiffened at the question.

"Focus on improving. Some of you need all the time you can get."

Midnight paused, the only one to notice his strange behavior. The kids continued with their lesson, a new fire lit in them. Present Mic came around, looking pale as he went to speak with Midnight. His voice was uncharacteristically hushed.

"I've tried talking to her. I promised I wouldn't say a thing, but I'm worried." Midnight's face scrunched up at his panic.

"Worried? About what?"

A small shiver went up Mic's spine as a hand touched his shoulder, interrupting their conversation.

"Yes, about what exactly?"

xXx

You tried to remember when the last visit to Recovery Girl was. Two days ago was your best guess. Biting your lip, you cursed silently that it wasn't longer. Chiyo was a shrewd lady. If you visited the infirmary too often, she would know right away something was wrong.

You were using your quirk faster than you and the pills could recover your body. Mic had pleaded with you to stop and tell him what was wrong. To tell somebody, if not him. But the one person you would have talked to was already coming to terms with his retirement and vulnerability. And you wanted to avoid the 'I told you so' snickering from the other two.

Still, you knew this had to stop eventually.

Walking down a hall, you were stopped by the one man you were trying to avoid.

"I've been looking for you." His voice was low so as to not attract attention from the students. You didn't meet his intense gaze.

"Oh, really?" You could tell he wanted to keep this conversation private, the flash in his eyes felt too serious, too dangerous.

"First, I have to apologize to you about... before. I wasn't thinking clearly." There it was. Hearing he didn't mean to kiss you was a deeper blow than you anticipated. The small bit of hope you were holding on to was almost funny. The whole thing, even.

"But more importantly-"

"You kiss people like that because you can't think?" You cut him off in disbelief. This always careful, forever serious hero didn't have a reason. "No. I guess I understand."

A lie. You couldn't understand at all how a man like Shouta could not mean that intimate moment.

"It's no problem. Forget it happened." Another lie. You didn't want him to forget at all. His taste was burned into your memory, and here he was saying that it was a mistake. You had to leave, scarcely able to pull together a smile. He reached out for your arm, still having more to say. Not that you wanted to listen.

He was surprised when you used your quirk on him, pushing him away. Your feet moved on their own, needing to find a place to be alone. Your body was hurting too much now, but you didn't want to see Recovery Girl. Ducking into an empty classroom, your hands shook as you tried to open the small pill bottle you kept in your pocket.

It was reckless to fire off your quirk again. You dry swallowed two of the tablets. Somebody snatched the bottle from your hand before you could put it away.

xXx

Aizawa read the label carefully before handing the medication back to you, his eyes dark. He had followed you when you left unceremoniously, something you didn't notice in your fervor.

"So it's true."

"You didn't need to know." You shoved the bottle back in your pocket, your tone curt.

"I see." His voice fell flat, clearly hurt. He seemed disappointed you hadn't trusted him, but there was something else too. Anger. "I would appreciate it if everyone would stop lying to me. It certainly seems to be the trend." Despite the fact he never raised his voice, his words were laced with malice. "My students. Hizashi. You."

A part of you felt guilty, but it was quashed under your own explosive feelings.

"Why are you even upset, Aizawa? Our entire friendship was an accident, after all." You practically spat out the accusation. You knew you were being terrible, too defensive. But you didn't understand why he was so interested in your well-being now. "Why can't he go away?"

"I'm not the one endangering everyone with my impetuous behavior. Or did you expect me to be around the next time your quirk gets out of control?"

You moved backward until you hit the blackboard, unable to go any further. Aizawa followed every step, effectively cornering you. He was frustratingly right about everything. Bending down low, his hair formed a curtain that blocked your view of anything but him.

It was difficult being forced to look him in the eye. Your hands quickly met his chest, intending to push him away. To your annoyance you could feel the slight floating sensation that came off him as he locked away your quirk. His red irises transitioned back to a pool of black when you realized it was useless. You were useless.

"You're right. It's not your job anymore." You sighed, knowing that it wasn't fair to expect any mutual feelings. You were a terrible person and an even worse friend.

"You're going to hurt yourself." His anger had cooled somewhat, giving rise to something akin to concern. Still, you knew he wouldn't let you off the hook for being so reckless.

"Why?" Your hands lingered on his chest, fingers curling around the strips of cloth that hung loosely around his neck. How could he still be so kind? "You are the last person I want to make worry about me..."

It was Aizawa who stepped back now, realizing just how close he was.

"Again, I'm sorry. I never meant to impose myself on you."

"No. You never..? I never thought..." Your brows furrowed in confusion. How did he come to that conclusion?

"Why else would you avoid me?"


This will be interesting, since I have no idea where I'm going with this. Eventually I'll be moving the chapters around so the sidestories will have a vague place in the plot instead of being clumped together.

Thanks for sticking with this weird little story, readers.