Soooo I guess this is a thing now. I don't even- *sigh* I'll just see how far this'll go then...
Wonderland Tea Party: Haha, looks like I beat you by a bit! So glad you liked it! And I haven't really planned out the whole 'transfer to hero course' so I'm not sure yet, but that defiantly sounds like something that'd happen xD Thanks for the idea mate! =D
Had a few ideas for how this one happened, but went with this way - kinda like how it came out.
Read, review and enjoy~
Someone had to tell Hitoshi that, with his Quirk, he wouldn't be able to get through the entrance exam.
And that meant likely killing the light in his eyes.
"Do you want me to do it?" Yamada asked as he stood in front of his friend, who had his hands on his face, elbows on a table.
"…I don't know…" Aizawa muttered into his palms, a long, tired breath escaping him.
"You're clearly tired – when was the last time you slept?" Hizashi folded his arms, a rare frown on his face.
"…" Shota didn't answer, but he did lean back in his chair, revealing his face and the large, dark circles under them. His eyes seemed redder than usual and less focused.
"Okay!" Mic let out an agitated sigh, slamming his hands on the table, but not too harshly. "Here's the deal. You, get some much needed sleep. And I am going to tell Hitoshi," the blonde made it sound so there was no room for an argument.
"You just might break it to him better than I," the weak and sad smile on the brunette's face carried enough sadness to make his friend drop his shoulders.
"He'll still be able to get into General Studies and from there…" Hizashi trailed off.
"…I just don't want to see that fire die, Yamada…"
"You won't have to."
A few hours later, Hizashi went to their shared house while Aizawa stayed at UA. Somehow, the pressure only now came to the blonde, as he slowly opened the door. And the closer he got to opening the door, the more his hand shook.
"It's harder than I thought," a nervous smile came to his face as Yamada opened the door fully and could hear the stomping of footsteps from above.
"I'm home!" he called in English, forcing a grin as Hitoshi came practically tumbling down the stairs, a grin large enough to slip his face.
"Welcome home! Oh, dad isn't here yet?" the joy wasn't gone, but a bit of surprise melded in with it.
"Working late, as always," Hizashi set his things down and headed for the kitchen. "You seem happier than usual – what's up with that?"
"Oh c'mon, like you don't know," Shinso sat down, unable to stop smiling. "Aren't you part of the whole introduction bit?"
"Haha, I am!" Yamada started making them both a mug of coco.
"Don't forget the marshmallows! Dad always does."
"You wound me!"
"So, is he going to be a judge?" the kid couldn't stop emitting this hyper energy and it made Hizashi almost sick at the thought of killing it.
"Yeah, he will," the answer came with a slightly stuff throat, as he readied the mugs.
"…Everything okay?" the sudden lack of happiness made the blonde wince as he sighed.
"Please, forgive me," Mic said to himself as he poured them the coco and tossed on the marshmallows. "Hitoshi," he started, setting the purple one by the kid.
Shinso looked up, eyes wide with worry and mouth slightly open. He looked like a wounded puppy or something and Yamada closed his eyes, forcing himself to continue speaking.
"You… You won't be able to pass the exam for the Hero Course," the words made his mouth numb as he slowly saw the confused expression turn to sorrow.
"W-What?" the boy choked, hands trembling as he laid them on the table.
"You'd need to fight Faux Villains… Robots," Mic held his mug with both hands, the heat burning his fingers but he relished it in. It took away from the pain in his heart. "Your Quirk… It just wouldn't work. And you're not physically strong enough."
"…" Hitoshi swallowed hard and looked down, hair falling over his eyes. But Mic could see him biting his lip and the tears rolling down his face.
"'Toshi-" he tried reaching out, to pat him on the shoulder and tell him it'll be alright. But Shinso abruptly stood up, hands on the table and head hung.
"They were right…" he whispered quickly walking away, before sprinting up the stairs and slamming his door shut.
Yamada sat there, hand still outstretched, one hand still being burned on the coco as he watched the now empty seat and abandoned mug. He could hear the phantom words Hitoshi never said aloud, since he's heard them so many times now.
"I'll never be a hero."
The look however, seemed to be forever burned in his mind now. The utter despair and hatred looked so wrong on a usually cheery face. And in between, he saw the fire die in those eyes. He wasn't sure if it'd ever be rekindled again.
"Shota… I hope you get home soon…"
Aizawa came back towards the end of the day, looking more exhausted than before, despite the face he managed to crawl into that sleeping bag and get some rest.
"I'm home," he said lowly, locking the door behind him. He was meet with a weak 'welcome' from the kitchen, and instantly knew things were bad. Yamada never sounded like that.
"…Where is he?" Shota asked, taking a seat opposite the one where a cold mug of coco still lay. And with melted marshmallows no less.
"Bad," Hizashi didn't even try to hide it. He was doing some work on a laptop, but it was clearly just to do something.
Eraser let out a low sigh, slowly stood up, took the cold mug of coco and put it in the microwave. Mic only looked at his friend as he also grabbed the bag of marshmallows and waited for the microwave to run its course.
"If you hear yelling-," Shota turned and saw the blonde giving a nod.
"And if someone comes to check, it's under control."
"…Thanks."
"Anytime."
"No, I mean… For telling him… instead of me."
"…What's family for?"
Aizawa moved silently up the stairs, his years as an underground hero making it near impossible to hear. And as he closed in on the door of the kid, he heard silent sobs. For a second, he stopped there, wondering if any of this will even help.
"…Live and learn," he said to himself, took a deep breath and knocked with his elbow on the door as both his hands were full.
"Go away Uncle!" came a quick reply, and he could hear his voice crack.
"Mic is downstairs," Shota said causally and could almost swear everything in the room stopped. Seconds later, he heard feet on the floor and the slow opening of the door.
"What?" Hitoshi only opened it a bit, but Eraser could see the red-rimmed eyes and the fresh lines of tears.
"Coco and marshmallows? You left yours downstairs," Aizawa raised the two mugs of coco and nodded to the bag of goodies under his arm.
"…" he could see the internal battle the kid was going through.
"If you don't want it, you don't have to."
"No!" the quick response seemed to surprise both of them. "No it's just…" he mumbled, looking at the ground. "I didn't think I could face Uncle Mic again…"
"Yamada feels bad that he had to tell you, believe me…" there was a short pause. "So, can I come in?"
"Y-Yeah…" Hitoshi opened the door fully and closed it after his father stepped inside.
"I tried to talk to them, you know, about changing the entrance exam…" Shota said as he set down the two mugs. "But they didn't really care… Apparently, more focus is going into flashy Quirks," the sigh which followed set a silence in the room.
"…I was planning on giving it up anyway…" the whisper seemed to echo in the room as Shota's eyes opened wide.
"But I thought you've always wanted to be a hero?" the words left his mouth before he could control them, and he couldn't keep the hint of hurt out of it.
"…What's the point? Everyone already says my Quirk fits a villain perfectly… Maybe I'll just go that route," Hitoshi said with a frown, and when no answer came, looked up. The shock and almost betrayal in his father's eyes made his stomach churn.
"I – I didn't mean-," he stumbled over his own words, blinking madly to try and avoid the tears as he bit his lip.
"I'm just… I'm just so sick of hearing it!" he closed his eyes, trying to keep his voice low. "What do they know anyway?! It's not like I asked for a Quirk like this! It's not like I ever wanted to hurt anyone with it!" so much for keeping his voice down – he was outright yelling now and he didn't even know why. He just knew that he hurt and he wanted to get it out.
"How was I supposed to know anyway?! I was four! I didn't mean it! I didn't!" he was still trying to keep the tears in, never once opening his eyes. "I don't want to be the villain!"
His sobs were the only sound in the room for a good minute and Shinso didn't dare open his eyes, for fear of letting the tears fall so freely and seeing his father's face. But then, he didn't even hear him stand, Aizawa was there, by his side, giving a rare but comforting hug.
"I know…" Shota whispered, pulling the boy closer, one hand on his head the other on his back. "We both know how much it means to you… And we're so sorry, that this happened to you… But the only thing you can do, is take what life throws at you, and turn it to your advantage, before throwing it right back, stronger."
Eraser never was one for speeches or pep talks, so he just said what he thought would work – would sound encouraging and show the boy he was there if he needed him. Soon after, he felt his shirt getting wet and allowed himself a small, weak, relived smile.
"It's going to be okay, Toshi… It won't be easy, but you'll show the world who you really are. I know it."
Hizashi came up an hour later, since it grew very quiet after the sudden yelling. His tiptoeing wasn't as silent as Aizawa's, but he managed to get up without much sound. And when he opened the door, he couldn't help but smile.
Shota was leaning against a wall on the bed, Hitoshi apparently sleeping on his chest as he held onto the soaked shirt for dear life. Yamada walked closer as silently as he could, picked up a blanket, and set on the two sleepyheads, giving the kid a kiss on the forehead.
With a smile, he pulled out his phone, took a quick picture, and was about to leave, had a hand not grabbed his and pulled him onto the bed as well. Shota had one eye open, in a silent warning to keep quiet and join in or die. With a silent smile, Mic found a spot under the blanket, managing to not shake Shinso out of his sleep. It only took a few minutes for both of the adults to fall asleep as well, the exhausting day finally behind them.