It was a few day's after the sports festival, they already had filed for their internships and Mr. Aizawa had finally been allowed to remove all of his bandages. Izuku's stomach had clinched at the sight, feeling guilty that he hadn't been able to do more to help his teacher.
Actually Izuku hadn't done anything other than get in the way. Maybe if he hadn't of been such a useless Deku, then his teacher wouldn't have been left with the prominent scar under his right eye. The first teacher who had ever treated Izuku like he was a person, who had not dismissed him as useless, almost died. And Izuku had been powerless to help, almost as if he was still quirkless.
They hadn't been in school that long, but he still felt close to his homeroom teacher. Even if it was only because Izuku had a quirk now and wasn't considered useless to the general public, the man made time for him. It wasn't like Mr. Aizawa was taking him under his wing or adopting him... that would be crazy. No, it was the little things that might seem unnecessary or insignificant to others, that had taken root in Izuku's heart. That filled the part of him that longed to have the acceptance of a teacher, of an adult, someone who wasn't obligated to care about him like his mother or All Might were.
Those little things meant the world to the child that had been shunned all his life, and he doubted his teacher even realized the impact he was having. The little encouraging squeezes to his shoulder as his teacher passed by when handing out their graded papers. The way he would call on Izuku to answer a question, even though his hand was never raised, not mocking him when he got a answer wrong, and giving an approving nod when he answered right.
The small glimmer of concern in his eyes when he noticed that Izuku was feeling overly anxious. And on those days he would leave Izuku in his little bubble during class, not calling on him or drawing attention to him, and slipping a piece of licorice to him before he left the class to another teacher.
None of the other teacher's seemed to focus on him the way Mr. Aizawa did. Never stopping to actually listen to what Izuku had to say as if it was important the way he did. And the gruff man actually kept Kaachan from attacking him, even reprimanded him!
He's never had a teacher do that before. Never knew anyone who looked at his childhood friend and saw anything less than perfection!
He had also never had a teacher show such concern for his safety either. He's not talking about at the USJ where Mr. Aizawa had thrown himself into the fight against to villains to protect his students. Although that had been the bravest thing he had ever seen. Braver even than All Might's debut! It was at the sports festival, after his fight with Todoroki. The way his teacher had been there after he had woken up, righteous fury at Izuku's recklessness. Had warned Izuku against hurting himself like that. Had lectured until Izuku thought his ears would fall off! Then as quick as he came, he was leaving; with a parting pat on his head and licorice slipped into his hand, his teacher slipped away telling the "problem child" not to scare him like that again.
Maybe Mr. Aizawa was like this with all his other classmates, he didn't know for sure. The man was very subtle. And Izuku was too scared to draw attention to himself by asking. Not wanting to look like the weirdo who was overly touched by his teacher's kindness.
And even if he was treating Izuku just like any other student, it still meant a lot to him.
Izuku sighed and rubbed at his eyes. They had been feeling dry for a few days now. Burning. No matter how much sleep he got, or how much he rubbed at them, they still bothered him. Maybe it was allergies? All he knew was that they hurt and it was beginning to give him a headache.
A headache that was intensifying as the explosive blond activated his quirk. Letting small pops dance across his palms as he growled at Kaminari over something he had said. Kaachan was being really sensitive since his "win" at the sports festival. Really, they should have just let the blond refuse. He was not happy with it, and who would it have hurt to just skip him and give the others their medals. It's not like Kaachan wanted his.
It was getting annoying as the loud boy in front of him kept getting louder. He could see where Mr. Aizawa's eyebrow was twitching in agitation as he watched silently behind his podium, shuffling through papers. It wouldn't be long before the man made the teen quiet down.
Izuku glared at his childhood friend, wishing he would stop using his quirk in class. A quirk that still made Izuku flinch every now and then from painful memories.
His eyes burned more as he glared unblinkingly at Kaachan, who stopped using his quirk all of a sudden. Kaachan glanced at their teacher quickly before looking around, confused eyes landing on Izuku before widening in shock.
"Deku! What the fuck!" Kaachan screeched. ~
Shouta was standing at the podium, shuffling through his students last test. Some had done better than others, while some failed abysmally. He was ignoring the loud ruckus from Bakugou... for now. The kid had been snapping at people all morning, and as long as he didn't actually blow anything up, then he could ignore it for the moment. He really didn't want to deal with the explosive teen right then.
His mind was more preoccupied on thoughts concerning the problem child. Midoriya had been very quiet this morning, avoiding conversation with his friends under the excuse that he had a headache. The kid clearly looked like he was in pain, and his eyes were almost as bloodshot as Shouta's own. He was seriously considering dismissing him from class and sending him to Recovery Girl to get checked over. She would at least be able to do something about the headache, and maybe his eyes too.
Shouta was just flipping through the last of the tests, getting them in order to be passed out. Maybe he should do it himself, slip Midoriya a licorice and send him off to recovery girl in one go.
The popping of Bakugou's quirk stopped and Shouta sighed in relief that the kid was finally calmed down, only to snap his head up as the teen screeched, "Deku! What the fuck!"
Shouta looked immediately to the problem child, knowing that "Deku" was a cruel nickname the blond called him. Midoriya was glaring at Bakugou... well as much as a cinnamon roll can glare, but that's not what had everyone's attention. It was his fluffy green hair floating up like he was underwater, and the piercing red eyes. An occurrence that was very familiar to all of them, considering it was Shouta's tell that he was using his quirk. And Midoriya was using Erasure, he could tell by the way Bakugou's arms and palms flexed as he tried and failed to activate Explosion.
Midoriya looked startled at Bakugou's outburst and looked around in wide eyed confusion at all his classmates that were gaping at him.
"W-what's wrong? G-guys? Why a-are you all s-staring at m-me?" Midoriya stuttered, something Shouta had thought was finally fading as he got used to his classmates.
"Midoriya." Shouta called, drawing the red eyed stair towards him. "Blink."
Midoriya started at him for a fraction of a second before he complied, and winced. Shouta knew that feeling all too well.
Shouta moved from around his podium and made his way over to the door. "You all have a free study period starting now. Iida is in charge and will pass out your tests. Midoriya... come with me." He called over his shoulder as he opened the classroom door and waited for his student to scuttle out before closing it on the for once, silent class.
He walked down the hallway a bit before stopping and rummaging through one of the pockets on his utility belt, pulling out his small bottle of eye drops. "Tilt you're head back and close your
eyes."
Midoriya was quick to obey, knowing what Shouta held in his hand and dying to have some relief for his eyes. Shouta cupped Midoriya's cheek to steady himself, and dripped two drops of the medicine in the corners of both of the kid's eyes. He knew from experience that anyone who wasn't used to having to use eye drops would blink before the medicine dropped or flinch away. Dropping them in the corners of closed eyes and then using his fingers to open the closed lids to allow the liquid in was the easiest way.
He lifted Izuku's lids and tilted the boy's face around to let the liquid slide over his dry eyes. As an afterthought, he closed Midoriya's eyes back and gently rubbed his thumb over his lids, helping the liquid to seep in more and adding comforting pressure to ease the soreness away.
Once done, he let go of his student's face and backed away. Midoriya straightened up and opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times as his eyes naturally began to produce tears to help moisten his eyes up more. Lucky.
"Midoriya." Shouta said sternly, drawing the boy's attention and causing him to cower slightly under his deep gaze. "Care to explain to me how you were using Erasure?"
Midoriya looked at him, mouth agape as he processed what Shouta had just said. "I what now?"
Shouta sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. Damn. He was worried that the kid wouldn't know what he had done, but it sure would have made things easier if he had at least had some kind of clue.
Because Shouta was stumped too. The boy's quirk was super strength. So how the hell had he managed to use Shouta's quirk?
"Kid, you were using Erasure to erase Bakugou's quirk. It's why you're eyes are so dry right now."
Midoriya tucked his fist under his chin in thought. "H-how can that be. My quirk isn't anything related to Erasure. That should be impossible."
Shouta nodded and grabbed him by the elbow, steering him in the direction of Recovery Girl. "That's what I'd like to know too. Maybe Recovery Girl will be able to shed some light onto this."
They rounded a corner and almost ran into Present Mic. Shouta grunted in greeting and tried to walk around his friend and fellow hero.
Mic, who didn't have a class at the moment, changed direction to tag along with them. "Sho! Where ya goin? Did the little listener already break something this early in the morning?" His friend asked, way too chipper for Shouta's taste. Mic walked along side Midoriya, openly looking over his student to see if there were any obvious injuries.
Midoriya blushed, indignant that Mic automatically assumed he had hurt himself, and frowned at the floor. The kid was not comfortable enough yet with the other teachers to argue or sass them in good nature like the other students. At least he seemed comfortable enough with Shouta to actually talk some, even if it was short sentences about things school related. Although he did ask Shouta once about how his scarf worked.
Magic had clearly not been what the kid was expecting him to say. Shouta wasn't too sure how it worked himself, he just knew it had something to do with responding to Shouta's brain waves and a lot of skill.
"Midoriya used Erasure during class and neither of us know how he did that." Shouta huffed. It could be anything really, but he wanted to get Recovery Girls medical opinion before he jumped to any conclusions. If anyone could pinpoint the cause, it would be her. It was most likely the result of someone accidentally using their quirk on or around Midoriya.
Mic stopped in his tracks, shocked, before rushing to catch up with them. "What the hell!" His loud friend yelled, making Midoriya flinch and Shouta slouch even more in an attempt to escape his friend's loud voice and curious stare.
The blond man looked back and forth between Midoriya and Shouta, before whispering, "You don't think this is another way of the LOV messing with us?"
Midoriya wrapped his arms around himself and Shouta relinquished his hold on his student's elbow. They were just coming into view of the nurses office. "It's a possibility, but I doubt it. Whatever it is, it seems harmless. I can still feel my quirk, so I know it wasn't transferred to him. The possibilities are endless, but if anyone can figure it out it will be Shūzenji."
Shouta pushed open the nurses door and ushered Midoriya inside. Shūzenji looked up from her files and looked at the three of them before her gaze settled on Midoriya. She huffed and hopped down off her chair, tottering over to them. "What now?" She asked, glaring at the two adults accusingly, like it was somehow their fault for the most accident prone student was back in her office.
Hizashi nudged Midoriya over to an empty cot while Shouta explained. "Somehow, Midoriya was able to use my quirk during class. He doesn't know how this happened."
Shūzenji nodded her head and wandered over to Midoriya. "So do you think that he may have been hit with some unknown quirk that allowed him to copy your quirk?" She asked.
"That's what it seems like." He admitted, leaning against the open door. Mic wandered over to a chair and flopped gracelessly onto it, spreading out his long legs as he observed everyone.
"Midoriya, do you remember being hit by a quirk or feeling strange at all recently?" Recovery Girl asked, using her grandmotherly tone she reserved for people when they weren't being fuck ups.
Midoriya shook his head no before pausing. "Uh, well, for a few days my eyes have felt really dry. But that could be because of Mr. Aizawa's quirk. I thought it was allergies, but other than that... nothing. Sorry."
Recovery Girl patted his knee and wandered over to her cabinet that contained medical equipment. "Don't apologize dearie. You've done nothing wrong."
She rummaged around in her cabinet before she found what she wanted. It was a scanner that most hospitals had that could scan the brain and show if someone was under the affects of someone else's quirk. It was a expensive device that scanned a person's brain waves. When a person is under a quirk that controls them or alters them in some way, different parts of the brain will be affected and will show more activity than is normal. It also shows the affects of a person using their own quirk, letting them watch as a person's brain waves changed in response to the quirks activation.
She held the small device up and scanned Midoriya's head. She looked at the screen, then looked at Midoriya, before looking at the screen again. A deep frown settling on her face.
Shouta looked at her growing confusion and asked when he couldn't control his curiosity anymore.
"What's wrong?"
She looked at him before looking back at his student. "Shouta, he isn't under the impression of another quirk." She held up the scanner again to Izuku's head. "I need you to activate Erasure again."
Midoriya was looking between the device and Shouta, confused and a little frightened over the fact that he wasn't under someone else's quirk. That it was all him.
Honestly Shouta was just as confused as Midoriya.
His student gulped before glancing over at Present Mic, who had been silent the entire time and watching them all intensely, and activated Erasure. Mic opened his mouth to let out a quirk induced shout, only for a normal volume one to come out. He tried a few more times before letting Midoriya deactivate Erasure.
"Freaky." Mic whispered. Leaning back in his chair and rubbing at his mustache, something he was prone to do while thinking.
Shūzenji turned to Shouta and Hizashi and made shooing motions. "Out, the both of you. I need to run a few more tests."
Mic launched from his seat and scurried out of the room. He had always been afraid of the little woman since they were in school and he had accidentally deafened his whole class temporarily and she had yelled at him for his carelessness.
Shouta nodded his head and calmly left the room, letting them know that they would be waiting outside.
~
Izuku sat on the bed nervously as Recovery Girl pulled up his file. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that this wasn't the cause of someone else's rogue quirk, but he himself doing this. How? He was quirkless before All Might gave him his power. This was physically impossible!
"That's what I would like to know too." Recovery Girl muttered. Oh... he had said that out loud.
Recovery Girl pulled up the hated X-ray of his toe from when he was four and turned the screen to him. "This clearly shows that you have the double toe joint that is associated with all quirkless people. Which is proof that you should not be showing signs of a quirk that isn't OFA."
Izuku nodded his head. "I know! So how is this possible!? And why Erasure of all things!?"
Recovery Girl sighed, "I would like to take another X-ray of your toe. Something just isn't adding up."
The X-ray didn't take much time, and soon a image was being uploaded onto the computer. And it was startling to both of them, although Recovery Girl did have her suspicions. There on the screen, clear as day, was Izuku's toe that did NOT have a double joint. What!?
Recovery Girl scowled and looked over to the shocked teen. "Midoriya, you were never quirkless. It was just very late in revealing itself. I'm going to have a colleague come in who can examine you're quirk. They can see what exactly a quirk is and explain to you in depth about Erasure.
Although, I'm sure Aizawa can help you with that as well... but we don't know for sure if it's exactly like his or not. But for now, I suggest you don't use it too much. You're body isn't used to the dry eye yet. I have a bone to pic with the idiot doctor that lied to you. When I get my hands on them, they'll be lucky if they are allowed to doctor animals."
Izuku just stared at her in shock as she called his teachers back in. He had a quirk that was all his! He had Erasure! HE HAD ERASURE!
~
Shouta and Mic ambled back into the room when they were called. A X-ray of Midoriya's foot was on the screen. He looked at the boy who looked like he was in shock. Not surprising, finding out you have another quirk that was completely unrelated to the other must be mind boggling.
Mic went and slumped back in his seat, looking over at Midoriya in concern. If he kept his mouth hanging open like that he was bound to catch a fly.
Shouta walked over to Midoriya and pushed his mouth closed. The kid didn't so much as react, staring vacantly at the X-ray. He was starting to get concerned that his student was going into shock and was about to ask Shūzenji for a shock blanket when she spoke.
"Aizawa, I need you to be honest with me." Shouta looked at her in confusion. When wasn't he honest with her. He had known her since he was a teenager stumbling through life and into the hero course. "Is Midoriya Izuku you're illegitimate love child?"
What?
"What?" Mic and Midoriya shrieked at the same time. He would be glad the kid was finally reacting, but now it seemed he was going into shock too.
"No way RG!" Mic yelled, jumping to his feet and pointing wildly at Shouta who just stood their dumbly. "Shouta's gay as hell! Has always been! And what you're suggesting would mean that in some fucked up way, a fourteen year old Shouta and a adult Mrs. Midoriya conceived a child together!"
Normally Shouta would have been pissed that Mic had outed him in front of his student, but it felt like he was drowning in a sea of "what the fuck"!
Shūzenji pointed her cane at Mic and ground out, "I know that. But the fact is that Midoriya has Erasure. Is only showing signs of Erasure. If it were a copy quirk, then why Shouta? Why and how did he copy his quirk? Why not his classmates or his mother? He's around them more."
Shouta looked down at Midoriya who seemed aghast at the idea that she thought Shouta could be his father. Same. Not that he didn't care for his reckless problem child. But he wasn't "Shouta's" child.
"Cover you're ears." Shouta told Midoriya. The teen hurriedly pressed his hands tightly over his ears and Shouta added his own too before whispering over his shoulder to Shūzenji. "I know for a fact that I have never slept with a woman and have only ever been with men." He glanced over to Mic who was nodding his head. "There is no way he is my child. No way at all. There has to be another explanation."
He removed his hands from Midoriya's ears, tugging the teens hands down too.
Mic rubbed at his mustache again, tugging at the corner of one as he thought. "But how is he using
Erasure? If it is a copy quirk, then why you Shou? Did you come into contact with him at all today?"
Shouta and Midoriya both shook there heads.
Shūzenji sighed and hopped back up onto her chair. "Well, I'll send a message to my colleague who can identify quirks by looking at a person. I trust them, and I know they will be able to tell us what exactly is going on and why it's only happening now. I'll get them to come over as soon as they can."
Shouta nodded and looked down at his student. Shouta sat his hand on Midoriya's shoulder and crouched down to look him in the eyes. "We'll figure this mess out. But for now, just stay in here. I'm sure you don't want your friends bombarding you with questions you don't know the answer to."
Midoriya nodded his head and twisted his fingers together, another nervous habit the kid seemed to have. "A-are you going back to the class?" Midoriya asked softly.
He saw Mic smirk at him before quietly leaving the room with Shūzenji. He had planned on going back and trying to resume what was left of his homeroom before he needed to move on for the day. But the kid's hesitant tone implied that he didn't want Shouta to leave him alone after everything that had happened. Midoriya trusted him, and he didn't want to do anything to break that trust. He could tell from the short amount of time that he had known the kid that he was probably bullied (why he had no clue) and didn't seem to truly trust the adults around him.
Somebody had hurt this kid enough to make him this timid and untrusting. Shouta would not add to that hurt. Even if it was logical for him to resume his responsibilities. But he figured it wouldn't hurt to make Midoriya his top priority for the day.
"I wasn't planning on going anywhere." Shouta lied, patting the kid on the head as he made his way over to the chair Mic had vacated. Midoriya seemed relieved that Shouta was staying. So he slouched down in the chair and drifted into a light sleep as the problem child fiddled with his phone. Waiting for the colleague to arrive.
~
Shouta, Mic, Midoriya and Shūzenji all sat there in shock as the quirk specialist explained to them what Midoriya's quirk was. Both Shouta and Midoriya were blushing embarrassedly from the explanation, while Mic rocked with laughter and Shūzenji smiled softly.
Midoriya's quirk was a mixture of a bonding and copying quirk. Basically whoever the kid formed a strong attachment to (it didn't work on family) he would bond to them and be able to copy their quirk.
Midoriya had somehow gotten attached enough to Shouta that he formed a bond and was able to copy Erasure.
He had bonded with Shouta!
It was a little awkward when Mic stopped laughing long enough to ask Midoriya why he had never bonded with anyone else before. It was awkward because Midoriya hesitated in telling them. Then it was sad and infuriating to hear that because he was such a late bloomer that everyone assumed that he was quirkless. And because of that, he was bullied. His only friend had been Bakugou, but the boy quickly turned on him and that had ended their friendship.
If Bakugou hadn't have turned on probably the best friend he could have ever had, Shouta's sure that Midoriya would have bonded with him. Maybe a bond even had began to form, if Midoriya's attachment to the boy was any indication, but the betrayal had probably broken it.
Midoriya had a quirk that had the potential to be very powerful, if he was able to learn to trust others more and bond with them. The kid did not seem to have trouble making friends or getting along with others. Hell, maybe the reason his quirk was so similar to All Might's was because he had unknowingly bonded to the big buffoon. He could see how Midoriya would assume that his quirk was super strength if that was the case.
The kid just needed to learn to trust. But there was plenty of time for that. For now he would continue to watch over the kid and train him on how best to use his quirk.
The specialist told him that he would keep Erasure for as long as he was bonded with Shouta. Not like Shouta would do anything to break that bond. It was nice to know that his student trusted him so much. He's not sure he's ever had a student that felt any type of fondness for him before. They respected him, but they were always too intimidated by him. Despite the fact that as their homeroom teacher he had to basically act as a extra parent. Midoriya bonding to him was kind of flattering, knowing just the kind of good impact he was making on his students life.
The specialist also told them that he could just relax his quirk and Erasure would slip into the depths of his quirk, waiting to be called on again. Midoriya sighed as he relaxed his quirk and the dry eye faded.
It was lunchtime, and as much as he dreaded the teasing from students and teachers about this new revelation, he knew it couldn't be kept secret forever. So he shooed Midoriya off to lunch and told him he was in fact allowed to tell all of his annoying friends. Just like Mic was going to do with theirs.
~
Shouta sat dejectedly in the teacher's lounge, wrapped up in his sleeping bag in a corner and sipping on a jelly pouch. Mic and Midnight were bursting at the seams with laughter. All at his expense.
Midnight tore herself away from Mic and staggered over to him, drunk on the hilarity of the situation. "Shouta! You should know better than to try and keep your child a secret from your friends! You can't keep him all to yourself."
Mic snickered behind his hand as Shouta glared at his friends. The other teachers were keeping their laughter hidden. But he knew they were laughing.
"Midnight." Shouta growled, eyes flashing red. "You know that he isn't my kid."
Midnight wiped away the tears in the corners of her eyes and smiled devilishly at him. "Oh sweetie, you are wrong. So very wrong."
Mic snorted and joined in. "Yea Shou, think about it. Midoriya was so fond of you that it formed a bond. Students don't just bond with their grumpy teachers... not unless..."
"No." Shouta denied.
"They see you as a parent." Midnight finished.
Shouta buried his face in his hands. "You're wrong!" He groaned.
The 18 hero crouched down and patted him on the top of his head in fake sympathy. "Sorry baby, but you know we're right."
"Welcome so fatherhood Shouta!" Mic teased. He knew that Shouta had given up on the idea of ever having children on his own or even adopting. Being secretly gay and an underground hero with many enemies just made being a father nothing more than a dream. He knew Mic was probably secretly happy that in a strange way, Shouta was getting what he always wanted. A kid.
Shouta knew that the kid would bond with other adults, was probably bonded with All Might, but he couldn't stop the soft flutter in his heart that liked the idea that Midoriya might consider him a father figure.
No, it was better to not get his hopes up. Midoriya was his student. Just his student.
"So when are we adopting him?" Mic questions him quickly as he gave Shouta juice box in place of his empty jelly pouch.
"I don't know." He responds automatically.
Damnit Hizashi!
~
"Sooo..." Uraraka nudges Izuku in the arms and waggles her eyebrows at him. "Does this mean you kind of see Mr. Aizawa like a dad?"
Izuku shrugged as he ate his rice, not paying much attention to the conversation due to how embarrassed he still was over the whole thing and having to tell his troll friends. At least Iida hadn't overreacted like everyone else. Just spouting facts about why Mr. Aizawa was worthy of bonding with. "I guess I do. I can't remember my dad. And Mr. Aizawa is very dad like. I guess I wouldn't mind him being my dad."
Everyone at the table awwwed at him all at once with the faint whisper of "secret love child" from Todoroki.
Izuku's mind caught up with what his mouth had just said and blushed so hard he got dizzy as the blood rushed right to his head.
What have I just done!!!!!!!!!!!!!
... no one noticed Snipe rush out of the cafeteria squealing like a little country girl as he skipped to the teacher's lounge to relay what he had just heard...
Izuku and Shouta had permanent blushes for a week after that, but neither could find it in their hearts to be upset over it.