My Teacher

Estelle sat with Tokoyami and Dark Shadow in a cave she found near the waterfall one day during patrols. She wanted to be away from any distractions as they worked on the night side of Tokoyami's quirk. Going through the breathing techniques one last time, Estelle led the male further into the cave before taking numerous steps back.

"Are you sure you're comfortable with me being here?" Estelle murmured softly.

Tokoyami had explained to her that when Dark Shadow's strength increased in the night, he felt vulnerable and weak. It was why he had refused for Mr Aizawa to join him in the cave during training camp; he felt too embarrassed for his teacher to see him like that.

But, as Tokoyami had explained before. Estelle was different. Estelle had been through a lot in her lifetime, and she was strong and knowledgeable about different abilities. This was probably child's play compared to other stuff she had to suffer through, and just even knowing that helped put the male at ease around her.

It helped that Estelle was an incredibly selfless person under the hard exterior she had around her. Once they had gotten to know her more at the dorms, it was easy to see that there were many layers of Estelle. Yes, she was strong in many ways, but she was also vulnerable in others.

She had shown that side to them, even if she didn't want to. If Estelle could do that and still be resilient on the other side, then why should Tokoyami be ashamed around her in these moments?

He wasn't now that he had thought it through. Closing his eyes to revel in the dark, Tokoyami battled with Dark Shadow once the control had gotten too powerful. The black matter covered his whole body as his quirk roared in the pitch black.

Estelle raised her hands to push Dark Shadow back, lighting her hands on fire. Standing still as the student panted for air, Estelle watched as Tokoyami mentally pulled himself back together.

Turning to her, a pant on his lips, he asked, "What did I do wrong?"

"You fell into your habit of fighting him. You need to work together, and you need to trust him. Dark Shadow's communication completely changes in the dark; it's like he's more primal. Maybe that's his language? The only way to figure this out is to keep trying."

This was why Estelle was so incredible. She could tell these things just from a few moments in the twilight. He wasn't surprised at all, considering everything else they had done together, but he always had to take a moment to appreciate her brain; he could see how Estelle led people in a war. She radiated leadership.

Nodding, Tokoyami closed his eyes once again. He knew that progress wasn't going to be as quick as he would like. But, that was what being at UA was for, and he would become the best version he could be to help people, to be a hero. And Estelle could help him get there.

Estelle headed back to the dorms with Tokoyami later in the day. The male was utterly wiped from overusing his quirk to a considerable extent in a short period, and it was evident in his posture.

Turning to him once they reached the common room, Estelle placed a hand on his shoulder and muttered, "Even if it may not feel like it, you made great progress today. Be proud, get some food and rest."

"Yes, captain," the male grunted back with an appreciative expression as he nodded.

"Estelle."

Turning forward to face Mr Aizawa, Estelle held a questioning look as she stared up at her teacher. The students lounged around the room, but they weren't paying attention to her as he spoke. "I have more books; come with me."

Nodding, Estelle followed the teacher out of the space as a bit of happiness hit her. She had tried to pace herself with her books, but they had finished at an embarrassing rate. Bakugo would get annoyed sometimes that she wasn't paying attention to him, but he eventually relented as it was clear that she enjoyed it.

Strolling into Mr Aizawa's room. He pulled out a bag with more supplies and placed them on the table. Lifting her brows in curiosity, he answered, "You can colour here if you like? You seem tired, and the students are taking up the living room."

Mr Aizawa knew he was making that up. Estelle could simply go up to her room to colour in her books. But, he wanted her to choose to stick with him, and he couldn't lie; he enjoyed giving her the space to just relax and talk. He found it comforting, and he also knew it did a world of good for the troubled female.

Nodding, Estelle figured, 'What the hell, why not?' before strolling over to the table and dumping out the supplies to get started. She had downright missed the victorious grin of her teacher in front of her.

Plopping down onto the ground, Mr Aizawa was surprised when she placed a second book on the table. Confused at what she was doing, he sat down and waited for an explanation. "You can colour with me."

"Hm? Why would I do that?"

"You said this was to relax, right? You look like you need that right now."

Taken aback, Mr Aizawa wondered how she could see right through him. The Commission and the public had been on his ass lately about the existence of Estelle and being under UA's care. He was happy to take the extra work onboard because Estelle deserved it, but he was exhausted. It was partially why he had asked her to stay since Estelle's presence was relaxing to the teacher, especially when she was calm. Plus, he hoped they could have further conversation.

It was the only way to help Estelle. She needed no support from him psychically; she used her abilities impeccably. But, she needed support mentally, A lot.

Nodding with a sigh, Mr Aizawa lifted up a pencil and went to a random page. Colouring the drawing, he could see Estelle doing the same from the corner of his eye. The room settled in comfortable silence, the only sound being the clacking of pencils once they hit the desk. Time passed, and Estelle could see that even though the teacher had become considerably relaxed, something was still bothering him.

"What is it?"

"You do realise that I am the teacher, and you are the student? You aren't supposed to ask me that."

"When have I ever followed social norms? Plus, I'm not just a student. How are we supposed to build trust if I don't know who you are."

Knowing she had got him there, Mr Aizawa grunted, "Your teacher should be enough."

"That label doesn't mean very much."

"Fair enough. The Commission has been very pushy lately, and they keep interrupting my nap time. I'm tired, is all."

"What do they want?" Estelle questioned, hiding her annoyance at the fact they were bothering him so much. She could see he was even more depleted than expected. His slouch was heavier, his eyes bags were more prominent, and he lacked his usual energy.

"The Commission can be pretty secretive, and so because of that, I have no idea what their motives are. Nevertheless, the capabilities you continue to show day by day have certainly captured their interest. I am thankful you have the contract to protect your freedom, but they are still keen on having you within their ranks."

"I see. Thank you for telling me."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I've got you covered. You don't have to fear about them pulling anything over you."

"Thank you, Mr Aizawa, but you really don't have to."

"You're my student, and I always look after my students. I have a question for you now," he started.

"Shoot."

"For the first half of the year, you called me by Aizawa. Now, you never forget my title. Why?"

"In my world, titles are words of respect. Nyx would never accept anything other than boss, and it was a claim that he had control over every aspect of my life. When I escaped, I knew I would never be able to give someone a title who never earned it.

There have only been a few people in my life that have. So, I won't lie, when I initially met you, I held no respect for your name."

"So, what changed?"

"I am sure you recall the day you called me after the attack on Kamino Ward, and my identity had been revealed to the world. Regardless of the mayhem around me, you never wavered in your trust in me, and you respected my boundaries. You earned it that day, so now I call you by your title."

"But, you called principle Nezu by his title? What did he do to earn it?"

"That's not his first name?" Estelle questioned, her eyes widening in horror.

Leaning back, Mr Aizawa couldn't hold back his cackle from the expression on the girl's face. "How did you not know?!"

"Principle isn't even a title in our world!" Estelle pouted, folding her arms in disbelief and disappointment. Her complete moral standing was just thrown off the table with that one remark. Unbelievable. Estelle was fed up with finding out things like this.

Still chuckling, Mr Aizawa shook his head with a grin as his shoulders unwound even more. "Never mind that. Your point still stands nevertheless.

"Tch, not a word about this."

"My lips are sealed."

Estelle had spent a few hours with Mr Aizawa conversing about different things, but when he stopped replying, she perked up from the sheet in front of her to see where he had gone. The male was peacefully sleeping on the couch, a light snore leaving his lips as his body remained dead weight. The bun on his head was a tangled mess, but Estelle gave a small smile at how at peace he looked.

Hearing the light buzz of a phone, Estelle's smile slowly dropped to a scowl as it vibrated in Mr Aizawa's jacket on the side. Sneaking over, Estelle picked the device up before heading to the hallway to answer.

Snorting, Estelle viewed the contact name with a smirk. 'The pain in my ass.' Answering, Estelle wasn't even given a chance to speak before the woman on the other end jumped into a conversation.

"You have avoided our calls for the whole afternoon! If you are unable to report to us about the girl, we will have to take measures to monitor her properly!"

"I see you have been bothering my teacher. Care to explain?" Estelle questioned, biting back her growl of annoyance.

"Estelle! Where is ErasureHead?" The head of the Commission voiced, her voice dimming down to her usual cold tone.

"He's getting some well-needed rest. But, whilst I let him get his shut-eye, why don't we have a conversation? Like why you have been pestering him more than necessary?"

"Estelle, I am sure you can understand our position. You are an otherworldly being, and we cannot just let you run around idly without any supervision."

Narrowing her eyes, Estelle was ready for a fight. "I have been cooperative, yes?"

"Of course,"

"I have sent daily reports to your offices without fail, correct?"

"...Yes."

"I have continued to meet you at least once a month to inform you of the details of any updates and the current progress of my mission, yes?"

"That is correct."

Straightening up with a snarl, Estelle questioned, "So, why in the god's name would you need anything more?!"

"I am sure you can understand-"

"No. I don't. Because I have fulfilled everything you have asked and more, nothing is left to be said. I understand that you would prefer I was working directly under The Commission, but the contract clearly states that I am free to do as I wish as long as I update you. I have provided more than enough and will continue to do so. But, I refuse for you to pester a night-shift hero and a day-shift teacher for information that you are not entitled to!"

"I...understand."

"Good. Now that I have made myself clear, I expect you to allow Mr Aizawa with the rest that is needed. He will call you, and you will not call him. Understood!?"

"The Commission understands."

"Perfect. I will see you in a week as planned. Goodbye."

The head of the Commission did not even utter a farewell before hanging up the call, clearly dissatisfied with how the conversation had ended. But, Estelle had spoken to them with withheld rage. Seeing Mr Aizawa today had made her realise how much the poor man had to endure, and she was not okay with adding even more to his plate than necessary. He may be a hero and a good man, but he is nowhere near the type of person to deserve that pile of shit on top of him.

Estelle was relieved she had managed to lighten his load, even just a little. Feeling satisfaction in her bones, Estelle trailed back into the room to place the phone back into his jacket pocket. She wasn't expecting a half-awake teacher barely sitting up from his sleeping bag.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Estelle muttered, wincing that her loud yell had woken him up.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I did. Now get some sleep; you need it."

"Hmpt, you do too much."

"Says you. Now hush, go to sleep." Estelle murmured, picking up her books before heading out of the room. The warmth filled her heart once she heard his final words before he fell back into a slumber once again.

"Thank you."

Smiling, Estelle closed the door slowly and headed to the dining room with a full feeling in her core.

Mr Aizawa closed his eyes, gratefulness in his bones from the actions of Estelle. He had spent the last few months dealing with the constant ramage of calls from The Commission, so the relief was like a huge weight had been lifted from the male. He would have endured; he knew that. But just knowing that Estelle cared enough to put them in their place and call him her teacher made it all the more worthwhile.

'That kid is something else.'