Izuku sighed as his alarm clock rang, signaling it was time to get up- not that he was asleep in the first place. It had been another unfruitful week for gathering dirt on Endeavor, and he hadn't been out as Akabana since adopting Shinsou- and then there were the continuing reports of more villains going missing from prisons. Izuku was feeling restless, torn between his new duty as Shinou's guardian and his duty as Akabana. While he may not be operating within the bounds of the law, he was still helping people, and it made him anxious to not be out there at night doing what he could to protect the innocent.

"Hey, Midoriya-san, we're going to be late."

"Shit!" Izuku sprang out of bed, scrambling around to get ready, Shinou's laughs echoing in the background as he moved past his room and into the kitchen for a quick breakfast.

Izuku may not sleep often, but even with an alarm, he was often late-

"Hey!"

-he would get too caught up in his thoughts and lose track of time. It hadn't been that big of a deal when he'd worked at the coffee shop, but as a teacher he now had much stricter hours.

Izuku glanced at the clock in the kitchen as he came hopping in, still trying to put on his left shoe.

"We can still make it to the train station in time if we run, you up for a little foot race, Hitoshi-kun?" While he and Shinou had become closer, a shared love for arcade games helping improve their bond, they still used honorifics- still a little too soon for that kind of intimacy.

And it wasn't just hesitation on Shinsou's part, Izuku was nervous too, not having that kind of bond with someone outside of the Bakgous- and Nedzu, if you counted the nosy principal- in a very long time.

"You bet! If I win….We have curry rice for dinner- with extra spice!" Izuku groaned as he followed Shinou out the door, locking up behind them. After their escapade to the arcade, they had gone for hot pot. While Izuku prefers the more traditional, sweeter, hot pot, Shinsou likes his spicy. His tongue suffered that night, much to his new ward's amusement. In his words- "You've known Bakugou and his family for ages, I'd thought you'd have better spice tolerance than that." And while yes, Izuku could handle the spice- any level of spice- with little difficulty, it didn't mean it liked it. It was, however, a source of constant amusement for the Bakugou's- and Shinsou now too, apparently- to watch him flounder and complain the moment anything a little too spicy hit his tongue.

"Fine, but when I win, we're having tonkatsu." It was Izuku's turn to grin as Shinsou groaned.

"Again?! But we just had it the other day!" Izuku wagged his finger at the boy, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"A deals a deal, now go!" Not missing another beat, Izuku took off, laughing as Shinsou yelled behind him.

"Hey! You cheat!"

Izuku's third week of teaching was going a lot smoother, if he did say so himself. He was starting to get used to his new environment- and the new people that came with it. Although, he did have to admit, he was still wary around Present Mic and Midnight albeit for very different reasons.

"Seriously, what is their deal? Mic seems to know something he shouldn't and Midnight is just plain scary!"

You'll survive.

"Still, weird vibes those two have."

The other staff, however, had kept a polite, but cordial, distance. Izuku suspected Nedzu was at fault, but really, he didn't mind. So many new people all at once was too overwhelming, he was glad to have the space to get to know them at his own pace. While integrating himself with the students 1-A had gone smoother than he expected, it was about all the new relationships he could handle at the moment.

And then there was Aizawa.

Izuku couldn't help the warm feeling stirring in his chest as he thought of the other man. They continued to have lunch together everyday, just sitting and chatting about mundane things- mostly training for the kids. They had decided to go ahead with the quirk enhancement training. It wouldn't be the full thing, just a few sessions to get their toes wet, introduce them to the concept. They would show them ways they could work on improving their quirks safely and in their free time so that they could improve both in their practical fighting skills and quirk usage.

It would help prepare them for a world that wasn't going to sit and wait patiently for them to play catchup.

There was something going to happen, Izuku could feel it in his bones, and he wanted those kids ready for anything life could throw at them- so, quirk training.

"Aoyama-kun, come here for a sec?" Izuku motioned for the boy to come sit with him under the tree, all of class 1-A spread out around the grounds practicing their quirks.

"Oui, Sensei?"

"I thought about what you said, about your limitations," Izuku paused, digging through his papers for the right set of notes- he was making a training guide for all of them. Making a noise of success as he found it, he handed it over to the curious and hopeful Aoyama. "Here, this is a training guide specifically designed for you."

"Really? You made this, just for me?" The kid looked like he might cry and Izuku quickly tried to assure him that it wasn't any trouble, all of 1-A would be getting one.

"The biggest problem you have is the nausea, correct?" Aoyama nodded, clutching to his packet like he was scared someone might take it away from him. Izuku sighed, sad no one had tried to help Aoyama earlier in his life, believed in him a little more. Reaching into his pocket, Izuku handed over another item. Aoyama stared at the little bands, confused.

"These are sea sickness bracelets, they help subdue nausea. I believe your issue comes from just how powerful your laser is. It sends a shockwave through your entire body, not just your stomach, and I believe it is affecting your inner ear which is actually the source of your nausea- hence sea sickness bracelets. Mind you, these are only temporary. Wear them both to start out with and work on improving how long you can maintain your laser. Once you can maintain it for a minute, reduce it to one bracelet. Then start working your way back up to a minute. After that, you should have an easier time maintaining your laser for longer even without the bracelets. They just help alleviate the symptoms while we give your body a chance to adjust to your power naturally. Since the nausea has always been so bad, you've never been able to maintain it, and therefore your body has never had a chance to get used to it, but this way, you can." Aoyama was just staring at him and as the silence stretched on, Izuku worried he may have over-explained it.

"Aoyama-kun? Does that make se- oof!" Izuku was certainly not prepared for the crushing hug he got from the boy- he was deceptively strong.

"Thank you Midoriya-sensei! I will make it to a minute, just you watch!" Izuku chuckled, patting the boy on the back before pushing him off towards his spot on the training field.

"Go on then, I'm watching." Aoyama nodded eagerly before rushing off, eager to get started.

"You have a way with them."

"Holy shit!" Izuku jumped nearly 10 feet in the air as Aizawa's voice suddenly sounded right beside his ear. "Aizawa-san, don't scare me like that!" Izuku placed a hand over his beating heart, cheeks stained red. He hadn't heard the man approach at all.

"Sorry, Midoriya" Aizawa's smirk didn't look very sorry.

"Yeah, sure you are." Aizawa huffed out an amused puff of air, shaking his head. The light mood evaporated, however, when he glanced over to a dense grove of trees, a serious expression taking over.

"I meant it though, you do have a way with them. Could you…" Aizawa trailed off, seemingly rethinking what he was going to ask. Izuku waited patiently for the man to make up his mind.

"Would you mind going to talk to Tokoyami? He's reluctant to train his quirk." Without needing to even think about it, Izuku found Tokoyami's training packet, handing the rest to Aizawa.

"Would you mind handing the rest of these out then? Their names are at the top."

"Sure."

A silent look passed between them, even without a soulmate bond the meanings were clear.

'Take care of him'

'I will'

And Izuku was off to find their resident gloomy bird.

"Tokoyami-kun?" Izuku put a delicate hand on the boy's shoulder, not wanting to startle him as he stared into the dark of the trees.

"Ah- Midoriya-sensei." Tokoyami finally broke his staring contest with the cypress, turning to face Izuku, expression confused. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, of course not," Izuku shook his head, patting the boy's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm just checking on you, how goes the quirk training?" Tokoyami grammaced, turning to face the trees again. The silence stretched between them, the only sound the rustle of leaves in the wind and the distant noises of the other members of 1-A training.

Izuku sighed as he rubbed at the back of his head, it was clear he was going to have to be the one to start this conversation- not surprising really, Tokoyami was much like Todoroki in this respect, he did not voice his thoughts freely.

"You've hurt someone, haven't you? When you lost control." And just like with Todoroki, Izuku would be blunt. It seemed to work as Tokoyami tried to find the words to answer.

"I-" His mouth- beak?- opened and closed several times, but ultimately settled on a simple, "Yes." His whole body was tense, eyes clenched shut as if preparing for the worst. Izuku's gaze softened, he knew what it was like to feel guilt for something not entirely in your control. He tugged the kid forward, pulling him slowly into a hug, giving him the chance to pull away if he wanted to.

"It's okay, Tokoyami-kun." The boy's breath hitched and his shoulders jumped, trying desperately to keep a lid on his emotions.

"Your quirk is a powerful one, and that means it's simply going to take more work to master than other quirks. Don't beat yourself up about it, it's not going to help you any." Tokoyami started to shake his head in denial.

"But-" Izuku was having none of that.

"No buts. Dark Shadow is a part of you," said shadow peaked out, and Izuku gave his beak a gentle pat, "you shouldn't be afraid of him."

Tokoyami turned to the shadow, glowing yellow eyes reflecting the boy's own fear and worries. They were two parts of a whole, and the sooner Tokoyami realized this, the easier it would be- for both of them.

Izuku patted both of their heads, ruffling a few feathers that Tokoyami grumbled good naturally at having to fix.

"I think it might help you to meditate, solidify your bond with Dark Shadow so that even if your control slips, you can keep him from hurting those that you care about. You don't have to face the dark alone, you will always have your partner by your side."

"Thank you, Midoriya-sensei." If Izuku noticed the boy's glistening, well, that he certainly wasn't going to mention it.

'Oh great, I've got another one, haven't I?'

Thankfully, the rest of the quirk training sessions went by with little fanfare, and just like that they were back to their regular training. Izuku did notice that the class carried their training manuals with them everywhere, studying them carefully and taking every word to heart. It made his chest swell with fondness- they really were a great group of kids.

Which made him even more susceptible to their puppy dog eyes.

"It's my one weakness."

"Pleaseeee Midoriya-sensei! You ate lunch in the staff room yesterday, come eat with us today!" Mina cried, bouncing up and down.

"Yeah! We can go over our quirk training techniques!" Kaminari added.

"I'm really sorry guys, we all have a mandatory staff meeting today. Next time, I promise!"

"Awww"

"No fair"

"Com'on sensei!" It was hard to make out who was who with all the complaints coming his way and Izuku sighed, these kids were impossible. He gave Aizawa a pleading look over his shoulder. Surely he could be the voice of reason?

"You're wasting your lunch hour, go eat, brats." Izuku let out a sigh of relief as the kids grumbled, but ultimately left for the lunch room.

"Thanks for the assist, Aizawa-san, I just can't say no when they look at me like that." Izuku gave a self-deprecating chuckle, expression sheepish as he rubbed at the back of his neck.

"It's fine," Aizawa nodded as he started moving down the hall. "Let's go, Nedzu is gonna triple my paperwork if we're late." The man mumbled to himself, but Izuku still heard him. He stifled a laugh as he fell into step beside the other man.

"Don't worry Aizawa-san, I'll take the blame if need be," Izuku smiled brightly up at him, amusement clear in his eyes.

Aizawa returned the look, a slight smile tilting his lips.

"My hero." Izuku let out a bark of laughter and Aizawa hid his pleased smile in his capture scarf.

They both continued to banter down the hall, completely missing all the bewildered looks of passing students and staff alike.