Aizawa Shouta

“Right! Now, if that’s all you wanted to talk to me about–”

[   All Might is going to turn his body a bit, suggesting that he’s about to flee walk away from the scene. He’s got the point now, and wasn’t going to stick around if the man was just going to drive it home even more. He’ll adapt to the changes needed.   ]

“It’s not.”

What more could he have to criticize the number one hero for? The world was filled with praises for him, and yet Aizawa seemed ready to judge him twice as harshly as he would anyone else.

“…”

[   As he feels those jabs, his smile twitches, as if it was going to drop, but doesn’t at all, because maybe the man was right with this. He was the one who taught way more people over his years than he personally ever did. He was new at this, so in a way he was learning himself.   ]

“I—didn’t realize I was coming off that way.”

[   He begins in a low tone, but it soon picks up to its usual speed.   ]

“I’ll do better! I don’t want to halt their progress.”

Was he being too harsh? Probably. Did he feel bad about it? Not even a little bit. All Might had plenty of people to fawn over him, he could take one person handling him with a firmer hand, and Aizawa — as in many of his interpersonal relationships — was happy to step in and fill those shoes.

“Good. The last thing they need is more reason to put you on a pedestal.”

Dark eyes lingered on the golden-haired hero, studying the way he held himself, the tension that was pulled tight inside him. Aizawa make a sound, heading to the kitchen to start a kettle. While the coffee pot called to him, it probably wasn’t the wisest idea this late at night. Tea would have to do.

“Old habits die hard.”

The early morning classes had never quite worked the night owl out of Aizawa. Years spent working from sundown to sun up had set the stealth hero deeply in his ways, leaving him eternally tired through the waking hours and with an almost jittery energy when the stars were out. He used to use the time he had to patrol, an ever lurking presence in the back alleys of the shittiest parts of the city. As the threat against his students grew, however, he more often found himself circling the grounds, occasionally stepping out of the gates for a late night bite, but mostly lingering around the ground, searching for signs of danger.

With all that had happened, it was no surprise that he found himself more on edge than ever before. Tossing and turning in bed had granted him no rest, and so at last, Aizawa had accepted his fate, dragging himself out of bed for another late night walk. He would circle the dorms a couple of times, make sure the kids were still sleeping safely, and then head back to bed. The assurance, seen with his own eyes, would likely be enough to give him some peace of mind, and he could get in a few winks before class in the morning.

That had been the hope, anyway. All chances of that peace of mind were blown to smithereens when he heard a crash on passing by one of the buildings. All senses on high alert, the stealth hero whirled around on his heel, tension pulling his muscles tight as bow strings. He bolted in the direction of the commotion, coming to a skidding stop when his eyes fell to the cause of it.

“Th—”

[   He doesn’t even get to finish as he feels a bit gutted by Aizawa, and he barely even really said anything. Yikes. It sure wasn’t fun to get judged by fellow teachers.   ]

“I only do it with good intentions in mind!”

[   He presses his own hands together.   ]

“But I can tone it down if it bothers you, Aizawa-kun.”

“It’s distracting.”

Not only to himself, but to the students as well. So long as they were oo-ing and ah-ing at the walking legend of a man, the less time they spent focusing on their work.

Aizawa had hoped that being exposed to him more often would humanize the hero to them, remind them that he was just that: a man. Plain and simple. The number one hero, perhaps, but still just a person, as any one of them. It would never work if he kept dazzling them in his antics.

[   Cue the small sweat drop as he internally shot up in alarm. What a bold claim, but considering who it was from, he wasn’t surprised.   ]

“I–I can assure you that I’m being no such thing, Aizawa-kun!”

“So the showboating just comes naturally.”

One only had to breathe air in the same vicinity to get a taste of how unimpressed he was with the number one hero. He wouldn’t be ensnared by the same golden gleam that had the rest of the world so dazzled.