BY THE BLINDING LIGHT

       ❝  mr. aizawa, can i ask you a question about something?   ❞

            you’re his problem child. a teenage boy barely being held together by your own ambition and barely restitched bones. no one would know that looking at your plump cheeks. every inch still the boy who stumbled into last place on the very first day of school and yet so much more than that child. you’ve grown up, less a boy and starting grapple with adolescence in full force. and maybe starting tosterone finally has helped a little bit with the growing self confidence.

        ❝   it’s about when you went to school here.   ❞

Aizawa is used to questions. Every day, he’s bombarded with questions, and to be honest it’s a relief to have a question from Midoriya. His questions tend to be less painful than, say, Ashido.

Then again, maybe not.

His lips twist into a slight frown, and his brows follow suit, the corners of both tilting downwards. A question about his own attendance at UA is certainly not what he expected from his problem child, though the kid is known to be pretty nosy when it comes to pro heroes, so he shouldn’t be surprised. Even so, thinking that far back isn’t always pleasant.

     Aizawa walks in that morning to something truly horrifying. As tired as he is, he doesn’t even notice the balloons until one hits him in the face. Unsure if he’s dreaming, he stands there for a solid five seconds, just blinking at the sight before him. When realization dawns on him, his lip curls in disgust and his eyes widen slightly in horror. What the ever loving fuck.

❛ is that your way of saying you want a cameo, sensei ? ❜

“Absolutely not.”

       THE SOFT PAT TO HER SHOULDER ALERTED HER TO HER SENSEI’S APPEARANCE. SHE’D BEEN PRACTICING SOME OF HER NEW MOVES IN THE GYM LATER. MINA KNEW THAT SHE WASN’T AS ACADEMICALLY GIFTED AS SOME OF THE KIDS IN HER CLASS BUT SHE COULD REALLY EXCEL WHEN IT CAME TO THE PHYSICAL ASPECT OF BEING A HERO.

       ACTIONS NOT WORDS , THAT WAS HER STRONG SUIT. WITH A GRIN SHE LOOKED UP AT AIZAWA SENSEI AND WAVED HER HANDS AT THE SOLID STRUCTURE IN FRONT OF HER. “ IT’S A NEW MOVE , I CAN CHANGE THE MOLECULES IN MY ACID TO MAKE IT TURN SOLID WHEN IT COMES INTO CONTACT WITH AN OBJECT ! IT’LL BE A GOOD TACTIC TO STOP THE BAD GUYS FROM GETTING AWAY ! “ UNLESS THE BAD GUY CAN TURN INTO GAS OR PHASE THROUGH THINGS, BUT SHE WASN’T GOING TO GO INTO THAT RIGHT YET.

        “ DO YOU LIKE IT ? I THINK IT’S REALLY NEAT ! “

     Ostensibly, he only rested a hand on Ashido’s shoulder to avoid startling her. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d startled a student in the middle of training. This gave him some plausible deniability.

Aizawa was rather impressed with the progress she had made with her Quirk. She had a lot of energy, and she was definitely creative, and both of those traits helped her shine in battle. He listens as she chatters about her new move, struggling to keep a smile off of his face. Despite his best efforts, the corner of his lip twitches.

“ Sorry ”

Shinsou wasn’t one to apologize to other, Aizawa being one of the exceptions to this ‘rule’. The young boy wasn’t even entirely sure what he was sorry about. Being injured - to put it lightly. Not listing? For worrying him?

..Was Aizawa even worried? Shinsou wasn’t so sure. His expression was unreadable as ever.

“ I just…I thought…I just wanted to…”

I wanted to help, he finished the sentences in his head. But he knows it was foolish to not listen. Even if he avoids using his quirk knowing he wasn’t allowed yet but still…

A hero helps no matter, don’t they? But…he was no hero, not yet.

The teen didn’t even look at his teacher, focusing his gaze onto his leg, fist clenching into his pants. Somehow the feeling to have disappointed Aizawa is far worse than any injuries he has.

“ Am  I…in trouble-?”

     These damn kids are going to be the death of him one of these days.

Aizawa looks as stern as he ever does, arms crossed and brows furrowed. The scowl on his face could probably make a storm cloud look cheery, and the full brunt of his displeasure is currently focused on his student.

When he’d heard what happened, his first worry was that the next time he saw Shinso, it would be in a casket. True, he’d learned quickly, but he was still far behind his peers. Was his training enough to keep him from getting himself killed? Thankfully, the prospective hero had survived, though Aizawa wasn’t entirely convinced it was anything more than dumb luck. A few months of training would hardly save anyone.

     “From what perspective?” he asks coolly. “Legally, you certainly could get in trouble. Thankfully, it sounds like your actions are being counted as self defense. With UA? Your actions weren’t those of a responsible student. With me?” Aizawa pauses. “Absolutely.”

He’s seized with a strong urge to hug the boy, the same one he’d been feeling from the moment he’d seen him battered and weary. That wouldn’t really reflect the image he wanted to give off right now, though.