Frustrated by the constant glaring from Midnight and the occasional sorrowful glances from you, Shouta is pathetically close to rolling up in his sleeping bag and frankly never getting back up. But, in all honesty, Nemuri's jab has been weighing on him. Heย hasย processed his trauma. Heย hasย moved past it. Heโs here at UA isnโt he? Teaching the next generation of heroes, or some crap like that? So why canโt he get your pleading eyes out of his head?ย
Maybe Shouta was a little too harsh. Maybe there was no need to misdirect his growing irritation at you. Maybe thatโs why he ends up at Ground Beta during his free period, watching class 3Bโs battle trial exercise.ย
The test was already in full swing. 3B had been divided into two halves, the villains and the heroes. The hero team seemed to be guarding Cementoss as if he were a high profile target. The villain's goal was to sneak into the building where a mock "conferenceโ was being held with the Help Us Company working as civilians. The heroes were tasked to protect the target as well as the civilians present at the event during the villain attack. While the villains were to capture as many civilians as possible they would only win if they were just able to capture Cemetoss and take him back to their base.ย
The fight had progressed from the original conference and had spilled out onto the streets with buildings getting heavily damaged in the process. Shouta was sure Nemuri would deduct points for that, they would get an earful on top. These brats did not yet seem to understand the financial burden battles like this put on the city.ย
โShouta!โ Hizashi called out, spotting him watching the live feed. โCame to watch our soon to be graduates, did you? What do you think?โย
โSloppyโ Shouta drawled.ย
โYeah, theyโve been giving it their all lately. The infrastructure seems to be suffering all the more for it.โ
โWho do they think pays for all of this?โ
Mic chuckles โthey don't seem to care about that yet.โ
Shoutaโs gaze lands on you on one of the screens. You seem to be holding your own on the heroโs team, teleporting both yourself and your team around as easily as breathing. And while your quirk seems to be key to keeping the target away from harm you are unable to deposit anyone more than 70 feet from yourself. Eventually the villains will be able to follow that pattern and it might become your weakness.
Clocking Shoutaโs attention on you. Mic teases โcame to scout your trainee? I thought youโd rejected her. At least thatโs what Nemuri said, with other โ he smirks โchoice words about you.โย
โAbsolutely not, I just had a free period and Ground Beta is on the way to my next class.โ Ground Beta was located at the far edge of campus, actually.ย
โSure, sure. Whatever you say, yo.โ Hizashi continues, โbut just so you know, I agree with Midnight. The girl could use some training. As is, her teleportation range seems incapable of reaching beyond - โโย
โSeventy feet. Yeah I noticed.โ Shouta interrupts, not taking his eye off you. Youโve been cornered with the target right behind you in the lobby of a precarious looking building thatโs barely hanging to its foundation.ย
โShe can do long range when under calm circumstances in classโ Mic sighs.โ Even go all the way to Nabu Island. Quite rock and roll if you ask me.โย
โโThe heat of battle throws her off,โ Shouta guesses.
โSheโs too focused on the people around her to visualize anything that might be more than 70 feet away.โย
Shouta hums as the battle dredges on.ย Heโs taking you in, trying to understand your thought processes.ย A seventy feet radius huh?ย
A sudden boom sounds!
A villain is thrown into the back of the building you are fighting inside. That last push is all it takes for the structure to start crumbling entirely. Shouta starts running before he can register what's happening. His body moves on its own.
You teleport Cementoss away from the building before he can help, not perceiving him as your sensei only as an innocent at risk, forgetting entirely the 5 second cooling period your quirk requires at maximum capacity.
A huge chunk of rock is hurtling right at you.
5 seconds.ย
Youโre not going to be fast enough to dodge entirely.
4 seconds.ย
You put a bent arm out to take most of the impact before you can leave. Youโre sure Recovery Girl can handle a broken arm.
3 seconds.
Right as the concrete brushes your elbow you feel something wrapping around your waist and youโre being pulled away.
You open your eyes as you are being laid gently on the ground and meet Eraserheads wide ones.
โWhat do you think youโre doing?โ he yells, towering over you.โ Why didnโt you teleport away?โย
โI sent Cemetoss sensei as far as I couldโ you whisper against his intense gaze. โI have a mandatory cooldown time of 5 seconds after that.โย
โCooldown? At only 70 feet? You only needed to send him 30 feet away, you should have been able to conserve energy for yourself that way.โ
โGetting him as far away from the impact radius as possible was more important.โ Shouta sputters at that, but you continue before he can scream and belittle your quirk some more. โBesides, I worked hard on those seventy feet. Donโt mock me.โย
You look away, unable to keep his disappointed stare any longer. โIt took hours of practice and visualization- "
โYou need to do more than just visualize,โ Shouta begins, still leaning over you, scanning for injuries, โyou need to feel it. The texture of the ground, the harshness of the cement, the warmth of a hand.ย Feel it.โย
You stare into his brown eyes, still reeling from the battle. Your eyes bounce between his, all you can feel is his capture tape still around your waist and his gaze roaming over you.ย
โWhat are you doing here, anywayโ you ask, breathless for no reason.ย
โScoping out my new trainee, apparentlyโ Shouta says exasperated.ย
โYouโll do it then? Help me?โ
Youโre afraid youโve hit your head a little too hard. This is a little too good to be true after all.ย
โEvery Tuesday and Thursday at 8 pm for an hour. If youโre late, Iโll expel you. Do I make myself clear?โย
โI donโt think you can do that, but yes! Anything! Thank you!โ you beam.ย
โI can and I will.โ Shouta warns having gotten off his knees and already walking away. Unbeknown to you heโs about to go straight to Nedzu to make sure he has the ability to act on his threat.
โIโll try my best! Thank you Eraser- I mean Aizawa sensei!โย
Only you hear Shouta when he mutters, โdamn you Nemuri.โ
Aizawa Shouta was not unfamiliar with problem children, so it was no surprise to him when Nemuri came knocking at his door with you trailing behind her.ย
โHey Eraser, can I ask you a favor?โ she grinned as his eyes narrowed, staring holes straight into you.ย
โI donโt know Midnight, Iโve ended up at UA grading papers because of the last favor you asked of meโ Shouta replied, lazily blinking his attention away.ย
Two years agoโฆ..ย
โCome on Eraser, think of it as a favor to me!โ Nemuri begged Shouta for the fourth time that week, perched atop a tall building where they were staking out the warehouse opposite.ย
The Hero Public Safety Commission had called on both Shouta and Midnight to spy on, and if required stop, a crime syndicate that seemed to be clanking around at odd hours of the night inside of that warehouse. After enough missing persons cases, occasional screams and heaping noise complaints from the elderly folk around, the HPSC had no choice but to investigate. Given that no one knew of the quirks of these villains, they decided to play it safe and involve Shouta.
โIโm not interested in teaching at UA, Midnight. Too manyโ Shouta sighed, looking for a kinder word than neanderthalls, โproblem children running around playing hero.โย
Underground hero work suited Shouta. Working in the shadows aligned with his skillset, he was particularly efficient in the way he captured villains in the dark. A simple erasure of quirks and quite immobilization of his enemy with his binding cloth usually did the job.ย
Now, standing here, enjoying the lingering chill in the spring air at an ungodly hour of night, he truly appreciates his choices in life. No limelight, no press and no taxing social interactions.
Well, occasional taxing social interactions.ย
โMic starts this term you know, wouldnโt it be great to work together again? Just like in high school?โ Ms Midnight presses on.ย
โIf you can stop him from raving up every high school graduation, Iโll think about itโ Shouta scoffs, catching movement from the corner of his eye.
A middle school student is approaching the building theyโve been monitoring, looking exactly like one of those children Shouta is so desperate to avoid, someone who looks like they want to help, regardless of the consequences to themselves.ย
โHonestly I donโt think Nedzu would mind-โ Midnight starts but Shouta cuts her off.ย
โWhat is she doing there?โย
Before Nemuri can respond, Shouta is swinging to action, apprehending the villains that have intercepted the girl and are rapidly getting angrier. Oneย with rocks covering all of him is cornering her into the alley next to the building.ย
โThink you can stop us all by your lonesome, little girl? Want to be a hero, do you? Pretty little girls like you need a strong man like me to fight your battlesโ the villain croons.ย
โNo, stop it! This is an elderly neighbourhood, you canโt keep making a ruckus at this time of night.โ she rambles, trembling but holding her ground. โThey haven't been getting any sleep, and they really need that, you know, it's really not healthy to skip sleep that many nights in a row. In fact Iโm sure youโre not doing too well either, not getting any sleep. Look at those ginormous eyebags! Is it because you have insomnia? You know my nana makes this amazing herbal tea, it puts me right to sleep. If you agree to not making so much noise anymore, I can maybe bring you some? Iโm sure she wonโt mind-โ
โShut up! Herbal tea? I donโt need your nanas stupid tea. Iโm about to teach you a lesson on prancing about, all alone at night.โ the villain hisses, reaching an ominous hand towards the girl.ย
โYes, yes, enough out of you,โ Shouta mutters, landing harshly on top of the villain, โboth of youโ. He dismisses the girl entirely in favor of binding the villain while erasing the quirk of another nearby.
โGo home! This is no time to be wandering aroundโ Numuri yells while putting the rest of the perpetrators to sleep.ย
The girl flinches.
โIโm -โ, she hiccups, holding back tears, โIโm sorry, Midnight, I just wanted to help. But thank youโ the girl says, already turning around to run home, but stops midway, โand thanks for saving me Mr Eraserhead, sirโ. With that she jogs away, hopefully heading home.ย
Knocking the villain in his grasp out, Shouta turns to the receding figure and grouses โand you want me to teach someone like that?โ
โThat is exactly the kind of person I want you to teach,โ Nemuri replies. She holds his eyes with an intensely serious expression. โPeople like her are going to throw themselves in danger regardless of if theyโre prepared or not. You can teach them how to get out of these situations with their lives.โย
Shouta thinks back to a different building but a familiar set of trembling fingers grasping the same ideals. A boy with pale hair that tried to help innocents and got himself killed in the process.ย
โMaybe.โ
โIโm sure itโll be nothing like that all, isn't that right?โ Midnight drawls, pushing you further into the room. โWe were actually hoping you could help us out with some training ?โ
Shouta raises an eyebrow, moving his attention back to you. โWith training what?โ he questions.
โMeโ you interrupt. โMr Eraserserhead, sirโ. Midnight nudges you. โI mean Aizawa senseiโ.
โAnd what exactly would you like me to train you in, problem child?โ Shouta questions.ย
โExpanding my attack range, sensei. Ms Midnight mentioned you had some experience with quirks similar to mine, teleportation.โ At this Shoutaโs eyes widen and then glare at Nemuri. โI can usually visualize the object or person I want to go to and take myself, or whoever Iโm holding, to it but my range is very small in stressful situations. Sometimes I canโt escape the danger zone, and obviously that isnโt the best, considering -โย
โIโm sorry, I donโt think Iโll be of any use to youโ Shouta responds before you can finish, turning back to his pile of papers to grade.ย
โCome on, Shouta. You trained for this with Shirakumo - โ Nemuri protests.ย
โI canโt help her!โ Shouta snaps.ย
Sensing the deteriorating situation you rush to say, โthatโs okay! Youโre busy, right? Of course youโre busy. Iโm sorry for disturbing you. Please forget about this and have a nice day!โย
With this you sprint back to class, face a little hot from embarrassment.
โYouโre going to have to work through this at some point you know, or it will start hindering more than just your life.โ Nemuri sighs, leaving him with that lingering thought.ย
Shouta inhales sharply, contemplating her words. He just - doesnโt have time for this. But if his inaction weighs on him and he slouches a little further, itโs no one's business but his.
