FicWad

You watch as one of the first year teachers encourages the students to move faster in the halls to their next classes. Present Mic… You wince, your ears aching from the noise; at least until some homeless looking man hits him, hard, on the head. “Knock it off, Mic.”

“Eraser! Come on, man, stop killing my vibe.” 

As a third year, you’ve watched the Big Three succeed in all that they do. You were fourth in the class, quite capable as well, but never able to surpass them. You worked hard day and night on your Quirk, Neko. With some success. That being said, you didn’t pay much mind to other people in UA, students, staff, or otherwise. You just acknowledged that they were there, and focused on paying attention to your teachers. You had no friends.  You had turned eighteen last semester, and had aced your provisional license exam with ease. Your ID was tucked deep into your (f/c) bag, and you had your eyes trained on the next milestone, which was getting connections with different agencies and spreading your hero name: Kitten. 

So when you actually did stop to look around, you found beauty in every soul there. The friendships and bonds drew you in, and you stared as the two teachers walked into their respective classrooms. Hm… They’re interesting enough, you supposed. The homeless looking teacher looked unkempt and his hair was unruly, but he seemed like a more practical guy then Present Mic. You listened to the cockatiel’s Friday Night shows sometimes. He was fun and bright, but also loud and obnoxious. You kept to yourself, quiet. Not necessarily timid, but definitely an introvert. Spending too much time with people drained you.

“(L/N), you want to come to karaoke with us?” Hado. She was holding Haya’s hand tightly, and Togata and Amajiki stood a little ways off to the side, waving with a smile. You only shook your head, not uttering a word. 

Now, you sit down in your seat, barely making it to class before the bell. You sigh. What does it take for someone as insignificant as you to be recognized for your capabilities?

“More work studies. Make sure to call hero agencies and ask them and then sign up for one of them as you please.” Your teacher looked so incredibly done with everything, and you understood why. At this point, there wasn’t a lot to be taught anymore. It was just practical work, everyday. Training, work studies, combat practice. 

You sigh and focus. Last time you’d tried Midnight, but she spent her time teaching you what it was like to be a female adult in the real world. You found it unprofessional and harrowing, and you hated it. Uwabami wasn’t much better, as she made you star in a commercial with her, Momo, and Kendo. Cute first years who could’ve been patrolling otherwise. Mt. Lady just did all the work and made you sit back and watch, so that was a flop. The only other female hero you were interested in, Miruko, was way too far at the top to notice you. You decided to ask Ryukyu this time, instead. But her reply is typical, that she had already chosen three girls she was interested in and didn’t have room for anyone else.

You pinch the bridge of your nose, frustrated. Who on earth could you turn to? 

“You seem irritated, (L/N).”

“Yeah, everyone I was interested in is busy.”

My homeroom teacher glances down at my list. “You looked through all these female heroes? Hm… What about Bubble Girl? She took over Sir Nighteye’s agency recently.” You nod and email her next. “Or, you could ask one of our teachers. You crossed out Midnight, but there are plenty of male pros here.”

You shrug. “I don’t know. I guess I like the idea of a strong female role model. But Midnight-sensei took me out for drinks—”

“—Say what now?—”

“—Mt. Lady used me as a charity case, and Uwabami used my looks to promote an advertisement.” Not that you could say much about your looks. “Ryukyu has Hado and some first years to take care of, and Miruko is a busy gal with a distaste for interns.” I get a reply from Bubble Girl. She’s also busy and isn’t taking interns this time. “Guess I’ll have to resort to the teachers. Think Present Mic might be able to help?”

He shakes his head. “No, he’s taken in a 1-A student, and… someone else, I believe.”

“Who?”

“Kyoka Jiro. They’ve both got sound Quirks, so it makes sense. I don’t know the name of the other kid.”

“Ah, well, I’ll have to look around, then. Thanks, sensei.” You walk out of the classroom, paper clenched tightly in your hands. You go door to door, after hours, asking if someone can take you on, with no luck. You frown, your nose scrunched up in irritation. Finally, you get sick of it and march up to the teacher’s lounge, knocking. A bunch of first year teachers are what greets you. “Can someone, anyone  please take me on for my work studies??? I’ve literally searched the entire school plus called a bunch of hero agencies. Everyone’s busy or filled up with interns.” Your eyes flicker to Midnight. Oh no. A pit of dread sets in your stomach.

“Not anyone, scratch that. Anyone but you, Midnight-sensei. Sorry.”

She frowns, looking pouty. “Why not, darling?”

“You literally took me to a bar and flirted with guys the entire time. I had to carry you and push you into a taxi and search up your rather public address, pay the man in full, and shut the door on your face.” You shudder. “Never again.”

“This girl’s rather bold. What’s your name.”

You hold your head high. “(Y/N) (L/N), class 3-A.”

“What’s your rank in your class?”

“F-Fourth…”

“And no one’s available for you?”

“Yes.”

The homeless guy stands. “I’ll take her in. Shinso decided to intern with Mic this time, so I don’t have anyone yet. Name’s Aizawa, pro hero Eraserhead.”

You nod, holding out your hand. “Nice to meet you, Aizawa-sensei.” You’d never heard of Eraserhead… Wasn’t he the Underground hero? Well, it wouldn’t hurt to do research on him. “I’ll see you in a few days, then?”

He nods, handing me a slip of paper with his number on it. You put into your pocket, thank everyone for their time, and leave. 

♡♡♡

A few days later, you had your hero outfit packed in your bag and your phone tucked into your pocket. He called you hours prior to let you know where you would meet. A park in Musutafu, huh? Probably some more basic training. You take an uber there and find yourself at the entrance of a small local park. The gate is a large bronze archway, rusted over time and now dark and ugly. You sigh. So much beauty in the world, wasted. It was why you never made friends in the first place. You want to be a hero to help out, sure, but in this field of work friends were liabilities. At least, that’s what you’d been told.

You walk over to where Eraserhead sits on a bench, his legs spread out and him relaxed entirely. Asleep. “Uh… Eraserhead?” He doesn’t stir, but you don’t want to shout. You try again. “Eraserhead? Aizawa-sensei.” You nudge his foot. Damn he’s really in deep, huh? You lean over, (h/c) hair falling in long waves past your shoulder as you shake his shoulder. “Sir.”

He jolts awake, startled. He scowls, grabbing your hand. “Kitten, you can’t do that.”

Your eyes widen. “Sorry, sensei. I didn’t want to yell; you seem irritated by loud noises. I saw your interaction with Present Mic a few days back.” You laugh, nervous. 

He nods. “I see. Sorry, then. Let’s get going.”

“Are… you going to call me by my hero name the whole time?”

“And I expect you to call me by mine, too. When you’re out in the hero world, that’s how you address every pro, no matter your relationship outside of work.”

You give a murmur of acknowledgement. Maybe you shouldn’t choose that as your hero name then. Him saying it in that deep voice of his freaked you out, for some reason. Instead of dwelling on it, you follow him further into the park and watch as he saunters into the forested area. “Wait, so, what are we doing here?” you ask, hands clasped in front of you, as you look at your surroundings in curiosity. He looms above you, probably six feet tall, and although he’s in his hero suit, he still has that messy, “just got out of bed” look. You can’t help but wonder what the grey scarf does.

“Well, I kind of expected you to arrive in your hero costume, but we’re going to train you against my Quirk  and then if we finish early enough, we can patrol a bit. There should be a restroom a little ways that way in a clearing.” He points in the general direction. “Go change there and come back.”

You clutch your bag, nervous. “Okay.” A restroom out in the middle of the woods? Sure. You could handle that. You don’t stop to think about his words too carefully and instead focus on getting there.

And immediately get hopelessly lost. Of course. There’s no clearing; not even a path. You arrived at 6:30 PM, and it’s now getting rapidly darker… You shudder as a slight breeze hits your (s/c) skin. You don’t like this. Eraserhead hasn’t come looking for you either, which means he’s being extremely patient, or something’s happened. You try not to think negatively as you turn back. No such luck.

The crunch of leaves under footsteps sounds from behind you. You turn. Footsteps. People. 

They’re hooded and shrouded in black, and you frown, worry lines etching into your expression. You immediately brandish your hands, nails sharpening and hardening into long points — claws. Your canines become longer and jaggedly sharp, and you prepare to lunge as your ears and tail emerge as well. But it doesn’t end up happening. You thought there were only two, but a third one jumps you from behind, and you feel a piercing sensation in your neck. Your eyes widen in alarm as you realize it’s probably a needle. But what did they inject into your body? Poison? A sleep drug? You thrash until the hooded figure is off your back, only to discover that all your feline features have evanesced into thin air. A Quirk-cancelling drug, huh? No matter. You look over your shoulder and quickly grab the wrist of the one behind you as the other two prepare to attack. Large and rough, the hand insinuates he could be a man. Pulling him up with all of your strength, you throw him over your shoulder, and his falling body knocks down the other two. Your fight or flight kicks in, and you immediately scamper up a tall tree. Quirk or not, you’ve been using trees like this since you were a kid. 

A smaller one, perhaps a woman, begins climbing up after you, but you stomp on the hand closest and they fall hard. 

You look up to see a red glow illuminating in a small distance. It’s shielded through yellow goggles, but you recognize that outfit, that hair anywhere. You scowl. “What is the meaning of this?” You jump from tree to tree, pissed. “Seriously? What are you doing?”

“This was a test of your physical capabilities.” His eyes go back to normal, his hair falling down in long waves. You can use your Quirk again… “My Quirk erases others as long as I keep my eyes trained on them. Those three are just some friends I have that I asked to help you.”

You feel yourself recoil. “Okay, and that’s all good and fine knowing that now, but… That wasn’t funny.”

“It wasn’t meant to be funny. You thought your life was in danger, you did your best to survive. And you succeeded. Good job.” He reaches out to pat your head, but you retract. 

“Just because your stupid class had to endure villain attacks doesn’t mean it was mentally healthy for them, Eraser.” You know you must look hurt, but you don’t care. That shit was straight out of a horror movie. You jump down and walk off. The friends take down their hoods, frowning as you pass them.

“You know, Eraser made us do this, by the way. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” 

“Here, we own a cafe downtown. Our number and address. We’ll give you a drink on the house if you stop by.”

Hesitantly smiling and taking the slip of paper, you cradle yourself in your arms as you stalk away from the park. You see in your peripheral vision that Eraserhead is following you.

“You’re still my intern, so I have to watch over you. Let’s head to my apartment.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t have an agency, so we’ll have to go to my place. Got a problem?”

“No, sir.”

“None of that sir bullshit. It’s Eraserhead.” You nod, meekly. God you were exhausted. “I apologize. It’s clear you’re upset by my methods and I’ll try doing things the way most heroes do from now on.”

“I… I’m more than upset. I was scared,” you admit. “But I guess I shouldn’t be, right? I’m an adult now, and a hero-in-training at that.” You laugh sheepishly, trying to lighten the mood, but you only feel worse and your laughter falters and dies down.

“N-... No… I guess I keep forgetting you’re all still just kids, huh? I’m sorry, (L/N).”

“I forgive you.”

♡♡♡

You arrive at his place, having had to climb ten flights of stairs to reach the floor his apartment was on. And no, he didn’t make you do it. You overwork yourself often. He laughs at your expense as you stride up the last set and walk down the hall towards his door. Room 114, huh? You scowl as he chuckles once more. 

"I'd like to see you try and go out of your way to exercise, old man."

"I'm thirty-one. You're feisty, huh?" 

You wipe your forehead of sweat. "I like to call it spunk, but whatever."

He smiles. "Okay, well…" He opens his door for you. "Make yourself at home, I guess." Despite his messy appearance, his house is very clean. Not super neat and orderly, but a homely kind of clean. The kind of clean that makes you relaxed immediately. You half-expected a book to be laying on a large comfortable chair. He sits down on his couch, rubbing his temples. "Okay, I ordered food. It should be here soon." You glance at your watch. 7:30 PM.

You hadn't realized just how hungry you were until you got here. You sit down on the opposite end of the couch, hands in your lap. You feel uneasy. It's hard to put into words. 

"You look so uncomfortable."

You shrug. "I don't know."

"Well, Kitten, I said make yourself at home."

"Feels a bit unprofessional…"

He sighs… "Come here." 

"Huh?"

He pats the spot beside him. "I've always said screw being professional since I started training." You hesitantly sit next to him and he gestures for you to sit facing away from him. You pull your legs up onto the couch sitting with them crossed. You feel his hands in your hair.

Confused, you turn your head slightly. "What are you…?"

"Braiding your hair. It brings comfort to my daughter."

"Holy- you have a daughter?"

"Foster daughter. Miss Joke watched her while I was gone and put her to bed at seven." His large hands brush against your scalp as he continues to braid your (h/l), (h/c) hair. "But still, I have to admit I wish I had more time to take care of her myself. Part of me wants to take her in permanently, but that's not very plausible."

You frown. "But you want her to be your daughter, right? Does she seem happy with you?"

"Yeah, but I can't tell if it's because of me or the fact that she gets to visit the heroes that saved her often."

“Well, I’m sure she’s grateful to you either way…” You smile slightly. “I didn’t think you were like this, Eraser.”

“Like what?”

“So… I don’t know, fatherly, I guess.” 

“I have a biological son, too. A first year in class 1-C. He’s transferring to 1-A soon.”

“Where is he?”

“Interning with Mic.” You pause, contemplating this.

“Wait, wouldn’t he be fifteen, sixteen? And you said you were thirty-one… Oh.”

“You're so full of questions, huh, kid? Yes, I was a teen dad. It just sort of happened. I’m usually not the reckless type but I met this girl and things went from there. I told her I’d raise him myself, and I did, with the help of friends and family.”

“That’s… That must have been hard…” You feel a pang of sympathy for this man. So rough and cold on the outside, you were thoroughly cautious with him since the beginning, but you now feel the tension in your shoulders dissipate as you finally feel comfortable and safe here.

“A little, yeah.” You sit in awkward silence with him, at least until the doorbell rings.

He’s just finishing up your braid and he ties it up with a black hair tie, before getting up to answer the door. Present Mic and Midnight are there, decked out in nice but comfy clothes, holding two bags of food with large grins. He seems taken aback. “Shoooota, hi! Can we hang with you and your intern?” He takes the bags and proceeds to shut the door in their faces, but they barge in, clearly unwelcome judging by the look on your mentor’s face. Livid and pissed. “Awesome!” They crash onto the couch beside you, still smiling. How was he friends with such loud extroverts, you wonder. Simply put, it seems like he isn’t friends with them, a large scowl etched into his face at the sight of their mere presence.

He hands you the bags, gesturing to the kitchen. “I’ll join you in a second.” You nod, meekly, before going in there and setting the bags down on the black-and-white marble countertop. You jolt as you hear a girly shriek that you’re almost positive comes from Mic. 

“You what???  I already paid the delivery app, you dumbass!” Yowch. You can see the fear in their eyes without peering your head around the wall to actually look. As you bring out plates — after you search through almost all the cupboards and cabinets, of course — the two party crashers join you. Your sensei walks in, still looking peeved. “Will you guys get out already? Didn’t you have Jiro and Hitoshi in your care, Hizashi?”

“My underlings are taking care of the punk-rock chick and your son.” Eraserhead facepalms.

“You mean employees? And don’t call my female students chicks, Mic.”

“This is the thanks I get for giving you your wonderful hero name, dude?”

“Boys, boys, no fighting. You know your stupid banter turns me off.” Seriously? Your brows raise as you think this. She wants conversations with two of her friends to turn her on? You take a bite of udon with a very unamused expression as you begin to understand why he’s so irked by these two. 

That is, until they ask about his two kids with interest alighted in their eyes, and furthermore, when he gives an exhausted sigh, explaining that he’s been sleepless lately, they seem concerned and lecture him about the importance of sleep. They care about him, a lot. You smile softly to yourself as they eat and talk, but then frown. Why do you suddenly care about the realness of some people you barely know? 

“So, third year, how was your first day with this grumpy douchebag?”

“Don’t ask,” he says for you, probably wanting to spare you from the embarrassment that came from this day being in shambles. You nod, solemn. 

“That bad, huh? What’d he do this time? Come on, you can tell me, it’s a safe space with me.” Midnight nudges your arm with a smile. She really was a pain.

“Your drinking incident was still way worse, Midnight.” 

“And I apologize sincerely for that, but you can’t sit there and tell me it wasn’t an experience.”

“Yeah. I experienced what it would be like to go to a party, not drink, and help a drunk off their ass friend get home safely before she could take off with a rapist.”

“So. I’m a friend. Lovely.”

“I think I found a friend I can actually enjoy the company of,” Eraser says, smirking. You tilt your head, confused as you point to yourself.

“What? Me?”

He nods. “You understand the pain of being an introvert.”

You laugh. More like you couldn’t make annoying extroverted friends in the first place. That was a sad thought, but you didn’t care. “Yeah.” You cross your legs and listen to their back-and-forths in silence. They’re a fun group. They kind of remind you of the current Big Three. Except more extreme on many levels. You wonder why you never bother to befriend them. They’re fairly kind, but… Your pride never lets you become friends with people above you. Not when you worked so hard but still fell short. 

“We’ll get going Shota. Treat the girl well — she seems like a nice kid. Probably your type, especially considering her Quirk~” She winks.

“She’s eighteen, Nem.”

“So?” She giggles and leaves. "It's still more legal than what I said about those first year kids." She calls back as the click of her heels got softer. 

"Ignore her." He sits back down beside you, not noticing that you spit out the water you had in your mouth all over your UA uniform at the comment Midnight made. You just sat there, in shock. He notices. "Jesus, kid- Snap out of it." He gets up to get you a towel or something as you rummage through your bag for some clean and comfortable clothes. Holding them in a wad on your lap, he reemerges, towel in hand. You take it and ask for the bathroom. "First door on the left."

You shut and lock the door, heart pounding out of your chest. Did it matter if you already had those fluttering feelings around him? That you blushed so very deeply when Midnight insinuated that? No, not really. Mainly because you knew it was one of those stupid, irrational crushes that would go away with time. He was a thirty-one year old teacher. You were a young, immature kid in his eyes. 

"Since Hitoshi is sleeping at Mic's agency, you can sleep in his room tonight. It's clean, so don't worry." You nod, trying not to let your face reflect your inner thoughts. A sixteen year old boy, not messy? It was a wonder. It still felt weird to sleep in some stranger's bed, but you weren't the type to complain. He went to bed, and you studied in the living room for a bit, before heading to bed as well.

♡♡♡

The morning came, and you stirred awake to the face of a young boy with purple hair, flared upwards for some reason. His eyes were purple, with white pupils. He stared at you, confused and maybe even a bit irritated. It shifted into amusement as soon as he realized you were awake. "Now what is a little kitty cat like you doing in my room?" He gives you a lopsided grin as he moves in closer. "Your Quirk is interesting."

So this is Hitoshi? He's a little close, and you scoot back in the bed. Wait — your Quirk? Ugh, it activated in your sleep again? It hasn't done that in a while. You tug at your tail, feeling frustrated, and you force it to disappear, along with your other feline parts. “I-” 

You feel yourself lose control of your body and your eyes stare blankly at him. Your mouth shuts as you do. Is this… his Quirk?

"Dad, what is this girl doing in my bed?"

"What did we say about using your Quirk against anyone except villains, Toshi?" Eraserhead stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame, arms crossed with an unamused expression. "Let her go."

"Okay, okay… Kitty cat, flick your forehead~"

You reach up without willing it and flick your forehead. You snap out of it and shudder. "What was that?!"

"My Quirk is Mind Control. So who is she?"

"A third year that is interning with me this time. You decided to intern with Mic. So why aren't you there." 

"He doesn't even realize I'm gone." He chuckles. "I wanted to see Eri-chan before I started up my second day. Didn't expect to sneak in and see a kitty cat lying on my bed."

"Ignore him. He's gay; he just likes to poke fun at others and make stupid jokes."

You nod. "That's cool… My name is (Y/N) (L/N). You're Hitoshi, I'm assuming?"

"Yup. Hitoshi Aizawa, although my legal last name is Shinso." He smiles in a cheeky manner. 

"How come?" you ask.

Eraserhead looks at his son. "Her Quirk's not the only thing that makes her like a cat, huh? She asked me a bunch of invasive questions last night without blinking."

"H-Huh???" You turn a bright red. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize."

"It's okay. Let's eat." You get up and follow the two into the kitchen, glancing at your watch as you sit down. Seven AM. A young girl comes bounding in, smiling. 

"Daddy, look!" She holds up a drawing, presumably drawn by her. Oh good god she's the most precious thing you've laid eyes on. You feel your heart skip a beat as she places the drawing on the table. It's of Eraserhead, her, and Hitoshi. Off to the side there's Togata, and a first year you just barely recognize from the sports festival. You wonder why. And off to the other side is Mic and Midnight. They must babysit her a lot if she recognizes them as trusted adults. You can't help the smile that graces your face as she smiles that angelic smile. 

"You draw wonderfully, Eri." They both smile as well, and Eraserhead tells her to sit so they can eat. Hitoshi ends up being the cook, as Eraser claims he can't. He sees your skeptically raised brow. "What? I can't. Hitoshi loves it though." 

"I'm not even independent just yet and I know how to cook. It's a basic skill every adult should learn, Eraser."

"I've tried, but I always suck."

Hitoshi nods. "Yes, he really does. Is Emi going to look after Eri again?"

"Yep."

"Who's Emi?"

"Miss Joke. Hitoshi's biological mom. After I took Eri in she asked if she could repay the favor of me raising Toshi."

"Jesus, you've already told her everything?"

"Well, I wasn't going to lie, and she asked a bunch of questions, as I've said."

"Why didn't you lie? You always lie to your students."

"Because I messed up yesterday and wanted to make it up to her."

You start to wonder if this is some form of bickering or if it was verging on a full-fledged argument. 

It is. You recoil as they shout at each other. Eri covers her ears with her hands, looking upset and distressed, so you tear your eyes away from them and take Eri's hand, caressing it gently, before discreetly leaving the room with her, taking her into her own room. She takes her drawing with her and sets it down on her bed, before turning back to me, confused. 

"Hey, Eri-chan. Can I call you that? My name is (Y/N)."

She looks at me with curiosity. "Yeah, I'm Eri-chan. It's very nice to meet you!" She smiles. 

"How old are you?"

"Eight! Do you… know why onii-chan and daddy are fighting?"

You avert your gaze and frown. "I'm not sure. But I'm sure it'll die down soon, so, cheer up, okay?" You smile reassuringly. She hesitantly smiles back. 

"Okay… Want to play heroes and villains with me?" You nod. "Can I be the hero?"

"Sure, and I'll play the mean villain." You let out some fake evil laughter and she shrieks, before giggling. "This is your end, hero. Give up before I kill you."

"No! I will save the citizens of this town, and defeat you!" You laugh as she jumps onto her bed and grabs a makeshift sword from her nightstand, as well as a thin blue blanket that she ties around her neck like a cape. You let your tail appear and use it to combat her sword, which is pure cardboard. You're careful not to hit her, just using your tail to defend yourself, and you pretend to fall backwards. She holds the sword tip at your neck, smiling triumphantly. "I got you!!!" She giggles. 

You let your face melt into a huge smile immediately. "Yeah. You did. Good job, Eri-chan~"

“Thank you, (Y/N)-chan!” She lights up and grabs the drawing from earlier, before bringing out a package of crayons and drawing you on the paper along with the rest. Your eyes widen, and you come to terms with just how pathetically friendless you really are. “See? My heroes!” You falter, as tears of melancholy mixed with joy brim your eyes and slip down your face. “Here—” she hands it to you, before realizing that you’re crying, “—Wait, don’t cry!”

You laugh and wipe away the tears. “I’m fine, Eri-chan. These are happy tears.”

“Oh, okay. Good.” You take the drawing, smiling warmly. 

“You’re good with kids.”

Your head turns to see son and father at the door. Hitoshi looks at you with pure disgust and loathing from behind Eraserhead, making you wince. He hates you this much already? You hope you can clear up any misunderstandings soon enough.

♡♡♡

“So, kid, why were you crying? You said they were happy tears, sure, but that’s still no normal reaction.” You’re pulling on your fingerless gloves as he asks this, and you look over, frowning.

“I’d never had anyone call me their  hero before. It was nice.”

“I’m sorry about this morning. It was selfish of me to start fighting in front of you and Eri.”

You tie up the laces in your boots with a small smile. “She really loves you, and thinks of you as a father figure… I think you should adopt her.”

“I’m not sure if I can afford to. I’m always busy… Sometime I wonder if Hitoshi turned out okay, what with only one parental figure that can barely see him in his life.”

“He loves you, too. He might want attention, but he still loves you very much. Why Shinso, if I may ask? Miss Joke’s last name is Fukukado, correct?”

“We didn’t want people knowing he was the son of two pros. Villains use family against heroes so often.”

You head out with him to patrol, making light banter as you go along. He points to a faded white scar running from from the inside of your thumb knuckle to the start of your wrist and asks about it. “I’ll tell you how I got it if you tell me the origin of yours.” You point to the one below his right eye, small compared to yours, but deeper looking. 

“Uh- Wait, you don’t know? Surely you remember the USJ incident from the beginning of this year.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Did you not listen to the news, or…?”

“All I know is that it happened and a bunch of kids were endangered. I honestly ended up doing more research on the villains involved…”

“And you didn’t hear about the details from rumors?”

Your eyes widen. No friends to pass on those rumors to you. You shake your head. “I don’t get involved in all that.” You laugh, sheepishly.

“Well.” He looks at you skeptically, but continues. “I was one of the teachers protecting the students in the incident. Along with Thirteen. All connection to UA and emergency numbers had been cut off, so my fastest student ran to get help. And while I did a good job defeating the smaller villains, three of them were hard to handle. Especially the Nomu. He gave me this scar. I almost lost my eyesight.”

“Oh, that’s terrible…” You frown. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, it kinda makes you a rugged handsome-” you cut yourself off, turning a bright red. 

“No, it’s fine, you can say things like that. I may be your superior, but I’m no stickler when it comes to compliments.” He smiles, and you literally feel your insides melt. God this was so dumb.

“Okay.” You steel yourself to focus on this day. Fighting real villains, training your quirk… You’d never been more distracted in someone else’s care, though, and you knew it.

Hours later, and you’re sweaty, worn, and just completely done. “Eraser, I can’t beat you without my stupid Quirk… You’ve proven that already!”

“The point of this is to train you against my Quirk, Kitten. I know a third year, Tamaki Amajiki, who lost use of his Quirk temporarily because of a bullet with a Quirk-cancelling drug. It happens. I had to deal with a villain who was selling drugs that erased Quirks permanently. It was…” He ran a hand through his sleek black hair. “Tough, and troubling, because Eri was involved. It’s how we saved her. I still feel guilty that I keep fighting with Hitoshi in front of her, especially with her past.”

“Oh…” Poor Eri-chan. Your lower lip quivers. “Okay. I get it. I’ll work on this, and do my best… I get it, physical strength and combat is important.” You enhance your strength every day through exercise, now all that’s left to do is put it into practice and actually learn how to fight. You’ve spent so much fighting against him; you’ve practically memorized his every move. It helped that your eyes were locked to his every move, too, but that sounds embarrassing in your mind. He hands you bottled water as you sit down on the park bench, heart pounding uncontrollably. You’re exhausted, but you know you can go another round, so you take a large swig of water, set the bottle down, and then stand back up. “One more try. I can do this.”

And you do. You manage to trick him, predicting his moves with a little unease in your stomach, but still. He falls backward onto the grass, and your eyes widen in surprise at yourself. Panting, he smirks. “You got me good, Kitten.” God why is he still so attractive. Why does he word things like that??? You feel panicked as you extend out a hand to help him up. “Congrats.” You feel your face shift into a frown. How are you going to survive three more days of this? “Hey, none of that. You did good. Now smile for me, why don’t you?” You hesitantly smile, and he ruffles your hair in turn. Way to kill all of the butterflies you had fluttering in your stomach.

“Don’t patronize me!” You swat his hand away, crossing your arms in a pout.

“Aww, wait, don’t pout, kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

He chuckles. “You sure act like one sometimes.”

You scoff. "Whatever. I'm exhausted…" You yawn and stretch out your arms. He nods.

"Then let's get back to my place. Hope you don't mind takeout again." 

"Nope, not at all."

♡♡♡

By the time you've finished eating and you're ready for bed, he explains that his son insisted on not letting you have his room, and apologized for Hitoshi's rude demeanor. "If you want you can sleep on the couch, or my bed. I'm more than willing to sleep on the couch."

"The couch is fine." You smile, even though you know you might be uncomfortable.

"Hm…" He frowns, disapprovingly. "Okay, but I really think you should consider my bed. You're the guest, after all."

"Th-Thanks for being considerate, Eraserhead, but really it's fine." You're a tomato red. Why does he have to be so freaking kind? It makes your infatuation with him way worse.

As you lay down on the couch, you take Eri's drawing out of your bag and stare at it, mesmerized. You only got to know Eri-chan for five minutes and she already admired you. It was insane to you. And now you were in a picture with Togata. You don't know how to feel about that. You rarely talk to the dude. 

You drift off with the paper lying on your chest.

And wake up to the smell of breakfast. You sit up, and the drawing is on the coffee table beside you. Hm?

Whatever. You put it back in your bag, carefully, and stretch. 

Every day is a rinse and repeat. The whole internship is pretty much mundane, except for the fights. 

On the last day, you say your goodbyes to Eri and Hitoshi, and awkwardly shake hands with Eraserhead before you take the bus home.

You wonder what to do with the drawing… Tack it to your bedroom wall? No… You want it with you, for comfort as you go about another friendless school day. But maybe it doesn't have to be that way… 

The next day, you head to school with the drawing in your bag. You daydream about the work study in class and you're startled when the Big Three come up to you again. "How was your work study, (L/N)?"

You look up into those cartoonish blue eyes and hesitantly smile. "It was great. Thanks for asking. You?"

"Well, it was mediocre." He used to intern with Sir Nighteye, right? And he died… You feel a twinge of sympathy for him.

"I know I've been distant from the class since the beginning, Togata. I'm sorry for that. But I want to start being more sociable and open-minded, so if you ever want to talk, I'm here." You smile, warmly.

"The work study was life-changing?"

You turn a bright red. "I g-guess. I wouldn't phrase it like that. I just realized how alone I'd been."

But it doesn't matter apparently. Because you hear whispers around the class that feel targeted towards you. You can feel eyes on you, and you lay your head down on your desk as class goes on, racking your brain for why they're discussing you.

Hado taps your shoulder. "(L/N)... People are going around saying a mouthy first year is claiming that you're having an affair with Aizawa-sensei." 

You cough and sputter in confusion. "What. I interned with him, but that was it." 

"Yeah, apparently it's Neito Monoma, from 1-B. He hates 1-A, so he likes doing anything to shame face it, and that includes the teachers, I guess."

Ugh. You feel disgusted. At least you know it's not true, but as soon as you sit down in the cafeteria, now surrounded by the Big Three and Haya as they try to get to know you, first years sit down in front of you, serious looks plastered on their faces. “We heard the rumor. Did you seduce our homeroom teacher?” Wow. Just straight up. 

“No.” 

“Oh, really?” Hitoshi. Oh god. 

“Yes?-” And just like that, you lose control. What is with this kid? He tells you to open your bag, and you do. Forcing you to pull out every item, one by one, you eventually get the drawing out and place it on the table.”

“Who was that drawn by, (L/N)?”

“Um, Hitoshi, maybe this is a bit too far?” Another first year with black hair in a ponytail.

“Eri.”

“Aizawa’s foster daughter, correct?” You nod, staring at him blankly. “Why would you get the opportunity to meet her, unless you were at his place? Were you at his place?” You nod, again. “He has an agency, so intern or not there’s no real reason to be there.” You must seem shocked. He lied to you? He makes you flick your forehead again and you snap out of it. Before staring blankly at your tray. He knows you can’t explain yourself without calling him out, either. Not without explaining the secrets you’d been told this week. You frown. You may think badly of the kid now but you weren’t going to hurt him or Aizawa like that. 

“You’re not going to explain yourself?”

Why did Aizawa lie to you? Did he think it was safer at his place? Or… maybe… He was trying to seduce you  that entire time. What with all the smug and arrogant words he said, the pet names, his rather close comforting, the way he offered his bed so willingly, Midnight encouraging it… It made you feel sick just thinking of the possibility. You hold your stomach. But still, the way he insisted on braiding your hair that night was a warm feeling you couldn’t shake. His large, versatile, deft hands in your hair. Oh god you were so stupid. What type of teacher gets that intimate with their pupil? 

You sigh, a bright red. “No, we’re not having an affair, for the last time. I don’t know why I ended up at his apartment in the first place, but nothing happened. You should also ask him. That’s all I have to say on the matter.” You gather your stuff — including the drawing — throw away the rest of your food, and set the tray in the slot, before walking off to find the restrooms and throw up what little food you did end up eating. Once you’ve retched up all that your stomach had to offer, you cried. You cried out of embarrassment that you were fooled so easily. You cried out of heartbreak, knowing he could never reciprocate these feelings. You cried out of frustration because of Hitoshi, someone you so badly wanted to expose for treating you this way.

He must have told Monoma to spread the rumor in the first place. How else would Monoma pull that out of thin air? Just when you were just learning how to trust and make friends. You wash your mouth out to get rid of the taste of vomit and pull the drawing out once more, Smiling at it. At least a little kid loved you. Admired you. 

You hear your name being called on the school speaker, and you sigh, wiping your eyes of leftover tears. Time to deal with this head on. You steel yourself to focus on Principal Nezu’s door. You open it and walk in, sitting on one of the chairs. Crossing your legs, you know he’s there without looking. You must look like a trainwreck.

“Jesus, what on earth happened, kid?”

“You and your bitchy little son, happened, Eraser. Why didn’t you tell me you actually had an agency?”

“None of this.” Nezu turned in his chair. No other staff present, he began. “Now, did you two sleep together or not?”

“No,” you both said simultaneously. He began again, to you, “How on earth did this even start?”

“Is your son friends with a first year named Monoma?”

“Yeah…?”

“Well, apparently, Monoma spread it based off of nothing. I can’t imagine how.” You roll your eyes.

“I know Hitoshi can be a bit much, but I don’t think…”

“He came up to me in the cafeteria, put me under his control, and forced me to admit that I’d been at your place, not your agency.”

“Look, kid, I just wanted you to feel safe. I made a mistake the first day, and I wanted to make it up to you, and I knew making you sleep in an office with a bunch of my employees would make things worse. But once I lied the first night, I couldn’t just bring you to my agency the next day.”

“Eraserhead, this is very strange behavior.”

“Bring Hitoshi Shinso into this office, right now. Then we’ll see. Because apparently he was willing to put both our hero careers in jeopardy for whatever fucking reason.”

“Fine.”

“Hitoshi Shinso, please make your way to the office.”

I put my phone on my lap, recording audio. He walks in, looking tired and passive. “Hey, (L/N).”

“I want you to use your Quirk on this third year and Eraserhead, Shinso. Ask them if they’ve been having an inappropriate affair outside of school and then ask them what happened at lunch.”

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fine. (L/N), Aizawa-sensei?”

“Yes?” We both say, simultaneously. He can put more than one person under at a time? So overpowered.

“Did you sleep with this teacher?”

“No.”

“Did you sleep with this student?”

“No.”

“And finally, what happened at lunch today, (L/N)?”

You feel your claws threatening to surface. Even after all they’d done, why…? You can’t stop the words forming in your mouth, but somehow, just barely, you make it out of his control. Your claws dig into your leg and you snap out of it. You keep your eyes locked on Hitoshi’s, and they visibly widen. “Nothing happened. Some first years came up to me and asked me about the rumors, and I denied them.” He flicks your forehead to keep up the façade.

“Good.” Nezu smiled. “That will be all, Shinso. Thank you.” He leaves, still looking confused and shell shocked, but you turn to face the principal. “Well, with that incident over and done with, you can leave. I didn’t think this was true, as Miss (L/N) here is a model student, and Eraserhead has been a real gem for UA for years now.”

You sigh. Why did you help them? You could’ve told on Hitoshi easily, gotten revenge, but you didn’t. Instead of dwelling on it, you stand, bow, and leave. Storming off so Eraserhead can’t try and talk to you, you walk the halls, pissed at everyone, including yourself. 

He does indeed catch up to you, grabbing your wrist. “(L/N). We need to talk about this.”

You roll your eyes, before swatting his hand away. “You lied to me twice, one right behind the other. I’m questioning everything now.” You pull out the drawing again, holding it tight. “Look at this. It made me so happy. It still does. But being at your apartment still feels like a huge lie.” You feel tears streaming down your face. “The worst part is… I did  feel something. A stupid infatuation for you.” You turn red. “I’m so dumb…” You leave, feeling like a fool.

♡♡♡

Later, however, he approaches you after class as you leave the school grounds. “We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t.”

“Seriously, (L/N).” He looks at you with those dark eyes, and you falter. 

“Fine.” He gestures for you to follow him. You do, reluctant, but you end up in his classroom, alone with him. “I’m... so sorry for everything…” He rakes a hand through his hair, looking stressed. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to be helpful. I wanted you to feel comfortable and safe. It seems like you did, at the time, but now, looking back, I must have seemed like some pervert, especially in light of the truth. But I swear to you, I never meant for this to happen. And Hitoshi told me what happened. He’s very grounded right now. He explained that he was jealous and he didn’t like how I told you about his homelife so willingly. He hates being kept secret, but he thought of me telling you as hypocritical. It was. But I told you because I was starting to like you. Platonically, at first… But you’re funny, and smart, and capable. You’re going to make a great hero, fierce and brazen, like a Kitten.” He smiles. “But I had no idea you felt some semblance of romantic feelings, as well. I’m sorry.”

You tap your foot against the wood floor, unamused. It sounds sincere, but you really don’t want to risk forgiving him just yet. “A date. I want that. One date, and then if things don’t work out, we can be friends. If you show any signs of being fake at any point, I’ll cut all ties with you. If it works out… Well.” You blush. “I don’t know.”

“Are you sure, (L/N)?”

You smile. “Yes, and it’s (Y/N).”

“... How about kitty?” He smirks. Pet names made you weak in the knees, but you shook your head.

“Just (Y/N), for now.”

He smiles, and hugs you, tight. “Thank you. I won’t let you down.” His arms are large and strong, and you’ve stared at those hands plenty enough to know they’re also big and sturdy. You wrap your arms around his neck, face buried in his shoulder. Even if this is temporary, you want to savor this moment of being held by him. And you do.