Chapter Text
Aizawa Shouta did better in the Sports Festival than he thought he would. Surprisingly, but at the same time unsurprisingly, the hero course kids were easily taken down by his exceptional fighting skills and a rope.
He stood atop the first place pedestal, feeling a mixture of pride and something akin to anxiety, but not quite there yet. He held his medal in his hand, gripping it tight. He belonged in the hero course; he knew it, and now all of Japan knew it too.
The transition from general studies to the hero course wasn't very long, but tiring, nonetheless. It was a lot of paperwork. Paperwork and interviewing and other overwhelming features that exhausted him more than anything else had, with the exception of the sports festival itself. The people really seemed to enjoy when nobodies from general studies got their shot at becoming a hero in the hero course.
When all the paperwork was finished, and everything was prepared, Shouta was able to begin his second first day. The excitement had seemingly calmed down; nobody hollered at him in the streets, or congratulated him on the way to school anymore.
In spite of himself, he was excited to start his first day in the hero course. He wondered if the classmates were nice, if they went out and did their hero practice everyday. He had no idea; it was his first day, after all.
He opened the door ever so slightly and peeked in. The class seemed lively, students were up and around the classroom, sitting on desks and laughing with friends. If he wasn't so happy about being where he stood, he would've found it slightly bothersome.
Shouta pushed the large door open all the way. The room fell silent, almost as if the door had activated some kind of trap. He shuffled in, closing the door behind him.
It was almost as if he had fallen into an alternate universe. The once bumbling, buzzing classroom seemed to point their eyes at him like daggers. Needless to say, Shouta was feeling slightly uncomfortable.
He set his books on his desk quietly and sat down, attempting to ignore the printed stairs and get ready for the day.
A small group of three boys trudged over to his desk. Tapping him hard on the head, Shouta lazily gazed up at the tallest of the three. His hair was a dark, murky red, with eyes that seemingly glowed a bright yellow. The boy slammed his hands down onto Shouta's desk, making the latter jump slightly.
"Don't think we're gonna treat you kindly just because you're new here," the redhead snarled. "You don't belong."
The two boys behind him snickered. Shouta glanced away, silently praying that ignoring them would make them go away.
That seemed to do the trick, as the three sauntered away, laughing to each other. Shouta slumped into his chair and pouted. He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he stood outside the door to 1-A, but it sure as hell wasn't all this.
"Hey, sorry about them."
Shouta rolled his eyes and searched for the source of the voice. Another young boy stood in front of him, this time with blond hair, and bright green eyes that reminded him an awful lot of those neon signs you'd see in the window of a store.
"They're all kinda jerks," the blond snarled, looking pointedly at the bullies. "Don't let them get to you. You definitely deserve to be here."
Shouta grunted in response. He wasn't necessarily paying attention to what he was saying; something about this boy got on his last nerve, and he had just met him.
Perhaps it was his volume. He was way too loud for Shouta's liking.
"I'm Yamada Hizashi." Yamada stuck his hand out for Shouta to shake. Shouta stared at his hand, then at Yamada, then at the floor. Yamada chuckled nervously and brought his hand to his waist.
"I don't know if you remember, but I was one of the dudes you beat in the last phase of the sports festival."
"How could I forget," Shouta muttered. Really, how could he, he could spot those obnoxious orange sunglasses from a mile away.
"Yeah. I thought you were really cool, Aizawa," Yamada grinned. "Your quirk is amazing! I'd kill for a quirk like that."
"I'm sure you would." Shouta tapped his fingers in annoyance.
He wasn't sure if he wasn't sending off the right messages, or if Yamada was just dense. No matter how Shouta looked at the blond, or how he carried his mannerisms, he wouldn't understand that Shouta wanted him to leave him alone. He just kept babbling about... something. Shouta wasn't sure anymore. He clocked out after he opened his mouth for the second time.
His new teacher stepped inside the classroom quietly. As if on cue, everyone scrambled to their assigned seats.
"Hey, I gotta go," Yamada said, picking up his belongings. "We'll talk later!"
Shouta rolled his eyes. He was hoping, praying there wouldn't be a later. But, knowing this kid, he would just keep coming back, drawn like a moth to a flame.
And Shouta began to dread getting switched into the hero course.