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His class that year was different, each one of his students seemed to have that genuine potential and drive to become heroes that a lot of students in other years lacked. Each one of them was unique, with their own personalities and their own lives that all came colliding in his classroom. He was their teacher, and they were his students, it meant that he would be there for them no matter what. It meant providing the support when they were stressed over something at home or feeling like they were not good enough. It meant not asking too many questions when his female students came up to him and were unable to meet his eyes, he gave them the hall pass they needed without asking. It meant helping to calm Midoriya when his mind became so overwhelmed he could not escape it, doing so with soft insistent words, and giving him the chance to leave the classroom. It meant reminding Todoroki that the quirk doesn’t make a hero, that it was what inside that counted. It meant giving a silent nod of approval when Bakugo mastered a new move. Or giving Kirishima a gentle reminder that he did not have to always smile or take on the world. Sitting with Uraraka and telling her that her motives for being a hero were not selfish, they were pure, and far more noble than some of the other students he had met over the years. Or reminding Iida that he did not have to live up to his brother, he was a hero in his own right.
Everything came crashing down around him during the attack on the USJ, and suddenly Aizawa was no longer certain if he was good enough to be their teacher. Was he? He had barely been able to do anything to defend them in his mind, and had nearly lost one of them because he had been so beaten and broken that he could not move any longer. It did not help that his eyes were now giving him problem, the part of his body that he had once hated with every fiber of his being was failing him. The vision in his right eye was not improving, and at that point it probably never would. The world was bright, but a giant blur, as if someone had smudged their hand along a window that he was trying to see through.
His hands curled around the edge of the sink as he stared at himself in the mirror. He was a teacher at UA High, the pro-hero known as Eraserhead. But what was he if he could not use his quirk? His quirk was connected to his eyes and without it? What was he? Nothing.
Aizawa leaned down, splashing cold water onto his eyes, his face, in an attempt to wake himself up enough to face the next day with his students. It was a few days after the Sports Festival, and he knew there were a lot of mixed feelings in that room; tempers ready to boil over, the pain of defeat, the uncertainty where people stood with their friends after the competition. If any of them needed him, he’d be there. That was what he was. He was there teacher and he would be there for them even if they were unaware of just how much he was. Of the small things that he did to ease the stress in their young lives before it reached the point of no return. The days where he would let them leave early because of a good performance in hero training, or ‘forgetting’ to assign homework for them.
The class was in the mood he expected when he walked through the door. Midoriya was bandaged, his arm in a sling, fingers immobilized. Iida was absent, the phone call he had received earlier explaining his brother was getting out of the hospital. Todoroki seemed more distant than usual, his eyes on his desk. Bakugo was…was he growling? Either way he looked furious, sulking in his desk and glaring at everyone who came near him.
The lesson came into his mind in that moment. What would these students do if they were not heroes? How would that survive? What path would they take if their quirks failed them, and did damage to their physical bodies that was irreversible. Bakugo’s hearing, Midoriya’s bones and mobility, Kirishima’s teeth and jaw, Todoroki’s skin and extremities. Each student in his class was at a high risk for something. What if Hagakure passed out? How many people were likely to just walk right by her and say nothing? What if the day came when Kaminari used his quirk and the damage to his brain was irreversible? What if Mina suddenly could not control the acid that she was able to secrete?
If there was one lesson that he wanted them to take away from this conversation, it was that they all could be heroes, but they needed to have something prepared in case they could not perform as a hero any longer. Would they learn it? Was he a good enough teacher to have this lesson set in? Aizawa was not used to having a class that he actually cared that much for as much as he did this group of students. They needed to know, it would not be fair of him to keep it from them.
Aizawa let out a sigh, which got their attention. “As I am sure many of you have heard,” he stated looking towards them. “Iida is absent again as a result of the attack on his brother, the professional hero known as Ingenium.” That sobered the class right up, all eyes were on him. Yes, they had heard about the attack. The second some damn reporter got wind that it had been the highly popular Ingenium who had gotten hurt, it was all over, it spread like wildfire. Where was he going with this? He had a plan when he walked into the room. “There is something that in hero work that we never talk about, what we do when we no longer can perform our duties as a hero, the day that our quirks cause damage beyond repair to our bodies.” He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, his eyes closed. “Today’s hero class is cancelled. I want all of you to give serious thought to a career you could have beyond being a hero. Begin to identify it and work towards it, have a plan should your quirk fail you. Not if you fail, when your quirk fails you.”
Aizawa looked to each of them in turn. “Quirks take a toll on your physical body, it does not matter what type of quirk you have. It is a muscle and you have to train it. If you do not, if you overexert yourself and are not paying attention, you can do damage to yourself. Or on the flip side, you could get hurt that could result in a deterioration of your ability to use your quirk.” His fingers touched the scar below his eye. “For example, blindness is a concern, has been since I was a kid, it’s gotten worse since USJ.”
There were looks of concern as the reality set in in their young minds. “Think of your futures, of what you could do if your quirk fails you, or you can no longer use it, because even if I lose my sight, I will still always be your teacher.”