Chapter Text
Shouta had always found situations like this irritating. He knew that he had two left feet when it came to dancing around an uncomfortable subject. As well as a tendency to be blunt or, as others often put it, rude towards people who lived their lives with their noses in the air. The school gymnasium was now filled to the brim with people just like that. His middle-aged coworkers uselessly pranced around each other and obnoxiously chatted amongst themselves, pretending their glasses of water were flutes of champagne and their casual work clothes were designer suits and gowns.
Shouta sighed, sadly not for the first time that night, as someone commented on how delightful the tea cakes Yamada had made were. The blond man loudly exclaimed that they weren’t that nice as his freckled cheeks darkened to a bright red. Shouta gently leaned against the other man's shoulder in an attempt to get away from the woman sitting on the other side of him. She huffed indignantly at the sight of her poor excuse of a pie being completely ignored. He was too tired to deal with childishness. It wasn’t Yamada’s fault that she couldn’t cook.
The meeting set place in a large semi-circle of foldable chairs surrounding a plastic table in the centre of the gym’s floor. Behind the table, writing last-minute notes were both the head of the board of sponsors and principal Nezu. To the right of the chairs, right next to where Shouta and Yamada sat, was a long portable table covered in snacks which each of the guests had brought out of fear of being seen as a poor host. To the left of the seats was an area for the students to sit and study while the adults discussed things that at the end of the day wouldn’t matter that much.
It seemed, however, that some of the other staff may not know how to act professionally. As the hero department had been told that students were in no way permitted to come to the BTA meetings. Meaning that they’d have to arrange for someone to stay with the students while they were here. If not for this blatant lie, Toshinori’s now sickly frame would be sat exactly where the irate woman growled about how the ‘school had no taste’ next to him. Instead, he was helping to make sure class 1A got settled into the dorm as well as they could without their belongings.
Luckily, the meeting began shortly and her ever-persistent whining stopped. Instead, she now murmured copycat agreements to whatever anyone she thought had power said. Soon this mindless chit-chat about the delay in moving vehicles and how unfair it was ended with Principal Nezu starting to introduce the first topic of discussion. To which many of the school's staff shuffled nervously,
“As you all know many parents are concerned with their children being under the school's guardianship for such a prolonged period. Which means they would like to be able to know what their children are doing while they are at school without having to constantly bombard them with texts. In saying this, every parent knows full well that they aren’t allowed on their phones during school hours. This leaves them with very little options to stay in contact with each other.” Many people nodded along with what the man like mouse was saying, and few whispered suggestions began to fill the large room. Everything was brought to a standstill as an older man with a tone of voice that reeked of an inflated sense of importance called out,
“Sir, I don’t see how pointing out the issue and not bringing any solutions forward is of any use to us?” Everyone in the room who knew of Nezu’s view of humanity winced at this. It seemed that not only did not everyone get the memo about the students seating arrangements, but also about the Principal’s inherent dislike for humanity. That or this man just didn’t care. The staff knew It wasn’t that he didn’t have a solution or even many solutions. It was that he’d rather bask in the rooms worry for a few moments before providing them with answers first,
“Our solution to this problem is to make class accounts on the site HERO. This website allows people to post videos and photographs of what they are doing for the public to see. This will help even the general studies students to gain publicity in the hunt to become heroes. While also helping to ease any worries the students' families may have.” Nezu explained blandly. His fur-covered face set into a scowl as he stared at the man from his position on a pile of books placed on top of his chair. He turned towards the rest of the BTA with a similar look,
“I expect these accounts to be made by the next meeting.” Everyone nodded and a few of the other meeting members who had already gotten on the mouse’s bad side that day murmured a polite chorus of ‘yes sir’.
Just as they were about to move onto another topic a young teacher from the general course raised her hand. She had only been a hero for a short period before quickly retiring and becoming a teacher here at UA. Everything about her was relatively ordinary, she had straight brown hair and no physical signs of a powerful quirk. As such Shouta had never really bothered to speak to her before this meeting, not because he didn’t think she was worth his time but because she didn’t stand out. Thinking about it now, he couldn’t even begin to guess her name,
“Isn’t it a little unfair on the other classes if both 1A and 1B from the hero course make accounts.” Shouta felt something in his gut begin to burn as he turned to pay full attention to what the woman was trying to say. It was as if her gentle, if not a little plain, mask had been ripped off the reveal a judgemental and arrogant truth. Sure the brats were irritating, and he still had half the mind to expel them all and start anew with a much more emotionally stable class. But he was the only one allowed to criticize them. He was their teacher after all and this woman had never even spoken to a single one of them, what right does she have to judge them?
“Why is it unfair if you don’t mind me asking?” Sekijiro, or as he often asked to be called, Vlad spoke out, his voice not at all laced with its usual calm and patient tone. If Shouta guessed correctly, Vlad, also being the homeroom teacher to 1B had become their guardian. This was confirmed as his eyes traced the silent students to the BTA’s right noticing that Vlad’s class had also been left behind. How tiresome,
“Well, to put it lightly your classes already have a lot of publicity. And if the amount of attention they already get for their looks is anything to go by they’ll become very popular in no time.” She responded, her face blank and tone calm. To Shouta’s disgust, many of the other staff and board members nodded in agreement. This room full of adults, many of which were decades older than Shouta himself, were claiming that his teenage students would in some way gain extra attention due to their looks. How they could even view children in that way left the dark-haired man fuming. Luckily before Shouta could do anything foolish, Yamada was crying out in their students' defence,
“You have got to be kidding me, these are our students we are talking about. You can not be saying that they are ‘too attractive’ to have a class social media account. It is so that their families can stay in contact with them and will not be used to gain any other attention other than possibly making a head start on their publicity as heroes. How dare you say it could be used for anything else!” The long-haired man looked on the verge of tears. Shouta had to remind himself that Yamada had a much easier time displaying his emotions than he did. They were both equally as angry and hurt, he didn’t need to start a fight with her for upsetting his husband too.
The head to the Board of sponsors -or yet another person at this meeting that Shouta didn’t know nor want to know the name of- slammed the stack of papers in front of her as she shouted over the loud cries of outraged agreement to his husband's statement or the piercing wails of defence for the young teacher,
“That is more than enough!” The room fell silent and the irritable man couldn’t help but smirk. Many of the smug faces which filled the room a few seconds ago shifted to the expression of a displeased child being scolded. Once she was sure she had everyone’s attention she cleared her throat and adjusted her bright red blazer.
“Principal Nezu and I have decided that this is the best course of action and as such every class will be creating an account. If some classes have more followers or likes than others than that’s just life.” Many people puff up indignantly at her sentiment. Seeming to take this as a challenge Nezu continued for her,
“I would also like to remind you all that you are the adults in this situation. If you have nothing to bring to the conversation but childish remarks then I ask that you don’t say anything at all, understood?” Everyone nodded quietly. A few of the teachers and the board members who had agreed with the beast of a woman at least had the self-respect to look a little ashamed. Other than that nobody made the effort to even acknowledge the idea of apologising to them.
There was nothing else left to be said at this point. Nobody knew each other and there was yet to be a firm rivalry to cause them to start a catfight. Shouta, however, still knew that there would eventually be one. With people like the dark-haired woman and the other one who couldn’t cook here, there was bound to be drama in no time. Soon enough the silence and slowly growing awkwardness of the BTA’s first meeting was abruptly removed,
“Now then, I think it might be time for us to head back to the dorms or home for the evening. Please take your plate and any leftover food home with you. Also, remember that by next week you need to have set up your class accounts, this includes at least one post.” Nezu clapped cheerily before hopping from his seat and leaving the gym as quickly as he could. The whole area was cleared out in less than ten minutes after him, many of the BTA members avoiding Yamada and Shouta like they were the ones who had the gall to be jealous of children.
Both returned to the dorm with nothing but an empty plate. Toshinori had managed to get every member of 1A to bed even though most of their belongings were yet to arrive. Which, sadly, meant they were sleeping in borrowed pyjamas and bare beds. Shouta fell into the couch with a deep sigh, his eye barely staying open,
“Rough time?” The withered man asked, his deep voice oddly comforting given Shouta’s lack of need for reassurance. Toshinori took the plate from Yamada’s shaking hands and placed it into the dishwasher before frowning at the response he received,
“Yeah, I dibs staying with the kids next time, by the way,” Yamada slumped into the armchair across from Toshinori as he rubbed his eyes with his palms. Taking care of these brats was going to be hard enough as is. But now with the knowledge of how little respect the other staff seemed to hold for them, they both had little hope. How could they have not seen this all before?
“I think the kids are allowed to go, from what young Shinso was texting me that is?” Toshinori responded handing the bespeckled man their shared work phone. Shouta sat up and before he fully even processed what he was saying muttered,
“They are never going to be there to hear those morons saying those revolting things if I can stop it,” His voice sounding far too monotoned even to him. Toshinori nodded as he absentmindedly wiped the blood from his chin,
“So I guess the hero course is going to be fighting another battle then,” The man’s electric blue eyes filled with tears as he hopelessly whispered. They didn’t need anything else on their plates besides becoming heroes and yet fate seems to want to pile it with more and more upset.