Chapter Text
“HEYYY! Wait up!"
Shouta wouldn’t have guessed the voice was calling for him if it weren’t for Nemuri tugging on his arm. He frowned as he turned to find someone dashing down the halls towards the duo.
Wild blond hair seemed to defy gravity, barely even shifting when the boy dodged around the few other students in the hall. Excuse me, coming through! Apologies were tossed to anyone he bumped into until he came to a stop in front of Shouta.
“Can I..help you?” A frown marred Shouta’s expression as he gazed down at the other. He had a good few inches on him, though the student’s spiked hair made it less obvious.
Despite having been running, the blond wasn’t panting at all. He wore a bashful smile as he looked up towards Shouta, round eyes peering through tinted orange lenses.
“You’re Aizawa, from 2-A, aren’t you?”
“Depends who’s asking,” Shouta responded, earning a snort from Nemuri that he ignored.
The other ducked his head in a mock bow. “I’m Yamada Hizashi of 1-B!” The blond, Yamada, introduced himself. “And..I need your help.”
Shouta rose a brow questioningly, a silent continue.
“Well- I heard around that there was a second year with an erasure Quirk, which is exactly what I need!” Yamada pointed a finger towards Shouta with a grin.
“You see, I have a Voice Quirk. It’s crazy strong, ya dig? So much so that it makes it hard to train it! Which is why I need someone who can erase my Quirk while I train if it goes too out of control.”
The blond’s hands were never still as he explained the situation, something Shouta noticed right away. This guy seemed full of energy and it made Shouta tired just watching him.
“I asked around about you and some of your classmates gave me your name. They also warned me that you’d probably say no but..” He wore a determined expression as he finished. “I can’t take no as an answer!”
There was a pause before Nemuri laughed, resting a hand on Shouta’s shoulder. “Of course he’ll do it,” She told Yamada, earning a big grin from the boy.
"Really?!"
Shouta’s eyes flashed gold as he activated his Quirk, wincing along with Nemuri and a few nearby students.
He could feel his hair raise from his shoulders as he pinned the first year with a golden eyed glare. He’d been told he could look quite intimidating with his Quirk activated. His normally gray eyes took on a golden hue imbued with hints of crimson. With his long hair giving him a bit of extra height he certainly did make for quite a sight.
That didn’t seem to stop Yamada’s excitement as his hands flew to his throat, obviously trying to speak through constricted vocal cords before he looked up at Shouta with bright eyes.
Releasing his Quirk, Shouta sighed. “Look, kid, as much as I’d just love to help, “ His tone help obvious sarcasm, “I have things to do. Wouldn’t it make more sense just to ask someone else with a Quirk like yours? They could actually teach you how to control it instead of just stopping you from screwing up.”
It wasn’t as though he could actually teach the other to control his Quirk. Getting rid of his voice wouldn’t help teach him how to stop any volume spikes. It made more sense for Yamada to seek out someone who could teach him the control he needed.
“But that’s the thing! I have a way to train on my own and it’s been working really well!” Yamada’s smile morphed into a pout momentarily.
“It’s just--” He started, glancing away before huffing softly. “Recently my voice has been- cracking.,, a lot. It’s super embarrassing! And dangerous! Whenever it happens my Quirk goes crazy loud. Usually I can cut myself off, but sometimes it takes a couple minutes for me to get it back down to normal, since I’m still practicing my volume control as it is.”
“You poor thing,” Nemuri cooed. “Are you really going to turn him away, Shouta? After he was so brave to come and ask you for help. Be a good senpai and help him!
The heroine-in-training tugged at his arm like a needy child, earning an eyeroll for her dramatics. He shook her off with a grunt and a glare.
“In case you’re forgetting, I have my own life. I don’t have the time to train some first year who can’t control his own Quirk.”
Okay, maybe that was uncalled for. He felt a little guilty as Yamada’s expression drooped.
“I can pay you back somehow. Uhh, I could buy you dinner after I finish training? I train here at the school and we could just walk somewhere after to eat. I’d pay for anything you ordered! Or I could help you with your own work? I know you’re a year ahead of me but- I'm the top of my class! I’m way ahead in English and my math isn’t too bad either.”
Nemuri nudged Aizawa’s side. “Hey, that could work. You definitely need help in English. You almost failed last year and this year is even more difficult.”
She squawked as he smacked the back of her head lightly, just enough to mess up her hair. He really didn’t need her exposing him like that. He wasn’t any good at English, so what? It was a useless language for someone who didn’t plan on leaving Japan.
The damage had already been done. Yamada had perked up once more and nodded so much Shouta wondered how his glasses didn’t fall right off his nose.
“I can help you with English, for sure! My family is from America so I can speak it really well.” It didn’t sound like bragging, more like simply pointing out facts.
"Please accept! I need your help!.” Shouta couldn’t understand it, but it sounded much better than his own attempt at speaking English.
Shouta wrinkled his nose as he thought it over. He hated to admit it but he could really use the help in English. Would it really be worth training some loud-mouthed first year?
He sighed and looked down at the blond who looked back with wide, pleading eyes. Ugh.
“Fine, I’ll help you.”