Work Text:
Toshinori had been acting strange. He kept up with grading and taught his classes as usual. But something was...off.
Shota first noticed the changes a couple weeks ago. The signs started out small, but grew more and more pronounced as time went on. They were subtle things: the way Toshi stared off into space in the middle of conversations, the way his warm smiles didn’t quite reach his eyes. He began to eat and sleep less. On nights when they slept separately, Shota often heard Toshi pacing the halls in the middle of the night. Whenever Shota returned from patrol, Toshinori wasn’t waiting in Shota’s room to welcome him home. Instead, Shota would return to the dorms to find Toshi hiding away in his own room, only coming out when Shota knocked on the door.
Shota asked Toshinori hundreds of times, “What’s wrong?” “Are you alright?” “How are you feeling?”
To which Toshi would simply reply, “I’m doing just fine!” “I’m just tired.” “No need to worry!” And then he’d flash one of his All Might smiles.
Shota despised that fake smile. But Toshinori clearly didn’t want to talk about it, so Shota decided to stop asking. Instead, Shota opted to show his concern and attempt to cheer Toshi up by serving him his favorite tea in the staff room, offering more of those head massages that Toshi loved so much, and sneaking treats into Toshi’s desk.
It was Thursday afternoon when Nezu called Shota in for a meeting.
“Ah, thank you for coming in on such short notice,” the furry principal said.
“Of course,” Shota replied with a bow. “What’s this about?”
Nezu scooted a steaming cup of tea toward Shota and then took a sip from his own cup. “It’s about your partner.”
Shota raised an eyebrow. “All Might?”
“Indeed. As you know, we are interviewing new teacher candidates tomorrow. Class 2-A agreed to participate in the mock lectures. All Might was supposed to oversee the lecture, but he canceled for personal reasons.”
Shota tucked his chin into his capture weapon, concerned. Sitting out on something like this was so unlike Toshinori.
Nezu continued, “Now, I know better than to make assumptions without concrete data, but based on my understanding of human psychology, All Might may be experiencing the anniversary effect.”
Shota looked up in confusion. “Anniver...sar...y…” Shota dug his palms into his eyes. I’m an idiot, he thought. “Shit.”
“Language,” Nezu chided.
“Apologies. Yes, that makes sense. I don’t know how I completely forgot…”
“You know, I expected you to be more aware of these things, considering you two are romantically involved.”
“Tch,” Shota said, feeling guilty for his complete lack of insight into this important day.
Tomorrow marked one year since Toshinori lost One for All and seven years since his debilitating injury.
“I’ll talk to him,” Shota said, more to himself than to Nezu, “and make sure he’s alright… Do you need me to cover the mock lecture?”
Nezu nodded. “We’ll be recording it as well, but we need a staff member there in person to oversee the event.”
“Of course. I’ll be there.”
After the meeting, Shota returned to the dorms to search for Toshinori. He scanned the common area as he passed by. No Toshi. His room? No Toshi. Toshi’s room? Hmm, he wasn’t there either. Suddenly, Shota heard the sound of muffled coughs coming from down the hall. He followed the painful noises to find his boyfriend sitting on the laundry room floor with his forehead pressed to his knees.
“Ah, hell,” Shota mumbled as he rushed to Toshinori’s side. “Toshi…”
The former Symbol of Peace looked up in surprise. “Oh, Shota!” He coughed again, blood speckling his yellow pinstripe pants. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” he replied plainly as he joined Toshi on the floor. Toshinori coughed into his elbow but the sound of blood and phlegm still echoed loudly throughout the empty room. This isn’t good Shota thought. He rubbed soothing circles on his boyfriend’s back, trying to provide some grounding comfort to counteract these vicious convulsions.
Toshi’s eyes watered as he tried to speak, “I thought you had lesson planning to do?”
“Shhh, please just stop talking.”
Toshi gave Shota a few small, frantic nods before more coughs tore through his body. Toshinori let his head fall back against the wall after the attack ran its course. His entire sleeve was soaked red.
Toshinori picked up on Shota’s concerned stares. “It looks worse than it actually is.”
“Please don’t…” Shota sighed, censoring the rest of his sentence …lie to me. They had this argument many times over: Shota trying to convince Toshi to be honest while Toshinori hated being accused of lying. “Did you take your meds today?” Toshinori’s sheepish grin answered the question. “Water?” the golden boy shook his head. “Food?” another head shake. Shota rubbed his dry eyes, trying to quell his rising frustration.
“Sorry,” Toshi murmured.
“Don’t apologize. Can you stand?”
“Yeah.”
Shota helped his boyfriend up and guided the swaying hero to their room. Well, Toshinori’s room. Shota helped Toshi change out of his soiled clothes and into his favorite set of pajamas. Shota adored this set on him: fuzzy bunny-print pants with a moon-print shirt. It should be illegal to look this cute.
The exhaustion on Toshinori’s face almost made Shota decide to keep his mouth shut. Almost. Shota decided to cut straight to the point, like ripping off a bandaid, “Nezu thinks you called out of tomorrow’s mock lecture because you’re experiencing the anniversary effect.”
The retired hero took a seat on his bed with a heavy sigh. “Ah, yeah. I suppose that’s right.”
Shota joined his partner. “I’m...sorry I didn’t realize sooner.”
Toshinori laughed halfheartedly. “No need to apologize. Hey, it’s funny, I’m the one saying that now.” Shota gently punched his arm. “Ow!”
Toshi clearly didn’t want to talk about it, and talking about feelings made Shota uncomfortable, but the faraway look in the older hero’s eyes indicated that things needed to be said. Shota prompted, “It’s been a year since Kamino and seven years since--”
“I know!” Toshi snapped, voice uncharacteristically sharp. He dropped his head into his hands. “I know,” he repeated softly. Shota remembered their conversation from so long ago, when Toshinori talked about those feelings of powerlessness…
Shota wrapped an arm around his partner’s lanky shoulders and squeezed him close. “I love you,” Shota said, hoping that those three words conveyed everything he wanted to say but didn’t have the words for.
“I love you, too.”
--------
As Shota made his way to homeroom the next morning, all he could think about was how he could comfort Toshinori. After tucking the retired hero into bed last night and bringing him some water, soup, and medicine, Shota went to finish up the laundry.
Toshinori would likely spend the whole day recuperating in bed, considering how he neglected to take care of himself the past several days. Shota already planned on buying more of Toshi’s favorite tea and some of that American apple pie that he loved so much. Maybe they could also snuggle up and watch a movie. That new Marvel one came out. Toshinori loved those.
Shota opened the oversized door to Class 2-A only to be greeted by the familiar buzz of chatty teenagers. “Morning, class,” he said flatly.
Everyone rushed to their seats. “Good morning, Mr. Aizawa!” They chanted.
Shota took to the podium but eagerly eyed the yellow sleeping bag he strategically kept in the corner. “As you all know, today you will participate in a mock lecture--”
“Um, Mr. Aizawa?” Midoriya asked, worry glowing in his round eyes.
Shota raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Um, so, we were talking about All Might earlier… he’s been acting strange lately.”
Kirishima added, “Yeah. He’s so out of it, it’s kind of concerning.”
“We were wondering if you know what’s going on with him…” Uraraka said.
“We have our suspicions, Ribbit, but we wanted to check with you first,” Asui chimed.
Shota rubbed his eyes, debating on whether or not to tell them. Disclosing Toshinori’s personal issues seemed like a major boundary violation. Instead, he opted for a safer route, “What are your suspicions?”
The group turned to Midoriya, who rubbed the back of his neck and said, “Well, it’s the anniversary of his fight in Kamino… when he lost--I mean, when he was forced to retire. He won’t admit it, but I think it’s bothering him.”
Shota hummed, unsurprised by Midoriya’s keen observation skills. Shota decided to spin this into a learning opportunity. “You think that All Might is struggling.”
The class nodded.
Shota continued, “As fledgling heroes, what do you do when you see someone struggling?”
“Help them, of course,” Midoriya answered.
“But how can we help All Might?” Kaminari asked. “I mean…like I said earlier, he’s the frikkin former number one hero! He must know how to take care of himself.”
Shota chuckled silently at the irony of that statement.
Iida said, “We shouldn’t pry into our teachers’ personal lives!”
“I agree with Iida,” Yaoyorozu said, “However, I’ve never seen All Might so...glum. We have to do something.”
“Ribbit. Yeah. As heroes, our job is to help people feel better, right? Maybe we can bring him food.”
Shota’s gears whirred as he listened to the class collectively agree to do something for their beloved teacher. Maybe tonight could turn out to be something special after all. Nothing made Toshinori happier than cinema and spending time with his students. “Alright, settle down,” Shota said, raising his voice. The room immediately quieted down, meaning these kids were serious about the task at hand. “I normally wouldn’t do this, but considering the circumstances, it is...mostly rational. I’ll hold a movie night in the student dormitory lobby tonight at 7pm. I’ll bring All Might and you all can surprise him.”
Midoriya beamed, “Oh yeah! He loves movies! Make sure it’s a Marvel one.” The class echoed his excitement, except Bakugo and Todoroki. Though...the small smile on Todoroki’s lips and the absence of a scowl on Bakugo’s face indicated that they actually were secretly just as excited.
“Already ahead of you,” Shota replied. “Feel free to bring food and drinks. Let’s say that this is a class bonding activity and an opportunity to critique Hollywood’s portrayal of heroic values.”
Everyone groaned.
Shota changed the subject. “If there aren’t any questions about movie night, let’s get back to the mock lecture.” Iida’s hand shot up like a rocket. Of course. “Yes, Iida?”
“Sir! I have a few questions. First, who is today’s candidate? Second, will we also be evaluating them? Third--”
Shota interrupted the overly zealous boy, “Let’s tackle one question at a time. To answer your first question...well, I can’t tell you who it is because I don’t want to bias your expectations.”
“A rational decision!” Iida declared.
“Indeed. To answer your second question: yes, we will ask each of you to fill out a student evaluation form after class. What was your last question?” Shota knew the boy had another ten stored up, but hopefully he understood what Shota was hinting at.
“How should we behave during the lecture?”
Shota smirked. “Good question.” His students eagerly awaited his response. “Give him hell.”
Shota passed around a sample evaluation form so they knew what to pay attention to. His students’ questions grew increasingly irrelevant, so he stopped answering them and opted to sneak in a quick nap before Lockheart arrived. Shota fell asleep to the sounds of his students arguing over how they’d make the lecture a prospective teacher’s nightmare.
---
The bell rang and roused Shota from his half-slumber. Good, he had about two minutes to make himself look decent before Nezu dropped off the celebrity hero, Lockheart. Shota despised his type: only a hero in name, Lockheart was one of those people who took up the job only for fame and money. He barely had six months of hero work under his belt. The rest of his work history consisted of authoring books and giving “motivational speeches” that sounded good on the surface, but if one read and listened carefully, he did nothing but bullshit and blow smoke up people’s asses. Lockheart had no teaching experience, and it seemed to Shota that he was only in this to put UA on his resume. Nezu knew this guy was a bad fit, but he accepted Lockheart for an interview for political reasons.
Lockheart entered the room with an exaggerated smile that showed off his too-white teeth and a hair flip that showed off his overly styled hair. Shota rolled his eyes, he hated the man already. To top it off, he swung his cape around like a magician and then bowed to the class. He reminded Shota of another gaudy hero, only this one lacked all genuine desire to help others. “Good afternoon, everyone! I am the Trapping hero, Lockheart! Aspiring teacher at UA High!”
Shota immediately turned his attention to Midoriya who, as expected, already began hyperventilating in excitement at meeting a new “pro.” It was his second year at UA, and the kid still couldn’t drop his fanboy act. “Oh my gosh, it’s Lockheart!” Midoriya squealed. “I know so much about you, sir. It’s an honor to meet you!”
“You as well! I--”
Midoriya continued, “I read all your books and watched your talks online. Oh man, you can really get a crowd going!”
“Ahem, well thank you!” Lockheart replied, irritation cutting into his phony voice. “Now! What was I saying…oh yes! Today we are covering Ethics.”
Bakugo rolled his eyes. “What a waste of time.”
Lockheart looked personally offended. He whined, “How dare you, sir! Do you know who I am--”
Iida was quick to scold his classmate back in line, “Quiet, Bakugo! We must respect Mr. Lockheart. We are UA representatives and must be on our best behavior!”
Mineta mumbled, “That’s not what Mr. Aiz—“
Midoriya jumped in, “Ahahaha! Yeah you’re right, Iida. Sorry for the interruptions!”
Asui noted, “This is pretty close to our best behavior though. Ribbit.”
Shota smirked into his capture weapon as he watched Lockheart gape angrily at the kids who had now broken into a cacophony of side conversations. Honestly, the kids weren’t being that bad, and it seemed that their version of teacher-hell was just engaging in their normal behavior. A mildly skilled teacher would know how to manage this. But Lockheart was not a teacher, nor was he mildly skilled. The celebrity looked to Shota for help.
Shota shrugged and shouted, “This is your class. You need to figure out how to manage them.” Lockheart clearly didn’t know what to do with a crowd that wasn’t fawning over him or eating up every word out of his phony, botoxed mouth.
“Children!” Lockheart shouted as he flourished his cape.
No response.
“Look up here!”
Nothing.
Shota couldn’t contain his amusement as he watched the idiot descend into a frustrated rage.
BZZ BZZ BZZ
Shota reached into his utility belt for his phone. It was a message from Toshinori.
Toshi: Hey, thanks for helping me last night. I’m sorry I worried you, but I feel much better today :) You’re my hero XD
Shota smiled but part of him wondered how honest that message was… He began typing out a response when he heard Bakugo yell, “I’LL KILL YOU!” Unphased, Shota looked up to see who received the threat. It was either Midoriya or Todoroki.
The half-cold-half-hot boy retorted, “Oh really? When have you ever followed through with that threat?” Yup, Todoroki.
“YOU LITTLE!”
Shota shook his head and returned to his phone.
“Quiet!” Lockheart shouted in vain. “Quiet, I said!”
Shota drowned out the growing wave of noise as he typed: Of course. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll come running. As soon as he pressed send, he became painfully aware of the strange shift in the room...Something was off. Very off.
Meow.
What the…
Meow. Meow? Meow! Meow meow meow meow meooooooow
Shota pocketed his phone and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. Cats. Everywhere. All of his students…
CATS.
Lockheart stared at class 2-A, hair frazzled and skin pink with frustration. But a disgraceful look of satisfaction lingered on that plastic face. He dared to look Shota in the eye and brag, “What do you think, Eraser? How’s that for classroom management?”
Shota’s blood boiled as he activated his quirk. He postured himself menacingly as he took a step toward the idiot who just turned 20 kids into animals. Shota tried to control his temper as he hissed, “GET. OUT.”
--------
“YEAH! Mission accomplished!” Hizashi exclaimed as they latched the gate closed.
“Aren’t you forgetting about me?” Nezu asked as cat-Jiro nuzzled her face against the principal’s paw.
Hizashi laughed, “Nah, you can hang with the kids. They love ya, man!”
“Apparently so,” Nezu said as cat-Kaminari rubbed his tail along Nezu’s leg. “Apologies for not foreseeing this sooner. Humans can be so unpredictable.”
Shota rubbed his eyes, “It’s my fault. I got distracted and failed to see Lockheart activate his quirk.”
Nemuri offered, “Well, no use lingering on that now.”
Cat-Kaminari tried weaseling his way between Jiro and Nezu which earned him a quick zap from the headphone-hero.
Nezu jumped in alarm. “Now students, please behave yourselves. This shouldn’t last too much longer.”
“12 hours ‘isn’t too much longer’?” Shota mumbled.
Nemuri giggled as she extended a hand to the principal, “I think they’ll be safe here. Consider this a bonding exercise. My favorite kind of exercise.”
Shota rolled his eyes. “Even so, I’m going to stay on campus just to make sure they don’t die.”
“Awww maaan!” Hizashi groaned. “What about karaoke night?!”
Shota raised an eyebrow. “Really, Mic?”
“Uugghh fiiine. You’re right, as usual.”
“Well, I agree with Mic,” Nezu chimed. “I think they’ll be fine here on their own for a couple hours. I have our campus security bots on watch to send me alerts about the cats’ whereabouts. So I’ll know if they escape.”
Shota protested, “Don’t worry about it, Principal. This was my fault for being so negligent. I’ll keep an eye on them.” Shota sighed, feeling disappointed that his surprise plans for Toshi were ruined.
Nemuri frowned, “Aw, you and All Might? Karaoke without UA’s sweethearts?”
Nezu and Shota exchanged knowing looks. “Well, that sounds good to me,” Nezu chimed as he turned to Hizashi and Nemuri. “What do you think if I join you in their place? I always hear such good stories about Friday Night Karaoke from Cementoss.”
“Oh ho ho! Yes, my man!” Hizashi exclaimed.
Shota bade his friends farewell. He turned back to Class 2-A and began his lecture, “You guys behave yourselves.”
Cat-Midoriya pranced up to the gate and meowed with a look of concern and disappointment.
Shota sighed, “I know you’re disappointed. But I don’t want All Might to worry about this while he’s already dealing with so much. I’ll be back in a couple hours. Iida, Yaoyorozu?” The two cat class representatives leapt over to listen. “You two make sure everyone stays in check.”
Cat-Iida’s front paw shot into the air, “Meow meow MEOW meow meow meow MEOW?”
“I have no idea what that means,” Shota said flatly.
Cat-Yaoyorozu turned to her bespectacled partner and explained something in cat language. Iida meowed one last time, turned to Shota, and bowed.
“Alright,” Shota remarked, “Looks like that’s settled. Thank you, Yaoyorozu. The security bots will alert me if something goes wrong. I’ll be back.”
---
Shota found Toshinori reading a book in his recliner. He wore those impossibly cute pajamas and those reading glasses that made him look like a charming sweetheart. The way Toshi’s face scrunched up in concentration made Shota laugh. Toshi looked up, startled. “Oh, hey, Shota!”
“What are you reading there?” Shota asked as he took off his boots and capture weapon.
“Oh, just brushing up on the science behind quirks. Preparing my lectures for next week. Heh.”
Shota rolled his eyes. “You never stop working, huh?”
Toshi grinned, “You know me!”
“Mmm.” Shota leant down to place a gentle kiss on Toshi’s lips. He held his partner’s blue eyes for a minute before Toshi turned away, as if to hide.
“So how was your day?” Toshinori asked, setting the book down and removing his glasses.
Shota’s heart sank, both out of concern for Toshinori’s avoidant reaction and from the thought of how poorly the day went. “Let’s just say it could have been better. But it also could have been worse.”
“Ah, very mysterious.” Toshinori winked.
“You know me,” Shota said coyly.
“I do!” the retired hero leapt up to plant a wet kiss on Shota’s cheek.
“Gross,” Shota laughed, playfully pushing Toshinori away.
“No karaoke tonight?”
“Nah, I didn’t want to go without you.”
Toshinori gave him a guilty look. “You don’t have to sit out because of me…”
“Psh, quit being so full of yourself. I’m just tired of hearing Hizashi’s terrible cover of Chandelier.”
“Ahahaha! That’s fair!” Toshi visibly relaxed after being told that he wasn’t burdening Shota by not attending karaoke night.
“Silly,”
“Hmm?”
Shota wrapped the lanky hero in a hug. “You. You’re silly. I want to spend the evening with you. That’s why I stayed.”
“Ah…” Toshinori wavered. “Sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be much fun today.”
Shota let his head fall onto Toshi’s chest. He breathed in deep, feeling grounded by that familiar scent of cedars and sandalwood. “I always have fun when I’m with you. You want to watch a movie? There’s that new Marvel one that came out.”
Toshi’s fluttering heart gave him away. “I’d love that.”
The two snuggled into Toshinori’s couch and switched on the TV. They opened the search bar when they were rudely interrupted by several loud knocks at the door.
Shota sighed.
“I can get it,” Toshi offered.
“Don’t worry about it. Let me.” Shota opened the door to be greeted by a campus security robot.
Oh, wonderful.
The robot announced, “Eraserhead. Class 2-A has escaped their enclosure. Your assistance is required immediately.”
“Aw hell,” Shota groaned. Not only did he screw up the surprise Class 2-A movie night, now he was screwing up his and Toshi’s relaxing movie night. Damn Lockheart… Shota thought bitterly. Well, I have no one to blame but myself--
“What’s this now?” Toshi asked, head tilted curiously to the side.
“It’s a long story,” Shota grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.
The security bot turned to address Toshinori. “All Might. Your assistance is also required.”
Toshinori leapt to his feet, determination glowing like fire in his blue eyes. “Happy to help!”
Though he would appreciate the help, Shota protested, “No, really. It’s alright. It’s my fault anyway. You should rest.”
Much to Shota’s annoyance, the robot added, “Time is of the essence. The cats are out of control.”
Toshi’s eyes grew wide. “What about cats, now?”
“Damn it,” Shota hissed as he slipped his boots on. “I’ll tell you everything on the way.”
“Right.” Toshinori exclaimed as he happily put on his shoes.
The two arrived at the student dormitory lobby and were greeted by smoke, screeching cats, and stray pieces of what looked like Sero’s tape floating down the hall. “What the…” Shota whispered. “I didn’t know their quirks still worked in this form…”
Toshinori chased the angry platinum blonde cat that was blasting explosions out of its paws onto his half red and white classmate. “Young Bakugo, Young Todoroki. Stop that!” Cat-Bakugo emitted a final explosion before screeching angrily at Toshinori. Cat-Todoroki meowed something under his breath which seemed to aggravate Bakugo more. The green-furred Midoriya tried to reason with his explosive friend, only to be barked at by said friend. Shota didn’t know cats could bark… until now. “Eraserhead, can you erase Young Bakugo’s quirk?”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Shota replied as he activated Erasure when Bakugo extended a paw for another blast.
“Thanks!” Toshi exclaimed as he reached for Midoriya and Todoroki. The two cats obediently entered Toshi’s embrace, with Midoriya meowing happily at the sight of his mentor. Toshi leaned down for Bakugo but was too slow. The fiery kitty sprinted down the hallway before the two heroes had a chance to react.
“That kid…” Shota muttered angrily.
Toshi laughed gently. “You trained them so well that they’re skilled at evasion even as cats!”
“Tch.” Shota rolled his eyes. He knew Toshi was just trying to make him feel better, but it didn’t make the situation less annoying. Well, actually… he hated to admit it, but Toshi’s compliment made him giddy with butterflies… Shota shook his head to clear these irrational feelings away. He had to focus on the task at hand and could’t let emotions distract him right now. “Two down. Eighteen to go. It shouldn’t be too hard to find the rest--”
BOOM. CRASH.
“MEOOWOWWW!!”
“From down the hall!” Toshi declared as he jogged toward the sound of destruction. Shota followed close behind. Suddenly, a purple cat with purple lumps on its head floated around the corner toward them, doing somersaults in mid-air. “Is that… Young Mineta?”
The purple cat was crying and whining. Definitely Mineta. “It’s Uraraka’s quirk. Knowing this kid, he probably deserved it.” Shota whipped out his binding cloth to capture the whining cat. “Here, take him!” He slingshotted Mineta into Toshinori’s welcoming arms.
The retired hero flashed one of his All Might smiles, “Not to worry, Young Mineta. We will take it from here!”
“Ryow, meow, meow, ryowrowroooowwww,” Cat-Mineta mumbled.
Toshi laughed heartily. “I definitely understand what you’re saying, heh!! Anyways… let’s find the rest of your classmates!” Toshinori slipped Mineta into one of his pants pockets and continued to follow the cat sounds.
Shota felt an amused smile creep over his face at the sight of Toshi’s enthusiasm. Often, the older hero would flash that smile whenever he needed to put on a show and pretend that everything was alright. But sometimes, very rarely, that smile was actually genuine. This was one of those times. Perhaps this fiasco wasn’t such a bad thing after all…
EEEEEEE hissssss
Or perhaps he spoke too soon…
As they rounded the corner, bolts of electricity flashed against the wall, followed by what sounded like very bossy mews. They finally reached the source of the chaos to find Bakugo flying through the air using his explosions, Ojiro swinging by his tail from a light fixture, Ashido testing her acid quirk from her tail, Jirou zapping Kaminari, and the two class reps trying to restore order.
Shota rubbed his dry eyes as he took a deep breath. “I told them to stay in their enclosure,” he muttered, “Why is that so difficult? These kids are in for it--”
“Wait,” Toshinori said gently, placing a hand on Shota’s back. Shota looked up in surprise to see his boyfriend smiling warmly at him. “It looks like they’re having fun. Maybe we should let them be for a while.” As if agreeing with the blonde’s statement, Midoriya purred and nuzzled against Toshi’s arm.
Shota’s shoulders relaxed. Maybe Toshi was right. As long as no one was getting hurt, it didn’t really matter what happened now anyway. Plus, Toshinori seemed entertained by the distraction--
“Look out!” Toshi shouted as he pulled Shota toward the ground. A bolt of electricity shot forward, just above their heads.
“Damn it, Kaminari!” Shota yelled. He angrily turned toward the yellow cat and activated his quirk… only to find the electrical cat swaying around in circles, obviously overworked from that huge attack.
A graceful cat approached the two teachers. “Meow meow meowww meow mew.” It bowed. Very classy and professional, very Yaoyorozu. It seemed like she was trying to apologize.
“It’s not your fault,” Shota said empathetically. “Let me guess. Bakugo started this whole thing?”
Yaoyorozu lifted a paw and rotated it side to side as if to signal, “Sort of.” Then her eyes narrowed as they fixated on something in Toshi’s arm. Both teachers followed her gaze to find an embarrassed Midoriya hiding behind Todoroki.
Shota pouted furiously.
“Heyyy Shota, eheheh,” Toshinori said, trying to sway Shota’s anger, “Let’s worry about that later. There’s probably more to the story anyway!”
Yaoyorozu meowed and nodded an affirmative.
Shota glared at Toshi, trying to make clear that he disagreed with his laidback attitude about this disastrous situation. “Fine. Yaoyorozu, please find a place in one of All Might’s pockets.” The cat class rep nodded and meowed loudly to the rest of the group. Only one cat looked up and followed. Jirou cackled one more time at Kaminari and shocked him with her earphones before trotting over and hopping into the same pocket as her dear friend.
Suddenly, Midoriya perked up and called out to something behind them with a big wave of his paws.
“Hmm?” Toshi and Shota wondered as they turned around. Ah, of course. Uraraka. The pink and white cat floated toward them, smiling widely at the sight of her green boyfriend. The two cats exchanged a conversation that the rest of the cats on Toshi’s person chimed in on.
What are you all planning… Shota wondered. As if leaving no time for their teacher to think, another explosion sounded from down the hall. Toshi and Shota turned back to find Ojiro, Bakugo, Ashido, and Kaminari climbing on a stack of boxes at the end of the hall, with Cat-Iida frantically circling the box-mountain, demanding them to come down at once.
“That’s it,” Shota grumbled. He bounded toward the mischievous kitties and swung his capture weapon at his students. Kaminari protested Shota’s move by sending electric bolts sizzling off of his fur. It seemed like Jirou’s shockwaves recalibrated him somehow. Shota took Kaminari first and effortlessly trapped him into his utility belt. Next, he grabbed Ojiro who went without a fight. Ashido did a couple breakdance moves on her box before Shota snatched her up and placed her in his belt. And the last one was, well… a very fiery, very hissy Bakugo.
Shota activated his quirk to make sure Bakugo wouldn’t get away. He flung his capture weapon out to catch the last student when suddenly a firm kick in the small of his back sent him stumbling forward.
“Young Midoriya! What are you doing!?” Toshinori’s voice boomed.
Cat-Midoriya’s guilty, trembling meows drifted further and further away, followed by Bakugo’s cat-sized explosions. By the time Shota stood up straight, Midoriya and Bakugo were gone.
Shota looked at Toshinori incredulously. “Did Midoriya just…”
Toshi nodded slowly, “Yeah, he jumped out of my arms and kicked you. And then…” he looked down the hall, “ran back there with Young Bakugo…”
“Oh, they’re in for it now,” Shota said with vengeful determination. He cracked his neck and did some squats. This wasn’t a game anymore. This was serious.
“Hahaha,” Toshinori’s gentle laugh bounced through the hall.
“What’s so funny?”
Toshi met Shota’s gaze. “You. This. Everything about this. Haha!” He shook his head with mirth twinkling in his eyes. “Ready to go get ‘em?”
Shota’s heart leapt at his partner’s warm joy. It was contagious.
Shota grinned. “Ready.”
Click here for Zana's awesome drawing of this scene
Iida and Uraraka followed their teachers as they traced Midoriya and Bakugo’s footsteps. A trail of smoke and green and yellow fur led them one floor up. There, they were greeted by a strange sight… The hallway was dark except for flashing orbs of light that bounced around the empty space. The light illuminated long strands of sparkling tape that hung from the ceiling. It felt like a weird, surreal rave. All that was missing was mu--
As if right on cue, a chirpy, fast beat pop song came blaring from somewhere around the corner. Shota and Toshi turned toward the sound to find the ugliest, most disturbing creature they had ever seen. Perhaps it was mean to call one of their students ugly, but Shoji and his protruding recon limbs paired with a cat’s body was truly horrific. That image paired with flashing lights and darkness? This was starting to feel like a horror movie.
At this point, there was no denying it. Class 2-A set this whole thing up. Shota took a step toward the music when Toshinori stopped him with a hand. “Shota, wait!”
“What?” Shota exclaimed.
Toshi smiled. “Based on all the scary movies I’ve seen in my lifetime, going toward the music and that creepy monster (sorry Shoji) is how we die.”
Shota rolled his eyes, “Ha! You idiot.”
“I’m your idiot,” Toshi winked. “Come on, let’s go!” The taller hero ran down the hallway, leaving Shota behind.
“Hey, don’t leave me! I’m scared!” Shota yelled sarcastically as he caught up to his partner. As they approached Shoji, the multi-limbed cat monstrosity scurried away from them, closer to the music.
“What are you guys planning?” Shota asked the cats in his utility belt. They just looked up at him with big, round eyes and shrugged. “Tch, how unconvincing.”
Toshi chimed, “Well, whatever it is, I’m excited to see it!”
Shoji slipped into Sato’s room for a brief second and then scampered back out. He poked a mouth-limb out of the doorway and signalled something into the darkness. After Shoji’s signal, the hallway grew brighter, the orb lights disappeared, and the music grew softer. Shoji extended a hand-limb to a shadowy corner of the hallway. Toshi and Shota looked on curiously to find four cats stepping out of a tiger-shaped Dark Shadow.
Shota smiled, feeling proud of his students’ creative quirk use. “Well, well, well. Very impressive.”
Hagakure (only visible by four kitten mittens), Tokoyami, Aoyama, and Sero bowed dramatically for their audience.
Toshinori clapped, “Wow! That was you guys! Incredible! Thank you for that wonderful show!”
“Meow Meow MeowMeow Meow,” Todoroki mewed flatly as he tapped Toshi’s shoulder.
“Hmm?”
All of the cats jumped out of Toshi’s pockets and Shota’s utility belt to usher the two teachers inside. Toshi looked to Shota with eyebrows raised inquisitively. Shota shrugged and opened the door for his partner. The room was dark and stuffy, but the smell… Ah, the smell!
Suddenly, the light flipped on, and they were greeted by all 20 students! “MEOW-MEOW!!!”
“What on Earth?” Toshinori breathed, looking around the room in awe.
Class 2-A really outdid themselves. Asui, Kirishima, Kouda, and Satou were covered in flour, sugar, and who knows what other baking ingredients. They had spent the whole time baking…
Toshinori gasped, “Oh my goodness! Is that APPLE PIE???”
“Meow!!” The cats nodded and purred excitedly at Toshi’s reaction. Asui and Satou carried their homemade pie to him. Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki brought a chair over for Toshinori. The lanky hero took a clumsy seat, staring at the pie, then at the students, then at Shota in absolute bewilderment.
“Don’t look at me,” Shota said, thoroughly amused. “This was all them.”
“I...don’t know what to say,” Toshi said, eyes filling with tears. Midoriya handed him a tissue and was already wiping away his own kitty tears.
Shota stood behind his partner and wrapped Toshinori in a hug. “You don’t have to say anything. Just enjoy.”
“Ahaha, of course, of course…”
Asui handed Toshi a fork and the whole class watched in anticipation as he sat with the utensil poised over the steaming pie. “Ahh, darn it. I should get a lactase pill. So sorry,” Toshi said quickly as he handed the pie to Shota. “I’ll be right back! You guys start without me!”
Twenty confused cats and one worried teacher watched Toshinori escape the room.
At first, the students thought nothing of their beloved teacher leaving. It was common for Toshinori to excuse himself to retrieve some sort of medicine in the middle of the day. But Shota knew there was more to it. If he wasn’t back in ten minutes, he knew what to do.
Eventually, the excited cat chatter faded out only to be replaced by concerned mews. “Class,” Shota said, getting everyone’s attention, “I want you to know that I’m very impressed with your planning and performance this evening and have decided to drop all punishment for disobeying my orders. I’m also looking forward to a full debriefing once you get your bodies back.” The students shared smug grins. “Also… Let’s take a walk. Bring the pie.”
Indeed, the sunflower hero was exactly where Shota thought he’d be. Outside, alone, on his favorite bench. Shota left the dorm building first and signalled the cats to quietly follow him outside. “Wait here. I’ll wave you over when I’m ready. I’m going to talk to him first.” The cats nodded in understanding and then Shota made his way to his lonesome partner.
As Shota walked down the steps to the bench beneath the lamppost, a feeling of deja vu crept up his spine. “What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“Oh, Shota,” Toshi said with a sad smile. “Sorry, I just needed a moment before heading back, but I’m ready to go back now--”
“It’s alright,” Shota said softly as he cozied up to his partner. “It’s cold.”
Toshi gave him a low chuckle.
They sat in silence for a moment, both gazing up at the stars.
“You were right,” Toshi murmured. “About this being an anniversary.”
“Mmm.” Shota reflected on his own similar experience. It took him years to fully accept what happened to Oboro. And thinking back, it was the same as Toshi… Every year, like clockwork…
Toshi continued, “And I’m sorry for pushing you away…”
Shota smiled as he wrapped an arm around his partner’s shoulders. “I’m the last person you need to apologize to for that.”
Toshinori chuckled. They both knew how difficult it was for Shota to finally open up.
Shota was never great at expressing his feelings with words, but sometimes, the right words fell into place at the right time. He said, “It’s hard. Everything you’ve been through. Fighting alone. Carrying an invisible weight. I know what that’s like and… well, you don’t have to carry all this by yourself. You have power. You have worth. Quirk or no quirk.” Toshinori winced. “You may not believe it now, but maybe someday, you will.”
Toshi laughed gently.
Shota gave the signal.
“In the meantime, I hope you can believe me and believe us.”
“Hmm?”
Class 2-A quietly made their way to the bench, settling around their teachers like soft, fluffy angels, apple pie in tow.
Shota continued, “I love you. We love you. And we’re here with you; we won’t let you fight your battles alone. Okay, problem teacher?”
Toshinori met Shota’s eyes with a tired, sad smile. “I love you.”
Shota blushed. “I love you, too.”
“Thank you…” They sat in content silence, admiring the vast expanse of starry sky. “I'll remember this night forever. Thank you all for giving me a new anniversary to celebrate.”