Work Text:
Watching Yagi work with Izuku was very interesting to Shouta. The 30-year-old could admit that their teaching styles were very different. While Shouta had a more formal and professional teaching style and tended to be more of a hard-ass during training. Yagi was quite the opposite. He was very much informal and easygoing in his lessons with his students.
It was interesting to see how Yagi could switch between teaching and correcting Izuku, with the praise that followed it. In all honesty, Shouta didn’t understand the older man’s way of teaching, but Izuku seemed to progress well. So confronting the older man seemed a bit illogical at the time.
Today it seemed that Yagi was helping Izuku become more flexible. Which made sense as with Izuku’s transition to using his legs more in fighting, flexibility and being able to stretch his body was important for the long run.
Currently, it seemed that Yagi was trying to show Izuku how to do a backbend. The process was slow going, and Izuku seemed quite frustrated. Yagi, on the other hand, seemed almost amused at the kid’s frustration. The older man once again asked the greenest to try again.
“Young Midoriya, I promise it’s not as hard as you’re making it.” Yagi snickered. Midoriya looked aghast that his mentor had the audacity to laugh at him.
“Mr. Yagi you’ve been doing backbends since you were my age. Of course you think it’s easy.” Midoriya puffed. In Shouta’s opinion, the boy was definitely being dramatic. Lying like a starfish on the ground in front of his mentor, the 16 year old was behaving more like a 6 year old at this moment.
Yagi doesn't seem to mind Izuku's attempt at giving up, and in turn grabs Izuku by the ankles, holding him upside down. Yagi swings him around, smiling as the boy bursts out laughing at the predicament he seemed to have caught himself in.
“Mr. Yagi! P-Put me down!” Izuku choked through his laughter.
“Now why would I do that Young Midoriya!” Yagi chucked in response. Swinging the boy left and right, Shouta knew that Izuku could break free if he wanted, it just seemed that the two had gotten side-tracked.
“Pfft Fine! I’ll try it again!” Midoriya relented and knowing that Yagi got the boy’s compliance--He dropped him. Izuku turned and fell in such a way he wouldn’t hurt himself. Yagi ruffled the boy’s hair, which only made the mop of green get even more tangly.
“My boy you’re so close to pulling this off. Trust me, once you can do one proper backbend, the rest will be ten times easier.”
“Okay…” Izuku shook his head, and the two got back to work.
Shouta watched for the next thirty minutes as the two worked towards trying to achieve a backbend. By the end of the lesson Izuku had been able to achieve a few of them. The boy vibrated happiness at being able to pull them off in front of Yagi.
“Good Job Young Midoriya! See? I told you they were easy after the first time.” Yagi praised the boy before dismissing him. Watching the greenette leave the gym, Shouta decided to leave as he had seen enough.
As the weeks went by though, Shouta observed more of Yagi’s teaching with Class 1A. In the classroom, the gyms, and in private one-on-one lessons that Yagi would do with his class. Shouta didn’t want to say that he didn’t understand… But he really didn’t.
Yagi seemed to get results with his teaching. Results that Shouta couldn’t get as fast as the older man. Maybe it was the fact that Yagi had been a hero for so long and he was just good at giving others pointers, or because everyone wanted to impress the now retired Number One Hero… but Shouta wanted his perspective.
One late night Shouta got his chance to ask Yagi. The two were alone in the teacher’s lounge, and staying up late grading homework. It just seemed like the best time to ask.
“Yagi?” Shouta put down his paperwork, his intent to follow through with his inquiry. The older man looked up at Shouta in response to his name.
“Yes Aizawa?” Toshinori put down his pencil so he could hear Shouta out. Part of Shouta wants to leave this alone, and just figure it out on his own. It was easier just to ask straight from the horse’s mouth he supposed. Shouta could admit that much.
“I wanted to ask about your teaching-”
“Hmm? Y’know I wing that?” Yagi kinda responded on autopilot. Shouta continued.
“I noticed that you..tend to get...results. With your teaching, if you understand what I’m trying to get at. You get results faster than I can, and I want to be able to know what I could do to rectify that. Like a technique? A tip? What is it that you do? I...I don’t understand.”
Yagi looked at Shouta and his eyes narrowed. Behind those blue eyes was a lot of thought.
“Well...What do you want me to say? I can be gentle, or I can be honest from my own perspective.” When Yagi spoke, his tone of voice shifted in a way that Shouta knew that this was either going to be a conversation that he was going to like...or seriously disagree with.
“Who do you take me for...Mic? Be honest with me Yagi.” Shouta raised an eyebrow, putting down his own grading.
“Well in all honesty? You can be quite a hard-ass. It’s hard to want to learn when the person who’s teaching you is so focused on the end result. You do realize that teaching isn’t all about the end result right? It’s about the memory of mastering the skill.” Yagi’s words were new to Shouta.
It struck surprisingly deep, probably because no one had ever had the audacity to tell Shouta these things straight up. Respect went a long way in his field, but to be able to know where he was going wrong was something he appreciated. Shouta nodded and Yagi continued.
“At first, learning to be a hero for me was a breeze. My mentor was a joy to be around. She made learning the hard things fun… and mastering the easy things simple. Whenever I think back to learning how to throw a proper punch, I remember the fun I had at the beach we would train at. After she died and Gran took over my training… I just didn’t want to do it. Her death was the main reason but...Gran was a hardass. Toshinori chuckled under his breath.
“There were so many times I left training because of how frustrated I was at myself and him. I knew I was trying my best but Gran wouldn’t acknowledge it. I left like I wasn’t being seen...or the progress I made wasn’t enough… So now as a teacher, I model my training after what I needed. For the progress and my attempts to be seen...and to feel celebrated when I achieved my goal.”
Toshinori would continue to lay out the things that he would do to work with students, both in a classroom environment and during one-on-one counseling. Shouta could admit that he learned quite a lot that night… and knew exactly where he wanted to apply this.
Shouta could say that training Shinsou was the highlight of his week. Professionally? He would deny that. He attended to all of his students equally, and all of them brought him a little bit of happiness when they succeeded in training. Personally though? He liked training Shinsou just a little more than his other students.
Maybe it was the fact that Shouta saw himself in the lavender-haired boy? Perhaps it was the comedic wit and snark that the boy wasn’t afraid of using against Aizawa in their conversations during training. Whatever the case may be, Shouta, if pushed, would probably admit he enjoyed teaching this kid and was rooting for him behind the scenes.
Today the plan was to start using a capture weapon. The basics of learning how to maneuver a capture weapon was difficult. So, to start Shinsou early in learning how to use a piece of equipment was imperative if he wanted to stand a chance at taking on another person, let alone a villain.
“Today we’re using captured weapons. You’re lucky I’m able to teach you how to use this Shinsou… I didn’t have someone to do that.” Shouta spoke clearly as he wrapped the weapon onto Shinsou’s shoulders.
“...It’s one really long rope? How hard could this be?” Shouta heard Shinsou mutter under his breath. The older man couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy’s ignorance.
“...How the fuck do you use this thing?!” Shinsou guffawed as he pulled the Capture Weapon off of his shoulders. As Shouta predicted...Shinsou was having a hard time. The two of them had spent the last hour trying to get the ropes to really work with Shinsou.
Groaning in teenage angst, frustration, and probably exhaustion. Shinsou sat down on the floor. Shouta only watched as the teen stared up at him. The lilac eyes rounded by dark bags were filled with frustration. The older man could tell Shinsou was close to giving up, even if he wouldn’t exactly say it. Keeping in mind what Yagi had told him the other day, Shouta thought he’d try to apply that knowledge.
“You’re pretty damn close Shinsou. You’re getting it faster than I did, to be honest.” Shouta complimented Shinsou’s attempts. He was speaking the truth, of course, Shouta had no reason to lie to his student. This was just...foreign. It felt weird but Shinsou seemed to be more shocked than Shouta was for what he said. Shinsou’s lilac eyes widened at the praise he had received.
“Oh.” Was all that the boy could muster.
Shouta nodded in response. Copying what Yagi did a couple of weeks ago. He grabbed Shinsou by the feet and swung him around. It was awkward, and Shinsou froze under the foreign touch… Midoriya laughed when Yagi did it. Oh fuck...he made it weird.
“O-Oh my gosh! Mr. Aizawa put me down!” Shinsou barked. Shouta honestly felt like playing with the kid it bit. No wonder Yagi did this… It was fucking hilarious.
“Eh...Why should I?” Shouta teased the angsty teen. Shinsou seemed shocked at the sudden playfulness of his mentor. Shouta could only help but smirk.
“Who are you and what did you do with Mr. Aizawa?” Shinsou snarked. His tone was playfully serious, and Shouta could only smirk more.
“C’mon kid...I’ll consider putting you down if you at least try a bit more. Sounds like a fair deal eh?” Shouta swung Shinsou with more force, choking a laugh from the kid.
“Fine! Fine! Put me down!” Shinsou agreed and Shouta let go of him as promised.
The playful break seemed to do the trick. The frustration that Shinsou had been feeling was most definitely at bay, and the boy seemed a lot more open to trying. For the next couple of hours, it was just the two of them trying to work on controlling the Capture Weapon. To say Shinsou got a pretty good grip on it and Shouta was very proud. Ending the lesson Shouta didn’t say much. The two were quite exhausted.
“Good job Shinsou… You did well today kid.”
The look that Shinsou gave Shouta when he praised him? Truly priceless in his book.
“Really? Honestly, I wasn't too sure…” Shinsou spoke honestly as he drank from his water bottle.
“Yeah, kid. I’m impressed. I haven’t really taught another student how to use my capture weapon before...so seeing you pick it up so easily was a shock. It took me weeks to even get the damn thing not to tangle on me.” Shouta spoke honestly, wiping the sweat off his brow.
“...Thanks,” Shinsou responded quite shyly to Shouta’s praise which kinda shocked him.
Patting Shinsou’s hair, and pulling the long lavender fluff from his eyes. Shouta could only smirk at the kid.
“Trust me. You’re doing great, kid.”