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Contrary to his reputation, Aizawa does keep regular office hours for his students. Knowing when to seek help with something is, in itself, an aspect of learning independence.
He is, however, a little surprised when Todoroki knocks on the staffroom door, a small collection of papers in hand.
“Come in,” Aizawa says, gesturing to the empty seat next to his desk.
Todoroki nods, sits down, and glances between Aizawa and the papers.
“Can I help you with something, Todoroki?” Aizawa asks.
“I’m sorry Sensei, I know office hours are intended for school-related problems, but I wasn’t sure who else to ask.”
Aizawa keeps his face neutral. “That’s fine, part of my job as your homeroom teacher is dealing with personal matters too, moreso since the dorms opened.”
“Right,” Todoroki says. He looks over the papers in his hand one more time, before placing them on the desk in front of Aizawa. “When I was with Recovery Girl after our last practical class, I noticed something in my medical records. I asked her to print them out for me, because I’ve never actually been able to see them before, and -” he points to one section of the paper “- I didn’t know what this meant.”
Aizawa looks down at the section Todoroki pointed to.
Tetragametic chimerism resulting in two Quirk-related abilities
Intersex - 46,XX/46,XY
Primarily male external presentation - differences surgically corrected
Managed with hormone replacement therapy
“I was supposed to be twins, before I was born,” Todoroki says, “that’s what the first part means. That’s why I look like this,” he gestures down the centre of his face, “I’ve always known that.”
Aizawa nods.
“But I don’t understand the other things,” Todoroki continues. “I looked it up. I know what it means scientifically-speaking, but I don’t look - surely I would know if I was…”
Aizawa hides his expression behind his capture scarf. “It’s not uncommon for intersex inviduals to not know. Especially as children, parents often choose to hide that information from the child until they’re older.”
Todoroki frowns. Aizawa can’t help but notice the way his scar pulls the expression into an asymmetrical shape.
"It says 'surgically corrected'," Todoroki says, "so that means there was something about me that looked… different… and they made it look… normal. Right?"
Aizawa nods. "More or less. I can’t say I know the specifics."
“Why?”
“A lot of doctors believe it’s for the best, that is causes less distress for the intersex person as they grow up.”
There is a long moment of silence, Todoroki’s brow still furrowed in thought.
“What if they get it wrong?” Todoroki finally asks, eyes trained on the paperwork.
Aizawa is quiet for a moment. While he's a little more knowledgeable than the average person, this is still out of his wheelhouse.
"Do you think they got it wrong?" Aizawa asks cautiously.
Todoroki frowns. "I don't think they should have picked."
Aizawa nods. "I can understand that."
Aizawa doesn't miss the analytical expression that crosses Todoroki's face at that.
"I have to admit, this is a little outside my area of expertise," Aizawa says. "If you'd like to speak to Recovery Girl, I'm sure she'd be happy to meet with you.”
Todoroki’s expression doesn’t change.
“I also know some folks at a local community centre that would have some resources for intersex people,” Aizawa continues, “I could reach out to them, confidentially, if you’d like.”
Todoroki nods. “Yes, I think I’d like that.”
“Okay,” Aizawa says, scribbling himself a note on a nearby sticky note. “They’ll be closed by this hour, but that is my first priority tomorrow morning. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about right now?”
Todoroki seems to consider his words carefully before answering. “I need more time to think about all this.”
“That’s understandable,” Aizawa says.
"Thank you," Todoroki murmurs, standing from his seat and collecting the paperwork, "It's… very helpful to be able to talk through this with someone."
Aizawa nods. "My door is always open if you'd like to talk again, and I'll get those resources to you as soon as I can."
Todoroki nods, a small smile on his face, and exits the staff room.
“You’re quiet,” Yamada says between bites of dinner.
“I’m always quiet,” Aizawa replies with a small smirk.
“More quiet than usual,” Yamada says, rolling his eyes. “Something happen today?”
Aizawa picks up a piece of his chicken katsu, avoiding Yamada’s gaze. “A student came to me about a personal matter, and it was a little out of my depth. I’m going to follow up with someone more qualified than me on the topic, but I really don’t know what else I can do to help.”
“Hey,” Yamda says, gesturing a little too broadly for someone still holding chopsticks in one hand, “they felt comfortable coming to you. That’s a success in itself, right?”
Aizawa shrugs.
"Shou," Yamada says, looking at his husband over his glasses. "You're following up on whatever the problem is, finding someone who can help where you can't. Sounds like you're doing a fine job to me."
The next day, during the students' lunch period, Aizawa slides a folder full of leaflets, business cards, and booklets under Todoroki's dorm door. He figures that way is a little more subtle than holding him back after class to hand them over.
If nothing else, he hopes the handwritten list of local and online support groups will be helpful.
Todoroki
Below is a list of local intersex and lgbtq+ support groups, and some other relevant organisations. I can personally assure you that the organisations on this list maintain the utmost privacy of their attendees. If you would like to leave campus to visit any of these groups, I will arrange transportation and handle the permission slips.
Recovery Girl is ready and willing to answer any medical questions you may have, and my door is alway open.
- Aizawa