Chapter Text
Staring up at the gates of UA, I could feel my heart pounding. After 10 months of preparation I was finally here, ready to start a new chapter in my life as a teacher for future pro heroes. I had originally thought that I’d be assigned general studies or maybe even the support course, so imagine my surprise when I found out I’d be working alongside pro hero Eraserhead to help train the new first year hero course students. Although I’d heard of the underground hero before, I didn’t know much about him. He’s known for erasing a villains quirk, dropping them into police custody and then disappearing into the night. I couldn’t really blame him though, the media is notorious for latching onto every tiny detail of a pro heroes life and completely blowing it out of proportion. He has the right idea to stay away from them, something I learnt the hard way.
Smoothing down my clothes and taking in a deep breath, I approach the gates. Principal Nezu had included a temporary visitors pass with the rest of the files he’d sent me so getting inside was a breeze. Actually being able to start walking to the entrance, was another story. It was like all my self-doubt had waited until I was inside the school grounds to start relentlessly convincing me to turn back. That it was a mistake and I should quit while I’m ahead. I had already decided not to listen, to put away the inner voice that was attempting to control me because I knew that this was a fresh start. A chance to teach the future generation of heroes how to take care of the people and learn to work as a team. My steady pace to the front door was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
I jolted slightly and refocused on my surroundings. Standing a few feet away was a tall, scrawny looking man with blonde hair and blue eyes. His cheeks were hollow and his clothes seemed to swallow him whole. Despite my obvious shock at his appearance, he didn’t seem to mind. Instead I was greeted with a smile that radiated warmth; it made me feel safe. Remembering where I’d seen that smile before, it clicked almost instantly in my head. This was All Might, the symbol of peace and Japan’s number one hero. Nezu had informed me about the pro’s situation and his picture was included in the teacher profiles I’d been sent, but seeing him in person was a whole other thing. The inner fan girl buzzed with excitement as I made my way over to the pro hero.
“Toshinori-san, glad to finally meet you in person!”
“Young L/N, good to have you on the team! Nezu asked me to help escort you to the exam invigilation room, considering you don’t know your way around just yet”
“Thank goodness for that, I would have been walking around for years trying to find it alone!”
He chuckled and opened the doors, allowing me to enter first. We walked down the halls, taking many twists and turns that I knew I wouldn’t have been able to figure out without a guide. I told him all about moving to japan, why I chose UA and how excited I was to train future heroes. He told me what it was like to be number one in his country, how his muscle form only lasted so long and gave me some pointers on how not to get lost around campus. All in all he was really easy to talk to and his aura of safety brought me out of my shell more than I expected. All too quickly we arrived at the invigilation room. He must have noticed my hesitation to open the door because before I could move forward I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“You’ll do just fine young L/N, just remain calm and keep a clear head. Oh, and don’t let Aizawa bring you down, he’s always hard on new recruits”
“Aren’t you technically a new recruit?”
He chuckles softly and nods.
“Yes but I’m also a very well-known pro hero who already knows his true colours so it doesn’t have the same effect. Just stand your ground and he’ll soon warm up to you, in his own way.”
Slightly reassured by the top hero’s words, I swallow my nerves and hold my head high as I enter the room. All Might follows behind me and we are greeted by several other pro heroes. I take in the somewhat familiar faces, having seen them before in their profiles or in a news article. Ken Ishiyama or Cementoss, class C’s homeroom teacher. Nemuri Kayama or R-Rated Hero: Midnight, Modern Hero Art History teacher. Hizashi Yamada or Present Mic, English teacher. Then last but not least, Shota Aizawa or The Erasure Hero: Eraserhead, Class A’s homeroom teacher. And, by extension, my co-teacher for the future first year hero course students. He keeps his distance unlike the rest of my new colleagues, unfazed by our sudden arrival. Before I could comment I was tackled by a blur of dark purple and gelled blonde hair.
“Hey there listener! You’re the new TA for the first years right?”
“She’s a co-teacher Hizashi, aren’t you meant to be good at English?”
“Lay off Nemuri, it’s the same thing!”
I giggled softly at their antics and gently pried them off my arms.
“Its fine guys, TA or co-teacher is okay with me. I’m Y/n, you are Nemuri Kayama and Hizashi Yamada right?”
They stare at me blankly for a second before Yamada bursts out laughing.
“Damn, Nezu picked a perceptive one to pair with Sho didn’t he?”
“I know, just thinking about it is getting me all hot and bothered!”
The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat causes both of them to jump in surprise. They turn to reveal a slightly irritated looking Aizawa.
“When you two have finished harassing your new co-worker can we get on with judging the exam?”
They scurried off towards the judges panel, giggling quietly as they passed him. He sighs softly before turning back to me, his eyebrow quirked up about a centimetre higher than the other. I can’t tell if he’s trying to judge me or if he’s waiting for me to speak but I take Toshinori’s advice and stand my ground. Our eyes are locked in a staring match and both of our expressions are unreadable. I stay strong, not even breathing until he finally breaks the silence.
“Make sure you pay attention to each examinee. Don’t mark them up or down for unnecessary reasons”
“I think I can handle it. The advice is appreciated but not needed, Aizawa.”
His eyebrow quirks up again, just barely but enough for me to notice. He huffs and gestures for me to follow him to the judges panel. With his back to me I can finally let myself relax. If this man is supposed to be my co-teacher then I definitely need to work on toughening myself up slightly. His piercing gaze and sharp words didn’t break me this time but its only day one. There’s plenty of time for him to step up his game which means I need to be prepared for anything. For now though, I focus on watching the examinees. My group consisted of 15 different kids, all with really versatile quirks to look out for. The ones that stood out the most at a glance were Mina Ashido, Kirishima Eijirou, Sato Rikido and Hagakure Toru. Their quirks were very interesting and definitely seemed like they would work the best against the robots at a glance. Anything can happen in this exam though so for now, I’ll keep my mind open and let the kids use this chance to show me what they’re made of.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My intuition never fails. All the examinees gave it everything and I couldn’t be more impressed by the younger generation’s spirit. The students who had stood out to me initially passed with flying colours, not a single one of them held back. I was especially impressed by Eijiro Kirishima who placed second overall. His quirk allowed him to harden his body like a rock, giving him an almost unbreakable appearance. Considering how many robots he managed to destroy it wouldn’t surprise me if he really was unbreakable. I finish writing my final reports on their performances before making my way out of the invigilation room. We needed to talk over our choices with the rest of the staff but I am in major need of some food and a caffeinated beverage.
I inhale deeply and the scent of pre-packaged snacks hits me, letting me know there is a vending machine nearby. Humming to myself as I round the corner, I catch the sound of the invigilation room door opening and closing again. Soft, leisurely footsteps move in my direction but I keep my eyes on the vending machine. Whoever it is can wait their turn, I want my pocky and caffeinated drink. I push my money into the machine and go to make my choice when the mystery person clears their throat. I turn with a slightly irritated expression which falls away when I see Aizawa standing behind me.
“Oh! Aizawa, I didn’t realise it was you.”
“Clearly.”
I chuckle nervously and press the button for pocky on the machine.
“Is that all you’re eating?”
I press the button for coffee and turn to look at him again.
“We need to go over the reports for the exam. It’s not like I can eat a five course meal in that time so this is just a pick me up.”
“You’ll lose strength eating like that.”
His slightly scolding tone is getting on my nerves. I grab my snacks and stand a few inches away from him, raising an eyebrow in irritation.
“Are you always this patronising or am I just lucky?”
“Bold words for someone so fresh faced. Will you be so easily rustled when it comes to training the next generation? Or will you crumble under the pressure?”
I scoff in disbelief and lower my tone to almost a growl.
“If you came here to try and intimidate me, I would give up now. You clearly want to test my determination about being here so I’ll save you the trouble. I am willing to do anything to make sure that those kids learn how to be genuinely good pro heroes, and if that means I have to deal with a co-teacher who doubts my skills then so be it. Your tall, dark and scary act might fool some other shy violets but you don’t fool me. So, I’m going to take my snacks, go back into that room, finish going over the reports with everyone and you are going to button it and let me do my job without trying to mess with my head.”
I can literally feel the hairs on my arms standing up on end, god knows what I would look like if I let my quirk out right now. Probably like I’ve been electrocuted but I keep my gaze on him anyway. Toshinori did warn me he likes to mess with new hires but I’m not down to lay on my back and take it. He looks at me with an unwavering expression, the corner of his lips twitching ever so slightly as though he’s holding back a smile. He sighs and moves towards the vending machine.
“I’d hurry back. They won’t slow down just because you weren’t there to listen.”
“The only person who seems to have trouble listening is you Aizawa. Co-teacher or not if you don’t cooperate with me then I will not be the one suffering for it.”
This time he lets out a small, amused chuckle.
“You’ve got spunk. You’ll need that to survive in my classroom little kohai.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After what felt like an eternity going over everything we saw in the exam, I finally made it home. My bag was abandoned at my doorway as soon as I came in and I flopped onto the couch with a frustrated sigh. Was this really going to be my entire career at UA? Being belittled by scruffy insomniac who took pleasure in my annoyance? Toshinori said he was hard on new hires but I have fought tooth and nail to be here, the last thing I need is to be distracted by my dishy co-teacher with a less than stellar ability to work with others. I mean what exactly was his problem with me? If Nezu hired me then why did he feel the need to………WAIT WHAT?!
I jolt upwards in alarm, a lobster red blush covering my face. Dishy? Had I really just thought of him as dishy? The image of him holding back a smile when I called him out popped into the forefront of my mind. His skin was smooth apart from the light dusting of stubble along his chin and upper lip, his charcoal locks brushing against his forehead and his eyes, deep dark entrancing eyes that gleamed with amusement as he took my words in. I groan in frustration and smack my head against a pillow. Yes, he was handsome in a rugged uncaring kind of way but that isn’t the point. He made me out to be a weakling, someone who couldn’t handle the pressures of being a hero course teacher or any kind of teacher at all in his mind. It was as though he’d made it his mission to make me dislike him.
I stomp angrily into the bathroom and turn on the shower as hot as it will go, dumping my clothes on the floor as I go. When steam starts to fill the room I step in and let the water fall over me. My muscles relax, making me sigh in relief. Of all the techniques to calm a raging storm of emotions, none work for me quite like a hot soak in the shower. It’s like all of the anger and frustration washes away down the drain with the rest of the grime from my busy day. I take a deep breath and let the remainder of my stress out as I exhale. Quickly scrubbing myself clean, I let the water run over me one last time before finally shutting it off.
Once I’m dry and in my pyjamas I flop onto my bed. The thought of dealing with Aizawa’s judgemental quips all year long is almost enough to make me want to say something to Nezu. However I know if I do that Aizawa will have more ammunition to use against me the next time we’re together. Clearly he doesn’t respect my work as a hero in my home country, either that or he doesn’t even know about any of it. A thought springs to mind that makes me want to smother myself. What if he somehow found out about my unfortunate reputation and now this is his way of saying he doesn’t think I’m good enough for the likes of UA hero course?
I shake my head frustratedly, hoping the self-doubt falls out my brain for a while. What happened wasn’t my fault, what was shown was not what was said and moving here is supposed to be my clean slate. If Aizawa somehow knows about it, this could make me the joke teacher of the school. The stereotype, the one not to be worried about, the one not to be taken seriously. I growl and pull the covers over my head. I’ll show him exactly how strong I am, how serious I am. He can judge me for twisted media lies and a quirk side effect that I can’t control but mark my words, he’ll take back every single comment by the time I’m done taking him down a peg.