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Ugh, why, Kaminari? Shouta groaned to himself, sitting at his desk, hand buried in his tangled hair, and grading papers. Kaminari's was always a mess, but today he just didn't seem to have it in him to deal with it.
He sighed, staring at the messy, misspelled words on the paper in front of him, and got to work. He made sure to pick up the red pen ahead of time, knowing that he would need it. Kaminari was a good kid, and Shouta knew he tried, and really wanted to be a hero. Shouta kept planning to get him some extra help, but it always slipped his mind, with everything else that was going on.
It seemed like there was never enough time anymore. Shouta had to teach class as normal, except not normal cause this year he still has his whole class. Although, he was considering expelling Mineta. But he would just end up replacing him with Shinsou, so he would still have twenty kids. What had his life come to?
Then he also had to watch the kids outside of class to make sure they were alive and behaving, ever since the dorm system had been set up. And there was the permanent job of taking care of Eri. And yes, he loved her and never regretted taking her in, but it was a full time job and he had never thought he would be a parent.
Then there was everything with the league of villains, trying to figure out where they were, what they were doing, and keep them from attacking his kids. Students. Whatever, he was so tired.
And that was yet another thing, he was exhausted. He was already exhausted on a normal basis before this year, as he taught full time and was an underground hero. But for the past few months, probably more, it all just seemed so much worse.
He couldn't even remember the last time he slept for more than three hours straight. And that was never completely restful sleep, both because he didn't have the time to fall into a deep sleep, and because he never let himself actually rest. He always tried to be aware, so he was ready if he was needed.
Pushing those thoughts away, Shouta linked his fingers and stretched his arms behind his back, letting out a satisfied breath as he felt several small pops let out of his back. Then he set to work again, filling Kaminari's paper with many red marks, before moving on to the last few papers.
Once he was done with the grading for the day, he left the teacher's lounge, turning off the lights on his way out, and headed over to the 1-A dorm. He walked through the hallways on each floor there, making sure that everything was in place, lights were off, and the kids were sleeping.
Finally, when that was all done and he finally felt relaxed enough to sleep, he headed to his apartment in the dorms, checked to make sure Eri was safely asleep, and crawled into bed himself, making sure his alarm was set for two hours from then so he could make it to his patrol at 2:30 in the morning.
Shouta reminisced back to his thoughts that day, thinking wryly of how nothing had changed. That had been a few weeks ago, and his schedule had definitely not lightened at all. In fact, he was more exhausted now than he had ever been, and he felt like he had fallen too far behind to ever be able to catch up.
The constant worry and stress of all his duties added up quickly, and his head was filled with his list of all he had to accomplish, and check on.
He let out an involuntary sigh as he sipped his coffee mug, then glanced up when Eri said his name.
"Aizawa?" The little girl asked, her large eyes staring at him over her bowl of cereal and milk.
He blinked, trying to clear his thoughts and focus on the girl. For some reason, focusing seemed a lot harder today. Probably because of the pounding in his head, likely from lack of sleep. And the room was too hot, why was it so hot?
Ignoring his discomfort, he hummed, "Hmm?" Keeping eye contact with Eri, he waited patiently for her to continue, knowing that she liked to gather her thoughts before speaking. He was proud of her for that.
"Are you okay?" The question she asked certainly surprised him, but he took her question seriously, rather than passing her off, and thought about his answer.
Was he okay? He was pretty sure he was mostly okay, at least. And his stress wasn't something he wanted to pass off to the six-year old anyway. So, somehow forcing his tired lips to twitch upwards in a smile, he said, "Yes, Eri, I'm fine. Just a bit tired. Why don't you finish your breakfast, and Mirio will be here soon to watch you?"
"Okay!" The girl exclaimed, sending him a not-frown and digging her spoon back into her bowl of cereal, splashing little droplets of milk everywhere.
Shouta watched as she stared at the droplets in fascination for a few moments, then turned his gaze down and took another sip of his coffee.
They finished their breakfast in silence, and Shouta was just finishing packing his bag for the day when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" He called out, ignoring how his head spun as he stood up again, after having bent over to pack his bag.
Mirio walked in, a colorful bag slung over his shoulder and a large grin on his face. "Morning, Mr. Aizawa," he said cheerily, and Shouta waved a hand lazily in his direction. Normally he would try to at least nod his head in greeting, but he couldn't find any extra energy to muster up this morning.
"Mr. Mirio!" Eri called out, running back into the room after having washed her face.
"Hey, Eri," the teen scooped her up in his arms, taking off his shoes and stepping further into the room. "You ready for a fun day?"
"Mhmm!" She responded happily.
"Well, it looks like you two are fine, I'll be going now. Eri, I'll be back before supper today," Shouta said, stepping towards the entrance and slipping into his boots. His scarf wrapped around his neck seemed to be suffocating him, and he resisted the urge to wipe at his sweaty face. Too hot.
"Bye, Mr. Aizawa," Mirio called out, echoed by Eri. Shouta forced himself to twist his head and offer her a small smile before he walked out the door.
The walk to the main school building seemed to take longer than usual, and by the time he got to the teacher's lounge he was sweating. He finally gave in to the urge to wipe at his sweaty forehead and neck, then grimaced at how damp his palm became.
He made sure to close the door softly behind him, but almost jumped when Hizashi's voice yelled right next to his ear. "Shouta, good morning!"
"'Zashi, quiet," Shouta ground out, closing his eyes and sagging against the door frame for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a rare, worried look on his friend's face. "What?"
"Nothing, just…" Hizashi trailed off, scanning Shouta with his eyes and biting his lip in a worried habit. "You feeling okay, Shou?"
"Fine, why?" Shouta asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and trudging forwards past Hizashi, bumping shoulders with the blonde as he passed.
Hizashi spun and followed him into the room. "You're sweating, man, and it's like…cold outside, and you're not wearing a coat. You should practically be an ice cube! And you look a lot more…worn out…than usual."
"I'm fine," Shouta grunted as he sank into his desk chair, setting his bag down on the floor and ignoring his protesting muscles. What was wrong with him? He didn't think he was sick, as there wasn't anything going around, as far as he knew, and he always, always started with a sore throat whenever he was sick. And his throat was fine, it was just his head, and muscles, and it was so hot.
"There you go again," Hizashi exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
"What's he doing now?" Nemuri asked as she sidled up next to them, moving to lean against the edge of Shouta's desk.
"Something's up with Shouta, but he says he's fine," Hizashi said aggravatedly. "He came in, without a coat, sweating like a pig, and now he's saying it's too warm." Oh, Shouta must have said that last part of his thoughts out loud. Midoriya was obviously a bad influence on him.
Shouta glanced at Nemuri just as the woman raised an eyebrow at him. "You sure you're feeling okay, hon?" Nemuri asked, reaching a hand out towards his forehead. Shouta was surprised at the term of endearment, as she only called him that when she was being serious. It almost made him feel bad for backing away from her outstretched hand, but only almost.
He quickly stood up from his desk, then quickly gripped the edges when the world spun, surely leaving marks on his palms. "I'm fine," he insisted, grabbing his bag and marching out of the room. He could practically feel the two stares on his back, but he ignored them, quickly swerving around All Might as the tall man burst through the room, and ignoring his greeting as well. He didn't have time to be coddled, he had things to do.
His steps slowed a bit once he got a few hallways down, and his feet almost seemed to drag on the floor. Running a hand down his face, he took in a deep breath, and walked to the 1-A classroom.
When he entered, only Iida and Bakugou were already there. He waved a hand to acknowledge Iida's greeting, and decided against lecturing Bakugou about putting his feet on the desk. He was too tired, and sore, and hot. Gosh, he couldn't wait for this day to be over.
He considered curling up in his sleeping bag in the corner, or below his podium, but decided against it, as he still had some work to do on next week's lesson plans.
Time seemed to fly, and by the time he was done with only a few planned assignments, the door was closing behind the last students to enter, Kaminari and Ashido, and the bell was chiming to signal the start of school.
He straightened up at his podium, pulled out the day's lesson plans, and started teaching. He was fine, it was normal, he could do this.
And…fifteen minutes later, he was realizing that he couldn't do this. His head was spinning so much he could hardly see what he was writing on the whiteboard, and he felt so unsteady, his hands gripping the marker tray were the only things keeping him up. He registered as his voice trailed off in the background, but was more focused on the drop of sweat he could feel dripping down his neck. He wanted so much to bring an arm up to wipe at his face, but didn't know if he would be able to support himself with just one hand.
A voice came to him slowly through the muffled stillness of the room, and he furrowed his brows as he tried to understand what it was saying. "...okay? Mr. Aizawa, can you hear me? Do I need to get another teacher? Mr. Aizawa?"
It was Iida's voice, but Shouta could hardly understand what the boy was saying. He opened his mouth to say…something, but it escaped him. Someone's hand landed on his arm, and it was only then that he realized he was shaking. He forced his sore neck muscles to lift his heavy head. Bleary, half-lidded eyes looked into the concerned, swimming pools of worry that were Yaoyorozu's eyes, and the next thing he knew his legs were giving out on him and the floor was rushing to meet him.
"Mr. Aizawa!" He heard several voices call out, and some instinct deep within him longed to speak, to reassure them he was fine, but he couldn't. For some reason he thought he should feel pain, but all he felt was heat. It was so hot, unbearably hot, couldn't someone just get him some ice?
He took in a deep breath, about to ask for some ice, or cold water, or for Todoroki to use his quirk on him, or something, but then darkness covered him like a blanket, and his head sagged to the ground, his whole body limp.
The next thing Shouta was aware of was a steady beeping, and the feeling of something uncomfortable on his arm. A groan sounded through the room, and it took him a moment to recognize the vibrations in his throat enough to realize he was the one who groaned. What happened?
"Shouta?" The voice came from his left, so Shouta forced his neck muscles to move his head so he faced that direction. What he saw gave him some indication of the situation, but not much.
Hizashi was sitting in a chair beside Shouta's bed, which he could now see was one of the cheap ones in the UA infirmary. It was partitioned off by a hanging curtain, at least. "Za-Zashi" Shouta croaked out, grimacing at the sound and feel of his voice.
"Here, have some water," the blonde said, scoping up a plastic cup of water with a straw, and bringing the straw up to Shouta's lips. The underground hero took a few grateful sips, then one more, before nodding at Hizashi to signal he was done.
The cup thudded on the table when Hizashi put it down, but Shouta was too busy staring at his friend to pay attention. Hizashi met his gaze for a few seconds, a drawn look on his face. Then, after running a hand down his face then back up through his let-down hair, he said, "You're sick, Shou. You collapsed in your homeroom, in front of your students."
Shouta flinched as the memories of that came rushing back. He would have to apologize to them later, for scaring them. But he was still confused, why had he collapsed like that? He had been positive he wasn't sick, so…
"Your students called me, while others got you comfortable and tried to figure out what was wrong. They were very smooth and professional, you would be proud," Hizashi continued, and Shouta felt the corners of his lips twitch up at that. He was always proud of his kids. "I got there, and you were collapsed, completely unresponsive on the floor, and burning up."
"I thought I felt kinda hot this morning," Shouta murmured, finding that all his symptoms from earlier made sense.
"Yah, well your timing's a bit off, buddy," Hizashi clasped his hands in his lap and met Shouta's gaze. "That's not this morning, it was in the morning two days ago."
"What?" Shouta exclaimed, struggling to sit up. Hizashi was out of his chair immediately, pushing back gently but firmly on Shouta's shoulders until the man was lying back down on the bed. "It's been two days?" Shouta continued, calmer, but with despair in his eyes.
"Yah," was the reply.
"I have too much to do, I'm wasting so much time here for just a small fever," Shouta tried to argue, but Hizashi was having none of it, if the steely determination in his eyes was anything to go by.
"And that's why you're here. You worked yourself too hard, and stressed too much, and got sick, Shou." Shouta glanced at the man questioningly, but Hizashi kept talking. "It's called a psychogenic fever. Basically it's a stress-induced illness or fever. You need to learn to take a break every once and a while, or let someone help you! Me and Nemuri both noticed something was wrong that morning, but you brushed us off. If you had told us you weren't feeling well, we could have prevented this from happening, at least to this extent. And if you had told us weeks ago that you were stressed and overworked, we could have helped then too. You just need to ask, and we'd both move the world for you!"
Shouta tried to interrupt, but Hizashi stopped him with a hand lifted into the air abruptly. "No, Shou! You help others with everything they ask, and do so much. You care about so many people, even if you don't admit it, but you can never accept that they all care for you just as much. I've had to practically force your students out of here so you could rest. They're all worried sick about you, and all we could tell them was that you worked yourself to the point of collapse. They're blaming themselves, Shou, and so are me and Nemuri."
If Shouta had been in front of a mirror then, he would have seen a guilt and grief stricken look in his eyes. But as it was, all he could see was the sadness and regret painting Hizashi's face, the blonde looking more serious and determined than Shouta had seen him in a while. "I'm sorry," he muttered, looking down, unable to meet Hizashi's gaze anymore. "But…it was just a simple fever, I was fine. I…I'll rest a bit more next time."
Hizashi scoffed, forcing Shouta to look back up, just in time to see his friend cross his arms and lean back in the chair. "Just a simple fever, Shou? Your temperature was at 103.8 degrees fahrenheit when I first brought you here! You could have died, or had your brain fried, if I didn't get you to Recovery Girl on time. As it is, your fever is only down to 99 degrees fahrenheit, and she has you on an IV to keep you hydrated, and give you some nutrition, since you haven't been awake to eat anything. Not that your usual jelly packets are much better anyway." That last part was added after a slight pause, and was said ruefully.
"Sorry," was all Shouta could say, again. "How is Eri?"
Hizashi sighed, then uncrossed his arms and softened his gaze. "She's worried about you, like the rest of us. Of course she asked if it was her fault. We told her it wasn't, obviously, and explained. But I don't think she'll believe it until she hears it from you, and sees that you're okay. You owe a lot of people an apology, Shou."
"I know."
"And you don't just owe them an apology, you owe all of us a promise." At Shouta's raised eyebrow, he elaborated. "You need to promise to take better care of yourself, and to ask for help if you need it." He thought for a second, brows furrowed, before adding, "And you need to accept that help."
"I'll try," Shouta replied, looking straight into Hizashi's eyes and keeping eye contact. The blonde knew that was as honest as Shouta could get, and the continued eye contact proved it. He sighed once more, then smiled at his best friend.
"Well, I guess that'll do. For now. But, you gotta know, we'll all be looking out for you from now on. It's not just me and Nemuri now, your family is expanding."
He half expected Shouta to deny it, and so was surprised when the man let out an actual, genuine smile, and said softly, "I know."