Chapter Text
Aizawa Shouta is many things. Unkempt, homeless, and poor are just some of them. One thing he isn't, however, is a Hero. Sure, he'd considered it like just about anyone else, but honestly? He just didn't care enough. That doesn't mean he doesn't care. He just doesn't care about helping people most of the time.
Tonight is different. Tonight, he's the Vigilante Void.
Not for any selfless reason, though. These pricks just happened to come crashing into the abandoned shed he'd been using to sleep in and destroyed most of what little he had. The only thing to survive was his precious, eye-gougingly yellow sleeping bag. The fact he also happened to see one of the Villains robbing someone shortly after meant nothing.
So here he was, swinging through town with the weird scarf-weapon thing he found damaged and discarded in a dumpster a few months ago, chasing after the hooligans that wrecked his shed. They aren't even sneaky, let alone being good at running away. Shouta might be able to swing around with this thing, but that's all he's managed to do with it.
He lands behind the pair, eyes blazing that molten gold while his hair flies away from his face.
"What stinks?" The one on the left complains rather rudely. Sure, Shouta might have spent the past month or two jumping in the river to clean himself, but he didn't think it was that bad. The one on the right sniffs with a disgusted look on his face before turning around to see Shouta standing behind them.
Shouta's fist is in their face before they have a chance to scream. A satisfying crack sounds out before the Villain's face separates from Shouta's fist. They crash to the ground, remaining still.
"What the--" He brings his foot up to the second Villain's crotch, bringing him to the ground in seconds. A moment later, Shouta curb stomps the Villain's head, ensuring he's just as unconscious as his friend before rifling through their pockets. He finds the stolen goods on one and a phone on the other.
Since he's not a complete monster, he graciously calls the cops before relieving them of their money. Shouta has needs, after all. It's not like he has a job, and trash can french fries get boring after a while.
He ends up staying just long enough for the police to find the location before swinging away. He stops briefly to collect his sleeping bag before moving on.
At some point in the night, Shouta ends up in front of an impressive-looking building. He's not stupid; he knows it's a high school. The best in the country. But it's a well-known, well-funded place. He might get caught, but there's a high chance he could live comfortably enough for a week or two before being forced to move on. There're enough people coming and going, and the new school year is just starting. They may not even realize he's not supposed to be there.
Shouta makes his decision and walks into the school, unaware of the silent alarm he just set off or the set of eyes now watching the cameras. His first course of action is to find the showers. It's easier to hide in a crowd when he's clean. Once he's accomplished that, he strolls back to that cafeteria and snoops through the fridges.
He swipes a prepackaged bento, scarfs it down in ten seconds, and discards the hollow shell where food used to be. Only then does he allow himself to pick a random room to fall asleep in.
A bell rings. The chatter of some amount of teenagers reaches him from his spot behind the desk at the front of the room. He blinks against the morning light, unzipping his sleeping bag and crawling out. The room goes silent by the time Shouta gets to his feet. There're eyes on him, boring into his very soul.
Looking over the other occupants, he finds a normal high school class of twenty students. They're looking at him expectantly.
"Sensei!" A boy with purple hair and some creepy eyes calls with far too much enthusiasm. "Homeroom's starting!" Shouta freezes, mind racing. "You haven't even introduced yourself!"
His voice is rough and gravelly from disuse, but he somehow makes the words come out. "Right..." He mutters, trying to remember what high school was like. "I'm Aizawa Shouta, your Homeroom teacher." It's deceptive, something he doesn't generally like. But surely it's the logical thing to do in this situation. "Get changed and meet me outside. We're starting with a Quirk Apprehension Test." What's he even talking about?
Apparently, the students either know or don't care, as they do as he says. There's random grumbling and a few questions spoken amongst themselves, but nothing is aimed at him.
Shouta stumbles out after the last student, wondering what the fuck he's doing. He's not a teacher. He doesn't like kids. Hell, he barely even got to go to high school. Will this even work? Sure, homeroom teachers don't actually have to teach anything, but why are they buying this?
Shaking his head, Shouta decides to hang on to whatever fragile hope still exists. This place is warm, more or less safe, and has more than enough food to sustain him for however long he stays. He can do this. All he needs to do is keep an eye on those kids, make sure they don't fail, and make some attempt to get to know them...
Okay, so he can probably do those first two. It'll be the third one that brings everything crashing down. He was never the most social, to begin with, and his isolation only increased when his only friend died suddenly.
Whatever. That's a problem for later Shouta. Someone rushes past with the most ridiculous hairstyle he's ever seen. It takes him several moments of staring before Shouta confirms that, yes, that's a man, and yes, he's hot.
Right. He'd forgotten how disastrously gay he is on account of simply surviving taking up most of his energy.
On the floor in front of him lays a discarded phone. Did the hot guy drop it? Oh well. It's Shouta's now. Even if it's locked, he can always sell it for some cash.
To his great surprise, not only is it unlocked, but the very first thing he finds is a list of his students and a place to insert information. It's weird, but Shouta's never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He focuses back on the device in his hands, only to find he's now got a map pointing him to something outside.
Fuck it. He might as well see what it wants. Might even increase his chances of not being found out.
Shouta wants to bang his head against a wall until he no longer has to deal with any of these teenagers. Sure, he just made up some tests for them. Whatever he thought they might get from 'do the normal fitness tests from middle school but with Quirks,' it wasn't what happened. So now he's left with three kids with broken bones, two with random scratches and bruises, one particularly deep cut, and some very dry, irritated eyes. Glaring at the students, he pulls at his Quirk.
They're scared. Good. They deserve it for being so irrationally stupid. “Hikaru, Shusui, Mitake, Tamawari, Hitoke. You're expelled. Go see the principal before you leave." What the fuck is he talking about. He's got zero authority here. "The rest of you can go back to class."
Shouta sighs, wondering what he's gotten himself into.
Shouta returns to the classroom on a quest to retrieve his sleeping bag, only to be interrupted by the stupidly dressed hot blonde from earlier. Said blonde, staring at his sleeping bag like it personally wronged him, mutters something Shouta doesn't catch.
"Can I help you?" Shouta states, unwilling to let this drag on longer than it needs to.
The blonde jumps, turning to him. "Oh!" Shouta gets precisely one second of silence. "Not really? I mean, I was wondering whose monstrosity this was, but since you're here now, I can totally see it, ya dig?" Shouta does not, in fact, dig, but he lets the blonde continue as he collects the apparently offensive item. "It's your first year here, too, right? We haven't gotten a chance to speak yet!"
And now the blonde's following him. Maybe if Shouta shows enough disinterest, he'll be left alone. "I'm Yamada Hizashi, one very popular Present Mic!"
Grand. Now Shouta has to introduce himself. "Aizawa," He mutters, hoping it'll be left at that.
"Aren't ya gonna tell me your Hero name?"
Thinking fast, he says, "Doesn't matter. You wouldn't know it."
"Oh! An Underground Hero! We need more of those teaching! It's good for the little listeners to know you don't have to be in the spotlight to be a good Hero!" Right. Teaching. At a Hero school. Because Shouta is definitely both of those things.
As they've now entered the teacher's lounge, Shouta takes the chance to end the conversation. He finds the most comfortable-looking corner, climbs into his sleeping bag, and vanishes into it before anyone can say anything.
Hizashi finds his desk, contemplating exactly how fucked he already is. Why does 1-A's new teacher have to be so hot and mysterious? It's not fair.
Aizawa has no right to be as hot as he is with his whole 'don't give a shit what anyone else thinks' schtick going. Sure, he's a bit unkempt, but in that way, that screams, 'haven't had time to shave in a few days because I've been kicking ass.' With how beaten up his outfit is, Hizashi wouldn't be surprised to find out the other man came straight from patrol.
What can he do with that scarf? Does he tie people up with it? Would he tie Hizashi up? He can already feel those lips on his.
"--zashi! Earth to Hizashi!" He blinks, losing the fantasy because Nem decided she needed his attention. Hisashi pouts.
"What?" It's harsher than he would have liked.
She grins at him devilishly, knowing exactly what was going on in his head. "Do I even need to ask what you think of our new resident hobo?"
"Shut up! It's not like that!"
"Sure, sure. It's not like that." She agrees. "That's why you had that same expression you used to get when you fantasized about Shirokumo." He certainly didn't need his last crush thrown in his face like that.
"Kinda rude to call your coworker a hobo, don't you think?" Sure, Aizawa could be mistaken for one, but that's just a ridiculous assumption. "Besides! Just because he's hot doesn't mean I'm automatically crushing after him badly enough to have fantasies!" Sure, Hizashi, keep lying to yourself like that.
"Right. Because you definitely aren't the bisexual disaster I've known for the last ten years."
Finally, Hizashi shuts himself up. He'd really rather not have this conversation right now.
Shouta looks around, then swaggers into the kitchen like he's meant to be there. He's good at staying hidden when he needs to, but a little confidence never hurts. His eyes scan the area, and his senses are alert to anyone who might walk in on him.
His stop at the fridge is quick. He swipes a few meals for today and stashes them in his baggy sweater. He also pulls out a few bottles of water, shoving them in the pockets of his ratty cargo pants. Shouta marches out of the area before anyone can stop him.
The classroom should be empty right now. He can eat without anyone else bothering him. Hopefully.
Since luck isn't with him, he finds Yamada waiting inside. "What do you want?"
"To eat with you?" As if to prove his point, Yamada pulls out his own lunch, pulls up a chair, and settles in on the other side of the desk. Resigning himself to a period of dealing with Yamada and hoping he doesn't ask questions, Shouta settles into the chair across from him and pulls out one of his stolen meals. Making some form of noncommittal noise, he lets Yamada chatter away. It's not as bad as he thought.
"You sure you're cool staying longer?" Yamada asks, which is fair. It's nearly six pm.
"Yeah." He doesn't bother trying to explain. Yamada doesn't seem bothered by his short responses.
"Alright! Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then!" Finally, Shouta's alone. Now what? He could leave, but there's every chance Yamada tracks him down just to see what's going on.
Maybe he should go to one of those practice grounds he saw. If he's going to pretend to be a Pro Hero, he should be able to pass for one. He should be able to do something more with his scarf. And maybe look up some tutorials on martial arts or something. He'll probably need better fighting skills than whatever he has right now.
Yeah. The more he thinks about it, the more rational it seems to put in at least a little practice. His water's gone, and his stomach's rumbling. Before he heads down, he should swipe something to eat and a few extra water bottles. They won't miss them. Not with how much food goes out of the cafeteria in a day.
Still, he double-checks that the area is empty before taking some food. Just because he's fairly sure they won't mind doesn't mean he's eager to test that theory.
It's as he's wolfing down his third meal of the day that Shouta realizes he hasn't had a day this good in years. Decades even. When was the last time he even had two meals a day? It must have been before his Quirk manifested since he doesn't actually remember. It's weird not feeling the familiar pangs of hunger. Even weirder to not feel thirsty.
Hell, he almost feels safe here. Almost. Because as much as it's apparently welcoming, there's still this nagging paranoia clinging to him when he's around anyone else here. He'll be found out eventually, and then he'll either be thrown in jail or forced to move on. He won't be able to see Yamada.
Where did that thought come from?
Sure, the blonde's attractive, and he doesn't seem to mind Shouta's vague answers, but Yamada'll just leave anyway once he learns Shouta's lying to him. Why does that thought do something to his emotions? Why does he care so much? They've only just met. There's no rational reason for him to be feeling or thinking these things.
He's finished with his food, so he moves to the training ground. Maybe a good workout will let him forget these stupid thoughts.
This time, Shouta wakes to the sound of confusion. People are standing around him, wondering why he's asleep on the couch in the teacher's lounge. What else is a couch for, if not sleeping? Sure, some people might use it for sitting, but it's honestly the most comfortable thing he's slept on in years. Add his sleeping bag to the mix, and Shouta thinks he might just stay there forever.
It's really too bad they see fit to ruin his relaxation.
"Aizawa!" Comes the peppy cheer. Oh, right. He's not supposed to be comfortable here.
"What?" He hisses.
"I know you like to sleep, but you're going to be late!" Oh. Yesterday was a thing that happened. With a sigh, Shouta crawls out of his nice, toasty sleeping bag to go see those idiotic teenagers. Shouta checks his new phone to see if there're any new mystery messages waiting for him.
There is. It tells him the announcements for today and the Hero training for after lunch.
He spares a thought to how weird this is as he walks to class, only getting lost twice.
It doesn't take long to give whatever announcements are laid out for him. Even less time to slip out and head back to his sleeping bag. By the time he arrives back, his brightly colored bag is nowhere to be found. Why did he think it would be okay?
Looking around, some of the teachers look familiar from yesterday. One blocky grey man is looking at him suspiciously, but that's just not Shouta's problem. He may look vaguely familiar, but with how many people he saw in a day, that's not entirely surprising.
Shouta debates asking where his stuff went, but he doubts anyone will actually answer him. Whatever. He'll figure that out later.
His phone buzzes. Go to your computer. Does he have one? A screen lights up, drawing his attention. Might as well see what it wants, lighting up like that on its own. Shouta sits down and looks it over as a few more teachers leave the room.
It's a form. For employment. Of the school he's squatting in. Which means the principal knows. And wants to keep him here for some reason. Why? He's not qualified. All Shouta has is a weird Quirk and an (unhealthy) interest in the ethics and laws regarding Heroics.
In the end, Shouta minimizes the tab to consider later.
Luckily, Wednesday went by without much fanfare. Yamada spoke to him some more, Shouta 'expelled' another four kids, and no one asked why Shouta was still the last one there.
On Thursday, Shouta wakes up on the sofa in the teacher's lounge to one very excited Yamada. He's holding a box behind his back and vibrating like a child given caffeine.
"Can I help you?" He's tired and cold since he's yet to locate his sleeping bag. Whatever Yamada wants better be good.
"Here!" The box is shoved in his face. "I was going to wash your last one, but then it started falling apart, and I knew I couldn't give it back to ya like that, so I ended up freaking out, and when I calmed down, I went out and found a new one for you. Sorry about not telling you, but it was supposed to be a surprise, and then all that happened, and I didn't want to tell you until I fixed it in case you stopped talking to me." Besides the fact that Yamada didn't take a single breath that entire time, Shouta's attention was on the picture on the box.
It's the equally hideous yellow sleeping bag Shouta would sometimes daydream about getting when he was having a particularly bad day.
"So you got me a present?" Yamada blushes.
"I guess?" Shouta's heart flutters slightly at the uncertainty in the blonde's tone.
Shoving that down to deal with later, Shouta blinks at the box before taking it. "Thanks..." Should he open it? Shout he wait? He's not sure. He's never gotten a gift before, and for some reason, he cares about Yamada's opinion of him.
"Well? Go on!" A bright smile pushes him forward, opening the box to reveal the yellow abomination. The faintest of smiles ghost Shouta's lips. "Do you like it!?"
To Shouta, the answer comes immediately. "Yeah."
Friday comes and goes with only one close call. Someone caught him leaving the kitchen with a bento in hand and asked him why he had it. He'd made up some lie about a student in need before moving off at an accelerated pace. (No, he wasn't running. That's just ridiculous.) His secrets were still safe at the end of the day, so he didn't put much thought into the interaction.
It's Saturday when Shouta remembers the form. Not because he wanted to but because he ended up staring at the screen while Yamada sat beside him, doing his best to get Shouta's attention.
"-- and not only that! Lunch Rush says he's been missing food all week! He wants to know who's doing it so he can find out why they're stealing from him!" Shouta really doesn't want to talk about that. "I hope all the little Listeners are doing alright! They should know they can come to us if they need anything! Besides! Lunch Rush even went to Nezu to see if he knew, ya know, since Nezu always seems to know what's going on in the school, and all he got was, 'none of the students are currently in need of assistance.' That's not even a good answer!"
Shouta's not sure when, but he's started to relax to the sound of Yamada's voice. For someone who talks so much, it's surprisingly nice to hear him fill the silence. Or maybe it's just that the blonde knows when he should fill the silence and when he should shut up. It's honestly a level of consideration Shouta doesn't think he deserves, but Yamada makes his emotions do weird things regardless of his rationality.
"Yamada," Shouta says suddenly, giving in. "Why do you keep bothering with me?" It's not a question he should be asking, given what Yamada does for him, but it's one that Shouta needs the answer to.
Yamada doesn't seem to expect it, either, as it takes several seconds before he speaks up again. "Why not? You're pretty cool with your whole mysterious vibe going on, and you're pretty attractive, regardless of what anyone else thinks." Apparently, that extends to Shouta, too, because Shouta knows he looks like bottom-of-the-dumpster trash on a good day. "Sides! I know you don't actually mind! Ya would have told me to get lost if ya really want me gone, so I assumed you're fine with me 'botherin' you!" He's not wrong. "So! You wanna eat lunch together?"
"Forgot mine," Shouta replies, hoping the blonde believes it. "Planned on napping or something."
"That's no good, yo! Ya gotta eat!" Yamada looks thoughtful for a moment before storming away.
So now, Shouta's left alone with that stupid employment form sitting on his computer, mocking him. Should he consider it? It's nice here, and he wouldn't be opposed to seeing more of Yamada, even if he has to keep up the lies. He hasn't been hungry in a week, and it's nice not being out in the weather. He doesn't even hate it, despite how many idiots he has in his homeroom. Maybe it won't be so bad.
Before he can talk himself out of it, Shouta puts in his information, or as much as he can, and hits submit.
Yamada comes in at that exact time, now carrying a pair of lunches and two tall cups of something. One of each gets sat on the desk in front of him, Yamada taking the others. Shouta bites the inside of his cheek, dry eyes stinging for an entirely different reason. When was the last time someone cared enough to buy him food? To care enough about Shouta to make sure he eats? To fix their own mistakes and replace what they broke?
When was the last time he was cared about?
Shouta eats his food, Yamada's voice turning to white noise as Shouta comes to the conclusion that Yamada cares about him, that Shouta's feelings aren't normal for a friend, and that he may just have a crush on Yamada. It's nicer than he'd thought.