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It was Springtime in Musutafu. The weather couldn’t be more perfect. Not too warm, and not too cold. Everything and everyone seemed to be coming back to life after an extremely harsh Winter. And on this particular day, it seemed just about everyone was taking in a breath of fresh air.
There was one person, however, that didn’t appreciate this time of year as much as most other people would. Shota Aizawa was as miserable as he could possibly be. If he wasn’t out patrolling, doing hero work, or teaching his class of problem children, he was inside. He practically refused to leave his room unless he had to. Why? It was because of one simple problem.
Seasonal allergies.
Aizawa had the worst allergies and hay fever. The new pollen in the air always hit him like a damn truck. It made him wheeze and cough. His throat constantly itched, and his nose ran like a waterfall. The headaches were brutal. But the worst part was what happened to his eyes. Redness, puffiness, either being watery or extra dry. He had it all.
He liked to think that it had to be a sick joke. A cosmic prank that was being pulled on him. Because why the hell would he be born with a quirk that centered completely around his eyes, and then be born with seasonal allergies!? It really wasn’t fair. But he wasn’t one to really complain too much about it out loud.
Of course he did everything he could to lessen the symptoms. Mainly using allergy pills, nasal spray, and extra strong eye drops. Recovery Girl had lectured him on several occasions about overdoing it with the remedies. He always listened to what she had to say, but he also did what he had to do in order to function at least somewhat normally.
The worst part about everything was just how much it affected Aizawa’s hero work. Just the other day he saw a woman have her purse stolen while he was out patrolling. Of course he ran after the thief. But he still almost lost the guy in an alley way because he could barely see from his eyes watering. He was happy to get the purse back to the woman and have the police pick up the guy, but it still hurt his ego a bit to admit that he almost couldn’t stop a simple thief. He went back home very irritated with the whole situation. And he couldn’t sleep at all because he couldn’t breathe.
…………………
The next day, Aizawa walked into his classroom completely exhausted and feeling like his head might burst. The students were as rowdy as ever, maybe even more so than usual. He looked out at his class. Usually he’d be yelling at them to settle down. Today, though, all he wanted was a break. He was coughing up a lung and sneezing up a storm. He should have called in to work sick. He hadn’t taken a sick day in years. Just as he was thinking that it was going to be a long day, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Mr. Aizawa? Are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Aizawa looked up to find Midoriya looking at him with a concerned expression. The rest of the class went silent as they all stared at their teacher, concern and worry etched on their faces. It took a minute for Aizawa to say anything. But after some more coughing and sneezing, he sighed and shook his head.
“Here’s the deal. I’m not going to lie to you. I need to take some time off. Allergies have been affecting me to the point where I can’t work. I’m going to go talk to Recovery Girl and Principal Nezu to figure out someone else to teach you. Iida, keep things in line here until someone comes by.”
“Yes, Mr. Aizawa! Just leave it to me!” Iida shouted, standing and saluting. Aizawa groaned as his head throbbed from the noise. He slowly left the classroom and made is way to Recovery Girl’s office.
………………………
“How many times have I told you to take better care of yourself?” Recovery Girl lectured as she had Aizawa lay down on a bed. She had given him some pain killers and nasal spray to help his symptoms. “Your allergy medication can only do so much. You shouldn’t push yourself so hard when you’re so vulnerable.” She walked over with a small heat pack, placing it on his head.
“I’m aware. I think I’m ready to take your advice now, though.” He sighed as the heat spread through his face. It was already helping him to relax a little bit. “I’m sorry for troubling you.”
“It’s no trouble at all. And I already called Nezu. He’ll find a substitute for your class for the next few days while you try to recover.”
“Thank you.” Aizawa sighed again. He knew he was tired, but it really hit him just now how exhausted he really was. He could feel his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. “I think I’m going to take a nap. I’m not sure when I’ll wake up.”
“Get as much rest as possible. As long as it takes. I’ll leave some water for you as well.” Recovery Girl smiled. Aizawa sneezed. It was almost funny how she was treating him like he had a cold and not seasonal allergies.
Aizawa knew it would take more than a few days for his allergies to stop affecting him. Sometimes it took weeks before he was back to normal. But maybe if he took a break, he could handle them better. That was the last thought he had before falling asleep.