"honesty and grace" (Mezo Shoji X Reader)

Chapter 18

A small white figure in a blue suit pops out from next to Aizawa's head, jumping to the ground with a sophisticated laugh. It was the school's principal, Nedzu. "I was also informed!" He shouts, his voice comically high. He wore a very nice suit, though bright orange sneakers seemed to disclose his personality quite well. It was almost humorous, but you knew better than to laugh.

Your heart began to race as you turned to All Might, who began to speak. "This must all be very overwhelming for you, we understand that-"

A sudden burst of anger passed through you as you slammed your hand down on the table, causing it to shake and creak. "Why do you people care so much about my quirk? I'm not a UA student, I'm nothing special, and I haven't used it for almost eleven years. That's all I got for you." Nedzu seemed to be the only one not surprised by your sudden burst of rage.

"It's quite understandable that you are weary of your power, but as teachers and heroes, seeing someone in your situation hurts us." Says the mouse, walking over to a chair. All Might helped him into it. From where he stood, his face was just at the right height to look over the table at you. "Aizawa informed us of the living conditions that you've been dealing with for months. When he told us who you were, we wanted to meet you for ourselves."

All Might nodded and gave you a warm smile. "We know what you've been through, and to see a child not use such a powerful strength because of their past is terrible. It is our job as heroes to push kids like you to be their greatest, and we want the same for you. It may be overwhelming, but we were wondering if you could fill out that sheet and show us what you're capable of." He had raised a finger at this point, a small and cocky grin on his face.

The three men look at you in anticipation, their stares making you nervous. Your heart was beating faster than it ever had. All of the information they had just laid on you was heavy on your mind, making your breathing quicken. Without much thought, you stood, choking back a familiar lump in your throat. "You people don't understand. It's not my quirk." You felt your arms shaking, your muscles tensing. "It's his quirk. I want absolutely nothing to do with it. If I could have it removed, I would!" You raise your tone, taking a second to realize the volume of your voice.

Aizawa crossed his arms and looked at you, his face stern and curious. "I don't understand kids like you." He says, gaining the attention of the other two men in the room. You sat back down and avoided his gaze, feeling ashamed of yourself for having such an outburst. "You explained to me how your quirk works and that it is similar to your fathers. I understand that it may be painful to be reminded of such a horrible man while you try to do right in this world, but what I don't get is why you wouldn't use it at all. There are kids without quirks living lives just as hard as your's, if not harder. You could become something great, but yet you chose not to. Why?"

At this point, you just wanted to go home. Being alone wasn't ideal, but it was a whole lot better than this. Your mind was flooded with nonsense and twisted thoughts so much so that you nearly missed Aizawa's question. "I don't know." The tone of your voice was quiet, and you felt as though they couldn't even hear you.

There was a chuckle from the skinny man across the table. "Please, at least consider trying to show us your capabilities. If you choose not to, we can't force anything out of you, and we just want to help." His voice is calm, and it seems to put you at ease.

The tension in the air was gone as soon as it had come, allowing you to breathe easy now. "I'm sorry for raising my voice. I didn't mean any disrespect, I guess I just have a lot of pent up emotions." A small laugh escapes you before you look up at the three men. All Might gives you a weak smile. Aizawa and Nedzu exchange glances towards one another for a moment.

"It's alright, we understand. Now, please exit the room, I would like to have a word with these two." Nedzu says with a smile. You give him a nod and stand, ready to follow his instructions.

With a quick glance behind you, you grab the yellow sheet, holding it in front of you as you walk out of the small study. There was a front and back to the paper, asking questions about how your quirk works, how old you were when you discovered it, if you had injured anyone with it; the whole thing just seemed so formal. Of course, all of the questions were answerable, and you kind of wanted to fill it out now just for the hell of it.

"Oh, my God, we were worried about you!" Called Mina, running over to you. She startled you, taking you by surprise. With a quick hand motion, the paper was folded and in the pocket of your sweatpants. "We thought you were getting arrested." She huffed.

You laugh and walk into the common room, putting your hands up with a small smile. "No, nothing like that. The police just come over to check up on me every Saturday. They came earlier this time because the police station is closer to the dorms than it is to my apartment."

There were only a few kids on the couch, Shoji being one of them. Noticing that there was an open spot next to him, you quickly take a seat. The side closest to you consists of a smiling mouth and two resting hands. You give him a smile back, your eyes closing and teeth flashing.

The room was quiet for a moment before Mina spoke to the remainder of the kids. "Well, does anyone want to watch anything? If not, I'm turning on a horror movie." She gives a comically creepy grin. Tokoyami seems to perk up at the sound of her suggestion. A small murmur passes over the group, no one objecting Mina's idea.

Her excitement is apparent as she runs to a small shelf by the television, looking through the movies. She seems as though she hadn't thought about which one to watch. From beside you, Shoji stands and walks over to the shelf. The pink girl looks up at him as he reaches for a higher shelf, pulling off a familiar movie case. "(F/n) and I watched this movie, and it's quite horrifying." He says, handing it to her.

"Thanks!" Her smile is bright, though Shoji doesn't pay much mind to it. He only gives Mina a quick nod before walking back over to his spot on the couch.

Tokoyami stands and switches off all the lights, causing the mood to quickly darken. "I'll get snacks from the kitchen. Does anyone want anything?" Tsu asks the small group, everyone kind of tells her a nonspecific snack. Kirishima leaves with her to lend a hand in getting bowls and popcorn made while Mina sets up the movie.

After a few moments, they come in with four bowls of popcorn. Mina takes one, sitting down in between Tsu and Kirishima on the couch. Kaminari rests against the arm of the couch on the other side of his red-haired friend. On the other side of you sits Tokoyami and Sero, both of them chatting quietly as the opening of The Conjuring plays, Sero holding the popcorn bowl in his arms as if it were a child. On the floor, Izuku and Ochaco seem to be practically crying to each other on the topic of it being a horror movie, not paying any mind to the two bowls that were set on the table in front of them.

You, however, were perfectly content. Not only were you watching this movie with a group of people that meant a lot to you, but there was a rush that kept passing through your heart. As the movie began to play, you nonchalantly rested yourself against the tall boy next to you. His gaze looked down to you for a moment before looking back up at the television screen. Unbeknownst to you, behind his pale blue mask, lay a genuine and loving smile.