Stockards Cat (Aizawa x Reader)

First Encounter

It was never supposed to be like this. I was not going to be a teacher, especially not at UA. But here I stand once again, in front of the towering gates to the school. I am wondering if I should have worn a more casual shade of lipstick or if I my clothes will make me completely stand out in the monotone hallways.

As I step through the gates, a part of me expects them to suddenly shut and crush me against the ground. What a way to go out. Death by the gates of hell.

Strangely enough, the air within the tall walls surrounding the school seems completely different from the atmosphere outside. Maybe it's the perfectly raked gravel leading up to the stairs that makes it feel different. Maybe it's the fact that I will never be superior to the young ones who attend the school.

U.A. High School. The academy for aspiring heroes.

It all started when a regular at my "tea store" befriended me. Present Mic, or Yamada Hizashi would come to my place every now and then to get his mother some tea. He would always stay and chat, and I didn't mind. Not many people bought my stuff, after all. In fact, Hizashi might be the only one except for my neighbor who buys my products. I don't make them to sell them, yet he somehow managed to talk me into selling him tea. And now, after seven months of knowing the man, he has talked me into getting a job at UA. A job I absolutely did not need, and definitely wasn't keen on applying for.

But Yamada just has a way with his words and his voice. And here I am, sitting on the windowsill to a classroom with 1-A written in a big font over the door. The students slowly trickle in through their door, occasionally casting glances to me. They quickly shrug it off and talk with their classmates in wait for the bell to ring and class to start.

I know only a little about the job. I am to mentor this class with another person, and although I took my time to carefully memorize the schedule, I have no idea what the class usually does in homeroom on early Monday mornings.

Eventually, the class settles quietly, the bell rings, and teacher number two is nowhere to be seen. I hop off the windowsill and hurry to close the door and start class. I glance out of the classroom to make sure no one else is coming in. I quickly think through what to say once again as I peek out of the door before closing it.

On the floor lies a yellow sleeping bag. And it's not empty either. Through the opening, two eyes are peering into mine. I stare back at them for a moment until I've decided that I have better things to do.

I clear my throat. "You don't need help getting up, do you?"

The zipper shoots down. Without letting go of the eye contact, a man slowly steps out of the bag, slowly rolls it up and puts it under his arm. He languidly makes his way past me, still glancing over his shoulder as I close the door behind us.

I feel him staring at me still as I look out over the classroom over expectant and silent students.

"You can call me Lilith. From now on, I too will be a mentor in this class."

The room is quiet for a moment before the quiet whispering starts. From a corner I hear someone whispering something along the lines of "God, she sounds exactly like Aizawa".

After that, it all goes silent again. I take a deep breath and realize that I too am very stiff. So I let my breath out and smile towards the class. "It's nice meeting you all."

The tension disappears almost immediately. Half the students smile back, some start nudging each other in the side. A pink girl smiles widely and waves, and the murmuring gets a little bit louder, until the sleeping bag man opens his mouth.

"You will all treat Miss Lilith with respect," he says. "The one who doesn't, will be expelled."

I keep my smile plastered on my lips, thinking that maybe I should speak to this man about the threats of expelling.

"Gather in your groups" says the man. "You have two more lessons to finish your projects. If you can't finish them in class, you do it at home."

The class starts stirring around and shifting seats, and the man turns to me, stretches out a hand. The wrong one, at that. He has his sleeping bag rolled up under his right arm. I lick my teeth behind sealed lips and go along with it, grabbing his hand firmly with mine.

"Aizawa" he says promptly. "First name, Shota."

"Cool" I say, and let go of his hand. I turn my attention to the class. A blonde boy is swatting his tail at a smaller student with shiny balls on his head. I wonder if I should do something about it. In the corner of my eye, I see Aizawa, he keeps staring at me.

Finally he speaks up. "And you?"

It takes me a split second to figure out that he is asking for my name.

"Lilith," I tell him. "Just Lilith."