You stood deep in thought, and when Bakugous voice came from behind you it caused you to jump slightly.
"Uh, everything ok?"
"Yeah, I'm just thinking. "
"About what?"
You smiled and looked at him, "always so nosey."
"Whatever, are you gonna tell me or not?"
You held out your bag to him and he rolled his eyes, but he took it from you and slung it over his shoulder.
You gave a satisfied smile and then sighed, "apparently I'm interning with the number two hero."
You both began walking toward the elevators. "Interning? I'm pretty sure that happened at the beginning of the year."
"I happen to be a special case."
He pressed the button for the first floor, "why Hawks? The two of you have like... nothing in common. Can you even copy his quirk since it's a physical one?"
You thought about that for a moment. "I've never tried replicating a quirk that adds physical characteristics, but according to Aizawa, we aren't going to be doing anything quirk-related."
"What the hell are you gonna be doing then?"
"He claims that he can somehow make me look good to society."
"You aren't even planning on becoming a hero, I don't get why they're worried about your public appearance."
"Probably because it affects UA's reputation. If people start to like me then it'll make the school look better."
"Right, I forgot that some of the parents were acting all weird after everything that went down."
You scoffed, "honestly I couldn't give less of a shit how they feel about me. But I think working with the number two hero is going to be at least a little useful."
"I guess."
The two of you had breakfast with your normal group, and afterward, all of you walked to class together.
When you took your seat, Bakugou handed you your bag and sat down as well. Most of your other classmates were gathered in the front of the room, where you spotted Midoriya and Aoyama... dancing?
It was hard to tell what was going on, but it was obvious that the two of them were making fools out of themselves.
Suddenly a yelp came from Kaminari, when you looked over to where he stood Jirou had one of her headphone jacks pointed at his face, her cheeks were flushed.
You chuckled and saw Bakugou roll his eyes, an amused look on his face.
When everyone had settled down and taken their seats, Aizawa walked in and stood at the front of the room.
"For those of you who don't know, the school festival is approaching."
Sero jumped up, "are we finally getting to do normal school stuff?"
Kirishima stood as well, "wait, Mr. Aizawa, are you sure this is ok?"
"Hush, Kirishima don't you ruin this!" Kaminari said.
"Think about it, though. Because of All Might's retirement, there are villains everywhere right now!"
Aizawa sighed and zipped up his sleeping bag. "You're right. That's a reasonable point. However, there are students here beside you guys. You get the spotlight every year at the sports festival, this event is for everyone else, such as the support course and general studies."
He looked around the room, his eyes landing on you for a moment. "After recent events, many of your peers are feeling uncomfortable or even scared. None of them are a part of the hero course and yet they have still faced the repercussions of the events that have occurred within it."
I mean, I get what he's saying, but the other courses haven't had to deal with nearly as much shit as we have.
Kirishima sat down. "When you put it like that, guess it'd be unfair to skip it this year."
"Correct, so the festival is still going to go on. There will be some changes though, it will only be open to students and staff, along with a couple of exceptions. Your class may not be the stars this time, but you need to participate. So today you guys will decide what original performance your class will do." After he finished speaking, he laid down on the ground and shut his eyes.
The class stared at him until Iida stood from his chair and ran to the front of the room. "Alright! As class rep, it is my job to take control of the process from here! First, we will all put our minds together, and attempt to come up with ideas! Please raise your hand if you come up with something!"
Nearly everyone in your class raised their hands.
"Kaminari, what do you have in mind?" Iida asked.
"A maid cafe!" Kaminari shouted."I mean just imagine it!" He looked around the room, his eyes falling on each of the girls present. When he looked over to you, both you and Bakugou shot him a warning look and he quickly looked back to the front.
"A maid cafe? Well, it is-"
Mineta interrupted Iidas' words. "It's too tame! I say we do a topless-"
You used the air to knock his chair out from under him, when he landed on the ground you sent the contents of his desk spilling on top of him.
The other students began throwing out ideas.
"A mochi shop!"
"An arm wrestling match."
"A bakery!"
"A soba stall."
Bakugou spoke from beside you, "a fight to the death."
You looked over, "as much fun as that sounds I think it's a little much for a school festival."
"Whatever, it just wouldn't work because you and I would beat everyone."
You laughed, "that's true."
After everyone's ideas were written on the board, voices shouted from all around the room. Everyone was attempting to combine different ideas or convince the others that theirs was the best.
In the midst of the noise, you heard the bell ring. Aizawa stood and yawned, "well that was a very unproductive meeting."
He walked to the door. "Come up with something by tomorrow, if you can't agree on anything then we're going with my idea. An educational lecture."
The class let out a collective gasp of horror.
"Exactly, so make sure you have something for me in the morning."
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At the end of the day, you quickly went back to your dorm to change into a training outfit. You weren't meeting with Hawks for another couple of hours or so, and you wanted to head down to the fields.
When you got there, the sun was shining brightly and you could vaguely make out a figure in the distance.
As you got closer you saw Shinsou, he seemed to be focusing intently on whatever he was doing.
You walked up to his side. "Are you punching the air?"
He turned, "I'm working on my stance. And since there aren't any punching bags around I don't have many options."
"Gotcha."
"Are you interested in doing strength training today? A new course was built last week and I was planning on trying it out."
"As long as it isn't running again, I'm down."
He chuckled, "it isn't running don't worry. You don't need to worry about embarrassing yourself again."
"Oh, you are so asking for me to kick your ass right now."
"Resorting to violence immediately? Let's see if you keep that energy on the course."
"Fine, let's go then."
The training course was located near the edge of the field. It seemed designed for people who wanted to train without the usage of their quirk.
There were multiple climbing walls, rope climbing areas, pull-up bars of various heights, and a wide range of other equipment.
"Jesus it looks like we're in the army or something."
He looked around, "for the first go-through let's go at our own pace. We can time it and stuff afterward."
You placed your hands on your hips, "alright."
You attempted to pace yourself at first, simply trying to warm up and get used to the movements. The course started with slanted platforms that you had to jump between, on the last one you nearly slipped and face planted onto the ground.
"I saw that," Shinsou called from ahead.
You glared and continued moving forward. You had to jump over bars, use ropes to swing over puddles of water, and attempt to scale a fifteen feet wall.
Although it was difficult, you felt better than you had in days. Doing this with Shinsou brought back memories from when you and your brother would create makeshift obstacle courses in your backyard and race each other to the finish.
As you made it to the end, you had finally caught up to Shinsou. Sweat dripped down both of your faces and you could tell he was trying to act as if he wasn't winded.
"That was a lot more difficult than I expected," you stated.
He nodded, "it really doesn't look like it would be very hard. But that is definitely a workout."
You looked back to the start of the course and sighed. "Wanna go again?"
"Definitely."
-------------------------------------
After completing the training course twice more, your legs felt ready to give out and your arm had begun to ache.
The sun dipped low on the horizon, causing the sky to be painted with different colors. You had been out here for at least two or three hours, which meant you needed to go and prepare for your meeting with Hawks.
"I'm gonna head back to the dorms, are you staying here?" You asked Shinsou.
"I'll walk with you, I think I've had a decent workout for today."
The two of you began walking across the field toward the dorm buildings. You wondered if Bakugous license training had finished yet, when you had told him that Aizawa had given you your provisional license he had been happy of course. But he had also been pissed that the exam coordinators had graded you unfairly in the first place.
You had definitely agreed with his feelings on that one.
After last night you had found yourself thinking more about him throughout the day. In the few days since you had been back, he had been there for you in more ways than one, and you hadn't stopped to think about how the situation might have affected him as well.
The fact that he blamed himself, hurt you. This whole time you had thought that you were the one carrying the burden of everything on your shoulders, but it turned out that the two of you shared the weight.
That moment of vulnerability he had shown to you had increased the level of respect that you felt toward him. He had shown that the two of you were even more similar than you had believed. Both of you put out a strong exterior and coped with things using pride and violence, but underneath it all there was a chasm filled with guilt and the constant fear that one day you would no longer be good enough.
You were pulled from your thoughts by the sound of Shinsou's voice. "So, how have things been since your return?"
Looking over you sighed, "it's been ok. I think everyone's trying to act like it never happened."
"And you're ok with that?"
"Yeah, I prefer it to everyone trying to coddle me."
"Understandable."
The two of you walked in silence for a few moments.
"How are things going for you? Are you on track to join the hero course?"
He looked away from you, "yeah. Mr. Aizawa has been a really big help, I'm hoping to make the transfer soon."
"That's really cool, as long as you don't fail during the training exercises they'll make you do then you should be fine."
"Gee, thanks."
"What made you want to join the hero course?"
He sighed, "people have always looked down on me because of my quirk. I've had multiple heroes tell me that I was better off pursuing a normal career." He looked back at you. "I've always wanted to live in a world where people don't get judged for something they had no control over."
"Trust me I completely understand that. So your goal is to become a hero and change society's perspectives?"
"Something like that."
You made it to your dorm building, where Aizawa was standing outside with Principal Nezu.
"Oh, lovely." You muttered.
The principal addressed the two of you, "ah it's nice to see kids from separate courses forming friendships. Were the two of you utilizing the training course?"
You stepped forward, "yeah. We had to stop because of my arm though, probably should have listened to the doctor when she told me to lay off for at least a week. It sucks too because I could be training at my full potential right now if it weren't for the fact that being tossed around by the police made my injuries nearly unhealable."
You didn't care how petty you were being, you remembered quite clearly how the mouse had been the primary one responsible for your arrest. And you weren't going to be letting it go anytime soon.
Nezu looked down, "yes that is not the ideal situation and again I take full responsibility for the role I played."
Aizawa stepped forward, "Shinsou we will meet after class tomorrow. We have an important meeting to attend currently and it's getting late, you should head back to your dorm."
"Of course." He looked to you, "I'll see you."
"Be prepared for me to beat you in that training course again."
"We weren't even competing."
You shrugged, "still beat you though."
He rolled his eyes and began walking away, you turned back to the teachers.
"Did you need something? Or did you come here just to give another half-assed apology?" You asked Nezu.
Aizawa gave you a look, "Y/N.."
"No no, it's quite alright Eraserhead." Nezu held out his arm, "she has every right to act this way after what happened." He looked up at you, "I simply wanted to congratulate you on your internship, I do hope that it goes well."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Aizawa rubbed his hand over his face, "because you're just meeting with Hawks tonight you don't need to wear your hero costume. The two of you are just going to come up with a schedule and he'll explain what his plans are."
"Ok, I'm gonna run up and change quickly then I'll be ready."
He nodded and you walked into the building, when you got to your floor you quickly changed into a more presentable outfit.
You stopped in front of Bakugou's dorm but it looked as if all the lights were off, meaning his class was probably running late.
When you got back outside the car was waiting, at this point, the sun had almost completely disappeared below the horizon and as you walked to the car your nerves began to grow.
As Aizawa drove, you spent your time staring out of the window. The city at night was something you'd never be tired of seeing.
After a little while, the car pulled up in front of a building. Aizawa turned to you, "I'll be out here waiting. If you need me for anything just come grab me."
"Ok, I'll see you in a few." You stepped out of the car "thank you for bringing me by the way."
"It's no problem, I think this will be a good experience for you."
You nodded and walked toward the front of the building, it had to be at least fifteen stories. There was a row of windows on each floor, and not many lights seemed to be on.
The front door opened and a woman stepped outside, she was tall and wore a blue dress that reached her knees. "Ah! You must be Hawks' final meeting for today, come on in hon."
You walked inside and the woman followed behind you. Looking around you saw the floors were polished and the decorations in the room were all quite formal. The air was cool and the scent of coffee lingered, toward the back was a set of elevators.
"I'll call him down now, would you like to take a seat while you wait?"
"Uh, sure." You sat in one of the chairs placed against the wall, subconsciously moving your hands around in your lap.
You hated the feeling of not knowing what to expect, and a million different ideas were running through your mind.
Finally, after a minute or so, a ding came from one of the elevators and the hero stepped out.
He had sandy blonde hair and wore brown pants with a jacket of the same color. Red wings protruded from his back.
He began walking to you and you stood from the chair.
"Good to meet you again Y/N, glad you decided to come." He turned to the woman who had shown you inside, "you can head out for the night. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
She nodded and walked outside, it wasn't until the door shut completely that Hawks spoke again. "Let's head upstairs, I prefer to discuss things in my office."
"You do realize how shady that sounds right?"
He laughed, "I'm quite sure you could take me down in a matter of seconds if I tried anything shady. I just want to avoid the risk of someone potentially walking inside and overhearing our conversation."
"Yeah, ok."
You both walked to the elevator and stepped inside, he pressed the button for the top floor and looked over at you. "I introduced myself the other night, but considering that you were half-dead I should probably refresh your memory."
He held out a gloved hand, "I'm Hawks."
You tentatively shook it, "yeah I knew that much."
The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened to reveal a large room. It seemed his office took up the entire top floor.
There was a small living area in the corner that consisted of a black couch and a coffee table, there was a large desk stacked with papers and supplies, and to your side was an area equipped with different workout materials.
"I know it's a lot, I kind of live here most of the time." He walked to the living area and grabbed something out of a bowl on the table, "mint?"
You shook your head, "listen I appreciate all the niceties but you said you had a proposition for me?"
"Straight down to business then? Alright, I like it, please take a seat." He gestured to the couch.
After you sat down he moved to where he stood across from you.
"Before telling you what I have in mind, I need to be sure that I can trust you."
"And are you assuming that I trust you? Just because you're the number two hero doesn't mean I think you're all high and mighty, I'm not just going to tell you personal things to get you to trust me."
He smirked, "well that was the first thing I needed. You aren't on very good terms with the heroes are you?"
You didn't respond and he shrugged. "I wouldn't be either, I mean after everything they put you through."
You felt your frustration begin to rise. "What are you getting at?"
He held up his hands, "ok ok. You want revenge on the villains right? After what they did to your family, after what they did to you, I'm betting you'd be happy to see them behind bars?" He leaned over, "or maybe you'd even like to see them dead?"
"Get to the point."
He stood up straight once again, "the hero commission has given a mission to a small group of pros. We've been attempting to locate the hideout of the League of Villains, but have been unsuccessful. This mission has been kept secret from all UA staff due to rumors of a traitor in their midst, can't have the villains knowing we're on their tail."
You leaned back into the couch cushion. "You want me to assist the pro-heroes in finding the Leagues base?"
"Yes and no. In all honesty, none of the heroes know what I'm meeting with you for, everyone is under the impression that It's a simple impromptu internship offer."
He walked to the window, his back turned to you. "You have potential, kid. And I want you to embrace it in a way that the heroes would never allow. So although I do want your assistance in tracking down the villains base, I want you to unlock that potential, and use it in your own way."
"So what exactly is your proposition?"
"Work with me. During the day we'll do as I said we would and work on your public appearance. At night, under the guise of being 'on patrol' with me, you'll be left to your own devices and working to find the League's base."
He faced you once again, "I'm offering you free reign of the city. All I ask in return is information on the villains, and that if you do anything illegal to make sure it doesn't reflect back to me or this agency."
You raised an eyebrow, "illegal?"
He gave a knowing look, "I believe I have a pretty good idea of your views on society. I'm just saying that if you're patrolling one night and happen to run into an asshole who's getting too touchy with someone, make sure when you kick his ass that it isn't caught on camera."
You pondered for a moment, this deal almost felt too good to be true. You were being given an opportunity to hunt the League, while also being able to use your power to start pushing society into a better place.
Hawks stepped forward. "I know this deal requires a lot of trust, but think about it. Think about the differences you could make, I'm on your side here."
He held out his hand, "are you in?"
You looked him in the eye and took his hand. "I'm in."
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Hawks' POV:
About an hour after you had left, he was sitting at his desk with his feet propped up.
The sound of his phone going off nearly caused him to jump, he picked it up and a familiar voice came from the other end.
"So, did she agree?"
He took his feet off the desk and grabbed the glass that sat to his side. "She agreed alright."
Taking a sip of his drink he smiled softly.
"Everything is going according to plan."
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Guys, Y/N is about to get so badass in these upcoming chapters I'm so excited. But also scared because currently, I have three plot-points that happen in this arc that hurt to think about.
Also, this story is now over 110k words, so if you've read this far, congrats! You have officially read the equivalent to an average young adult novel.
Anyway, I'm hella tired so goodnight, sleep well ily all <3