Izuku Midoriya
Today was a rather dull day at school. It felt like time had decided to go on a break today and make it last as long as possible. The air was heavy and my brain felt like it was dissolving into mush.
I had finished my General Studies work earlier and now I'm in Mr. Aizawa's office grading papers. I wish it was a bit more interesting around here but with how the last few months have been, I'm also grateful for boring days like today. It takes almost dying multiple times to appreciate the subtle joy of stamping papers, huh?
I heard the door slide open and looked up to find one of my best friends standing there looking like a deer in headlights, "Hey Shinsou! What brings you to Mr. Aizawa's office?" He looked around the room as I spoke, searching for something or somebody.
Shinsou stepped inside and closed the door behind him as he spoke, "Well I was looking for Eraserhead." He seemed disappointed at finding only me here, "But I can wait for him. What are you doing? TA work?"
I nodded and held up my stamp, "I'm grading assignments. This stamp is for people who understood Mr. Aizawa's lecture yesterday. The ones who didn't get the point don't get a stamp." It seems Mr. Aizawa wants to hammer into everybody that becoming a hero is a huge responsibility and not a fun hobby. He seemed to put extra emphasis on the fact that when a hero messes up people can get hurt, "So what did you need Mr. Aizawa for? As his TA I might be able to help."
"I doubt it," Shinsou replied. His tone seemed both sarcastic and bitter as if Mr. Aizawa was more of an errand he was running than a pro hero. Shinsou looked above my head and a rare little smile appeared, "He left Sushi here?"
I followed Shinsou's line of sight and saw the tabby cat he mentioned on top of the bookshelf, "Guess so." I didn't know her name was Sushi but it's not surprising Shinsou knows the name of a cat. I looked back to Shinsou only to see he was making his way to the bookshelf.
I returned to grading papers but I could hear Shinsou cooing at Sushi behind me. I know Shinsou is a huge cat phenetic but I rarely get to see or I guess hear him being soft with a feline, "Hey if you finish early we could go on an adventure with Sushi." Shinsou said and from the sound, I could tell he was on the floor, presumably with the furry creature.
I didn't look up from my papers as I answered him, "That sounds fun and all but I doubt Mr. Aizawa would appreciate us catnapping his pet." I heard Shinsou scoff and say something to himself before the door opened again.
"Midoriya, Hitoshi, what a pair to find in my office." Mr. Aizawa closed the door as he walked in and I expected him to tell Shinsou to put the cat down but he didn't, "Are you almost finished with those essays, Midoriya?"
I looked down at the paper in my hand, Hanta Sero's, and counted the rest to give him a number, "Only two left to read." I told him. Mr. Aizawa then looked at Shinsou and I went back to reading. I'm almost certain that those two have something going on between them but I don't want to make my suspicions obvious in case it offends Mr. Aizawa. Doing anything to upset Mr. Aizawa would jeopardize my position as his TA. I instead focused on the feeling of my back burning from leaning over this desk all day. It wasn't too much pain but just enough for it to bother me.
I guess Mr. Aizawa made a motion or sign to Shinsou because the two of them left the room without exchanging words. I also noticed that Shinsou took Sushi with him, I would never dare do that. I imagine Mr. Aizawa doesn't let a lot of people hold his pets so Shinsou is brave. I finished reading the last two essays I had and stamped both of them.
Mr. Aizawa liked assignments organized alphabetically so I began doing that, careful not to give myself a papercut. Once I got a papercut doing this and it bled all over one of the papers! I had to apologize to Mr. Aizawa like my family's life was on the line. Luckily, it was Ururaka's paper so she was very understanding but I hear she threw the paper away because it was gross, not that I blame her. Bodily fluids are so gross.
When the two of them returned I gave Mr. Aizawa my best smile to show him I am not a nosy boy and definitely do not care about whatever happened in the hallway. I picked up the pile I had made and handed him the assignments, "I finished! Is that all you will be needing today, Mr. Aizawa?" I really wanted to talk to Shinsou.
"Yes, yes, thank you Midoriya." Mr. Aizawa took the stack from me and I looked at Shinsou who just subtly nodded his head toward the door. I picked up my school bag and adjusted my choker before skittering out.
Shinsou was right behind me and made sure to close the door securely. We walked a little way down the hallway before I ever so slightly turned my head to him, "Sooooo..." I saw Shinsou's lips twitch as he tried not to smile, "What exactly was that all about? Secrets don't make friends you know."
"Neither does prying," Shinsou countered, "I just had some paperwork I needed Eraserhead to sign." I've noticed recently that Shinsou always refers to teachers as their hero names which isn't odd but I don't think other students do that unless the teacher introduces themselves with only their hero name.
I took Shinsou's advice and didn't pry but a few more steps in and I heard a deep, sort of gritty, meow. I stopped and stared as Sushi's head popped itself out of Shinsou's school jacket, "You did not." It felt as though my stomach had dropped all the way to my feet, we just stole a teacher's cat. Not just any teacher, the teacher I TA for!
"I said we were going to have an adventure with Sushi," Shinsou said innocently as Sushi looked at me with icy blue eyes, "How could I promise Sushi that we'd show her a fun time and then abandon her in that deadbeat's office?" He batted his eyelashes and I almost didn't catch the word he used.
As the child of a single mother, I started to feel a lightbulb go off in my head, "A...A deadbeat you said?" Shinsou huffed and then continued walking with Sushi, "Hey wait!" I had to jog to get to his side but he didn't slow down so I ended up half jogging to keep pace with him.
"You know Green Bean..." Shinsou began as we headed towards the school's entrance, "Sometimes you should just ignore things. Not everybody wants to spill their life story." His tone had turned bitter and it felt like he was trying hard not to get angry.
"Oh..." It seems like everybody around me has bad parents except maybe Kacchan. Is it like a sickness going around making everybody's parents forget how to act? I can tell that Shinsou is angry at Mr. Aizawa but it isn't my right to expect him to tell me, "U-Um so Petsmart is open right?" Maybe reminding him of Sushi's adventure will cheer him up.
The bitterness slowly left Shinsou's face, "It sure is." He patted Sushi's head and she meowed again, "This old lady probably needs a new plush bed and treats." His pace finally slowed and I was able to return to walking.
I took my phone out of my pocket and told Kacchan I was spending the day with Shinsou and not to wait up for me to go home, "So how old is Sushi? You said she was an old lady so how old is that?"
"Sushi is older than us by about a year or two," Shinsou replied. He looked ahead blankly as he continued, "Eraserhead acquired her in high school and I also came about sometime around then. So she's about 17 or 18. I'm not sure, I never got the details." He shrugged casually and looked over at me, "I just know she used to belong to an old friend of his who couldn't take care of her for some reason and that Midnight took her in after that until Eraserhead was able to provide for her." Shinsou looked down at Sushi and she put her nose to his, "I'm not sure why his friend gave her up. I'd rather die than let somebody else have my pet even if they were a good friend."
It's hard not to react to some of the things Shinsou is saying. He got upset earlier when I brought up how he called Mr. Aizawa a deadbeat and now he's talking about how this cat used to be Ms. Midnight's so casually. This cat is like...a hero relic! Passed from pro to pro. I can't believe Shinsou is attached to all of this and never said anything. I wonder who this old friend is though, in all my research of Mr. Aizawa and Ms. Midnight I've never heard of an old friend. I'm sure if this friend was Present Mic he would have said so. It felt like steam was filling my head as I tried to remember every single hero Mr. Aizawa was friends with or even rumored to be friends with. How do I not know something about a pro hero?
Shinsou seemed to be content petting Sushi and I decided I could continue researching for this old friend another time. I let it go for now so I wouldn't be spending my time with Shinsou in deep thought about something that occurred over a decade ago. By letting it go I mean I filed away this new fact to be added to my notebook at a more appropriate time.
We let a few minutes of silence overtake us before Shinsou coughed, "Sorry about earlier. It's selfish of me to dump something like this onto you and then get angry when you ask questions. I have...so many weird emotions in me that I've never dealt with before." His eyebrows came together and wrinkles appeared on his forehead. He opened his mouth a few times as if he was trying to find the words to say but none ever came.
"It's okay," Humans are so complex. Emotions can be tricky and having a friend who understands can be the most valuable thing, "If you want to just talk through everything I can just be here and listen. Do you want advice or should I just let you talk?" When Kacchan has issues sometimes he needs a response or he just needs somebody there and it's important to know which.
Shinsou put a hand on my head and suddenly pulled me into his chest, "You know it's hard being vulnerable. The way you can do it at the drop of a hat makes me worry." Shinsou smelled a little bit like lavender, it was comforting. Sushi and I were making intense eye contact though, "You should be careful. One day somebody is going to take advantage of it." He let go of my head and I stumbled back, "Anyway I don't care what you do as long as you let me finish talking first."
Shinsou's scent and the way his hands felt in my hair lingered for a moment. I felt almost disappointed that it had been so brief. What was I thinking, cut it out Izuku! I heard Shinsou clear his throat and perked up, "It's not really Eraserhead's fault, I think he's just the easiest person to blame. My mom was super young when she had me, she never said how old but she was still in high school. She never told me my dad's name either, not what he did for a living, his quirk, what he looked like, nothing. She only commented that I looked like him."
I studied Shinsou's face and sure enough, I could find features of Mr. Aizawa on him that I didn't notice until just now, "Anyway...she died during a villain attack when I was in middle school. I was put into the system for two years-er-the foster care system. None of my relatives wanted me, my quirk is too evil they say."
I recalled how when we first met Shinsou thought I wouldn't want to be his friend after he explained his quirk, "Then when I entered UA this year I met Eraserhead. Not that first day but within the first week. See, that rat Principal called me to the office and suddenly I'm informed that this guy is my father. He knew I existed but he had been cut off and when he saw my last name on the student registry he got suspicious. I guess I owe him that...he wanted me when my relatives didn't and he got me out of the system. I just, well, the real person to blame would be my mother and I can't do that. I want her to be perfect in my mind, my perfect mother who died too soon."
I wrapped my arms around Shinsou's, I could tell he wanted to cry but he wasn't the type who cried in front of others. He didn't need me to say anything and I knew it, "I think you've figured out what you need so don't rush it. Mr. Aizawa is a patient person." Before Shinsou could reply I pointed at the store we had arrived at, "And look! We've made it to Petsmart."
"So it seems," Shinsou mumbled.