·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•٠·˙ ˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•٠·˙
Eli entered the gymnasium early the next morning. Kota was drowsy in her arms and she was also tired but tried not to show it. She'd have a full day ahead of her.
About 20 or so students had been expected today, a mixture of Class 1A and 1B. Here she and Power Loader would assess their current hero costumes, for what felt like the hundredth time, and dictate the next few hours to consultations and plans for their costumes for the following semester.
Because this was pretty last minute, they'd still have to use them for their current costumes for the time being, but since the Provisional License Exam was a bit ways away, they had until then to complete every single costume alongside the dorms that were under construction as they spoke.
She would meet up with Cementos after this was done, to check on the dorms. She, Cementos, Vlad King, Shouta, Keigo, and Charm (Tamaki) would have to be at this meeting. She was going to introduce the device she had for her own home that created an invisible dome around it. That and discuss the idea of devices for staff and faculty to track who was in their school at all times.
Sure their ID cards had to be scanned to get in, but that didn't stop Shigaraki from dusting the gate itself. That was another issue, and finally, she had a meeting with Nezu before she and the rest piled into the car to go home.
She wanted to think about what it was that Nezu would have to say to her, but she had to focus on the task at hand.
"Higari-kun," Eli called with a small smile.
She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and waved at him from across the gym.
"Hey, Eli," he replied.
She could see the smile under his mask before he turned to look at Kota.
"Hey little guy," he said, earning a small smile from the sleepy boy. He'd met the boy a handful of times. When Eli dropped by the studio to do her rounds in her department, she suddenly had a small child with her.
This of course caught Higari's eye and he immediately went to his former pupil and asked who the "little guy" was. He remembers him saying, "Who you calling little?". The response still made Higari laugh when he thought about it, but here he was, more than docile and still in the same arms that presented him before.
"Hi," he said rubbing his eye. Eli chuckled and rubbed his back before turning to Power Loader once more.
"He fell asleep in the car," she said with a small shrug.
She took off her bag and began to make small talk with Power Loader. They discussed work and how busy they'd been lately and how busy they'd be after their consultation. Most of the hero costumes would go to Higari, where he'd adjust and add fabric as needed. Eli would design them since she was better at that portion and he'd construct them. Eli would handle the gadgetry as needed and any holders required for them, but after a couple of emails, they'd decided it is best to do the consultations together to avoid any misunderstandings.
They could afford so usually, but with such a big job they wanted to keep mistakes to a minimum.
Eli unfolded a blanket from the bag and placed it on the ground tipping the bag to the side, the bottom just barely touching the ground.
It had a couple of snacks and toys for Kota, who now sat on the blanket, his sleepy demeanor depleting as he reached his hand in the bag.
"So, where are the other 'little ones'?" Power Loader asked making her chuckle as they took a seat on some benches just a couple of feet from where Kota sat.
"Ah they are at home, they'll be with tomorrow's group. Touya's watching them," she said.
"Watching? E, aren't they like all 16 and up? Do they need a babysitter?" he asked with a joking tone in his voice.
"Of course they do? If I'm not careful, I could come home to a pile of ash and rubble," she said nudging his side with her elbow, making him laugh once more before he nodded in subtle understanding.
"Plus, Shouta is stopping by with All Might. They don't know about the dorms yet, but I think it's best I let Sho just do his job instead of me letting them know. We'll have to move regardless even if they don't want to live in the dorms," she shrugged.
"You're moving?" he said in surprise.
"Thinking about it. There are way too many people who know where I live now," she said idly.
"Even if they move in the dorms?" he asked and she immediately nodded as she cocked her head to the side. She crossed her legs and arms, her fingers fiddling with the strap on her shoulder from her hero suit.
"Oh yeah, I love those kids and I love my students, but I am not staying in a dorm with over 20 kids 24/7," she said with a shake of her head. Higari breathed out a laugh before nodding in understanding.
He didn't think any of the faculty planned to stay on 24/7, but of course, if they were going to leave, it was decided they had to check who would be in their dorms when they did leave. The students couldn't be left unattended for safety reasons.
"Yeah, theoretically it is a really good idea, but given this batch of students, I'm sure we're in over our heads," he spoke up. A smile played on his lips as he shook his head. Eli giggled and nodded in agreement.
Maybe they were, but they could already hear the chatter of students outside.
Higari sighed and sat up with a stretch, adjusting his hero helmet and Eli was right beside him.
"Mama, you're tea!" Kota called, holding up a skinny metal cup, in his hand.
She watched as he scrambled up, unknowingly ruffling the blanket below him, and ran as fast as his little legs could, holding the cup with two hands.
Eli was smiling lovingly before the boy tripped on a pebble and went face-first into the dirt.
"Ooh, Kota?!" she exclaimed, rushing over to help him up.
Her first instinct had been to laugh, but she also distinctly remembers that it wasn't until Kat, Izu, and Hito were about 7 or 8 that they could fall and get up laughing instead of crying.
"You alright honey?" she asked as she lifted him.
The boy's forehead was a bit red and he had some dirt on his face and clothes. Tears sprung to his eyes but he had an intense bite on his lip of his own doing.
"I-I'm not gonna cry," Kota said as his hands clenched into fists. Eli saw the little bit of blood leaking from his knee and she instantly sighed before caressing his face softly.
"It's okay to cry, go on," she said as she picked him up and cradled him against her. She also paid mind to pick up her tea that was enclosed, so she didn't have to worry about spilling, especially after leaving it in a bag full of Kota's toys.
She sighed as she thought of how hard and bumpy her suit must've been, but she saw the way his lip quivered and little tears fell.
"Oh, honey," she cooed.
Eijiro and Mina stepped into the gym first to find Eli-sensei pouring a bottle of water over Kota's knee. She pulled some hydrogen peroxide wipes out of her bag and had a bandaid over it in no time.
She kissed his knee before looking at him with a kind smile. By now his tears had dried somewhat, leaving small stains on his cheeks, and he now looked at her with inflated and blushy cheeks.
"Sorry for dropping your tea mama," he said softly.
She chuckles before shaking her head, a smile playing on her lips.
"It's okay baby, you being okay is more important alright?" she told him, leaning back with a confident smile before putting her hand out for him to take.
"Now, are you strong enough to stand?" she asked.
He gave a sheepish smile and took her hands to stand up. He stumbled a bit but held onto her tightly before giving them a bright smile.
Eli smiled and wiped his cheek with a regular wipe to rid his face of the dirt before she rubbed it with a little lotion so he wouldn't dry out with it being so cold out.
"Are you alright now honey?" she asked him carefully, looking at him with nothing but concern in her eyes, but she was conflicted given that she was literally at work.
"Mhm, thank you, Mama," he said quietly, a small grin on his face as he stared up at her.
"Now, you have two options. You can stay here. I'll give you my phone if you want to watch anything, but you have some toys in there, and some snacks, but you can always tell me if you're hungry. Or, you can be my little assistant again today?" she asked.
Anything to avoid him fucking falling again.
"What are you doing today?" he asked.
"Yeah sensei, what are we doing today?" Mina asked, popping up beside her.
"Sh-" Eli's hand flew to cover her mouth before she clutched her chest.
"Please don't do that Mina, Gods," she muttered the last word.
"We will be upgrading your hero costumes, Sho- Aizawa-sensei should've sent out a class-wide message about next semester. There have been some changes in the curriculum," she explained.
She wasn't sure if she was allowed to disclose their plans herself, so she'd leave it to them, but even if they didn't, there would be another briefing once school began to let them know.
"Really? Oh man, I thought I could add a cool belt with like lightning bolts, and I could throw them like ninja stars--" Denki began to ramble, having walked in with Ojiro.
Eli quickly tuned them out before turning back to Kota, who was looking up at the young heroes with unsure eyes but she noticed the tiny blush on his cheeks.
Eli had no desire to force Kota to like heroes. He'd grown to tolerate their presence having lived with a mostly hero family, and frequenting UA with said family.
Honestly, Kota still was unsure of heroes, but he'd grown to appreciate them.
It was because of Keigo that Eri could be his friend.
It was because of Ocha that his Aunt was safe from those bad people.
And it was because of his Mom that his Uncles were safe again.
He thought that, maybe, that could mean that maybe... there was someone else out there safe because of his parents.
"How bout it sweetheart?" she asked once more.
"Yeah, I wanna help," he told her, his hands clutching the ends of his shirt with a semi-excited glow to him.
She gave a close-eyed smile and began to brush off the dirt from his clothes before straightening out his jacket. She stood up straighter, smiling as she leaned down and pat his back.
"Alright then, stay by me, and if you want to speak up just pat my leg huh?" she said.
He nodded in response. Eli pat his head once more and turned to her students, seeing a couple of students she wasn't familiar with. Tenya and Ochaco had shown up, along with Mezo and Koda.
There was a girl with green vines for hair, who Eli believed to be Shiozaki Ibara, and beside her was a shorter blonde girl with horns. She was pretty sure her name was Pony, but she couldn't recall her surname, so she'd keep quiet until the introductions.
A blonde boy was being dragged in from the scruff of his shirt by a taller girl with orange hair. Neito Monoma and Itsuka Kendo. Eli remembered their names because she couldn't help but remember the time Katsuki was egging on Kirishima about Monoma.
She had to give the boy an ice pop just to get him to calm down and sit down somewhere so that he didn't hurt himself in their backyard.
Apparently, Monoma-kun was a pretty big instigator and a little bit of a bully. Though, when they talked about the boy, there seemed to be anything but annoyance on their faces. She made sure a while ago that her students were aware that reports can be anonymous if someone is bullying them, but they quickly shook their heads and waved their hands.
It was then that Eli realized that it was just petty classroom rivalry.
Eli greeted the students entering, Kota sticking close to her with an uncharacteristically shy hunch of his shoulders.
Keigo swooped in with a hilariously over it-looking Fumikage. He'd offered to pick the boy up, just for the sake of knowing he was alright and safe. Eli had already talked to him about not making your favorites too obvious, but Eli couldn't help but smile at him.
Regardless of her teaching duties, on a personal level, Eli was happy to see the man so happy with what he was doing. She was never too sure about the whole TA thing for him, mostly because it was just something she'd come up with on the spot. She'd figured that along the way he would decide to do something else, which would be fine.
But no, he was excited to be here today. She didn't have to make breakfast because he watched a quick video on how to make croissants so when she came down this morning, she was welcomed to the wafty scent of melted butter, freshly baked dough, and chocolate throughout the lower floor.
She was pretty sure Hitoshi was still scarfing down the croissants as she spoke.
Regardless, it wasn't like she could talk without looking like a hypocrite.
"See? Didn't I say it'd be fun?" Keigo said with a smile, adorning the charcoal black version of the jacket to his hero costume.
"Yeah, if I hadn't eaten all those croissants," Fumikage grumbled, holding his stomach.
"Do birds have gag reflexes?" Keigo asked, genuinely curious.
"We should be asking you that," Eli called out as she greeted another set of students.
One had a comic strip for a face. Kota couldn't stop staring at him with bright gleaming eyes.
'That's pretty cool' he thought.
The boy next to him was a boy by the name of TestuTestu TestuTestu... but honestly, he could pass for Kiri's brother.
'Hope he likes nicknames...' Eli thought idly.
Soon, all the students arrived and Charm/Tamaki arrived to supervise the 1B students as Keigo was doing for 1A. He gave a blushy smile at Eli before nodding in respect and standing silently on the other side of the Power Loader. Eli and Keigo stood side beside a bit behind Power Loader waiting for him to begin.
"Alright!" Higari shouted, quieting any chatter that may have been going on.
"Emails are currently going out regarding what is going to happen this semester given the... incident at the training camp," he began.
All these students had been there, and even though she knew that her own was now home and safe, she also stared in pride and crushing guilt. Although, she couldn't only speak for her own students' achievements since she'd seen their progress firsthand.
She saw how far they'd come from kids scrambling in fear at the USJ to kicking ass on I-Island and now they'd thwarted off god knows how many enemies together.
Eli's hand had found Power Loader's shoulder without her knowledge, and now she stood before 20 students with a pair of wide eyes under her hair. Breathing deeply, she centered herself, remembering that Kota was now holding her hand, still not leaving her side.
So, she cleared her throat.
"I don't know what was said to you all after the training camp, but whatever was said to you, know now, that you've done well," she said with a nod, watching their reactions with careful eyes.
"It was an unfortunate incident, and UA has since been making arrangements to further ensure the safety of our students. So, on behalf of all UA Staff and Faculty, I'd like to apologize to you all for not performing our duties as heroes and your teachers," Eli spoke genuinely.
She bowed a bit.
She waited a second before standing up straight and continuing.
"Now, as for today, because of the increase in villain attacks, we will be upgrading and making professional additions to your hero costumes. Like Power Loader has said, emails will have been sent out by your homeroom teachers and once you've read it, know that your hero costume is yours indefinitely," she said with a nod.
"I'll be frank with you all, this is going to be a long process. Although the design of your hero costume is also welcome to be changed or adjusted, know that today we will be focused on the items you will carry and the protection your suit provides. Additionally, you shall meet with your TAs and counselors to discuss the changes in our curriculum as well, but if you have any questions about that you can go ahead and jot them down on your phones so you don't forget,"
"Now, I'm not ignorant to the fact that you all are young heroes, and what every young hero needs to ensure their success as a hero is a look. A theme if you will and there is also nothing wrong in wanting to look a little cool while you do what you do," she smiled as she gestured to her hero costume.
"My costume is made using my DNA," she said
"My Quirk emits a power that is specific to me, it's not just kinetic energy, it's mine. So, for my suit to be to handle it, I had to study myself. I used my hair, and I developed a synthetic hybrid of my hair follicles along with some of the basics like spandex and Kevlar. This doesn't make it indestructible of course, and I will tell you now that no suit is, but it offers a great deal of protection in the field," she spoke.
"With Suoh-san's information and praise, I know that all of you have received special training and lectures regarding support items, but I also know that like 1B, my class has been... resistant to carrying dangerous weaponry which of course is valid," Eli said with a nod.
It was true, only the students that had frequented her own home to train with her brothers had even remotely incorporated support items into their training. Momo and Kyoko had been some of the few that decided to give knives a try.
"But I must warn you, it is genuinely better to be safe, than sorry," she told them, a serious expression on her face.
Kota looked up at her with wide eyes, frozen in place as he listened to her talk. He'd never been afraid of her, but he'd also never really seen her look so serious.
"When you talk to your counselors later, you will have the option to choose a class in intermediate classes in a kind of weapon. Longe range or short range, and we can all discuss it with you during your assessment," she finished.
"Now, any questions before we begin?"
..
"Okay I need you to hear me out, how do we feel about adding disks to the balls on your arms so you can attack at long distances when you Float yourself," Eli said in all seriousness.
"Uh-" Ochaco said with wide eyes.
The sketch she showed her was iffy as if she was on a time crunch (she was), but it was vivid enough for her to notice a weird look to them.
"Do they do something when they hit the villains?" she asked.
"They make them float," Eli said in pride. It took her a bit to figure out the logistics of how they would work. Her first thought was to ask for a lock of Ochaco's hair but then she realized she could simply have them go off once they'd locked onto whatever they reached, and they'd release the same anti-gravitational traction her car did, but on a minute scale.
Ochaco's eyes shined in delight as the girl nodded earnestly.
Eli smiled and nodded.
"Check off number #2 Kota," Eli told the boy who held her clipboard with a piece of paper for each student and the ideas Eli had to suggest to them.
"Yes mama," he nodded.
Plus it was a good way for Kota to practice his numbers.
...
"I'd suggest an overall denser suit and a multitude of weapons at your beck and call," Eli told the boy honestly.
"What? Why?" Monoma complained. He rather liked his hero suit.
"Your Quirk allows you to copy others' Quirks right? Well, that relies on your ability to obtain said Quirk and be able to use it. Not to mention, in the incident of being unaware of the Quirk you might get, which wouldn't surprise me in the field," she explained to him.
"B-But," Monoma wanted to complain, but he felt as though his voice wouldn't hold much weight, so he bit his lip and sneered.
Eli sighed at his expression and shook her head.
"What is it? This is your consultation, you can speak up," she told him as gently as she could.
With uncertainty in his voice, he brushed his hair from his face and looked up at her.
"I just don't want to change what my hero costume is, my Grandma, helped me design it," he said, muttering the last bit before looking away from her.
Eli smiled and nodded.
"Understood, how bout this. We add a protective level underneath your initial costume. It ensures your safety and will be airy enough to not cripple your mobility. As for the weapons, how do you feel about adding holsters to the inside of your suit jacket?" she asked.
"For like guns?" he said, something like a smile coming to his face.
Eli quirked an eyebrow and smirked.
"Why? Is that what you want?" she asked, a knowing but curious look in her eyes.
"YES-" he cut himself off with his embarrassment, but Eli couldn't help but laugh at the boys' enthusiasm.
"Well, the long-ranged weaponry class is pretty good, and between you and me, Snipe and I will be teaching said classes. If you'll be taking that class, we can always center your studies in the class around your long-range weapon of choice," she told him.
"Y-yea, I'll do that then," he replied, throwing the cool look he had back on, but she just smiled.
"Alright then, we'll do that. Before I go, I know I don't know you and your class too well, but like I've been telling your other classmates, feel free to come to my office in the Support Studio or visit me in Class 1A during break times if you want to talk about any other alterations of focuses," she assured him.
"Thank you," he muttered, looking away from her once more.
"Alright, Kota scratch out number 1 and check off 2 and three," she told the little guy who Monoma wanted to ask about, but he kept quiet as they moved on to another student.
"Okay Mama," he said as he trailed after her.
'... If that's her son, then... 2, 3, 4, 6...damn,' he thought.
...
"Eli-sensei, is it true that Aizawa-sensei is talking to our parents about dorming, like now?"
A hand grabbed her arm in haste, and Eli looked to see Mina, Denki, and the rest of 1A in attendance.
"What if they pull us out, I-I don't want to leave?!" Denki spoke up, a frown on his face.
Eli couldn't help the tightening in his chest. Hitoshi would be in shambled if his best and closest friend outside of his family left the place they'd met. Her mouth opened in close, her response sitting in the back of her head, but she wanted them to talk.
Either they were going to tell these concerns to her, to Shouta, to their parents, friends, whatever, it was going to come out.
"...Eli-sensei, wouldn't that be a bit unfair? Shouldn't we have a say if we stay here? I mean, UA is the best school for young heroes and I chose this school because I want to be like Riot... I don't think I can do it anywhere but UA," Kiri spoke up honestly.
He was also thinking about Katsuki, his very best friend. Despite the blonde's antagonistic nature, he drove Kiri to do the impossible. Once Eli had discovered that once you break the shell of his hardening, he comes back stronger (much like muscle tissue), you can imagine the delight Kat had at blowing him up without a care in the world.
Eli had to put Katsuki in a headlock and drag him into the house to get him away from Kiri once and Himiko and her assistant (a reluctant Shoto) tended to him with a first aid kit.
"Kiri's right! I wouldn't have been able to implement my dancing into combat had it not been for you Eli-sensei," Mina said, a small but not exaggerated pout on her lips. Eli's lip twitched upward at that, seeing that the girl didn't want to guilt trip her, but was simply expressing herself.
"And I wouldn't have been able to be as powerful as I was at the training camp without you, or fly without Hawks-sensei," Fumi spoke up. His head was tilted downward, avoiding her gaze, but Eli nodded with a sad smile, quietly telling him that she had heard him loud and clear.
"Sensei, it's because of you that I'm even remotely able to keep up with Katsuki and Izu. If not for you, I'd still be who I was after the Sports Festival," Ochaco spoke up.
"Forgive me Eli-sensei, but I agree with my classmates, it seems... wrong to leave when we owe where we are, to you," Tenya spoke, standing beside Ocha with a firmness in his stance but the youth in his eyes gave away the slight nervousness he felt if it wasn't that it was the tenseness of shoulders.
Eli looked at them all and peered over to see 1B standing aside. Some were being consulted by Power Loader, but she could tell that students like Ibara, Kento, and Monoma were listening. So, she had to choose her words carefully, but... the truth of what could happen to them blurred those thoughts.
And, what they'd said was true. Shouta and Toshinori took the mission together, to speak to parents about the idea of dorming. It was decided that they would be upfront and honest about the dangers of what it means to be in a profession like the own their children had chosen, but in the same conversation, they'd be thorough regarding their safety plans.
She, of course, would be mentioned, for she, Cementos, and Power Loader were at the head of Campus and Hero Costume Safety at the moment.
Who knew the mere mention of Eli's name would, which had become a common name in their homes, would probably be enough to ease some of the parents' worry...
'I'm going to Eli-sensei's house to train with Izuku, bye Mom!' Ochaco would say.
'Me and Kat are gonna train at his house. Eli-sensei says she's making dinner, but I won't miss curfew!' Kirishima would tell his moms.
'Hitoshi and I will be discussing the pros and cons of occult magic, but first I will be training with Hawks-sensei at Eli-sensei's home. She also says hello,' Fumi would say plainly.
'Ma! Look what Eli-sensei showed me, I can do a backflip now!' Denki would cheer.
'Mother, Father, I'd like to bring cookies and tea for Eli-sensei, to thank her for her help with something I was having difficulty with at school, would that be alright?' Momo would ask her parents.
"No, you don't owe it to me. I trained you, that's my job, everything you are is a result of your own hard work," she spoke first.
"I... I understand where you all are coming from. If it's fair, is a difficult question. For you all, I wouldn't say it's fair, because I do think that if anyone should have a say in their education, it should be the person getting it," Eli told them, trying her best to validate their feelings.
It was true and she'd said it a thousand times in her own head... which is why she told Shouta and Toshinori to not ask her as a parent like they would the others, she just told them to assume they were staying.
"But... if Aizawa-sensei came to my door and asked me if I would be okay with them moving on campus after what happened at the training camp... even I couldn't be sure of what I'd say," she chuckled sadly.
"But Eli-sensei, you're a hero... I can't help but think that's--"
"Hypocritical? Selfish? Maybe it's both, but for every decent parent, there's nothing harder than letting your child go off somewhere where you know they will get hurt or worse," Eli told them, biting her lip at the grim event, but she was cast out of such thoughts when she felt something lean against her leg.
She looked down to see Kota standing beside her, leaning his head against her in a tired manner.
Her students saw her smile reappear as she bent down and tucked her clipboard under her arm before picking up the boy and tucking him in her arms.
"Most of you saw them first hand, the real villains, what they are willing to do to children," she said, rubbing Kota's back in a circular motion.
"I am lucky to have all of them back, but here they are wanting to run right back to the thing that nearly killed them, why?" she seemed to be asking herself that more than anyone, but she still looked to her students with nothing but earnest concern.
"... Your parents are worried for your safety. They don't want anything to happen to you, that's just standard parents," she said, cracking a smile as she subtly gestured to Kota in her arms.
"But, as I said, I understand. As a hero and a future civilian," she said with a small laugh.
"And because I get it, I can speak with them myself but because I'm being transparent with you all, I'll have to be the same without parents. Just like my own, what would I do if something happened to my students?" Eli asked, and her arm lifted to pat Ochaco's head.
"I never properly thanked you for what you did for Himi, and I wanted you to know that my family and I are eternally grateful. I wouldn't be surprised if she's telling this story to her own at some point," Eli said.
Ochaco blushed from the sudden attention on her, but she nodded with her hands clasped together against her legs.
"O-oh, it wasn't anything Eli-sensei," Ochaco said waving her hands reverently.
Eli chuckled and shook her head.
"It wasn't nothing. In fact, I distinctly remember a handful of you had come to me after, offering to help me in finding them," she said, a proud smile on her face as she stared at them.
Tenya, Kirishima, Denki, Mezo, and Ochaco explode red once more, and Eli laughed at that. Whether it was an embarrassing memory for them, looking back at the interaction through eyes not clouded by vengeance, she saw the next generation of heroes in front of her, and she was so proud of what she saw.
"Eli-sensei?" she heard a small voice call and to her surprise, it was Koda.
She'd heard the boy talk from time to time, but only ever when required. Given this was unprompted, she turned her attention to them.
"If... I get to stay at UA... can I come train too?" Koda asked, his hands up close by his chest as his fingers twitched furiously.
Eli smiled at him, a genuine smile, and nodded.
"Even if you don't train, Hitoshi can introduce you to the cats. That goes for all of you okay? Even if you don't attend UA, that doesn't mean that you aren't still my students," Eli smiled.
Before they went off to speak with their counselors, slowly but surely, they all came up to her to give her a lasting hug before leaving. They gushed at how cute Kota was and even hugged a surprised Keigo who only awkwardly pat their backs, but he got into the groove of it after Fumi hugged him. She could even see the tears in some of their eyes, that threatened to fall, but Eli wouldn't dare to call that out in front of 19 other students, much less the students of their 'rival' class'.
It was almost as if they were saying goodbye.
Imagine how embarrassed they'd be when they showed up for school.
...
Eli had given Kota to Keigo. She didn't want to, but according to Nezu, the meeting was very important so she figured it'd be better for Kota to be with him instead of sitting silently in a room for another hour.
"Afternoon Principal Nezu," Eli greeted as she walked through the door. She gave a half bow before taking her seat in front of his desk.
"Ah, Eli-san, so good to see you, I trust that you've handled what you said you'd handle?" Nezu asked.
He wasn't talking about the meetings. He was talking about her parents, and Eli caught on immediately. How he knew what'd she do wasn't something she wanted to think too hard about, because, over the course of almost 10 years, Nezu had shown numerous times that he is to be trusted.
"Yes, they've been handled," she said with a nod.
Nezu gave a piercing smile before laughing nefariously. Eli couldn't help but a little at his reaction, but she ended it off with a chuckle, covering her mouth as she did so.
"Wonderful, so now I must ask, are you alright? Despite my lack of understanding pertaining to how one might process such potent emotions, I can say that as an animal, I can sense that maybe things aren't what you'd thought they'd be?" he asked sincerely, although carefully.
He'd learned that prying pushes people away at best, even though in his own mind he was just asking.
"Well, the students were... having trouble understanding why Sho and Toshinori were deliberately speaking with their parents now. I only tried to explain to them that it was necessary that their parents are aware of what they'll be doing," Eli told him, watching as he poured her a cup of tea from one of his fancier tea sets.
"Hm, what's the special occasion?" she asked as she inspected the cup in her hand before taking a sip.
"Eli, I find myself quite at odds," Nezu said, sipping his own tea.
"And why is that?" she asked.
"You're going to retire," he said.
She knew, of course, he knew. She'd said so years ago, in maybe her second year of hero work. He couldn't stop her, he knew that, but he still wanted to extend his offer to her. He wasn't attempting to change her mind or trying to convince her otherwise, he just wanted to give her another option.
"Ah, yes. In maybe a couple of years. Once I pass the hero mantle off to them," she said with a nod.
Not to mention she didn't need the money that hero-work brought in to put Himiko through medical school (just a thought, but Eli was prepared for the day she'd ask any such a question).
"And what do you think that will look like?" Nezu asked.
Eli sighed and contemplated.
"They're all ambitious, so opening up their own agency isn't out of the question. I've been hoping that they'd want to open one together because it'd be a lot simpler for them to all just be co-owners of the agency so I'm hoping for a joint agency. Kota will be about 10 then and I hope to not have to deal with another rebellious phase," Eli said, chuckling a bit at the end.
"Hm, wishful thinking?" he asked, wearing a smile on his face.
"Of course," she replied.
"So, what's this sudden interest in my retirement plans?" she finally asked, leaning back in her chair with a playful smirk on her face.
"Well, to be honest with you Eli-san, I thought to hand over my position to you. And before you interrupt me like I know you love to, you are the obvious choice. You have an incredible amount of compassion for each student that crosses your path and you've proved this theory many times over."
Eli's jaw hung as she stared with shaking fingers at her boss. Nezu was still talking, but Eli's mind was buzzing with questions, the most prevalent being, 'Why?'. She stared at him with wide eyes and she tentatively placed the teacup on the table so there would no chance of her dropping it.
"In truth, I fear for my ability to provide what it is that these young heroes need. As you know, as an animal, I cannot feel such emotions on a level that you may. I have no family, so you must imagine my surprise when I behaved so... aggressively towards Endeavour during the meeting to defeat AFO," Nezu spoke.
Eli gave a small chuckle at that and nodded.
"Yes, Touya told me all about you giving Endeavour the business," Eli spoke, a small smirk playing on her lips as the excitement she felt in her chest lessened just a bit.
"If I were to continue running this school, I'm afraid I may lead our students astray," he spoke honestly. There was certain sincerity in his voice, something rare for him.
Eli nodded understanding.
"Well, I don't understand how that is, you may be an animal, but animals feel deeply as well. I know they aren't as complex as you are, but our cats at home love Kota. They cuddle him to sleep in his own bed, and the loyalty of dogs is known worldwide," Eli said rather carefully, leaning forward in her chair and raising her hair to look at him.
"So, if you'd like to hear it, I have a theory," Eli suggested.
"And what is that Eli?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips as subtle amusement filtered through him.
"It isn't your animal side that prevents this, I think, it's the genius within you. There have been hundreds if not thousands of cases of geniuses popping up throughout the millennia that have trouble with empathy because they are so wrapped up in their own head. Now, that isn't wrong or anything, but I think, if you got even more in touch with the side of yourself that isn't a genius, you'd probably be able to get in touch with your sympathetic side," Eli said.
After so many years with him, Eli knew better than anyone (besides maybe Shouta) that Nezu was not heartless. He felt things, he could be kind and protective, loving even.
The little guy sat on Shouta's shoulder and wrapped himself up in his scarves one time, and Eli thought it was the cutest thing ever, not that she voiced this since she wanted to save him some pride.
"Ha, I see you've done well in changing the topic of discussion as I taught you over our many tea sessions," Nezu said, a grin on his face as he sipped his coffee.
Eli laughed and shook her head.
"Fine, you got me; but I meant what I said," she replied.
Nezu smiled at that and looked down at his cup with a peaceful stare.
"Although, my offer still stands. I would like you to be the new principal of UA. If it is not something you want that is fine, but I wanted to inform you of my plans, since well, you'd be at the center," Nezu explained once more.
Eli smirked, but shook her head, not paying mind to his somber reaction.
"I'd like you to continue being principal, but I do believe that the both of us could do wonders so, how do you feel about having a vice principal?" she asked, picking her tea up again, a newfound confidence in herself as she stated her own suggestion.
Maybe it was her students' loyalty to her and Shouta, or maybe it was because, Eli wasn't dumb enough to think that without her, her own children wouldn't be who they are. She'd taught them diligently to stand up for their own, to speak up, to fight back when needed.
Despite all their hardship, Eli could confidently say that she was proud of herself.
Proud of herself for putting together the family they had now and always doing what needed to be done.
Nezu smiled and the thought crossed his mind of Eli helping him even more than she already did.
"Okay Eli-chan," he said, laughing just a bit.
"Although we might need to wait until 1A graduates, I don't think they'd be too happy with me no longer being their TA," Eli chuckled, going back to drink her tea, all the tension that was in her body floating away.
"Certainly not and I'm sure Hawks and Shouta would be most displeased," Nezu said with a nod.
"Until then, let's call this an official invite to Sunday dinner. Think of it as a place where you don't have to be a genius all the time, but I'm sure Izuku will appreciate all the information he can funnel out of you," Eli said snickering as she down the rest of her tea and stood up.
Nezu laughed. Although he'd been eager to give Eli an even higher position, he couldn't help but be swayed by her distracting words.
"I will be there," Nezu stated, placing his teacup down to walk Eli out of the door... he just got on her shoulder.
Eli chuckled and let him down when she got there before they bowed and exchanged goodbyes.
.
.
.
Going up the walkway to their home, Keigo shoved his key in the door with a grunt. Kota was asleep and was being loosely carried by Eli who was barely awake but was lucid enough to smile at the man above her.
"Thank you again Kei," she said.
"No problem-" he was cut off when he opened the door and they were greeted with an odd but predictable sight.
Touya was facing away from them, where she could see Himiko, Hitoshi, and Shoto talking loudly and frantically about something, but Eli saw that look in their eyes.
'Sneaky little things,' she thought.
And behind them, sneaking up the stairs was Izuku... with a dog.
"Oh... h-hey Nee-chan," Izuku said, calling attention to them.
"E-?" Touya started, whipping around, but his eyes stopped on Izuku who was trying to sneak upstairs, a massive dog at that.
"Izuku... what the fuck is that?" Touya asked.
"Uh..."
"ABORT! MISSION FAIL!" you could hear Katsuki scream from upstairs before an arm shot out and yanked Izuku up, leaving the dog sitting at the foot of the stairs. Their tail was wagging and they had their tongue out without a care in the world as they stared at Eli and Keigo.
Himiko and Hitoshi ran too, and Hitoshi yanked Shoto along with them as quickly as he could before the two disappeared upstairs as well.
"Well," Eli started, sighing as she sat up a bit and Keigo put her down.
"If anything, at least they know when to give up," Eli said with a shake of her head. She clicked her tongue out of curiosity as she looked at the dog and he bounded towards her quickly making her eyes widen.
She raised her hand a bit, and he sniffed it. She smiled and she pats its head.
"And at least your cute," she muttered.
"So do we just have a dog now, is that how these things work?" Touya asked, as he stared between the two, almost ashamed at the act that had they not come home when they did, their plan probably would've worked.
"Well, at least it's a much smaller commitment than a child,"
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7441 words
hey guys, more fluffy chapter coming. like im a plot girly, but we need some more love going on, so ill working on that in the next couple of chapters.
anyway, i hope you guys enjoyed and since it's friday for me, have a lovely weekend!
love you guys, and make sure you eat and drink water + all that fun stuff (happy black history month to my people as well)