Requested by: Diarrhoea2and3
Summary:
When training a quirk, self control is trivial for a good result. Class A knows this, and so does their teacher, but as they try to include someone who hasn't experienced much, they seem to forget this important rule- and as one student is put in charge of this other person, they soon learn just how important self control really is.
When everything is going down within the UA walls, important matters are shared about the outside, and so class A learns things they never should of.
===
Three long hours of english, and now they were moving on to quirk training.
He'll never come to understand these schedules...
He, as well as his classmates were just making their way out of the changing rooms, as they were supposed to meet up at the training grounds, changed and ready for whatever lesson that Aizawa might have in mind.
That guy really had some weird ideas every now and then...
"I heard that Sensei brought a surprise today, I wonder if it's more homework though" Uraraka spoke, as a whine could be heard following. He doesn't have anything against the homework that they are assigned, as they're usually pretty easy- but when you have at least six assignments a week, it tends to drown out the little time you'd usually have...
"But the assignments are the best part, it's where you show what you're good at, like-" Midoriya then began rambling, only for Uraraka to instantly hold out two fingers in front of her own mouth, as to shut him up.
"Please Deku, you're not making it any better.. actually I think you ruined my mood more than it already was"
She then proceeded to walk ahead of the rest of the group, which left Midoriya flabbergasted behind. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He loves his friends, but sometimes they're just a bit too dramatic for his taste...
As they entered through the door to the training grounds, the students of class A was suddenly met with their stoick teacher, currently holding a small child in his arms. What was going on? He remembers having heard of this kid before... he just doesn't remember where from...
A small girl with light blue hair... what was her name again? He thinks that it's the girl that Midoriya had helped that one time... but what would she be doing here then?
As the rest of the class showed up, Aizawa decided to start the lesson with a small introduktion. "As you already know, we'll be doing some quirk training today, and because of this, I've decided to bring Eri here"
Eri. That was her name.
"She needs some help with her quirk, and i'd like for her to watch someone older while learning herself. So who'll take her on?"
It wasn't until Aizawa cleared his throat a minute later, that Shoto realised how he were the only one standing out in the open- the rest of his classmates had taken a step back at the mention of having to help out. Were they scared of her, or something?
"Oh, well done. Todoroki, please take care of her, I trust that you won't do anything stupid"
The words seemed genuine, but neither his voice, nor his face followed. Were he worried about Shoto or Eri? Now he were actually curious... "Alright, go to him, I need to start my lesson"
At the mention of the teachers original work, the young girl quickly left his side to join Todoroki. He didn't even know who this kid was, yet he had to be the one to look after her? It all just seemed wrong to him, but he wasn't going to judge his teachers judgement... not yet at least..
She seemed a bit distant, but still radiated of engagement, so Shoto naturally thought that she was ready- and in that mindset, just began walking off to their training square. She followed closely behind him, so he had at least not been totally off about reading her. "Alright then. What's your quirk again? I don't think I know"
He tried to speak in a voice that he would imagen children liking, but he wasn't sure if it worked. He didn't want to scare her, but he also needed answers..
"It's called rewind.." She spoke, clearly unsure of the fact that she would be allowed to say it out loud. "It can reverse things to an earlier stage..." She mumbled and fiddled with her fingers, but Shoto didn't mind. He were actually also like that when he was her age...
Nodding at her, he instantly began making things that she could use her quirk on. She can rewind things, so maybe breaking something and making her reverse it would be a good exercise? "I have a few ideas for you if you'd like to try?"
He liked the way she seemed to light up at the mention of him having a plan. Maybe she didn't think training her quirk would be possible?
"Yes, please"
...
When he decided to bring Eri in for today's training, this wasn't what he had imagined would happen..
He thought that she may be able to turn her quirk on at the end of the day, without feeling guilty or scared... but somehow Todoroki managed to actually train her quirk, and now he had accidentally fallen victim to it...
Aizawa hadn't seen the entire scene play out, but he saw most of it.
Apparently Eri had been practicing on some of Todoroki's ice, and had suddenly touched him instead of the ice, making him rewind instead of the object. He hadn't thought that it would be like this at all..
And he were slowly losing his mind...
The quirk had only barely touched the teen, which may of just been for the best, though the outcome could of been avoided entirely.
Eri was currently panicking in the arms of Midoriya, while Aizawa himself, was dealing with an unconscious kid, who seemed to be around the age of six- clearly representing his student, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. He were supposed to protect these kids, yet he's the one who always brings them in danger..
About ten minutes had past, and Todoroki still didn't make any signs of waking up any time soon, so Aizawa decided to take matters into his own hands, instead of just waiting around- "I'll take him to Recovery Girl for a moment, can you take care of Eri?"
He didn't wait for any of his students to answer, as he just picked Todoroki up, while supporting his legs and head, as he held his student close to him. He just hopes that Recovery Girl can do something about this... even as he knows it is very unlikely...
It actually surprised him how the kid in his arms wasn't waking up from the constant thumping, as Aizawa speed walked through the halls. Heavy sleeper, huh? It surprised him quite a lot, when remembering how light of a sleeper the usual Todoroki was...
"Eri calm down, it's not your fault"
Midoriya tried to consult her, but the girl were already in a frenzy trying to contain her own emotions. "But I- I hurt him Mr. Deku... I didn't mean to, I promise.." She were crying, mumbling and trembling all at once, as if what she had accidentally done was something unforgivable.. he hated to see her like this..
"You are just coming to terms with your quirk, It's totally fine and I'm sure Recovery Girl can reverse it. Don't you worry" He tried talking to her in a soothing voice, hoping that it would calm her down- which it also seemed to in the end.
The quiet sniffing soon faded, as Eri looking up from her own lap- "You think?" She seemed unsure of her answer, and were now rubbing her nose. Just thinking about what this sweet girl had to go through, was enough for Midoriya to mentally throw up... she really hadn't deserved any of it.
"I'm sure. Either way, he's not hurt and we'll get through it"
...
When he took his student to Recovery Girl, it hadn't exactly been the awaited answer he got..
"I can't reverse quirks, only heal wounds caused by them. I'm sorry, but I'd wait it out. Eri isn't very old, so her girl isn't going to last forever- just keep an eye on him, Eraser"
Nothing ever went as it was supposed to..
"What do you mean wait it out? Are we supposed to take care of a child now?" Kaminari asked, as Aizawa entered the dorm building with a now sleepy, but awake Todoroki in his arms- who didn't seem to register just how many people were looking at him at that point.
"Yes Kaminari. Besides, this is going to give you some life lessons... or something.." He whispered the last bit and ignored it as some of his students made 'huh' sounds. "Just make sure he doesn't get hurt, it's all I ask"
This seemed to gain the encouragement of some of his students, while others were still hesitant. He just hopes that they choose to come around at some point..
"Mr. Aizawa?... Is- Is he alright?" Eri then asked, as she stepped out from behind Midoriya's leg. She still seemed guilty.
"Yeah, he's quite alright, just sleepy" As he said that, he rearranged Todoroki a little father up his shoulder, so that he would be able to lie a bit more comfortably than he seemed to be before. He were also keeping a very firm grip on Aizawa's shirt, as if he were afraid of being left alone somewhere... he hopes that isn't the way he is actually thinking...
Eri were stepping a bit closer to Aizawa now, still keeping her distance as she waited for the teachers approval- only for him to crouch down, so that Eri would be able to look at Todoroki, for herself. "Here. Take a look"
This caught her attention, as she were now standing just besides Aizawa, studying the boy in his arms, as the youngest there was hiding his face in the teachers shoulder- clearly unsure of the situation. He had never imagined Todoroki like this...
"Hey? Kid. Can I put you down for a minute?"
He didn't want to leave Todoroki when he were clearly not comfortable with being here, but he also needed to arrange some important paperwork regarding his situation. Besides, the students are supposed to look after him at some point either way, why not just let them do it now?
The child quietly whined, before loosening his grip. Aizawa had thought that Todoroki would be hesitant to walk away from him, but to Aizawa's surprise, he jumped right out of his arms, only to look at him with a terrified expression. Why were he looking at him like that though?
It wasn't until the kid then started mumbling and shaking that he realised what was wrong- "I-I'm sorry, p-please don't hit me.." Todoroki were slightly covering his head with his arms, but he wasn't really focusing his energy there... as if he knew it wouldn't help much against a stronger opponent..
"What are you talking about kid?" He then asked, gently reaching his hand out for the child to take- while showing him he wasn't going to raise it.
"I-i'm not supposed to complain, I'm sorry... please forgive me"
He wouldn't take Aizawa's hand, and instead just kept avoiding his gaze. What happened to this kid? "I'm not mad, so you can stop shaking now" He said, while tilting his head, as to show the child he wasn't a threat. If he acts like another child would, then it would probably seem less demanding..
This made Todoroki drop his arms entirely, as he whispered out; "You're not?" which attracted a few quiet gasps from the crowd of students. They knew even Aizawa couldn't get mad a kid.. and especially not Todoroki at that..
"Of course not"
This stopped the shaking, which gave Aizawa the signal he had been waiting for. He needs to leave now if he wants to be done today... "I have to leave now, but these students will take great care of you-" He looked around, seeing his students nod, as his gaze then landed on Eri who were looking at him with anticipation- "-and Eri here, is going to make sure you don't get bored. Just make their lives easy, yeah?"
Todoroki then nodded at him, while straightening his back. At least he listens...
Aizawa nodded towards the entire class before leaving through the dorms exit- giving the students a signal of his leave, the second the door closed.
"He's just so cute I can't take it" Mina exclaimed, clearly trying to hold herself back from touching the younger Todoroki- who didn't seem overly fond of his current situation. While the rest of the class seemed to be just as excited as Mina.
Todoroki didn't like social interactions as a teen, so he mustn't be much different in this age... His thought was only proven right, as Todoroki suddenly tried to back away from the class, who were slowly moving closer and closer towards him. Sometimes he wished that his classmates was better at reading an Atmosphere...
"Hey, Eri? Can't you show Todoroki some of your toys while we prepare for dinner?"
His question seemed to light something inside of Eri, as she just nodded before smiling towards the other child in the room... he also thinks that this is the first time she has been with anyone younger than herself...
She quickly walked up to him, only to smile and gently take his hand. "Come with me, I'll show you around" He appreciated how gentle she were being towards Todoroki, 'cause even though he's usually stoic and hard skinned, he's in a very vulnerable spot right now, that he wouldn't want anyone to take advantage of..
Todoroki didn't say anything, and just followed as his hand was being pulled along. At least Eri will be able to keep him occupied..
Eri's toys were just by the couches in the common room as Aizawa had quickly dropped them off earlier... but at least it was far enough away for the class to talk in secret.
"Hey, come here for a moment" He whispered, quickly gaining the attention of his classmates who all quietly followed him a little further away from the two kids.
"What is it Midoriya?" Kirishima asked- not trying even the slightest to hide his confusion. Did he even know what whispering was?
As the rest of his classmates hummed in agreement with Kirishima's question, Midoriya just took a deep breath. He has to tell them, if he doesn't want anything to happen to Todoroki... "I think we need to give him some space. He doesn't look very comfortable in this place at all, and when people are constantly staring at him and trying to touch him, it's only making it worse" His words were serious, and his expression followed. They need to know, so they can respect the boundaries he has to make... "Please just give him some space?"
It didn't really surprise him when his classmates just nodded and agreed with him. They've always been very understanding...
"Of course, we'll give him space"
...
Two hours had past, and yet none of his classmates had crossed their earlier promise.
They had all kept a respectful distance to Todoroki, while he and Eri were playing, and none of his classmates had made any sudden noises, nor movements in his present. It seemed to slowly gain him over to their side..
But even though there hadn't been anything wrong, Midoriya caught himself glancing at the two kids every now and then- as he tasked himself with looking after them from one of the couches, while reading a book. He realised that Todoroki had been scratching at his right forearm, every now and then. Why were he only rubbing that one spot though?
He had wanted to ask the child, but Eri beat him to it- being more forward with her childish mind than Midoriya were able to. "Why do you keep scratching there?" Her question was innocent, but it definitely caught Todoroki's attention, who were now looking at her with something close to horror.
Alright, something was clearly wrong here...
"O-oh, I hadn't realised, it's nothing" He quietly spoke, clearly unsure of whether it was the right thing to say or not. What happened to this kid?
"Todo- Shoto? Can I take a look at it?" He probably didn't want him to use his last name... first names were easier for them both either way...
Midoriya stood up from the couch- as slowly as he could, even as Todoroki visibly tensed. Was it something bad? The thought alone was what made him move. If he's hurt, then he has to know where and how bad it is...
He reached Todoroki's side and instantly sat down, in order to have just a slight chance at looking at the youngers arm. He shouldn't scare him though... "Can I see? Please" He held his arm out, as a signal for the younger to place his own on top of it- which he did, after a minute of contemplating whether it was the right thing to do or not.
"Please don't be mad..." Shoto whispered it out, but so gently, that Midoriya thinks it wasn't meant to be heard at all. Why would he be mad though?
As he pulled up the loose sleeve from Todoroki shirt, which were still way too big for his now tiny body, he realised just how small he really had become. They should probably get him some more fitting clothes.. it's not like it didn't fit at all, but it was definitely not small enough... he also thinks that Eri accidentally hit Todoroki's training uniform...
It wasn't until the sleeve was pulled to Todoroki's upper elbow, that he realised what had been bothering him. Burns... and a lot of them at that... There were about five splotches with burn marks all over his elbow, which, in Midoriya's mind, should be hurting a lot more, than just being itchy.
"Hey, are you alright? You're hurt" This sentence was what caught the attention of Yaoyorozu, from one of the other couches, who instantly went to search after the first aid kid- even without having to be told so... He appreciated it...
"I'm fine... it doesn't hurt.."
Why did he find it hard to believe that? Todoroki were looking at him with an expression of pure confusion, as if he shouldn't be worried about the burns... why weren't he worried about them himself?
Looking closer at the burns, it looked like it could of been placed by a hand... had he done this to himself perhaps? There was no mark after a palm, so he couldn't really identify how big the hand had been, considering that the burns spread a lot more than the actual finger... it could of been anyone for that matter...
"Who did this?" He decided to ask, clearly not getting the answer by waiting.. he needs to know... what if they were still hurting him, even to this day?
A raised eyebrow was all he earned, before the younger tilted his head- "Father did... why do you ask though?" The younger asked it, as if it shouldn't be of anyone's concern... as if it was his norm...
"That's not-"
"Your father did that..?" Eri's voice suddenly sounded from besides them, as Midoriya stopped his sentence midway. He had totally forgotten about her... "Does he do it a lot?"
It surprised Midoriya to see how well Eri was taking this new information, clearly taking her role as the elder child seriously... when did she become so brave though? She were being serious, as she slowly walked closer, only to sit right besides Todoroki on the ground, and took his hand to look closer at the burns.
She seemed fascinated but scared at the same time... maybe he shouldn't let her be here at all...
"Yeah?" Todoroki confirmed his worst fear. Were Endeavor really hurting him this psycally? "It's from training... why do you ask?"
He seemed utterly confused about the fact that they thought his injury was wrong... what had Endeavor told him to get him into this mindset?
He were just silently glancing between Midoriya and Eri, as if he waited for an answer. What could he tell him though? "He shouldn't be doing that. I should know" Eri then said, once again saying what he hadn't been able to.
It hurt to see Eri trying to comfort someone, who's been going through something similar to her own experiences... clearly trying to make sure that they wouldn't feel or think the same as she did... Making sure they wouldn't blame themselves..
She's definitely gotten far from her starting point, but there were clearly also a few bridges to be crossed, before she would be all ready for the world... she's on her way though, slowly getting there with each passing day, and today seemed to be one that would help her a lot..
He just hopes that she will keep moving forward, and not look back at what she had to overcome..
"What do you mean? He's supposed to do that, I'm the one who didn't listen.."
Was that really what he thought? "How many times has this happened?" Midoriya then asked, as he gestured to the youngers arm- only for Todoroki to tilt his head, which made him change his question, "What do you mean by, didn't listen?"
His questions were confusing the boy and he knew that, but if he wanted any answers, it had to be now that Todoroki was in this stage, and not when he's sixteen and impossible to make open up... he can't help him, unless he helps him too..
"He told me to dodge and I didn't... it was my fault"
His expression was straight as he spoke- ripped off all emotions, just like he were used to seeing Todoroki every day. Did it really start when he was this young? This helpless?
Midoriya wanted to tell him that he wasn't meant to dodge anything. That he shouldn't have to. But Shoto was confused enough as it was, and he weren't going to get the points that Midoriya was trying to get across. There's only a few things he can do now, and then he'll do the rest when his Todoroki returns... the one he's sure to speak with, whether he'd like to or not..
"You're pretty strong, even if you didn't manage to dodge in time"
This made Todoroki smile, something he hadn't seen in quite a while. His usual self never really smiles either.. he'll have to change that when he returns..
"You think? Father says I'll be able to surpass All Might. You think I'll be able to?"
There it was, that one sentence that Todoroki had told him a bit too much about at the sports festival. Surpass All Might... when even Endeavor hadn't been able to, why would he force his son to amount to it instead? Nothing of it made sense to Midoriya, but if it didn't make sense to him, it'd only make less sense to Todoroki...
"I think you should do what you want to, and become as strong as you can, while keeping that kind heart of yours" He spoke- smiling as he poked the youngers chest, where his heart was, making Eri move forward as well-
"What about me? You think I can?" He knew Eri's heart could amount to every- and anything she'd like it to, so he didn't even try to lie-
"I think you'll do great, as long as you keep to your own instinct and don't let people push you around. That's how you learn best"
He'll make sure they both get better... Eri until she can become a hero, and Todoroki... until he can smile like Midoriya is sure he can..
===
I've been a bit sick all weak, so sorry of this one came out a bit sloppily.
I don't know if you'd like a part two for this or not, but please give me some suggestions if you want it. Especially as I have a lot of work to do, so I may not be able to write and come up with a plot at the same time right now.
02/02/2024 - 09/02/2024